Emile Smith-Rowe

[Volz]

The problem isn't a particular player, its the system they're being asked to play in that negates any open play opportunities because of Silva's insistence on slow build up before spamming a cross into the striker. ESR isn't getting the chance to utilise any good movement ahead of him because we don't have any

I don't understand how everyone does not see exactly this. So many players that came to us under Marco had good reputation and played well before coming here. They then show early promise, and then it fizzles out. Surely that is the system that he alone demands them to play under, when the pattern repeats time and time again.
Not saying Marco is "bad" in any sense. But his system is all about the Team acting as one, massively coherent unit, stripped for individualism. Discipline is everything. Which I also suspect is why we are always so incredibly much later to start new players than all other teams: first, they need to understand the system and show discipline.
For some reason Marco does not like x-factors.
Older players like Raul and Willian have the experience to get that stuff much quicker, hence he starts them earlier.

[C Block]

trust me in over 50 years of supporting the whites we have  signed busloads of players worse  than Smith Rowe !!!!

Yes we have , but we didn't smash our transfer record to buy any of them did we ?

Yes we did.

Steve Marlet and Kostas Mitroglou are two that immediately come to mind.

And anyway "Pound for Pound", Emile Smith Rowe has represented pretty good value IMO. He's always been a tad on the weighty side.

This has to be a wind up, it just has to be , No Goals, No Assists,can't play 90 minutes and you think that represents good value for £35 million, yeah ok 😟

[ron]

trust me in over 50 years of supporting the whites we have  signed busloads of players worse  than Smith Rowe !!!!

Yes we have , but we didn't smash our transfer record to buy any of them did we ?

Yes we did.

Steve Marlet and Kostas Mitroglou are two that immediately come to mind.

And anyway "Pound for Pound", Emile Smith Rowe has represented pretty good value IMO. He's always been a tad on the weighty side.

This has to be a wind up, it just has to be , No Goals, No Assists,can't play 90 minutes and you think that represents good value for £35 million, yeah ok 😟

Totally agree.

[Neutral Zone Ultra]

trust me in over 50 years of supporting the whites we have  signed busloads of players worse  than Smith Rowe !!!!

Yes we have , but we didn't smash our transfer record to buy any of them did we ?

Yes we did.

Steve Marlet and Kostas Mitroglou are two that immediately come to mind.

And anyway "Pound for Pound", Emile Smith Rowe has represented pretty good value IMO. He's always been a tad on the weighty side.

This has to be a wind up, it just has to be , No Goals, No Assists,can't play 90 minutes and you think that represents good value for £35 million, yeah ok 😟

Maybe they meant pound for pound as in £ for lb? If so then he's exceptional value!

[C Block]

trust me in over 50 years of supporting the whites we have  signed busloads of players worse  than Smith Rowe !!!!

Yes we have , but we didn't smash our transfer record to buy any of them did we ?

Yes we did.

Steve Marlet and Kostas Mitroglou are two that immediately come to mind.

And anyway "Pound for Pound", Emile Smith Rowe has represented pretty good value IMO. He's always been a tad on the weighty side.

This has to be a wind up, it just has to be , No Goals, No Assists,can't play 90 minutes and you think that represents good value for £35 million, yeah ok 😟

Maybe he meant pound for pound as in £ for lb? If so then he's exceptional value!

🤣

[Eton White]

trust me in over 50 years of supporting the whites we have  signed busloads of players worse  than Smith Rowe !!!!

Yes we have , but we didn't smash our transfer record to buy any of them did we ?

Yes we did.

Steve Marlet and Kostas Mitroglou are two that immediately come to mind.

And anyway "Pound for Pound", Emile Smith Rowe has represented pretty good value IMO. He's always been a tad on the weighty side.

This has to be a wind up, it just has to be , No Goals, No Assists,can't play 90 minutes and you think that represents good value for £35 million, yeah ok 😟

Maybe he meant pound for pound as in £ for lb? If so then he's exceptional value!

🤣

It's a shame C Block needed the joke to be explained to him, but he got there in the end!   

[AustrianGeezer]

I was playing FIFA 23 the other day (released nearly 4 years ago now), World Cup Mode, Smith Rowe was in the England Squad as a reserve with a rating of 78 just behind the likes of young Bellingham at the time on 80.

Sad to see that the guy has never pushed on, I have never taken to him at all, and he has never looked fit to me.

Don't know what you not finding him fit has to do with his footballing abilities. Loads of people think sydney sweeney looks fit, but i'm sure she wouldn't be able to last a second in the prem

[C Block]

trust me in over 50 years of supporting the whites we have  signed busloads of players worse  than Smith Rowe !!!!

Yes we have , but we didn't smash our transfer record to buy any of them did we ?

Yes we did.

Steve Marlet and Kostas Mitroglou are two that immediately come to mind.

And anyway "Pound for Pound", Emile Smith Rowe has represented pretty good value IMO. He's always been a tad on the weighty side.

This has to be a wind up, it just has to be , No Goals, No Assists,can't play 90 minutes and you think that represents good value for £35 million, yeah ok 😟

Maybe he meant pound for pound as in £ for lb? If so then he's exceptional value!

🤣

It's a shame C Block needed the joke to be explained to him, but he got there in the end!   

When a comedian has to explain a joke they've clearly lost the audience 😀

[Eton White]

I was playing FIFA 23 the other day (released nearly 4 years ago now), World Cup Mode, Smith Rowe was in the England Squad as a reserve with a rating of 78 just behind the likes of young Bellingham at the time on 80.

Sad to see that the guy has never pushed on, I have never taken to him at all, and he has never looked fit to me.

