[geoff]

For all his workrate, he just doesn't have enough quality in front of goal. If someone were to have a statistic on his chances to goals ratio, it would be dismal. I think he's out of his depth at this level. HRK has a slightly different style, and we can interchange between the two of them during matches, but ultimately we need someone more clinical in front of goal.

So Rondon isnt Prem quality because he doesn't score enough goals but its ok that HKR & JR who have missed more open goals this season because he/they
"have slightly different style, and we can interchange between the two of them during matches"
There isnt a forward in the whole of europe who wouldnt struggle to score goals playing for us right now

[albion59]

So Rondon isnt Prem quality because he doesn't score enough goals but its ok that HKR & JR who have missed more open goals this season because he/they
"have slightly different style, and we can interchange between the two of them during matches"
There isnt a forward in the whole of europe who wouldnt struggle to score goals playing for us right now

Robson-Kanu as missed one, Rodriguez hasn't missed any open goals

[halifax_baggie]

Robson-Kanu as missed one, Rodriguez hasn't missed any open goals

missed 2 or 3 against Accrington

[Hull Baggie]

So Rondon isnt Prem quality because he doesn't score enough goals but its ok that HKR & JR who have missed more open goals this season because he/they
"have slightly different style, and we can interchange between the two of them during matches"
There isnt a forward in the whole of europe who wouldnt struggle to score goals playing for us right now

I think for some it's the fact that both Rodriguez and HRK get themselves into positions to miss goals more often, Rondon often doesn't even find a decent position to miss from.

Someone mentioned Anichebe earlier, to be fair I think he's more like Brown Ideye although like Anichebe he does get bullied by smaller players and spends a lot of time on his backside looking for fouls when he's lost the ball or failed to hold it up.

[geoff]

I think for some it's the fact that both Rodriguez and HRK get themselves into positions to miss goals more often, Rondon often doesn't even find a decent position to miss from.

Someone mentioned Anichebe earlier, to be fair I think he's more like Brown Ideye although like Anichebe he does get bullied by smaller players and spends a lot of time on his backside looking for fouls when he's lost the ball or failed to hold it up.

How many game has Rondon had a partner upfront with him to help split the normal 3-4 backs , he is used has a target man

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/target-man

in games such as football or hockey, an attacking player in a central position to whom other players kick long passes:
His job as a target man is to hold up the ball long enough to bring his teammates into play.

That being the case i think he's the best in our squad & probably why other fans & tv pundits rate him higher than many of our own fans.

[Hull Baggie]

How many game has Rondon had a partner upfront with him to help split the normal 3-4 backs , he is used has a target man

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/target-man

in games such as football or hockey, an attacking player in a central position to whom other players kick long passes:
His job as a target man is to hold up the ball long enough to bring his teammates into play.

That being the case i think he's the best in our squad & probably why other fans & tv pundits rate him higher than many of our own fans.

Rodriguez played as the lone striker against Bournemouth and Burnley and created plenty of chances for himself, Robson -Kanu came on as his replacement, played the same role, and scored against Burnley.

He doesn't "hold the ball up long enough to bring his team mates into play" though does he?

[geoff]

What you say about Rondon about his lacks
Of goals is true but you don't apply the same
rules to jrod or hrk but that's just a difference in opinions .

[Hull Baggie]

What you say about Rondon about his lacks
Of goals is true but you don't apply the same
rules to jrod or hrk but that's just a difference in opinions .

If Rodriguez and Robson -Kanu continually fail to score like Rondon they will get the same criticism from me. At the moment they don't.

[vrabbit]

oh this is good, please tell me more about all these opportunities Rodriguez created for himself against Burnley. Overall, and definitely on the attack, that was an AWFUL game that gets some lipstick on it because HRK did good to take advantage of some very suspect defending by Burnley on one of those balls that gets hoofed forward (if WE had been scored on with the same play we would had killed whoever those defenders were)

And Rodriguez and HRK HAVE BEEN failing to score, although it'd be unfair to place the blame for that mostly on them. Then again I don't know how many times I've said that about Rondon, who has had some good performances so far this season despite not scoring in league play yet.

Rondon last season scored on just 8.5% of his shots. Rodriguez this season has scored on just 6.25% of his shots.

