Pelles poor form

He was a lot better today but when none of the other attacking players are on form creating space for him he isn't going to get many chances.

But yeah, lets pay up his contract and play Olafela Olomola up front while Long, Austin and Rodriguez are out.

He was alright.

Moves like a traffic cone though. The balls to him have to be almost inch perfect

He was alright.

Moves like a traffic cone though. The balls to him have to be almost inch perfect

Simply not true. He gets battered all game by centrebacks and got no support today.

As for the other post saying he's not taking chances, he literally could do nothing more with that one where he took it down and half volleyed it, it was just a sensational block.

I've been a huge critic of him, i'm still not convinced he suits our best play style and would be happy to sell him in the summer. But he didn't have a bad game today.

We need a striker who can score goals. He was good at that but evidently he has declined in ability and is no longer good enough for us.

We need a striker who can score goals. He was good at that but evidently he has declined in ability and is no longer good enough for us.

Interested to know how many goals would be a good return for a striker at our level in your eye?

Also wondering how many Long would have if he'd been first choice up front all season...

Interested to know how many goals would be a good return for a striker at our level in your eye?

Also wondering how many Long would have if he'd been first choice up front all season...

More than 1 goal in 15 games...

I would have either Borini or Defoe over Pelle every day of the week. And they can't get in Sunderlands team every week. We need to sack him off at the end of the season. He has become one dimensional and static and needs to move on.

The people sat behind me today had it in for Pelle before he'd even touched the ball, and I imagine they weren't the only ones. He's out of form, not getting game time, and low on confidence, it's not a huge surprise that he isn't looking like the complete number 9 atm. These people were just waiting for him to do something wrong so they could shout at him. When he did something good, which happened more frequently as the game went on, they were quiet.

The classic line was "ha! Look at that man's pace!" When chasing a through ball. It was said with such glee, as if they enjoyed his struggles, and it's not like Pelle has ever had pace or is expected to play as someone with it either. Absolutely flabbergasting attitude from some fans.

That's not to say he was great, far from it, but it wasn't all bad. My main gripe with Pelle is that he doesn't follow up once he's made the first challenge. Too often he goes for an aerial duel, then stops and starts walking about, when he could be chasing down the second ball or making a run to receive a pass.

As I said, he is a fair weather player. We'll see him at his best again, scoring goals for fun in April and May, and he'll love playing in France in the summer, while there are some English players who'll struggle playing in hot, sunny conditions.

I would have either Borini or Defoe over Pelle every day of the week. And they can't get in Sunderlands team every week. We need to sack him off at the end of the season. He has become one dimensional and static and needs to move on.

Borini?? Put the ****ing crack pipe down mate. Awful player.

As I said, he is a fair weather player. We'll see him at his best again, scoring goals for fun in April and May, and he'll love playing in France in the summer, while there are some English players who'll struggle playing in hot, sunny conditions.

even more reason to get rid of him, can't have a player than disappears between October and April.

...even if he were 100% fit (which Koeman denies) he looks really lack-lustre and his confidence must be at an all-time low after his long goal drought.......

It really is a joke that he has had 2 massive droughts like this 2 seasons in a row.

As I said, he is a fair weather player. We'll see him at his best again, scoring goals for fun in April and May, and he'll love playing in France in the summer, while there are some English players who'll struggle playing in hot, sunny conditions.

It's a nice sunny Spring day today.

Perfect time for him to start banging them in again with less than 10 games left of the season. Would be nice to be in great form for the end of the season for once.

Bunch of saints fans. Sell Pelle when we signed Austin. Well Pelle scored 11 goals and been injured a lot of it.

It's a nice sunny Spring day today.

Chelsea away wasn't. He's scored 16 last season and 11 this despite being injured loads. If you want someone to moan at look at the midfielders who have scored hardly any goals.

Bunch of saints fans. Sell Pelle when we signed Austin. Well Pelle scored 11 goals and been injured a lot of it.

I've backed him up in the past, but what was it no goals in the last 13 or 14 appearances? That's poor however you dress it up, especially as his hold up play regressed as well for a lot of those games.

You seem to be the one who's moaning, Roger. The rest of us are very happy with Pelle's performance today. As I said, he'll score more goals now Spring is here so it's something to look forward to, not something to whinge about. He'll score more early next season too, as long as we hang onto him.

