Obafemi Martins - Time To Justify The Hype
It is a risky business criticising crowd favourites, but I'm going to do it anyway because it's something which has been on my mind for a while now and I may as well just get it off my chest - Obafemi Martins isn't very good.
Well he is, but he isn't, if that makes any sense. He is a decent striker who is capable of scoring the odd spectacular goal, but he is not the hero he is made out to be by a large section of Newcastle fans and he does not deserve the adulation he routinely receives, no matter what he has done, or rather hasn't done, out on the pitch.
He is lazy, temperamental and difficult to play with in a team environment. Worse than that, his last three performances in a black and white shirt have arguably cost United several priceless points in their Premier League survival bid!
I presume that has grabbed your attention, but this isn't just a rant designed to wind people up, it's an honest assessment of a player I have been watching closely for almost three full seasons. He is supposed to be a match winner, but he doesn't seem to win many games!
Martins cost £10m from Inter Milan in August 2006 as a replacement for Alan Shearer, a fee Newcastle are still paying and will still be paying for in the summer of 2010 as well. In that time he has played 96 games and has scored 33 goals.
That is roughly a goal every other three games, but someway short of the goal every other game ratio which is generally required to be classed among the Premier League's best.
In 80 league appearances in black and white he has mustered 26 goals, again well short of the goal every other game statistic. In fact his record in the Premier League is closer to a goal every fourth game.
Martins has plenty of pace, but how often does he use it to actually hurt teams and how many assists does he provide over the course of a season? He has had one instrumental game this season and that came against Aston Villa back in November when he scored twice.
In the ten games he has been fit since then, he has scored just twice more. To put that into perspective, Shola Ameobi, a player so many fans love to hate, has scored two goals in 11 appearances. Peter Lovenkrands, a free signing in January, has scored two in six games but couldn't even get a game against Hull.
Martins' staunchest supporters will point to his recent display against Manchester United when his pace terrorised the visiting defence.
Yes it did, for 20 minutes, and then he was anonymous for the rest of the game. Having hurt the opposition early on, why didn't he press home that advantage over the course of the entire game? He loses interest and goes through the motions.
And then there was the missed chance against the Red Devils, clear sight of goal with Newcastle 1-0 up and Martins puts it wide.
He has also missed equally big chances against Bolton and Hull City in recent weeks, goals which would have yielded another four points to the cause.
They were chances a striker with his reputation should be taking nine times out of ten and they were chances a striker has to take if Newcastle are going to avoid the drop.
Yet, despite all this, despite the fact I can't understand why so many people are blind to his faults, Newcastle need Martins more than ever over the next nine games because they need someone who can do something unpredictable, they need someone who can explode into life and win a game for them.
I just hope we aren't still waiting for him to ignite in May because the blue touch paper has been lit and there have been no fireworks so far from a player who still likes to tell people Arsenal want to sign him!
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
Martin's has scored goals against the run of play for us since he arrived. That is very important when you have no midfield dominance whatsoever.. he stretches the pitch for us, diverts attention from opposing defenders and links up a treat with other pacy players (with dyer he had his best run).
It is no coincidence that our best results come with him in the team- he has looked rusty over the past 3 games but he is let down by a midfield that fail to play to his strengths or pick out passes. He is a fan favourite because he is capable of magic- he's due a scoring run mebbes... you know it's coming with him though.
What did Owen do against Hull? Nothing. Why? Because he had no service, just like Martins. The only reason you slate him in the Hull game, is for missing a chance he perhaps should have scored. A chance that he virtually created himself. Unlike Owen, he can do that. Create chances for himself. If we had a half-decent midfield, he would score a lot more goals. The fact is, he doesn't have a good midfield behind him and despite this, he still has a respectable goals ratio. Precisely why you need to come out with this rubbish at this point in time is beyond me. Why not pick out the faults in other players who a) Aren't as good. And b) Don't give a damn. i.e Cacapa, Viduka, Duff, Enrique (until lately). If Martins played for a better team with a good midfield, then he would score more goals. He is not a prolific goalscorer. Everyone knows that and does not expect him to be (apart from you, evidently). People are willing to forgive him if he occasionally fluffs opportunities, because we know he is trying his hardest and will produce moments of magic like Ventspils, Spurs and that insane shot at Anfield. And slating Martins for his missed chance against Man Utd is again, ridiculous. Would Owen have finished it? No. Because he wouldn't have beaten Vidic in the first place. Surely, Luke, you have to wonder why so many fans like Martins? If all you say about him is true, then noone would.
If he had a decent midfied to give him service and good balls in behind, he would score a lot more. To quote his scoring ratio as a reason for him being not good enough is ludicrous. Is Heskey a bad player? Is Rooney a bad player? Is Tevez a bad player? No, no and no.