I'm not sure if you have a PS5, but EA Sports FC26 (the latest version of FIFA) is free on Playstation Plus this month.

[The Little Dave]

All time worst signing P4P, no. Overpriced, yes. But I can think of 3 easy names which we all know that are way worse than ESR signing P4P when you adjust for what a quid was during their time and now (not just about inflation, but what a quid meant to Fulham at the time of say Marlet).

[acji]

I got absoulute pelters on here a while ago for saying that "Pound for Pound" he is the worst signing that has ever been made by Fulham Football Club,
So today I want to repeat it, "Pound for Pound " the worst signing we have ever made !
A player so bad that we couldn't even sell this summer even if we took a 50% loss on what we paid.
To this day I still don't know what his role is in the team, is he supposed to be creating chances? Is he supposed to be scoring goals ? Honestly does anyone on here know?
£35 million pounds 💷 Dear God what a waste of money.

Pound for Pound eh?  Mark Crossley was the highest ever in poundage at around 222 pounds, but he was actually quite good! 

[Steeeeeeeeeed]

I was playing FIFA 23 the other day (released nearly 4 years ago now), World Cup Mode, Smith Rowe was in the England Squad as a reserve with a rating of 78 just behind the likes of young Bellingham at the time on 80.

Sad to see that the guy has never pushed on, I have never taken to him at all, and he has never looked fit to me.

I'm not sure if you have a PS5, but EA Sports FC26 (the latest version of FIFA) is free on Playstation Plus this month.

Yeah I saw that, already got it cheap a few months ago.

It's not very good, (good for free I guess) and doesn't have a World Cup Mode...

In fact this seems to be the first World Cup in at least 30 years that there isn't a decent World Cup VideoGame (or mode)... No FIFA, No FC World Cup,  No EFootball, No PES...

Bit weird that, there's loads of money to be made if they did.

Anyhow, yeah ESR, would happily sell him on for £15 M.

[Steeeeeeeeeed]

Here's ESR's ratings on FIFA 23, interesting how he was seen...(valued at £43 Million)

https://www.fifacm.com/23/player/240273?vid=288

And here's his rating on FC26.... (Valued at £14.5 Million)

https://www.fifacm.com/player/240273/emile-smith-rowe

Even the VideoGame People can see it.

[Eton White]

Here's ESR's ratings on FIFA 23, interesting how he was seen...(valued at £43 Million)

https://www.fifacm.com/23/player/240273?vid=288

And here's his rating on FC26.... (Valued at £14.5 Million)

https://www.fifacm.com/player/240273/emile-smith-rowe

Even the VideoGame People can see it.

Interesting. They've definitely downgraded him significantly - he had a potential of 87 on Fifa23, but only a potential of 80 on FC26.

I guess that's what happens when you join Fulham!

[Matt10]

I think ESR is another product of us not replacing Pereira. He can't be the only creative force, or even the main one to maintain possession. But he has been, and while he and Iwobi are Arsenal linked - they just don't combine in the same understanding as he and Pereira did. Pereira operated as a creative valve that drifted into the same half-spaces as ESR and Jedi, which allowed ESR to be that final runner into dangerous positions. Now, he has to drop back to receive and has to wait for the patient build up or face heavy presses immediately.

Many here want to complain about ESR, but the reason Jedi got open so often is because teams double-press ESR first, which allows him to release our LWB, whether that be from absorbing the pressure to free that space or receiving on the half-turn to find him.

I think finding ESR a suitable and creative partner from deep like Pereira will be 100% essential.

[ron]

"The main one to maintain possession", "The only creative force"......
........eh?

[bobbo]

I've kept the faith till very recently and got to agree with most here he's had plenty of time to cut it but like chambers an senders form arsenal all not quite what we were looking for.

[Matt10]

"The main one to maintain possession", "The only creative force"......
........eh?

What part was not clear?

In our current setup, Iwobi usually operates from RCM or LM in the middle third. ESR has to play the 10 in that same half-space on the left. He has to decide to either play it back or turn to face pressure. We don't create from one single player like we did with Pereira, so ESR has to drop into that position or stay in the attacking third and be the one to maintain possession of those line-breaking passes - either part of our collective build-up or when counters takes place.

ESR and King are in good competition for that 10 spot, but they also operate different sides of the half-space. ESR is placed to receive on his weaker left foot on the left-side because he can also be relied on to cut inside with his right, while King is placed on the right side to favor his right so he can burst into spaces and connect with Wilson or Castagne/Tete.

For me, ESR's ability to receive the ball on the half-turn is silky smooth. He glides with it and explodes in one movement. That may seem like a small thing and "anyone can do that" at the professional level - but it's simply not true. He has a low center of gravity, yet takes long strides to protect the ball - and uses his body well. He rarely overdribbles and dribbles into the pressure.

I think this is the exact same way Pereira started to be less of a fan favorite. Yes, he has to produce and has to live up to his money's worth - that's always the same narrative. However, I think he's someone the club can still build around, but unfortunately we're in such a limbo with Marco's status that no one knows what to even suggest for the team as a whole.

[Colinwhite]

Agree with matt ,his ability to quickly receive and play in the next man keeps us fluid and his first touch is the best in our squad. He has been forced to come deep for the ball more this season.The only criticism I would have is I would like to see him take more risks when finding himself ball at feet around the box . he has the ability.
Its ironic that the loss of pereira is widely overlooked by the people claiming we have  gone backwards in our play, whilst they were the sames  ones wanting Pereira to go !!!

[EN1 FFC]

ESR the Ghost of Loftus-Cheek