Jordan Bowery

[Dave Cooper please]

I really think the selection of Bowery was a 'fuck you, we're going to outscore you' gesture from Lambert.
Fuck it, I like the bloke, many a manager would have shut up shop by now and hoped successive 0-0 draws would see us over the line but not Plumbutt, it's nerve wracking but it's fun!

[TheSandman]

I really think the selection of Bowery was a 'fuck you, we're going to outscore you' gesture from Lambert.

I was saying the same thing to Old Father Sandman when I saw the lineup. Stoke are a team who score few and concede few so picking four strikers is a move that has some logic to it. It's not like Bowery stunk the place out (something that N'Zog has managed more than once) with his performance and I think it is good that Lambert is giving him starts to pick up experience. For someone we signed for a few hundred grand from Chesterfield he's actually a very decent player, not brilliant, but decent.

[Vancouver]

I thought that he looked very nervous, so not sure if he is capable for the big league yet. It was a brave move by Lambert but it made total sense to me. Benteke needed a partner to combat their physical defensive strength, he couldn't do it on his own. So throw he the young big lad to cause a few ripples and take some pressure off.

[Matt Collins]

I really think the selection of Bowery was a 'fuck you, we're going to outscore you' gesture from Lambert.
Fuck it, I like the bloke, many a manager would have shut up shop by now and hoped successive 0-0 draws would see us over the line but not Plumbutt, it's nerve wracking but it's fun!

It was about his physical presence, both defensively but also offensively.

[ozzjim]

I cannot believe after he held off their guy to slip in Lowton for our first goal, and then went close to scoring 3 times himself, held it up well and cleared out of our box a number of times people are still moaning about Bowery! He did exactly what we needed from him, and I have seen worse players at this level!

Overall I think Dave is right the selection said we will be big and physical AND out play you, and we did. Anyone can see the bloke has been very brave with his buying and selection and most can see it has long term benefits.

[ozzjim]

Nothing, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss the game/selection/formation etc. in retrospect.

But moaning about what would have happened had we played a better team with that formation?

Even if you get over the sapping negativity of it, like i said, there's no guarantee we'd have lined up like that against a better team in any case.

Relax and enjoy a marvellous result.

People want to go back 12 months, buy 4-5 5 million run of the mill prem plodders on big wages, finish safe and have a tactically boring but safe manager. Lambert got battered before kick off for Bowery yesterday. Then people said Sylla was poor when on, but I saw him win the ball 4-5 times including for the 3rd goal.

[Matt Collins]

He definitely did alright, especially for th ee first hour.  His hold up play was good.

Having said that, in that first half there's a good chance nzogbia would have ripped them to pieces. Or done nothing.

[Drummond]

Some people just have to be able to criticise and currently Jordan Bowery is a target.

He's done as well as anyone could have expected considering his background and could well turn out to be a great buy, a solid one or just average. He won't cost us anything though and is a typical example of the sort of player Lambert wants, young, hungry and a team player.

[ozzjim]

I bet we would double the 500k we paid for him now.

In fact, I think very few of the players bought last summer we would lose anything on, and some we would double or triple our money on.

[eastie]

I bet we would double the 500k we paid for him now.

In fact, I think very few of the players bought last summer we would lose anything on, and some we would double or triple our money on.

Only really kea who has been a flop , Lowton, benteke , Bennett , Westwood all look quality young players - sylla has impressed me too what I've seen so far - Vlaar and dawkins the jury is still out on for me .

[Clampy]

I thought he did ok yesterday. Unlucky not to score and helped out in the build up to the first goal. I thought he should have gone off earlier a bit earlier than he did though.

[Mister E]

I cannot believe after he held off their guy to slip in Lowton for our first goal, and then went close to scoring 3 times himself, held it up well and cleared out of our box a number of times people are still moaning about Bowery! He did exactly what we needed from him, and I have seen worse players at this level!

Overall I think Dave is right the selection said we will be big and physical AND out play you, and we did. Anyone can see the bloke has been very brave with his buying and selection and most can see it has long term benefits.

This.

PL has selected Bowery against WHU and Stoke - both games he obviously felt required more bulk and a more offensive approach. It worked, both times.
Can't ask more than that.

[N'ZMAV]

2 starts. 2 wins. Correct? Can't complain.

[kipeye]

I also think it worked really well. While most of Strokes (well they played like they were suffering) big defenders were busy taking care of Benteke, Bowery added a lot of movement, hustle and bustle that freed up Gabby a lot more. Nzog is very much a lightweight in that role and Bowery looked to me much more likely to score than Zog usually does.

[richardhubbard]

Stuck a big lad against a team of hulks and it worked. The lad got a bit of skill and if he makes it great, if not the kid will earn a living in the game.