What about the header against Bolton, laid on a plate for him by Jonas? Missed. Michael Owen has played with the same midfield behind him this season and has scored 10 goals in 24 appearances and has scored at that magic goal every other game ratio whenever he has been fit! Granted that hasn't been nearly enough, but still. My point, it's all very well and good saying Martins provides something different and creates chances for himself. Yes he has the potential to do that, he just isn't doing it is he?
As for not criticising other players, they interesting thing about Martins is that he seems to be largely above any criticism from the stands.
Even when NUFC had an "OK" midfield, Oba Martins wasn't all that great. The expected Martins fans can put up their arguments about him but at 10 million pounds, has he REALLY been worthwhile? I think the answer is No! If fans think about it objectively and look at his overall play then the only opinion can be that yes, he is an ok player, not great but in a poor Newcastle team, looks good. Question: If he really was all that, why aren't bigger clubs sniffing around Oba (apart from the usual dross rumours from The Emirates that Wenger maybe wants him - has he made a move though?). No, Oba was expensive, scores spectacular goals but is not all he's made out to be. Now watch him go prove me wrong. Probably.
Local Newcastle journalist in xenophobic rant at foreign player shocker!
Inre Jon:
It's so easy to throw around the Xenophobic tag when someone writes something you don't agree with. Instead of going down that route, put your argument down in words and not senseless accusations.
Jon, don't band accusations like that around at me just because I have dared to criticise a foreign player. I'm actually annoyed that you would try and reduce my argument to something like that. I have never and never will judge a player or person on the basis of their colour, nationality, religious beliefs, sexuality or anything else. In other words, do one!
Martin's passing and dribbling is erratic, his finishing wayward at times, but he is the only player left capable of doing something special. The only player left that the opposition will be fearful of. The hope (and it's hope, not expectation, I admit) of seeing Martins do something extraordinary is one of the few reasons I drag myself to SJP at the minute. The others reasons being habit and probably stupidity. I might be in the minority here, but I watch football for the skill, the odd flash of genius, the excitement and surprise. Not to watch cloggers 'putting in a good shift'.
We are absolutely hopeless, and will probably go down, but none of that is Obafemi's fault.
There are other's far more worthy of criticism, be that criticism constructive, or merely aimed at Geremi.
Spot on Edmond Dante. Luke, we've already established that he misses chances. But so does everyone. Owen v Wigan? Owen v West Ham? In a team which doesn't create any chances from midfield I'd much rather have Martins than Owen up front. Not only for the reasons that Edmond Dante gives, but also because I know he will give his all, unlike some others. As Edmond Dante says, if we go down, it is not Oba's fault. If Oba had players around him worthy of his standard, he would look like the player he can be consistently. Put Rooney, Tevez or Aguero in our team at the moment and they too would look ordinary. I just feel that now is not the time to be slagging off one of our best strikers. When he is consistently getting service in a decent team with a creative midfield and STILL not delivering to your standards, then, by all means, have a go. Until then, your rant is about as useful as Anne Frank's drum kit.
Erm, Tevez kept West Ham up virtually single handidly a few years back lads! There has been some stuff in the papers recently about a court case! Martins isn't in the same class of player as Tevez, end of story. He isn't capable ot doing for Newcastle what Tevez did for the Hammers. As for Martins giving his all in games....
In my opinion Martins is as hopeless as Shola but because he has a bit pace and looks exciting he is put on a pedestal. In truth he is more erratic than exciting. Mind you he is no worse than any other midfielder or forward who has played for us this season, they all play like strangers, seem a yard slower than the opposition, can't pass, can't shoot and are make terrible decisions when on the ball. It makes you wonder what they do in training all week!
Hmm. The season that Tevez kept West Ham up, he was dropped for long spells, largely because of the same criticisms Mr Edwards levels at Martins above. Slightly off topic admittedly. Agreed that Tevez is much better than Martins though. Even if he does look like the offspring of Christopher Lee and buffalo cow.
Luke, you have just contradicted yourself. You cited Martin's poor goals to games ratio of 26 in 80 as reason enough for him to be classed as 'not good enough' and not worthy of his £10 million price tag. You then agree with me that Tevez is a good player. In your own words he 'kept West Ham up virtually single handidly a few years back'... and 'Martins isn't in the same class of player as Tevez, end of story'. If that is so, then why did Tevez only score 7 goals in 26 games for West Ham (worse than Martins' record for Newcastle) and has scored 17 in 53 for Man Utd (A class team with an excellent midfield. I would agree with you that Tevez is better than Martins, but the fact is that you used Martins' goals to games ratio to illustrate that he is not delivering the goods, yet by your own admission, Tevez single handedly kept the Hammers up. An amazing feat for only 7 goals!! The point is Luke, that strikers are not only judged on the goals they score and you know it. So if you want to have a go at him, fair enough, but don't cite goalscoring statistics as a reason, especially when it betters that of other players whom you consider to be of a different class.
