Leigh Griffiths

Thankfully those in charge of our club have refused to drop our 40 goal a season striker because his first touch is poor and not great at holding the ball up.

 

Aye, Hoopers all round play was excellent as well though. They would feed off the gaps they created for each other, had that understanding where they knew when one would drop deep and the other goes beyond.

Griffiths and Stokes were developing that, the final half of Lenny's last season when Griffiths came in co-inceded with us playing two up top instead of 1 and Stokes best for of his Celtic career, acoring 14 in 16 and setting up 7 if I remember right.

What worries me is Ronny said he only had the option of two up top when Cole came in. He didn't with Guidetti or Stokes? Both would make good partners for Griffiths. Seems he can't think outside the box sometimes. That's the biggest reason we're on dimensional for me. Not Leigh Griffiths.

 

He's improved his hold up and overall play..

He's worked hard to be our first choice striker and his goals speak for themselves.. If he he keeps improving his awareness he could be the answer in Europe, he certainly deserves a chance.

Don't get me wrong we do need quality up front but, that costs money, which we don't have or aren't willing to gamble on!

Anyone who has played the game at any level knows scoring is the hardest part, so it shouldn't be glossed over..

Teemu Pukki had great awareness, speed and hold up play but couldn't put the ball in the net.. I know who I'd rather have..

He's not the finished article and he knows it which is in itself the mark of the man.

The Boyd comparison is an easy one to make but they are only comparible in domestic goals. Griffiths has far more to his overall game.

 

Agree again. I think Kris Commons (in both the 2nd half of Lennon's first season and the second half of his final season) really added to the Hooper/Stokes and Hooper/Griffiths partnerships.

We effectively had a narrow front 3, all of whom were capable of scoring and/or assisting at any given time. The only downside to a front 3 featuring both Commons and Stokes is they don't give you much pace or pressing.

 

Not much pace actual sprinting wise but they made the tempo on the ball very high, they move the ball between themselves very quickly. Something we struggle with these days.

 

Yeah. Just a shame Stokes and Commons both seem like they're finished under Deila.

Anyway, the point is that we should be finding a way to maximise the goal-scoring ability of Griffiths within the team framework. Not blaming him for doing what he does best and scoring goals, despite often being isolated.

 

Commons is finished here imo I do like him but clearly Ronny rates GMS, Armstrong before him

 

I'm all for alternative views but I read a few pages back that we would score more goals without Griff. Talk about nuking the fridge hi :smiley-laughing002:

 

Very true

 

Dont worry lads Deila is finished. We will get a fresh start in the summer.

 

You've said that for 18 months

 

This is it in a nutshell. Those 3 were so intelligent together. I would love to see stokes griffiths and commons just in behind, breaks my heart that were so predictable nowadays- get lenny back to * :smiley-laughing002:

 

Hopefully a fresh striker too.

 

Griffiths' biggest problems are still evident, as good as his goal return is.

His all round play is still terrible i.e. his first touch, running with the ball, lifting his head to pick out a pass etc. The game against Dundee was proof of that, he couldn't trap the ball.

He has very little composure in front of goal when it comes to one on ones, he usually ends up firing straight at the 'keeper when he should be trying to slide it past him or * it. And obviously we know about his penalties.

Yes he has got a very impressive goal return this season...BUT, and I know this might sound silly, he really should have more based on the countless chances he misses. I know he's won us games, like today, and got us out of some holes before. But he's also cost us points due to awful finishing and bad decision making i.e. Ajax. Even today, he got very lucky with the second goal because the goalie had a howler.

As most probably know, I'm not a fan of him and never have been. It's not down to him as a person, I just don't rate the guy anywhere near as much as others do. And if we go into next season with Griffiths as our best and number 1 striker, I'll be majorly disappointed. Not because he can't do the business in the domestic competitions, we know he can, but because he frustrates the living * out of me. And I don't trust him.

 

It should have happened long ago but nearly blowing the league means he has crossed the point of no return and as much as I think our suits are a bunch of incompetent * wits I dont think they are that stupid.

 

I'm curious, when did he nearly blow the league?

 

By your own admission, your very own prejudices are outweighing the facts!

The other night after Dundee you were slating him as he hadn't scored for 2 games etc etc, ironically the same night I was hearing the same line being aimed at Messi by some roasters on BT Sports coverage against Athletico.

In what has been in the most an awful season, particularly when it comes to entertainment I personally can find far more worthy targets than someone who will bag us 40 goals, but as you keep on saying "you don't like him" so he must be * then!

 

It's not a prejudice. I don't like him because I don't rate him.

I'm positive I wasn't slating him for not scoring in a couple of matches, it was because he was having a stinker. Losing the ball every time he got it.

Christ, I'm hardly targeting the guy.:smiley-laughing002:

Just saying that people overlook a lot of things regarding Griffiths. He's nowhere near as good as some believe.

 

He's as good as people think. Everybody knows he has weaknesses but scoring 37 goals so far this season is an absolute incredible achievement. People focus so much on his weaknesses because he is the only option we have. If we had others everybody would be more ecstatic with him than we already are.

 

He should have scored more with his chances but it's his movement giving him the chances. The other strikers playing instead of him dont create these chances.