Ollie Watkins

[PhilVill]

Regardless of your opinions, either positive or negative, I'd be amazed if we don't get another striker in Jan, or Summer.

Personally, I've noticed a decline in the last 18 months and he's not been great so far this season. However, he was a good outlet today and held the ball up well and if it brings in others to score if he keeps that level up, then all good.

The bottom line is that it was a great team performance today and that should be the target performance every week, whoever scores.

[Richard E]

He seems to be lacking the confidence to pull the trigger. I suspect he has probably passed his peak at this level.

[Ian.]

There’s just no need Smirker. It’s weird.

[achilles]

I thought he was much better at holding the ball up today but I need to view his second half chance again as I initially thought his touch had let him down again.

[ChicagoLion]

I thought he was much better at holding the ball up today but I need to view his second half chance again as I initially thought his touch had let him down again.

I liked his effort and running off the ball, some great hold up play, but that first touch.

[Smirker]

There’s just no need Smirker. It’s weird.

There is absolutely nothing weird about it. If you want to kiss his arse that's your choice and it's mine to criticise his diabolical goalscoring.

Also if you want to go down that road, there's no need to comment on any thread nor even have this forum at all.

The thing is the bit at the end where we were hanging on a little came about when Watkins went off and lost the work he was doing to protect us from the front. The reason so many people are fed up with you is that regardless of the result or performance the first thing you do if he hasn't scored is come on here and gloat as if the best part of your day has been seeing Watkins go without a goal again, it's just fucking weird.

It only sounds like gloating to you because I'm one of a very small number of posters who will actually criticise him and not kiss his arse for doing the bare minimum of running around.

No it sounds like gloating because that's exactly what it is and you can fuck off with the 'kiss his arse' bullshit as well because literally no one does that. It's just that most of us can think a bit deeper than striker = goals.

He gets praised for doing the bare minimum which is working hard and defended when he's scored 1 in 13. I'd say that's kissing his arse.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I thought he was much better at holding the ball up today but I need to view his second half chance again as I initially thought his touch had let him down again.

I liked his effort and running off the ball, some great hold up play, but that first touch.

Exactly. I thought he was up for it today which is good to see return. He put a shift in especially first half and only had a couple of chances, the supply wasn't high but you expect that against a team like Man City. He's never been clinical so to expect him to score those chances is asking too much. Good to see his header on goal was aimed for the corner, he's got to stop hitting the keeper and the goals will come.

His goalscoring stats may not look pretty but others are contributing and as a lone striker I've no complaints. He's contributing himself, just in different ways, if he wasn't then it would be a different story but that's not the case. Today we won thanks to a strong team performance of which Watkins played his part.

I think Smirker needs to lower his expectations or he'll forever be disappointed.

[AV82EC]

Except it isn’t.  I repeat what I said the other day.

He’s totally out of form but working his bollocks off for the team. He was 100% better tonight than he was on Thursday. However he didn’t score again which is becoming a bit of a worry. There really is nothing more to it than that.

[Nunkin1965]

There’s just no need Smirker. It’s weird.

There is absolutely nothing weird about it. If you want to kiss his arse that's your choice and it's mine to criticise his diabolical goalscoring.

Also if you want to go down that road, there's no need to comment on any thread nor even have this forum at all.

The thing is the bit at the end where we were hanging on a little came about when Watkins went off and lost the work he was doing to protect us from the front. The reason so many people are fed up with you is that regardless of the result or performance the first thing you do if he hasn't scored is come on here and gloat as if the best part of your day has been seeing Watkins go without a goal again, it's just fucking weird.

It only sounds like gloating to you because I'm one of a very small number of posters who will actually criticise him and not kiss his arse for doing the bare minimum of running around.

No it sounds like gloating because that's exactly what it is and you can fuck off with the 'kiss his arse' bullshit as well because literally no one does that. It's just that most of us can think a bit deeper than striker = goals.

He gets praised for doing the bare minimum which is working hard and defended when he's scored 1 in 13. I'd say that's kissing his arse.

It is weird and some will only be happy when he leaves.
Hello from.Porto btw.

[Ian.]

It’s just very obsessive to dive into this thread the moment the game has finished. Most all
Know he’s not firing at anything near his best and it’s really annoying. I just don’t see that as kissing his arse.

He’s been superb for us in his time here and he’s been a huge part of our renaissance, so I’d rather cut him some slack rather than take pleasure like you seem to do.

Yeah, it’s a football forum for opinions and thoughts, like I say, I find your posts after a match where we’ve just had a brilliant win very weird.

[PaulWinch again]

It is weird, because you steadfastly refuse to acknowledge that it’s not just about goal scoring. He’s going through a poor goal scoring run, but he is still performing a key role for the team in holding up the ball, creating space, and opportunities. He played well today and he didn’t score, that’s not arse kissing that’s just what happened in the game.

If he were a Jermaine Defoe type player who was only a goal scorer you might have a point - but he’s not. He’s still scored plenty of goals anyway, but his game is far wider than just that.

[Clampy]

And he gets uppity when people take the piss. Hilarious.

[tomd2103]

Except it isn’t.  I repeat what I said the other day.

He’s totally out of form but working his bollocks off for the team. He was 100% better tonight than he was on Thursday. However he didn’t score again which is becoming a bit of a worry. There really is nothing more to it than that.

He just seemed to let the ball run across him a couple of times when he was in on goal and it just ran away from him.

[brontebilly]

Except it isn’t.  I repeat what I said the other day.

He’s totally out of form but working his bollocks off for the team. He was 100% better tonight than he was on Thursday. However he didn’t score again which is becoming a bit of a worry. There really is nothing more to it than that.

He just seemed to let the ball run across him a couple of times when he was in on goal and it just ran away from him.

No confidence at all in front of goal. That effort at a header was dire. Led the line well though. Touch was good too.