Beckford.

[seenitall]

Sadly, this topic now goes to show how many on here couldn't be happy if we won the Campions League unless we did it with their favourites. These players, along with the ones they dislike, are generally chosen around 16 minutes in to their debut for us and can never be changed, no matter what happens subsequently. Hence Drinkwater, Nugent, Marshall and Morgan are Gods and Beckford, Danns, Peltier, Mills are destined to be crap forever. The only exception to this seems to be SSL, even though he seems fairly hit and miss depending on his alcohol intake.

Players come in and out of form and thats why you need a good manager, not a fool who picks the same garbage whatever- Nige worries me with his faith in Wellens, Dyer and Gallagher, all of whom have played better for us in the past. Beckford is on fire and currently playing better than any striker at Leicester at this level since Dickov a few years back. Enjoy, don't moan

[Toffee_Fox]

So when it comes down to it you're saying if a player doesn't shine in the first 6 months at the club then what? They're not worth keeping?

Yeah, the jury's out. That's fair. Just because he's been here a set amount of time why do people still have to make a judgement on whether he's worth keeping? His displays have been inconsistent we've seen good performances and poor. His recent performances have been good though, isn't that encouraging enough to give him further opportunity? Not for some it seems.

Posts like they guy above me are just as bad though IMO. How has he 'come good'? He's had a few good performances, encouraging, but he's hardly 'come good', you can't laud it over people after a few good games, the same way you can't claim he's shit after a few poor games.

I watched him enough at Everton, and also seen him train on a daily basis to know what type of footballer he is.

The same fickle fans at Everton and also Leicester called Yakubu lazy, yes that's correct, he doesn't do anything for 89 minutes of a game, moans and is generally frustrating to watch but hes a goalscorer and he scores goals.

Beckford got 11 goals for us last season in 18 starts but he was deemed "lazy" same as Yakubu.

Our top goalscorer is Drenthe on 4, our strikers combined have 7 goals between them.

Yakubu has 15, so double them....Beckford has 14, also double them.

I know who I'd rather have, someone who scores then someone who puts the shift in and grabs a few.

[Haydos]

I watched him enough at Everton, and also seen him train on a daily basis to know what type of footballer he is.

The same fickle fans at Everton and also Leicester called Yakubu lazy, yes that's correct, he doesn't do anything for 89 minutes of a game, moans and is generally frustrating to watch but hes a goalscorer and he scores goals.

Beckford got 11 goals for us last season in 18 starts but he was deemed "lazy" same as Yakubu.

Our top goalscorer is Drenthe on 4, our strikers combined have 7 goals between them.

Yakubu has 15, so double them....Beckford has 14, also double them.

I know who I'd rather have, someone who scores then someone who puts the shift in and grabs a few.

I'm not disputing his talent, personally I've backed him since he came here and have always considered him to be someone who will get you goals. Even after his slow start I said give him til then end of the season and see how he does. If he continues this form for the rest of this season and pushes on next then maybe he'll change some opinions.

All I'm debating though is the criteria for 'coming good' or prematurely judging a player. If his form dips from now until then end of the season then it is going to be hard for people to have that much faith in him as a main striker.

On another note, I do love the type of player Yakubu is. I'd put him in the same category as players like Berbatov and Ibrahimovic. It's just not in their nature to chase down and run around like headless chickens. They don't have pace but they excel with their touch and reading of the game.

[HoustonFox]

I'm not disputing his talent, personally I've backed him since he came here and have always considered him to be someone who will get you goals. Even after his slow start I said give him til then end of the season and see how he does. If he continues this form for the rest of this season and pushes on next then maybe he'll change some opinions.

All I'm debating though is the criteria for 'coming good' or prematurely judging a player. If his form dips from now until then end of the season then it is going to be hard for people to have that much faith in him as a main striker.

On another note, I do love the type of player Yakubu is. I'd put him in the same category as players like Berbatov and Ibrahimovic. It's just not in their nature to chase down and run around like headless chickens. They don't have pace but they excel with their touch and reading of the game.

