| Dykes 19:29 - Oct 11 with 8950 views | stainrods_elbow |
Has scored four goals in a year! Four! In a year!
How many (assuming we don't find him a suitor in Jan) would you back him to score this season? Five if we're lucky?
Has Armstrong even scored four goals in his entire career? He can sit on the bench and just look evil for a bit. Not a starter for me right now either.
Right now, I can't see we lose anything by not even playing with a false 9. Let's not play with any kind of 9, go 3-7-0, inundate the midfield, confuse the opposition/ourselves, and see what happens. Tippy tap, close-the gaps, possession-based football, and a few snap/potshots for fun as soon as we get 35 yards from goal.
Now off for my lie-down and meds. Wake me up when the board's swung the axe! [Post edited 11 Oct 2023 19:29]
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| Dykes on 10:02 - Oct 12 with 5145 views | Bluce_Ree |
Eight apparently. Going from your posting date of Oct 11. I think, I can't be bothered to double check. Was injured for a bit too I guess.
7/10/22 - Reading (H) - 2 goals
19/10/22 - Cardiff (H) - 2 goals
8/11/22 - Huddersfield (H) - 1 goal
10/4/23 - West Brom (A) - 1 goal
19/4/23 - Norwich (H) - 1 goal
19/9/23 - Swansea (H) - 1 goal |  |
| Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. He runs like a cheetah, his crosses couldn't be sweeter. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. |
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| Dykes on 10:44 - Oct 12 with 5056 views | francisbowles |
One problem with "see what happens" is that when it goes wrong the majority are on here saying things like 'he set them up all wrong'.
It should stop the moaning about long balls though, if there is no one to boot it up to. |  | | |
| Dykes on 11:29 - Oct 12 with 4926 views | toboboly |
| Dykes on 10:02 - Oct 12 by Bluce_Ree |
Eight apparently. Going from your posting date of Oct 11. I think, I can't be bothered to double check. Was injured for a bit too I guess.
7/10/22 - Reading (H) - 2 goals
19/10/22 - Cardiff (H) - 2 goals
8/11/22 - Huddersfield (H) - 1 goal
10/4/23 - West Brom (A) - 1 goal
19/4/23 - Norwich (H) - 1 goal
19/9/23 - Swansea (H) - 1 goal |
Correct
https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=80989&season_id=156 |  |
| Sexy Asian dwarves wanted. |
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| Dykes on 11:51 - Oct 12 with 4858 views | Burnleyhoop |
We' re going down if we intend to rely on Dykes and Armstrong scoring this season.
FWIW I would be rolling the dice on this set up:
BEGOVIC
DUNNE COOK JCS
CANNON FIELD COLBACK PAAL
WILLOCK CHAIR
KOLLI | | | |
| Dykes on 11:58 - Oct 12 with 4819 views | GaryBannister86 |
| Dykes on 11:51 - Oct 12 by Burnleyhoop |
We' re going down if we intend to rely on Dykes and Armstrong scoring this season.
FWIW I would be rolling the dice on this set up:
BEGOVIC
DUNNE COOK JCS
CANNON FIELD COLBACK PAAL
WILLOCK CHAIR
KOLLI |
I don't get the pelters for Dykes and Armstrong. Dykes, the only decent player in recent memory to sign an extended contract, asked to play in a one-dimensional team where every single opponent knows he is going to be the target man. I've never seen him try anything other than his best, as befitting a guy who climbed out of his seriously sick-bed last season to try and help. Compared to his teammates crying off with a "calf niggle". He's not Haaland, but in this team with this set up even Erling would struggle to get many. Get behind him and give him a break.
Armstrong - he's a kid for god's sake, and one that shows the ability to ruffle opposition defenders and give us a spark. A kid who's being asked to rescue a terrible team. He's going to be a damn good player one day. In normal circumstances he would be butchering League One / Two defences on loan right now.
It's not as though these two are being presented with chance after chance that they are missing. They are pretty much having to make them themselves.
I'm still with them. |  | | |
| Dykes on 12:01 - Oct 12 with 4806 views | dmm |
It's bad enough putting huge expectations on the shoulders of 20 year old Armstrong. To do the same to 18 year old Kolli would be worse, and potentially damaging to his mental health and career. |  | | |
| Dykes on 12:11 - Oct 12 with 4762 views | ParkRoyalR |
Dykes is not a striker who typically creates his own chances, in say the way a Clive Allen would,
Dykes was bought for reasonable money from Scotland on basis Warburton thought he had the attributes to lead the line and be an effective foil for his No 10's, he was not bought as an out & out goalscorer, more a focal point for a team that could contribute goals from the wing-backs to the No'10's,
Dykes has scored one superb goal of late (Swansea header) and was very unfortunate not to equalize against Leeds late on and similarly put us 1-0 up against Coventry (both excellent saves by the opposition keepers),
All 3 of the above were the result of him being on his toes, excellent early movement and.........receiving an early cross! These were not misses as was reported, rather excellent saves by the goalkeeper.
