[Mister AT]

Lacking confidence due to a lack of goals. He probably has one half chance and one actual chance a game currently.

Hopefully we attempt to give him a bit more to feed on over the next few games and i'm fairly sure he'll score goals. I understand the Ideye comparisons but they're two very different players. Rondon is an out and out target man who needs people running up with him to really be utilised. Brown was somewhere in between him and Berahino (a natural poacher type) which was no use to our system.

As much as I agree that hes a brilliant target man, I also thought he looked a totally different player in the 2nd half at West Ham when Lambert was accompanying him.

He looked more of a threat as it seemed the weight of leading the line alone was off his shoulders.

[gerry m]

Here's hoping he's not the new 'Boo Boy

[Legend]

As much as I agree that hes a brilliant target man, I also thought he looked a totally different player in the 2nd half at West Ham when Lambert was accompanying him.

He looked more of a threat as it seemed the weight of leading the line alone was off his shoulders.

I would also like to see this, I think TP is reluctant to play two up top but against Bournemouth it may be something to consider.

[albion59]

I can't believe you've gleaned so little from watching football for so many years. He'd run himself into the ground against the team that runs further than any other team week after week. It is hardly Rondon's fault none of the other strikers are capable of an effective forward press and therefore are not considered viable alternatives around the 70 minute mark.

It was a superbly weighted ball.

urgh did shane long not run himself into the ground also? but you couldn't wait to get on here and slate him! double standards mate if you don't like a player you never give them a chance ie long, Dorrans but if you do you go over the top. its got nothing to do with the other players Rondon missed the chance not them and I say again he should be fit enough to last 90 minutes.

[smethwickw]

He needs a full season to settle in properly

Maybe he needs a full season to discover where the goals are. 

Joking aside I think he has settled. It's just his finishing is way below what I expected of a player with a great goal scoring record at a decent level beforehand. I just don't think he looks fit.

[Albion79]

I think he is what you call a 'handful'.

I bet he is a nightmare to actually mark, he is big, strong, works hard, not super quick but not slow and he gives 100%.

I think with the way we play, we miss him when he isnt on the pitch, Lambert is more of a hold and linkup player, Berahino more of a goalscorer but neither covers the ground that Rondon does, that said i would rather a chance fell to either of them than Rondon.

I like him but am concerned with his finishing, its quite wild, you at least have to hit the target and he just seems to lose his composure, not once or twice, its regular. Whether its a confidence thing or he just isnt a good finisher i dont know. Problem is, we dont really have goalscoring wingers or midfielders, i know Morrison has a few but other than that, has any midfielder scored more than 1 so it means the pressure is on Rondon even more.

[VVVAlbion]

Very few strikers have a 100% strike rate. To expect him to be burying the one or two chances that he gets per game is fanciful. Low on chances, low on confidence, low on goals.

[mulliganstired]

And the much maligned Vic put one away from a similar position when gifted the ball against Liverpool a couple of seasons ago.  In both cases it was a quick strike along the ground, one goes inside the post, the other outside.  It's those margins again...

[Pulisisabaggie]

If he had put that one away yesterday or one of the other few of recent memory our points total and league position would have been very different.I like him though works very hard but needs to start putting away some of those rear chances he gets.I know he does not get a lot but the ones like yesterday are very good chances which you have to take at this level.

[WorcsWBA]

Very few strikers have a 100% strike rate. To expect him to be burying the one or two chances that he gets per game is fanciful.

Indeed. The very best strikers miss good chances and, in general terms, those who score the most goals are also having the most chances.

[PsalmXXIII]

Agree with others - we can't expect him to finish 100% of his chances so there's no point in us only making one per game. His goals so far have not been the easiest, coming from headers where a goal isn't certain by any means and with enough service and good play around him, he'd get more chances and put one away.

Undoubted quality and work rate, just needs more around him. Not sure if that's in the form of a strike partner or wing play.

[TheJacko2000]

urgh did shane long not run himself into the ground also? but you couldn't wait to get on here and slate him! double standards mate if you don't like a player you never give them a chance ie long, Dorrans but if you do you go over the top. its got nothing to do with the other players Rondon missed the chance not them and I say again he should be fit enough to last 90 minutes.

Long didn't have ANY quality in possession, he missed a sitter in stoppage time for Southampton at the weekend by the way. Dorrans was always an odd one, I never saw anything in his "wonder" season to suggest he'd make the step up. 6 years down the line he's still a good Championship player plying his trade as a Premier League squad player for a relegation candidate and miles away from his national side.