Love the Yak. Was gutted we didn't keep him.

[Guest Col city fan]

Who's being fickle anyway?

It's great that Beckford is scoring. His finishing has become much improved.

But his all round play can continue to let the defensive unit down.

He is poor in the air

He has a first poor touch.

The first half of the season he was pants.

Since Christmas he has looked much more dangerous.

But if he continues to score goals AND improves as a team player im happy to stick with him

End of...

[Guybino]

WHY ARE WE STILL MOANING ABOUT BECKFORD!?

He's scoring ffs, what, would you rather we had waggy back?

Lets look more to our defence, thats where the problems are.

[Charl91]

It's the defence letting Beckford down.

[Corky]

Who's being fickle anyway?

It's great that Beckford is scoring. His finishing has become much improved.

But his all round play can continue to let the defensive unit down.

He is poor in the air

He has a first poor touch.

The first half of the season he was pants.

Since Christmas he has looked much more dangerous.

But if he continues to score goals AND improves as a team player im happy to stick with him

End of...

Nothing to do with the midfield being dominated then?

[Guest ttfn]

It's the defence letting Beckford down.

Or is Beckford letting the defence down? Before my comment inevitably gets taken out of context, I'm not saying for a moment that he is causing our defensive crisis at the moment, far from it. But if you have a centre-forward who routinely fails to retain possession, it causes unnecessary pressure on the defence. It's the opposite effect of our problem when we went down to League One. We had defenders who couldn't pass wind after a night on the beans, but were experts at blocking shots and heading it clear. I loved Kisnorbo, but his routine failure to pick out a blue shirt was a contributory factor in us failing to score goals.

We should be defending as a team. I've rarely seen that this season. Brighton at home was one example where it happened, and we won 1-0, with Beckford putting in an extremely disciplined (if unflashy) performance.

I watched him enough at Everton, and also seen him train on a daily basis to know what type of footballer he is.

The same fickle fans at Everton and also Leicester called Yakubu lazy, yes that's correct, he doesn't do anything for 89 minutes of a game, moans and is generally frustrating to watch but hes a goalscorer and he scores goals.

Beckford got 11 goals for us last season in 18 starts but he was deemed "lazy" same as Yakubu.

Our top goalscorer is Drenthe on 4, our strikers combined have 7 goals between them.

Yakubu has 15, so double them....Beckford has 14, also double them.

I know who I'd rather have, someone who scores then someone who puts the shift in and grabs a few.

Beckford has 1 goal against Premier League opposition this year, 11 against Championship opposition and 2 against League Two. It's not exactly a fair comparison.

Also, why make the assumption that because somebody dislikes Beckford they dislike Yakubu? Yak dropped down a division, never gave it any of the Billy big bollocks nonsense we've seen from Beckford, had the ability to retain possession with his back to goal and scored at a far better rate. I really rated Yakubu last season. At least with Yakubu you can say "all he does is score goals". Well 10 days ago, before this thread was started, Beckford had 9 in 6 months. If you were to apply that tag to him, based on this season, you'd surely have to add the clause "but not very often" at the end?

Sadly, this topic now goes to show how many on here couldn't be happy if we won the Campions League unless we did it with their favourites. These players, along with the ones they dislike, are generally chosen around 16 minutes in to their debut for us and can never be changed, no matter what happens subsequently. Hence Drinkwater, Nugent, Marshall and Morgan are Gods and Beckford, Danns, Peltier, Mills are destined to be crap forever. The only exception to this seems to be SSL, even though he seems fairly hit and miss depending on his alcohol intake.

Players come in and out of form and thats why you need a good manager, not a fool who picks the same garbage whatever- Nige worries me with his faith in Wellens, Dyer and Gallagher, all of whom have played better for us in the past. Beckford is on fire and currently playing better than any striker at Leicester at this level since Dickov a few years back. Enjoy, don't moan

What makes Pearson's regular selection of Beckford any better than that of Wellens, Dyer or Gallagher? Certainly Wellens and Dyer have had as many good games as Beckford this season, despite the fact that both have been dreadfully inconsistent. At least their continued selection could be justified by the fact that they had played well for us before, whereas Beckford offered absolutely nothing in his first six months at the club.

