Lewis Allesandra

[eyres_28]

yea haha i remmeber that

 

taking pleasure from seeing a young prospect of your own club suffer from a managerial-inflicted lack of confidence ... I shouldn't be surprised with the some of the rubbish that gets mumbled / shouted at BP every week and on here, esp, about Eardley - but that's another debate entirely.

[wakefield-oldham]

taking pleasure from seeing a young prospect of your own club suffer from a managerial-inflicted lack of confidence ... I shouldn't be surprised with the some of the rubbish that gets mumbled / shouted at BP every week and on here, esp, about Eardley - but that's another debate entirely.

after that debacle at leicester,,,i didnt see him as a prospect....rumours have it his attitude is appaling..turns up for training late..maybe joe can turn this around and make something of him..

[wozz_oafc]

after that debacle at leicester,,,i didnt see him as a prospect....rumours have it his attitude is appaling..turns up for training late..maybe joe can turn this around and make something of him..

 

Yeah Shez came out last season and said he hadnt been picking Lewis because of his bad attitude. Then he got a run in the side at the end of the season so I guess he sorted himself out a bit. Maybe he relapsed this season.

[KUNGFOO]

taking pleasure from seeing a young prospect of your own club suffer from a managerial-inflicted lack of confidence ... I shouldn't be surprised with the some of the rubbish that gets mumbled / shouted at BP every week and on here, esp, about Eardley - but that's another debate entirely.

 

 

i wasnt taking pleasure just stating a fact i actually like the lad but he jsut cant stay on his feet at the time of shooting and possibly scoring a goal, aslo we are in no possition of every year waiting for a young lad to come threw the ranks and get us 20+ goals a season which we have been waiting for 10 years to find and keep a decent stricker tht guy jsut left btw.

[creepy]

Absolutely. It tells me that the manager failed to spot the key component in the success of the team from early in the season, so brought in the half-fit journeymen, rather than exploiting the raw talent he already had at the club.

 

When Alessandra has played, our points per game and goals per game is higher as a team. Our goals against is also better. That applied last season and this season. Go and work it out for yourself. As a strike partner for Hughes, which only happened this season, we were top of the league until Shez left him out.

 

He holds the ball up. We don't have another forward that does this. Do you not understnd how important it is to a midfield? How much pressure that takes off the midfield? How it gives them the time to get forwards to join the attack? Whitaker looks a better player when he links up with LA. The midfield is balanced when Alessandra plays!

 

I would rather have Lewis Alessandra on my team creating goals for midfielders and strike partners and not scoring, than having the likes of Ormerod, Kabba and Byfield who rarely did the same. In a handful of starts and substitute appearances I can think of assist and goal v Millwall, hat-trick v Scunthorpe and cross for the third at Crewe that stand out. But don't underestimate his contribution to Taylor's second at Leeds. He impaired the defenders vision and took him out of the game with his movement before Taylor curled one in to the top corner.

 

That last example may not show as a goal or an assist for Lewis Alessandra, but the lad has more football brain than 80% of the players currently on show.

 

Should he score more himself? Yes.

 

He is :censored:e like all his team mates are

 

Falling over? Not ideal, but given an extended run in the side his confidence will grow and he will make a more telling contribution. Not being picked when in form cannot be good for confidence!

 

Saviour? Not on his own. But I suspect we would have an extra 8-10 points in the locker from games where our midfield has been outplayed, simply because he eases the pressure on them more than O'Grady and Davies (blind alley merchants), more than Windass (flick and don't move) and more than Byfield or Ormerod who were simply here to get fit. Not to mention the team scoring more and conceding less in those games he plays.

 

Apparently Hughes told fans his preferred strike partner is LA. If he mentioned it to Shez and Shez didn't act, then he deserves everything he got.

 

Your views creepy? Wrong on this one.

 

[creepy]

he is :censored:e like all his team mates are

[futchers briefs]

he is :censored:e like all his team mates are

Possibly a tad harsh and maybe an emotional response fella. however, one that you are entitled to!

[creepy]

Possibly a tad harsh and maybe an emotional response fella. however, one that you are entitled to!