Rondon like any striker will miss chances, doesn't get away from the fact he's more likely to miss them as he gets more fatigued, ie in the 90th minute. He should have taken a couple more touches and been in on Mignolet but he snatched at it. These things happen. My point about the other players is that Pulis won't play them up front on their own with the exception of Lambert who wouldn't have been on the chance anyway as he's got no pace.

[Albion79]

All strikers miss chances but i think whats concering with Rondon is in the last three games, they have been sitters and on two occasions he hasnt hit the target, maybe miss one, even two, but three needs to improve.

West Ham 6 yards out free header in the middle of the goal, that was just after half time so fatigue cant be blamed and against Spurs the first chance he had was in the first 10 minutes so again tiredness cant be blamed, he had done the hard bit, he had outmuscled and outpaced the defender, got through in a great position and blazed it into the stand.

Liverpool he could of taken it into the box, but to be fair it was late on so maybe tiredness on that one.

I said previous i think its how wild his shots are, if you hit the target, make the keeper work, even if it dont go in then he may parry it, etc. I think he needs a couple of games where he scores back to back, even if it hits his backside and goes in and hopefully he can regain his composure then.

[darbolina]

I just think of the old cliché that it's better for strikers to be missing chances as it means they're getting in the right positions. For me, he's simply not having enough chances created for him

[TheJacko2000]

The West Ham header is a sitter, the other 2 are just presentable chances, the one against Spurs he was going away from goal on his weaker foot and sliced it wide, maybe he should have gone for placement, but normally with your swinger you hit and hope. The Liverpool one he snatched at before he needed to.

[B_H_Baggie]

I'm with Jacko on this one, only the West Ham header can be described as a sitter. The chances against Spurs and Liverpool he should really have hit the target with at least one of them but surely we can't go describing chances like that as sitters.

He seems to be lacking a little confidence in front of goal and maybe snatching at the few chances gets.

[Hull Baggie]

I'm with Jacko on this one, only the West Ham header can be described as a sitter. The chances against Spurs and Liverpool he should really have hit the target with at least one of them but surely we can't go describing chances like that as sitters.

He seems to be lacking a little confidence in front of goal and maybe snatching at the few chances gets.

Agreed, he needs to calm down but appears too desperate to score. Hoping he gets at least one at the weekend.

[baggie53]

The Premier League over the years has been littered with strikers who struggled during their first season, even players like Falcao who had been prolific everywhere

Because we paid a record fee for us, everyone seems to expect him to hit the ground running, but as has been pointed out we only create a couple of half chances a game for him.
I think we need to give him this season then see what next season brings

[Albion79]

I probably sound as though i am having a pop at Rondon, i am not, i rate him and would want him starting each game as he is a handful and gives defenders more to do than anyone else we have.

I dont buy into the give him time to settle for missed chances, he has shown in every other aspect of his game that he has settled its just his finishing isnt good enough (yet)

We have other strikers who havent settled and never really got going and didnt look upto it (Ideye, Anelka, Rosenberg in recent seasons) Rondon isnt like that, he is a key player for us, hopefully he will notch a goal or two and kick on the scoring front, but if he doesnt and just isnt a very good finisher then we have to find a way of playing Lambert, Berahino or another attacking player who can score alongside Rondon because our midfield dont offer any goals with the exception of Morrison.

[Mikkyk]

His form his seriously worrying now. That's easy chances he's missed against Spurs, West Ham, Liverpool and now Bristol City and he hasn't scored in the meantime.

If we sell Saido, god knows when a striker will next score for us.

[Standaman]

I think he had his worst game for us today, I think the lack of goals is starting to eat at his confidence which is a bit of a worry.

[paulosull]

Looks better than brown but is that saying much, should be looking at players from stronger leagues looks like we got mugged again

[Pulisisabaggie]

I am very worried Lambert and Rondon has a grand total of 4 goals so far very dissapointing if we sell Saido we have to buy another forward these two dont look like they going to score 10 between them.

[jharman292]

Today was the first time i become a little concerned tbh, with Berahino looking likely to be off, the pressure will be even heavier on his shoulders. Ill stick with him for now but sooner or later, he needs to bury one of these chances.

[VVVAlbion]

Our conversion rate (as a team) is at the same level as the Premier League average (14%). Rondon is just below average at 11%, according to Kick app. If we created more chances we should score more goals and goals breed confidence.