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McCarthy Wants More Goals From Berra
Thursday, 28th Aug 2014 06:00

Boss Mick McCarthy says he wants to see even more goals from centre-half Christophe Berra, who is currently this season's top scorer having netting twice in last week’s 2-2 draw at Birmingham, the second a last-gasp equaliser.

The 29-year-old, who failed to net during four and a half years at previous club Wolves, scored in his full league debut for the Blues last season, coincidentally also at St Andrew’s, and went on to total five for the campaign, one fewer than central defensive partner Tommy Smith.

“Christophe I think is a top class defender and I’ve said to him that he’s a big lad and he’s good in the air and he should get more goals,” McCarthy said.

“I think he’s taken it upon himself to make sure he does. It was great and it felt like a win at Birmingham in the last minute.”

He added: “I thought his second goal was fantastic, the cross and the finish. That’s Christophe, he has a sense of responsibility and took it.”

McCarthy and his players have come up with targets for the season but the Blues boss says he’s yet to see the extent of Berra’s ambition for 2014/15.

“I don’t know what he’s put yet. If he’s said two I’ll be bitterly disappointed! If he has I’ll tell him I’m not having that, he’s got to get at least five. He goes up for every corner kick and freekick for 46 games.

"There’s me saying that, who only got two a season. I don’t think I ever had two headers at goal in one game, I certainly never scored two in one game!”


Photo: Action Images



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jas0999 added 06:26 - Aug 28
What an odd comment. Berra has scored two! How about more goals from Murphy? That would be helpful, as he is hardly prolific!
16

textbackup added 06:36 - Aug 28
jas0999..... id rather he asked his midfielders to shoot too!
22

dav86 added 06:40 - Aug 28
I want at least a goal from midfield
8

Len_Brennan added 06:53 - Aug 28
If McGoldrick was to get injured again, it's hard to see where the goals would come from with this team. We could be looking at Berra finishing the season as top scorer.
I don't know what Mick has lined up before the window closes, but it really has to be options for goalscoring duties other than Connor Sammon, please.
10

village_blue added 07:07 - Aug 28
I just wish MM and TC would tell the midfielders that they should be getting more goals than the defenders do.
9

BotesdaleBlue added 07:08 - Aug 28
If Mick is to make a public statement on specific players goalscoring targets, then surely the focus should have been on our non goal scoring midfielders. This is where our major problem lies, as their collective inability to score goals puts undue pressure on the the strikers and indeed defenders to get the goals.

What makes it worse in my book, is that this problem has not been adressed one jot over the summer, following the sale of Cresswell that has provided us with some limited additional cash.
10

TractorCam added 07:13 - Aug 28
More goals from Berra? In his 5 years at Wolves he failed to score a single goal, he has been here a year now and has hit the net 7 times. How about more goals from the midfield!
10

Cloddyseedbed added 07:22 - Aug 28
If that's the most important thing on MM's mind at the moment I would have thought he has more important issue's to correct. I hope this week he has been in discussion's with ME over................. where to from here!
5

Guthrum added 07:39 - Aug 28
Why would midfielders need to be scoring more than defenders who are going up for corners and attacking free-kicks? Surely the main responsibility of a midfielder is to receive the ball from the back and convey it forward to the strikers, whose job it is to then put the ball in the net?

Granted our midfield may not currently be doing that very efficiently, but that should be their chief responsibility. Any goals are an extra bonus, with direct free-kicks being the main opportunity.

Midfielders ought to concentrate on getting the ball through the midfield (and stopping the opposition doing the same in the other direction), rather than playing at being pretend strikers.
-7

ipswich134 added 07:41 - Aug 28
The new Ian Marshall? If he can score and defend than we have the new Ian Marshall in the making! That would solve our goal scoring woes!
0

masetheace added 08:06 - Aug 28
Play him up front , Chambers centre back , Hewitt full back , job done !!!
5

Elizabeth added 08:08 - Aug 28
Losing the plot .. How about more goals from midfield players .. !!
5

tomitfc added 08:20 - Aug 28
Ridiculous comment. Any goals from centre backs should be seen as bonuses. The defence have chipped in with more than enough over the last two seasons. They could teach the midfield a thing or two.
9

roytheboy added 08:28 - Aug 28
Mick wants "More goals from Berra", that would be great of course, most people are saying on here "More goals from the Midfielders" how about "More goals from the Strikers" that is after all their prime function, if they're not able to do that then it should be clear that we require better Strikers, I do however acknowledge that they are not getting enough support from the Midfield players, perhaps that is the route of the problem, it is important though that when they do get the chance to strike that they are much more accurate and clinical with their finishes, that's my opinion.
4

tractorkent added 08:34 - Aug 28
Why would our dynamic central midfield be goal scorers. They are too busy playing square balls and putting in the odd tackle to think about scoring a goal. I am getting so down about the lack of skill and vision from M { i'm going to do it my way} M
6

SouperJim added 08:40 - Aug 28
Far be it for me to get in the way of the epic whinge-fest following the loss to they who shall not be named, but do you all think Mick hunted down a member of the press to tell them this stuff?

Obviously he was asked a question about Berra and/or had it put to him that he did well to score two the other week. Mick is only commenting based on what he is asked.

Also, if you actually read what Mick has said, in the wider context of every player having a goal target for the season, "he's got to get at least five". Fair comment considering that is what he got last season. What he doesn't say is "I'm putting no pressure on anyone else to score, just Berra. The midfield can do naff all every week, it doesn't bother me.".

In case you all missed it, Hyam recently revealed he has been set a target of 6 goals. Henshall has also commented on how Mick & TC have been pushing him to add goals to his game.
5

theobald1985 added 08:40 - Aug 28
shows that nicking a goal from set plays is mcarthys focus as well a pumping balls up and hoping something goes for us.
if we manage to get a goal from either tactic then we will proceed to try and defend the game out.........that is a dire way to approach a football match.
6

tractorboybig added 08:51 - Aug 28
With the players and system at this present club the main if only threat is from smith and berra.
2

Jimmy86 added 08:52 - Aug 28
@Guthrum what about Tommy Miller then?? He was our last goal scoring midfielder we had, who netted 15 goals from midfield!! Yes he was on pens but dont think he ever missed!! Plus look at fat frank, he scored 20 goals a season at chelski every season. The modern game requires goals from midfield!! If hyam has been set a target of 6 goals then i think that's a tad umrealistic. He hasn't got 6 goals in his entire town career to date
5

Wickets added 08:58 - Aug 28
Good comments Souper and we could always play Berra at centre foward!
2

gibbo added 09:12 - Aug 28
That's it pick on our leading goalscorer, a guy who scored more goals last season than he has his entire career, he should be sending a rocket up the backside of our midfield I don't think any of them could score if they play another 90 minutes after the other team have gone home
3

warbeat78 added 09:16 - Aug 28
Play him infront of back four, hewitt r/b skuse to benchh henshall in for tabb
2

brittaniaman added 09:16 - Aug 28
With nothing mentioned on the Horizon of reinforcements for this week, I can see it will be the same team as last week, so expect no goals again guys ??? (I do hope I am wrong please) so after this week we will haft to be content with 90 day wonders !!!!
I shall still be there when we play Millwall !! our ex team beat them at the Den ??
2

Michael11 added 09:32 - Aug 28
Has he lost the plot? Berra currently has two goals this season. That's two more goals than Skuse has ever scored for us and double what Hyam got the whole of last season! Maybe concentrate on our non existant midfield before you pin everything on our defence!
7

muncer added 09:36 - Aug 28
Maybe try an in swinging corner.
1


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