| Delap v Hirst 09:18 - Oct 12 with 2585 views | Len_Brennan |
What a start to the season for Delap, 4 goals in the PL & already talk of him being a target for numerous Champions League chasing sides with figures of £50m - £80m being suggested. It could hardly have gone better, could it.
Well, for him on a personal level it certainly couldn't, but does he offer the team the best option for goals/success, when you look to compare with how we played with Hirst as the #9 in League 1 & the Championship?
Burns, Chaplin & Broadhead, are no longer the preferred line up as the 3 behind the striker, however we have looked to sign upgrades in those positions, as opposed to going with a totally different style or formation, so the same tactical plays should still work with Clarke, Szmodics & Hutchinson/Ogbene.
Of course the PL is a totally different level of football & defending to what we were used to, and therefore we have to respect it & modify our approach, but good hold up play, clever knock downs & link play in & around the box are always a positive surely.
Delaps strength, direct running & shooting confidence have proven very effective thus far, and have given the whole team something to grasp to, as defences try to get to grips with him, and yet it does not seem to have opened up the scoring opportunities for our other attackers that we might have expected. They have all proven that they are good finishers when given the chance, but our only non-Delap goals are 1 each from Szmodics & Morsy, which is surprising.
Again, maybe it is purely down to the quality of the sides we are now playing - Burns scores against Huddersfield, but Pau Torres gets back to block a similar chance against Villa.
It would be crazy to switch Delap out at the moment, given his form & confidence, but I wonder would we be seeing more from the #10s were we to start with Hirst up front in a couple of targetted games? No defender is going to want to see Delap coming into the game on 60 minutes. |  | | |  |
| Delap v Hirst on 09:28 - Oct 12 with 2518 views | Dubtractor |
I had a similar thought to this a few weeks ago, but a few weeks down the line I think it is more a home vs away difference as much as the Delap/Hirst difference.
In a nutshell, we've looked pretty good in our home games (in spells at least), with those front 4 connections increasingly looking like creating chances. Our away performances have been a very different story, as we've all seen, with only really the first half against Southampton seeing us impose ourselves, and lots of pretty scrappy football otherwise.
So I think my answer would be that perhaps Hirst, with his better hold up and link play, may be the better bet for starting away games where we really have to do better at making the ball stick when we do have counter attacking opportunities. |  |
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| Delap v Hirst on 09:32 - Oct 12 with 2493 views | davblue |
Where’s the talk of champions league teams in for him for 50 - 80 million? I’ve not seen that anywhere so apologies if I’ve missed it. |  | | |
| Delap v Hirst on 09:40 - Oct 12 with 2464 views | gramps |
| Delap v Hirst on 09:28 - Oct 12 by Dubtractor |
I had a similar thought to this a few weeks ago, but a few weeks down the line I think it is more a home vs away difference as much as the Delap/Hirst difference.
In a nutshell, we've looked pretty good in our home games (in spells at least), with those front 4 connections increasingly looking like creating chances. Our away performances have been a very different story, as we've all seen, with only really the first half against Southampton seeing us impose ourselves, and lots of pretty scrappy football otherwise.
So I think my answer would be that perhaps Hirst, with his better hold up and link play, may be the better bet for starting away games where we really have to do better at making the ball stick when we do have counter attacking opportunities. |
Hirst will get a chance soon as Delap is already on 4 bookings - so level with Morsey! How many were for dissent - there was another one in the England under 21 game. |  |
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| Delap v Hirst on 09:43 - Oct 12 with 2445 views | Dubtractor |
| Delap v Hirst on 09:40 - Oct 12 by gramps |
Hirst will get a chance soon as Delap is already on 4 bookings - so level with Morsey! How many were for dissent - there was another one in the England under 21 game. |
Delap only has 2 bookings doesn't he? | |
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| Delap v Hirst on 09:45 - Oct 12 with 2429 views | WeWereZombies |
Start them both and go 4~4~2... |  |
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| Delap v Hirst on 09:54 - Oct 12 with 2389 views | billlm |
He's done so much better than I thought he would looks shot at 55-60 mins the way he plays and last years injury, needs replacing with hirst then not 80 minutes, our tens are the problem can't find or slip balls through,we have a funny mix of 10s hutch does to much normally ends getting squeezed out
Chaplin actually thought did better when he came in at wham but was last years run in his ceiling, league one to good for, start of last season good then nothing,
Broadhead lightweight injury prone but knows what the net looks like, I'm on a fence with his season could be the key buys fouls quick feet finds space, interesting one, could end up going unless we're relegated,
Sammi what is he certainly not a striker certainly wasting 9 million playing him wide left, he glides in from behind the striker,
Unpopular but I'd start delap and the three would be ogbene or hutch wide right Sammi and Clarke, |  | | |
| Delap v Hirst on 10:03 - Oct 12 with 2344 views | MK1 |
I would pick Delap at the moment, but change formation slightly. I see a 4-3-3 as a more suitable line up with who we have and the games so far. We need to be able to protect the back line better, so a 3 in midfield just gives us an option of sitting or going forward. With Phillips, Morsy and Taylor in the middle, we have added protection, but also the threat of Taylor going forward. I would then play Hutchinson, Delap and Clarke in a front 3.
