Bobby knows his critics need to do better
At university, I was shaken by the confidence of one of the lecturers in my first year. This old-school history professor railed against ‘the perils of the welfare state’ and talked in excited terms about the importance of military might and, being young, naive and liberal, I wasn’t a big fan. My disenchantment grew when it seemed as though I couldn’t score highly on any of the essays he marked.
Approaching him at the end of a seminar, he rather gruffly asserted that I ‘hadn’t done enough reading’. I decided against asking him whether he had surveillance cameras in my room and the library to know this was absolutely true. Eventually, I plucked up the courage to go and see him in his office. He offered me a cup of tea and was much more polite than I expected. The problem with my essays was that they were ‘rather weak’. He explained that, if I was writing in opposition to a particular view, I needed to form a cogent argument and offer evidence in support of it. In short, the onus was on me to prove that I was right.
You’re probably wondering why I chose to recite this story from when I skulked around the Amory building in my first year at university. Well, sometimes when I read things on the internet, my blood begins to boil. Normally, my ire is reserved for rabid right-wing nonsense but sometimes I’m annoyed by sarcastic stuff like this, which happens to focus on Fulham’s Bobby Zamora.
I’ve never heard of Prashant Bhatt and he probably doesn’t know who I am either. That doesn’t matter. His petty barbs at one of the league’s most improved players managed to rile more. To use my lecturer’s logic: he didn’t bring too much weight to his case.
Let’s take a look at some of what the esteemed contributor to The Transfer Tavern has to say:
This season he has scored more goals than in previous seasons, but, has anyone considered that it has taken him until the age of 29 to have this sort of campaign? In all honesty he’s not an England player and never will be. I can understand the view that there are some strikers in that squad *cough*, Emile Heskey, who makes some fans wonder as to how they’re still in it but the excuse that Zamora should be there in front of certain people doesn’t quite work. Then again, the thing with this is that if Zamora was chosen for the squad he would probably play as a replacement for Heskey or Peter Crouch, as a sub, and Heskey doesn’t really score many goals does he? So how Zamora can be expected to do so having had no international experience is beyond me.
Two things, here.
1) Zamora was a prolific lower-league goalscorer a while back. He scored 31 goals for Brighton in 2000-01 and managed 32 the following season at a higher level. Fourteen in what’s now the Championship in 2002-03 wasn’t a bad return for someone whose first-team experience was rather nondescript before he teamed up with Micky Adams on the south coast.
2) Statements like ‘in all honesty he’s not an England player and never will be‘ imply both a) that England players carry some distinguishing mark that means we can all spot them and b) an ability to see into the future. He would most probably be a back-up striker in South Africa (if he gets on the plane) but it’s worth remembering he’s scored more goals than Crouch and had much more playing time than Heskey, despite suffering several injuries this year. If you don’t give Bobby a go, how will ever know if he can cut it at the highest level?
Then there’s this lovely little paragraph.
Let’s get in to tactics here. Fulham usually work their way to the edge of the box where Zamora either holds it up with his gangly structure or either gets on the final ball to finish a move. But a striker going to a World Cup needs more than that. The question is: what else does he offer? If we are to believe what we see than Heskey is the one who holds the ball up and gets the best out of Rooney (ha, that’s great that one…Heskey gets the best out of Rooney) and the strikers all have decent goal-scoring records- something that should be their first priority.
Clearly, our friend Prashant hasn’t actually examined Fulham’s tactics in any great detail. Yes, Zamora can sometimes be used as a target man but he makes him sound like some 1950s throwback who got all his goals through brute force. Such a simplistic characterisation of Bobby ignores the clever little flicks, intelligent runs and his sterling defensive work that have made him such an integral part of Roy Hodgson’s side. As a creative player, he’s a lot more impressive than many armchair fans believe (six assists in the league alone this year).