Ah yes but Tevez also contributes far more in open play than Martins and, if you remember the West Ham season Tevez was outstanding in the last ten games having initially struggled to adapt to English football. I've just has a look at the stats and he scored those seven goals in his last ten games for the Hammers. An outstanding contribution from a player new to the Premier League playing in a poor side. Martins is in his third season at Newcastle. If he scores, shall we say in the next nine, I'll eb the first to take my hat off and congratulate him! You want to check your stats before you throw them at me Fergie!
that should read score six in the next nine games, sorry, I was typing too quickly in my excitement!
Oh My GOSH!
"Martins cost £10m from Inter Milan in August 2006 as a replacement for Alan Shearer, a fee Newcastle are still paying and will still be paying for in the summer of 2010 as well. In that time he has played 96 games and has scored 33 goals."
Martins has started 82 games for Newcastle and has scored 33 times in all competitions, so that is a goal every 2.48 games! Add to that the fact that Allardyce always left Martins on the bench in favor of Alan Smith! and brought on Oba on with a few minutes of play left to score his goals, you can see why his ratio is low when you include games played as a substitute. I'm sorry how many goals has Alan Smith scored for Newcastle United? GOD knows he had plenty of chances up front under Allardyce because he benched Martins weeks because of a couple of misses against Arsenal in the Carling cup.
"Martins has plenty of pace, but how often does he use it to actually hurt teams and how many assists does he provide over the course of a season?"
Not often, WHY? BECAUSE we do not have a central midfielder that is creative enough to provide passes where he can utilize his pace! This is the same for OWEN! Possibly Barton to a certain extent is capable of this creativity with his accurate balls over the top. However no one in central midfield is playing through balls for Oba to utilize his pace and the runs he makes off the ball. Martins had 5 assists in his first season, 3 in the season where Smith was started ahead of Martins and the whole team was completely devoid of any confidence at all. And he has 3 assists this season.
"He has had one instrumental game this season and that came against Aston Villa back in November when he scored twice.
In the ten games he has been fit since then, he has scored just twice more."
Why are you only counting the 10 games since Villa? Before Martins got injured at Portsmouth he had a record of 5 goals in 8 games! In the 10 games since Villa you are conveniently including a 30 minute substitue appearance (his first since injury at Portsmouth) against Everton for a 10 man Newcastle. Are you having a go at him for not scoring or getting an assist in that game? If not why bother include it if he is not match fit.
It takes quite a few games to get back to full match sharpness after a lengthy injury lay off, so why are you including his first 3 games and 30 minutes for 10 men (SORRY 4 games) in your 10 games since Villa?!
"Martins' staunchest supporters will point to his recent display against Manchester United when his pace terrorised the visiting defence.
Yes it did, for 20 minutes, and then he was anonymous for the rest of the game. Having hurt the opposition early on, why didn't he press home that advantage over the course of the entire game? He loses interest and goes through the motions.
And then there was the missed chance against the Red Devils, clear sight of goal with Newcastle 1-0 up and Martins puts it wide."
OMG the guy was probably our best player on the night and terrorized the best defenders in the league and you still manage to criticize. You say he did it for only 20 minutes!
did Newcastle United get the ball to him with good service every time we were in possession? NO.
Did Martins have to come deep to just get possession of the ball? YES.
He had to go deep into midfield to get the ball every time, even when he terrorized Vidic and co, he picked up the ball from midfield by HIMSELF and drove at them.
You blame him for his miss, well it happens to all strikers! add to that he has just come back from injury recently.
You watch the Man Utd game again and you'll see he is basically playing as a midfielder because NO ONE IS providing him with the proper service. If he was anonymous for the rest of the game that is down to Man Utd having superior possession of the ball, and a total lack of creativity and service to him from Midfield.
Yes he had a good chances against Hull and Bolton, again those were his first few games since injury. The Man Utd game was the FIRST FULL 90 MINUTES he completed since injury! Martins is bound to be a bit rusty, give the guy a break! You are basically SCAPEGOATING Martins for our losses to Bolton, Man Utd and draw at Hull! I don't know what else to call it other than SCAPEGOATING when you are lambasting him for a few misses in his first few games back from injury injury. Especially when he has only managed to complete 90 minutes in his last 2 games.