As for your comparison to "any striker at this level since Dickov" - well unfortunately we've not been blessed with anybody particularly good in that time, but I'd still rate Fryatt's first 2 months in 2009-10 as a consistently superior level of performance from a centre-forward at this level, and half of this board thought he was shit too.

And the bit in bold? Ironically in rubbishing the hyperbole of Leicester fans you've written something which is completely exaggerated. There seems to be a fairly broad split on the board about which players are the ones doing the business for us at the moment (broadly none) and which aren't. I think if you started a poll for each of the players you named in that list, their popularity would be roughly the same, with the exception of Nugent, who has been consistently excellent this season.

You then go on to write off Gallagher, Wellens and Dyer as "garbage" despite criticising fans for having intransigent and OTT views in their assessment of players.

So when it comes down to it you're saying if a player doesn't shine in the first 6 months at the club then what? They're not worth keeping?

Yeah, the jury's out. That's fair. Just because he's been here a set amount of time why do people still have to make a judgement on whether he's worth keeping? His displays have been inconsistent we've seen good performances and poor. His recent performances have been good though, isn't that encouraging enough to give him further opportunity? Not for some it seems.

Posts like they guy above me are just as bad though IMO. How has he 'come good'? He's had a few good performances, encouraging, but he's hardly 'come good', you can't laud it over people after a few good games, the same way you can't claim he's shit after a few poor games.

Ultimately if you sign a player to a 3-year deal, if you give them six months to bed in, you're wasting 17% of their contract. Wellens moved to City at a similar stage in his career and hit the ground running. I'm not saying chuck anybody out after six months if they've not settled, but I think you have to question why it would take half a year and 30-odd games for somebody to "settle". It really shouldn't take that long, not when you train with the same players every day and you're an experienced professional.

Anyway, I agree entirely with the rest of your post.

[ARM1968]

I said the lad would come good when people were slagging him - and he is doing. We need him here next season. In a consistent, confident side, he and Nugent are both 20 goal a season strikers at this level.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Also, why make the assumption that because somebody dislikes Beckford they dislike Yakubu? Yak dropped down a division, never gave it any of the Billy big bollocks nonsense we've seen from Beckford, had the ability to retain possession with his back to goal and scored at a far better rate. I really rated Yakubu last season. At least with Yakubu you can say "all he does is score goals". Well 10 days ago, before this thread was started, Beckford had 9 in 6 months. If you were to apply that tag to him, based on this season, you'd surely have to add the clause "but not very often" at the end?

I wish some one would point out where exactly Becford has been a Billy Big Bollocks. Was it when he faced the crowd at West Ham when half of them were cheering the fact he was substituted? A lot of people saw him as an arrogant twat who was showing total disrespect for the fans. Of course another way to look at it would be that he wwas hurt and embarassed by the way he was treated and reacted in the way most people with any pride would.

Or last sunday when he took a bow then lifted the arm of Danns in thanks to his excellence leading up to the goal? Apparently he wasn't getting on with the game quick enough... When exactly?

Some of his performances have been shite especially when he first joined us and I am sure he will know this. All of this arrogance and Billy Big Bollocks stuff has never been backed up with any fact. Has there been reports that he has ever refused a autograph? Does he walk around outside of football giving the big I am? I have not seen anything to suggest that he has ever done this. He seems popular enough with the rest of the team now.

Perhaps he has a persona which he may hide behind as he is quite a shy person. Look at how long he took to settle at Everton and the same seems to apply here. I would not like to see him moved on as I can see a fantastic partnership developing between him and Nugent. Long may it continue.

I hope he realises that there are some fans who appreciate the hard work he has put in to get his game back together and his record in 2012 speaks for itself.

