Ollie Watkins

[Sexual Ealing]

This thread is like meeting the girl you dumped when you were seventeen. No, there's nothing wrong with you, and please don't be upset, but there are just better people out there.

Who are these better people? It would be good to hear their names, and to discuss whether or not they’re attainable.

This is the kind of thing that makes you glad you dumped them.

[Ads]

Classic Ollie. Bullied and ran the Newcastle centre halves all over the show to help our positional play, but a few dicey touches and a chance he should have scored. Glad he got his goal.

[Somniloquism]

This thread is like meeting the girl you dumped when you were seventeen. No, there's nothing wrong with you, and please don't be upset, but there are just better people out there.

Who are these better people? It would be good to hear their names, and to discuss whether or not they’re attainable.

This is the kind of thing that makes you glad you dumped them.

Sounds like SE still hasn't got over being dumped and still claiming he dumped her to his mates friends any stranger on a forum board.

[Drummond]

There are better players out there for pretty much every position in the team (we did have the best keeper for a couple of years mind) the question is how attainable/affordable they are and how they fit into our team and the manager's way of playing.

There are strikers with a better first touch, others with a better finish, but Watkins tops other metrics, like work rate, movement, fitness to play, team ethic. There are very, very few strikers out there (I would say if any) that would offer the all-round game that Watkins gives us, that would also score more goals and create more chances for teammates.

[rooboy316]

How about we have a whole week in which nobody reacts to one of Smirker's posts?  Let him rattle with barely suppressed rage.  I can read a thread without endless quotathons and bickering. 

His first touch was abysmal all through that first half, I think that can be accepted by everybody.  He played like Ollie does and came away with a goal.  If we'd had another striker available I bet he'd have been hooked after 60 minutes and not on the pitch to score that goal.

I agree with all of this.

[simon ward 50]

Classic Ollie. Bullied and ran the Newcastle centre halves all over the show to help our positional play, but a few dicey touches and a chance he should have scored. Glad he got his goal.

Agreed!

[Goldenballs]

Found this on X

Only 4 strikers have scored more than him in the Prem and only 3 have scored more from open play

Haaland 20 (2 PKs) (Chances missed 6)
Igor Thiago 16 (5 PKs) (Chances missed 12)
Semenyo 11 (1 PK) (Chances missed 6)
DCL 9 (2 PKs) (Chances missed 10)

For context, Watkins this time last year had 10 goals & he had missed 18 Chances, currently he’s tracking at 8 goals and 13 Chances missed.

[Ian.]

It would be interesting, albeit doesn't change things, I wonder when it says chances missed, how many of those the keeper saved or they missed the target. Ollie generally hits the target and the keeper saves them. Also since he’s been here he’s hit the woodwork a ridiculous amount of times.

[Somniloquism]

Big Chance: A situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score, usually in a one on one scenario or from very close range when the ball has a clear path to goal and there is low to moderate pressure on the shooter. Penalties are always considered big chances.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

It would be interesting, albeit doesn't change things, I wonder when it says chances missed, how many of those the keeper saved or they missed the target. Ollie generally hits the target and the keeper saves them. Also since he’s been here he’s hit the woodwork a ridiculous amount of times.
[/quote

I think Villa Statto quoted a figure in the region of 23 for this. ]

[ChicagoLion]

He misses chances because he too often fails with his first touch or to set himself quick enough, he hits goalkeepers legs with unerring accuracy.
Yes he does a lot of good work around the pitch and he will be very difficult to replace because of the dearth of centre forwards.

[PeterWithesShin]

And sometimes the keeper does really well. If that had been Ollie early in Newcastle he'd be battered, instead we say what an amazing save from Emi.

[ChicagoLion]

And sometimes the keeper does really well. If that had been Ollie early in Newcastle he'd be battered, instead we say what an amazing save from Emi.

Tonali should have left Emi with no chance.
Yes sometimes GKs do well but the speed at which you settle before striking has a massive impact on the chances you convert. He doesn’t have great touch we know that.

[trinityoap]

Would someone like to tell us who  should get to replace him?

[ChicagoLion]

Would someone like to tell us who  should get to replace him?

As I said in my post above.