Shola: a poor student of the game, a central factor to his career stagnation.

[Dolly Potter MD 0]

It's very easy to simply dismiss as being shit/lacking in ability, injury prone and lazy. These are the dominant points raised when summing up his career, and each of them have merit in varying degrees.

 

I think it goes a little bit deeper than that. A developing player would have killed to learn the tools of the trade alongside the likes of Shearer, Speed, Nolan, Kluivert & Owen. I know just by mentioning the latter two names will bend some noses out of joint, but all four brought one important attribute to the table -football smarts.

 

This is a reach but it's possible Shola fell into the undeserved love-in for Tino, and somewhat modelled his game accordingly, and stuck to type over the years. Physically they are similar type of players, and both have a laconic signature about them on the pitch, which goes deeper than just showing some relaxed gesturing, bordering on an 'i don't give a fuck' attitude at times. I cite Asprilla's on-field demeanor as a possible source of Shola's problems, because there is a lot of power in imitation, when it comes to aspiring kids with talent looking to copy the stars of the day. And despite his overall lack of worthwhile productivity, there were scarce moments of undoubted brilliance (coupled with his zany personality). Tino was a magnetic figure on Tyneside. I can envision a young, lanky and skillful kid like Shola watching the tapes, and wanting use the Aspilla Game as a template to model he is own on. Their respective playing styles & mannerisms are eerily similar. Asprilla was the Jim Morrison of the Keegan Golden Years, he brought South American Cool to a new generation - to kids like Shola who missed out on the budget priced gimmick that was Mirandinha.

 

But this still doesn't excuse his lack of progression in other areas, his movement off-the-ball in open play. This was an area which markedly improved in Shearer's game, post-Gullit after Robson smashed into AS's head that the was no longer the same physical force who could dip his shoulder and lean into a defender, to simply beat his man with a burst of pace & muscle akin to his days at Blackburn. The biggest on-field disadvantage Shola faced was that he was largely coupled with Shearer during Souness' tenure. By that time the aforementioned outfield play & movement had all but evaporated from Shearer's game through age & tired legs.

 

With respect to Owen & Kluivert. There's one thing both guys used to do really well. Both used a defenders' tendancy to ball-watch (to try and read the play, and play for position) against them. Both players were very adept at dropping off their marker (just prior to a delivered cross, or ball into the box) before beating their man by angling in front or behind their man in accordance to the depth of cross/type of ball etc. It was split-second stuff but that sort of movement in the box, brief as it may be, is basic fundamentals and he had two of the finest exponents of this craft at the club. Particularly in Kluivert's case - you can put up strong case for his lack of motivation & subsequent issues with his physical conditioning, but some areas (as alluded to) remained intact.

 

A strikers' natural predatory instincts (box awareness) by and large can't be taught, but it can be manufactured to a degree - that is being able create possible scoring opportunities by knowing how to shake a marker through utilizing movement, and sometimes that involves just a few yards here or there.

 

Nolan's positional play in the box is exemplary, and as on-field & off-field mentor helped harness Carroll's raw potential. This is the same Carroll whom Stevie declared early on 'would never be a footballer' - with reason to, because early he was a physical battering ram, without any semblance of on-field football smarts to go with. Despite the off-field shenanigans he's showed himself to be an effective student of the game, that's what counts the most. Whether or not he was a fuckwit off the pitch is insignificant.

 

I always thought that Bellamy was a great student of the game, which worked hand-in-hand with his reputation for being a great trainer. He had undoubted ability & pace in his locker, and the on-field workrate to accompany his football gifts. But he has worked with some really sound 'football minds', he has learned from them and became a much more rounded player. He became a more of a manufactured threat through the central corridor, in the opposition defensive line. This started to become evident in the first few weeks of 04/05, where he had clearly emerged as the team's all-round and most dangerous striking threat.

 

I'm not a believer that he has shouldered the burden of great expectations (via Robson blowing hot air up his arse during his formative years) and has collapsed under the weight. There have been brief flashes of brilliance, sometimes against strong opposition, and under pressure in a hot-bed atmosphere. And fuck me he takes a good penalty.

 

Maybe the modelling template was flawed from the beginning - if he did at least attempt to copy the Asprilla Game to a degree, Kanu is another. But over the course of his journey here, Shola has been surrounded by more on-field influences with an abundance in football smarts contained in their respective lockers, certainly more than Carroll during the latter's brief time here in the top grade.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Year Zero

[StevieRoss 0]

Yeah, that, or he's just not good enough...

[Guest alex]

Yes, an interesting premise but I think Stevie here may have stumbled across a more straightforward explanation.

[TheMoog 0]

Yes, an interesting premise but I think Stevie here may have stumbled across a more straightforward explanation.

 

Indeed, let's not complicate matters with far-fetched explanations

[Dolly Potter MD 0]

Yes, an interesting premise but I think Stevie here may have stumbled across a more straightforward explanation.