Martins can create a goals for himself. Martins can run past players with the ball at pace. Martins can score wonder goals. Martins beat 3 players at once. Martins has pace. Martins saved us from relegation in his first season. Martins was in EXCELLENT form before he was injured. And you wonder why he is a fan favorite?
If Newcastle Medical staff were competent enough to realize that Martins required a hernia op the first time he injured his groin i'm sure that his excellent run of form would have continued.
Yes Oba has some faults in his game. Occasionally his passing lets him down. Sometimes he doesn't take the simpler pass and will give away possession attempting the more difficult one. And YES sometimes he misses chances! I bet that's never happend to the Ronaldo's, Torres', Eto's, Henry's, Messi's and Owen's of this World!
You know what Luke, I'll try and be like you for a second. Let's look at the case of a one Michael Owen:
Since Owen's game at Portsmouth, He has scored 1 goal in 9 games when he has been fit! And to be like you, I included the game he got injured in, where he played for 30 minutes and his first game back from injury against Hull. 1 goal in 9 games! that's not good enough for a 16 million pounds striker. And he missed some real sitters in those 9 games!
Do you see how unfair you are being Luke?
If you were fair Luke you would be saying Martins has scored 2 goals and got 1 assist in his 6 games since Villa, before getting injured at Portsmouth with a 2 month injury layoff. Adding his first few games back from injury, only 2 of them 90 minutes completed can twist the stats to make it look like Oba has been terrible!
People mention Xenophobia because in Martins first season, it seemed every week a certain someone (not you luke) in the local Newcastle papers had to have a dig at Martins, even though he was the only striker Newcastle had, even though he was scoring goals regularly and was in form. The way you have scapegoated Martins for his misses at Man Utd, Bolton etc., conveniently forgetting to mention that he has just come back from injury and using those comeback games in your stats will lead people to mention Xenophobia given how Martins has been treated by papers here in the past. I am not saying that you are Xenophobic BTW.
Now if I am fair with Micahel Owen, he got injured at Man City playing only 30 mintues so i will exclude that game and exclude his first game back from injury. Therefore that means Michael Owen has a record of scoring only 1 goal in his last 7 games before injury at Man City!
Whose record is worse? Oba's 2 goals and 1 assist in 6 games, or Owens 1 goal in 7?
It doesn't matter when in the season tevez scored his goals. The fact is you used Martins' supposedly poor goals to games ratio as a point to prove how he is not good enough. Whether Martins scores the bulk of his goals at the start of a season, at the end, or consistently throughout, it doesn't change the goals to games ratio. Or do goals in the last ten games of a season count for double? And Luke, if Martins does score 6 in the next 9 games, you won't be the first to take your hat off to him. There is a giant queue of fans that have faith in Oba that will get there first...
Oh, and if we're going to be fair then...
Peter Lovenkrands, a free signing in January, has scored two in six games but couldn't even get a game against Hull."
So what about Lovenkrands? does his horror miss against Everton not get a mention? If he had stuck that one away, I don't think there are many that would argue we would have gone on to win that game...
You want to check your propaganda before you throw it at me Luke
Oh My GOSH!
"Martins cost £10m from Inter Milan in August 2006 as a replacement for Alan Shearer, a fee Newcastle are still paying and will still be paying for in the summer of 2010 as well. In that time he has played 96 games and has scored 33 goals."
Martins has started 82 games for Newcastle and has scored 33 times in all competitions, so that is a goal every 2.48 games! Add to that the fact that Allardyce always left Martins on the bench in favor of Alan Smith! and brought on Oba on with a few minutes of play left to score his goals, you can see why his ratio is low when you include games played as a substitute. I'm sorry how many goals has Alan Smith scored for Newcastle United? GOD knows he had plenty of chances up front under Allardyce because he benched Martins weeks because of a couple of misses against Arsenal in the Carling cup.
"Martins has plenty of pace, but how often does he use it to actually hurt teams and how many assists does he provide over the course of a season?"
Not often, WHY? BECAUSE we do not have a central midfielder that is creative enough to provide passes where he can utilize his pace! This is the same for OWEN! Possibly Barton to a certain extent is capable of this creativity with his accurate balls over the top. However no one in central midfield is playing through balls for Oba to utilize his pace and the runs he makes off the ball. Martins had 5 assists in his first season, 3 in the season where Smith was started ahead of Martins and the whole team was completely devoid of any confidence at all. And he has 3 assists this season.
"He has had one instrumental game this season and that came against Aston Villa back in November when he scored twice.
In the ten games he has been fit since then, he has scored just twice more."
Why are you only counting the 10 games since Villa? Before Martins got injured at Portsmouth he had a record of 5 goals in 8 games! In the 10 games since Villa you are conveniently including a 30 minute substitue appearance (his first since injury at Portsmouth) against Everton for a 10 man Newcastle. Are you having a go at him for not scoring or getting an assist in that game? If not why bother include it if he is not match fit.
