stmichael wrote:Mellor's biggest problem is the 'mental' side of the game - like Fowler (circa 2001-04), it's about doubts. By Mellor's age (22), Owen and Fowler had over 100 goals for Liverpool. Mellor has one. He hasn't had much of a chance to prove himself, but both Owen and Fowler took their chances early on: Owen scoring within seconds of his debut in the top flight, and Fowler scoring on his debut followed by five in the return fixture with Fulham. Mellor needs to prove quickly that he can cut it at this level, before the doubts in his own mind (and everyone else's) grow - as they will. Time is running out - if that sounds harsh, it's life at the cutting edge: it's been two seasons now since his debut, and dividends are required. Before his injury Cisse hadn't yet proved he had settled into English football, but he'd proved his calibre with 100 goals for Auxerre, and goals for France. In terms of all-round threat, a fit Cisse would worry defenders in a way Mellor never could.
Mellor's biggest disappointment was his loan spell at West Ham in the First Division, where his only two goals came against Saturday's opponents, Crystal Palace. Luck was against him - with a change of management and the signing of Brian Deane. But it's hard to believe that if it had been, for example, Jermain Defoe (or even the 18-year-old versions of Owen or Fowler) we'd loaned to West Ham that he'd have been omitted for some aging donkey. Mellor didn't do enough to force his way into the manager's plans - had he been an outstanding prospect, he would have got games, and goals. There would have been no doubts. It didn't close the chapter on Mellor at Liverpool, but it did absolutely nothing to prove he has what it takes at that level, let alone the top level. It leaves more questions than answers. This - the upcoming months - is his chance to answer them, and possibly his last chance.
The mental side of striking is all about pressure. Training and reserve matches don't come with any pressure. It's easy to finish with coolness and calmness when there's nothing riding on the outcome, and only a handful of people looking on. Pressure is the enemy of the striker - you need to be able to put it out of your mind, and remain relaxed. It's what marked Owen out as a great. Fowler was always a better finisher, but Owen had the stronger mentality. Both have suffered injuries, and been written off, but only one has nearly 30 goals for England and is the hottest striker in La Liga, for the world's biggest club; one is still creating memories, while the other is living off of them.
I've also felt many reserve games have often had a huge imbalance in terms of the quality of display, where we've fielded a whole host of internationals, against a reserve team like Bradford or Sheffield Wednesday - teams now in the lower divisions, whose entire first team squad may have been in midweek league action, leaving their reserve team as little more than their youth side. Mellor has also scored goals in more evenly-matched games, but the reserves is not a foolproof indicator of talent.
hmmmmmmm.................Paul Tomkins
