davieG Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 Congratulations to Richard, he's taken a lot of stick but considering he's had more managers than sightings at night clubs , still not 21 and been playing in shit teams for 3 years I think he's done fine. City ace out to celebrate landmark with crucial win by Andy Mann Richard Stearman is determined to celebrate a personal landmark for Leicester City by easing the relegation fears surrounding his hometown club. Lifelong City fan Stearman is set to make his 100th start in Saturday's crunch clash with fellow strugglers S****horpe. Stearman was 17 when he made his first City start against Reading at the Walkers Stadium back in December 2004. A little over three years later he is set to make his 100th start, and the Academy graduate said the milestone had come quickly. He added: "A hundred starts is something I wanted to achieve and maybe it's come quicker than I thought. It would be brilliant, if selected, to mark it with a win."
Koke Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 A 100 starts is impressive for someone his age. How many appearances does he have all together?
davieG Posted 27 March 2008 Author Posted 27 March 2008 A 100 starts is impressive for someone his age. How many appearances does he have all together? + 25 Sub appearances
STUHILL Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 I think one thing Holloway can be credited with, is Stearman's upturn in form. I was even calling for him to be dropped but I remember reading Ollie had a lot to say to him and not all nice either! Almost instantly his performances improved and arguably been our best performer ever since!! Shame about the rest of them. I hope he stays on for another 100, because he is showing signs of being a very good player, maybe even Prem one day.
Thracian Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 It's terrific and an example of what young players can do, given the opportunity, of course.
Babylon Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 It's terrific and an example of what young players can do, given the opportunity, of course. Oh ffs give it a rest.
breadandcheese Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 I think one thing Holloway can be credited with, is Stearman's upturn in form. I was even calling for him to be dropped but I remember reading Ollie had a lot to say to him and not all nice either! Almost instantly his performances improved and arguably been our best performer ever since!! Shame about the rest of them. I hope he stays on for another 100, because he is showing signs of being a very good player, maybe even Prem one day. I agree with that, but to be fair, it didn't take a footballing genius to see Stearman was not suited to wingback. As soon as we reverted back to 4-4-2, playing him in a familiar system, his form picked up.
Fat Ron Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 It's terrific and an example of what young players can do, given the opportunity, of course. I agree, just look at our side, with no youngsters given the chance this season... Mattock Stearman Weslowski King Chambers Hang on a minute... What you talking about?!?! If you want to carry on watching the Academy then fair play but these kids need to be brought through properly if we are to get the best out of them. If you want to just throw them into a relegation battle you could completley nacker the clubs future not to mention the players careers (ie J Stevenson, G Branston, M Piper etc etc)
Kilworthfox Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 I agree, just look at our side, with no youngsters given the chance this season... Mattock Stearman Weslowski King Chambers Hang on a minute... What you talking about?!?! If you want to carry on watching the Academy then fair play but these kids need to be brought through properly if we are to get the best out of them. If you want to just throw them into a relegation battle you could completley nacker the clubs future not to mention the players careers (ie J Stevenson, G Branston, M Piper etc etc) Players who leave LCFC are either too good for us: Lineker, Heskey, Piper @ the time, or not good enough: Branston, Duffield, O'Grady. I can not stand this belief that Stearman is a wonderful player! Have I been watching a differant player over the last 4 years? He is distinctly average to very bad. He does not have the capacity physically, technically or mentally to play at premiership level consistantly. for god's sake he struggles with us. He has been given chance after chance because he is local and young. Well he is a seasoned pro after 100 apps and should not be defended after such poor form overall in a LCFC shirt. Players like O'grady always gave all for the shirt and I could never say a bad word about him as he always tried eben tho he was not technically good enough. I would swap an O'Grady every day of the week for a Stearman who does not do it.
Chromophobia Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 well done richard stearman, you have played an amount of football games that comes to 100, which is really very special. once again, well done.
