Craig Mackail Smith, You are the weakest link.... Goodbye

[Stat Brother]

Or, CMS doesn't play to our strengths?

When we play as we did last night, and for much of last season, what is required from a BHA centre forward?

- He's not going to get any wing help.
- He has no other front man.
- There's no marauding 'box to box' midfielder.
- Nobody close enough to pass too.
- Or receive a pass from.

CMS was poor last night.
The whole team, with the exception of KLL, was poor last night.
The team selection was poor last night.

I don't imagine any centre forward (with the obvious exception of Murray) would have faired any better.

Give CMS the tools to screw up his job, then berate him for screwing up his job, but not after last night.

 

[crabface]

CMS's problem is that he doesn't score many easy chances. He tends to score difficult ones, which is good to have someone who can do that, but we need someone who is going to take the easy ones as well. We need one of those strikers who never scores brilliant goals, but never misses an easy one. And he doesn't have to be 6 foot 5, or black, despite what people seem to think.

I agree with this, when was the last time we scored a goal like Millwall's first?

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Won a penalty and has a 1 in 2 goal ratio this season.

Not that facts matter.

 

[Hillian1]

I was a lone voice in the area of Lower West were I sit as everybody was saying that CMS is not a championship striker and I tried to support him with the statistic of 10 goals ion 20 games is a good ratio. On last nights performance this is becoming more difficult to convince people. I think that he will finish up with 20+ goals this season but something drastic needs to happen during January to help him.

You were a lone voice for a very good reason BG, he's not up to the job.

I can't make my mind up if it's him or our tactics.

But one thing is for sure, his first touch is shit, he couldn't trap a bag of cement.

 

[227 BHA]

Best striker we have....end of!!! Ten goals this season......I blame the way we play not him

Best striker we have ........... well that's not saying a lot!

Ten goals ......... yes, but from 50 good chances! I could have got 6 of them FFS! And a certain Mr Murray would have got 25!!!

 

[Randsta]

CMS had an off night last night that's for sure still not seeing the best of him!

 

[portslade seagull]

1 of our top players will need to be sacrificed in jan for Gus to then have some clout in the transfer market Cms bridders orm Buckley. I know which one i would rather lose the Andrex puppy because he is shit more than he is good

 

[Albion 4ever]

A lot of people pointing out he doesn't fit into our system and I agree. At another club I think he'd score loads of goals. I bet if he moves to Norwich he'll play great and everyone will blame Gus for letting him leave. The difference is Norwich actually scout their players, whereas Gus signs players on hearsay or goal scoring stats. Hoskins, CMS, Dobbie, Lopez, don't fit our style but still signed. It makes me wonder if Gus actually scouts players before signing them.

I don't think he will fit in at Norwich either. They tend to play with one up front (Holt) with one in the hole (Hoolahan). He might do ok playing with Holt, but Hoolahan has been one of Norwich's best players this year, so I doubt he would get many chances.

As a previous poster has said I really hope Chris Hughton was not at the game last night as he would have left the game after half an hour with his chequebook firmly in his pocket.

 

[Bold Seagull]

When we play as we did last night, and for much of last season, what is required from a BHA centre forward?

- He's not going to get any wing help.
- He has no other front man.
- There's no marauding 'box to box' midfielder.
- Nobody close enough to pass too.
- Or receive a pass from.

CMS was poor last night.
The whole team, with the exception of KLL, was poor last night.
The team selection was poor last night.

I don't image any centre forward (with the obvious exception of Murray) would have faired any better.

Give CMS the tools to screw up his job, then berate him for screwing up his job, but not after last night.

It's not all about the goals in my opinion in our set up for the striker, it's that CMS doesn't bring a lot else to the table, and if he's not scoring them, then he's not contributing as much as he should.

Our setup doesn't necessarily need a target man either, but it needs a footballer he can comfortably take a first touch with a centre back tight to him, hold the defender off and play an intelligent pass allowing our midfield to get up in support. We need a striker who is comfortable with his first touch, can play a first time pass, or can hold it up for longer than 2 secs before losing it. All your points above would be relevant for CMS if a) he could control it, b) he could pass it.

