Vadaine Oliver

[redrobo]

Oliver has brought Northampton right back into their semi tie v Cheltenham to make if 2-1 to Chelt on aggregate.

According to Sky 'Oliver has been brilliant so far up front for Northampton winning everything against the Cheltenham back three'

Such a pity that he couldn't replicate that form for us, but maybe Manager Keith Curle uses him in a role that he is best suited for.

[Westgate Wanderer]

Is this his one great game a season?

[Little Shrimp]

Excellent performance from Oliver tonight. The criticism of him from our fans has been overly harsh.

During his time with us he was one of the best players in the league for winning aerial duels (stats posted on D3D4 at the time). The only problem was we were so timid and defensive we never had anybody around him to pick up on the knockdowns/loose balls and make the most of the space he created.

For me, his main let down was first touch/hold up play which is something Stockton is great at, and ultimately suits us better. Oliver is excellent at winning aerial duels and occupying defenders though and works very well for Northampton as they actually have players around him to make the most of it.

His most consistent and productive performances for us came when he was up top with Collins and had somebody to run off him.

[RapidShrimp]

Excellent performance from Oliver tonight. The criticism of him from our fans has been overly harsh.

During his time with us he was one of the best players in the league for winning aerial duels (stats posted on D3D4 at the time). The only problem was we were so timid and defensive we never had anybody around him to pick up on the knockdowns/loose balls and make the most of the space he created.

For me, his main let down was first touch/hold up play which is something Stockton is great at, and ultimately suits us better. Oliver is excellent at winning aerial duels and occupying defenders though and works very well for Northampton as they actually have players around him to make the most of it.

His most consistent and productive performances for us came when he was up top with Collins and had somebody to run off him.

Are you sure about that comment? He was absolutely woeful and the 2017/18 Vadaine Oliver was very fairly criticised - he couldn’t win a header, he couldn’t trap a ball, and couldn’t create a chance for others, let alone score one... I think we were very fair with our criticism at the time. Probably the worst individual season I’ve seen by a consistent starter - especially when he was our main/only attacking outlet in most games.

I do agree though about the system we played him in - often playing him upfront on his own was a beyond stupid decision (considering he’s now succeeding in a 442) and sometimes a change of manager makes all the difference! And fair play to him for moving closer to his family and finding some consistency at another league club.

I also agree about his form late on in his final season - he was out injured for quite a while and then Bennett took his place but Vadaine soon started to produce some decent performances that warranted another chance in the football league - almost like he was playing for a contract

[RapidShrimp]

And if anyone hasn’t seen the final score, Vadaine’s goal ended up with a 3-0 away win for Northampton, overturning the 2-0 home loss they faced from the first leg! Fair play to Northampton who will face Exeter at Wembley (who’ve lost at Wembley but I don’t know who Exeter we’re playing that day... )

[CityShrimp]

Good luck to him but I agree the criticism was fair when he played for us.

He didn’t score goals and he did get chances which he regularly fluffed.

Not scoring goals isn’t such a problem for a striker if you are at least creating them for somebody else but I recall his assist stats being just as low as his goals. A hard worker but to no effect, and he got so much game time, to the detriment of some of our other strikers who didn’t get anywhere near as much opportunity as Oliver did.

[Little Shrimp]

Excellent performance from Oliver tonight. The criticism of him from our fans has been overly harsh.

During his time with us he was one of the best players in the league for winning aerial duels (stats posted on D3D4 at the time). The only problem was we were so timid and defensive we never had anybody around him to pick up on the knockdowns/loose balls and make the most of the space he created.

For me, his main let down was first touch/hold up play which is something Stockton is great at, and ultimately suits us better. Oliver is excellent at winning aerial duels and occupying defenders though and works very well for Northampton as they actually have players around him to make the most of it.

His most consistent and productive performances for us came when he was up top with Collins and had somebody to run off him.

Are you sure about that comment? He was absolutely woeful and the 2017/18 Vadaine Oliver was very fairly criticised - he couldn’t win a header, he couldn’t trap a ball, and couldn’t create a chance for others, let alone score one... I think we were very fair with our criticism at the time. Probably the worst individual season I’ve seen by a consistent starter - especially when he was our main/only attacking outlet in most games.

I do agree though about the system we played him in - often playing him upfront on his own was a beyond stupid decision (considering he’s now succeeding in a 442) and sometimes a change of manager makes all the difference! And fair play to him for moving closer to his family and finding some consistency at another league club.

I also agree about his form late on in his final season - he was out injured for quite a while and then Bennett took his place but Vadaine soon started to produce some decent performances that warranted another chance in the football league - almost like he was playing for a contract

I do stand by it. Throughout both seasons with us he had one of the best aerial duel win percentage in the league (as posted by D3D4 on Twitter at the time).

I think his all round game struggled but I don't really lay the responsibiilty at his feet - more that were an awful team (especially in 17/18) and played awful tactics that didn't suit his game. He always put a shift in I thought. Yeah I mentioned about his first touch, not great - Stockton isn't as aerially dominant but has a tighter touch which ultimately suits the team more.