To me Rodriguez/Rondon need to start some games together (be it a 442 or 4411) with HRK as an option off the bench (he has more impact this way). But old Tony will never do that. He must know what he's doing after all ... oh, wait, his teams average EXACTLY a goal/game in 101 PL appearances.

[alex1]

So Rondon isnt Prem quality because he doesn't score enough goals but its ok that HKR & JR who have missed more open goals this season because he/they
"have slightly different style, and we can interchange between the two of them during matches"
There isnt a forward in the whole of europe who wouldnt struggle to score goals playing for us right now

I'm the last one to defend the tactics or long balls forward football we are playing at the moment, but
nevertheless of the chances Rondon gets, and he still gets chances, he converts very few. His shots are too wild and his basic control in tight spaces lets him down.  I'm not saying there's much to choose between Rondon and HRK. The point about different style is that when in a game a forward isn't getting any change out of defenders, you change things around, and sometimes a different style can make the breakthrough. However,of the 3,  JayRod looks the best all round forward. He gets into better positions and looks more likely to score than Rondon. Will be intersting to see how JRod does in 1 v 1 against a keeper. That's a good test for how much poise and control a good striker has.

[costa blanca baggie]

I'm the last one to defend the tactics or long balls forward football we are playing at the moment, but
nevertheless of the chances Rondon gets, and he still gets chances, he converts very few. His shots are too wild and his basic control in tight spaces lets him down.  I'm not saying there's much to choose between Rondon and HRK. The point about different style is that when in a game a forward isn't getting any change out of defenders, you change things around, and sometimes a different style can make the breakthrough. However,of the 3,  JayRod looks the best all round forward. He gets into better positions and looks more likely to score than Rondon. Will be intersting to see how JRod does in 1 v 1 against a keeper. That's a good test for how much poise and control a good striker has.

He had a 1v1 on Monday night. Barring a good finger tip save, it may have gone in.

[Hull Baggie]

oh this is good, please tell me more about all these opportunities Rodriguez created for himself against Burnley. Overall, and definitely on the attack, that was an AWFUL game that gets some lipstick on it because HRK did good to take advantage of some very suspect defending by Burnley on one of those balls that gets hoofed forward (if WE had been scored on with the same play we would had killed whoever those defenders were)

And Rodriguez and HRK HAVE BEEN failing to score, although it'd be unfair to place the blame for that mostly on them. Then again I don't know how many times I've said that about Rondon, who has had some good performances so far this season despite not scoring in league play yet.

Rondon last season scored on just 8.5% of his shots. Rodriguez this season has scored on just 6.25% of his shots.

To me Rodriguez/Rondon need to start some games together (be it a 442 or 4411) with HRK as an option off the bench (he has more impact this way). But old Tony will never do that. He must know what he's doing after all ... oh, wait, his teams average EXACTLY a goal/game in 101 PL appearances.

Okay so I'll concede that Rodriguez didn't create many chances or maybe any chances against Burnley but he certainly did against Bournemouth.
Maybe it was poor defending for the goal against Burnley but HRK still had plenty to do to score....which he did do. Can you honestly say that you'd be confident that Rondon would have scored?

Why are you comparing Rondon's whole season ratio with Rodriguez's 6 game ratio? You can't compare the 2 things yet, let's see at the end of the season.

I think Rondon played okay when he came on against Man City but other than that he's looked poor (I missed the Accrington Cup game so can't comment on that). To be fair to Rondon I don't think Pulis should have started him against Brighton as he'd only just come back from Venezuela so no wonder he looked jaded but he's done nothing in any of the other games.

[vrabbit]

Okay so I'll concede that Rodriguez didn't create many chances or maybe any chances against Burnley but he certainly did against Bournemouth.
Maybe it was poor defending for the goal against Burnley but HRK still had plenty to do to score....which he did do. Can you honestly say that you'd be confident that Rondon would have scored?

Why are you comparing Rondon's whole season ratio with Rodriguez's 6 game ratio? You can't compare the 2 things yet, let's see at the end of the season.