[NeilyBoy]

I wish some one would point out where exactly Becford has been a Billy Big Bollocks. Was it when he faced the crowd at West Ham when half of them were cheering the fact he was substituted? A lot of people saw him as an arrogant twat who was showing total disrespect for the fans. Of course another way to look at it would be that he wwas hurt and embarassed by the way he was treated and reacted in the way most people with any pride would.

Or last sunday when he took a bow then lifted the arm of Danns in thanks to his excellence leading up to the goal? Apparently he wasn't getting on with the game quick enough... When exactly?

Some of his performances have been shite especially when he first joined us and I am sure he will know this. All of this arrogance and Billy Big Bollocks stuff has never been backed up with any fact. Has there been reports that he has ever refused a autograph? Does he walk around outside of football giving the big I am? I have not seen anything to suggest that he has ever done this. He seems popular enough with the rest of the team now.

Perhaps he has a persona which he may hide behind as he is quite a shy person. Look at how long he took to settle at Everton and the same seems to apply here. I would not like to see him moved on as I can see a fantastic partnership developing between him and Nugent. Long may it continue.

I hope he realises that there are some fans who appreciate the hard work he has put in to get his game back together and his record in 2012 speaks for itself.

Unfortunately there are still a lot of shits in the stands and on this forum.

[HoustonFox]

Six months is plenty of time for a seasoned pro not adjusting to a new league.

Beckford was given a fair crack. Unfortunately he let everybody down with a series of disinterested displays.

One good week, whilst encouraging, doesn't change what's happened. If you were to judge Beckford at this point, with 13 goals (7 league) would you say he's been a success? At best you might say the jury's out.

Article on the BBC site today about Billy Sharp. He was signed for 2 mil in Jan and has only made 3 starts and he's a "seasoned" Championship striker. If this was him for Leicester, there'd be a thread on here called "Sharp" and people moaning about him being a waste of money. No wonder he didn't join...

[ThurnbyLodgeFox]

Beckford has lived up to expectations! His partnership with Nugent is arguably the best strike force in the league. Would be a shame to see one or both of them sold. We actually look dangerous on the attack now

[Leicester Lass]

Six months is plenty of time for a seasoned pro not adjusting to a new league.

Beckford had very few games in the Championship before joining us, so you could argue he did have to adjust to a new league.

[Happy Fox]

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/story-15609822-detail/story.html?

Oh look here even David Nugent alludes to it.

"We are playing to Jermaine's strengths now. We know he wants the ball in behind the defence rather than into his feet. He is always spinning out, running in behind, and it is working at the moment.

[foxfanazer]

I wish some one would point out where exactly Becford has been a Billy Big Bollocks. Was it when he faced the crowd at West Ham when half of them were cheering the fact he was substituted? A lot of people saw him as an arrogant twat who was showing total disrespect for the fans. Of course another way to look at it would be that he wwas hurt and embarassed by the way he was treated and reacted in the way most people with any pride would.

Or last sunday when he took a bow then lifted the arm of Danns in thanks to his excellence leading up to the goal? Apparently he wasn't getting on with the game quick enough... When exactly?

Some of his performances have been shite especially when he first joined us and I am sure he will know this. All of this arrogance and Billy Big Bollocks stuff has never been backed up with any fact. Has there been reports that he has ever refused a autograph? Does he walk around outside of football giving the big I am? I have not seen anything to suggest that he has ever done this. He seems popular enough with the rest of the team now.

Perhaps he has a persona which he may hide behind as he is quite a shy person. Look at how long he took to settle at Everton and the same seems to apply here. I would not like to see him moved on as I can see a fantastic partnership developing between him and Nugent. Long may it continue.

I hope he realises that there are some fans who appreciate the hard work he has put in to get his game back together and his record in 2012 speaks for itself.

Thos! Great post

I wish some one would point out where exactly Becford has been a Billy Big Bollocks. Was it when he faced the crowd at West Ham when half of them were cheering the fact he was substituted? A lot of people saw him as an arrogant twat who was showing total disrespect for the fans. Of course another way to look at it would be that he wwas hurt and embarassed by the way he was treated and reacted in the way most people with any pride would.

