Guess the Bolton Wanderers flop
Tuesday June 2nd, 2009
As bad as it gets, surely...
News of the World blasts Gary Megson’s ‘costly mistake’
The News of the World picked its worst Premier League XI of the season on Sunday. In it was one Bolton Wanderers player. Can you guess who it was from this extract?
Looks completely out of place in the Premier League and has no discernible talent – not exactly a great recommendation in a side which has often struggled for goals.
If this description had been about Ariza Makukula I could have understood it, but the player in question was Johan Elmander.
Now, as those who read my dissection of Gary Megson’s transfer dealings will know, you won’t find me trying to say Elmander has taken the Premier League by storm. But the News of the World’s summary of his first season in English football is an over-simplification to say the least.
Here’s why:
1. It doesn’t take in to account the injury midway through the season that came just as he was starting to find his feet.
2. Yes, five goals isn’t great… but few strikers are ripping up trees in the goalscoring charts these days, largely due to the fact that most teams play with just one up front. And a lack of goals has never stopped Kevin Davies from proving his worth. You have to take in to account much more than just goals-to-games ratios when analysing the value of strikers in the modern game.
3. The goals he has scored were good, making a mockery of the idea that he has no talent. He’s no Pele, that’s for sure, but he’s no Grzegorz Rasiak either.
4. Surely Bolton’s low goalscoring tally makes his own low tally all the more excusable, no? It’s not Elmander’s fault he has to play with Gavin McCann.
5. Have you seen Dimitar Berbatov play?
As I said the other day, the jury’s still out on Elmander, but he’s been far from a disaster. Just check out this summary of TheWanderer.co.uk’s player of the month votes for the 2008-09 season. Elmander won the vote in November and December, came runner-up in March and April and third in May. Not bad for someone with no discernible talent.
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4 Comments to Guess the Bolton Wanderers flop
Good on you!
Elmander never set the premiership alight, but there’s been flashes of real talent.
And the McCann comment is spot on. Hvow are you going to score with no service?
Luckily it seems that a creative/technical midfielder is 1st priority this summer if the links for Fernandez, Scholes, Huddlestone and Veloso have any truth to them.
Give him some service and Elmander will do fine!
Manny RoadJune 2, 2009
UPDATE: Just read this thread on the BBC 606 and was reminded of the several Newcastle players who could easily have made this XI ahead of Elmander. Most notably one Michael Owen…
matt watsonJuly 19, 2009
yea there were so many other strikers last season who lacked that final touch, shame they had to name elmander in their worse squad. and thinking about it, it could of been so easily micky (mouse) owen. cant remember one thing he did for his club last season (except get injured a hell of a lot) AND NOW HE HAS GONE TO MAN U!!! has fergie gone senile…
KidfosAugust 13, 2009
Another under-rated player. Ive yet to see a game where he has not given 100% in chasing balls forward, tracking back, playing deep and running his socks off. If Megson wants him to score more goals then get somebody in midfield who can create the chances for him. Stop forcing him to have to play so deep and let him do his job as a striker.
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June 2, 2009