by ivor_the_injun » Mon Mar 21, 2005 1:30 am
It was an indefensible challenge really, and to be fair he knew it at the time. It was a nothing area of the pitch, he overcommitted, and thankfully it seems that justice was served. No harm done to Stubbs, and a decent fist at salvaging a point on Everton's part. Just a shame that he'll be suspended during the run-in, as he's been terrifying defences lately.
As for him being utter **** - b*****ks. His control badly let him down for the first one-on-one to allow the defender back, but to be fair Martyn made a fantastic save with his foot in the second instance. Baros had done the hard work by feinting to make the keeper commit one way, and he was just a bit too casual with the finish. There are a lot of keepers out there that wouldn't have gone after the ball with their feet when they'd been floored in a one-on-one, and I'd credit Martyn for a save instead of Baros with a miss there.
When a player's beating the offside trap as much as he is, and let's not forget that he was pretty much owning one of the Prem's most miserly defences today, then you have to say that he's moving in the right direction. The more often that he gets into positions in front of goal, the more adept he'll get at converting chances. He's still a very raw talent, but let's be under absolutely no illusions that he's anything but an asset to the team.
In my first 11 every week, no question about it.