| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. 16:08 - Jan 14 with 11554 views | Petros |
Terrific today. Finally penny has dropped, he is not a bench player, or an impact sub, or a winger. He is, potentially, a great centre forward, and should have been playing there all season, as first choice. Far too much made of his rawness and lack of composure. He is improving visibly with every game, is beginning to keep control of his temper without losing intensity, manages to get three or four shots on goal in every game (cf Dykes). Patience is required (as those who watched Les Ferdinand's first games for us will recall). Having a player with this much pace and strength is a rare asset, we must not waste it. |  | | |  |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:21 - Jan 15 with 2022 views | daveB |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:01 - Jan 15 by robith |
Like, I hate to say things like this, but hiding is the only word to describe it. Full blown draft dodging. I only presume Chair was subbed because he actually did some running, admittedly because he decided to play left back for long tranches of the match [Post edited 15 Jan 16:02]
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I think Chair was a fitness thing, Marti said afterwards it was pre planned both him and Colback couldn't do more than 70 mins |  | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:28 - Jan 15 with 2002 views | francisbowles |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:14 - Jan 15 by GaryBannister86 |
I must have watched a different Les Ferdinand. Are you kidding me?
And I don't forget the missed chances, especially the one at Old Trafford in the quarter final when it was 0-0.
But then I also remember the hundreds of goals he scored throughout his career, many of which he made entirely on his own. An aimless hoof down the line from Bardsley that he would turn into a goal.
Don't all strikers miss chances? And don't listen to the rubbish of the analysts of those days. If he played for QPR they had to have some sort of weakness. Yet moving to Newcastle - like Peacock - and they had suddenly "improved their game". Bullshine.
Not since someone on here said they didn't "get" Ray Wilkins have I been quite so astonished. |
I think you have completely overblown my comment. It was a post about SA which just made a comparison that said Sir Les missed chances too and mentioned a quote from, a respected and considered intelligent, former international footballer. | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:39 - Jan 15 with 1947 views | terryb |
I have seen a big improvement in Sinclair Armstrong recently & he looks a far better prospect than he did a month ago. However, he is still a long way from being a goalscorer & is mainly dependant on his pace & power.
We need him to continually harass defenders, but if we don't convert our chances it will have little effect.
OPn the first goal, I'm another one who thought at the time that Begovic should have done better & that his starting position was questionable. Having watched the highlights, I flip between being at fault, may have been at fault & no fault at all! | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:41 - Jan 15 with 1937 views | ngbqpr |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:14 - Jan 15 by NW5Hoop |
He manages to make things happen in the final third, and it's been a minute since we had anyone who could do that, and he does it on his own, so everyone notices. The other thing to remember is his finishing is getting better – a year ago he wouldn't have been forcing the keeper to make saves, and now he is. Sooner or later more of them are going to start going over or under or to the side of the keeper. With Armstrong, there's the excitement of knowing something is going to happen, and people like that. Especially when there's nothing else to get excited about. |
This 100%.
And if he does slowly but surely up his % of conversions...more chance it's with us...in League 1. |  |
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| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:49 - Jan 15 with 1896 views | GaryBannister86 |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:28 - Jan 15 by francisbowles |
I think you have completely overblown my comment. It was a post about SA which just made a comparison that said Sir Les missed chances too and mentioned a quote from, a respected and considered intelligent, former international footballer. |
Sorry - I get your point now, got overexcited and didn't read it properly! | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 17:09 - Jan 15 with 1861 views | tkqpr |
He needs a good blend of Magnesium and some Magnesium Oil pre match rub to help with his cramping.
But i agree he is having to learn his trade in the Championship and so looks raw, but remarkable how he's improving.
Bit harsh on the header as he rose like a salmon and made a good contact but was so high off the ground it was difficult to direct downwards.
I just hope he stays with us or atleast we get what we are due for him if the club has to sell.
But he causes danger. Which brings other players into play. |  | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 17:25 - Jan 15 with 1813 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 15:22 - Jan 15 by Northernr |
Well you know I thought so at the time, but having watched the replay I'm not sure.
In general I don't think Begovic's footwork is good enough any more - on shots like that he basically collapses from whatever position he's standing in, doesn't push off and project himself any more - but it really was right in the corner. I'm not sure. |
I think both are true: his footwork was poor so yes he should have sone better, but it wouldn't have mattered as the shot would have gone in regardless. |  |
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| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 17:27 - Jan 15 with 1802 views | Loyalitat |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:39 - Jan 15 by terryb |
I have seen a big improvement in Sinclair Armstrong recently & he looks a far better prospect than he did a month ago. However, he is still a long way from being a goalscorer & is mainly dependant on his pace & power.
We need him to continually harass defenders, but if we don't convert our chances it will have little effect.
