Pretty much nailed my opinion of his contribution...at times when the chips are down and the quakes aren't already doing well, Lenhart is a guy who, even if you don't prefer his extra judicial style, you can count will give everything he can. And he actually has traditional suburban wasp league boy scout approved skill in his hold up etc. To restate the obvious, yes, he's an asset and a liability, but way more an asset. I think he needs to tone some stuff down though, because refs will be cracking down harder on him as time -> infinity.
Thanks for posting! It was fun listening to the RSL announcers. And I hate you because you get to watch on broadcast TV instead of cable. Free TV Rules!
Nice work Sherlock! Same instant from two directions. Clearly the push to the back is there BEFORE the shorts grab. Lenny's off balance and with his next stride his legs go into Olave's. Olave's beat, he pushes and Lenny loses balance and goes down. Doesn't matter what happens AFTER he's on his way down.
70s Blonde Blond Disco Hippie Glitter Afro Fro Wig Costume reasonably priced at $13.99. Wear to all Quakes games with Lenny Lionheart up front.
Correction... you mean ASSet. Which is why we love him, right? I think some people see Lenhart and Gordon as similar players... Gordon may be a better finisher, I know he's scored some very pretty goals over the years. But I prefer Lenhart ahead of him because of the havoc he can cause. Outside of the head games and physical play, he's got plenty of soccer brains and skills as well. Glad to see him back in the league, and back on the field for the Quakes. Some more goals would be nice, hope they come soon.
The thing I like about having Lenhart is that on a team that is increasingly focused on passing and ball movement, having a wrecking ball up top means that the opponent's team shape is constantly being torn apart, which opens up seams that the offense can exploit. It's a lot easier for Wondo to be in the right place at the right time when both centerbacks are looking over their shoulder at Big Bird.
Exactly!! Great point. And if you focus too much on Wondo, Lenny's liable to break free and put one in. He was scoring at the beginning of last season, I believe he'll start scoring this year as well. But your point is well taken, he troubles the opposing defense and that's what creates so much room for the others. Given the upgrade in talent in the team this year, I can't wait to see us in another five or seven games. Once they all learn how to play with and off of one another, that chemistry is going to spread into a formidable attack. Good things are happening.
Right now lenny's value is sooo bipolar. He's a game-changer. But he can also bring disrepute on the team. My future son-in-law, who played at Stanford, characterizes lenny as a punk, and maybe that's accurate right now. He sure seems to grab a lot. If he just cleans up his act a little bit, I think he'll be ok. But in some ways his gamesmanship is like Thierry Henry's, who I am convinced is a sociopath. If Lenny devolved that way, I don't think quakes fans would continue embracing him, because we seem to be a "pure soccer" lot. Even tho winning is the best deodorant... I could be wrong tho. 5 years in the cellar is a long time. ;-)
My view is that Lenhart is a highly-skilled player but you couldn't throw him a ball and say "show me the skills that make you a pro", he's not that sort of guy. Well, he'd probably be fouled by an invisible player when the ball drops.
Sorry if it's already on the thread but I loved the tribute to Lenhart. Shows exactly what he's about. He basically goes out there to fight for everything. If you're not up for a fight, he'll dominate you through pure niggliness. I personally I think he's up there with the greats for drawing fouls.
Lenhart has the skill to be an effective center forward without all the antics. So I don't really see what good they do for us. It just makes him a liability, but without all that silly business, he's an important asset.
Cut him some slack, he's not from around here and has to take some time to learn the game. You can tell also because the link address is apparently a redirect from mars.
He's one of those guys that if playing for another team - I would detest him. But he's not: so he's cool as the other side of the pillow
mmm, not bad for crow, sorta tastes like chicken. holy shit, two goals, no yellows, and right after a perfectly good goal was disallowed... ...maybe I spoke too soon.