8th January 2006: There has
been much speculation and discussion surrounding the future of Robert
Earnshaw in the past few months which as come to a head today. The
player himself stating that his treatment at West Bromwich Albion
as led him to believe that he must leave the Hawthorns in order
to further his career, and an article has been printed in a Sunday
newspaper in which Earnshaw appears to have attempted to embarrass
West Bromwich Albion. Before I heard what has been printed in the
News of the World this morning, I felt that it was a crying shame
that it has come to this point but I could, to a degree, understand
both sides of the argument. If Earnie has been quoted correctly,
I think that article could and should see the end of Earnie's career
at West Bromwich Albion.
But let's first consider the football. There is no doubt that Robert
Earnshaw is a talented goalscorer. He is the only player to have
ever scored a hat trick at all four levels of English football,
and at international level, and his return of 11 Premiership goals
from 19 starts and 12 substitute appearances last season is not
bad in a struggling side. I agree with Bryan Robson when he says
that Earnie is the best finisher we have at the club, but there
are large parts of his game that need significant improvement before
he can be deemed a success at this level.
First of all, his first touch often lets him down. In the lower
leagues, defenders are not as quick, either mentally or physically,
and a poor first touch is not always punished, but against top quality
defenders, it is vitally important. Out of all five orthodox strikers
at the Hawthorns, Earnie probably has the most inconsistent first
touch and, when the side is under pressure as Albion often are,
the ability to hold the ball up with good close control is invaluable.
It is, perhaps, why Robson seems to prefer Horsfield and Campbell
as they can perform that role well, although there are plenty of
reasons why those two should not be above Earnie in the pecking
order.
Secondly, and more importantly, Earnie needs to be better
at reading attacking situations. Because he is small, he will never
win a physical battle, so he will only be successful at the top
level with good movement, and he needs to able to read the game
well in order to know where and when to make his move. One of the
best exponents of good movement is Michael Owen, which he aptly
demonstrated when he visited the Hawthorns earlier this season.
The two goals he scored were less a result of poor defending, but
because of the way Owen got across the front of the defender at
exactly the right moment. I can remember numerous examples when
similar balls have come into the opposition area only to see Earnie
hanging back on the edge or even outside the area - he spends too
much time outside the area and he should be getting into the box
as soon as possible when Albion are on the attack. We all know he
can score one-on-ones when his pace gets him in behind defences,
which is how all three of his goals this season have been scored,
but he should score more "poacher's" goals in the box
like the ones he scored against Spurs, Arsenal and the header against
Charlton last season. The problem is that he's not in the box often
enough, or at least hasn't been this season.
Having said all that, it could be argued that the best way for
a player to improve that side of his game is through experience,
and Earnie's opportunities have been limited of late. Since the
game at Upton Park on 5th November, Earnshaw has made just three
substitute appearances. He played the last five minutes against
Everton in which he scored and the last eight minutes against Fulham.
He then put in his first transfer request after which he came on
for the last 25 minutes against Portsmouth.
However, until his first transfer request, Earnshaw had been in
the sixteen for all but one of Albion's games even if his actual
time on the pitch had not been as much as he had hoped. He'd started
four Premiership games without scoring, but scored in the two Carling
Cup games he played in.
I think that Robson was upset by the transfer request and asked
Earnie to knuckle down. It's difficult to know what exactly has
been going on between the two of them, but from a pure footballing
point of view, I believe that Earnie should've been on the bench
ahead of either Campbell or Horsfield as he at least has pace, which
is something that the other two do not possess. However, if Earnie's
reaction has been unprofessional, one could understand if Robson
was unwilling to involve him in the squad.
But whatever the reasons for Earnie's absence, it has exposed Albion's
lack of depth in the striker department.
Horsfield is a hardworking player and has scored some good and
important goals for Albion, but he is coming towards the end of
his career and, despite starting the season well, he has rarely
looked threatening in front of goal since August. Campbell, on the
other hand, was a huge influence last season but he has not scored
enough goals and now looks lazy and ineffective. Thankfully, Kanu
has started playing well this season but, with Ellington also struggling
having not scored in seven games, it leaves Albion with a major
problem, especially when Kanu is away at the African Nations Cup.
The form of Albion's strikers will have further frustrated Earnshaw,
and I do find it difficult to understand from a footballing viewpoint
why he has not even been in the squad for the last five matches.
A second transfer request after Christmas was rejected by Robson
as he was keen not to lose the services of a striker when Kanu and
Kamara were to be unavailable for much of January, but Earnshaw
seems to have made a further attempt to force Robson's hand with
the article in today's News of the World.
By revealing the details of an investigation into his transfer
from Cardiff City to Albion in August 2004 at a time when his relations
with the club are apparently strained, it seems to be that he was
attempting to capture some moral high ground. However, according
to the article, a club spokesman insists that the investigation
was completed and that the club was exonerated from any wrongdoing
to which the player has responded: "As far as I know it is
still going on. But it is not down to me. I have nothing more to
say." A miscalculation, perhaps?
If Earnshaw hoped to get some sympathy by speaking to the News
of the World now, it shows an alarming level of naivety in my opinion.
Given that the events themselves took place some sixteen months
ago, it seems obvious that the release is deliberately timed to
embarrass the club when he is looking to move away. Furthermore,
he should've really checked his facts about the outcome of the investigation.
There will be little sympathy from the supporters for a player who
has made a calculated attempt to embarrass the club while, at the
same time, been made to look a little stupid.
Nonetheless, he will more than likely achieve his aim with a move
away from the club, but I would urge the club not to sell him cheaply.
Unfortunately, time is of the essence. Albion can ill-afford to
lose Earnshaw without replacing him, and they cannot afford such
a valuable asset to languish in the reserves for too long. A swap
deal would seem to be the obvious solution but, whatever happens,
I would be surprised to see Earnshaw play for West Bromwich Albion
again.
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