The Mail Bag
Beckford struggling in Premier League
Comments (35)
Beckford said on the radio, that he is struggling with both the pace and the pressure of the Premier League.
He isn't happy, and neither are we. Sounded the way he spoke, that he isn't happy at Everton... sure he has scored a few goals, and he runs everywhere and anywhere to make space, but there is little point if at the end of it, he can't even hit a barn door at the best of times.
This isn't about confidence, it's about his ability, and I fully believe despite a few goals, he isn't good enough for the Premier League.
How many times does the lad need to make an appearance and keep on missing chances over and over?
James Hollister, Posted 12/03/2011 at
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So what we have is a striker with amazing skill who gets so little out of what he has or a striker over-achieving every game. To be honest, I would go for Beckford every time. Saha just frustrates me and I am quite sure he drives his team mates insane.
If these two play the rest of the season, I would put my money on Beckford scoring more... and isn't that what it is all about!
He might be a bit frustrated, as I don't think he has had a long run of games with a fully firing midfield behind him, but I think he could do really well for us next season, if played in a 4-4-2 ? I don't think he can play up top on his own...
If Saha could stop trying to run around in circles past a player he has already beaten, maybe I'd say Saha... but he blows hot and cold between too many bouts of injuries.
If he gets a sniff, he will shoot!
It doesn't matter if it's a volley, on the bounce or from a very thight angle, if he sees an opening, he will unleash a strong finish (eg. his half volley-shot v Chelsea, his masterpiece goal v Blackpool, etc).
I absolutely love this quality in him, it's refreshing!
A problem again, as we only really have Saha when fit and he is 33 years old I believe. Poor old Vic is not up to it and neither is Vaughan. The Yak is virtually motionless nowadays and we do not appear to have anyone coming through!!!!
We all knew or had heard before he joined that his first touch was shit and his hold-up play and awareness wasn't all that and that he played with a partner beforehand... so, to come in and at times play up top alone and adapt his game to that role like he's had to, he's done ok I'd say.
He was never going to be the main man at Everton and was going to hopefully be an impact sub due to his pace, intelligent runs, ability to get into good positions and finishing and I think this season he as done well to have scored as many as he as already considering the difference in quality and gulf in class with the Premier League and his obvious limitations (first touch, hold-up play and decision-making).
I think Beckford has done well for a player who has jumped two divisions and still managed 8 goals in the Premier League this season.
Just look at others before him who have stormed through the Championship as red hot goalscorers only to find the Premier League defenders too tough: Ebanks Blake, Earnshaw, Huckerby, Doyle, Jerome. None of these players can hit a barn door yet Beckford came from the league beneath them and has managed to hit 8 in a poor season in an Everton team which is struggling to create chances.
I say give him a chance, he knows where the goal is, makes decent runs, has a hell of a shot on him and I actually think his shooting has been ok so far. More of the same please, we just need the midfield and wing to create better chances for him.
If he feels the PL's too hot for him, let him drop back down in the summer ? with our thanks; maybe then Kenwright can get serious and stump up some decent cash for a credible replacement.
I for one think he has done a great job so far this season. It isn't easy to come off the bench and have had as much of an influence as he has done already this season.
His running and movement is great, the amount of times he gambles on getting into the space where the ball may fall is brilliant ? Saha never does this. Different players. He misses chances, so what? Which striker doesn't?
As noted above, he gets more chances in a game than Saha does (and Vic ever will) and does Saha finish every chance? Pipo Inzhaghi, former Italian international who played for AC Milan and Juve got critiqued by his own fans for missing chances. Yet he was a prolific scorer. Same with Andy Cole.
In short, he has weaknesses, but I think we should value his strengths and get behind the guy. He says he is struggling, to me it sounds like frustration as I suspect he genuinely wants to do well. And who can slate the guy for wanting to do well?
