The Foster Paradox

[Vegas Claret]

I think Lyle has the attributes to be more consistent than he is, some of his close control is very poor and if he just took a little care he would be twice the player we often see. This is a massive season for him and if he wants to play at a very high level he needs to improve the basics. We saw at Villa away he has all the tools needed.

[beeholeclaret]

As a member of the striker's union, albeit of a much lesser standard, I feel for Lyle, BUT if he can't do the job he is well paid for unless the team is set up specifically to his strengths then he shouldn't be picked. At every level of football I played, and at walking football competitive games now, I was/am expected to make myself useful whatever the personnel playing in my team. I would be expected to make space to receive the ball, be attacking the goal when crosses might be coming in, be trying to create space for others to get free on goal, and to hold up the ball and try to play colleagues in to continue the move.

Sadly, Lyle's positive contributions seem to be too little and too infrequent to warrant regular gametime. However, he is a Burnley player, and thus will receive my full support whenever selected.

I can’t disagree with any of this.

I will support him much as any other player at BFC and I keep willing him to score. His first touch needs to improve in order for us to retain possession. Flemming has strength and close control and has shown us this in just one and a half games. Hope Foster can succeed with a regular run in the side. Loved his goal against Rovers.

[blatherwickstattoos]

He’s shite

[jlup1980]

If by "fan boy" you mean a supporter of Burnley football club and it's playing staff, and someone who opposes the opinion that "Lyle Foster is not a footballer" or whatever babyish nonsense you said then you're bang on the money mate- I'm a fan boy.

It's strange- I fact checked it and yanno what- Lyle Foster is a footballer, Premier League and international goal scorer too.

Is it any wonder half of our players wanted to **** off this summer? We talk about players being loyal and this is the **** they get after having a public mental health crisis.

I think you'll find you started the babyish nonsense with the "tell me you know nothing about football" comment.

I feel for Lyle, nobody wants anyone to suffer from mental health issues. That doesn't give him a free pass though and he isn't showing us that he's a capable and consistent footballer at this level.

His run and assist at Luton was magnificent, but he did absolutely nothing else for the whole 90 minutes. It's not enough if you're meant to be the focal point of a team. Yesterday he might as well not have been on the pitch. He played like a schoolboy. Basic error after basic error, followed by a frustrated sprint that appears to show he cares. Again, it's not good enough. We have youth players who could do that.

As I said previously, I think he's the worst Championship striker we've had for years. Jay was better than him two years ago, Andre Gray, Danny Ings, Sam Vokes, Charlie Austin, Martin Paterson, Andy Gray, Robbie Blake, Ade Akinbiyi, Gareth Taylor, Andy Payton... I can go on. All of them were flawed, but they all offered more to a team than Lyle. In my opinion, since he arrived, he's been a poor man's Andre Gray / Ade Akinbiyi... with the exception of maybe half a dozen games.

[Blyclaret]

Thought there were a few moments today where he showed glimpses of quality, but my overriding takeaway is that he looks overweight.

Thats the first thing that came into my mind when i saw him this year he looked heavy and overweight.

[Blyclaret]

Gears? Totally oblivious today, if we can get shut in January, then he got to go.

100% agree. We need a new striker whether we get rid of Foster or not. In Parker's previous teams he had a Solanke or a Mitrovitch … cant spell that
Thats crucial to the success of this team this season.

[fatboy47]

56 posts....mainly nonsense.

The few dozen keyboard analysts on here simply dont come clise to reflecting what I pick up from the 20,000 or so people presenting themselves at the turnstiles on matchday.

Not even close....nowhere near.

Thank god.

[Colburn_Claret]

I think Lyle has the attributes to be more consistent than he is, some of his close control is very poor and if he just took a little care he would be twice the player we often see. This is a massive season for him and if he wants to play at a very high level he needs to improve the basics. We saw at Villa away he has all the tools needed.

