Pellé getting some stick from our fans.....fair or not?

......a report I read yesterday noted that Pellé was " getting some stick " from our own fans at QPR who criticised his performance, (or lack of it).

A striker who has managed only 1 league goal in the last 8 Prem. games must certainly come in for some comments, but it really isn't so unusual for strikers to have long "dry spells" *

Yes he did look below par, and tbf he has been double-marked in many games I've watched - and gets little support from referees (who may think a 6'4" guy should be able to take care of himself ).

I've been watching Saints' games for 50 years, and of course there have been strikers who get goals regularly, but for many (even at their best) a goal every 3-4 games is about average.....

....many others are got less than that.

Considering it's his first season in the Prem. I'm not surprised that he has been " noticed " by the opposition, and he's not the only Prem. name to go long periods without scoring regularly.

I think the criticism is unjustified - but as a striker he must feel worse - as it's the one thing that players of his ilk are judged by. NOTED, he has hit the woodwork 6 times this season:rolleyes:

*Historical note: James Beattie went the first 10 games - without scoring in season 2002/3 - and then hit 23 goals by the end of that season.

When you're on form everything seems to go in - if not you're considered rubbish! FAIR on Pellé?......or NOT?

Doesn't surprise me. Despite it looking likely this will be our highest finish in 30 years some of our dinlow fans still need to have a whipping boy.

Mane is scoring the goals atm so don't think it's a big problem that Pelle isn't.

We often don't have a creative midfielder in behind him which means that he has to do all the hard work of holding up the ball himself and does a very good job of it mostly. That's just the way we play. 3rd in the Prem, I don't think you can be too critical of our approach.

Its ridiculous the stick some people are giving him. He has played every game, he gets bashed and battered with very little protection and he tracks back and gets through a hell of a lot of work.

He is going to have games where he looks tired or ineffective but bloody hell name one player in any league in the world who doesnt ?

Worked last time... Got huge stick in his first couple and then scored for the next 8 or something

Seriously though, he's been very good, people are idiots.

He's worked his ******** off for the whole season as a lone striker so he doesn't warrant criticism, but strikers are largely judged on goals and he's hit a dry spell. That's no reason to criticise him though, if anything he should be encouraged. Nobody knows about his poor form more than the man himself, I'm sure he's desperate to get amongst the goals again.

The only upside to idiot fans criticising him is the maybe he'll be more fired up to break his goalless streak.

Worked last time... Got huge stick in his first couple and then scored for the next 8 or something

 

Seriously though, he's been very good, people are idiots.

Says it all

I have to say that I had a little pop at him in the post match thread as the number of times he flicked on to no one during the game was a little frustrating, admittedly he was surrounded by defenders at the time, but it looked like he hadn't really looked to see who was on before doing it so the attack broke down........ But then it could be said with the pace of Mane and Elia they should have anticipated he was going to do this a little more and been in a position to capitalise on the flicks.

Earlier in the season he was an unknown threat with freedom to play, opposition managers earn their money by arranging their team to nullify players like Pelle.

I think Pelle has been great all season, and but for the woodwork would have a greater goal tally - he also commands the attention of several key defenders which means more room for the likes of Mane and Elia to exploit. He's probably missing the sharp service he was getting from Tadic prior to Christmas.

He's worked his ******** off for the whole season as a lone striker so he doesn't warrant criticism, but strikers are largely judged on goals and he's hit a dry spell. That's no reason to criticise him though, if anything he should be encouraged. Nobody knows about his poor form more than the man himself, I'm sure he's desperate to get amongst the goals again.

 

The only upside to idiot fans criticising him is the maybe he'll be more fired up to break his goalless streak.

100% this. The bloke is getting hammered by defenders, gets nothing from the ref, and continues to battle and fight for his teammates all over the pitch. Yes he's in a dry spell, but he gets bugger all service in the box and hasn't even had a shout lately. Not to mention the wrestling he's subjected too during corners and such. He's having a fine first season and as long as others continue to pop up with goals there's no reason to worry.