In regards to goals and assists, it's a pretty limited way to look at a player. You can still play a massive part in attacking without directly getting a goal or assist - such as winning aerial duels and moving defenders out of the way. Just we had no one to make the most of that.

Mendes Gomes currently has no assists for us, but doesn't mean he's had a limited contribution. His movement, passing, trickery and as a result occupation of defenders helps create space for the rest of our attack.

My point isn't that Oliver was amazing and we didn't appreciate it. It's more that he attempted to to his job (in some aspects quite well) and was hampered by our style/us being an awful team, and ended up getting a massive amount of stick for it when the issue was more the style/team rather than him.

[thedoc]

It's no surprise to me that Vadaine (who's `Vadine', incidentally?) is doing well. Bar possibly Paul Mullin (the Stanley one), he was the best target man we've had in the team in recent times. Other people in this thread have diagnosed the problem he faced: nobody to lay the ball off to. Playing him up-front on his own would be a thankless task for anybody. I remember him at Forest Green Rovers when we lost 2-0 and went bottom. But Vadaine had won every single header throughout the game. What more was he supposed to do? Good luck to the lad - if he was in Derek Adams' current team, he would be scoring goals like there's no tomorrow.

[marky No.1]

if he was in Derek Adams' current team, he would be scoring goals like there's no tomorrow.

Really? Some statement that

[BerlinWaller]

I think we had a downer on V from the day he signed. The York fans said he was a poor signing with confidence issues and he was up against it straight away. He wasn't used properly in a very negative formation and tactics. He won headers but the fact is, there was never anybody within 20 yards of him. He became the focal point of a very poor team who were putting in awful performances.

I agree that DA would get more out of V. Wildig, MG, Phillips and Slew would have been in and around V which would have made him a more potent target man.

[redrobo]

My thanks to the Doc for correcting the guy's name......

[thedoc]

My thanks to the Doc for correcting the guy's name......

Anything I can contribute to improve your input is willingly done. Hope you have remembered to donate to Christian Mbulu's fund too...

[fulwoodshrimp]

I thought Vadaine Oliver had poor control when he played for us. His first touch was awful and although he won lots of aerial battles, his direction of headers tended to be very wayward. His goal last night was good but he missed a fairly easy header later skying it over the bar. He is the sort of player that will have the occasional good game but overall lacks consistency. I thought in some games for us he didn't look interested and motivated and I remember York fans said similar when he left them. He is a luxury that you can afford in a good team but very much cannot be afforded in a team like ours struggling to keep afloat.

[HALMA 1983]

I thought Vadaine Oliver had poor control when he played for us. His first touch was awful and although he won lots of aerial battles, his direction of headers tended to be very wayward. His goal last night was good but he missed a fairly easy header later skying it over the bar. He is the sort of player that will have the occasional good game but overall lacks consistency. I thought in some games for us he didn't look interested and motivated and I remember York fans said similar when he left them. He is a luxury that you can afford in a good team but very much cannot be afforded in a team like ours struggling to keep afloat.

Good luck to the lad, hope he proves you wrong and ends up in a division above

[fulwoodshrimp]

I hope he does well in League 1 if Northampton are promoted but... It will be interesting to see how many goals he gets and how many games he plays against better defenders.

[fulwoodshrimp]

I enjoy reading the doc's match reports and articles but I am puzzled that he thinks Vadaine Oliver would be "scoring goals like there's no tomorrow" if he was in Derek Adam's team. At no stage in his career has Oliver been a prolific goalscorer. In his 269 league games for a variety of clubs up to this season his goal return has been 47 goals- about 1 goal every 6 games. That is a poor return for a striker and could perhaps explain why he has had so many clubs.

[Gone_Shrimping]

Oliver was very much an enigma for us.

Some days like the Coventry home game where he scored the first goal in a 2-0 win and bullied their centre backs all game and you think what a player we have here.

Other games of which there were too many and he was like the Invisible Man and you forgot he was playing.

[thedoc]

On second thoughts... I've suggested that Vadaine would be scoring loads of goals for us currently. But both of you who have picked-up on this are right, I have to admit. I probably should have said he would set-up lots of others to score a hat full of goals because I still think he was an outstanding target man. Whatever, I still think he had an impossible task with us and I wish him all the luck in the world in the future.

[fulwoodshrimp]

I agree with you doc that Vadaine had an impossible task with us and share your good wishes to him for the future. He has all the physical attributes to be a good striker but he lacks good control.

[marky No.1]

League 1 player of the month

[fulwoodshrimp]

League 1 player of the month! Well I never. Steve Evans must have worked a miracle with him at Gillingham. I always thought he was useless with no ability to control his headers and with a really poor first touch. I accept we probably didn't give him the service he required but he now seems prolific with his highest goal return ever. It will be interesting to see if this season is a one-off or if his improved scoring rate continues beyond this season!

[redrobo]

Congrats to VO.

We know how a change in manager can improve a player (also the reverse)....

Cole, Aaron, John O' and of course Carlos have improved under DA to our advantage, whilst fortunately no one has gone backwards....