Shaun Maloney's Striker Credentials

What is the name of this thread... Shaun Maloney's striking credentials. Hence this thread was to detemine if people thought him to be capable of playing centre forward for Celtic at home and abroad!

If 1/3 think he is outwith the first 11, and 1/3 think he is a 1st choice winger and the rest believe him to be a striker what is the majority pal.... the total comes to 1 by the way

Jackie McNamara won POTY, bring him back get him in... Oh aye Di Canio as well. When will you grasp that past seasons dont guarentee a starting berth... Tommy Gravesen won awards in his last year in the EPL!

If you only care that he has feature in the 2 of the possible games then why do you go on bout POTY 2005.... is it a complex you have??? You also mention other stats, but they mean nothing to you

He didnt look very good to me on Sunday... No one did!

 

Maloney is hardly a center forward. The last two games he has played withdrawn and to the left to work with McGeady. Thats the exact same role that players like Messi, Robinho, Henry play.

All your criticisms of Maloney have been that he isn't big enough, can't score enough for a center forwad, and can't get to crosses toward his head.

A) He isn't a center forward nad has never played or attempted to play that role.
B)He scores plenty from the wing and could score plenty more as a withdrawn striker
C)There are other kinds of strikers than tall target men that we have already mentioned.

Besides we already have a perfect target man in JVOH.

Obviously GS doesn't agree with you as he is getting his chance right now and has looked pretty good in 2 games. Therefore I would expect him to keep getting games.

If anyone has been seriously off form its McGeady.

 

hes not a natural finisher and I dont think he will play striker. He will either rotate for the two wing positions with aidan and naka or we will play him in a 4-4-1-1 which I think we have been.

 

Shaun is a great winger as well. The point is you didn't think he could start as a winger or a striker and almost everyone agrees he should be starting at one or the other.

Thats a good point. Why should an off-form POTY winner McGeady get an automatic start over an on-form Maloney again?

Shaun is one of the few Bhoys playing well right now and he should be getting games. Whether at wing or striker I don't care.

You didn't think he should start and almost everyone disagrees with that. Not sure why thats so hard for you to admit.

By the way your still one of the 9% claiming he is a "squad player" Anything else you want to say about him being as over-rated as Naylor?

 

Playing in a 4-4-1-1 would make him a withdrawn striker.

 

Mate he came on as a sub because JVoH was injured, he started on Sunday due to injuries!

You asserted that Maloney should be 1st choice striker, which in its self is lunacy as he doesnt score goals. A reserved/ withdrawn striker ala Henry as you quoted still pulled over 20 goals per annum in arguably the best league in the world, the EPL! Maloney wont do this in Scotland!

Shaun Maloney came through the ranks as a striker, he came on at Ibrox as a Centre Forward.. he played the forst 4 years of his celtic career there and then changed to a winger under WGS.... shot to fame... did you know he won POTY in 2006 there???

There are horses for courses and that horse cant run on a Scottish course! The position isnt one that will work here. It has been tried with Buffel, Juniniho etc... all better players than Maloney but it doesnt work! You need a quality striker to partner a player such as this and here in Scotland there are none, neither can we afford any!

By your calculations then SM is capable of scoring approx 15 goals a season... the perfect foil for him by way of a target man is JVoH, in your opinion, who scored 20 goals last year. So you propose we drop Scott McDonald to play this pairing whose goals tally will match his. Therefore losing 20 goals per season.

Is there ANY logic to your madness???

 

Maloney could easily score 20+ goals. He had 16 from the wing. You don't think he could get 4 more with a full season at striker? All he needs is a full season to try.

I think if you paired him with JVOH than JVOH could score 30. Vs Falkirk Maloney setup Samaras on 3 clear breakaways plus won the fk that put us up 1-0. He effectivly created all our scoring that game by himself.

Also you continue to avoid the questions about how everyone else thinks he deserves to start besides you and why exactually an off-form McGeady deserves the automatic start over Maloney.

 

I did say he should have started on Sunday but in a midfield of 5, please refer to the match thread as I told you last night! Seems like you are a child who must be advised 3/4 times before you wake up just like the corner situation!!

What I do believe is that given a full compliment of the squad Shaun Maloney would find it difficult to break into the 1st team, I said this and stick by it. I said he isnt good enough to play striker and I also said he wouldnt dislodge Naka or McGeady.

A squad player is a back up player. Therefore more than 9% beleive him to be a back up player/squad player. A player outwith the starting 11!

SM won the POTY by tearing the league apart, the following season he couldnt hold down a place in the squad. Could you please differentiate this from Lee Naylor, allowing for the fact Naylor was only nominated for and didnt win the award??

 

If he could easily score 20+ goals then why did you vote for 10+??? Thats crazy and sends your whole arguement down the toilet pan... your as consistent as Lee Naylor!

He set up Samaras.. In what way is Samaras comparable to JVoH?? They are both European??? Samaras is far more mobile. JVoH wouldnt have scored the 2 goals against Falkirk as he would have been found wanting for pace!

What the * does exactually mean, you've wrote that 3/4 times now??? I thought it was a typo at 1st. But to answer your question I believe McGeady to be abetter footballer than Maloney. McGeady ended the season 1st choice so he starts the new season 1st choice. He is consistently in the national squad, SM isnt. He is current POTY. He kept SM out the team when he was POTY. But these stats dont really matter do they.

Aiden McGeady is off form, did Henrik get dropped after two games. Has Hinkle been dropped, Mark Wilson has been slated. Guys with an obvious talent when off form shouldnt be dropped immediately, they are given the benefit of the doubt.

