Joselu (now playing for Al Gharafa)

[TRon]

The fact is we haven't a single striker good enough for this league.

 

This is the crux of it.

 

Gayle, Mitrovic, Joselu and Perez aren't good enough for where we'd like to be. They've all got their strengths and weaknesses but all are fundamentally flawed. We needed a new striker in the summer and didn't buy one, we'll need one in January but I'll be surprised if we get him. The biggest cog in the engine but we're unwilling to buy it.

 

We were saying this all summer, Rafa knew it as well. A good striker and we'd be pushing top 8 I reckon. Without one survival would be a massive achievement, albeit probable because we have an outstanding manager.

[Zero]

That shot if you can call it that was p*ss poor like, I think he lacks clear instinct in regards to the goal. My mate said he should have looked at the goal while striking, but instinctive strikers don't need to they hit it and finish it.

Yep.  In fact in that distance, any shot would get in as long as it hits the target. 

[TRon]

That shot if you can call it that was p*ss poor like, I think he lacks clear instinct in regards to the goal. My mate said he should have looked at the goal while striking, but instinctive strikers don't need to they hit it and finish it.

Yep.  In fact in that distance, any shot would get in as long as it hits the target. 

 

It would probably have been saved by the keeper at that angle. It could be argued he was going for the far corner which he didn't miss by much.

 

You can't really take one miss as proof of shit finishing, it's more the fact that he's missed a few now that would suggest he's not a finisher.

[thenige]

Joselu - good hold up, bad finishing

Gayle - bad hold up, good finishing

Mitrovic - average hold up, average finishing

 

we're scr***d

 

Incredibly simplistic but probably about as well as I've seen it put.

[Stottie]

Second half miss against Stoke was the most concerning. The rest didn't bother me so much. I'd have to see more examples before writing off his finishing.

 

Perez has also hit a couple over from close in where you'd expect your #10 to work the keeper.

 

 

[Dave]

He's been shite since that song.

[afar]

Second half miss against Stoke was the most concerning. The rest didn't bother me so much. I'd have to see more examples before writing off his finishing.

 

Perez has also hit a couple over from close in where you'd expect your #10 to work the keeper.

 

 

 

I'm not sure you need much more, he makes terrible decision for all the chances against Stoke he had time on the first one to take a touch instead he tries to hit it first time, the second is just a weak back pass straight to the keeper, the third chance, there's no excuse not to hit the target there. Against Brighton the turn is good the shot is terrible, PL strikers score those every day of the week. He very nearly f***ed up the goal he did score when Atsu put it on a plate for him, look at the highlights: https://www.nufc.co.uk/nufc-tv/highlights/west-ham-h-highlights-17-18, I am still not convinced he knew much of what was going on, looks like the defender makes contact with the ball and it bounces off Joselu's shins into the goal.  He's not a finisher, we won't create too many chances this season we can't afford our one striker to miss the gilt edge ones that come around.

[Mr Logic]

chron

 

Joselu is an “unreal” finisher and he will score double figures for Newcastle United this season if things click for him, insists his former team-mate Steve Sidwell.

 

During the Magpies’ 1-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, Joselu missed an excellent opportunity to find the back of the net - just a week after he wasted a hat-trick of chances against his former club Stoke City. However, despite Joselu having netted just once in 337 Premier League minutes for Newcastle so far after signing from the Potters for £4.8million in the summer, his ex-Stoke team-mate Sidwell is adamant the goals will start to flow soon enough.

 

In fact, even though the 27-year-old scored only four times in 27 appearances for the Potters, Sidwell has stressed that all of his team-mates were impressed by Joselu’s clinical finishing in training.

“I’ve got to say, he was probably one of the best finishers at Stoke. Honestly, frightening,” Sidwell said of Joselu during BBC 5Live’s Football Daily.

“If you called up any of the lads from Stoke now, they’d honestly say he was unreal. Left foot, right foot, any kinds of finish in the air.

What’s encouraging is, having gone to Newcastle, he is getting in the positions to do it and it’s only a matter of time. If it does click, he will go into double figures.

At times when he was at Stoke, he was a lone striker doing jobs he maybe didn’t want to do, but I think he’s learned now and that mentality has kicked in.

He knows he’s got to put that graft in now but, as far as finishing is concerned, he could do every type of finish - in the box, outside the box, volley, left foot, right foot.

Honestly, he was superb.”

