Andy Reid(b 1982)

[tetsujin1979]

I maintain that if Lampard was in midfield for, say, Middlesbrough, he'd be far less influential.

Or England. Same player, same position (more or less). Far less effective.

[dr_peepee]

I agree with the first part and if I wasn't so prejudiced I'd possibly agree with the last part too! I thought Lampard was always vastly overrated pre-Mourinho but credit where it's due, he's been a really important player for Chelsea and his goals have been crucial. Lampard certainly has worked extremely hard on his game & on his condition. By all accounts he's a superb trainer who is very dedicated to hard work on technique etc. You can't knock that.

I do think that Lampard & Reid are very different types of player though. I maintain that if Lampard was in midfield for, say, Middlesbrough, he'd be far less influential. He certainly benefits from being surrounded by quality.

Not so much comparing playing styles, more advocating the the whole package that is Lampard. As mentioned, his dedication to technique & training (I'd say he's gonna balloon when he retires too, the puddin). But there's also the ability to overcome adversity from the media and the terraces. I think he's over rated too but I like him as a player to be honest.

[dr_peepee]

Andy Reid not doing that he should start doing?

Dude.. The guy is a quality footballer but is clearly over weight. There's no to ways about it. There's few better with the ball at their feet.His weaknesses lie in where he or we do not have the ball, and I can only speculate but I believe his all round game would benifit from getting in better shape. His tackling is dyer. He's a liability in the last 20 minutes of games, esp in a 4 man midfield. I'd question his sharpness but he does things in posession to counter that.

[DeLorean]

Dude.. The guy is a quality footballer but is clearly over weight. There's no to ways about it. There's few better with the ball at their feet.His weaknesses lie in where he or we do not have the ball, and I can only speculate but I believe his all round game would benifit from getting in better shape. His tackling is dyer. He's a liability in the last 20 minutes of games, esp in a 4 man midfield. I'd question his sharpness but he does things in posession to counter that.

So you're basically putting it down to laziness. I'm not so sure, some guys are just built differently to others and find it hard to shake off the extra few pounds. I agree he looks out of shape but I don't think his performaces reflect that, last 20mins or otherwise. I thought he was excellent against Arsenal a few weeks back when he played a full 90mins and he's hardly played since.

My main question really was why u chose Lamps as the role model? I don't particularly disagree I was just wondering why Lamps? has he done something extra special that I don't know about?

[NeilMcD]

I think the way he turned around the fat frank jibes and became a very professional and player known for his fitness.

[DeLorean]

I think the way he turned around the fat frank jibes and became a very professional and player known for his fitness.

Fair enough but he wasn't exactly fat in the first place, and if there wasn't such a nice ring to it I'm not sure he would have ever been called Fat Frank at all. As far as I'm concerned he's a really good pro and top player in the position he plays but a source of inspiration to other professionals, I think that's stretchin it a bit. I would be more inclined to take inspiration from guys like Woodgate, who's career looked over at one stage.

[irishfan86]

I think if we're looking at role models, we've got our own Richard Dunne to look at.

Once called the Honey Monster, now he's just A Monster, one who has been our rock at the back since Cunningham retired.

But on Reid specifically, I honestly think he's just stocky.

Some people aren't natural athletes, no matter how hard they try to lose weight through exercise or dieting, while other people are chiseled from stone with the bare minimum of exercise.

I'm sure you know of people who fit both descriptions.

Good player, but he has his limitations off the ball (not as limited as Trap or some people think however!).

[FahyForever]

Maybe he'd be better suited to league on the continent. He's running out of English clubs anyway!!

I think he actually would be well suited to the Spanish league. People like Riquelme run games without running.... Reid has great control and vision, but the premiership is hardly the place for him. The pace alone is too much..

[Qwerty]

One thing that Juande Ramos has rightly been given credit for is to get his players fitter & leaner. Tom Huddlestone lost lots of weight when Ramos arrived. Even Robbie Keane got in much better condition. Despite all the assurances about Reid's fitness and his weight I'd love to have seen how his physical condition and consequently his form would have fared under Ramos' regime.

