What are people expecting from Howard?

[ASH17LCFC]

. In a team that scored only 42 goals he scored six of them in 20 appearances. He wasn't that bad for peats sake. He was more prolific than Deej and for that sake Matty Fryatt!!

YOUR RIGHT !!! What was i thinking That million and a half was money well spent.

If we didn't bring him in, i would hate to think where we would be now.

[Corky]

I expect him to put himself about, upset and unsettle defenders, and put away the chances from crosses from the wings.

Also, I hope he looks bothered if he plays. That was my main criticism of him.

[Ultra]

The Howard we saw at West Brom will score goals for fun in this league.

The Howard we saw at most other venues will struggle to reach double figures.

Considering he supposedly had 19 offers for him after we went down, I'm surprised Mandaric didn't accept one of them.

[lildave3]

I've tried to defend him and refrain from criticising him, but at the end of the day he's got to start producing what we want, and that's goals.

Everybody knows he is capable of scoring, and if he gets on the end of some Gradel/Adams crosses this season then with the quality of those balls he should be scoring.

[Shipman Out]

The bloke a target man How many flick ons did he win last season ? Get rid, he's a mardy arse aswell always moaning at the ref when he should be focus on the game.

Sell for anything more then 500,000.

He won bout 80% of everything in the air! of which 5/10% went to a player COS NO ONE WAS PLAYING ALONGSIDE HIM!!!! thanks to HOLLOWHEAD.

do you know what a flick on is?

(are you busy picking HUME 7 off your shirt?)

[Manderic's pants]

Not exactly on topic, but some may have noticed that the Telegraph fantasy football has now extended to League One. Steve Howard is among the three most expensive forwards. Mildly amusing? Interesting? No? Bye.

[ASH17LCFC]

He won bout 80% of everything in the air! of which 5/10% went to a player COS NO ONE WAS PLAYING ALONGSIDE HIM!!!! thanks to HOLLOWHEAD.

do you know what a flick on is?

(are you busy picking HUME 7 off your shirt?)

False

False

and False again.

He wasn't winning fook all in the air and these great flick ons never did do anything even when he did win a header which was very rarely. He had Hume up along side him

and Hume was a better player then Howard was last season. Hume might have ran round like a headless chicken but atleast the effort was there.

You and most Leicester fans on here are like sheep.

Howard is god ... He is isnt he .. I thought that aswell ... Lets all agree Howard is the way forward ...

I'm just waiting for the CLEMENCE IS THE ANSWER thread.

[SussexFox]

False

False

and False again.

He wasn't winning fook all in the air and these great flick ons never did do anything even when he did win a header which was very rarely. He had Hume up along side him

and Hume was a better player then Howard was last season. Hume might have ran round like a headless chicken but atleast the effort was there.

You and most Leicester fans on here are like sheep.

Howard is god ... He is isnt he .. I thought that aswell ... Lets all agree Howard is the way forward ...

I'm just waiting for the CLEMENCE IS THE ANSWER thread.

Is it just a coincidence that he's only been shit at us? Or perhaps he genuinly was having to feed off scraps because of the distinct lack off crosses into the box and general crap lumped balls up to him

[J.Lisemore]

I expect goals from him this season...he could barely do anything last season due to the lack of service from the "wingers". I think he will always be better than fryatt anyway. He had one decent game against Birmingham and now everyone loves him!

[ASH17LCFC]

Is it just a coincidence that he's only been shit at us? Or perhaps he genuinly was having to feed off scraps because of the distinct lack off crosses into the box and general crap lumped balls up to him

No, the bloke is a has been and work this out please.

Derby sold him, when they knew they were going down ... Why would you sell a player who could do a job for you in the championship ? They knew hes passed it and isn't the 20 goal a season striker anymore.

He's crap, FFS !!! Look at his performances last season. Cov away was when a section of Leicester fan chanted Steve Howard what a willy puller.

[breadandcheese]

I've always been wary of slagging off big centre forwards, ever since the days of Ian Marshall, when I'd constantly berate him after he'd run 5 yards, knacker himself out and then fail to trot back to an onside position before the ball was hit upfield to him. In truth, I had plenty of egg on my face as he was a fantastic signing for us and scored when we needed him. He was though a lazy a*se and I think he himself would own up to that, as I know Martin O'Neill would definitely agree.

Whilst I don't expect Howard to be banging in 20 goals a season (maybe more 12, 13), I would hope to see him hold the ball up better. I didn't feel he was effective enough at that last season, which we desperately needed from him. Granted, he didn't have the best team playing alongside him, but he didn't ask enough questions of central defenders at times, which is frustrating because he showed in glimpses he could be immense (QPR away when he came on, he won virtually everything in the air and was holding the ball up). That would be what I'd want to see more of. The best big centre-forwards in the league, don't get 20 goals a season but instead cause the problems, holding the ball up, making a nuisance of themselves and generally becoming irreplaceable in the team. They can leave the 20 goals to their strike partner.

[Maybes]

YOUR RIGHT !!! What was i thinking That million and a half was money well spent.

If we didn't bring him in, i would hate to think where we would be now.

Yeah makes campbell look like a bargain hey

Have you got a fryatt poster on your wall or is it under your pillow next to hume's

[Thracian]

Interesting debate this. I put him in and and take him out of my prefered team like a piston on a steam engine.

People have said he's simply a target man - a person to get on the endof things in the box. Trouble is he's not getting on the end of things in the box.

He's getting flick-ons outside the box but he's either been too slow getting into the box or he's just not had the spring in his legs to win the crosses.

Consequently I get torn between putting him in cos he'll guarantee us 16-18 goals or leaving him out because he slows a team down that I believe, with another quick man up front, would absolutely tear opponents apart on a good day.