 

Indeed, let's not complicate matters with far-fetched explanations

It's only far-fetched (Shola being a poor student of the game) explanation if you fail to recognise the non-development of the most basic of fundamentals of forward play which are taught as you get older ie. around the 2O yr old mark, or thereabouts - knowing how & when to shake a marker for example, and it's not all about a display of brute power & quicksilver pace. Wenger has pointed out that the finer points of the game.

 

He/Shola has had some fine exponents of the craft to learn from, and the opportunity to kick some bad habits/traits that were identified early on, yet nearly ten years on he's still trying to outmuscle defenders for position and this is just one example.

 

With some fine-tuning (and the blame rests squarely on his shoulders) as alluded to in the OP, he should have been a greater aerial threat when taking into account his height.

 

I'm not calling into question his perceived natural ability as a footballer, and whether or not he would've been a consistent A-List performer, or a star. But he hasn't picked up on the already alluded to fundamentals, or finer points relating to his position. He has been surrounded by a top teaching source (among peers, out on the training paddock) over the years and hasn't made the most of it. Had he got the aforementioned fundamentals right he would have at least been a serviceable role-player within the squad

Edited July 6, 2011 by Year Zero

[McFaul 35]

I remember when Tottenham bid £6m for him when Hoddle was manager, would've been best for his career and mental state if he'd have went there then, such is the cult hate group which surrounds him.

[Guest alex]

I remember when Tottenham bid £6m for him when Hoddle was manager, would've been best for his career and mental state if he'd have went there then, such is the cult hate group which surrounds him.

I think he could've done well on the continent given his European record and that he'd have more time on the ball etc. That said he may have been found out as you need to do a bit more on the ball when you have that time. This move would've needed to have happened at least 6 years ago like.

[Dr Gloom 20106]

Shola is a lot better than people give him credit for. Annoying that he's never really grabbed the opportunity to step up and become the senior striker in his decade at the club. He should have had his eyes on the number 9 shirt but he probably knows he isn't up to it. For every good game he has, three or four pass him by. I have no idea why that is. He obviously has ability but is the lack of consistency pegged to lack of desire, heart, is he just lazy? I'm not convinced it's simply a case of him not being good enough because on his day he's a handful.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Dr Gloom

[Guest alex]

1 good game in every 4-5 is an optimistic assessment tbh. I'd say one good first half in that period is more like it but that's pushing it. He's always fucked after an hour.

[Phil 6]

if only we had a slow clap smiley.

[Kitman 2188]

I can't remember shola ever holding down his place for a sustained period of time. Dunno whether more games would have improved his skills significantly but it can't have helped being injured as much as he has.

[McFaul 35]

1 good game in every 4-5 is an optimistic assessment tbh. I'd say one good first half in that period is more like it but that's pushing it. He's always fucked after an hour.

Aye but ye naa someone like Smith, my day is spoiled when I hear he is starting, but Shola I think ah whey it might be a day where he's actually gonna put some effort in, cos at least HE CAN BE good.

 

Tha attitude towards him was summed up by the kid next to me, got in 3:01 as a dee, "what's the minutes silence for???" - the kid "Shola's startin" that sums it aal up for me.

[Guest alex]

1 good game in every 4-5 is an optimistic assessment tbh. I'd say one good first half in that period is more like it but that's pushing it. He's always fucked after an hour.

Aye but ye naa someone like Smith, my day is spoiled when I hear he is starting, but Shola I think ah whey it might be a day where he's actually gonna put some effort in, cos at least HE CAN BE good.

 

Tha attitude towards him was summed up by the kid next to me, got in 3:01 as a dee, "what's the minutes silence for???" - the kid "Shola's startin" that sums it aal up for me.

I agree with you there. You know you said you hear people saying stuff like Shola's the worst striker we've had etc.? Well, you don't even need to go back to back to Rob MacDonald or Frank Pingel, Alan Smith is a better example. Like I've said, the stick he gets is disproportionate. He's still pretty shit like.

[ChezGiven 0]

Yeah, that, or he's just not good enough...

Occam's razor slicing through the forum there.

[The Fish 9176]

We'll miss Shola when he's gone.

 

At least it's unlikely he'll launch a media career

[Kid Dynamite 6068]

He should start a hat museum

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

I think Shola's issues with narcolepsy have hindered his career.

[Ayatollah Hermione 12866]

I've got somewhat a soft spot for him. Aye, he's canny shite, aye, he's knackered after an hour but he fucking hates the Mackems. And for that, we can only be thankful.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

I remember when Tottenham bid £6m for him when Hoddle was manager, would've been best for his career and mental state if he'd have went there then, such is the cult hate group which surrounds him.

I think he could've done well on the continent given his European record and that he'd have more time on the ball etc. That said he may have been found out as you need to do a bit more on the ball when you have that time. This move would've needed to have happened at least 6 years ago like.