Hot and Cold...it's what happens to forwards no matter how good...get over it. When cold his considerable presence will make space for others...he's never a waste of space.

he is not good enough in the goal scoring ranks, not getting any younger and the lack of a decent striker will be the difference between CL and EL. I said at Liverpool he looks a poor man's Giroud and despite the few good shows (as does Giroud), frankly not the best striker we have ever had. At least mane is playing off him now, as being stuck on his own makes him look even worse.

he is not good enough in the goal scoring ranks, not getting any younger and the lack of a decent striker will be the difference between CL and EL. I said at Liverpool he looks a poor man's Giroud and despite the few good shows (as does Giroud), frankly not the best striker we have ever had. At least mane is playing off him now, as being stuck on his own makes him look even worse.

incredibly harsh assessment of a player that does far more for the team than chipping in goals. Yes it would be nice if he got a goal every other game but he does so much for the team that we look lost without him.

I didn't hear him get any stick at QPR?

I think he's been very good for us. Played every minute of every PL game for us so far this season I think?

Now averaging 1 in every 3 league games, which isn't all that bad.

Would love to know who those giving stick (if this is true) would play instead of him? Muppets

I don't boo players at a match and try my utmost to be supportive at all times, but I see little that is very unusual, or indeed improper, in football fans noticing when one of their players is manifestly starting to struggle a little - this of course is not the same thing as writing a player off permanently. I hope that is clear.

After what was a strong start it seems to me that Pelle has overall been a qualified success (so far) this season - probably on a par with what Rickie Lambert might have given us had he stayed I guess. As for the number of times any player hits the post ... well I'm not sure what the point is here because hitting the post is actually the result of a 'off target' shot is it not?

Does the OP feel there is some value in our collectively pretending that this player is at the top of his game at the moment? To be frank I've always been unclear how that process is supposed to work? While I await a explanation to this mystery it remains my opinion that fans should express how they feel honestly on here - only time will prove whether they are right or wrong - but this is supposed to be a 'forum' afterall.

Pelle is as important as Rickie Lambert was to our team.

I think it's pretty disgraceful for a player to get stick, whether they're playing poorly or not. It could be fair enough if there is no effort, but I don't know if I recall a player who has shown such enthusiasm for playing for us as Graziano.

I remember the start of the season - he was struggling a bit, and while a few groans of frustration might be natural, some idiots were even ironically cheering him against West Brom (his first home game!) when he did something well. Credit to the fans at Millwall who really got behind him (despite some wayward finishing) - I genuinely think the support he received there played a big part in him becoming such an important player for us this season.

It's hard to think of a situation where berating your own players will actually lead to an improvement, but sadly it is more common in football now as fans have a greater sense of entitlement.

Pelle is an integral part of how we play.To criticise him is ridiculous, but you only have to read some of the match report on here and soon realise a lot of people know nothing about team games and football.

Unfair. The QPR game was his worst since the beginning of the season, so it's fair to criticise him for that one game, but on the whole he has been very good - his goalscoring record is good, his link up play also, he carries a huge load (which is noticeable when he hasn't played), he's a real team player, he's played a part in lots of goals (either through assists or knock-downs leading to assists) and he's been very unlucky with the number of times he's hit the woodwork. All in all, he's been one of our better players this season and deserves our support.

Big G generally needs 8 chances to score. At the start of the season, when he was an unknown entity he would get his 8 chances. Now he doesn’t because he is respected by every oppo manager. What I love about him is that even if he misses a string of chances he doesn’t shy away from the game, he just gets on with it.

He requires 2 mediocre defenders to handle him or 1 good one. Allowing others to take advantage of the space. He allows us to play a more direct plan B, without having to bring on a specialised man for the job. He has good feet and an eye for a quick direct pass.

In addition, a few weeks back I saw a stat showing that he was covering more KM’s than any other PL striker, tirelessly tracking backwards and forwards.

I find it truly astonishing that any Saints fan would criticize him. Yes he needs a rest, but there can’t be too many PL players who have played more minutes than him this season?

I think its fair to comment that a player had a bad game but for any player in our first team to be taking stick when we sit in third place is frankly effing ridiculous.

Pelle is critical to the way we play and in my opinion if he gets injured for longer than a couple of games then our season (our CL ambitions) would be over.

Pelle continually gets hacked to bits by defenders hand never (or least lease very, very rarely) gets any protection from referees. I think the opposition deliberately target him, as they know how important he is to our play. The reason is, is that his hold up play is absolutely superb. He is continually bringing others into play (usually while getting fouled). Needs support not criticism IMHO.

"The Pelle Saga"

Well i didn't hear any criticism at QPR.

The only problem I have with Pelle is his continued posturing & sulking when either he isn't played in or when a cross isn't good enough, he must get frustrated being a lone front man and not getting the service but he gives the ball away just as much with little flicks and poor passing.

