James Henry - LOL

[Sun Tzu]

Henry's a League One player at best.


/end thread.

Why?

You might be right, but I think he has something about him, and from what I've seen of him (that's for the youth team, ressies, us and a few games on loan) and our other wingers I'd just rather he was given more of the chances that Kebe and others have had.

It may be that his attitude lets him down or something, especially as Rodgers was building him up a bit and then never really used him.

I said "/end thread"!


But while I'm here: he has played in League One and played well. He has played in the CCC and played badly.

Ergo.

He's also played well at a higher level.

Wayne Rooney has had bad games for Engalnd. Does that mean he's not international class ?

[floyd__streete]

I said "/end thread"!


But while I'm here: he has played in League One and played well. He has played in the CCC and played badly.

Ergo.

Yeah, thanks for that, Sir Alf

[Thaumagurist*]

I said "/end thread"!


But while I'm here: he has played in League One and played well. He has played in the CCC and played badly.

Ergo.

Henry is still young. Is there no room for improvement?

[Row Z Royal]

I said "/end thread"!


But while I'm here: he has played in League One and played well. He has played in the CCC and played badly.

Ergo.

Henry is still young. Is there no room for improvement?

No.

[Row Z Royal]

I said "/end thread"!


But while I'm here: he has played in League One and played well. He has played in the CCC and played badly.

Ergo.

Yeah, thanks for that, Sir Alf

No worries, m8. Glad you found it helpful.

[Thaumagurist*]

I said "/end thread"!


But while I'm here: he has played in League One and played well. He has played in the CCC and played badly.

Ergo.

Henry is still young. Is there no room for improvement?

No.

I beg to differ.

[Hoop Blah]

Weren't Hobnob FC total gash last year and finished with hardly a point to their name, then this year top of the same league?

Henry has played well at this level too, he was one of our best players at Birmingham last season in what was perhaps one of our best team performances of the season. He made a terrific contribution off the bench against Norwich as well, so the poor performance against Blackpool (I think it was) isn't the yardstick he should be judged on. For the record, I don't think that poor performance was half as bad as some Kebe has put in.

Agree with Stranded though, quite happy for the current midfield to be selected above him, but I still think he deserves the chance in future. Hopefully the new contract confirms he will, and it's not just a ruse to make sure we get a fee for him in January or next summer.

[Row Z Royal]

Weren't Hobnob FC total gash last year and finished with hardly a point to their name, then this year top of the same league?

Indeed. We've been given a second chance and we're grasping it.

How many chances does Henry deserves? Falls into the same bracket at Long, I'm afraid. Offered a lot, delivered little.

[Hoop Blah]

To be honest, I think he's only be given one fleeting chance in the first team, and that was last season when Kebe was suspended and he did ok.

Behind the scenes he might've thrown chances away, but in the majority of games I've seen he's done pretty much what I'd ask of my right midfielder. For me it's mainly what happens on the pitch that matters and so I'd like to see more of him in a Reading shirt, if then his performances aren't up to scratch then give the the boot.

[Thaumagurist*]

How many chances does Henry deserves? Falls into the same bracket at Long, I'm afraid. Offered a lot, delivered little.

Indeed? You think Henry has made many appearances as Long has? Does Henry's 10 appearances and 5 subs come anywhere near Long's 47 appearances and 76 subs?

[Row Z Royal]

How many chances does Henry deserves? Falls into the same bracket at Long, I'm afraid. Offered a lot, delivered little.

Indeed? You think Henry has made many appearances as Long has? Does Henry's 10 appearances and 5 subs come anywhere near Long's 47 appearances and 76 subs?

No, hence my discombobulation at the Long love-in.

Anyway, I've got work to do.

[Thaumagurist*]

Does this mean I win this argument? Henry has barely been given much of a chance at this level, because he's young and competing with McAnuff and Kebe. I would hope that, when he returns from his loan, he will start challenging the status quo.