[Lush Vlad]

He's snatched at and rushed nearly all of his chances so far.  I'm hoping it is more to do with him settling in at a new club and trying too hard to impress.  But his goal scoring record throughout his career says otherwise and the fact he has already missed 2-3 sitters is a bit of a worry. 

[Mr Logic]

Yep, Sidwell was talking about his training performances.

[jackyboy]

Shola was awesome in training as well apparently.  I remember George Graham talking about him once and he said that in training Shola was incredible but for some reason or other he couldn't seem to take it onto the pitch.  Bit like golf pro's, watch them practice and they are incredible and save the bad shots for the competitions.  It can only be the pressure that gets to some players.

[Darth Crooks]

I should imagine training matches lose their edge seeing as you have to be conscious of the welfare of your teammates.

[Disco]

Shola was awesome in training as well apparently.  I remember George Graham talking about him once and he said that in training Shola was incredible but for some reason or other he couldn't seem to take it onto the pitch.  Bit like golf pro's, watch them practice and they are incredible and save the bad shots for the competitions.  It can only be the pressure that gets to some players.

 

The fuck was George Graham doing watching Shola train?

[TRon]

Shola was awesome in training as well apparently.  I remember George Graham talking about him once and he said that in training Shola was incredible but for some reason or other he couldn't seem to take it onto the pitch.  Bit like golf pro's, watch them practice and they are incredible and save the bad shots for the competitions.  It can only be the pressure that gets to some players.

 

Shola was a pretty decent finisher tbf. His main problem was getting into those positions in the first place, he didn't really have a striker's hunger.

[DoTheAmeobi86]

Joselu is like Leon Best in reality. If we played him alongside Mitro or Gayle he would be a good foil for them and do the holding up play etc. The thing is that we wont play two up front so we wont see this in reality. He isnt prolific by any stretch and hasnt been for most of his career.

[Infinitely Content]

Couldn't watch the game as I was away filming in Spain, so could someone fill me in on his display and what we do going forward?

 

Joselu starts next game?

Gayle? (hold up play and general involvement in the game seriously worries me, good finisher or not).

Mitrovic? IMO next in line if Joselu is having a bad patch/can't find the net for what ever reason.

[themanupstairs]

I hope that the fact that Joselu's become a dad very recently for the first time is contributing to his lack of focus in front of goal. Sleepless nights/turbo diarrhoea etc...

[BlackandWhite]

Sadly I think he's just shit.

 

Yeah his hold up play is decent but you can't say much more than that.

 

As is being proved his finishing is awful. There is a reason why Stoke gave him away for what is very little indeed in the modern day transfer market.

[Kanj]

Might actually pair decently well for Mitro or Gayle

[Sean]

He's missed a few easy chances no doubt, the thing is as a striker those misses affect your confidence in front of goal. Especially at a new club, in front of new fans (especially when a sizeable percentage are now writing you off after a few games).

 

It's too early to tell if that's the issue or if his finishing is always terrible. However good strikers will overcome this problem fairly quickly...

[Mr Logic]

I'm not giving up on him yet, Rafa thinks there's something to work with so he gets an extension.

[Bimpy474]

I'm not giving up on him yet, Rafa thinks there's something to work with so he gets an extension.

 

We play better with him up top, he makes us a better team, as in a team playing off him. Yes he's missed very good chances. But he was there, and that's a good knack to have, He finds himself in good positions. Now the finishing, obviously a slight problem so far.

[Guest]

Shola was awesome in training as well apparently.  I remember George Graham talking about him once and he said that in training Shola was incredible but for some reason or other he couldn't seem to take it onto the pitch.  Bit like golf pro's, watch them practice and they are incredible and save the bad shots for the competitions.  It can only be the pressure that gets to some players.

 

The f*** was George Graham doing watching Shola train?

 

He must have been the spy Pardew was worried about.

[DJ_NUFC]

Misselu.

 

Have we exhausted the bad nicknames yet?

[TRon]

I'm not giving up on him yet, Rafa thinks there's something to work with so he gets an extension.

 

We play better with him up top, he makes us a better team, as in a team playing off him. Yes he's missed very good chances. But he was there, and that's a good knack to have, He finds himself in good positions. Now the finishing, obviously a slight problem so far.

 

Plus you can't really make a fair judgement based on a couple of games. He might well be a shit finisher. Or he might just have had a couple of stinkers like strikers do from time to time.