Ollie Watkins

[pablo_picasso]

I also think a point that gets missed when people focus solely on his goal scoring is his overall impact on the team enables us to be much more effective and he contributes to goals.

His goal scoring tally is good anyway, even if he’s not the most clinical, but his all round play is crucial. Just look at how we do when he’s not playing.

I would like to point out that I haven't focused purely on his goalscoring & have praised this element of his play.

I know you haven't mentioned me, but I think in the other comments I have made, this can get missed that I have actually praised this element of his game...

[Drummond]

He's fucking brilliant and adds so much to our team, he misses chances that others wouldn't even get because of the positions he gets himself into. He works harder than anyone. He defends from the front and gives the team release when under pressure.

He could be better, because everyone could be better. Football these days means playing more than one role in a team; even keepers are playing football rather than making saves and booting it out, and Watkins does it well. And we're a weaker team without him in it. There are very few players in the world I'd rather have than him in the team.

[LeeB]

Amen brother.

I bet Unai thinks he's a godsend too.

[RamboandBruno]

He's fucking brilliant and adds so much to our team, he misses chances that others wouldn't even get because of the positions he gets himself into. He works harder than anyone. He defends from the front and gives the team release when under pressure.

He could be better, because everyone could be better. Football these days means playing more than one role in a team; even keepers are playing football rather than making saves and booting it out, and Watkins does it well. And we're a weaker team without him in it. There are very few players in the world I'd rather have than him in the team.

Love this post

[Footy-Vill]

Watkins continuously contributes effectively as he has goals but also assist to his name this season.
I feel Southgate doesn't fancy him so much for England but the opportunity to play against Australia will be there in a friendly.
I wonder if he will get minutes against Italy?
In a meaningful match.
I suspect not.
So how are those to judge if he's deemed good enough.
I think he perfectly fine to take on Italy if given a chance.

[Somniloquism]

Yep. ignore the 21 in 39 games. Ignore the 4 goals in 8 prem games and three more games assisted in. Ignore the two penalties won, both of which he probably would have scored if not taken out. Just choose the stats that make him look worse.

I have highlighted some of his wonderful play in a previous post.

If you haven't read it then fair enough, but you did reply on the same page after I had posted it.

Was that the one that starts with the downer sentence, offers slight praise then dishes him again? You can see why I didn't see as "praise for his wonderful play". I will admit he isn't a natural finisher, there is a reason he doesn't take penalties for example. However I reckon if he had scored his four goals in four separate matches, people would have been complaining, like they were last season, that he is only scoring one goal a match and he needs to score more in each match.

Yes it is frustrating when attackers don't score, however for most teams now, football has changed to being more a team of attackers rather then one or two. For example, Citeh scored more league goals the season before Haaland started then they did the season he started. Their top scorer had 15 (KDB) with two others getting double figures (Mahrez and Sterling). I'm not stating we will win the league if he only got 15, but just stating that strikers scoring as a yardstick needs to be used less and less. As long as he is contributing and getting goals scored elsewhere, I don't have any real complaints with his play.

If anything, my main complaint this season is the amount of corners we have, yet we have barely scored any. And that is not just Watkins. It is strange that we have gone from a set play scoring team in the past, with few from open play, to one that rarely scores from set-plays (apart from penalties) but have had one of our best scoring starts.

[Dave]

If anything, my main complaint this season is the amount of corners we have, yet we have barely scored any. And that is not just Watkins. It is strange that we have gone from a set play scoring team in the past, with few from open play, to one that rarely scores from set-plays (apart from penalties) but have had one of our best scoring starts.

Reckon we need Buendia back for that, he scored a weirdly large amount of headers for a guy who's about 5ft 2.

[Smithy]

If anything, my main complaint this season is the amount of corners we have, yet we have barely scored any. And that is not just Watkins. It is strange that we have gone from a set play scoring team in the past, with few from open play, to one that rarely scores from set-plays (apart from penalties) but have had one of our best scoring starts.

Reckon we need Buendia back for that, he scored a weirdly large amount of headers for a guy who's about 5ft 2.

I genuinely think it's because people switch off around him, believing him not to be much of a threat in the air.  But he's actually really good with his head, and times his runs and leaps to meet the ball brilliantly.

[Somniloquism]

Probably like Alan Wright. Sometimes targeted at corners because of his height, however he could leap. The downside would be the amount of energy expended to make the jump did usually mean his header direction was a bit pot luck.

[Footy-Vill]

7 assists this season already is impressive

[Somniloquism]

Where are you getting the other three?