[Schards#2]

I would have thought he could do a job coming off the bench up front or replacing Church when he's out of form/needs a break.

Hard to believe he would be a worse option than Long.

Not only has he had few chances at Reading but he's done pretty well in the limited pitch time he's had. Furthermore, look at some of the goals he's scored for Bournemouth and Millwall. There are plenty of players, Long included, who will never score goals of that quality, whatever level they were playing at.

[Wycombe Royal]

To have a proven goalscorer and free kick specialist out on loan when you are a team that is struggling to score seems rather odd to me.

Proven goalscorer?

Free kick specialist?

Are you sure you are talking about James Henry?

I would have said that those comments apply more to Scott Davies than James Henry......

He's consitently scored goals in whatever side he's played in.

He's also very good delivering the ball from set pieces, and he's also scored a few times from them too.

I don't see how you can really argue with Schards comment, apart from that he's not proven it at Championship level, which of course he can't as he's not really had the run he'd need to do so. Davies is similar in that he's always scored goals whichever team he's played in so far. Personally I don't think he's ready to play Championship football yet though.

Someone who has only started just over 30 league games in his career cannot be said to be "proven".

If we signed a player with those stats as our answer to our right wing I can imagine everyone being so happy that we signed a proven goalscorer and a free kick specialist........

[Hoop Blah]

Fair enough WR, I was also taking into account his record for the youth teams and reserves as proving his abilty in front of goal.

To the wider world that's not really proven though admittedly.

I think his ability in both areas are proven, albeit not at this level though and without the stats and history to back it up.

[Sun Tzu]

I would have thought he could do a job coming off the bench up front or replacing Church when he's out of form/needs a break.

Hard to believe he would be a worse option than Long.

Not only has he had few chances at Reading but he's done pretty well in the limited pitch time he's had. Furthermore, look at some of the goals he's scored for Bournemouth and Millwall. There are plenty of players, Long included, who will never score goals of that quality, whatever level they were playing at.

To be fair to Long he has scored some crackers - was it a cup game where he chased an absolute lost cause and then slammed it in from a ridiculous angle ?

[sandman]

I did see an interview a couple of weeks ago where Henry said he was enjoying his time at Millwall and said it was "nice to have a manager who trusts me".

I'm sure most of the people who dislike him will use this to say that he is arrogant and a trouble maker but I think think he has a fair point.

[Stranded]

I would have thought he could do a job coming off the bench up front or replacing Church when he's out of form/needs a break.

Hard to believe he would be a worse option than Long.

Not only has he had few chances at Reading but he's done pretty well in the limited pitch time he's had. Furthermore, look at some of the goals he's scored for Bournemouth and Millwall. There are plenty of players, Long included, who will never score goals of that quality, whatever level they were playing at.

Maybe the manager believes he is better served getting 90 mins week in week out than possibly getting on for 15mins out of position?

[Schards#2]

I would have thought he could do a job coming off the bench up front or replacing Church when he's out of form/needs a break.

Hard to believe he would be a worse option than Long.

Not only has he had few chances at Reading but he's done pretty well in the limited pitch time he's had. Furthermore, look at some of the goals he's scored for Bournemouth and Millwall. There are plenty of players, Long included, who will never score goals of that quality, whatever level they were playing at.

Maybe the manager believes he is better served getting 90 mins week in week out than possibly getting on for 15mins out of position?

But surely, the whole point of Reading employing him is to get the best out of him for Reading rather than getting what's best for James Henry. If he's a better option on our bench than the alternatives, that's where he should be.

Obviously, I have no idea if he's a disruptive influence or has some attitude problem but, excluding that, he doesn't seem to have been given much opportunity and is a player who can score goals regularly which is something we are crying out for.

[brendywendy]

I saw that long goal.dont remember at what level it was at,but it was at some level. Chased a lost cause,skinned a dèfender, rifled in near post from 18 yards + and from a yard back from the goal line.one of the best goals ive seen. And i cant see how even a kebe hater could say james is a better bet from the bench currently.