Paynter & McCombe

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Oster is exactly the player we're missing at the moment IMO, now we've sold Stock we lack someone who's a good passer of the ball,  Woods is ok but he's not consistently good.

[bradford exile]

IMHO..Oster was at his best when Stock was injured season before last.

He stepped in and was a class act, then something happened that seemed to take all his confidence away.

While Stock was out he made the difference in many more ways than one.When Stock came back it all changed.

Perhaps a little bit like Copps and one or two others who were completely out of favour while McIndoe was here, once he went there were others that came to the fore.

Posed the question because I thought seeing as how we are WELL short of good midfielders he could at this level be a good player in this team.

Regards

Ray....

[Spud]

Thanks guys, so thats
a handful of us at least who can recognise a half decent player!

Count my vote too. Completely agree with what the Beast just said.

[MartinB]

Technically great 111 games 2 goals?

[eastender]

Technically great 111 games 2 goals?

2 goals and one of them was a deflection (Palace home last season) say's it all really.

[Chris]

Technically great 111 games 2 goals?

2 goals and one of them was a deflection (Palace home last season) say's it all really.

No it doesn't.

[dickos1]

Not his Role to score goals,, how many goals did stock score? How mant does Scott Parker score? If your sat deep in front of the back 4 your not going to sore many goals are you

[MartinB]

Stock 175-17 goals?

[Chris]

Joe Allen. About 5 goals in well over 100 games.

[eastender]

Not his Role to score goals,, how many goals did stock score? How mant does Scott Parker score? If your sat deep in front of the back 4 your not going to sore many goals are you

Your right it's not his role , the same  as it's not Frank Lampards role but that's not stopped him scoring 126 in 374 games for Chelsea.
We can't afford to rely on strikers alone to get goals we saw that last season  with sharp.
We need  midfielders to chip in , something that's sadly been missing these last few seasons.
Now  hopefully Syer's and any other new recruits will change that.

[CusworthRovers]

Oster is exactly the player we're missing at the moment IMO, now we've sold Stock we lack someone who's a good passer of the ball,  Woods is ok but he's not consistently good.

I was/am a big fan of Oster and defended him stoutly on here, however I would disagree with you on the above and say he's the type of player that we can't afford (and I don't mean financially) and for me he does not fit into our current style. I think he would be slaughtered by the fans more than ever if he was playing in the current system.

[BRMC_rover]

Thanks guys, so thats a handful of us at least who can recognise a half decent player!

Il still be wearing my Oster 16 Rovers shirt this year. Im gutted we couldnt reach an arrangement. Dropping leagues and another year the wrong side of 30 should have been negotiated to fit the budget. I was playing poker last night and the casino decided to play a full season review of the Championship, just to put me on tilt... ( :   I saw plenty of glimpes of quality that Oster had over the other 'tryers' though. Shame people cant realise not all midfielders are meant for the same purpose.

[MachoMadness]

Comparing him to Lampard isn't a fair comparison at all. Lampard hasn't been in a losing team for the last 2 years, to start with, and that's not even getting into why anyone would compare one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe over the past decade to a Championship player.

Oster was shot-shy, that was probably his biggest failing. If he didn't have one he wouldn't be playing for us. But why are people so keen to forget how he was a key part of what is almost certainly our best-ever XI? If he was that crap surely we couldn't have got away with playing him when we were playing well enough to have one eye on the play-offs? Brian Stock was great but he still wasn't good enough to play for 2 players.

[andysly]

I do agree that Oster's best period coincided with Stock being out. He grew I'm confidence as the "main man" in midfield. When Stocky came back almost every passing move had to involve him and Oster was marginalised.
If offered some physical protection he would have the passing ability to take defences to pieces in league 1.

[andysly]

I'd also disagree with the comparison to Lampard and would argue scoring goals is Lampards role. He probably has more shots than anybody in the Chelsea team and is given almost free reign to go forward.
Scott Parker was a better comparison, having said that Oster really should've scored more than 2 goals.

[JonnyRover8]

Can't believe I've started such a debait with pointing out paynters shirt no. But I have always been a big fan of Oster, glad there are many other who appreciated what he brought to the team aswell. People are too quick to forget the sublime link up play between Oster, BS and Copps the season before last and before. He may hate shooting bit got plenty of assists during his time at rovers.

[Al4475]

 Silvesterp,
"so find the level of criticism of oster unusual and generally unfair."

Maybe so - but we gotta have a scapegoat - it's the law! 

My only gripes with Oster were that when he was playing for his first contract with us he was unplayable - then when he'd got it he relaxed a tad too much and that when things weren't going well he kept his head down rather than using his great vision to create things and found himself running into brick walls - can't blame him really - trying to make things happen when others were on different wavelengths. A lovely technical player who would add creativity and guile to our current (IMO)  slightly 'over-destroyer' midfield!

However - he'd need to be on his game more than last season (altho who wouldn't?) to be as effective as he can be!

I'd not turn my nose up at him returning!

[RobTheRover]

Do you really think your midfield is "over destroyer"?  Assuming Paul Keegan doesnt feature too often (here's hoping... )

Copps Syers Woods Cotterill
                Bennett

I wouldnt have called it that exactly.

[Al4475]

RTR:
"Assuming Paul Keegan doesnt feature too often (here's hoping...  )"
Good point Rob.
I think Keegan's gonna start a lot tho (at the expense of Syers who has impressed me) - otherwise what was the point of resigning him?

Like I said I wouldn't turn my nose up at an Oster return - would like to see it in a midfield 3 of Oster, Syers and Woods tho!

Woods on left, Oster on right, Syers in centre then allow Copps and Bennett to play behind Brown or Paynter with a directive to go wide as and when required - it might just work! LOL 

                         Brown/Paynter
 <----------    Bennett          Copps      ---------->
            Woods          Syers          Oster

Bangin!

[RobTheRover]

No Cotterill, Al?

Thats bold.

[dickos1]

Not his Role to score goals,, how many goals did stock score? How mant does Scott Parker score? If your sat deep in front of the back 4 your not going to sore many goals are you

Your right it's not his role , the same  as it's not Frank Lampards role but that's not stopped him scoring 126 in 374 games for Chelsea.
We can't afford to rely on strikers alone to get goals we saw that last season  with sharp.
We need  midfielders to chip in , something that's sadly been missing these last few seasons.
Now  hopefully Syer's and any other new recruits will change that.

What a daft post. Lampards role is to score goals that's what he's made a career doing. He doesn't sit deep and dictate play he gets forward and scores goals. That is the type of player we've been missing for many seasons a goal scoring midfielder, neither stock or oster can be described as that because that's not their strength.

[Al4475]

Cotterill will come in when one of Bennett or Copps gets sold! Heehee!
Anyway Rob it's all hypothetical as it stems on us resigning Oster - which probably ain't gonna happen!

For what it's worth I can see Cotterill being a massive player in this league if he gets the service fropm his full back!

 

[Sammy Chung was King]

One of the reasons Oster looked so bad near the end is A.The midfield round him couldn't tackle either and B.He had gone backwards in terms of what he could do on the pitch,he was good for the first few years we got the best of what was left of him,he was never a tackler when we signed him,in this country all we go on about is what a player can't do,instead of what he can,we let him go at the right time,good luck to him wherever he ends up!!