You seem to be the one who's moaning, Roger. The rest of us are very happy with Pelle's performance today. As I said, he'll score more goals now Spring is here so it's something to look forward to, not something to whinge about. He'll score more early next season too, as long as we hang onto him.

This is the exact reason we need to get rid of him. What's the point in having a player who goes missing for half a season? Just because he's scored today, it's still only 3 goals in 15 games, which is ****.

Pelle just doesn't like the yellow ball, it's as simple as that.

Good to see him having such a good game. It doesn't undo all the bad performances of late though.

I'm glad to see his flicks work, mind.

I like him. Think he's been injured and knocked him off form. Still our top scorer.

Chelsea away wasn't. He's scored 16 last season and 11 this despite being injured loads. If you want someone to moan at look at the midfielders who have scored hardly any goals.

This. If you want a better player there are 2 options:

1) Save money and take a punt on an injury prone but proven goalscorer (Austin) but see them miss half of every season

2) Spend the £30 mill to buy a Lukaku quality player which we have never done

That goalscoring record for the price we paid and the fact most broadly knew not a lot about him is damn good.

poor form?.......what poor form?. Both goals top class......looked as good as he ever has been.

He is the sort of player who when he has left will be looked upon with great fondness and people will be wishing he was still with us!

He's a bit like Ricky. Get injured or have a couple of games out and it takes him longer to get back up to speed. He looked at his best today. One thing I wish he had though is Ricky's confidence. Lambert always thought he was going to score for us.

He's a bit like Ricky. Get injured or have a couple of games out and it takes him longer to get back up to speed. He looked at his best today. One thing I wish he had though is Ricky's confidence. Lambert always thought he was going to score for us.

a couple of games longer?

last season, pelle went 14 without a goal, this season.....what was it, 13?

of course, the OP had a point ....to some degree at least.

Strikers want to score every game (said Ronald Koeman) and the fans want to see them score regularly at least... (but the Jamie Vardy phenomena is very rare).

Older heads will also recall some other goal droughts in Saints history.

I recall local boy Martin Chivers who had already netted 50 times whilst still in his teens, and in the promotion season 1965-66 carried on with his goal spree, which included 4 in the legendary 9-3 blitz of Wolves at the Dell in Sept.65. and between Nov65 and February66.. he scored 18 times in 11 League games...and by the end of Feb had scored 30 goals....only failing to score in his last 10 games. Had he continued in the same scoring form he would surely have broken a few club records.

Life was harder in Div 1 (read Prem. )after a slow start, he went 15 games without scoring, whilst fellow strikerRon Davies netted 37 times in the League alone.

Chivers successor -Mick Channon still holds the club'äs goal record, but frequently went 6-8 games without scoring.

Back up in top level after relegation, goalscoring pair MacDougall and Boyer gave us goals galore, but even Boyer found life hard towards the end of his Saints career with several very long goal droughts.Likewise later names like Colin Clarke and Steve Moran found life hard despite their impressive goal tallies ....and whilst we are on the subject, even MLT had his "dry spells" in between those memorable goal efforts.

Looking back to when the James Beattie joined Saints. His first couple of seasons were distinctly unimpressive...and he managed just 5 goals in his first 50 games......

by the start of 2002.03 fans were tearing their hair out when JB went goalless for the first ten games, but then hit a goal streak that saw him score 23 goals in the next 27 games, and finished a couple behind Golden Boot winner (Thierry Henry)....and even Rickie Lambert didn't get on the goal sheet quite as often as many people think.

..but getting back to Graziano Pelle....few would deny that, at his best, an on-form GP is joy to watch, but his recent lack of goals is also down to fitness, or as Alan Shearer once quoted." there's lot of difference between being (totally) match-fit ..and being.." fit enough to play.". Let's hope we see GP back in his best form.

a couple of games longer?

last season, pelle went 14 without a goal, this season.....what was it, 13?

to be fair.. it's one thing to say he hadn't scored since...November..when he was showing poor form through injury, and then was out and wasn't even fit enough to sit on the bench for the following 5 games. Coming back in January....he had a few sub. apps and a handful of starts before yesterday.....let's hope he does get back to his best, but IMO he is definitely a " confidence player" and needs goals to boost him.

His poor mid season form last year, also masked the fact that he hit the woodwork eight times ..aside from good goalie saves...