Would I really like to leave Adams, Porter, DJ or Fryatt out to accommodate a slowie? When I look at the way the best modern teams seem to be develeping I don't think so but then, assuming he's really committed to Leicester and wants to stay here, I don't know that I'd not want to involve him either.

Sadly it looks like we'll have some bloody good players on the bench this season whatever or even unable to make the suad at all. It is a tribute to the progress made and it will be a great test of Pearson's skill to keep everyone involved and positive.

[ASH17LCFC]

Yeah makes campbell look like a bargain hey

Have you got a fryatt poster on your wall or is it under your pillow next to hume's

Yes because i don't rate Howard i must have Fryatt/Hume gay jungle fever.

DJ and Howard are both shit, Hume and Fryatt are both better.

and remember when i said we would go down if we kept Holloway and you stuck it in your sig to try and make me look stupid ...

[Maybes]

Yes because i don't rate Howard i must have Fryatt/Hume gay jungle fever.

DJ and Howard are both shit, Hume and Fryatt are both better.

and remember when i said we would go down if we kept Holloway and you stuck it in your sig to try and make me look stupid ...

Oh no. Shoot me. You cant blame relegation on Howard surely?

Fryatt last season was woeful and you cannot defend that , however from what I have seen of him in the pre season games he looks like a changed man hence Ive put money on him like a tw@t.

Im not saying Howard is a world beater, he is slow but I think he will do alright this season.

[ASH17LCFC]

Oh no. Shoot me. You cant blame relegation on Howard surely?

Fryatt last season was woeful and you cannot defend that , however from what I have seen of him in the pre season games he looks like a changed man hence Ive put money on him like a tw@t.

Im not saying Howard is a world beater, he is slow but I think he will do alright this season.

Ok i can accept that and i blame Holloway and his fans.

[Houdini Logic]

A Striker.

Not someone who sits in midfield attempting to win balls

[Fez of Mahrez]

A Striker.

Not someone who sits in midfield attempting to win balls

That's exactly it. Whether he was instructed to drop deep constantly by Holloway or whether it was his own idea, it was dreadful to watch and served up the least productive attacking football I've ever seen.

He was successful in teams which had competent, organised midfields (Nicholls, Edwards and Brkovic at Luton - Barnes, Jones and Oakley at Derby) but our wingers changed back and forth practically every game in the second half of last season. We had Laczko, Bori, Etuhu, Hume, Hendrie, Bell and Hayles to name just seven.

Happily we now seem to have four decent wingers who will hopefully compete for two spots all season. As long as the central midfield pairing impose themselves on games, Howard will know that he can stay on the shoulder of the last defender safe in the knowledge that we will play the football necessary to get him on the end of crosses.

That's the theory anyway... In reality Fryatt and Campbell have impressed me more overall in pre-season and if we're not hoofing it and he's not getting on the end of crosses I'd rather see those two up front.

[Guest]

Not many scored a hat-trick at The Hawthorns last season. For my part, I am frustrated by Howard. Give him the right service, and he will score, but he never really got it and for that, I could forgive him. But then there were other occasions when he would be in the wrong place at the right time, and whether or not it was his doing, I don't know. But the times when he looked like he couldn't be bothered. I don't know.

[Salieri]

I've not been Howards biggest fan but the posters arguing in his favour make some valid points.

This season he should get decent service from the wings and hopefully a rejuvenated Fryatt can feed off his knockdowns. If you look at the strikers we've got then Howard/Fryatt is surely the best way to go, at least initially to see how they fare. Campbell for me looks pretty clueless and Hayles simply past it. The youngsters, particularly Sappleton and Chambers hopefully will get an opportunity to show what they can do at some point in the season.

I'm gonna stick my neck out and predict Howard will get 15+ goals this season.......

[clazkel]

I'm expecting effort, passion and enthusiasm, as i feel Howard can be a lazy player and lacks enthusiasm at times!

Hopefully he will be more motivated this season and will do well

Target men can come across as being lazy players at times as they don't always close down and waste energy, but when it counts they put the effort in and last season many times Howard didn't put in the effort i would expect

[Scow]

He is frustrating. I agree with B&C on this one - last season he did not do enough for me overall and it seems this has continued in to pre-season. It's not a case of mistaking a lack of pace for effort, you can tell when a player is not putting his all in to it. We know he has the ability to score goals and cause problems and he's just not doing that. I'm hoping the new approach instilled by Pearson will bring out the best of him - better ball retention and using the flanks to greater effect.

[lcfcrinaldi]

I think we should give him a chance in league one but if he dosent deliver by christmas im afraid to say we should realy let him go. Hes never going to get 30 goals a season anymore hes past his peak even if he does do well I think that we should let him go possibly at the end of this season.

[Cobbo]

Leicester fans have had a problem with target men for years. Does my head in.

'Chase it then Howard you fat shit bastard' - why? He is not fast and he's better off holding his position in the centre forward position.

'Jump for it then you twat' - well I am sure he's trying to win the 50 yard punt, but 6ft 4 centre halves aren't too bad in the air.

With the wingers we have, the service to Howard's head this year will hopefully be from the byline and he'll get us plenty of goals. I will not get on his back and I'm sure if we play the right way, he'll be in the goals.

[Corky]

Leicester fans have had a problem with target men for years. Does my head in.

'Chase it then Howard you fat shit bastard' - why? He is not fast and he's better off holding his position in the centre forward position.

'Jump for it then you twat' - well I am sure he's trying to win the 50 yard punt, but 6ft 4 centre halves aren't too bad in the air.

With the wingers we have, the service to Howard's head this year will hopefully be from the byline and he'll get us plenty of goals. I will not get on his back and I'm sure if we play the right way, he'll be in the goals.

Those West Standers can be quite rude and fickle can't they?