For those who have given up on Dykes, re-watch his movement for the goal against Swansea and his movement for his efforts versus Leeds and Coventry.
I do not know what our xG was in this recent run of games, but I typically recall 1 chance being created for him in each game (this is not an Ebere Eze / Jordan Hughill team - by the way, Hughill is more suited to an Ainsworth team than Dykes, if we could afford his wages).
Dykes in not the root-cause of our problems and has been decent of late,
The problem is no attacking plan = minimal chances created, no penetration by the wing-backs and No'10's and not getting to the bye-line enough to create goal-scoring opportunites,
Change the Manager, get Willock fit and coach Chair to pass / cross first time (incidentally he did this in the 92nd minute versus Swansea only when he'd run out of legs) and Dykes will score more goals (1 in 3 in competitive games excluding penalties would be a great return on our investment in fee & wages),
FWIW, I would play Kolli off him as think there is more to his game and has better game intelligence than Armstrong. | | | |
| Dykes on 12:27 - Oct 12 with 4679 views | Pindarus |
Has Kelman faded away completely? He gets on the bench occasionally but never onto the pitch. | | | |
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| Dykes on 13:02 - Oct 12 with 4576 views | TacticalR |
To save going over old ground, here is what I said about Dykes in January 2023 in the preview to the Swansea game:
1. Although Dykes has severe limitations he is better than Washington, who was terrible.
2. To score, Dykes needs everything played in front of him (this is absolutely key).
3. To score, Dykes needs not only gilt-edged chances, but many of them, because he can't take most of the gilt-edged chances he is given.
4. Dykes is not a striker who can create something out of nothing.
5. Dykes doesn't seem that powerful physically, especially given some of the defenders he is up against.
6. Dykes is not a hold-up man.
7. Dykes has done a lot of defending from the front this season (whether that should be his focus is another matter).
8. When Dykes has kept defenders occupied, this has allowed midfielders to score (at least earlier in the season). |  |
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| Dykes on 13:11 - Oct 12 with 4558 views | ThGrimRanger |
Neither Armstrong or Dykes are finishers. Both are more likely to spoon a ball over from 5 yards with the goal gaping rather than cooly slotting home. Of course they'll get the odd goal when they swing a boot or throw a head at a fast moving ball. But they'll not score enough to keep us in with a chance of survival.
Smyth scored a good number of goals for Orient last season so we should be pushing him furthest forward in a duo alongside with one of them. |  |
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| Dykes on 14:28 - Oct 12 with 4414 views | Bluce_Ree |
| Dykes on 11:51 - Oct 12 by Burnleyhoop |
We' re going down if we intend to rely on Dykes and Armstrong scoring this season.
FWIW I would be rolling the dice on this set up:
BEGOVIC
DUNNE COOK JCS
CANNON FIELD COLBACK PAAL
WILLOCK CHAIR
KOLLI |
BEGOVIC
DUNNE COOK JCS
CANNON FIELD COLBACK PAAL
WILLOCK CHAIR
GABRIEL BATISTUTA IN HIS FKING PRIME | |
| Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. He runs like a cheetah, his crosses couldn't be sweeter. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. |
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| Dykes on 14:29 - Oct 12 with 4421 views | TacticalR |
One of the worst things is that when he gets a couple of goals you think 'now he's got going', but he never gets going. | |
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| Dykes on 14:32 - Oct 12 with 4415 views | stainrods_elbow |
| Dykes on 10:02 - Oct 12 by Bluce_Ree |
Eight apparently. Going from your posting date of Oct 11. I think, I can't be bothered to double check. Was injured for a bit too I guess.
7/10/22 - Reading (H) - 2 goals
19/10/22 - Cardiff (H) - 2 goals
8/11/22 - Huddersfield (H) - 1 goal
10/4/23 - West Brom (A) - 1 goal
19/4/23 - Norwich (H) - 1 goal
19/9/23 - Swansea (H) - 1 goal |
I didn't include the Reading game, so, OK, that's six, not four. Big deal! Though I guess it's five more than Armstrong, Contra Ainsworth, I'd be surprised right now if they manage 10 between them this season, let alone each. I wonder how much longer we won't buy, borrow or steal a striker for, or play to the questionable strengths of the odd one we own. If Paal manages one or two more, he could conceivably end up our top scorer. Nurse! | |
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| Dykes on 14:33 - Oct 12 with 4406 views | Northernr |
| Dykes on 14:29 - Oct 12 by TacticalR |
One of the worst things is that when he gets a couple of goals you think 'now he's got going', but he never gets going. |
He has little streaks, and then long barren spells.
