Don't drop Rantie, pleads AFCBPete

Cherry Chimes has handed over this evening's post to a regular reader of the blog who wants to say a few words about the striking options to available to Eddie Howe.

AFCBPete is a big AFCB fan who I've been trying to get to write on the blog for a while, so I am pleased to let him have centre stage rather than just commenting at the end of my posts. Whether you agree or disagree with him, he certainly has a strong opinion on Tokelo Rantie.

If you want to follow Pete on twitter you'll find him @AFCBPete   

Over to you Pete!

Tokelo is still an automatic choice for Eddie Howe and AFCBPete.

I've written a couple of times this season, about how talented Brett is, yet he's just not hitting the heights I feel he should be attaining. True, he's been in and out this season, and fair to say his contribution to the team has improved a great deal when he does play, but like Grabban, where defences have done a job snuffing out those two we've stopped scoring. 

Now Rantie, I can't believe the stick he's getting from some quarters. I have to say I'm pretty disgusted. It goes without saying we all want to see him score, yet he brings so much more to the team, yet some seem unable to see this. Where Grabban and Brett have looked ineffective, and you can throw Thomas into the mix as well, Tokelo has the ability to take on 3 or 4 defenders and beat them. Agreed he made a bad error of judgement Saturday when he should of passed back to Pugh, but for crying out loud, how many times do the others screw it up? Tokelo hasn't had the benefit of Ritchie supplying him, Matt showed Saturday in 30 minutes what we have been missing. Yet there is much much more to the signing of TK than just scoring. Firstly coming into the English game, it takes time to adjust. Some don't have a problem and take it in their stride, others find it more difficult, as TK is, add to that a new country and environment, all in all, it's a huge change. He's desperate to succeed, not just for himself/club, but his family, and I feel sure he now senses the tension in the crowd, which isn't going to be helpful to him.

I'm one of those Old Git's who was fortunate enough to see our best ever strike force of Ted McDougal and Phil Boyer. True the two of them were almost telepathic, but they'd succeed where those of today are failing. Ted would get on the end of the kind of crosses that Fraser and Pugh supply, and score, or come very close, or at least testing the keeper, or knock it down for Phil, who in turn would often set up chances for Ted, it was a perfect partnership. We don't have anything coming close to that. Pitman might win the ball in the air, but it's not often a knowing flick into the stride of one of our players, nor does he get on the end of much in the box, not in a constructive way, head it perhaps, but it could go anywhere. Does he ever get it right? Of course he does, but my point is, it's not often enough.

Strikers today have far more defensive in their duties these days, yet it still means you have to build a partnership. Rantie has such quality, he reminds me of Defoe, and I can hear some falling off their chairs in laughter now at that remark, but it's true if they did but open their eyes and watched the guy carefully. It goes without saying the difference are goals at the moment, but that's not my point. He's quick, clever, and with the service (that at the moment has been sorely lacking), I have every confidence he will come good and make a few look pretty stupid. I would personally like to see Brett playing alongside him, if midfield can get their act together, plus our wingers, Ritchie in particular, causing all sorts of problems, I can see both Brett and TK becoming the major beneficiaries. 

If anyone watched the City game at the weekend, there were some incredible misses from the City attack for all their goals, even the best miss. Brett and Grab's were missing chances by the hat full last season, yet we were still the top scorers. Give our strikers several chances a game and they'll score, get confident again, and will hopefully take the odd chance in a game when it presents itself. At the moment, we're creating so little, Rantie misses and the world falls in on him, yet the others have been doing that on a regular basis. 

Rantie has far more about his play than Brett, Grab's, Thomas put together, that talk of dropping him at the moment, is absurd!! Football is a game of opinions, there were probably over 9000 different AFCB ones there Saturday, and it was obvious TK was not having his best game, probably due to the South African match, so Eddie rightly made a change, but drop him? Absolutely not at this moment in time. Rantie is our most expensive signing, but as I've often said, money doesn't bring success, and if TK turns out to be a duff signing, then fair enough I'd hold my hands up and admit I'd got it wrong, but I'm not giving up on him yet, not by a long way!

Keep the faith, get behind the team who ever play and make some noise for the boys, we can't always leave it to the usual few!!

Tokelo walking out before the Derby County match.

Thanks afcbPete, can't knock you for your passion!

If you have a player you feel particularly strong about why not tell other readers of Cherry Chimes why you think they deserve more credit than they may be getting. You can always comment on articles on the blog or send me an email if you want to post something on the site like AFCBPete did - email: bellp2103@gmail.com