 

i was saying this about him before the debacle of this season, i really dont think hes good enough, fair enough times on his side but he really needs to be putting the ball in the back of the net - i hope im wrong, this is just my opinion. I dont know if there is a thread about soccer AM but i thought it was superb today!!

[futchers briefs]

i was saying this about him before the debacle of this season, i really dont think hes good enough, fair enough times on his side but he really needs to be putting the ball in the back of the net - i hope im wrong, this is just my opinion. I dont know if there is a thread about soccer AM but i thought it was superb today!!

Now that's more balanced

[LeylandLatic]

i was saying this about him before the debacle of this season, i really dont think hes good enough, fair enough times on his side but he really needs to be putting the ball in the back of the net - i hope im wrong, this is just my opinion. I dont know if there is a thread about soccer AM but i thought it was superb today!!

 

 

It may be your opinion, but you are failing to answer any of the points o4u made in his post. I agree entirely by the way with him, LA is the only way we have linked the attack and midfield this season. With him in the team, we have more structure to our game, we hold possession far better and the game we play is more attractive. Look at how he holds the ball up, how he maintains possession when he gets it, then look at the stats that o4u put forward (these do hold btw). It all shows that LA is the best option we had to play alongside Hughes. I'm not saying he's the finished article, of course he needs more goals in his game, but even so, look at his goal scoring this season. He got 4 and hardly played. I reckon playing regularly he could already be counted on for 10+ goals this season. So let's look at those that took his place, Byfield, Windass, Ormerod, Kabba, how many did they get between them? Off the top of my head it's 2 (TWO!!!!), now try and tell me that LA wouldn't have surpassed that and then add on the fact he actually adds far more through his general play. A tactical disaster from Shez to overlook him when you look at it like this.

 

Like o4u says, he isn't our saviour on his own, but he makes a huge impact on the whole team. Have you not noticed we see the best in Eardley as well when Allesandra is on the pitch? Eardley (and Lomax to be fair) both prefer to look to feet where possible, LA makes the run and asks for it into feet regularly because his strength lies in holding the ball up and letting others play off him. Without a player doing this, our full backs are forced to play percentages into the corners. Hardly pleasing on the eye and often a waste of possession, with your best outcome normally a throw in. People talk about the football being bad this season, well that's because we have overlooked players like LA and Kieron Lee. Now, I know we haven't seen all that much of Lee, but just from the Crewe game you could see he has a decent football brain and he was always moving into space and asking for the ball on the ground. These sorts of players allow you to play football. They create space with their movement and increase the options for the man in possession. Every week, what do we say on here; no movement etc etc. Well if that's the problem why the f*** are we not using players who can clearly solve this problem. LA proved this earlier in the season by his impact and to be honest i've noticed a difference nearly everytime he has come on the pitch in terms of ball retention and the way our whole outlook changes. Maybe he has a bad attitude, I don't know, never met him, maybe he needs to be more clinical, i probably agree with that, but I don't think his quality or football brain can really come into question. I don't think he will be the sort of striker who gets you 20+ a season, but I think 10+ is guarenteed given the game time and his overall contribution this season would have been invaluable. Ah well, always next season.

[opinions4u]

When we were top of the table we place passing football and we played it well.

 

When we started hoofing it up to the 5'10" Hughes the ball started coming straight back down the pitch at us.

 

I did waste an hour of a Sunday morning earlier in the season trying to work out which was our most productive strike partnership from Hughes/Davies/Alessandra.

 

The answer was Hughes/Alessandra by an absolute mile. For goals and points per game as a duo and as a team. I remember towards the end of last season saying to my son "this Alessandra lad looks like he could strike up a partnership with anybody". I was wrong - the team stats with Alessandra/Davies were dire, but our decent home run towards the end of 2007/8 (after Davies got injured) was in part due to Alessandra's link play bringing in to play the likes of Jarrett and McDonald.

 

I haven't been to the last two games.

 

In my post at the top of this page I did say:

 

Whitaker looks a better player when he links up with LA

 

Maybe I just got lucky with that, but I've read elsewhere that for at least 45 minutes Whitaker looked like a world beater at Orient and put in a decent substitute appearance at Cheltenham too.

