TrueBlueArmy Forums

Raggers 

Hmmm.... DC is full of modern ways but he seems to have forgotten the point is to score goals. Even our corners have lost the threat they had under a previous regime.

Its a mystery whey Cowley has not made getting at least one more experienced proven striker a priority. Its obvious to the fans that Ahadme, Fairchild-Hackett and Hirst do not fall into that category, neither does Harrison. This problem has to be rectified, because there's no reason to think we have any possible regular goalscorers amongst the vast array of midfielders Cowley has accomulated..

he made a lot of comments after the game about being short of cash. I'm sure he knows the issue on the pitch and is struggling to off load those on too much wages to bring in someone who can score to back up Marquis and Curtis.

Back up to Curtis……really 
He was without doubt our worst player by miles.
Ronan Curtis is a greedy coont with absolutely no end product and that is why he is still here as nobody else wants him.

(28-08-2021, 06:05 PM)TheSyrup Wrote: [ -> ]Back up to Curtis……really 
He was without doubt our worst player by miles.
Ronan Curtis is a greedy coont with absolutely no end product and that is why he is still here as nobody else wants him.

He can be frustrating for sure but no end product ?? Be serious - his goals and assist stats since he has been here are outstanding for a wide player. That's why he is an international player, and why he is wanted by several clubs (but no-one that can afford him it seems).   Replacing his end product is going to be a major problem if he goes.

He is inconsistent but plenty on here think he's gods gift.

Pretty much all our attacking players seem to be in the "not polished but rolled in glitter" category.

(28-08-2021, 05:02 PM)Pangus Wrote: [ -> ]Its a mystery whey Cowley has not made getting at least one more experienced proven striker a priority. Its obvious to the fans that Ahadme, Fairchild-Hackett and Hirst do not fall into that category, neither does Harrison. This problem has to be rectified, because there's no reason to think we have any possible regular goalscorers amongst the vast array of midfielders Cowley has accomulated..

Stockley??

40 goals and numerous assists in 3 years from left wing. No need for any further comment on Curtis. Arrogant or not, he has single- handedly kept us ticking.

(28-08-2021, 04:28 PM)dsmg Wrote: [ -> ]Raggers 

Yes I’d take Raggers to outscore our toothless forwards.

The words ‘goal threat’ and ‘Pompey’ don’t belong in the same sentence at the moment.

The defence is good, we just need to sort out the other end of the pitch, and soon.

As for the debate over Curtis, he is obviously a very good player but I’d like to see him create more for others, rather than taking on everything himself. He does tend to go it alone rather too often for my liking.

Marquis has been given his chance and has failed to take it, we need to ship in a couple of forwards before the window closes. If we don’t, this season will be a long, hard slog.

I'm no particular fan of Marquis as a person or a player but in his defence I think he is getting unfair stick from the fans.

The facts are that he has averaged approximately one goal every three games for us ... the same average as he has had for his whole career.   He had two seasons at Doncaster where he scored 20+, but generally we should think of thim as a 15 goal a season player.  If you do that instead of expecting him to hit his Donny heights then he is meeting expectations, and any lack of team goals becomes not his fault but the lack of other scoring options around him. He also works his socks off for the team and we normally warm to players that try hard even if they are no superstar.

Not sure there are many better than him at league one level ... everyone was mad keen on Stockley but his goal stats are worse than Marquis' despite scoring a hatful for Exeter at a lower level. In fact, he has never reached double figures at a lever higher than league two, not even in Scotland.

IMO we need to find the right partner and/or system to get the best out of Marquis rather than ditch him. He is not as good as he think he is but equally he is not as bad as the stick he is getting from his own fans.

(29-08-2021, 09:26 AM)DeepBlue Wrote: [ -> ]I'm no particular fan of Marquis as a person or a player but in his defence I think he is getting unfair stick from the fans.

The facts are that he has averaged approximately one goal every three games for us ... the same average as he has had for his whole career.   He had two seasons at Doncaster where he scored 20+, but generally we should think of thim as a 15 goal a season player.  If you do that instead of expecting him to hit his Donny heights then he is meeting expectations, and any lack of team goals becomes not his fault but the lack of other scoring options around him. He also works his socks off for the team and we normally warm to players that try hard even if they are no superstar.

Not sure there are many better than him at league one level ... everyone was mad keen on Stockley but his goal stats are worse than Marquis' despite scoring a hatful for Exeter at a lower level. In fact, he has never reached double figures at a lever higher than league two, not even in Scotland.

IMO we need to find the right partner and/or system to get the best out of Marquis rather than ditch him. He is not as good as he think he is but equally he is not as bad as the stick he is getting from his own fans.

What I expect of Marquis, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable, is that someone who calls himself a striker should be able to take the easy chances that he gets.

In recent matches he has manifestly failed to do that, putting point blank headers straight at the keeper being a good example.

Actually I never expected him to be prolific, having watched highlights of lots of Donny games when he scored a lot for them. He did score quite a few but should have had far more, they were playing very well and creating lots of chances, he missed quite a few sitters even in those seasons.

I’m not slagging him off, just calling it as I see it. 

He is also quite a moody player and that doesn’t help his cause does it?

Suffice it to say that I don’t think he is what we need.

Marquis works hard for the team but he is a mediocre player. His positioning is often poor and his first touch lets him down too often. We need a player who is comfortable receiving the ball from different angles and who knows exactly what they are going to do with it. That means someone who intends to test the keeper with their second touch.

Marquis scored more for Donny as he had a single midfield player who fed him the through balls that he scored from a couple of weeks ago. He is in the third tier as he is good enough but not outstanding. He will score 15-20 over the season, going on scoring runs and blank runs. He and Curtis are not the problem.

The general concensus of this thread is that Marquis is a goal every three games striker.

By my reckoning we will have played 15 L1 games by the end of October (maybe 16 if the Plymouth game is re- scheduled within that period): 5 games already played, 10 more between now and end of October.

If the statisticians  on this thread are correct then Marquis will have scored 5 goals by end October (1 thus far), whether that’s enough for a £1 million L1 striker is a moot point.

With regard to the service Marquis receives, clearly Cowley knows his game well enough to have brought in players capable of providing the ammunition he requires, DC is on record as praising Marquis as the best striker he has worked with so, really, there’s nowhere to hide for either Marquis and DC if the goals don’t flow.

Back slapping and high fives all round if Marquis gets to the magic 5 or better.

Sackcloth and ashes if he doesn’t.

To put a little perspective, I remember Ron Tindall arriving at Pompey in the ‘60s as a replacement striker following Ron Saunders sale (very big shooting boots to fill), he went 16 games before scoring ! 
Soon after Ray Hiron was discovered and Tindall found a new career as a Pompey defender.

In his 150 odd games for Pompey Tindall scored less than 10 goals in total.

Perhaps we are over critical of the lower league strikers we get?
We've had several since hitting rock bottom who had good records around the lower leagues but were swiftly written off as useless by us fans.
Perhaps the most obvious was Michael Smith who ended up scared glitterless of playing at Fratton Park but who has consistently scored enough goals (and set up enough for others) for the likes of Rotherham to get promoted from this league.