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Craig Lindfield


Dule

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With his performances last year and even this year, you seem to get the idea that this kid is a decent footballer.

 

My question is though, how good is he?

 

lindfield_craig_lfc_profile_2006.jpg

 

He seems to be able to find the net in all competitions, and i seem to remember him putting away a really nice goal for the seniors this year at the start of the season.

 

Has anyone here actually seen him really closely? Compare him to lets say when Owen and Fowler came through, how good is he compared to those guys? Is he going to be in the senior squad? bench warmer? can he save us some money?

Edited by Dule
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He looks like he knows where the net is anyway.

 

This is the problem for the kids these days though - during the summer we'll probably sign a big name striker and Vornonin has already been signed. It must be a bit depressing for someone like Lindfield who has been scoring regularly for the reserves and youth team.

 

I know it's a bit cliched to talk about giving the young players a chance and many of them won't make the grade, but I do wonder whether players like Fowler would have had the chance to step up if squads were as deep as they are now; he got his opportunity due to a couple of injuries.

 

As I said the other day, the Carling Cup must be used for players like Lindfield to see if they have what it takes - I don't want to see us wheeling out all our senior reserves it's just a pointless exercise. 90% youngsters it should be if we're looking at other competitions.

Edited by Leo No.8
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Wasn't there a huge clamour for Fowler to be given a chance, simmilarly with Owen. I seem to remember them being something special at reserve level, not just scoring plenty of goals but demolishing teams by themselves.

 

We haven't had a reserve player at that sort of level since.

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Wasn't there a huge clamour for Fowler to be given a chance, simmilarly with Owen. I seem to remember them being something special at reserve level, not just scoring plenty of goals but demolishing teams by themselves.

 

We haven't had a reserve player at that sort of level since.

 

Certainly with Owen, he didn't even play much for the reserves - he was obviously that good it was pretty much straight from the reserves to the first team.

 

Fowler not so much as far as I remember. Of course he started hitting the net straight away against Fulham and from there it was no looking back.

 

This is the thing though - I feel like some of these kids may just take to the higher level like a duck to water but don't get the chance. A good example of how little reserve football tells you was Baros. He looked so bad in the reserves, he didn't even look good enough for that level and everyone was wondering what the hell we'd paid a few million for; but due to injuries he got a go in our first team and looked great - definitely top leageue standard at least.

 

Reserve team football is just non-football, it's just like training with no atmosphere. These kids need a taste of the big time to motivate them which should come in the Carling Cup. You might see them step up and look bloody good...

Edited by Leo No.8
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Reserve team football is just non-football, it's just like training with no atmosphere. These kids need a taste of the big time to motivate them which should come in the Carling Cup. You might see them step up and look bloody good...

 

 

Reserve team football, if nothing else, is a useful comparison between players. For example, last season we had Pongolle playing a comeback game after an injury and he looked light years ahead of everyone else on the pitch. The comparison between him and Ramon Calliste was stark.

 

Its a shame a bout the domestic cups, we'd have seen a lot more of our young players there. Something needs to be done with that league, even if its a national u21 premier league with domestic cups, that would be a step up from the current reserve league.

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Wasn't there a huge clamour for Fowler to be given a chance, simmilarly with Owen. I seem to remember them being something special at reserve level, not just scoring plenty of goals but demolishing teams by themselves.

 

We haven't had a reserve player at that sort of level since.

I was working on big building job on Breqhou island near Guernsey when Robbie Fowler scored that fastest hat trick against Arsenal. The concrete gang were Scousers, I worked in the house and watched the game and ran on site to tell 'em the score at half time, what Robbie had done and how f***ing special he was. They all stood there and said you think he's good, wait untill this other lad comes along and started talking about breaking records etc. They were all of course talking about Owen. Guess he was just one of those players who were so, so, special, even at that young an age.

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I don't know.