I find him incredibly frustrating. He scores goals like that one against Swansea and you think MY GOD, and then with much easier chances and much better crosses he spaffs things up the wall.
He has performances like Sheff Utd at home last year where he charges around smashing centre backs up, and then others like the last couple where he's just anonymous and not there (you don't need good service to knock the centre backs around a bit).
He's a different beast for Scotland than he is for us, and we pay his salary. |  | | |
| Dykes on 14:41 - Oct 12 with 4368 views | stainrods_elbow |
| Dykes on 12:01 - Oct 12 by dmm |
It's bad enough putting huge expectations on the shoulders of 20 year old Armstrong. To do the same to 18 year old Kolli would be worse, and potentially damaging to his mental health and career. |
Am I worried about Kolli's mental health in response to Clive writing in his Blackburn report that you or I could have scored the chance he missed? Sure, I'm f*cking terrified! It's only his job after all, and something he's trained, supposedly with exceptional talent, for years and years to accomplish. Far be it from us as mere fans to demand a specialist striker with a barnet lifted direct from the Hair Bear Bunch finish off a virtually open goal! If I f*ck up in my job as editor, I feel ashamed, angry and upset with myself. So does/should anyone who has any kind of passion or standards for what they do! That's how you improve and hopefully excel.
With snowflakes like this on the fanbase, and as others are predicting, we'll be powder puffing around in League 2 before the end of the decade with a raggle-taggle bunch of hisrute Academy graduates and ex-Champ hasbeens in a way that's already bringing me out in hives! | |
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| Dykes on 14:46 - Oct 12 with 4335 views | GaryBannister86 |
| Dykes on 14:33 - Oct 12 by Northernr |
He has little streaks, and then long barren spells.
I find him incredibly frustrating. He scores goals like that one against Swansea and you think MY GOD, and then with much easier chances and much better crosses he spaffs things up the wall.
He has performances like Sheff Utd at home last year where he charges around smashing centre backs up, and then others like the last couple where he's just anonymous and not there (you don't need good service to knock the centre backs around a bit).
He's a different beast for Scotland than he is for us, and we pay his salary. |
Surely there's a reason he plays better for Scotland than us, and it is tactical? I mean, he's not even Scottish so I don't see it as being some insane patriotism that suddenly makes him three times the player? A bit like Phil Brown with a baton in his hand. Reference for the oldies, there. | | | |
| Dykes on 15:07 - Oct 12 with 4270 views | ParkRoyalR |
| Dykes on 14:33 - Oct 12 by Northernr |
He has little streaks, and then long barren spells.
I find him incredibly frustrating. He scores goals like that one against Swansea and you think MY GOD, and then with much easier chances and much better crosses he spaffs things up the wall.
He has performances like Sheff Utd at home last year where he charges around smashing centre backs up, and then others like the last couple where he's just anonymous and not there (you don't need good service to knock the centre backs around a bit).
He's a different beast for Scotland than he is for us, and we pay his salary. |
Northern, some of your points I agree with and others I think are an overhang from when he came back from injury too early last season and had a horrible run where he missed two or three very easy chances in consecutive games.
A little like I am with Chair (just please take one touch, look-up and play an early cross!), I think you've got to a point with Dykes where its hard to change your mind.
If you look at his movement for Swansea goal, headed chance v Coventry and late chance at Leeds (which you deemed a miss which for me was very good goal-keeping) you can see he's not on his heels (as he frequently was when he first arrived) and you can see his anticipation and movement is excellent.
Of those 3 chances he scored 1 goal which is arguably a good return, especially considering Swansea cross left a lot of work to do.
Scotland performances are better imo as players play give and go's and get around him (like that brilliant recent lay-off Dykes gave to John McGinn) but I do agree completely with you on Sheffield Utd comparison,
Very occasionally he goes full-Aussie Rules and attacks his Centre Half, and other times, like Saturday, he looks lethargic, and confidence lacking or not, that's just not good enough. | | | |
| Dykes on 15:07 - Oct 12 with 4258 views | Bluce_Ree |
| Dykes on 14:32 - Oct 12 by stainrods_elbow |
I didn't include the Reading game, so, OK, that's six, not four. Big deal! Though I guess it's five more than Armstrong, Contra Ainsworth, I'd be surprised right now if they manage 10 between them this season, let alone each. I wonder how much longer we won't buy, borrow or steal a striker for, or play to the questionable strengths of the odd one we own. If Paal manages one or two more, he could conceivably end up our top scorer. Nurse! |
I wasn't meaning to be pedantic or owt. I agree with you. He's as prolific as I was in my work five a side team and I'm fking shiiiiittttte. | |
| Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. Stefan Moore, Stefan Moore running down the wing. He runs like a cheetah, his crosses couldn't be sweeter. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. Stefan Moore. |
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| Dykes on 15:39 - Oct 12 with 4194 views | ABITB |
Armstrong is 20. He is not a kid, he's probably been playing some sort of organised football for 10+ years. Bin.