OPn the first goal, I'm another one who thought at the time that Begovic should have done better & that his starting position was questionable. Having watched the highlights, I flip between being at fault, may have been at fault & no fault at all! |
I'd rather he harassed the defenders less, conserved some energy to then show far greater composure in front of goal instead. I personally don't believe that composure in those crucial scoring moments can be taught.
I go back many years, but Clive Allen, Paul Goddard, Bradley Allen at younger/similar ages to Sinclair Armstrong, would have converted some of those opportunities that were squandered by Armstrong yesterday. Our lack of goals is why I fear we're doomed. Newly promoted Plymouth have scored twice as many goals as we have and they operate on a much smaller budget to ours. [Post edited 15 Jan 17:57]
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| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 17:28 - Jan 15 with 1794 views | Ad99 |
If someone is not specifically helping Armstrong with his finishing in training then I hope he has the intelligence (or people around him to suggest?) to engage his own personal coach or assistance with this. Didn't Ferdinand realise he needed to bulk-up and went on an off-season gym routine? He returned the following season like a beast.
Anyway, his presence and hassling helps the team win metres further up the pitch, which is both an offensive and defensive asset. | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 19:47 - Jan 15 with 1669 views | WestonsuperR |
Armstrong is very difficult to judge, I’d understand if he was given MOM for yesterday yet how can MOM be a striker who didn’t score and missed 3 great chances? That said I’d still start him next match!
Really want Sinclair to do well but a worry that he is now close to 50 appearances for us and is 20 years old so hardly a youth player, he still isn’t anywhere near the finisher he needs to be at this level, not even remotely close. |  | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 20:12 - Jan 15 with 1598 views | connell10 |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 23:57 - Jan 14 by TheChef |
He's improving but sadly he'll probably find his level with us in League One next season. |
No he will probably go on a free and do well with another championship club.. |  |
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| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 20:34 - Jan 15 with 1547 views | nadera78 |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 15:41 - Jan 15 by robith |
Willock was absolutely maddening yesterday yet still people love to defend him, I simply do not understand it - the benefit of the doubt he is given over other players is wild |
Willock was directly responsible for one goal yesterday and several break aways that were very dangerous. Each time he put in a half-hearted effort and was brushed off the ball with ease. That 2-3 game burst when Cifuentes first arrived has disappeared completely and he's back to his usual self. He's a wasteman, as the kids would say. | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 23:20 - Jan 15 with 1352 views | karlski |
Is he the finished article for a Championship striker? No, absolutely not, and not yet certain he ever will be - with finishing, control, and positioning the biggest areas to improve on.
Is he, by far, the most threatening forward we have, who can make things happen out of nothing? Yes. So he must start games. We look more of a threat when he's on the field, simple.
As to whether he'll ever get there, who knows. He's still young, from my perspective he's shown improvement over time, and he has the physical attributes to rival any striker in this league. The first Bournemouth goal was expertly dispatched - and I think that's something he learned. In the Watford game, the header was fluffed and is definitely an area he is poor in, the chance he created all by himself at the start of the second half I think he did well and it was a good save by the keeper, the other one on one absolutely was a poor touch to try to set himself. But his mere presence and pace to be in that position helped get the chance in the first place. Also in the first half his run and shot parried by the keeper which Chair was a toe away from converting on the rebound - who else in our team is doing that, creating a threatening situation?
There are different types of 'good' striker - some are physical, fast, but technically limited. Others are shrewd positionally, clever finishers. Etc. He's always going to be in the first category, but some of that technical proficiency can be learned, and finishing can be improved via repetition. As for composure, some of it is inherent and can't be taught, but (not just in football) do people gain more composure as they age? Yes, they often do.
Fitness/conditioning an issue with the cramping, which I think will improve with game time, conditioning, and once he stops growing. I recall Andy Murray having terrible conditioning/cramping issues as a younger tennis player, which he eventually grew out of to be one of the fittest players on the tour.
I'm excited by his ceiling and in an ideal world as others have said he'd be out on loan in League One this season, hopefully tearing it up. In our current circumstances, with our current squad, he's actually one of the best options we have. Might not be good enough for us to survive, but until there's a better option, I don't think we can be overly critical of him - and he was a proper threat v Watford, no doubt about it. | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 09:41 - Jan 16 with 1152 views | francisbowles |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:49 - Jan 15 by GaryBannister86 |
Sorry - I get your point now, got overexcited and didn't read it properly! |
Thanks GB86. I definitely wasn't intending to lessen Les's reputation. | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 09:47 - Jan 16 with 1133 views | nadera78 |
Just on the Les Ferdinand thing (and I really need to emphasise he was my favourite ever CF, so I'm not saying Armstrong will ever be anywhere near Les' ability) I've just looked up his stats and it's quite interesting. We all remember it took him a while to get going after he joined the club, but the stats are quite stark.
The season Les turned 20, 1986-87, he played 2 games and scored 0 goals.
Turning 21, 1987-88, he played 2 games for us and 3 for Brentford, scoring 0 goals.