I think Reid's problem is that the top clubs who feel they can afford the luxury of a playmaking midfielder can go out and buy the best available. The rest of the EPL feel they get results better by being physical and scrapping for points. The likes of Sunderland probably view Reid's type of player as a luxury, though it's clear to anyone watching that they're a better side when he plays.

I'm surprised that Keane hasn't improved Reid's fitness, I am NOT saying Reid is not fit but he is carrying extra weight.

Keane says Irish players need to improve fitness:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7743179.stm

[co. down green]

One thing that Juande Ramos has rightly been given credit for is to get his players fitter & leaner. Tom Huddlestone lost lots of weight when Ramos arrived. Even Robbie Keane got in much better condition. Despite all the assurances about Reid's fitness and his weight I'd love to have seen how his physical condition and consequently his form would have fared under Ramos' regime.

I think Reid's problem is that the top clubs who feel they can afford the luxury of a playmaking midfielder can go out and buy the best available. The rest of the EPL feel they get results better by being physical and scrapping for points. The likes of Sunderland probably view Reid's type of player as a luxury, though it's clear to anyone watching that they're a better side when he plays.

Keane has made it clear this week that he does not believe a top-flight midfield can support a playmaker who does not offer a physical presence and Reid seems to have accepted the fact.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/spo...r___s_demands/

[mackannovic]

So you're basically putting it down to laziness. I'm not so sure, some guys are just built differently to others and find it hard to shake off the extra few pounds. I agree he looks out of shape but I don't think his performaces reflect that, last 20mins or otherwise.

Some guys like yer average Joe down in Jackie Skellys have trouble shaking it off. Professional footballers are given top notch dieticians(possibly spelling error), doctors and coaches whos job it is to whip them into shape. Thye have no excuse not to be "shaking it off", Andy Reid is clearly not sticking to the plan and he's wasting away the possible talent he has because of it.

[Sligo Hornet]

Some guys like yer average Joe down in Jackie Skellys have trouble shaking it off. Professional footballers are given top notch dieticians(possibly spelling error), doctors and coaches whos job it is to whip them into shape. Thye have no excuse not to be "shaking it off", Andy Reid is clearly not sticking to the plan and he's wasting away the possible talent he has because of it.

Love the irony!

[irishfan86]

He's not fat, he's just stocky. Criticizing Andy Reid for his body type is like criticizing Crouch for being too tall.

Andy has his limitations, but he's still a hell of a footballer if you utilize him correctly.

[dr_peepee]

He's not fat, he's just stocky.

Andy Reid is over weight.. He's a good footballer, but is over weight.

[ifk101]

I think it's time we calculate Andy Reid's BMI.

What's his height and current weight?

[tetsujin1979]

According to this - http://www.football.co.uk/sunderland...id_55215.shtml - he's 5"7 and 11st 8lbs, which is 162 pounds
Plug it in to the BMI Calculator at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ and it gives a BMI of 25.4, which is overweight.
However, people who exercise regularly, and have a higher muscle mass can also have a BMI which classifies them as overweight. A friend of mine is a body builder, his BMI is more than 30, which puts him in the obese category.

[Stuttgart88]

Anyone who says Reid isn't overweight is in denial!

There's a simple visual test: almost all elite quality athletes have hollow cheeks (facial, before any smart arses get on my case) illustrating low body fat levels. I'm afraid our Andy fails this test miserably!

[elroy]

Poor performance from Reid on sat, however having said that all of the Sunderland team were woeful.

[shakermaker1982]

All the rugby lads would fail the BMI test. I'm 6 4" and around 16 stone and would be classified as being overweight - if I lost a stone I'd look like Peter Crouch!!!!

Andy Reid is a little on the large size but he has always carried a bit of excess weight since his forest days. It's not as if he's just discovered cream cakes and Guinness.

[Sligo Hornet]

Anyone who says Reid isn't overweight is in denial!

There's a simple visual test: almost all elite quality athletes have hollow cheeks (facial, before any smart arses get on my case) illustrating low body fat levels. I'm afraid our Andy fails this test miserably!

Perhaps Andy should grow a beard like his Boss!!