Wright and Simms (3 Viewers)

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

I posted on a thread last season after the Ipswich game that Moore would be a great signing for us. Mature player, hold up play is good and can get stuck in.

Sorry, are we talking about Kieffer Moore here? The one everyone said was a donkey the other day after he won that pen and red card against Bristol City?? The main strike centre-forward who has scored FIVE goals (yep, count 'em) in 27 appearances this season??? Haji Wright scored 12 in his 27 games.

 

---

[SAJ]

Wright has 31 goals in 81 games for us.

He can be a really good player but has been poor for a while.

And Simms has 26 in 99 games and he doesn’t take penalties. There really isn’t that much difference between them. Time to get rid of both.

 

[Londonccfcfan]

Not read this thread.

Simms i can forgive..hes23/24

Has an upside.

Wright his times up. Hes not gonna get better.

Are we about to let our two strikers go.
Would they be missed if we did?

 

[sj007]

Haji hasn't downed tools, he's just not a world beater. He's a good Championship level striker, no more, no less.

Simms is a different player but of a similar standing. However expectations of goal returns are what's off here.

There are parallels of how we play to how Chelsea played in the Lampard era. Chelsea then we're not built for Torres or Shevchenko, hence both failed. Their forward, Drogba, was used as a weapon to create space and opportunities for Lampard and their wide players. Therefore, if the team is winning and were scoring, Simms is probably doing his job.

In the last few months, I don't recall Simms missing a ton of chances so I don't have an issue with his goal record whilst the team has been scoring.

 

[Boicey]

Haji hasn't downed tools, he's just not a world beater. He's a good Championship level striker, no more, no less.

Simms is a different player but of a similar standing. However expectations of goal returns are what's off here.

There are parallels of how we play to how Chelsea played in the Lampard era. Chelsea then we're not built for Torres or Shevchenko, hence both failed. Their forward, Drogba, was used as a weapon to create space and opportunities for Lampard and their wide players. Therefore, if the team is winning and were scoring, Simms is probably doing his job.

In the last few months, I don't recall Simms missing a ton of chances so I don't have an issue with his goal record whilst the team has been scoring.

Simms is weak in the air, doesn't attack space in the box, can't shoot well, has poor control, can't hold up the ball and lay it off.
If all he has on his wages is 'occupying defenders' it isn't anywhere near enough!

 

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

Simms is weak in the air, doesn't attack space in the box, can't shoot well, has poor control, can't hold up the ball and lay it off.
If all he has on his wages is 'occupying defenders' it isn't anywhere near enough!

Yeah, but apart from that .... !

 

[Boicey]

As to Haji. He's a big bloke which has a cost in athleticism and engine, so he gets knackered quickly. Sadly he doesnt use the positives of being a 'big bloke', weak in the air, easy to push off the ball, can't hold up and lay off a ball.
He seems quite introverted and inwardly negative which drops his head, probably not helped by being knackered.
All in all I don't think he brings enough to the team for his wages. We can do better.
An aggressive energetic striker as an outlet would make a huge difference to us.

 

[oscillatewildly]

honestly not sure if the club will allow it, £12m worth of strikers there, they wont want to make a loss.

Doug's gonna have to take it on the chin - To persist with the pair of them will be holding us back.

 

[Snaily]

Simms is weak in the air, doesn't attack space in the box, can't shoot well, has poor control, can't hold up the ball and lay it off.
If all he has on his wages is 'occupying defenders' it isn't anywhere near enough!

His shins are lethal in front of goal

 

[AOM]

I'm still a fan of Simms, but I can appreciate why he frustrates.
Don't think it's for a lack of effort on his part, but he's such a big confidence player and his head drops easily.
Think Lampard will probably try and offload him.

Wright is the superior player, but his head seems to be looking elsewhere from his performances in the last month or so. Shame

 

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

His shins are lethal in front of goal

I rewatched the semi highlights last week and had forgotten what a complete shin his goal was! Almost identical to his effort against Boro in the last game at home, except that time it went the wrong side of the post!

