Tooj Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Not sure Milner has the mobility to do it in the middle of the park. He's got a good engine and he'll run all day but he's not 'nippy' enough imo. I've explained that poorly tbh. What I mean is he's got the stamina but not the speed to get him all over when and where he's needed. Still sounds s*** but I know what I mean. :-[ His movement isn't fast enough you mean Aye, I suppose. He's a plodder who'll not stop running......just not quickly enough to get about the park. Personally find the idea that Milner is so slow that he can't even play in the center of the park laughable. The man's not a tortoise FFS. Slower players have played at CM just fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicago_shearer Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 The fact that he can't reliably pass a football to his teammates might be a problem, but I'm sure that relatively minor impediment will be overcome by his hard work, honesty, youth and Englishness. Passing Accuracy in the Premiership: Joey Barton - 75% Geremi - 79% Michael Owen - 84% Damien Duff - 84% Danny Guthrie - 78% Nicky Butt - 75% Steven Taylor - 78% Alan Smith - 71% And the wooden spoon... James Milner - 66% http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/Football/Team/?facets/sport-space/football/great-britain-locale/Newcastle/Barclays-Premier-League/§ion=squad&player=5442 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Big Sam is that you? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I thought it was James. According to that Duff is a better passer than Fabregas, maybe he deserves another shot? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicago_shearer Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Big Sam is that you? I've got my headset on and everything. 66% might actually be one of the lowest in the league. I have yet to find one lower. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Ashley Young has 69%, he is shit though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicago_shearer Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I thought it was James. According to that Duff is a better passer than Fabregas, maybe he deserves another shot? Out of Fabregas' 2318 attempted and Duff's 352. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Ashley Young has 69%, he is shit though. Chomp. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicago_shearer Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 James Milner, 66%> Clint Dempsey, 65% Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 By the way you define a chomp there are over 1 million on this forum alone Cahill has 66% btw. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 By the way you define a chomp there are over 1 million on this forum alone Cahill has 66% btw. What is your point? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikon Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Passing % doesn't say much about a player really... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubaricho Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 You really need to take into account where his position is. It's easy to have more accurate passes when you're in the middle of the park passing 5 yards rather than on the touchline crossing the ball 20. Another case of statistics proving nothing, other than they can't prove anything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Point is passing percentage doesn't tell a full story. Martin Brittain probably had a near perfect passing accuracy for his games played here because as soon as he got the ball he would pass it to the nearest person in a black and white shirt as soon as he could. Does that make him a good player? Sorry I realise responding to a question you have put to me is a "chomp". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Passing % doesn't say much about a player really... We don't need Milner's passing % as evidence to be used against him playing, there's far more tangible reasons that everyone can see for that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Point is passing percentage doesn't tell a full story. Martin Brittain probably had a near perfect passing accuracy for his games played here because as soon as he got the ball he would pass it to the nearest person in a black and white shirt as soon as he could. Does that make him a good player? Sorry I realise responding to a question you have put to me is a "chomp". Wasn't that Scott Parker? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 There can't be any more meaningless statistic than passing accuracy. Anyone can get a good percentage if they move the ball backwards or sideways. Getting it forward to open up a defence involves risk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Heneage Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 God I want more signings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicago_shearer Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 You really need to take into account where his position is. It's easy to have more accurate passes when you're in the middle of the park passing 5 yards rather than on the touchline crossing the ball 20. Another case of statistics proving nothing, other than they can't prove anything. I considered that possibility. But why do wingers like Pennant, Lennon and Downing have a much higher % than Milner? Young is comparable, but he has 14 assists to Milner's 2, so at least he's doing something with his 69%. Petrov is passing sideways is he? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 There can't be any more meaningless statistic than passing accuracy. Anyone can get a good percentage if they move the ball backwards or sideways. Getting it forward to open up a defence involves risk. Owwwww chomp! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I can't believe the stick Milner is getting in here. He might not be the best player in the league but he's not as bad as the stick he's getting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Milner had a pretty shit season and missed the upturn in our play due to injury (although obviously that was all done to him missing out) I don't think anyone is disputing that. He has shown in the past he can be a decent player. If we get a stupid offer then sell him but at the moment I don't think we can afford to lose him and I would like to see what Keegan can do with him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Milner had a pretty s*** season and missed the upturn in our play due to injury (although obviously that was all done to him missing out) I don't think anyone is disputing that. He has shown in the past he can be a decent player. If we get a stupid offer then sell him but at the moment I don't think we can afford to lose him and I would like to see what Keegan can do with him. I'd expect the first £10 million will get him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnypd Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 a winger should have a lower passing accuracy than a central midfielder as they should be attempting more risky passes and crosses, and also a CM has players on all 4 sides which he can pass to whereas a winger is often limited to passing back to the full-back or sideways to a central midfielder. however i often see milner take the safe option and come inside as he doesn't have the technical ability or pace to beat a player down the flank, so you'd expect his passing stats to be higher. maybe it's those useless crosses from 50 yards out that brings his percentage down. if you ever see milner take it past someone on the outside you'll see him twist and turn like a whirling dervish to create any sort of space or to unbalance his opponent. you simply can't do that in the middle of the park so his ability to beat a player will be nullified. his first-touch also leaves a lot to be desired and with the limited space you get in the middle of the pitch i can't see him ever having the time to do anything creative. his short passing is also pretty average and i don't think he's ever shown the type of movement or reading ofthe game you need to excel in the middle. is he also strong enough or good enough in the air to deal with very physical players week in, week out? doubt it. he can get away with this, or lacking pace, if he has other elements to his game, but he doesn't. he does have a good shot but like i said, his ability to create space in congested areas is so poor that he rarely gets the time or space to get shots away, despite the fact that 9 times out of 10 he comes inside. he was only able to exploit his shooting at under-21 level because of the poor quality of opponents he was up against. and anyway, most central-midfielder who score regularly do so by arriving late in and around the box and by having excellently timed runs, and to mention his movement again, i havent seen any of this from milner. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 a winger should have a lower passing accuracy than a central midfielder as they should be attempting more risky passes and crosses, and also a CM has players on all 4 sides which he can pass to whereas a winger is often limited to passing back to the full-back or sideways to a central midfielder. however i often see milner take the safe option and come inside as he doesn't have the technical ability or pace to beat a player down the flank, so you'd expect his passing stats to be higher. maybe it's those useless crosses from 50 yards out that brings his percentage down. if you ever see milner take it past someone on the outside you'll see him twist and turn like a whirling dervish to create any sort of space or to unbalance his opponent. you simply can't do that in the middle of the park so his ability to beat a player will be nullified. his first-touch also leaves a lot to be desired and with the limited space you get in the middle of the pitch i can't see him ever having the time to do anything creative. his short passing is also pretty average and i don't think he's ever shown the type of movement or reading ofthe game you need to excel in the middle. is he also strong enough or good enough in the air to deal with very physical players week in, week out? doubt it. he can get away with this, or lacking pace, if he has other elements to his game, but he doesn't. he does have a good shot but like i said, his ability to create space in congested areas is so poor that he rarely gets the time or space to get shots away, despite the fact that 9 times out of 10 he comes inside. he was only able to exploit his shooting at under-21 level because of the poor quality of opponents he was up against. and anyway, most central-midfielder who score regularly do so by arriving late in and around the box and by having excellently timed runs, and to mention his movement again, i havent seen any of this from milner. Milner would have more options if he played through the middle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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