 

Maybe he has a bad attitude, I don't know, never met him, maybe he needs to be more clinical, i probably agree with that, but I don't think his quality or football brain can really come into question.

If he has a bad attitude then I support a manager's efforts to sort it out. I certainly see no evidence of that attitude once he gets on the pitch.

 

[creepy]

There is actually some very good points made by leyland and o4u regarding how he links up play etc and im not afraid to say it with it being my thread!

 

But if i mention them all ill be here all day

 

I accept that hes more of an all round striker who brings others into play, but hes not Steve Howard for example is he? who does the same job but will score more than 10. I stick by what i said about loaning LA out instead of COG, I think COG would be more of a goal threat than LA in the same position. But i geuss that was another one of Sheridans failings.

[opinions4u]

I think COG would be more of a goal threat than LA

He's getting an extended first team run at Stockport.

 

Scored once.

 

[creepy]

He's getting an extended first team run at Stockport.

 

Scored once.

 

Yeah but everyone knows Stockports off the field problems are having an affect on the field

[opinions4u]

Yeah but everyone knows Stockports off the field problems are having an affect on the field

Sound familiar?

[creepy]

Sound familiar?

 

What off the field problems we had i would imagine have been forgot about when Royle walked through the door, and its showing on the pitch.

 

Whereas Stockport are in limbo off the pitch and its showing on it, and has done for a while.

 

Going back COG is just as good at holding the ball up as LA but is more of a goal threat on the ground and definately in the air

[LeylandLatic]

What off the field problems we had i would imagine have been forgot about when Royle walked through the door, and its showing on the pitch.

 

Whereas Stockport are in limbo off the pitch and its showing on it, and has done for a while.

 

Going back COG is just as good at holding the ball up as LA but is more of a goal threat on the ground and definately in the air

 

I'll give you that COG is better at holding it up, stronger, better in the air, but LA is far better with his distribution and football brain. Even if he didn't score as many as COG (I still believe he would), he would be worth far more goals to the team in overall contribution.

[LeylandLatic]

There is actually some very good points made by leyland and o4u regarding how he links up play etc and im not afraid to say it with it being my thread!

 

But if i mention them all ill be here all day

 

I accept that hes more of an all round striker who brings others into play, but hes not Steve Howard for example is he? who does the same job but will score more than 10. I stick by what i said about loaning LA out instead of COG, I think COG would be more of a goal threat than LA in the same position. But i geuss that was another one of Sheridans failings.

 

I think it's unfair to try and compare LA to Howard. Not really the same sort of player at all for me. Yes both look to hold the ball up, but Howard is all about an aerial game, Allesandra wants it into feet, because that's where he's at his best. Howard will guarentee you goals from free kicks and corners on top of what he gets from open play. He's always going to be a danger with high balls and will get his share of assist through flicks. LA isn't that sort at all and will never be challenging big centre halves in the area on corners to boost his tally. I don't think they're comparable at all. LA is a link player, you just need a goalscorer to play off him. That's why him and Hughes worked so well, both were on the same wavelength (ahead of the rest of what we have in truth) and it paid dividends. You play someone like CD alongside him and you get nothing because he has no football brain whatsoever, just quick and skillful. Next season we should do our upmost to get someone in up front with a bit of guile to pair with LA.

[paulgard]

Absolutely. It tells me that the manager failed to spot the key component in the success of the team from early in the season, so brought in the half-fit journeymen, rather than exploiting the raw talent he already had at the club.

 

When Alessandra has played, our points per game and goals per game is higher as a team. Our goals against is also better. That applied last season and this season. Go and work it out for yourself. As a strike partner for Hughes, which only happened this season, we were top of the league until Shez left him out.

 

He holds the ball up. We don't have another forward that does this. Do you not understnd how important it is to a midfield? How much pressure that takes off the midfield? How it gives them the time to get forwards to join the attack? Whitaker looks a better player when he links up with LA. The midfield is balanced when Alessandra plays!