Thracian Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 I agree, just look at our side, with no youngsters given the chance this season... Mattock Stearman Weslowski King Chambers Hang on a minute... What you talking about?!?! If you want to carry on watching the Academy then fair play but these kids need to be brought through properly if we are to get the best out of them. If you want to just throw them into a relegation battle you could completley nacker the clubs future not to mention the players careers (ie J Stevenson, G Branston, M Piper etc etc) King's been left to rot since the focus moved to experience, I doubt he's played more than four/five full games since Christmas at any level. You conveniently omitted Gradel who was sent for a further stint at Bournemouth. Weso's had almost as much a watching brief as King despite the indifferent performance of our midfielders apart from Hendrie. Beswick has suffered the same fate as Gradel in that we've preferred to try a mishmash of wingers and totally ignored the real ones we've got. A bit like Dodds last season. And that's before we get to Mattock who's probably had the chances he deserves and Shush! who was also sent packing at exactly the same time as our free kicks and corners started to look harmless. I wouldn't especially count Chambers. He was used in an emergency that wouldn't have existed had Gradel been here. So chances for youth players? Stearman was established and Mattock's being fast-tracked as I've said lots of times. The reality is Holloway's given no-one new a break at all. Just put the odd name in the squad. Holloway made nice noises about the youth players when he arrived but has shown exactly where his faith lies - and to our considerable cost so far. Just a final question too. If we're going to bring our kids through "properly" what earthly good is it playing them in matches that don't matter. And when would you say our first team has NOT been involved in a relegation battle these last three years? I suppose if we were top of the league it wouldn't be the time to risk "weakening" the side with kids either. Precisely when would be the right time? When and if the season's outcome is decided? Our fanbase is awash with attitudes like that. Sort of, "we'll give you an opportunity lads - in a cup game we don't give a shit about or when the match is meaningless cos we couldn't possibly risk you playing an important game - not with the standards our top men are setting!" Truth is Holloway doesn't seem to have that much faith in anyone, much less the kids.
Thracian Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 Players who leave LCFC are either too good for us: Lineker, Heskey, Piper @ the time, or not good enough: Branston, Duffield, O'Grady.I can not stand this belief that Stearman is a wonderful player! Have I been watching a differant player over the last 4 years? He is distinctly average to very bad. He does not have the capacity physically, technically or mentally to play at premiership level consistantly. for god's sake he struggles with us. He has been given chance after chance because he is local and young. Well he is a seasoned pro after 100 apps and should not be defended after such poor form overall in a LCFC shirt. Players like O'grady always gave all for the shirt and I could never say a bad word about him as he always tried eben tho he was not technically good enough. I would swap an O'Grady every day of the week for a Stearman who does not do it. Chris O'Grady - 12 goals in 46 matches for Rotherham in his first full season. Strong, fit, willing to learn. He might not have been the final answer but he would have been a better choice than Carl Cort/Mark DeVries and probably Matty Fryatt too early this season, albeit it from the bench. We sold him short really.
Fat Ron Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 I wont bother quoting you whole post as it takes up to much of the screen.. You seem convinced that all of the kids would cope with the pressures of the Championship let alone a Relegation battle in that division. I'm not. For all of the quality they have they still need to be looked after and just throwing them into the side for the sake of it would ruin any chance they all have of making it. You can get away with 4 or 5 being used through out the season but again they need to be used in the right games under the right circumstances.
Thracian Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 You seem convinced that all of the kids would cope with the pressures of the Championship let alone a Relegation battle in that division. I'm not. For all of the quality they have they still need to be looked after and just throwing them into the side for the sake of it would ruin any chance they all have of making it. You can get away with 4 or 5 being used through out the season but again they need to be used in the right games under the right circumstances. I don't know that at all. But I wouldn't fear for them any more than anyone new coming to the club. You put players, young or old, into a team on merit not "for the sake of it". Our young players aren't vulnerable plastic dolls and they've had a lot longer being schooled in the ways of Leicester City than some of the players we've risked recently. How old anyway are Laczko and Etuhu? Hardly ancient. But presumably you'd happily risk these people despite their not having played much with their team-mates nor been familiar with our style of play, such as it is? If I had any player of any age who I believed was a good enough to fit into the team I had in mind I'd pick him for any game, anytime. I wouldn't give a shit who the opposition was or consider that any game was harder or had more significance than another. Every "next game" would be vital to me and if some were perceived as harder than others I might even be MORE inclined to play the youngster because it would show my complete faith in him and would allow him to quickly get over the hurdle of dealing with the supposedly hardest challenge. As a teenager, my youngest has swam regularly in gravel pits, climbed the tallest buildings in West Leicestershire, driven a Winnebago across Texas as his very first qualified drive, gone off-piste and black run skiing, done some of the hairiest ski-jumps you could imagine. Were he young or old things can always go wrong. He's not unusual though. Lots of youngsters do amazing things. Look at that prospective Olympian diver aged 12 or 13. But if I didn't trust my son and have faith in him I'd be a nervous wreck. At what point do you say a kid can go ski jumping or high diving? City's Academy kids do years of preparation for the demands of professional football. But sooner or later you have to show belief in them. And a good opportunity, surely, is when the alternatives aren't doing too good.
FilboFox Posted 27 March 2008 Posted 27 March 2008 All I can say is that I hope he's around for a good few 100 more!
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