It takes quite a few games to get back to full match sharpness after a lengthy injury lay off, so why are you including his first 3 games and 30 minutes for 10 men (SORRY 4 games) in your 10 games since Villa?!
"Martins' staunchest supporters will point to his recent display against Manchester United when his pace terrorised the visiting defence.
Yes it did, for 20 minutes, and then he was anonymous for the rest of the game. Having hurt the opposition early on, why didn't he press home that advantage over the course of the entire game? He loses interest and goes through the motions.
And then there was the missed chance against the Red Devils, clear sight of goal with Newcastle 1-0 up and Martins puts it wide."
OMG the guy was probably our best player on the night and terrorized the best defenders in the league and you still manage to criticize. You say he did it for only 20 minutes!
did Newcastle United get the ball to him with good service every time we were in possession? NO.
Did Martins have to come deep to just get possession of the ball? YES.
He had to go deep into midfield to get the ball every time, even when he terrorized Vidic and co, he picked up the ball from midfield by HIMSELF and drove at them.
You blame him for his miss, well it happens to all strikers! add to that he has just come back from injury recently.
You watch the Man Utd game again and you'll see he is basically playing as a midfielder because NO ONE IS providing him with the proper service. If he was anonymous for the rest of the game that is down to Man Utd having superior possession of the ball, and a total lack of creativity and service to him from Midfield.
Yes he had a good chances against Hull and Bolton, again those were his first few games since injury. The Man Utd game was the FIRST FULL 90 MINUTES he completed since injury! Martins is bound to be a bit rusty, give the guy a break! You are basically SCAPEGOATING Martins for our losses to Bolton, Man Utd and draw at Hull! I don't know what else to call it other than SCAPEGOATING when you are lambasting him for a few misses in his first few games back from injury injury. Especially when he has only managed to complete 90 minutes in his last 2 games.
Martins can create a goals for himself. Martins can run past players with the ball at pace. Martins can score wonder goals. Martins beat 3 players at once. Martins has pace. Martins saved us from relegation in his first season. Martins was in EXCELLENT form before he was injured. And you wonder why he is a fan favorite?
If Newcastle Medical staff were competent enough to realize that Martins required a hernia op the first time he injured his groin i'm sure that his excellent run of form would have continued.
Yes Oba has some faults in his game. Occasionally his passing lets him down. Sometimes he doesn't take the simpler pass and will give away possession attempting the more difficult one. And YES sometimes he misses chances! I bet that's never happend to the Ronaldo's, Torres', Eto's, Henry's, Messi's and Owen's of this World!
You know what Luke, I'll try and be like you for a second. Let's look at the case of a one Michael Owen:
Since Owen's game at Portsmouth, He has scored 1 goal in 9 games when he has been fit! And to be like you, I included the game he got injured in, where he played for 30 minutes and his first game back from injury against Hull. 1 goal in 9 games! that's not good enough for a 16 million pounds striker. And he missed some real sitters in those 9 games!
Do you see how unfair you are being Luke?
If you were fair Luke you would be saying Martins has scored 2 goals and got 1 assist in his 6 games since Villa, before getting injured at Portsmouth with a 2 month injury layoff. Adding his first few games back from injury, only 2 of them 90 minutes completed can twist the stats to make it look like Oba has been terrible!
People mention Xenophobia because in Martins first season, it seemed every week a certain someone (not you luke) in the local Newcastle papers had to have a dig at Martins, even though he was the only striker Newcastle had, even though he was scoring goals regularly and was in form. The way you have scapegoated Martins for his misses at Man Utd, Bolton etc., conveniently forgetting to mention that he has just come back from injury and using those comeback games in your stats will lead people to mention Xenophobia given how Martins has been treated by papers here in the past. I am not saying that you are Xenophobic BTW.
Now if I am fair with Micahel Owen, he got injured at Man City playing only 30 mintues so i will exclude that game and exclude his first game back from injury. Therefore that means Michael Owen has a record of scoring only 1 goal in his last 7 games before injury at Man City!
Whose record is worse? Oba's 2 goals and 1 assist in 6 games, or Owens 1 goal in 7?
Well Luke, I'm still waiting for your reply.
Luke probably fell asleep reading that Sir Bob, so you might be waiting for a while ...
There's nowt like being concise. And that was nowt like ... etc.