[pablo_picasso]

Yep. ignore the 21 in 39 games. Ignore the 4 goals in 8 prem games and three more games assisted in. Ignore the two penalties won, both of which he probably would have scored if not taken out. Just choose the stats that make him look worse.

I have highlighted some of his wonderful play in a previous post.

If you haven't read it then fair enough, but you did reply on the same page after I had posted it.

Was that the one that starts with the downer sentence, offers slight praise then dishes him again? You can see why I didn't see as "praise for his wonderful play". I will admit he isn't a natural finisher, there is a reason he doesn't take penalties for example. However I reckon if he had scored his four goals in four separate matches, people would have been complaining, like they were last season, that he is only scoring one goal a match and he needs to score more in each match.

Yes it is frustrating when attackers don't score, however for most teams now, football has changed to being more a team of attackers rather then one or two. For example, Citeh scored more league goals the season before Haaland started then they did the season he started. Their top scorer had 15 (KDB) with two others getting double figures (Mahrez and Sterling). I'm not stating we will win the league if he only got 15, but just stating that strikers scoring as a yardstick needs to be used less and less. As long as he is contributing and getting goals scored elsewhere, I don't have any real complaints with his play.

If anything, my main complaint this season is the amount of corners we have, yet we have barely scored any. And that is not just Watkins. It is strange that we have gone from a set play scoring team in the past, with few from open play, to one that rarely scores from set-plays (apart from penalties) but have had one of our best scoring starts.

Its this one, where I give him high praise for the positive elements of his game & then describe what I find frustrating about the negative elements of his game, specifically because of the positive elements of his game.

Which is consistent with the opinions I held before he scored the hat-trick.

I agree with you about set pieces though. Is it Austin McFee who is the set piece coach?

He had us dialled in not so long ago..

I find his inconsistent "feast or famine" form very frustrating.

When he is on his game, he is brilliant. His work rate, selfless running, closing down, etc, are invaluable.

When he adds goals & a first touch that is decent, he is pretty much unplayable.

But when he is off it, granted he still works hard, makes selfless runs & closes down, etc, & that is invaluable, but when he misses simple chances that he was banging away a couple of weeks previous, or his touch is that of a small garden trampoline, I find it infuriating & frustrating why he swings so wildly with the basics of his role.

If he didn't work hard, no matter what, I would want to sell him.

As it stands, I would love to keep him, but I would also love to bring in a strong, tall & pacy striker to compete with him for the starting spot, as well as offering us something different up top. (Although Duran might be that guy.)

And if we find another "I didn't want Ings here as competition" situation, then he will have to suck it up & accept that he is a footballer in a squad game.

[olaftab]

I will be gloriously happy if Ollie sticks his fingers in his ears in every match for the rest of this season.

[baddowvillans]

Willing runner and worker is Ollie. Always gives a lot to the side. We have to embrace his positives but having a killer instinct is not one.

And yet he is 3rd most proficient striker in the Premier League despite not playing for a Sky 6 club

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Yep. ignore the 21 in 39 games. Ignore the 4 goals in 8 prem games and three more games assisted in. Ignore the two penalties won, both of which he probably would have scored if not taken out. Just choose the stats that make him look worse.

I have highlighted some of his wonderful play in a previous post.

If you haven't read it then fair enough, but you did reply on the same page after I had posted it.

Was that the one that starts with the downer sentence, offers slight praise then dishes him again? You can see why I didn't see as "praise for his wonderful play". I will admit he isn't a natural finisher, there is a reason he doesn't take penalties for example. However I reckon if he had scored his four goals in four separate matches, people would have been complaining, like they were last season, that he is only scoring one goal a match and he needs to score more in each match.

I think the opposite. We'd all forget the numerous misses as he's scored a goal. Players can have a poor game but if they score everybody is singing their praises, much like when Villa don't turn up for 80 minutes but finish the game well, the first 80 are generally forgotten. What was his last famine run, 1 in 12 or 13?

One thing I don't think anybody has mentioned is how Watkins manages to regularly score against the top clubs. Maybe it's due to us playing on the break which suits more his game. Releasing him down the left, watch him cut inside avoiding the early block from normally two defenders and seeing him shoot is pretty much a typical Watkins goal, he's done so many times. He does it against some of the best defenders in the league so credit where it's due.

He struggles when there is a compact defence and a short ball is played into him as his first touch is so poor. I was encouraged to see him get a tap in against Brighton, he's generally brilliant at reading the game and getting himself in the right position. I say tap in but it was a lovely finish, putting the ball away from the keeper in the corner of the net. Top strikers always put it in the corner.

After signing his contract he claimed he wants to improve. Good attitude and loads of room for improvement. Bring it on.