I Promise...

[sirpiechucker]

I've said a number of times this week that signing Ishmael Miller is a risk but if he proves me wrong I promise to admit that I was wrong but more importantly I promise that if he doesn't perform I won't come on here and say I told you so.

Maybe this is a perfect time for other people to make similar promises!?!?!

Now that Miller is our player we all want him to do well and hopefully nobody wants to be proven that they were right about his fitness or his ability in say comparison with Kevin Phillips so feel free to use this thread to promise that you won't act like a child and say "I told you so" if you are proven right.

[Norths]

well said

[Robsondinho]

I like him, Not a 30 goal a season striker, but what a unit!!! power, pace, will chip in with a few. Hope he kick starts his career with us.

[Morris]

IF, he can stay fit, he will be a great signing for us, no doubt.


I've maintained that all along.

[Hoopaman]

Much rather him playing for us than against! The blokes a monster. Reckon he'll do the bizzo! Go on Ishmael me old son!!

[The White City General]

Always rated him but am concerned that we have 3 strikers now who can barely string half a dozen games in a row between them.

Miller is a beast of man who may benefit more from Warnocks style and the players we have.....time will tell.

[sirpiechucker]

My concern has always been his fitness - has his recent injuries affected his abilities? No idea? Time will tell. But what I do know is I won't and I hope other don't is to come on here and start saying "I told you so"!

[Loneranger80]

never minded him - just concerned about his fitness......

still would like a poacher... am not sure miller is that..... but not seen that much of miller??

[Robsondinho]

Sirpie, you will always get the wikipedia warriors, and people who have played to match football manager 2004 on the pc, that think they are Jose Mourinho. Soon as Ismael gets injured or doesn't score you will get these people on here chatting rubbish.

[Gerryhatrick]

mustn't forget, he's only 23, so if he can get fit, he is still young enough to have not yet peaked. This is a good opportunity for him, and he knows it. He is quoted as saying that this move will kick start his career, so hopfully he wants it bad.
Not sure if it's been mentioned before, but loan is 93 days, with a 28 day recall, so I read

[The White City General]

My concern has always been his fitness - has his recent injuries affected his abilities? No idea? Time will tell. But what I do know is I won't and I hope other don't is to come on here and start saying "I told you so"!

The issue what I have is fans have a tendancy to judge a player on what they were like 2/3/4 years where what we should be dealing with is the here and now.

This is what makes Routledge a great signing as we know what he is capable of doing. Miller the jury should well and truly be out and Chimbonda should be harshly judged when he plays given he is still only 31 and has a wealth of Premiership experience. Regardless of what Shittu has done at Millwall if he signs I would be incredibly cautious in passing any sort of judgement until I have seen enough of him because to me he just another Damion Stewart at present.

[Goddard]

The kid has all the ability, pace and quality we could hope for.

When he was asked if he would be playing tomorrow, he said that he'd see how he feels after training today, a bit of a niggle, but should be ok.

If that "niggle" disappears, then we'll have a good player on our hands. But I fear you might hear that line a few times. Never sure if he'll be fit for a solid month of starts.

I don't think anyone thinks he's not good enough, and the worries about his fitness are totally valid.
So IMO there is no need for anyone to man up and apologize if he remains fit. I hope he does, because he is a good player when fit.
The worries/comments are based on his condition, and those worries about his condition are based on facts, not opinions about his playing abilty.

Unlike the Hill/Derry/Mackie stuff from the summer.

[stainrodisalegend]

For once I find myself not in agreement Sir Pie. Is the point that we should all just be ultra positive for the sake of it? Naturally I will back him in the ground, cheering him on - assuming he is ever fit enough to play - and even if he proves to be rubbish I certainly would never shout abuse.

But for two years or more many of us have been saying that the club is making a strategic error in buying a succession of very poor strikers on the cheap, which - as you have suggested yourself I think - is actually ending up costing the club more than if they just made one proper purchase.

I have no interest in playground antics and would far rather eat my words than say "I told you so". Nor will I throw my toys out of the pram if he doesn't score for a dozen games or so - my expectations are pretty low so I can only be pleasantly surprised.

But as this striker issue is the biggest failure of our footballing strategy I doubt the debate is going to go away - and if it did there wouldn't be much point in a message board which is after all meant to be a forum to exchange both news and views.

[sirpiechucker]

Sorry SIAL in no way am I suggesting that the debate ends or that in anyway Miller was solve the continued striking problem. What I am suggesting is that the often childishness which appears when a player suceeds/fails should stop. Remember Paul Mason's repeatedly being asked to say whether he was wrong about Taraabt when he had said he was a number of times but nobody was prepared to believe him.

[stainrodisalegend]

Don't remember the paul mason incident as always just ignore posts that look to start playground fights, but agree with your sentiments there. Glad u accept this doesn't end the striker debate. But given just what a mystifying signing this is - for all the reasons godard highlights - then suspect a lot of even the more grown up members of this board won't be particularly positive if folk are still saying two months down the line "he will come good, he just needs match practice, just give him more time" because the time is now.