My gut feeling is he's trying too hard.
You can tell by his reaction to yesterday's winner, and his losing it in the dressing room last season, that the lad wants to be a winner. Sometimes the more you try, the more you care, the harder you make life for yourself.
He needs to relax, let his game flow, and he'll be a lot better for it.

[Murger]

If Fosters performances don’t start picking up soon, I wouldn’t be surprised to see us go back in for Whittaker in January.

[RVclaret]

If Fosters performances don’t start picking up soon, I wouldn’t be surprised to see us go back in for Whittaker in January.

The same Whittaker that plays as a winger? Sorry you’ve lost me there?

[1968claret]

For the first 70 minutes of the game he really was poor.
Whenever the ball did come to him, his control let him down. I also don't remember seeing him make any meaningful runs.
I also didn't like him berating a team mate for a perfectly good pass that he miss controlled.

But then for the last 20 minutes he suddenly came alive. Some really good runs, good hold up play and really looked a threat.
Was it a change in formation that led to this? Or did he just suddenly decide to play?

[MACCA]

And some people moaned about Chris Wood...

I'm struggling to name a less dangerous striker we've had than Foster in the last 10-15 years

[Murger]

The same Whittaker that plays as a winger? Sorry you’ve lost me there?

Yes. Foster has never been prolific, even in Belguim. Whittaker has a far better goal scoring record than Foster.

[evensteadiereddie]

Nice to see we've got a new whipping boy.
I wondered who'd be next.

[Luppy]

Personally I think the issue here is can you afford to carry a striker for 4 games in the hope he has the worldy the next game? He was way off it yesterday. I can’t see him getting double figures for the season if he plays every minute of every game

[Murger]

Nice to see we've got a new whipping boy.
I wondered who'd be next.

Nice to see criticism of a player always gets turned into ‘a whipping boy’.

[ClaretTony]

He’s been here almost 2 years yet we’re still making excuses for him like he has been here 2 minutes. Everybody else’s fault….

I’m amazed you are critical of Foster given he was signed by your perceived wonderful manager.

[Rileybobs]

If you’re not a prolific goalscorer, which Foster definitely isn’t, you’ve got to have a whole lot more to your game to be a good centre forward. He doesn’t occupy defenders, he doesn’t run in behind, he doesn’t hold the ball up, he doesn’t link play and bring in team mates. It’s a big problem and one we should have addressed in the summer transfer window.

[RVclaret]

Foster is probably the best striker in the league. Up to Parker and himself to really prove that now.

[Murger]

Foster is probably the best striker in the league. Up to Parker and himself to really prove that now.

And what are you basing that on? The most he’s scored in a season is 8.

[evensteadiereddie]

Nice to see criticism of a player always gets turned into ‘a whipping boy’.

Criticism? "He's shite" "The worst I've ever seen"....Yeah, right.
He gets a goal , suddenly he's magnificent and you'll move on to someone else.

[RVclaret]

And what are you basing that on? The most he’s scored in a season is 8.

That was in half a season. And my eyes really. The full toolkit is there. Being a striker is more than just goals these days. Rarely see a Charlie Austin type anymore. Get Flemming in and around him and you’ll see.

[Murger]

Criticism? "He's shite" "The worst I've ever seen"....Yeah, right.
He gets a goal , suddenly he's magnificent and you'll move on to someone else.

Eh?

[criminalclaret]

56 posts....mainly nonsense.

The few dozen keyboard analysts on here simply dont come clise to reflecting what I pick up from the 20,000 or so people presenting themselves at the turnstiles on matchday.

Not even close....nowhere near.

Thank god.

Back to my question when I brought up this thread again, where do you play him? What is his best position?

[Rileybobs]

Foster is probably the best striker in the league. Up to Parker and himself to really prove that now.

I really can’t see the evidence for this unfortunately.

[daveisaclaret]

I think Foster is good and if we play decent football with enough attackers on the field he will show it this season, but calling him the best striker in the league when he might not score as many as Maja already has seems a little much.