Luke,
Have you lost the plot? I cannot believe you direct criticism against Martins with the appalling lack of support from midfield. When the manager & coach (oxymorons) select the likes of Geremi & Smith to provide creativity from midfield, we end up with the stagnant football like we saw on display against the hapless Hull. If goals per game are your bag, then you should note Alan Smith is now approaching 3 years and 4 months (tomorrow) since his last domestic goal! Jesus, that must be some sort of record. He is totally bereft of any skill or creativity but oh yes he runs his socks off, well so does Paula Radcliffe, mind you she might be an improvement on Smith. He concedes stupid free kicks just outside the box that frequently lead to us conceding a goal and thereby has a negative impact on the pitch - we would be better off with 10 men. Last season we went on a good run, starting at Spurs where Keegan played Martins & Viduka up front and Owen playing off them. It was entertaining and effective with Martins scoring 3 in a 5 game unbeaten run and oh yes, it coincided with Alan Smith getting dropped to make way for this formation. When did Smith make his return appearance? He came on as sub in the second half when at home to Chelsea when we had looked good for a point but Smith failed to challenge Ballack in the air and we went one nil down and lost the game. My point! Martins should not be the wrath of your ire, if you want to pick on someone then direct your criticism towards the inept Smith-Geremi midfield combo or the donkeys who pick them!
It must be a slow news day.
Yeah it was quite a long rant. Sorry but I had to get that all off of my chest and reply to that propaganda and ridiculous spin that was designed make Oba look bad.
This article, sorry blog post got me so mad I had to call the guy out on every weak/incorrect claim he made about Oba.
I know my first post was long but it is a reply to just about every single paragraph that I disagree with. And I'd love to here what Mr. Edwards' response to them is.
Told you he was immune from criticism among a large section of supporters. I also told you it was dangerous criticising a crowd favourite, but thought I'd express an opinion based on three years of watching him play, talking to managers, teammates, etc etc...
Ultimately, I'd still maintain my statistics are better because if you use the injury rustiness thing then what about Owen being rusty Sir Bob? Yet he still scores at a goal evey other game and works for the team's cause in the process. Martins simply doesn't. And another thing, according to you, Martins is a striker who makes things happen by himself, well he shouldn't need excellent service then should he?! 20 minutes against Manchester United, but what before and what since? Could it be that he was actually bothered against Man Utd in a glamour game but struggles to motivate himself for dreary away trips at Bolton and Hull?? Just a thought Bob me lad.
Martins is a decent striker, nothing more nothing less. He has explosive qualities, but we have hardly seen them this season and, when he is needed most, like now, he has failed to deliver. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong, Martins will do a Tevez and keep Newcastle in the Premier League and we'll all be happy. Now that really would make him worthy of adulation!
Manager, Caretaker Manager for the Caretaker Manager and whatever the hell Colin Calderwood is supposed to be, none of them are as good as 'decent'. They probably lie awake at night dreaming of being as good as decent. At least I hope they have trouble sleeping.
There are plenty of others who do not 'Justify the hype' and are far more deserving of questioning.
(And by the way, what hype? The only hype about Newcastle United at moment comes straight from Thomson House every evening bar Sunday, and even that's halfhearted.)
Gah. Half of the above post is missing due to copy and paste Captcha failure shenanigans. I think we can all agree that the Captcha system is not as good as Obafemi Martins. It's better than Geremi though, and Alan Smith and..
Interesting debate this one. I can see both sides.
I agree with Luke. I don't think Oba is the match winner or even game turner that he's often made out to be. Certainly not on a consistent basis. He's sporadically effective at best. Talk about how good he was in the Man U game all you like - we lost.
That said, in a team that is more or less completely devoid of creativity and inspiration, he is probably the only player we have who is actually capable of a bit of magic. In a below average team, even an all too occasional glimpse of explosive pace and technical ability is a Godsend.
In short, we're a crap team. Oba is a slightly above average striker. So he warrants his place without question. But a consistently top-end goalscorer (a la Shearer, Ferdinand or Cole) he most certainly is not.
Personally, I think Jonas has been even more over-hyped without good cause. But hey, take your pick ...
I thick the combinations of players is the key. Lovenkrads+OM or AC+OM. MO to replace OM last 35mins until fully fit and fit enough to play a full game...
Martins is not immune to criticism. I don't know if you read my long winded post but I've clearly pointed out the flaws in his game. His passing lets him down, his awareness and finishing at times. If Martins misses good chances, then yes I'll be peeved off with him, but seeing as he's just coming back from injury I'll cut him some slack and put it down to not being 100% match fit yet.
Yes he can create chances/goals for himself, but for you to say that if he can do that then he doesn't need service is almost childish. When Martins creates things for himself he does it with a bit of magic, excellent skill, beating a few players etc. and NO ONE (besides the Lionel Messi's of this world) can do that in every single match they play. Is Martins on the level of Lio Messi, NO. You are basically saying he shouldn't need his team mates to provide him with good passes to score, so he's not that good. You've got to be joking!