I think Rondon played okay when he came on against Man City but other than that he's looked poor (I missed the Accrington Cup game so can't comment on that). To be fair to Rondon I don't think Pulis should have started him against Brighton as he'd only just come back from Venezuela so no wonder he looked jaded but he's done nothing in any of the other games.

let me clarify I'm not looking to discredit HRK's work on the goal, like I said he took advantage of the situation. Could Rondon have scored on that situation? Maybe, it's not like it took a skill HRK has that Rondon hasn't. But again, I'm not trying to make HRK's goal something about Rondon.

Of course I'm not trying to equally compare Rodriguez' ratio after 8 games to a whole season from Rondon, but I did find it interesting when I looked at it. I'm certainly not trying to argue Rodriguez is worse.

And saying Rondon has looked poor other than against City and the Accrington game is false:

Vs Bournemouth, he came on in the 87th minute against Bournemouth and (get this, Baggie82) created a really good scoring chance on a counter by making a good run from his own side of the field, getting the ball just after midfield and forcing Begovic to make a tough save on a shot from just outside the box.

At Burnley, he came on after HRK's red against Burnley and did well to keep Burnley honest at the back despite them having a man advantage.

At Accrington, you said you missed it so here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VodjEo-KJ8

Vs Stoke, despite some dissenting opinions on here Rondon put in a strong shift in this game, won corners and free kicks for the team and made a good run on Nyom's cross into the box that went beyond him where Rodriguez' hustle caught defenders napping for his goal (Zouma's attention may have been on Rondon despite Salo being well defended).

At Brighton, definitely poor, and I agree it was baffling to start him coming off international duty, but whatever.

Vs City, played since the 67th minute and I thought he played good. His hustle vs 2 defenders won the corner that resulted on our only goal and he also had a header vs 2 defenders that barely missed short.

at Arsenal, he didn't get anything to work with after coming in at the 64th minute, we all know we were rubbish in that second half.

[paulosull]

At the minute our strikers are urine poor at a time when the team is creating chances, still think rondon up front with chadli playing the number 10 role is our best option.  Those two looked impressive before chadli injury last season.

[Foster#1]

Rondon came with a very good reputation and has a good one at international level
I'd stick by him up front and rodriguez on the wing

[TheBrom]

That's more like it

[Pie]

Happy that he has scored but he really messed up that chance to play somebody in a few mins from the end of first half.

thats the thing he lacks - ability to play a pass

[TheBrom]

Have to admit I was eating humble pie when he scored
 Great strength, pace and a really good finish.

After that though reverted back to falling over too easily and miscontrolling a lot of balls played into him. Saying that he wasn't the worst player on the pitch and wasn't his fault we didn't get the 3 points.

Hopefully the goal has helped his confidence. The celebration looked like a player who needed the goal. Rodriguez seems to be going off the boil a bit, so time for sol to make the most of it and step back up

[Legend]

Had a good game today and took his goal well. That will do him the world of good. By far our best striker. Now he has the confidence to go on and bang a couple of more in.

[geoff]

The "Don" is back on the score sheet.

[WBAinDEVON]

He took his goal well at last he's scored but ineffective the rest of the game

[ashdoy]

One chance one goal.  Played a big part in the build up for the corner for the second.

Won more free kicks than anybody else on the pitch. 81% of duals won. 79% pass success rate. What else does he need to do to get some people to praise him?

Had Rondon been the player who shot from distance when JRod did in the second half, there would have been a witch hunt against him.

[BigFrank20]

One chance one goal.  Played a big part in the build up for the corner for the second.

Won more free kicks than anybody else on the pitch. 81% of duals won. 79% pass success rate. What else does he need to do to get some people to praise him?

Had Rondon been the player who shot from distance when JRod did in the second half, there would have been a witch hunt against him.

He's very much our current Marmite player and I really like both him and Marmite!

[WBAinDEVON]

I am going to cut him some slack. Get rid of Pulis then I will judge him

[baggie82]

Won more free kicks than anybody else on the pitch. 81% of duals won. 79% pass success rate. What else does he need to do to get some people to praise him?

Ha, 40th minute Watford give the ball away and we are at them 4-3 in our favour. Ball comes to Rondon with time and space and runners either side of him. He hesitates, then he stumbles, then he takes a heavy touch, then he kicks the ball straight to a Watford player and falls over. It was embarrassing. Unbelievable that a player at this level can't trap, control and move with the ball. His goal yesterday, first in 27 games I believe has not changed my opinion of him.