If we lose to Arsenal - 4th isn't that secure

If we beat Arsenal - we'll fancy our chances for 3rd. 3rd could not only mean extra prize money, but wouldn't it also mean a larger chunk of CL TV rights next year?

 

Either way we should field our strongest teams.

 

Maybe give them a run for the last 1/2 game(s)

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Incidentally just because he's scored a few goals for the reserves I've got no idea why people are comparing Lindfield to Mellor, he's nothing like him as a player except for the fact that they're both strikers.

 

He's far more mobile than Mellor and better running onto the ball towards goal, rather than Mellor who is far better playing with his back to goal. Totally different strikers.

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Certainly with Owen, he didn't even play much for the reserves - he was obviously that good it was pretty much straight from the reserves to the first team.

 

Fowler not so much as far as I remember. Of course he started hitting the net straight away against Fulham and from there it was no looking back.

 

This is the thing though - I feel like some of these kids may just take to the higher level like a duck to water but don't get the chance. A good example of how little reserve football tells you was Baros. He looked so bad in the reserves, he didn't even look good enough for that level and everyone was wondering what the hell we'd paid a few million for; but due to injuries he got a go in our first team and looked great - definitely top leageue standard at least.

 

Reserve team football is just non-football, it's just like training with no atmosphere. These kids need a taste of the big time to motivate them which should come in the Carling Cup. You might see them step up and look bloody good...

 

Robbie was well hyped from what i remember. Everyone wanted to see him - them i remember him scoring a cracker for one of the youth levels for england and everyone was mad for him. I think it was still quite some time before he was able to break through though.

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the first time I heard of fowler was when he was top goal scorer in the european championship that england won (under 19 or under 17 i think), but I don't think he actually started the tournament as first choice

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A lot of the best players at youth level dont start the tournament as first choice, i remember it happened with d'alessandro and recently with either messi or aguero...

 

AND...

Didn't mellor break owen's goalscoring records for the youths or reserve side?

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I don't know.

If we lose to Arsenal - 4th isn't that secure

If we beat Arsenal - we'll fancy our chances for 3rd. 3rd could not only mean extra prize money, but wouldn't it also mean a larger chunk of CL TV rights next year?

 

Nope.

 

3rd and 4th are both into the 3rd round qualifying stages, and both get the same amount of TV money.

 

The only difference between 3rd and 4th is the 500k.

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Wasn't there a huge clamour for Fowler to be given a chance, simmilarly with Owen. I seem to remember them being something special at reserve level, not just scoring plenty of goals but demolishing teams by themselves.

 

We haven't had a reserve player at that sort of level since.

Mellor was at that level for the reserves, he scored a ridiculous amount of goals. Reserve football of 2004 is very different to '94 though ie: it's s****.

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Mellor was at that level for the reserves, he scored a ridiculous amount of goals. Reserve football of 2004 is very different to '94 though ie: it's s****.

 

 

He scored a frightening amount of goals at that level, like Paul Rideout I seem to remember and a few others over the years but sometimes there is a special buzz about a young player. There was never a buzz about Neil Mellor from people watching him, he was big and strong and a good finisher and those that went to the reserve games were impressed with him but never went that extra yard and made claims for him. Those watching a young Micheal Owen were saying he was a star in the making, not that he might be good enough to make it as a professional. I don't think i'm being misty eyed and exagerrating the buzz around Michael Owen but it was on a different level to any young kid since, with the possible exception of Wayne Rooney. My blue mates knew they had something special, they were stone cold convinced he would be a star, one mate was telling me about this kid they had who he'd stake his mortgage on being a major talent.

 

Is the reserve football any different now ? Interesting comment that about '94 compared to '04, can't say i've noticed the football decline. There's something going on that isn't right though and I can't put my finger on what it is. There's a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that the amount of foreign players in the top flight has had a knock on effect all through the leagues and that promising homegrown players have been pushed back to play football at a level lower than they would have done 20 years ago.

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