Or last sunday when he took a bow then lifted the arm of Danns in thanks to his excellence leading up to the goal? Apparently he wasn't getting on with the game quick enough... When exactly?

Some of his performances have been shite especially when he first joined us and I am sure he will know this. All of this arrogance and Billy Big Bollocks stuff has never been backed up with any fact. Has there been reports that he has ever refused a autograph? Does he walk around outside of football giving the big I am? I have not seen anything to suggest that he has ever done this. He seems popular enough with the rest of the team now.

Perhaps he has a persona which he may hide behind as he is quite a shy person. Look at how long he took to settle at Everton and the same seems to apply here. I would not like to see him moved on as I can see a fantastic partnership developing between him and Nugent. Long may it continue.

I hope he realises that there are some fans who appreciate the hard work he has put in to get his game back together and his record in 2012 speaks for itself.

This! Great post

[Guest Col city fan]

I wish some one would point out where exactly Becford has been a Billy Big Bollocks. Was it when he faced the crowd at West Ham when half of them were cheering the fact he was substituted? A lot of people saw him as an arrogant twat who was showing total disrespect for the fans. Of course another way to look at it would be that he wwas hurt and embarassed by the way he was treated and reacted in the way most people with any pride would.

Or last sunday when he took a bow then lifted the arm of Danns in thanks to his excellence leading up to the goal? Apparently he wasn't getting on with the game quick enough... When exactly?

Some of his performances have been shite especially when he first joined us and I am sure he will know this. All of this arrogance and Billy Big Bollocks stuff has never been backed up with any fact. Has there been reports that he has ever refused a autograph? Does he walk around outside of football giving the big I am? I have not seen anything to suggest that he has ever done this. He seems popular enough with the rest of the team now.

Perhaps he has a persona which he may hide behind as he is quite a shy person. Look at how long he took to settle at Everton and the same seems to apply here. I would not like to see him moved on as I can see a fantastic partnership developing between him and Nugent. Long may it continue.

I hope he realises that there are some fans who appreciate the hard work he has put in to get his game back together and his record in 2012 speaks for itself.

I think it's become actually quite clear that Beckford both requires and revels in fan love.

I don't say this in any patronising way, instead that he plays to the crowd when he does well, waving, embracing and soaking-in adulation when it comes.

My 'one and only contact' at the club tells me he's a top bloke off the pitch... Likes a laff and is approachable.

It could be that he is overly critical of himself and can become down during a game a little too easily. This could be why, if things aren't going well for him, he can be visibly seen to get frustrated and his game deteriorates.

Anyway, what I think Pearson appears to have done is to instill some self belief into Jermaine again. It's been increasingly apparent the more games he's played under Nige. A combination of the proverbial 'kick up the arse' and a 'whisper in his ear that he's quality' has probably done the trick with him.

Of course, I'm only surmising, but I bet this is what Pearson has probably done with Beckford.

And it seems to be paying dividends.

Again, to have somehow got so much better out of a player who, let's be honest, was in the pit of his boots at West Ham, smacks of good man management.

[Bob Weasel Fox]

I think it's become actually quite clear that Beckford both requires and revels in fan love.

I don't say this in any patronising way, instead that he plays to the crowd when he does well, waving, embracing and soaking-in adulation when it comes.

My 'one and only contact' at the club tells me he's a top bloke off the pitch... Likes a laff and is approachable.

It could be that he is overly critical of himself and can become down during a game a little too easily. This could be why, if things aren't going well for him, he can be visibly seen to get frustrated and his game deteriorates.

Anyway, what I think Pearson appears to have done is to instill some self belief into Jermaine again. It's been increasingly apparent the more games he's played under Nige. A combination of the proverbial 'kick up the arse' and a 'whisper in his ear that he's quality' has probably done the trick with him.