 

So you would consider a player with 10+ goals and 20+ assists a "squad player"? By your own definition then McGeady and Naka are also "squad players".

In your poll you put the option to label him a "squad player". Obviously people who agree with you that he is a "squad player" would select it. <10% have which means you are in the minority.

90% of this forum expect him to score 10+ goals. Roughly 2/3 expect him to start right away.

Naylor has been a regular Celtic since then and always been horrible. Maloney was never given a fair shot at Villa and was very unhappy about leaving Celtic. Now he is back and appears to be back at POTY form.

If so many people agree that he is a obviously "squad player" why did <10% vote that way?

 

I think at worst he would get 16-20 goals with 25-30 assists. Consider that a conservative estimate.

You must not rate JVOH very highly then if you don't think he could finish 2/3 clear breakaways. If that were true he shouldn't be starting then.

So you slate SM for being a POTY winner yet because McGeady won POTY he deserves to start?

You think McGeady is as good as Henrik?

Guys with obvious talent shouldn't be dropped? You mean like Maloney?

 

Please allow us to share your knowledge and define both a squad player and a back up, showing a clear difference???

You cant look at previous performance and make some wacky formula to take into account the fact he has grown half an inch, is playing a different position etc... to make up a possible goal/ assist tally for the year. I hope you made space for Global Warming because he will tire 30 seconds earlier with that extra degree onto national averages

I too would expect him to score roughly 10 goals, I have said this. But the majority come from direct free kicks which for a striker is just not good enough.. he needs to do more. He is not a goalscorer! Over the course of the season I would expect him to take part in the majority of games but often from the bench or in various positions.

Can you please also tell us what you expected Shaun to say as he crawled back through the door: "Hiya lads! I'm back, It was really good down there, never missed this place"

If he was unhappy to leave then £2000 wouldnt have made a difference, he wasnt pushed, he jumped!

POTY form??? are you for real??? He played well for 70 mins against Falkirk!

 

Nothing Celtic or East End should ever be considered Conservative!

I do rate him highly(JVoH) but surely you must recognise great differences between styles of play in Samaras. JVoH is of the Hartson mould- sturdy, not overly mobile and physical! Samaras is mobile and quite feminine when it comes to the bite!

I never meant to compare Henrik/McGeady... i merely show an instance where talented players often have a dip in form! I didnt slate SM for being POTY i said it was 3 years ago now, get over it! Its in a cabinet all dusty...

I said Aiden McGeady was and is 1st choice due to his performances last year, he is suffering bad form but will be given a chance to recover!

 

If being a squad player and hardly playing is the same thing as being super-sub and scoring 10 goals from the bench then why are they two different options on your poll?

Formula is simple to me. He scored 16 from the MF. A striker scores more than a MF. Therefore SM playing ST will score more than when he was a MF.

Well according to you he won't be play ST or on the wing. Where exactly do see see GS using him?

At least we are getting at the truth now as to why you hate Maloney so much. Still a bit * he decided to take a shot down south? Everyone else has moved on and I don't see too many people arguing that Maloney was super happy and would have loved to stay at Villa.

I would think you would understand someone making a mistake such as you making this poll proving yourself wrong.:icon_mrgreen:

He has taken his chance and played well with the chances he had in both games he has played since being back. If he does that over the coarse of a season that is POTY form.

 

I watched him against Falkirk and he changed a 1-0 best to a 3-0 win, he played deeper than the Derby Game and got a lot more space to show what he can do, his first touch is superior to any of the midfield and therfore should be played alongside two recognised strikers!

 

Fine. On POTY form Maloney could score 25 goals with 20+ assists as a withdrawn striker with a decent partner and service to feet from the midfield.

I know JVOH is good enough finishing with his feet that he could score 2/3 clear breakaways. Like I said if JVOH can only score with his head now then he shouldn't be starting.

So according to you Maloney isn't mobile enough but Samaras is.

3 years ago is truly ancient history. By that logic Naka and McGeady winning the POTY is history too.

McGeady has been in poor form all through pre-season and the beginning of this season. When exactly do you think we should give someone else a chance? Donati only had 1 year maybe he should be starting too.

 

He won the fk to make it 1-0 too.

 

Who said a squad player hardly plays???

You cant have formulas for life, thats just silly. Frank McAvennie slept with 1 woman when he was 15, 3 when he was 16, 5 when he was 17 so when he was 25 he slept with 21 women... makes pefect sense sorry im wrong!

I see WGS using him were he is needed whether it be wide or up front. His versatility is probally a key factor in his arrival.

I dont care whether he left or not but he is a Celtic player now and thats all that counts. However, to say he was unhappy to move is crazy, he was glad to move, or he wouldnt have done it... heindsight is a beautiful thing pal!

He didnt play well on Sunday so to show POTY form in 70 mins of football, 4 games into a season is lunacy of the highest degree!

 

* its like the Hnus in Manchester every time you post Maloney is scoring and creating more goals... He will win the Golden Boot by the end of the week

My comment regarding JVoH was regarding his pace getting away from defenders.... such like Samaras' goals last weekend. An example of this was Falkirk away last season when JVoH was caught by the defenders when breaking away, the player was sent off however. I never said anything about scoring only with his head i merely stated he isnt quick out the box like Hartson!

I never slagged off Maloneys mobility, it was his physique remember

3 years is a long time in football.... if you argue otherwise you really are showing yourself up!

 

Why did you put two different options on the poll then? Contradicting yourself here

Again not sure how this is confusing. Strikers score more than midfielders. Maloney scored 16 goals from the midfield. If he played striker he would score more than 16.

If you don't care then why do you keep bringing it up as part of your argument. Doesn't matter what happened at Villa. He is a Celtic player now.