Martins natural left or right ? (Roeder talks about this)

[Guest dasflenst]

Is it that weird that someone can shoot with either foot?  I am 2-footed and it's not that hard really with practice.  You must be all shit players if this is so hard to believe. 

[Cajun]

Is it that weird that someone can shoot with either foot?  I am 2-footed and it's not that hard really with practice.  You must be all shit players if this is so hard to believe. 

 

Sorry Pele!

 

Its not just the fact he is so good with both feet its the fact that he so consistant at scoring with both ie 3 with his left 3 with his right for us and something like 20 with his right and 24 with his left for Inter.

[buzza]

Does that mean he'll score double the amount of goals than your average "right footer"

[Skirge]

SO LEFT FOOTED IS HE????

All the shit I got for asking the question and it seems there is no conclusive answer, unless Oba wants to say which foot it is he prefers.

 

A real man of mystery

Dec 19 2006

By Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

Obafemi Martins has baffled team-mates as well as opposition defenders by refusing to reveal whether he is right or left-footed.

 

Martins has the ability to strike a ball with almost as much accuracy and power with either foot - but team-mates are determined to figure out which is his favoured side.

 

The Nigerian international took his goals tally for the season to eight from 16 games with a match-winning double against Watford at the weekend, but the confusion surrounding the 22-year-old's favourite foot continues.

 

"I know the players here cannot decide which is his favourite foot and it has been the talk of the training ground," said Roeder. "I think we all thought he was left-footed but then, when he took the penalty against Reading, he hit it with his right foot. I was as surprised as anyone and I don't think anyone knows for certain which is his best foot, which is remarkable.

 

"All that mattered to me was him sticking the ball in the back of the net, clearly he is just as comfortable striking the ball with his right foot as he is with his left.

 

"He's difficult to close down as he can shift the ball to the other foot and get the shot away. People thought when he came here that he is slightly more left-footed than right but he took the penalty against Reading with his right and stuck it away with power and accuracy.

 

"Clearly he's comfortable on either foot, which is very impressive. There are some very well-known strikers who you know that if you put them on their wrong foot, it's very much a swinger. There are some well-known strikers, some of whom are considered to be world-class, who are very one-sided. But Obafemi, he can score off both feet and that's a wonderful skill to have."

 

His manager has done his best to protect Martins from the pressure of public expectation which comes from wearing the number nine shirt at St James's Park, but the youngster's recent goalscoring form has done much to dispel the doubts which have followed him since his £10m move from Inter Milan.

 

Roeder, though, is adamant he never felt the club's summer investment was a risky one as he was convinced Martins already had the physical attributes necessary to survive in the Premiership. He added: "There has never been a point where I've thought it was a gamble to sign Obafemi Martins because I always knew he had the physical attributes needed to play in the Premiership.

 

"The gamble was not on his ability, it was on how quickly he settled into English football. Of course people expect too much too soon because of the price tag, but it was unfair on him. "No one expected anything of (Antoine) Sibierski when he came in on a free, but everyone's pleased for him when he does well.

 

"It's been harder for Oba, he's taken the number nine shirt and wasn't scoring. It has taken a bit longer for him to adjust to the Premiership, but everyone is starting to see what I always knew about him - he will score goals.

 

"He is still not the finished article, but there isn't a player anywhere in the world who is the finished article when he is 22-years-old."

 

Martins has refused to get too caught up in his recent success as he prepares for the visit of reigning Premiership champions Chelsea to St James's Park tomorrow.

 

Martins has already been singled out as a potential dangerman by Blues boss Jose Mourinho ahead of their Carling Cup quarter final clash, but the Nigerian has merely promised that there are more goals to come.

 

He said: "There are more goals on the way, but I won't be making any promises. Personally I won't be setting myself any targets and I am not going to promise 20 or 25 goals this season. I am happy to be scoring, that's all."

 

Meanwhile, Roeder is confident that influential Turkish international Emre will be fit for the arrival of Chelsea despite limping off with a sore ankle against Watford at the weekend.

 

West Ham Captain Nigel Reo-Coker has received hate mail during the club's recent slump.

 

The England Under-21 midfielder has come in for more criticism than most for not reproducing the form of last season - which many feel has contributed to the Hammers' slide into the bottom three.

 

And it culminated with hate mail last week ahead of their match against Manchester United.

 

Reo-Coker's agent Tony Finnigan said: "It got to a boiling point for a young man. I just told him to stick it in the dustbin and get ready to go to war against one of the best teams in Europe."