......a bit more luck and the record books would look decidely better in his favour.

to be fair.. it's one thing to say he hadn't scored since...November..when he was showing poor form through injury, and then was out and wasn't even fit enough to sit on the bench for the following 5 games. Coming back in January....he had a few sub. apps and a handful of starts before yesterday.....let's hope he does get back to his best, but IMO he is definitely a " confidence player" and needs goals to boost him.

His poor mid season form last year, also masked the fact that he hit the woodwork eight times ..aside from good goalie saves...

......a bit more luck and the record books would look decidely better in his favour.

Is hitting the woodwork bad luck or bad skill?

I don't know why Pelle is held to such a high standard.

When we signed him; people noted the relatively low price for a PL centre-forward and said "I'll settle for 10 PL goals a season". If he fails to find the net in any of our remaining fixtures, he'll have averaged out at precisely that across two seasons.

He's an average player and was always going to be. Not good, not great, has his moments, has his **** games as well...blabla. Standard.

Let's compare him to his peers in the PL...

Gomis: 5

Wickham: 5

Rondon: 7

Deeney: 8 (five of them penalties)

Carroll: 3

Walters: 4

Mitrovic: 5

Gestede: 5

Sakho: 4

Valencia: 4

That's basically Pelle's peergroup. He's not Harry Kane, he's not Alexis Sanchez, he's not Diego Costa and he's not Aguero.

At the end of the day I don't think I've seen Saints get *precisely* what we've paid for more than we have with Pelle. His goal return + overall contribution has been pretty much exactly worth the £9Mn we paid for him.

Want more from a centre-forward? Well that'll cost more (barring a 'lottery signing' like a Vardy or Mahrez).

Stan, so on another thread you **** on Shlong, now Pelle. He may be ****, but if he is then seeing as he is one of the Italian centre forwards, Italy must be in trouble. And obviously Chelsea are going to be in trouble next season with the Italian manager who has selected him for the National squad taking over there.

Stan, so on another thread you **** on Shlong, now Pelle. He may be ****, but if he is then seeing as he is one of the Italian centre forwards, Italy must be in trouble. And obviously Chelsea are going to be in trouble next season with the Italian manager who has selected him for the National squad taking over there.

Oh I'm not criticising Pelle in the slightest. Re-read my post. I think he's a solid enough player and decent value for £9Mn.

He's not a world-beater by any means, but if you want a world-beater you pay world-beater prices.

Is hitting the woodwork bad luck or bad skill?

......judging by the shots to goal %'s , I would have thought any shot that was anywhere near the goal shows some degree of skill.....luck always comes into it.

......judging by the shots to goal %'s , I would have thought any shot that was anywhere near the goal shows some degree of skill.....luck always comes into it.

Or, he lacks the skill and accuracy that other strikers who score consistently do?

......judging by the shots to goal %'s , I would have thought any shot that was anywhere near the goal shows some degree of skill.....luck always comes into it.

I always used to aim at the corners, your perfect finish clips the back of the post on the way in. I'd rather stick the ball off the post and wide with the keeper beaten than hit the keeper with it.

Older heads will also recall some other goal droughts in Saints history.

Chivers successor -Mick Channon still holds the club'äs goal record, but frequently went 6-8 games without scoring.

Mick never had a serious goal drought, especially in his first spell at the club, goals were not as regular when he came back after Man City, but even so he never went many games without scoring. In his first spell once he was regular and Chivers and Big Ron had gone he hardly ever went more than 3 or 4 games without scoring. Bearing in mind for much of his career he wasn't the main striker (centre forward) anyway his goal scoring record was remarkable, and to compare Pelle's lack of goals with Mick (or Big Ron or Chivers) is laughable and highly disrespectful. There is also a hell of a difference between going 6-8 games without scoring and 13-14, esepcially when a season is now only 38 games, compared to 42.

MotM for me though he was struggling in the first half like the whole team did. Setting up two goals for Mane and one great finish, that's Pelle back in form...

MotM for me though he was struggling in the first half like the whole team did. Setting up two goals for Mane and one great finish, that's Pelle back in form...

He was much better once he'd cut out those silly little flicks to the opposition that he loves so much.

Pelle and Mane, as was proved today and earlier in the season against Chelsea (and to a large extent, United, despite the defeat), are still our best option up front when both are on top of their game.

He was much better once he'd cut out those silly little flicks to the opposition that he loves so much.