Even that stink Drogba had a bad season when he first came to the prem, in fact there are so manty who struggled, many who would be classed as better as Becks. The only thing Becks needs to do is read the play better and work on his positioning ? that will be easy, what is not easy is to have the speed and finishing talent that he has.
Personally, I think we are very lucky to have him, get off his back, give him some support and watch him go......
Whether you like it or not he's all we've got at the moment.
I notice Vaughan scored again at the weekend.....
He has scored a not too shabby amount this season considering it's his debut season, we've been absolutely rubbish and most of the time he's been a substitute. We're not in the position where we can just offload our rubbish nevermind offload the quickest player in our team who is one of only three senior strikers on our books with the other two being an injury-prone 30 plus, and Anichebe.
Especially given where he was playing before and (though I haven't heard the interview) I like the idea that at least (unlike many of today's players) he appears NOT to be 'giving it the big'un'.
For him to say he is struggling with the pace etc is encouraging in a way as it means he KNOWS there is a problem to address.
Whether he does or not is a different matter.
I remember reading a piece about Baines when he first arrived.
He said he was really nervous about the step up (?) and not sure if he would make the grade etc.
Well he has and probably because he didn't think he was big-time Leighton.
Beckford's ability IS limited but honestly, if you take out the handful of really great players in the PL, is he REALLY that far behind.
As far as I can see, 98% of the players in the PL have no touch, no pace, can't cross or shoot.
Are you saying he can't progress to be equally ordinary?
He asked a number of questions like how are you finding life in Liverpool, which he said loved.
They talked about some other stuff, then it came to the Premier League and the above questions which he answered. He then said he didn't want to let the fans down, that Everton had taken a chance on him and he wanted to repay them with lots of goals. While he was saying this, he sounded like he wasn't remotely happy with life at Everton. He sounded very subdued.
He said that in training they where working on routines, and that they want him to play in the lone striker role, he is finding it really hard to do and not sure if he can accommodate the changes that are expected of him...
He said Moyes is a fantastic manager who has really supported him since he arrived.
I think Beckford could be a decent player, but it isn't helping him when Saha does crazy things like taking on a man, then running around him to do it again.
I think we'll have to see how he is next season whether he can get more goals.
He actually does love being at Everton and he has more movement in him than any other forward we have at this time. So no, he hasn't set the world alight... but he hasn't done that badly either.
After this season, we couldn't lose anything. For this season, at the end of the "parrot, sick as a"/"moon, over the" day, could it be any worse than now?
He is a very enthusiastic player, and lord knows it may work, but can Vaughan hold the ball up long enough for Beckford?
Of course right now, we couldn't go with a Vaughan/Beckford partnership; untried and untested, it could be a complete disaster. I'd say wait until the end of the season, in the meantime, bring Vaughan back and get him training alongside Beckford and try to forge that partnership to see if it is possible before even attempting to try it in the Prem.
http://www.imscouting.com/reports-generator2/?id=40
I've said this on the site a couple of times and will keep saying it. We wanted to buy Jô for £15M but Man City outbid us with £18M. We then loaned him for two spells but IMO he was catastrophically worse than Beckford has proven to be already. The only thing we will lose where Beckford is concerned is his levels of confidence and effort if we keep beating him down. I reckon we got a player with great potential (however late in life) for NOTHING. Imagine what he could do if he was surrounded by the team we had in the second half of last season. I reckon all negativity would go right out of the window.
He is 13th at 100mins+
9th at 300mins+
8th at 500mins+
7th at 700mins+
Above him at 700 mins+ you will find Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Leon Best, Mario Balotelli and Marlon Harewood respectively. Were any of those players free transfers? Thought not.
Tim Cahill occupies 17th place above 700mins but is the only other Everton player in the top 20 list. Case closed.
Second, IMO, only to Van der Vaart in transfer of the season stakes.
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1 Posted 12/03/2011 at 18:33:24
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What station was it? Perhaps we could Listen Again and hear the tone in his voice for ourselves... Do you have a link?
Thanks