Of course, I'm only surmising, but I bet this is what Pearson has probably done with Beckford.

And it seems to be paying dividends.

Again, to have somehow got so much better out of a player who, let's be honest, was in the pit of his boots at West Ham, smacks of good man management.

Good post as usual CCF

[Happy Fox]

It also helps that Beckford is getting balls played behind the defense for him to latch on to and the rest is history.

[seenitall]

Article on the BBC site today about Billy Sharp. He was signed for 2 mil in Jan and has only made 3 starts and he's a "seasoned" Championship striker. If this was him for Leicester, there'd be a thread on here called "Sharp" and people moaning about him being a waste of money. No wonder he didn't join...

2mill for 3 games. He would have been destroyed mate.......

[Guest Col city fan]

Article on the BBC site today about Billy Sharp. He was signed for 2 mil in Jan and has only made 3 starts and he's a "seasoned" Championship striker. If this was him for Leicester, there'd be a thread on here called "Sharp" and people moaning about him being a waste of money. No wonder he didn't join...

Do you REALLY think that Sharp didn't join Leicester City because of fear of what may have been written on Foxes Talk?

lol

[MC Prussian]

I think it has become apparent that our strikeforce, consisting of the Nugent-Beckford pairing, as well as Schlupp, has settled nicely.

Just wait until Waghorn's back, add a bit of genius from Gallagher here and there, and we have enough forward options to fear no one.

It won't get us far this season (well, I hope I'm mistaken and we can still make it to 5th or 6th), but with a proper pre-season this summer and a cleansing within our roster, we're looking at great times ahead.

Sadly enough, our stability up front has coincided with a total loss of form of the back four.

It's just not working out completely for our team as a whole so far, is it?

Still, 9 games to go and 27 points to play for. Let's make the best out of it.

[Tielemans63]

I think it has become apparent that our strikeforce, consisting of the Nugent-Beckford pairing, as well as Schlupp, has settled nicely.

Just wait until Waghorn's back, add a bit of genius from Gallagher here and there, and we have enough forward options to fear no one.

It won't get us far this season (well, I hope I'm mistaken and we can still make it to 5th or 6th), but with a proper pre-season this summer and a cleansing within our roster, we're looking at great times ahead.

Sadly enough, our stability up front has coincided with a total loss of form of the back four.

It's just not working out completely for our team as a whole so far, is it?

Still, 9 games to go and 27 points to play for. Let's make the best out of it.

Great post. Exactly what I was going to say. I would just add that I think we need a truly creative CM and a direct and pacy winger and we will have a very threatening attack. I think Nuge and Becks could be deadly next season.

[Guest ttfn]

I wish some one would point out where exactly Becford has been a Billy Big Bollocks. Was it when he faced the crowd at West Ham when half of them were cheering the fact he was substituted? A lot of people saw him as an arrogant twat who was showing total disrespect for the fans. Of course another way to look at it would be that he wwas hurt and embarassed by the way he was treated and reacted in the way most people with any pride would.

Or last sunday when he took a bow then lifted the arm of Danns in thanks to his excellence leading up to the goal? Apparently he wasn't getting on with the game quick enough... When exactly?

Some of his performances have been shite especially when he first joined us and I am sure he will know this. All of this arrogance and Billy Big Bollocks stuff has never been backed up with any fact. Has there been reports that he has ever refused a autograph? Does he walk around outside of football giving the big I am? I have not seen anything to suggest that he has ever done this. He seems popular enough with the rest of the team now.

Perhaps he has a persona which he may hide behind as he is quite a shy person. Look at how long he took to settle at Everton and the same seems to apply here. I would not like to see him moved on as I can see a fantastic partnership developing between him and Nugent. Long may it continue.

"Only weak people feel pressure". How long was that - 25 minutes? - after signing as a City player.