Maybe it's impossible to expect everyone to knuckle down and get on with the game who ever loses the ball.

Either way I think his contribution has been good up till now, some of his front play is exceptional

3 goals in his last 19 games. He needs a spell on the bench but we have no one else to play there.

He is so important to the team. He works so hard and will run through brick walls for us. He gets double marked (and battered) by defenders giving the rest of the team more space. In terms of goal scoring, he's feeding off scraps. Ageuro wouldn't score if he's not given any service.

The only problem I have with Pelle is his continued posturing & sulking when either he isn't played in or when a cross isn't good enough, he must get frustrated being a lone front man and not getting the service but he gives the ball away just as much with little flicks and poor passing.

 

Maybe it's impossible to expect everyone to knuckle down and get on with the game who ever loses the ball.

 

Either way I think his contribution has been good up till now, some of his front play is exceptional

Out of interest, how does this supposed sulking/ posturing effect either his game or that of the team? looking at our form over the last 10 prem games or so it doesn't seem to have much effect other us winning?

I think the main issue with Pelle at the moment is we are not able to give him a break as we don't have a similar player in reserve who can cover his position. This has resulted in us over-playing him a bit when he could do with a rest or at least coming off earlier in games when tired or not playing well.

He's not in the best of form at the moment and doesn't look as dangerous as he did earlier in the season, but is still very important to the way we play, in terms of holding the ball up and bringing others into play, as other posters have said. Overall, he's had a very good 1st season in the prem.

Out of interest, how does this supposed sulking/ posturing effect either his game or that of the team? looking at our form over the last 10 prem games or so it doesn't seem to have much effect other us winning?

Played every game just about, so he's a very important player. My only comment is it's a shame that Jay rod Sam Gallagher and now Shane Long have alll been out. He could do with a rest in my view.

Yoshida has been played a striker for Japan,. and couldn't do a worse job than Pelle has recently. Any of our center backs could provide the nuisance factor in attack as Pelle does and probably be more likely to score.. Like with Tadic, Pelle has become too full of his early success in the Premier League and both believe they can do no wrong. Both need a couple of games for the Under 21's to bring them back down to earth.

Yep, Yoshida up front, Tadic+Pelle in the youth team. Recipe for glory +1000! Amazing that Koeman can't see this!

Yoshida has been played a striker for Japan,. and couldn't do a worse job than Pelle has recently. Any of our center backs could provide the nuisance factor in attack as Pelle does and probably be more likely to score.. Like with Tadic, Pelle has become too full of his early success in the Premier League and both believe they can do no wrong. Both need a couple of games for the Under 21's to bring them back down to earth.

You are crazy.

I honestly think Pelle is not fully fit. He look like he had a knock on sat. Trouble is, we have no one else to play instead of him

He will get the rough treatment on Wednesday no doubt. But luckily for him, we have a week and a half off without a game. Maybe he might regain some fitness then

You are crazy.

Get behind Yoshida up front FFS

Yoshida has been played a striker for Japan,. and couldn't do a worse job than Pelle has recently. Any of our center backs could provide the nuisance factor in attack as Pelle does and probably be more likely to score.. Like with Tadic, Pelle has become too full of his early success in the Premier League and both believe they can do no wrong. Both need a couple of games for the Under 21's to bring them back down to earth.

Yoshida has been played a striker for Japan,. and couldn't do a worse job than Pelle has recently. Any of our center backs could provide the nuisance factor in attack as Pelle does and probably be more likely to score.. Like with Tadic, Pelle has become too full of his early success in the Premier League and both believe they can do no wrong. Both need a couple of games for the Under 21's to bring them back down to earth.

you really haven't got a clue. Of all the ridiculous fools we have on this site at times, this post highlights your ability to be the leader of the clueless.

Yoshida has been played a striker for Japan,. and couldn't do a worse job than Pelle has recently. Any of our center backs could provide the nuisance factor in attack as Pelle does and probably be more likely to score.. Like with Tadic, Pelle has become too full of his early success in the Premier League and both believe they can do no wrong. Both need a couple of games for the Under 21's to bring them back down to earth.

Nurse!

Big G generally needs 8 chances to score. At the start of the season, when he was an unknown entity he would get his 8 chances. Now he doesn’t because he is respected by every oppo manager. What I love about him is that even if he misses a string of chances he doesn’t shy away from the game, he just gets on with it.

