Shinji Okazaki - the forgotten man

[Bunyip]

Let's hope Brenda liked what he saw. He helped change the game with his raw energy alone.

[Costock_Fox]

I absolutely love the bloke and hope he shows enough to make us offer him a new deal before the end of the season. Hero.

[st albans fox]

4 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

I absolutely love the bloke and hope he shows enough to make us offer him a new deal before the end of the season. Hero.

his time here is over come may ..... been a fantastic asset but he is now losing his ability to rat about and that is half his game ..... when he comes on he doesn’t link play any more like he used to .....sad but we need to move on .......I don’t see him wanting to stay around to coach like Wes might ......

[wokinghamfox]

Rodgers high press game could suit Shinji. I believe that he could be an asset of the bench. Got to be worth another year.

[Lovejoy]

Nice memories of Shinji but if we’re serious about cracking the top seven, let alone anything more, we have to move away from this sentimental mentality. No way on earth he gets a new contract.

[Chester Dontlie]

He's not past it as some tend to suggest time and again (the same is being said about Vardy too). If anything he's just a bit rusty which isn't difficult to understand, he's been scraping for the playing time for last couple of seasons. Play Shinji on and he'll deliver the goods, simples... Wish some of our younger players would take a leaf from his book, maybe they'd learn what positivity, right attitude and commitment mean. Don't get people who don't rate him, hard working players like him are the essence of the game for me.

[Costock_Fox]

21 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

his time here is over come may ..... been a fantastic asset but he is now losing his ability to rat about and that is half his game ..... when he comes on he doesn’t link play any more like he used to .....sad but we need to move on .......I don’t see him wanting to stay around to coach like Wes might ......

I agree it’s unlikely but if he shows he can still be an asset to us in these last matches then he will have to show he still has that and hopefully add a goal or two. 

 

Haha let’s get him coaching **** it “OK now CRAWL CRAWL CRAWL AND ARSEHOLE IT A MM OVER HE LINE”

[Costock_Fox]

15 minutes ago, Lovejoy said:

Nice memories of Shinji but if we’re serious about cracking the top seven, let alone anything more, we have to move away from this sentimental mentality. No way on earth he gets a new contract.

I don’t really agree with that. He won’t want mega money and if he shows his old form then he’s worth keeping. I don’t think he will do that and therefore don’t think he will stay but I’m saying if he does.

[lgfualol]

Think he needs to score a few goals to get offered a new contract. No goals and like 1 assist in his last 40 appearances (albeit mostly late off bench) or something is mad. Goals arent his game of course, but Brendan wants goals. 

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

I absolutely love the bloke and hope he shows enough to make us offer him a new deal before the end of the season. Hero.

I think we all love him. He was the soul of the title winning side, but his time has been over here for some time. It goes to show our problems when we are still putting him on the bench even after paying out so much money on replacement strikers. I think his stats speak for themselves and we should have let him go in January when he had an offer.

 

[fazzyfox]

Great contribution yesterday, causing disruption and unsettling the whole Fulham back 4 and keeper. He makes them look like they're trying to play whilst a mini earthquake occurs as they become edgy looking over their shoulder and sure enough cracks appear, composure goes, passes are miss-hit and potential out balls are closed off. Couple this with Vardys nose for a half chance and it's dynamite. At home to Fulham. Just don"t know if it can work against top half clubs and unless we drop Maddison (or play him deeper like the closing phase yesterday)  it's not really practical to try it from the start of games but in this current run of fixtures if Shinji gets 20 minutes in each or when required then great go for it. The only negative is that his opportunities could be at the detriment of Nacho who at the other end of his career is the one we maybe should be giving game time to develop either for the long term here or to maintain some transfer value.

[splinterdream]

If anything he's a bench player, he's not a striker nor a midfielder, we need better than Shinji moving on and I'd rather see the development of Nacho

[Deeg67]

Considering how little he's played, Shinji looked remarkably good yesterday.  He needs time to impact a match, and he finally got it - and impact it he did.  Could easily have bagged one but as is was extremely disruptive in a way that was reminiscent of the title season.

 

The fact is, Rodgers' system has always needed energy guys who high press, and who else do we have besides Shinji who consistently does that?  I don't think he'll be offered a new deal but if he has a few more performances like yesterday over the last two months (assuming he get a chance to) Rodgers may just give it serious consideration.

Edited 10 March 2019 by Deeg67

[urban fox]

Always loved Shinji for his energy passion and that irrepressible smile. For all those on here berating him for lack of goals that was never the main reason he is in the team. He is I believe japan's most capped player? So obviously a bit decent.