[BurnleyFC]

That was in half a season. And my eyes really. The full toolkit is there. Being a striker is more than just goals these days. Rarely see a Charlie Austin type anymore. Get Flemming in and around him and you’ll see.

Agree.

He was absolutely fine once Flemming and Sarmiento came on yesterday.

Get the balance right and the goals will come for him. The problem is we don’t have adequate backup for him.

[expoultryboy]

There's definitely a player in there , but we need consistency . His performance at Villa last season was excellent. On that day he had Berge threading the ball to him until the stupid sending off . Yesterday no one in midfield was looking for the ball or playing any balls through to him . Flemming in the ten role could provide the answer . He certainly looks bulkier/larger than last season .

[Boss Hogg]

Foster is probably the best striker in the league. Up to Parker and himself to really prove that now.

I think there’s more of a player in there but we need to start seeing it more often. Best striker in the league - just not true.

[CoolClaret]

Find me one striker in this league that could put in this performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbLcnO8pysg

Yes, he needs to be more consistent, but 24 is still young for a striker, it's a difficult position to play in the modern game (system dependent).

What we really need is for him to form a solid partnership with Flemming - given time I'm confident that they'll be able to get the most out of one another.

Foster come good. I don't know where this entitled or dismissive attitude towards our players originated. It seems to have become prevalent in a significant portion of our fan base. I'm not quite sure what some expect—14 points at this stage of the season, considering our summer and effectively our second pre-season during the international break, is about as good as we could have hoped for.

[CoolClaret]

And some people moaned about Chris Wood...

I'm struggling to name a less dangerous striker we've had than Foster in the last 10-15 years

It's probably the same ones tbh, all while Chris Wood recently bagged his 71st PL goal in 231 matches. A sensational record for a striker outside of the top 10 teams in the division.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Foster had a shot in the first half that was brilliantly blocked and the shot was travelling, no way the keeper saves it. That goes in it could have been an easy win and a different conversation. For me he dropped too deep yesterday because Hannibal isn’t a 10, he is an 8. The gaps to Foster were too large. Get a creator behind him, he’ll fly. My instinct is Sarmiento would be the best at that. Parker has to guard against being too defensive in shape.

[IanMcL]

Foster has an eye for goal, to his credit. However, he seems best running at defenders, not playing 'hold up' centre forward. At that, he is not very good.

Unfortunately, we left him up front with only defenders to chat to. Pointless. He did get some attempts on goal, so we need the rest to provide.

If we were talking big money offer from Ipswich, we should have taken it! He is not a big goals man. Nothing like. Price will drop unless team supply.

[boatshed bill]

The slow build-up makes it hard for any striker except Haaland

[GetIntoEm]

Hadn't seen a Trafford post, know why now. All the morons are on this one this weekend

[pushpinpussy]

I cannot stand Burnley fans sometimes. This thread is embarrassing. Luckily its only a few morons that no one takes seriously.

[GetIntoEm]

Speaking of morons, the amount of people leaving at 80+mins yesterday when there was clearly loads of injury time coming was nuts.

Must be plenty with kids that go to school on a Sunday, hospital appointment, last bus etc again

[pushpinpussy]

Speaking of morons, the amount of people leaving at 80+mins yesterday when there was clearly loads of injury time coming was nuts.

Must be plenty with kids that go to school on a Sunday, hospital appointment, last bus etc again

Imagine telling people you support Burnley FC and when they are getting beat you leave early (any excuse in the world is usually given). Without stating the obvious, this is the time they actually need your support just for that 10-15 mins more than ever. You are not proper fans.

[KRBFC]

I’m amazed you are critical of Foster given he was signed by your perceived wonderful manager.

I have given him long enough Tony, almost a year and a half before I said anything critical, he’s simply just not good enough.

[KRBFC]

That was in half a season. And my eyes really. The full toolkit is there. Being a striker is more than just goals these days. Rarely see a Charlie Austin type anymore. Get Flemming in and around him and you’ll see.