I am sure Kieran has considered and dispelled this idea, but for me, I think we need at least one extra in midfield in this league. |  |
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| Delap v Hirst on 10:05 - Oct 12 with 2334 views | MK1 |
Nobody is paying upwards of £50M for Delap yet. Not sure where you saw/heard that figure, but not a chance at this current date. | |
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| Delap v Hirst on 10:42 - Oct 12 with 2244 views | Vegtablue |
In Hirst's tiny spell against West Ham he got his two passes wrong, was tackled quite easily one time and the ball also bounced off him. In his longer spell against Southampton I thought he improved us a bit - was a shame that he didn't convert one of his headers. I've been struck by how little time he's had though, and my gut feeling is that's because there's a couple of levels between him and Delap in overall ability, even with Delap's link-up play below the level we could really do with it being at. We were so used to McKenna shuffling the deck around 60'-70' last season; he still does this with half the attackers but more often he asks Delap and Omari to go long, presumably because he prefers the threat they offer over alternatives even with 75' of hard running in their legs. | | | |
| Delap v Hirst on 10:45 - Oct 12 with 2235 views | bournemouthblue |
Not Hirst or Delap related but I feel we probably need a different formation for away games
Whether you pack the midfield a bit more and go for a 4321 or even a 5311
I know McKenna considers the formation adaptable but we were too open against West Ham really, we can't let that happen again |  |
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| Delap v Hirst on 11:56 - Oct 12 with 2044 views | LeoMuff |
| Delap v Hirst on 10:05 - Oct 12 by MK1 |
Nobody is paying upwards of £50M for Delap yet. Not sure where you saw/heard that figure, but not a chance at this current date. |
I would imagine if he hits 12-13 prem goals or more then we are talking £40m plus, but not now/yet |  |
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| Delap v Hirst on 11:59 - Oct 12 with 2033 views | Len_Brennan |
| Delap v Hirst on 09:32 - Oct 12 by davblue |
Where’s the talk of champions league teams in for him for 50 - 80 million? I’ve not seen that anywhere so apologies if I’ve missed it. |
DavBlue & MK1 - I didn't phrase that bit particularly well I guess. I didn't mean to suggest that there are bids imminent in those amounts from the top 4, more that CL CHASING sides, like Spurs & Man Utd, but Liverpool too, have been reported as being interested in him & are 'watching him closely'. The figures are ones I have read as to what he could potentially reach if he keeps performing.
Personally I could see him being worth £50m already, having proved that he can perform & score at this level, while still being young with room for further development. His value has got to have at least doubled already, given how coveted quality centre forwards are. If Ferguson at Brighton is worth a reported £100m, why wouldn't Delap already be worth half that. | | | |
| Delap v Hirst on 10:07 - Oct 13 with 1453 views | MK1 |
| Delap v Hirst on 11:59 - Oct 12 by Len_Brennan |
DavBlue & MK1 - I didn't phrase that bit particularly well I guess. I didn't mean to suggest that there are bids imminent in those amounts from the top 4, more that CL CHASING sides, like Spurs & Man Utd, but Liverpool too, have been reported as being interested in him & are 'watching him closely'. The figures are ones I have read as to what he could potentially reach if he keeps performing.
Personally I could see him being worth £50m already, having proved that he can perform & score at this level, while still being young with room for further development. His value has got to have at least doubled already, given how coveted quality centre forwards are. If Ferguson at Brighton is worth a reported £100m, why wouldn't Delap already be worth half that. |
Again, his value hasn't doubled yet. If he carries on the way he has started, then in a season or 2 he would be worth somewhere near the figures you are talking about. Let's not get carried away with the lad, it is very, very early days for him. Give him the time and no pressure, then see where he ends up. Far to soon to be slapping those sort of price tags on him. | |
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| Delap v Hirst on 11:19 - Oct 13 with 1341 views | ReusersTown |
| Delap v Hirst on 10:07 - Oct 13 by MK1 |
Again, his value hasn't doubled yet. If he carries on the way he has started, then in a season or 2 he would be worth somewhere near the figures you are talking about. Let's not get carried away with the lad, it is very, very early days for him. Give him the time and no pressure, then see where he ends up. Far to soon to be slapping those sort of price tags on him. |
Tbf although those types of rumours are clearly garbage, extrapolating the numbers a 21/22 year old English striker having scored 12-14 goals is most likely valued around that I'd have thought especially given the scarcity. It's not really that out there given we just paid 15-20m. | | | |
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