He requires 2 mediocre defenders to handle him or 1 good one. Allowing others to take advantage of the space. He allows us to play a more direct plan B, without having to bring on a specialised man for the job. He has good feet and an eye for a quick direct pass.

In addition, a few weeks back I saw a stat showing that he was covering more KM’s than any other PL striker, tirelessly tracking backwards and forwards.

I find it truly astonishing that any Saints fan would criticize him. Yes he needs a rest, but there can’t be too many PL players who have played more minutes than him this season?

Exactly this post.

Art, please take note.

Pellè just looks knackered to me, we've not been able to rest him because of injuries elsewhere. Rodriguez has taken much longer than most expected to recover (despite original predictions of a Christmas return, I'm now not expecting to see him play this season), Long has got injured at a difficult time for us and Gallagher has had a series of issues (and I'm not entirely convinced by him anyway).

While in most games we've played quite a patient game, on Saturday this was difficult because of the pitch. You couldn't play a 10-yard pass with any degree of confidence, so as a result we ended up playing quite direct, but neither Mané or Elia really got close enough to Pellè to profit from his hold-up play, which is excellent but he can't be expected to hold it up AND beat the entire back 4.

It's also been noticeable that our final ball has got progressively worse over the course of the season. Crosses are either under- or over-hit, corners are dealt with too easily and we're trying to be far too clever around the edge of the penalty area to fashion clear openings when sometimes you've only got a half-chance available.

He gets seven bells kicked out of him on a regular basis without any protection from Refs and most opposition Managers know he's a real threat so they man-mark him with boot,elbow,hand(shirt grippers) and wrestlers and he always puts in a fair shift.Give him our support at least because he ain't getting it from anywhere else.

PS. Tadic wasn't fit to wear the shirt a couple of matches back.Why is it so easy to lay 'blame' these days?Or have you nothing else to do?

Yoshida up front? Rather play Nathaniel Clyne in goal.

Firstly Pelle is massively important for the side right now and has been all season, however that doesn't make him a good player, we need someone to replace him if we are serious about pushing on in the summer.

For the size of the bloke he wins no where near enough headers, he gets bullied far to easily. For those stating he would have more goals had it not been for the wood work, I dont get what your getting at?? Hitting the wood work means you've missed the target, you can dress it up as being unlucky or close, say what ever you want, the fact is he's missed the target, something he does way to often. He also takes way to long to make his mind up when under pressure ultimately losing possession because of indecision, when he isn't doing that he's playing first time balls to no one because he hasn't looked up and is just hitting and hoping basically.

I'll support Pelle every time he puts the shirt on and as long as he gives 100%, but I dont get the fuss about the bloke.

Yoshida has been played a striker for Japan,. and couldn't do a worse job than Pelle has recently. Any of our center backs could provide the nuisance factor in attack as Pelle does and probably be more likely to score.. Like with Tadic, Pelle has become too full of his early success in the Premier League and both believe they can do no wrong. Both need a couple of games for the Under 21's to bring them back down to earth.

Dalek seems to have disappeared since we reached 40 pts, is this his alt account?

Pleased to see general praise for Graziano who works his arse off week in, week out for the cause !

It seems that RK rates him highly enough to play in every game and lead the line with real guts and energy !

Results and league position should surely tell us that the system is working and he is clearly a key part of this !

I remember him being booed at the start of the season by a few morons and consider those who slate him now to be equally as moronic !!

Pleased to see general praise for Graziano who works his arse off week in, week out for the cause !

It seems that RK rates him highly enough to play in every game and lead the line with real guts and energy !

Results and league position should surely tell us that the system is working and he is clearly a key part of this !

I remember him being booed at the start of the season by a few morons and consider those who slate him now to be equally as moronic !!

I remember the start of the season - he was struggling a bit, and while a few groans of frustration might be natural, some idiots were even ironically cheering him against West Brom (his first home game!) when he did something well. Credit to the fans at Millwall who really got behind him (despite some wayward finishing) - I genuinely think the support he received there played a big part in him becoming such an important player for us this season.

This !

Kicked and wrestled every minute of every match, and yet he just keeps going. We need to get right behind him to get him through to the end this season.

Pelle is the foundation for so many of the attacks, and is always a way out if the defence need to pump the ball long when the team is under pressure. Forget his goal tally, it's the space and time he creates for others that is important.

Pelle is as important as Rickie Lambert was to our team.

my thoughts too. Rickie also lacked that little extra pace, but Pellé can win headers and play the ball off to others, despite the extra " attention " he gets from defenders.