Camp and Gunter in PFA Team of the Year

[Carvel]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_6116528,00.html

Got that about right I'd say. But Carroll? The front two show how shit Championship strikers are.

 

[Jonathan]

Carroll has scored 19 goals this season and has been decent for much of it.

Nolan's an easy choice - I think I'd have put Ambrose in there instead because he's scored quite a lot in a struggling side, whereas Kevin Nolan is someone who, just over a year ago, was being touted for an England call-up.

Pleased for Gunts and Campy, though.

 

[king_congo_red]

Carroll has scored 19 goals this season and has been decent for much of it.

Carroll is to the Championship what Crouch is to England. Scores for fun against the lesser sides, but never seems to get on the score sheet in 'big' games.

 

[andover red]

Carroll is to the Championship what Crouch is to England. Scores for fun against the lesser sides, but never seems to get on the score sheet in 'big' games.

Shame for Newcastle that every game next season will be a big one lol

In my opinion Carroll will disappear without trace next season. He'll probably get replaced by some mediocre 30 something foreign striker brought in as a panic buy during January that has scored loads of goals in a league like Holland but will prove nowhere near good enough for the Premiership.

 

[winnits]

Carroll, much as I don't like him, has been a bloody effective striker at this level so can't really begrudge him. Same not to see Big Wes get in there too.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

Chopra? Really?

 

[adam09]

Carroll has had an endless supply this season! He should have nearer 30 than 20.

Plus he's a greasy twat.

 

[FBS]

Pleased for Camp and Gunter, but Wes should have been in there as well

 

[sebs]

chopra is shit. can't really argue with that midfield.

 

[Kier]

If Earnshaw had started as many games as Carroll or Chopra then he would be head and shoulders above both of them. He is only a few goals behind now despite starting less than half of our games and only 2 in the first 3 months of the season.

 

[Jonathan]

He has 15 goals in 20 starts, I think.

 

[Jonathan]

Chopra has scored 16 in 36 starts and Carrol has 17 in 33 starts.

If Earnie had started that many, I reckon he'd have scored 20 goals this season.

 

[Itsy-bitsy Bonatini Yellow Polkadot Bikini]

Is that stat on Earnie confirmed? And is it 20 starts or 20 appearances?

 

[Rich]

Starts. He scored a lot when he came on as sub, though.

 

[Itsy-bitsy Bonatini Yellow Polkadot Bikini]

I guessed as much.

Earnie's got that cult legend thing going on, but I'd rather see us start with Dex up top on his own. We've played our best football with 5 in midfield; Moussi and McKenna take the shackles off Raddy.

 

[Rich]

Our best game this season, away at West Brom, had a 5 man midfield and Dex up front alone.

I don't think we've played that formation since, as I seem to recall we switched to 442 away from home for the duration of our nightmare away form.

 

[Itsy-bitsy Bonatini Yellow Polkadot Bikini]

Nick Shorey was also doing the work of two men up the left flank at that point in time.

Cohen isn't a wide player and he didn't need to be.

 

[Rich]

Very true.

If only we'd signed him. I hope he's happy sat on the bench at Fulham.

 

[sebs]

rich we played 451 against newcastle and played mostly well but lets be honest, newcastle were just better than us.

two points;

1) playing up front isn't about scoring goals nowadays. blackstock is the outstanding forward in the league in my eyes in terms of his workrate and the sheer amount of balls he gets to and the chances he creates. he is so so good.
2) chopra has been awful in the two games he's played against us. he's a dirty player to boot, so much whinging to the officials and dirty fouls. and you've got to consider that 4 of his goals came against that shower of shite from down the a52.

 

[Itsy-bitsy Bonatini Yellow Polkadot Bikini]

blackstock is the outstanding forward in the league in my eyes in terms of his workrate and the sheer amount of balls he gets to and the chances he creates. he is so so good.

I fully agree with that. I wouldn't swap him for another striker in this division.

 

[Rich]

So we did, I kind of discounted that from the terrible run, though, as it wasn't as bad a performance as any of the ones where we played 442.

 

[Erik]

Blackstock is the outstanding forward in the league in my eyes in terms of his workrate and the sheer amount of balls he gets to and the chances he creates. he is so so good.

Spot on. He's been a revelation. As well as a bargin.

 

[sebs]

So we did, I kind of discounted that from the terrible run, though, as it wasn't as bad a performance as any of the ones where we played 442.

no, and actually when we went 1-0 down i seem to recall we switched to 442 and played far far worse.

 

[Jonathan]

I guessed as much.

Earnie's got that cult legend thing going on, but I'd rather see us start with Dex up top on his own. We've played our best football with 5 in midfield; Moussi and McKenna take the shackles off Raddy.

I said that somewhere else as well.

I'd definitely still go 4-4-2 at home, though.

Earnie and Blackstock have this understanding that is too good to not use, in my opinion. Games at home where they've started together include the 5-1 against Leicester, 4-1 against Donny and 5-0 against QPR.

Away from home, definitely 4-5-1 if McKenna's fit.

 

[Jonathan]

And Earnie's goals this season:

Ipswich away - sub
Boro away - sub
Doncaster home - start
Leicester home x3 - start
Coventry home - start
Reading home - start
QPR home x2 - start
Sheff Utd home - start
Preston away - sub
Peterborough home - start
Ipswich home - start
Plymouth home - start

So, in his 20 starts, he has scored 12 goals with three coming from his 12 substitute appearances. Still good stats.