[brummyroader]

On TalkSPORT this morning, talks well on a range of things less of an ego that is portrayed.

[zippyandbungle]

I do not accept the he got us promotion argument at all, he was joint 29th highest scorer in the championship. Yes joint 29th on a par with such luminaries as Tom Lawrence / Keiffer Moore & Jed Wallace, who??? I hear you say !!!,

Think about that in the context of our season and how many pens he scored. Simply A very, very average championship striker who we paid fortunes to, Bilic and Allardyce got it right, whoever signed him did not !

Non of their clubs went up?

[ex coseley kid]

Non of their clubs went up?

Yeah, but to be fair, we didn't do up because of Charlie (definitely not Steve) Austin....

One for the oldies.

[TAFKATMNo1Fan]

Yeah, but to be fair, we didn't do up because of Charlie (definitely not Steve) Austin....

One for the oldies.

At least he wasnt the six million dollar (pound) man 

[Hull Baggie]

At least he wasnt the six million dollar (pound) man 

Played like someone had rebuilt him though ...without the power to do it... and from pies.

[albion59]

Just watching Charlie boy. I can't believe he is the same player we had here. What was going  on with our training and fitness regime under Bilic? He as lost weight hasn't stopped running all night and as just scored a good headed goal. Charlie Austin lean, mean goal scoring machine!!

[Pelada]

I have to say one of the major question marks of our side under Bilic was fitness- looking at Livermore in particular who seems to have lost all ability to move.

Austin was a great example too, especially in that period after the lockdown where we stumbled over the line for promotion.

[MBWBA]

I have to say one of the major question marks of our side under Bilic was fitness- looking at Livermore in particular who seems to have lost all ability to move.

Austin was a great example too, especially in that period after the lockdown where we stumbled over the line for promotion.

Ask all West Ham fans, they will say the players became so unfit compared to others under Bilic. I really don’t get this love in with Bilic. Major reason we are in this mess now (unpopular opinion I know)

[gazberg]

Everyones fitness collapsed under his regime. It's all well and good creating a nice friendly atmosphere where the guys loooooooooveeee to go to work but they are paid professionals on loads of money. Work them to the bone.

[TAFKATMNo1Fan]

Everyones fitness collapsed under his regime. It's all well and good creating a nice friendly atmosphere where the guys loooooooooveeee to go to work but they are paid professionals on loads of money. Work them to the bone.

Get em working aaaarrd and running up hills pre season 

[gazberg]

Get em working aaaarrd and running up hills pre season 

Would likely have us in better place than we currently are.

[TAFKATMNo1Fan]

Scores again. 4 in 6 now for QPR

[KN22]

Scores again. 4 in 6 now for QPR

Having watched him many times for us, I find this statistic incredible.

[gazberg]

He looks slimmer now. Combined with the drop in defensive quality he's found his level at this stage of his career.

[SmethDan]

I wonder if they're playing to his strengths.........

[Albionic]

I wonder if they're playing to his strengths.........

I'm not being sarcastic, but i don't know what his strengths are.

Speed - no
heading ability - no
mobility - no
anticipation - maybe
hold up play - no

all i can come up with is experience and nous. Which is alright until you play against defenders with same. Perhaps that is it, he is now at his level.

[skyclad99]

I'm not being sarcastic, but i don't know what his strengths are.

Speed - no
heading ability - no
mobility - no
anticipation - maybe
hold up play - no

all i can come up with is experience and nous. Which is alright until you play against defenders with same. Perhaps that is it, he is now at his level.

but I think Dan was being sarcastic....

[SmethDan]

I'm not being sarcastic, but i don't know what his strengths are.

Speed - no
heading ability - no
mobility - no
anticipation - maybe
hold up play - no

all i can come up with is experience and nous. Which is alright until you play against defenders with same. Perhaps that is it, he is now at his level.

Finishing.

[NJS]

Scores again. 4 in 6 now for QPR

He's happier.  He's nearer home.  He'd already turned us down a season or two before he came to us; we must have been a last resort.  That's the risk of taking someone used to being in the south east out of his comfort zone.

Also he's probably playing with a manager who doesn't want a lone attacker who has to chase the ball being passed between the opposition's back line.

[Hull Baggie]

Finishing.

I kind of agree and the two chances he took at Brum last season demonstrate that, however how many chances did he not finish before he finally scored for us last season in the league?

[lewisant]

I always argued that if we started him more often he'd have been our goalscorer - the one we needed. In the Championship anyway. His goals per minutes proves that. He may not be the most incredible player when he isn't scoring but he's just an old school striker that puts opportunities away.

He looks slimmer now. Combined with the drop in defensive quality he's found his level at this stage of his career.

Now...i thought stripes were slimming and hoops were a no-no for the dad bod but perhaps I've got it the wrong way round?!

[SmethDan]

I kind of agree and the two chances he took at Brum last season demonstrate that, however how many chances did he not finish before he finally scored for us last season in the league?

I'll be perfectly honest. I thought he was pretty much shot before he joined us. There's no denying he missed a number of presentable chances and his timing was often out. However, if you sign a proven forward whose movements are limited, limit his movements to areas where he's proven. He was like a fish out of water in our set up.

We needed a mobile forward who could link play with those around him, turning to spin in on goal as and when required. Instead we got a goalscorer who was often blowing out his rear rocket within the first ten or twenty minutes and cream crackered when chances came his way. He was chasing shadows half the time.

[gazberg]

Now...i thought stripes were slimming and hoops were a no-no for the dad bod but perhaps I've got it the wrong way round?!

I dunno Lewis but he definitely LOOKS slimmer    plus in some clips from the EFL i've seen him moving at a pace, compared to with us anyway.

[skyclad99]

I dunno Lewis but he definitely LOOKS slimmer    plus in some clips from the EFL i've seen him moving at a pace, compared to with us anyway.

I think our lot look fitter too so perhaps they had it easy when SB was with us.......

[gazberg]

I think our lot look fitter too so perhaps they had it easy when SB was with us.......

They do look fitter now to be fair. No wonder the lads were happy under Slav, little fitness work.