And yes Michael Owen, you talk about rustiness not being a problem for him. What do you call 1 goal in his last 7 games before getting injured at Man City? He was fully match fit in all of those 7 games. If rustiness isn't such a problem then lets include the Hull match he just played. Owen has scored 1 goal in his last 8 matches! You must admit that a striker with that record is not in good recent form and should be benched to allow someone else the chance to do better, and it should be the same for all our strikers Owen/Martins/Viduka/Lovey/Shola whoever. Yes Owen has a record of just under 1 in 2 this season. But guess what....before Martins got injured at Portsmouth he was very much in form and had a record of 6 goals in 12 Premier League matches. So of course I'm going to put his missed chances in his first few games back down to rustiness.
I will admit, Michael Owen is a better finisher than Obafemi Martins. Owen is a player who needs good service or he is useless. Owen is just an excellent finisher who has good timing of his runs. If crosses and through balls for Owen are cut out by the opposition defence, what use is Owen to the team? NOWT! In situation like that, Obafemi Martins is the better player to have in the team. Put the ball at Owens feet and a couple defenders infront of him, is he going to score a goal like that? NO. Put the ball at Martins' feet with defenders in front of him, is he going to score a goal? it is likely, and a whole lot more likely than a one Michael Owen in the above situation.
I`d like to know what Alan Smith and Mark Viduka`s total number of games played for us and goals scored are. We all know Martin`s record is better so why you critisice him is baffeling. We didn`t buy him to replace Shearer we got him because Michael Owen was crocked playing for England. He is probably the last decent signing we`ve had apart from Habib Beye.
Teves came good for West Ham in those games because he knew he was putting himself in the shop window for the big clubs and West Ham are still paying for it now.
They're all crap. We should get rid of the lot of them except Jonas and Bassong. We're destined for the Championship.
Luke, what have you done?! hahaha
I think your right to say what you have said, its a fair point and i know your intention isn't to sigle Martins out, but to simply put him in line for critisism like the rest of the underperformers.
However, i do also agree that he has the ability to change games - but again, he needs to pull that out of the bag now. He needs a manager to put his arm round him and give him a bit of a boost, like i few of them do i may say. Martins is a confidence player and i think, with the lack of direction from the management, that leaves him a little lost and thus effects his game.
If we had a real leader to take the team forward we would not be having this conversation and probably the headline would read "Martins - Geordie Hero"
Lamentably, JC's assessment, 'There all crap' is probably the most accurate thing written here.
Edmond, thanks for the support I got so bored reading 'Sir Bobbys' post that I thought it best to sum up my feelings in three words. Can nobody grab Mike Ashley and Lambias by the throat and shake some reality into them. This is no longer a joke, I've already planned my trip to Doncaster next season. My apologies to you Sir Bobby (only if you are the real legend)
I agree with JC too. But if given a different midfield, one which is more industrious, passionate, motivated, flaired etc etc etc individuals, i would still like to retain Martins together with Jonas and Bassong. If we're lucky that is.
It often struck me that Martins and Owen would fare better off elsewhere than at this club...
Oh by the way Luke....
you said why is rustiness not a problem for Michael Owen in his first few games back from injury right? It's in your above post. Your reasoning being how come Owen has no rustiness problems when coming back from injury but Oba does, therefore Oba is a bad player.
Well then why has Michael Owen himself come out today in the newspapers with this quote:
“The one thing I’ve got a history of is taking one or two games to get into my stride again, but we haven’t got time for me to do that. Hopefully my eye is in straight away and I start knocking the goals in again immediately.”
- Michael Owen, 19/03/09 (Daily Mail)
I guess that is another one of your claims/arguments/reasons, trying to put Oba in a bad light, absolutely blown out of the water.
I sincerely apologize Mr. Luke Edwards. I thought I got that Michael Owen quote from the Daily Mail.
It turns out I got that quote from the Journal in an article that YOU Luke Edwards published yourself today.
“The one thing I’ve got a history of is taking one or two games to get into my stride again, but we haven’t got time for me to do that. Hopefully my eye is in straight away and I start knocking the goals in again immediately.”
--Michael Owen 19/03/09 (JournalLive.co.uk, article by Luke Edwards)
So I'm guessing that you will admit you were wrong about rustiness not being a problem for Michael Owen and using it as reason to say Oba is not very good because it takes him some time to get over his rustiness.
I'm surprised you threw that quote in your article given that it contradicts what you said yesterday.