I'd be happy to have a striker that only had 5 goals to his name right now, IF his overall play meant we were keeping the ball and creating plenty of other chances for the rest of the team. CMS isn't doing that, and I think he is a major contributing factor as to why we are not scoring from elsewhere in the team.

For the statisticians pointing out his 10 goals in 20 or so games, for that same period he has just 1 assist.

I completely agree it's not CMS's fault, these attributes are simply are not in his repertoire. He basically needs a team built around him as he had at Peterborough, and that only worked in League 1. What do people think he needs? Another centre forward next to him, 2 wingers - what? What tools does he need? Should we change the entire team set up Gus has built over the last 3 seasons because it doesn't suit 1 player? Gus thought it would work, it hasn't, we need another centre forward, I think that is beyond obvious.

I also didn't need to look very far last night to spot a forward with many of the attributes I've described, and he pretty much bagged a brace out of nothing.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Won a penalty and has a 1 in 2 goal ratio this season.

Not that facts matter.

He's got 4 goals in the last 14 games. He's got 1 assist all season.

Not that facts matter.

 

[Simster]

He's got 4 goals in the last 14 games. He's got 1 assist all season.

Not that facts matter.

He missed from 1 yard last night. And from a header whilst literally standing on the goal line. And from 8 yards.

Not that facts matter.

 

[LE19]

Can see this thread being bounced next year, if he's knocking them in against us. Murray/Wood all over again!

 

[Bold Seagull]

Can see this thread being bounced next year, if he's knocking them in against us. Murray/Wood all over again!

No, there is a difference. I can't remember anyone wanting to Murray to leave. Some thought that if his wage demands were too much then so be it, or he's unproven at Championship level, but I can't recall anyone actually wanting him to go.

Wood was 18 with us, and didn't look the player he does now.

 

[LE19]

No, there is a difference. I can't remember anyone wanting to Murray to leave. Some thought that if his wage demands were too much then so be it, or he's unproven at Championship level, but I can't recall anyone actually wanting him to go.

Wood was 18 with us, and didn't look the player he does now.

Agreed, but there will be muppets from this thread claiming they thought CMS was great all along!

 

[Questions]

Can see this thread being bounced next year, if he's knocking them in against us. Murray/Wood all over again!

The difference is that Murray was excellant when HE WAS WITH US and Wood was a highly promising kid.
CMS is neither of them.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

He's got 4 goals in the last 14 games.

Not that facts matter.

So in a spell, which you a clearly highlighting as a bad one, he has still managed 1 goal every 3 or so games. Thats really quite good for such a slump.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

He missed from 1 yard last night. And from a header whilst literally standing on the goal line. And from 8 yards.

Not that facts matter.

I don't get the point you're making.

If they are to suggest 'he cant even score from 1 yard', then how did he score his others? Including his excellent finish at Charlton, or his overhead kick, or his 25 yard screamer?

Players occasionally miss chances. I saw Thierry Henry miskick it from 3 yards once.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Give CMS the tools to screw up his job, then berate him for screwing up his job, but not after last night.

But he was given the tools. Kaz set him up from two yards out with virtually his first touch, and he totally screwed it up. This is happening match after match after match. He should have about 25 goals the chances he's had this season.

 

[Springal]

He missed from 1 yard last night. And from a header whilst literally standing on the goal line. And from 8 yards.

Not that facts matter.

That chance from '1 yard' out, was difficult. The ball was quick, and at an awkward height. Not was easy as it seemed.

 

[Bognor Bystander]

Some strange opinions on here from fans who should be supporting all our players ... What I saw was that Lopez was class and he's our 3rd choice right back, CMS runs his nuts off as always (should a striker be all over the pitch) and he missed some chances but he has needed a proper strike partner since he got here. He 'assisted' their goal but why is he receiving a throw in on the edge of our penalty area Gus set us up wrong and until he subbed Dunk after 35 mins we were exposed by a confident Millwall team.