Martins and Owen??

[Dr. Nguyen Van Falk]

I don't think it'd be particularly great as they are too similar.

 

Stopped reading at this point.

 

Owen wouldn't of had a chance in hell of scoring Martins first yesterday the way he did.

[Guest Knightrider]

Won't work - both need a centre-forward to play off, especially the fragile Owen. Indeed WE need a centre-forward as the ball just doesn't stick in the final 3rd and opposition defenders are getting an easy time of it now we have no real physical presence up front. We need a focal point of our attack, someone that takes a kicking and occupies the physical and forceful strength of opposition defenders so that an Owen or a Martins (or both) can attack the flanks and penalty box or the space to the right and left or in between the centre-halfs - areas where they do their best work. Basically someone who can draw away attention from Owen and or Martins in a physical sense and give the midfield the confidence to play it up to the forward line knowing it will stick (and allowing them to join in and advance).

 

Davies of Bolton, Beattie, Viduka, they'd all be good short-term shouts for that position. Long-term someone like Ashton maybe or our own Carroll?

 

No, Owen and Martins are too individualistic and too similar in stature and attributes to work effectively as a partnership in my opinion - neither specialists at holding the ball up, bullying defenders or leading the line for example, all things the midfield if anything need in order to operate to good effect themselves.

 

Owen's best form has came alongside a centre-forward, for club and country - Heskey at Liverpool and England, and Shearer at Newcastle and England where as Martins is similar to Camara at Wigan who plays better alongside a centre-forward ala Hartson/Sutton at Celtic, Crouch at Southampton or Roberts and now Heskey at Wigan.

 

If I was Roeder I'd try and bring Davies in from Bolton for the short-term, he wouldn't cost much and will work his proverbials off leading that line. Forget a big name goalscorer, having such a physical and committed energized centre-forward of that mould would greatly benefit others, especially Martins and our forward playing midfielders, resulting in more goals you'd imagine or certainly more of a goal threat from United.

[Cronky]

I think both players are at their best playing right up against the last defender, so it's far from ideal. Martins would have to drop back into the more withdrawn Bellamy-type role, but I'm not sure that's really his style.

 

No doubt it will be tried, but I'm pretty sure that if they were both at one of the top sides, they'd be competing for the same place.