Dykes, don't even get me started. Bin
he's a false 9, a fake 9, a phantom 9. That's 999 - ffs someone call the police. | | | |
| Dykes on 16:05 - Oct 12 with 4139 views | cyprusmel |
| Dykes on 13:11 - Oct 12 by ThGrimRanger |
Neither Armstrong or Dykes are finishers. Both are more likely to spoon a ball over from 5 yards with the goal gaping rather than cooly slotting home. Of course they'll get the odd goal when they swing a boot or throw a head at a fast moving ball. But they'll not score enough to keep us in with a chance of survival.
Smyth scored a good number of goals for Orient last season so we should be pushing him furthest forward in a duo alongside with one of them. |
In my opinion we should move Smyth on to the left where Orient played him and move Ilias into his correct no 10 position. | | | |
| Dykes on 16:19 - Oct 12 with 4075 views | dmm |
| Dykes on 14:41 - Oct 12 by stainrods_elbow |
Am I worried about Kolli's mental health in response to Clive writing in his Blackburn report that you or I could have scored the chance he missed? Sure, I'm f*cking terrified! It's only his job after all, and something he's trained, supposedly with exceptional talent, for years and years to accomplish. Far be it from us as mere fans to demand a specialist striker with a barnet lifted direct from the Hair Bear Bunch finish off a virtually open goal! If I f*ck up in my job as editor, I feel ashamed, angry and upset with myself. So does/should anyone who has any kind of passion or standards for what they do! That's how you improve and hopefully excel.
With snowflakes like this on the fanbase, and as others are predicting, we'll be powder puffing around in League 2 before the end of the decade with a raggle-taggle bunch of hisrute Academy graduates and ex-Champ hasbeens in a way that's already bringing me out in hives! |
Pompous, rude and self opinionated as ever. | | | |
| Dykes on 16:21 - Oct 12 with 4058 views | terryb |
| Dykes on 14:32 - Oct 12 by stainrods_elbow |
I didn't include the Reading game, so, OK, that's six, not four. Big deal! Though I guess it's five more than Armstrong, Contra Ainsworth, I'd be surprised right now if they manage 10 between them this season, let alone each. I wonder how much longer we won't buy, borrow or steal a striker for, or play to the questionable strengths of the odd one we own. If Paal manages one or two more, he could conceivably end up our top scorer. Nurse! |
To be pedantic, I still make 2+2+1+1+1+1 equall 8!
I do agree it's not prolific, but I suspect it's more than any of our other players. I'm inclined to think that our way of playing is a contributory factor, but we certainly lack a ten goal a season player IMO. | | | |
| Dykes on 16:31 - Oct 12 with 4033 views | gazza1 |
Some unbelievable stuff on this thread!!!!
He is a pretty poor striker, nearly a 'proper' poor striker.
Good strikers score goals, he rarely does.
If we had a chance to sell him during the window for 2 million, like many people suggested, we have made another error of judgement.
I would play Armstrong ahead of him most weeks and he is pretty average apart from his aggressive play. | | | |
| Dykes on 16:36 - Oct 12 with 4016 views | Benny_the_Ball |
| Dykes on 14:33 - Oct 12 by Northernr |
He has little streaks, and then long barren spells.
I find him incredibly frustrating. He scores goals like that one against Swansea and you think MY GOD, and then with much easier chances and much better crosses he spaffs things up the wall.
He has performances like Sheff Utd at home last year where he charges around smashing centre backs up, and then others like the last couple where he's just anonymous and not there (you don't need good service to knock the centre backs around a bit).
He's a different beast for Scotland than he is for us, and we pay his salary. |
That for me, is the ultimate frustration. Extremely streaky for QPR, not so streaky for Scotland. Perhaps being around better players helps but I can't help but think that he could do more. |  | | |
| Dykes on 16:43 - Oct 12 with 3996 views | gazza1 |
| Dykes on 16:36 - Oct 12 by Benny_the_Ball |
That for me, is the ultimate frustration. Extremely streaky for QPR, not so streaky for Scotland. Perhaps being around better players helps but I can't help but think that he could do more. |
If he COULD do more he WOULD do more but he CAN'T........ | | | |
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