Analysing celebrations is a bit ridiculous as I've stated before, but I couldn't believe he didn't get on with the game as soon as possible. We still needed 2 goals in a one-off game, to get to the semi-finals of the FA Cup for goodness sake. If you watch the highlights on the FA website

(3 minutes 17 seconds in) you can see him, arms widespread, walking over to the crowd. Now, I know he recognised Danns later. Great. But wouldn't you be dashing back to the halfway line instead?

As for the West Ham incident, I have never booed a City player or team off - win, lose or draw - except that day. His substitution was the culmination, not the sole indication, of his Billy big bollocks attitude that day. Berating team-mates for accurately passing the ball to him, taking his eye of the ball, failing to even think about challenging for anything that required any effort. City fans spent a lot of money in getting there that day - it was a big game for the club, being the first game after Sven's dismissal - and he let everybody down. This was also the latest in a string of effortless performances - Millwall (subbed at half-time), Boro (subbed at half-time) and Cardiff.

In fact, here's a potential quiz question for you. Has any City player been replaced at the break more often than Jermaine Beckford in their entire career? Three times this season, and at least another 3 before the hour. And he's only been here seven months.

Compare and contrast with Paul Gallagher, a man who - despite his limited work ethic and often limp challenges - has won a few games for City in the past on his own. He, 30 months, into his City career, was surely more worthy of sympathy from the City fans than Beckford at West Ham, who by this point had played about 10 times and scored once. So when he was jeered off, you might understand a bit more why he'd be angry. So when a large contingent of the City fans jeered/cheered his removal from the pitch, did he turn around and give them the eye like Beckford? No. He stopped, maybe thought about it, and then applauded the fans (presumably those who had decided not to boo). That's professionalism.

Perhaps he is hiding behind a persona. If true, that's very sad. Or, alternatively, you're completely speculating.

The fact is, in each of those situations, you can see it whichever way you want. We're not in Beckford's head, but I'd suggest that there's plenty of evidence to support the BBB theory. You may well be right, and certainly we've seen no signs of it lately, but I think you've only told half the story.

I hope he realises that there are some fans who appreciate the hard work he has put in to get his game back together and his record in 2012 speaks for itself.

Everybody appreciates it. I've conceded time and again that there's been an obvious improvement in his attitude. That's something we can all appreciate and enjoy, and it's benefiting the team in attacking areas.

But I think it's an indication of what a disappointment he's been that he has needed to pull his game back together. Do you pay £2.5 million for a striker who's game is going to fall apart just because he joins a new club?

Also, my problem is not with Beckford himself. It never has been and never will be. I am 99% sure CCF is the same. It is largely to do with the type of striker he is. He can't control the ball with his back to goal (though his first touch for his first at Blackpool was excellent), and it means that the side routinely fails to build promising positions into goalscoring situations, or at least relieve pressure on the defence.

Playing through-balls "to his strengths" is an extremely low-percentage tactic, and will result in us ceding a lot of possession to the opposition by over-elaborating in the final third. The game has moved on from strikers who solely thrive on the ball over the top.

Article on the BBC site today about Billy Sharp. He was signed for 2 mil in Jan and has only made 3 starts and he's a "seasoned" Championship striker. If this was him for Leicester, there'd be a thread on here called "Sharp" and people moaning about him being a waste of money. No wonder he didn't join...

Sharp is struggling to get in a side that a top of the league, not one that is mid-table and had 2 fit strikers (plus Howard) for the last 8 weeks. He's also been at Southampton for two (not six) months, and has had a well-documented and significant upheaval in his personal life. Comparing the two is utterly facile.

Posting in this thread is difficult. All I am trying to say is that the last 2 weeks do not come anywhere close to making up for the previous six months. People are giving it the big "told you so" about a guy who was supposed to fire us to promotion with 20 league goals. He has 8 and we're 12th. The same reservations remain about his overall game. As I've posted previously, it's fine being "just a goalscorer" provided that you score A LOT of goals (comfortably over 20). Otherwise you need to provide something else.

I'm enjoying his recent performances as much as anybody else. He's playing really well and long may it continue. But if you look at the season objectively, he's been a huge letdown, and few people seem to be willing to acknowledge that.