 

We would have signed him back for 20 mil which would have been a worse pill to swallow

[TicTacWoe 0]

I wouldn't mind Shola's perceived lazy style or whatever if he had better reactions/decisions making etc. When he hasn't got time to think he frequently panics and does something shite. Great penalty taker mind you.

Edited July 6, 2011 by TicTacWoe

[Park Life 70]

He's come on leaps and bounds in the old tennis I'm told..

[LeazesMag 0]

It's very easy to simply dismiss as being shit/lacking in ability, injury prone and lazy. These are the dominant points raised when summing up his career, and each of them have merit in varying degrees.

 

I think it goes a little bit deeper than that. A developing player would have killed to learn the tools of the trade alongside the likes of Shearer, Speed, Nolan, Kluivert & Owen. I know just by mentioning the latter two names will bend some noses out of joint, but all four brought one important attribute to the table -football smarts.

 

This is a reach but it's possible Shola fell into the undeserved love-in for Tino, and somewhat modelled his game accordingly, and stuck to type over the years. Physically they are similar type of players, and both have a laconic signature about them on the pitch, which goes deeper than just showing some relaxed gesturing, bordering on an 'i don't give a fuck' attitude at times. I cite Asprilla's on-field demeanor as a possible source of Shola's problems, because there is a lot of power in imitation, when it comes to aspiring kids with talent looking to copy the stars of the day. And despite his overall lack of worthwhile productivity, there were scarce moments of undoubted brilliance (coupled with his zany personality). Tino was a magnetic figure on Tyneside. I can envision a young, lanky and skillful kid like Shola watching the tapes, and wanting use the Aspilla Game as a template to model he is own on. Their respective playing styles & mannerisms are eerily similar. Asprilla was the Jim Morrison of the Keegan Golden Years, he brought South American Cool to a new generation - to kids like Shola who missed out on the budget priced gimmick that was Mirandinha.

 

But this still doesn't excuse his lack of progression in other areas, his movement off-the-ball in open play. This was an area which markedly improved in Shearer's game, post-Gullit after Robson smashed into AS's head that the was no longer the same physical force who could dip his shoulder and lean into a defender, to simply beat his man with a burst of pace & muscle akin to his days at Blackburn. The biggest on-field disadvantage Shola faced was that he was largely coupled with Shearer during Souness' tenure. By that time the aforementioned outfield play & movement had all but evaporated from Shearer's game through age & tired legs.

 

With respect to Owen & Kluivert. There's one thing both guys used to do really well. Both used a defenders' tendancy to ball-watch (to try and read the play, and play for position) against them. Both players were very adept at dropping off their marker (just prior to a delivered cross, or ball into the box) before beating their man by angling in front or behind their man in accordance to the depth of cross/type of ball etc. It was split-second stuff but that sort of movement in the box, brief as it may be, is basic fundamentals and he had two of the finest exponents of this craft at the club. Particularly in Kluivert's case - you can put up strong case for his lack of motivation & subsequent issues with his physical conditioning, but some areas (as alluded to) remained intact.

 

A strikers' natural predatory instincts (box awareness) by and large can't be taught, but it can be manufactured to a degree - that is being able create possible scoring opportunities by knowing how to shake a marker through utilizing movement, and sometimes that involves just a few yards here or there.

 

Nolan's positional play in the box is exemplary, and as on-field & off-field mentor helped harness Carroll's raw potential. This is the same Carroll whom Stevie declared early on 'would never be a footballer' - with reason to, because early he was a physical battering ram, without any semblance of on-field football smarts to go with. Despite the off-field shenanigans he's showed himself to be an effective student of the game, that's what counts the most. Whether or not he was a fuckwit off the pitch is insignificant.

 

I always thought that Bellamy was a great student of the game, which worked hand-in-hand with his reputation for being a great trainer. He had undoubted ability & pace in his locker, and the on-field workrate to accompany his football gifts. But he has worked with some really sound 'football minds', he has learned from them and became a much more rounded player. He became a more of a manufactured threat through the central corridor, in the opposition defensive line. This started to become evident in the first few weeks of 04/05, where he had clearly emerged as the team's all-round and most dangerous striking threat.

 

I'm not a believer that he has shouldered the burden of great expectations (via Robson blowing hot air up his arse during his formative years) and has collapsed under the weight. There have been brief flashes of brilliance, sometimes against strong opposition, and under pressure in a hot-bed atmosphere. And fuck me he takes a good penalty.

 

Maybe the modelling template was flawed from the beginning - if he did at least attempt to copy the Asprilla Game to a degree, Kanu is another. But over the course of his journey here, Shola has been surrounded by more on-field influences with an abundance in football smarts contained in their respective lockers, certainly more than Carroll during the latter's brief time here in the top grade.

 

excellent, including the comparison to Arsprilla.

 

Much to Ameobi's stupidity if he modelled his lack of motivation on a prize wanker like that rather than the wholehearted committed aggression and power of Shearer and the desire and will to win of Bellamy.

 

But quite a lot of NUFC supporters proclaim Arsprilla as their "idol". Odd.