| The downfall of George Hirst 21:17 - Jan 24 with 4964 views | The_Romford_Blue |
What on earth has happened there then? It can’t all be confirmed surely?
Injuries? He certainly looks a yard slower than before. Even his first touch these days is like a fridge.
He’s gone from one of our most reliable players since all the way back to the league 1 days to now almost always looking a shadow of his former self and nowhere near a promotion chasing championship side.
Azon needs a run of games and let’s just pray we get someone else through the door to join him. |  |
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| The downfall of George Hirst on 01:42 - Jan 25 with 1067 views | RetroBlue |
OP: id suggest its the coaching. He rarely runs with the ball anymore,and appears to be asked to be the old fashioned hold up man who others pivot off. Problem is his first touch appears to have by and large evaded him. |  |
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| The downfall of George Hirst on 07:52 - Jan 25 with 956 views | BouncebackIpswich |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 01:42 - Jan 25 by RetroBlue |
OP: id suggest its the coaching. He rarely runs with the ball anymore,and appears to be asked to be the old fashioned hold up man who others pivot off. Problem is his first touch appears to have by and large evaded him. |
That's fine but in that case KM and MA need to find a striker who can play effectively back to goal as a pivot even if they offer zero goal threat, because Hirst does neither well! |  | | |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 08:29 - Jan 25 with 913 views | southnorfolkblue |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 22:10 - Jan 24 by jas0999 |
We’ve spent tens of millions on wingers. Okay we paid out in Delap … but nothing else. George is a great chap … below average championship player sadly. A failure to sign a top striker may cost us promotion. |
But he wasn’t below average 2 years ago. He was absolutely pivotal to our promotion. Ive been a staunch supporter of his but I’m questioning my judgment now because nothing seems to stick to him atm.
I cant explain it other than a massive loss of confidence. I’m not convinced by Azon but he has to start ahead of him now I think |  |
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| The downfall of George Hirst on 09:25 - Jan 25 with 860 views | OldFart71 |
Everyone seems to be blaming Hirst and probably rightly so. Many managers play forwards through a bad spell and they do come out of it. Unfortunately for George he hasn't, but then who have we had to replace him ?
I know Azon had a decent game a couple of games ago but that was really his first good game. He has been guilty of weak shots and missed chances.
Akpom now injured has one goal to his name. That just isn't good enough for a player who we may have to pay £7 million for.
When you break down the forward line you have Clarke on 11 goals, Philogene on 10 and the rest of the forward line with around half that total between them.
If KM had anyone in form Hirst wouldn't be playing. Rotation is fine if you have players of equal quality to rotate. Philogene or Clarke, Greaves of Kipre, Greaves or Davis.
You have nobody to do the Matusiwa job. Are Taylor and Cajuste good enough ? We know Cajuste can be a Rolls Royce of a player, but he runs out of petrol after an hour.
Taylor has had his plaudits this season, but previously couldn't get in the team.
It's easy to post positives when we play well. Less so when things are negative. But just as we make reference to anything in life we feel isn't going the right way. Why should football be any different ?
It can still be a glorious season. But those areas where we are short need sorting. | | | |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 09:26 - Jan 25 with 859 views | tractorshark |
Thought Hirst was much better against Blackburn and dreadful yesterday.
Although the chanting for Azon was unnecessary and never going to be helpful.
As someone posted, there were fans on his case in the warm-up.
The guy next to me said Hirst went straight down the tunnel when he went off but no idea if he’d got the hump or just needed a pee.
The problem is I just don’t see Azon as the answer. He played well against Bristol City and I like his work rate and build-up play.
His touch is way more consistent than Hirst’s at the moment, although Hirst’s physicality still creates more issues for defenders.
But Azon is no more prolific in front of goal, his finishing has been average. And when he does get it right, he has that look of an unlucky striker where he either hits the woodwork or the keeper comes up with a worldy.
Maybe a run of games will prove me wrong but it’s so glaringly obvious we need to strengthen in that area.
Looking at Bamford yesterday, we’d win the league if we had him for the rest of the season. [Post edited 25 Jan 9:34]
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| The downfall of George Hirst on 10:47 - Jan 25 with 795 views | BlueMoon |
I think he's started believing his own hype. He's not as good as he thinks he is.
I drove past him the other week. He was blindly coming out of his driveway and I was passing a parked car. My right of way. He threw his hands up and was gesticulating at me like I was in the wrong and should have slammed the brakes on and let him come out.
Ok might be a bit of a stretch but I still took that as a parallel to him thinking, as someone else put it, he's the 'big dog' nowadays.