The other goals against Man U were O-Hare's MASSIVE deflection which Onana could do nothing about and the rather dubious penalty for handball. On reflection, all three of our allowed goals were so lucky, i think the bad luck of the dodgy VAR decision can't be viewed too badly!

 

[sj007]

I'm not understanding the desperation of some to offload these two. Both scored nearly 20 goals each last season. They're good players at this level but need to be managed and deployed well.

Wright is effective on counters or with space to run into. We didnt/couldn't play like that in the last two games. Torp was a big miss yesterday. He made Wright's goals against Sunderland previously. Eccles had similar intent when he came on. Sheaf didn't offer enough creatively.

Simms could have been effective on Friday but we will never know. He's clearly a good player having scored plenty of goals at this level but over the last few months, his role has been more to create space and bring others into play. Again, different role to when we were playing 3-5-2 and then he was scoring goals.

 

[SHUNT31]

Simms is weak in the air, doesn't attack space in the box, can't shoot well, has poor control, can't hold up the ball and lay it off.
If all he has on his wages is 'occupying defenders' it isn't anywhere near enough!

I’ve had this discussion multiple times, but the occupying defenders thing, while true, is the absolute minimum you’d expect from a striker.

BTA ‘occupied’ the defenders for Rudoni’s header in the first leg for instance. If you’re in the box, defenders will mark you.

 

[SHUNT31]

I'm not understanding the desperation of some to offload these two. Both scored nearly 20 goals each last season. They're good players at this level but need to be managed and deployed well.

Wright is effective on counters or with space to run into. We didnt/couldn't play like that in the last two games. Torp was a big miss yesterday. He made Wright's goals against Sunderland previously. Eccles had similar intent when he came on. Sheaf didn't offer enough creatively.

Simms could have been effective on Friday but we will never know. He's clearly a good player having scored plenty of goals at this level but over the last few months, his role has been more to create space and bring others into play. Again, different role to when we were playing 3-5-2 and then he was scoring goals.

Why is Simms clearly a good player? What do you think he is good at?

1 in 4 for at this level is not a good return on a striker that cost a significant amount of money. He doesn’t bring people into play either as his hold up play is woeful.

 

[alexccfc99]

Now I’ve calmed, I am willing to give Wright the benefit of the doubt I think, I don’t believe he has properly recovered from his freak injury back in November personally

Before that he was looking like one of the best players in the division, you don’t just lose that overnight for no reason

The writing looks like it’s on the wall already for Simms mind you, 210 minutes of two legged football and he has not been able to get a single minute on the pitch

BTA is limited, but in all honesty I’d be happy to keep him as a squad player

 

[sj007]

He's clearly a good player because he's scored a ton of goals last season and had good records at other clubs.

This season has been very stop-start for him. First couple of months he was in and out as Haji, BTA, Bassette all competing. I think he had a couple of good games, particularly against Luton at home, then I think he was injured and didn't play again under Robins. Under Lampard, he's scored goals in 3-5-2 but not so much in a 4-3-3.

As for what he's good at, I do think he wins headers and brings others into play. His touch isn't great, he's not aggressive enough and he's a confidence player, which all do hold him back. Maybe his strengths are more his natural assets rather than skill but that's fine.

At this level, he's a good striker if you can either play to his strengths or have a team that compliments him. He's not a world beater. He's definitely got limitations but at our level, that's standard. The point is, he's shown he can score goals in the Championship.

 

[SkyblueTexan]

I’d keep Simms I think, but I’ve lost my patience with Wright and I think some club in buttfuck nowhere USA will undoubtedly spend decent money for him to trot out for the Salt Lake City Chihuahuas or whatever.

Actually now might the best time to sell him to an American team just before the World Cup. I hope we can put together a video montage of Wright’s best moments and circulate it. Maybe Wright can team up with Latte Lath.