Didn't do himself any favours with the "only remember 3 things that happen in the match" brigade by making those things 3 backheels to the opposition in the first half, but actually he was busting a gut making runs off the ball and kept doing so (with Mane's assistance late on) right to the end - the notable exception being him not bothering to make an angle for a pass from Wanyama in the centre circle, when Vic went to the corner flag instead.

Didn't do himself any favours with the "only remember 3 things that happen in the match" brigade by making those things 3 backheels to the opposition in the first half, but actually he was busting a gut making runs off the ball and kept doing so (with Mane's assistance late on) right to the end - the notable exception being him not bothering to make an angle for a pass from Wanyama in the centre circle, when Vic went to the corner flag instead.

That was a great run by Vic. Actually it was more of a stroll in the park. I only wish that he'd just kept wandering upfield into their penalty area until he strolled around their keeper and walked the ball into their net.

I only saw the second half (on TV) and thought Pelle was sensational. Skrtel didn't know what day of the week it was.

Out of interest, did anyone else see that he was welling-up when he was celebrating after his goal?

Maybe it was linked to that forearm smash he got from Sakho?

Anyway, he plays much better when he's fired-up.

The stick he gets from our fans is baffling. Lambert was just as inconsistent.

Mick never had a serious goal drought, especially in his first spell at the club, goals were not as regular when he came back after Man City, but even so he never went many games without scoring. In his first spell once he was regular and Chivers and Big Ron had gone he hardly ever went more than 3 or 4 games without scoring.

Bearing in mind for much of his career he wasn't the main striker (centre forward) anyway his goal scoring record was remarkable,

and to compare Pelle's lack of goals with Mick (or Big Ron or Chivers) is laughable and highly disrespectful.

There is also a hell of a difference between going 6-8 games without scoring and 13-14, esepcially when a season is now only 38 games, compared to 42.

Of course - no disrespect intended....It wasn't meant as a comparison with Pelle.

Both Chivers and Channon had longer careers with Saints but nevertheless, didn't always score that regularly, and Pelle is only in his second Prem.season.

Like Pelle ....all the players named in my post had periodic spells when they didn't score, but the stats. I quoted are correct.

The real point is that "some people" too easily condemn strikers who go a longer run of games without scoring.....and when it reaches double figures , they are all set to write them off and demand their transfer out.

Shane Long went through that period a few months back and the campaign to "get rid of .and re-invest" ...was seen. Later on - when he was the only fit / in-form player available he battled on almost alone - and we saw that he really DAJFU....

There will always be the "Kane / Vardy" types turning up every season. Last season it was ...Charlie Austin..but even before / after their scoring sprees...but the stats show they had longer dry spells, too.

Those Pelle and Mane critics who were so quick to condemn should take another look at the goals those two have netted in the last 2 games. Worth waiting for, eh ?

I only saw the second half (on TV) and thought Pelle was sensational. Skrtel didn't know what day of the week it was.

 

Out of interest, did anyone else see that he was welling-up when he was celebrating after his goal?

 

Maybe it was linked to that forearm smash he got from Sakho?

 

Anyway, he plays much better when he's fired-up.

 

The stick he gets from our fans is baffling. Lambert was just as inconsistent.

More of a straight-arm to the throat but the assistant wasn't interested. Or didn't see it.

Pelle like Shlong when on his game is unplayable,when off he is sunday league.

He brings a hell of a lot to the team when on form,he also gets a really rough time from defenders that seems to go unnoticed alot on here,. I like him and I think the way we set up we need a player like that,he doesn't rely on pace just like SRL so if we keep him and he stays fit he is a good option to have.

With J-rod back for the Leicester squad and Austin close to being back we could have a fantastic finish to the season with players starting to hit form again

He scored a great centre-forward's goal yesterday. Thumped in a curling shot from the edge of the box, the sort of goal that fires up the crowd and his teammates.

He scored a great centre-forward's goal yesterday. Thumped in a curling shot from the edge of the box, the sort of goal that fires up the crowd and his teammates.

Don't forget he won the penalty,set up Mane for both goals and scored a screamer with his weaker foot outside the box,not a bad days work yesterday

Pellets form ........ Has returned now he is fully fit, has had match practice and his confidence is back!

Pellets form ........ Has returned now he is fully fit, has had match practice and his confidence is back!

It helps when the players around him are on the same page as well. Once you get the ball up to Pelle, you have to get people in and around him to win the flicks/knock-on's, run off the ball etc. That's what Mane gave us when he came on. It helps Pelle when he's playing with pace around him, otherwise it is all very static and slow.