 

I would rather have Lewis Alessandra on my team creating goals for midfielders and strike partners and not scoring, than having the likes of Ormerod, Kabba and Byfield who rarely did the same. In a handful of starts and substitute appearances I can think of assist and goal v Millwall, hat-trick v Scunthorpe and cross for the third at Crewe that stand out. But don't underestimate his contribution to Taylor's second at Leeds. He impaired the defenders vision and took him out of the game with his movement before Taylor curled one in to the top corner.

 

That last example may not show as a goal or an assist for Lewis Alessandra, but the lad has more football brain than 80% of the players currently on show.

 

Should he score more himself? Yes.

 

Falling over? Not ideal, but given an extended run in the side his confidence will grow and he will make a more telling contribution. Not being picked when in form cannot be good for confidence!

 

Saviour? Not on his own. But I suspect we would have an extra 8-10 points in the locker from games where our midfield has been outplayed, simply because he eases the pressure on them more than O'Grady and Davies (blind alley merchants), more than Windass (flick and don't move) and more than Byfield or Ormerod who were simply here to get fit. Not to mention the team scoring more and conceding less in those games he plays.

 

Apparently Hughes told fans his preferred strike partner is LA. If he mentioned it to Shez and Shez didn't act, then he deserves everything he got.

 

Your views creepy? Wrong on this one.

bang on the money there fella,and if lewis keeps falling over then it wont be long before capello calls him up

[creepy]

I think it's unfair to try and compare LA to Howard. Not really the same sort of player at all for me. Yes both look to hold the ball up, but Howard is all about an aerial game, Allesandra wants it into feet, because that's where he's at his best. Howard will guarentee you goals from free kicks and corners on top of what he gets from open play. He's always going to be a danger with high balls and will get his share of assist through flicks. LA isn't that sort at all and will never be challenging big centre halves in the area on corners to boost his tally. I don't think they're comparable at all. LA is a link player, you just need a goalscorer to play off him. That's why him and Hughes worked so well, both were on the same wavelength (ahead of the rest of what we have in truth) and it paid dividends. You play someone like CD alongside him and you get nothing because he has no football brain whatsoever, just quick and skillful. Next season we should do our upmost to get someone in up front with a bit of guile to pair with LA.

 

Steve Howard was just off the top of my head because hes a hold up player, like LA. But obviously Howard is far far more effective in that role than LA will ever be! Maybe we need a striker with a bit of hight i.e COG to give us a bit of variasion, long and short play. it worked for Leicester obviously. and steve howard is a link player aswell bringing fryatt and leicesters free scoring midfield into play - its a pity we havent got that but it looks like big joe is on to it having trying to sign akinwenwa

[boundaryblue80]

Not good enough in my eyes!

 

Apart from Scunthorpe what exactly has he done?

 

Yeah...I wonder...hmmm....what we really need is that young lad who partnered Lee Hughes upfront in the first 6 games of the season. Ya know, when we went top and got 16 from the first 18pts...who was that lad...can't quite put my finger on his name....

 

 

[creepy]

Yeah...I wonder...hmmm....what we really need is that young lad who partnered Lee Hughes upfront in the first 6 games of the season. Ya know, when we went top and got 16 from the first 18pts...who was that lad...can't quite put my finger on his name....

 

another patronising pillock eh read the whole thread freak

[boundaryblue80]

another patronising pillock eh read the whole thread freak

 

Couldn't be arsed reading it...why would I want to read any more of your opinion when it's a load of :censored:? A young kid, written off based on...well, :censored: all! Carry on tho...I'm sure there's others who do value your opinion!

 

PS I'm more than happy for you to think the same about my opinion!

Edited March 29, 2009 by boundaryblue80

[creepy]

Couldn't be arsed reading it...why would I want to read any more of your opinion when it's a load of :censored:? A young kid, written off based on...well, :censored: all! Carry on tho...I'm sure there's others who do value your opinion!

 

PS I'm more than happy for you to think the same about my opinion!

 

Read the thread freak

[leeslover]

Read the thread freak

He does have a point that we played very very well with young Lewis in the team at the start of the season. I have read the whole thread, and I still don't see how this is not true. In fact, we usually play well when I am there and Lewis plays. Perhaps I'm his lucky mascot?