Never fitted in with puels style but for one, if he wanted to stay (which he certainly didn't under Puel he actually said the sooner he got out yhe better) then i would give him another year. 

Some of the youngsters could learn a lot from his team ethic and the selfless work he puts in.

[murphy]

1 hour ago, fazzyfox said:

Great contribution yesterday, causing disruption and unsettling the whole Fulham back 4 and keeper. He makes them look like they're trying to play whilst a mini earthquake occurs as they become edgy looking over their shoulder and sure enough cracks appear, composure goes, passes are miss-hit and potential out balls are closed off. Couple this with Vardys nose for a half chance and it's dynamite. At home to Fulham. Just don"t know if it can work against top half clubs and unless we drop Maddison (or play him deeper like the closing phase yesterday)  it's not really practical to try it from the start of games but in this current run of fixtures if Shinji gets 20 minutes in each or when required then great go for it. The only negative is that his opportunities could be at the detriment of Nacho who at the other end of his career is the one we maybe should be giving game time to develop either for the long term here or to maintain some transfer value.

I thought that a new manager might give Nacho a new lease of life or at least a last chance but BR likes high energy pressing from his forwards.  That is not Nacho.  It was telling that he played Shinji ahead of him yesterday and probably leaves KI further iout in the cold.  I would take a big hit on Nacho and offload if possible.

[FoxFossil]

Interesting: Shinji still better than Nacho in a high press?? Could be.

[sm1]

Shinji is the perfect player for Rodgers high press game where you defend from the front. The problem is his lack of goals. Incidentally I met him last week, great in person as he is on the pitch. 

[Guest SO1]

38 minutes ago, murphy said:

I thought that a new manager might give Nacho a new lease of life or at least a last chance but BR likes high energy pressing from his forwards.  That is not Nacho.  It was telling that he played Shinji ahead of him yesterday and probably leaves KI further iout in the cold.  I would take a big hit on Nacho and offload if possible.

Sorry to hear that about Nacho. I wouldn't give up on him yet. Your right about Rodgers. Rodgers golden rule: if your not doing it in training your not playing.  He has to press or score 25 goals a year like Sturridge did. Then Rodgers might have to figure something else out.

Edited 10 March 2019 by SO1

[Deeg67]

10 hours ago, FoxFossil said:

Interesting: Shinji still better than Nacho in a high press?? Could be.

“Could be”?

Edited 10 March 2019 by Deeg67

[shailen]

For me he's our best defensive option from the bench. Gives no one time on the ball and the energy he gives causes the opposition to make mistakes which can lead to counter attacks.

[mozartfox]

We need to move on. As with Wes, this money saved on his wages could be spent much better in rebuilding the squad.

[Guest SO1]

12 hours ago, fazzyfox said:

Great contribution yesterday, causing disruption and unsettling the whole Fulham back 4 and keeper. He makes them look like they're trying to play whilst a mini earthquake occurs as they become edgy looking over their shoulder and sure enough cracks appear, composure goes, passes are miss-hit and potential out balls are closed off. Couple this with Vardys nose for a half chance and it's dynamite. At home to Fulham. Just don"t know if it can work against top half clubs and unless we drop Maddison (or play him deeper like the closing phase yesterday)  it's not really practical to try it from the start of games but in this current run of fixtures if Shinji gets 20 minutes in each or when required then great go for it. The only negative is that his opportunities could be at the detriment of Nacho who at the other end of his career is the one we maybe should be giving game time to develop either for the long term here or to maintain some transfer value.

Up to Nacho to do what's required. Competition is what it's all about.

[HybridFox]

A lot of fans seem to forget the purple patch he actually had under Puel last season. Southampton away...prime example.

 

Going forward, I personally don't think he fits in the direction we are going and probably should be let go in the summer to get regular football.

 

That said, he still has a role to play until then and does offer a Plan B as shown on Saturday. Let's be honest, it's rather Shinji than Iheanacho! 

[Bob Hazels shorts]

Shinji hasn't all of a sudden become a bad player, he's forgotten how to play and had the life drained out of him.

 

He looked like the Duracell bunny on Saturday totally restored and fully charged.

 

In the same way that Mendy can hold a game late on, being a knackered defender the last thing you'd want is having Shinji biting at your ankles.

 

The guy is pretty unique and good for another season

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Keep him as long as he can keep the energy up. Great option and as stated above he's exactly the type of player for the high press.