Did you not see him pass the ball out of play? Or that horrendous first touch when he gave away a foul?

He must be the easiest forward to play against because he simply cannot be bothered to move or make a quick sharp run. A big problem when his only real strength is a decent turn of pace and powerful runner.

[Foshiznik]

He has one major weakness in his game and that is holding the ball up with his back to goal. There problem isn’t him. It’s that Parker is playing him in a role where you need to hold the ball up as the lone striker with three box to box central midfielders. Play him off the target man and we’ll see his major strengths instead.

And that comment about juke doing more is borderline insanity

[KRBFC]

Find me one striker in this league that could put in this performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbLcnO8pysg

Yes, he needs to be more consistent, but 24 is still young for a striker, it's a difficult position to play in the modern game (system dependent).

What we really need is for him to form a solid partnership with Flemming - given time I'm confident that they'll be able to get the most out of one another.

Foster come good. I don't know where this entitled or dismissive attitude towards our players originated. It seems to have become prevalent in a significant portion of our fan base. I'm not quite sure what some expect—14 points at this stage of the season, considering our summer and effectively our second pre-season during the international break, is about as good as we could have hoped for.

This sums it up, how many people mention Villa Park when it comes to performance, 1 game in 2 years?

[RVclaret]

Did you not see him pass the ball out of play? Or that horrendous first touch when he gave away a foul?

He must be the easiest forward to play against because he simply cannot be bothered to move or make a quick sharp run. A big problem when his only real strength is a decent turn of pace and powerful runner.

I did - some sloppy and frustrating play. But also some really nice sharp turns in there too. He was great against Rovers. I’m not into the ‘can’t be bothered to move’ thing either, I thought his work rate yesterday off the ball was just fine. As myself and others mentioned, when Flemming came on, he seemed a lot more involved, hopefully this partnership is given playing time to develop.

[jrgbfc]

This sums it up, how many people mention Villa Park when it comes to performance, 1 game in 2 years?

Must admit i'm starting to think this way. That Villa game and one or two others at the start of last season he looked an absolute beast, but he really needs to start showing more.

[ksrclaret]

My view on Foster so far this season is that he was pretty good overall at Luton and of course his assist for Vitinho was fantastic, he scored a great header against Rovers, but everything else has been really disappointing. His hold up play in particular has been so far below what is required, although I recognise that’s not his strength.

The biggest concern for me is that Flemming showed us at Leeds what a proper centre forward display looks like and that’s not even his position, as well as it being his first game of the season at that point.

[Vegas Claret]

My gut feeling is he's trying too hard.
You can tell by his reaction to yesterday's winner, and his losing it in the dressing room last season, that the lad wants to be a winner. Sometimes the more you try, the more you care, the harder you make life for yourself.
He needs to relax, let his game flow, and he'll be a lot better for it.

yes I probably agree with that tbh, not sure how you fix that though other than playing

[Vegas Claret]

This sums it up, how many people mention Villa Park when it comes to performance, 1 game in 2 years?

it's case in proof that's why

[CoolClaret]

This sums it up, how many people mention Villa Park when it comes to performance, 1 game in 2 years?

There's clearly been more than that - that was just his best performance and shows the level he can play at.

So it isn't wishful thinking, he has shown that he can perform to a high level and be a clinical finisher - the issue is his consistency but I have faith that given more time and more understanding with a partner behind/alongside him (Flemming) then we will more consistency with Lyle.

[Big Vinny K]

Thought he was very poor yesterday and he’s been poor for the large part of every game this season.

Think he also struggled in the second half of last season.

But we are only a few games into this season and right now he’s our best option and personally I’d like to see a run of games with Foster and Flemming and hopefully see a good partnership flourish.

[GetIntoEm]

Imagine telling people you support Burnley FC and when they are getting beat you leave early (any excuse in the world is usually given). Without stating the obvious, this is the time they actually need your support just for that 10-15 mins more than ever. You are not proper fans.

Kids and school in the morning and was on hold for a doctor's appointment