Are you still talking? Of course Michael has rustiness problems, yet he still scores at a goal every other game ratio. You're just emphasising my point not discrediting it Sir Bob. Like the Mr Luke Edwards reference though, makes me sound important!
You have said Owen does NOT have rustiness problems.
Today Owen has contradicted you and said he does.
You have criticized Oba for missing chances in his first few games back from injury, and I have put it down to rustiness & pointing out to you that you should cut the guy some slack because of it. You then cite Owen as having no problems with rustiness.
that is my point plain and simple!
You were WRONG!
Comedy story online today: Michael Owen "Dont call me injury prone", I haven't laughed this much in ages! Also Luke, please tell me you're not a fan of Owens now just because you were granted an interview with the man who has bled our club dry! The sooner he leaves the better!
Anyone got some directions to Plymouth please?
No more of a fan of Owen than I am of Martins, but he has scored at a goal every other game when fit, which is all I'm saying over and over and over and over and over again! Bit bored now! As for the story today, that's what he said, I just report it.
I wonder if Martins would be getting any stick if he was one of the regular rentaquote players
He does quite a lot of press actually Bob. As I've said, there is no ulterior motive behind the blog, just an honest opinion. I bet you were a fan of the X-Files weren't you?
luke you've controdicted yourself there with the "when Owen is fit 1GPG" comment. you said earlier that doesn't come into it..!?
I agree with you however but i will say newcastle are very good at bringing promising or highly rated player who play well for half a season then drop down so many gears due to terrible managment that the crowd ends up booing them out of town?
it just proves there is no point in having a great, big club, bringing top players then putting scooby doo in charge..
One indicator of sporting greatness is the ability to focus and perform under immense pressure.
One of the softest penalty efforts I've ever seen by Oba today.
Another piece of evidence to support Luke's argument?
50 minutes left to shine Oba ...
Oba has redeemed himself!
He's done well to claw a goal back. Many players would disappear from the game after a penalty miss like that.
Oba and Lovenkrands looked extremely lively tonight. Two of our best players on the night along with wor Steven Taylor.
But OBA WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY DIDN'T YOU SMASH IT IN WITH YOUR LEFT FOOT? WE ALL KNOW YOU PREFER YOUR LEFT! that was a weak excuse for a penalty!
While I admit Oba is not immune to critism, there is the more urgent matter that needs addressing and that is how the hell can Nicky Butt command a place in our starting 11?? I can not believe we have no young midfields in the ressies who have the heart and legs to carry out basic midfield duties. If Butt continues to start every game WE WILL BE RELEGATED end of story. The bloke is a liability and brings nothing to our club.
Going back to Oba. What I find with him is that if he has time to think he usually makes a mess of it as his awareness is extremely poor. However, I would still have him in my starting 11 everytiime along as he is fit due to his ability to create something out of nothing.
The midfield is the weakness and until that is resolved we are heading down.
whether or not lukes comments were incorrect or badly researched, his point that martins is frustrating and at times downright useless is pretty close to the mark. regardless of his misses, he spends large parts of most matches completely anonymous and the rest of them not doing much better. his goals to games ratio is of no significance as his team work is what needs to be addressed. he is irratic and has been for 2 seasons completely out of form but for 3 or 4 occasions (spurs away). we need grafters (which he is certainly not and those who think he is need to think hard) and we need a team player. i wont be sad to see him go in the summer regardless of what league we are in. i'd be tempted to finish the season with owen, carroll and gutierrez in a 3 pronged attack with the 'unpredictable' oba coming on for 30 mins each game to run at tired legs. and as for shola ameobi, dont get me started.
RE Dale,
While I agree that the midfield is a weakness, i would also like to add that the defence and the attack is a weakness as well. All round I'd say relegation fodder. But I find it interesting that you pick Butt out as the worst having watched Ryan Taylor play 90 mins on Saturday. Or did you not watch it and would rather listen to other peoples opinions and use them. Butt is by no means the player he was and his legs are starting to go, but he deserves his place in the side. What are the alternatives? Geremi? Smith? Ryan Taylor? Guthrie? So your point that we will go down if Butt plays doesnt wash. Theres players behind him in the pecking order who are far more capable of taking a team down into the championship.
Dalglish, I respect your opinion but don't agree with at all. Granted R Taylor didn't have the best of games and to be honest I don't recall him having a decent since he signed.In reference to you indicating we should play Smith, Geremi or Guthrie in centre mid, that is my whole point. I did say I can't believe we do not have any young midfieders in the reserves with energy and heart who should be given a go in the 1st.
Prehaps instead of watching the ball you might want to watch the players off the ball from time to time as Nicky Butt was doing sweet F.A. when Diaby, Butts opposite number, strolled through unchallenged for their crucial 2nd goal.