Azon to start from here on. | | | |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 10:57 - Jan 25 with 768 views | bsw72 |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 23:00 - Jan 24 by Blueschev |
I thought he was decent first half on Tuesday. Appreciate many people didn’t see it that way. |
Agreed, didn’t out a foot wrong on Tues until the last 15-20 mins. |  | | |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 11:07 - Jan 25 with 758 views | PrideOfTheEast |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 10:47 - Jan 25 by BlueMoon |
I think he's started believing his own hype. He's not as good as he thinks he is.
I drove past him the other week. He was blindly coming out of his driveway and I was passing a parked car. My right of way. He threw his hands up and was gesticulating at me like I was in the wrong and should have slammed the brakes on and let him come out.
Ok might be a bit of a stretch but I still took that as a parallel to him thinking, as someone else put it, he's the 'big dog' nowadays.
Azon to start from here on. |
He does and that’s fine if he’s doing the business but he really isn’t. Another one we need to move on this Summer.
More than slightly disappointed if our targets this window were Wilson and Bamford. The latter was available for nothing 12 weeks ago and it doesn’t say much for our network if we only went for him after he’d started scoring a bit for Sheffield United. Of course we might have been in for him originally. | | | |
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| The downfall of George Hirst on 15:33 - Jan 25 with 614 views | Rimsy |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 00:12 - Jan 25 by Churchman |
If you read McKenna’s comments after the game, you might understand the rationale even if you don’t agree with it. |
I did read it. Still dumbfounded Hirst got the nod over Azon. |  |
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| The downfall of George Hirst on 16:32 - Jan 25 with 579 views | Smoresy |
Something I'd add on finishers, or finding a clinical one: we've mostly been left frustrated by Hirst's output, for the opportunities he'd had. Adam Armstrong's been mentioned since the summer, Mihailo Ivanovic, Josh Sargent, Kieffer Moore, Oli McBurnie, Carlton Morris. How much better would they have fared with the chances we've created?
1. Morris, 1 big miss, 37% conversion rate, 6 goals above average
2. McBurnie, 5 big misses, 28% conversion rate, 4 goals above average
3. Moore, 10 big misses, 17% conversion rate, 1 goal above average
4. Hirst, 12 big misses, 16% conversation rate, 2 goals below average
5. Ivanovic, 9 big misses, 11% conversion rate, 2 goals below average
6. Sargent, 13 big misses, 12% conversion rate, 2 goals below average
7. Armstrong, 15 big misses, 13% conversation rate, 3 goals below average
8. Azón, 12 big misses, 5% conversion rate, 4 goals below average
If a striker with goals in his boots is our #1 priority now, the best performer in the league this season is Swansea's Zan Vipotnik, 23, currently 8 goals ahead of where he should be and the league's top scorer. Have we been rebuffed already? We have 2nd (Jaden) and 5th (Clarke) most clinical on our books already but they don't play up front. | | | |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 16:42 - Jan 25 with 546 views | TheBoyBlue |
| The downfall of George Hirst on 16:32 - Jan 25 by Smoresy |
Something I'd add on finishers, or finding a clinical one: we've mostly been left frustrated by Hirst's output, for the opportunities he'd had. Adam Armstrong's been mentioned since the summer, Mihailo Ivanovic, Josh Sargent, Kieffer Moore, Oli McBurnie, Carlton Morris. How much better would they have fared with the chances we've created?
1. Morris, 1 big miss, 37% conversion rate, 6 goals above average
2. McBurnie, 5 big misses, 28% conversion rate, 4 goals above average
3. Moore, 10 big misses, 17% conversion rate, 1 goal above average
4. Hirst, 12 big misses, 16% conversation rate, 2 goals below average
5. Ivanovic, 9 big misses, 11% conversion rate, 2 goals below average
6. Sargent, 13 big misses, 12% conversion rate, 2 goals below average
7. Armstrong, 15 big misses, 13% conversation rate, 3 goals below average
8. Azón, 12 big misses, 5% conversion rate, 4 goals below average
If a striker with goals in his boots is our #1 priority now, the best performer in the league this season is Swansea's Zan Vipotnik, 23, currently 8 goals ahead of where he should be and the league's top scorer. Have we been rebuffed already? We have 2nd (Jaden) and 5th (Clarke) most clinical on our books already but they don't play up front. |
Vipotnik is definitely someone we should be going for in my opinion, for all that's worth. But if course McKenna and his coaching team will also look at what else he does beyond scoring. Would he help improve the build-up of a team already amongst the highest scorers in the division? Would he fit into this team and the way we play? There are probably other elements that a lot of us wouldn't even consider, but will be important to McKenna. And would he be value for money at the price we would have to pay?
Of course, ultimately he would also want to come here too.
All of which highlights why just because we need a clinical striker and we have the money to buy who we would need, it isn't as simple as just getting them. | |
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| The downfall of George Hirst on 17:19 - Jan 25 with 505 views | TractorWood |
Azon should have played yesterday but imho both are a long way off if we have ambitions for autos. |  |
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