This idea that Bobby’s not got enough to cut it against international defences can only be predicated on the football equivalent of snobbery. He only plays for Fulham after all: the disdain was evident on Alan Hansen’s face when Adrian Chiles limply asked him if Zamora could play for England. Bobby’s given plenty of international defenders the run around this year and, arguably saved his best performances for the Europa League this year. Just ask Fabio Cannavaro.
Zamora’s scored nineteen goals this year. He’s probably not finished yet. Because he hasn’t played for England before isn’t a valid reason for excluding him from consideration now. No amount of sarcastic commentary can sully his convincing case.
i started reading that article, and just stopped. i knew it was gonna be full of drivel, and just piss me off. as an american, with the world cup right around the corner, i’m more afraid of zamora, than i am of crouch (inconsistent and weak) or heskey (old, slow & out of a favor at Villa). it would blow my mind, if he doesn’t get a call-up before the summer. just call him to camp, see how he does – that’s it. then make a decision. he’s earned it.
I think he IS the best partner for Rooney, and I believe that Gerrard and Lampard would drool at the thought of playing off him as well — certainly they’ve seen the change in Duff this season.
Having said that, I believe that he won’t feature. When he wasn’t chosen for the Egypt match, I couldn’t see how he’d feature at all.
Despite the fact Zamora has had a better season than Heskey or Crouch I cant see him going unless one or both are injured but Spurs are yet to play Bolton and Villa will play Blackburn…who knows!
Maybe someone needs to put together a show-reel of all Bobby’s best strikes this season. That would be an eloquent response to things like this.
But it’s not just his strikes although lets face it some of them have been sublime, it’s his all round play as well, holding the ball up, bringing other players into the game, providing an outlet when we are under pressure, tracking back and defending from the front and all of this hasn’t just appeared this season apart from the goals he did all the rest last season and let’s face it Roy wouldn’t have stuck with him if he didn’t think he could cut it.
Maybe after he scores the winner against Athletico Madrid in Hamburg and Capello sees him holding a European trophy he will finally realise that Bobby Zamora is a quality player and could do a very good job for England and as we all know England will not win a world cup until they have a Fulham player in the team, just like last time.
I have seen a lot in the press saying he can’t go to SA because he doesn’t have Champions League experience, so who can tell me the last time Darren Bent or Carlton Cole played in the Champions League, if fact who can tell me the last time Bent and Cole played in a European competition at all let alone make it to a semi final and have a good chance of making the final itself?
Regardless of what happens in the summer I can’t wait for next season to see Bobby and a fit again AJ leading the line for Fulham, if Bobby can take his current form in to next season then I think it will be another one where Fulham fans have a lot more highs than lows COYW!!!!!
Yankee Fulham fan here…
Bobby has impressed and impressed again this season. It’s a hard knock life being a Fulham fan…especially when I head out to the pitch on Sundays for a kick around and all the other guys are wearing their Barca, Man U, Chelsea and Inter jerseys. Inevitably someone will glance at my shirt and say “What’s FFC mean?” Fulham has so many diamonds, but not necessarily in the rough. Zamora is clearly deserving of at least a glance…right?! Hell, let’s get him American citizenship! We’d love to have him. In fact, I think any decent international side would welcome his size and skill. What is Capello looking for exactly? A pretty face? Beckham’s toast, Fabio…
I see why Zamora may not be included. Fulham aren’t exactly the most fashionable club, and Zamora isn’t exactly the most fashionable player. No international experience either leads to an argument, that on the surface, looks valid.
But when Capello came in he gave his word that he would pick players on form and fitness alone, rather than reputation and club played for. I would say up to this point Capello has been true to his word, bringing through players like Milner and Joe Hart. It is now time for Capello to really show he meant what he said. Bobby has both form and fitness. Bobby has more goals this season then Crouch, Heskey and Carlton Cole, despite spending a month on the sidelines with a dislocated shoulder. And its not even about goals. His holding up of the ball is some of the finest I have seen by an English player, and the amount of assists (not only this season but also last season) is amazing.
My romantic heart says he will go. But my sensible head says he will stay.
He will always have Trinidad & Tobago…