Turning 22, 1988-89, he played 29 games for Besiktas, scoring 18 goals.
Turning 23, 1989-90, he played 9 games for QPR, scoring 2 goals.
Turning 24, 1990-91, he played 21 games, scoring 8 goals.
Turning 25, 1991-92, he played 25 games, scoring 12 goals.
And that's really when he hit his stride, aged 24/25, and went on to utterly dominate defenders and score buckets of goals.
Again, I'm not saying Armstrong is going to be anywhere near Ferdinand's level but, bearing in mind he only turned 20 last summer, we really have no idea what he is capable of. What we do know is that he's still very young, still growing into his body, hasn't had an ideal development plan, and that he's improved leaps and bounds over the past 2 years. | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 09:57 - Jan 16 with 1112 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
Stats be damned.
Play him up front with a newly resigned Seb Polter and watch the season tickets come rolling in. |  | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 10:18 - Jan 16 with 1039 views | joe90 |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 09:57 - Jan 16 by BazzaInTheLoft |
Stats be damned.
Play him up front with a newly resigned Seb Polter and watch the season tickets come rolling in. |
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| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 10:23 - Jan 16 with 1024 views | QPROslo |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 09:57 - Jan 16 by BazzaInTheLoft |
Stats be damned.
Play him up front with a newly resigned Seb Polter and watch the season tickets come rolling in. |
I think Armstrong has shown he is improving. He's already causing big problems for Championship defenders and Keepers. I hope the Club is able to offer him an improved longer contract as he is both likely to be an important player for us if he stays, or may attract some needed revenue from a Club higher up the football ladder in the not too distant future. | | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:45 - Jan 16 with 881 views | CamberleyR |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 20:34 - Jan 15 by nadera78 |
Willock was directly responsible for one goal yesterday and several break aways that were very dangerous. Each time he put in a half-hearted effort and was brushed off the ball with ease. That 2-3 game burst when Cifuentes first arrived has disappeared completely and he's back to his usual self. He's a wasteman, as the kids would say. |
Exactly my thoughts. Willock was just starting to show flashes again of the player we know he can be when MC first took over with that 3 goals in 3 games burst and that brilliant strike against Hull in particular but he's regressed back to the half arsed, only doing what he thinks is enough player who is in Grant Hall mode, preparing for his next contract and not wanting to get seriously injured. |  |
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| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 17:04 - Jan 16 with 837 views | TheChef |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 16:45 - Jan 16 by CamberleyR |
Exactly my thoughts. Willock was just starting to show flashes again of the player we know he can be when MC first took over with that 3 goals in 3 games burst and that brilliant strike against Hull in particular but he's regressed back to the half arsed, only doing what he thinks is enough player who is in Grant Hall mode, preparing for his next contract and not wanting to get seriously injured. |
Yeah 19 games to go, almost certainly won't be here next season, doesn't want to do anything silly does he? |  |
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| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 17:15 - Jan 16 with 820 views | Hoopstar |
Anyone have any gossip/insight re: how likely Sinclair is to sign a new deal? I seem to remember the Evening Standard claiming we had offered him a 5 year deal a few months ago but not heard anything since.
I know we have the year option for him from the club announcement, so under contract to 2025 effectively.
Jury is still out but was by far the most interesting player to watch vs Watford - and its desperately needed watching the Rs atm. I still have high hopes for him, mismanaged as his development has been through necessity. |  | | |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 19:10 - Jan 16 with 695 views | Loyalitat |
| Sinclair Armstrong: a bright spot. on 09:47 - Jan 16 by nadera78 |
Just on the Les Ferdinand thing (and I really need to emphasise he was my favourite ever CF, so I'm not saying Armstrong will ever be anywhere near Les' ability) I've just looked up his stats and it's quite interesting. We all remember it took him a while to get going after he joined the club, but the stats are quite stark.
The season Les turned 20, 1986-87, he played 2 games and scored 0 goals.
Turning 21, 1987-88, he played 2 games for us and 3 for Brentford, scoring 0 goals.
Turning 22, 1988-89, he played 29 games for Besiktas, scoring 18 goals.
Turning 23, 1989-90, he played 9 games for QPR, scoring 2 goals.
Turning 24, 1990-91, he played 21 games, scoring 8 goals.
Turning 25, 1991-92, he played 25 games, scoring 12 goals.
And that's really when he hit his stride, aged 24/25, and went on to utterly dominate defenders and score buckets of goals.
Again, I'm not saying Armstrong is going to be anywhere near Ferdinand's level but, bearing in mind he only turned 20 last summer, we really have no idea what he is capable of. What we do know is that he's still very young, still growing into his body, hasn't had an ideal development plan, and that he's improved leaps and bounds over the past 2 years. |
So in Les' "fallow" years of goal scoring, after having returned from Turkey for the second time, he managed 22 goals in 54 games, all in the premier league/top division. That's mightily impressive I'd say. [Post edited 16 Jan 19:15]
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