Has anyone who's seen Long play actually been impressed by him?

[kingdom hoop]

Im still on the fence about Long. I had high hopes when he scored Three in three for Reading and when he got called up ´for San marino.

But against San marino he was atrocious and he's slipped back in the pecking order for Reading. He was lively for us on wed night but should have scored two goals. I don't think he is the future and will be a championship or league two player in a few seasons.

Hopefully he will prove me wrong.

i've never found fences comfortable places to be!! long will be an excellent player in 3/4 years. he's got natural skill. i know its a little unrelated but the fact that he was a tipp minor hurler at 16 evidences his raw talent.

i dont think its fair to judge him on the SM game. as for the reading situation, dont worry about it. he hasnt really slipped down the pecking order, its just kitsons(a different type of player) return from injury. coppell rates long very highly, will nurture him and give him every chance. keep faith:)

[republicofwhite]

Agree wholeheartedly (as ever with the wise and eloquent words of Kingdom Hoop) Long is ridiculously talented and is only going to get better and better. We should be thankful he's under the tutelage of Coppell, who has the described him as the most naturally talented sportsmen he's ever seen. Anybody who criticises him about the SM game is ridiculously harsh. He was totally isolated and deserted by his more senior teammates and you could see he was thrown in at the deep end. Doyle had a great game on Wednesday as the target man, but when Long came on he was noticeably energetic, and you would never have guessed he was on his own. He will make a serious mark on the game for us. Anybody who saw his goal against Burnley will know the natural talent and eye for goal he has.

[kingdom hoop]

Agree wholeheartedly (as ever with the wise and eloquent words of Kingdom Hoop) .

:eek: i wasn't aware i had a fan club

ah, so, do you like films and stuff

[zenokelly]

Long did well when he came on for a 20 year - old but should have scored at least one of the two clear cut chances he had. He showed confidence, ability and desire for the green shirt which are all very important! He will probably be another Alan Lee consistently doing decent in the Championship.


However, I think Stokes would have buried both chances with what I have seen from him for Falkirk and the odd game for Sunderland. He's big, strong and controls the ball very well. If Sunderland are promoted he will be a star next season. Keane will only help him achieve what he is capable of and that is becoming a £15m player in the next 3 - 4 years.

[bellavistaman]

not impressed with long myself either,

[Soper]

He is a class player. People shouldn't be ridiculous in their expectations, he is young just like Stokes.

[finnpark]

I think we all agree that none of them are as bad as Robbie Keane.

[tricky_colour]

Long starts ahead of Doyle (bench) alongside Lita for Reading (manager wanted 'fresh legs') he seems to have done OK so far but nothing special,
I would say Hunt has done better.
I also saw Stokes second half for Sunderland, again OK but nothing special.

[carloz]

I would say Hunt has done better.
I also saw Stokes second half for Sunderland, again OK but nothing special.
Yeah he was quiet last night but it was a poor game in all. Stokes looked extremly average. The only forward on the pitch that resembled Premiership class was our own David Connolly

[eirebhoy]

Stokes looked extremly average.
In fairness van Nistelrooy wouldn't have had much joy in the Sunderland team last night. He got into 2 excellent positions behind the Southampton players and would have been clean through but they couldn't get the ball to him.

[dr_peepee]

Still though... Felt he could have done better when he was in posession. Looks like he needs games. Sunderland have no reserve team so he can't be playing much.

[eirebhoy]

True but what I like most about Stokes is his reading of the game and the positions he gets himself in. What I don't understand is why Connolly was given so much time to get off the mark but as soon as Murphy or Stokes score they're back on the bench or out of the squad. Obviously Keane knows more than me but I think strikers deserve to start the next game or two after scoring.

[Stuttgart88]

Despite being top scorer, Connolly still hasn't got as many goals as Elliott did in his debut full season, when Sunderland overturned a similar crap start to go on to win the league with a late charge.

Granted it's not exactly comparing like with like but it's an interesting comparison, not to knock Connolly but just to show how potent Elliott can be if he's injury free and played as an outright forward.