Chicken Mcgraw
Well-Known Member
This could be another long read so if you don’t fancy it now’s your chance to dip out now!
Seen a lot of talk about Rudoni and rightly so. His goal on Saturday reminded me of the first time I heard of him. He was in the middle of his second season at Wimbledon and was gaining plaudits as a ‘box crashing’ ten. He offered little creativity but used his height, intelligent runs and goalscoring nous to score goals. He only registered 5 assists that season but managed to score 12 goals. I don’t have the data but would be willing to bet the majority came from within 10 yards of the goal.
This is a real good 2 minute watch that explains it better than I can:
21 Under 21: Jack Rudoni of AFC Wimbledon
They even name check Lampard as an idol of his and from those highlights, it’s clear to see that was a style of play he was emulating. He is absolutely nothing like the Rudoni we see.
He then joins Huddersfield and by the end of the 22/23 season, his game totally changed. As you will remember from when he played against us, he would pick the ball up all over the pitch. He was used in numerous positions and was tasked with being their creative force. Almost a box to box midfielder rather than a 10. Involved far more in games but the numbers weren’t stacking up.
His goalscoring ability was pretty much gone. He only managed 2 goals in that first season and 7 goals in 80 games in total. Crazy for a player whose biggest attribute at a young age was his goal scoring nous.
See these comments from Huddersfield fans regarding his shooting:
Now he’s here, he still pops up all over the pitch, still carries the ball effectively and still can be used as a number 8 if needed.
However, his best and most surprising attribute for me has been his delivery. From the left touchline, right touchline or even in the inside channels, he punishes teams who stand off him. See his assist vs Sheffield Wednesday for a recent example. I can only see this getting even more effective once we have, Wright, Simms or EMC attacking the back post. As pointed out on other threads, he is often taking up positions on the left wing for that very reason.
These stats comparing this season with last season are a real eye opener:
![[FBCharts] Jack Rudoni Comparisons.png](https://www.skybluestalk.co.uk/data/attachments/40/40578-4054c8eb8e73aa3e854fb3eaf64cb3ef.jpg "[FBCharts] Jack Rudoni Comparisons.png")
As you can see, so much more effective going forward. The attacking stats speak for themselves. His defensive stats to me show obviously he is in a better team but more so that his role has changed and he isn’t required in those defensive areas anymore.
His set piece delivery is also very good, something he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to do at Huddersfield or Wimbledon. I think it’s 4 assists from corners this season? Good going.
Then he scores that goal vs Preston. The type of goal he scored so often for Wimbledon but had left his game for a while. It makes you wonder that at the very young age of 23, he has played as a box crashing 10, an all action 8, and now a floating inside forward with the ability to hurt teams from wide areas. If Rudoni puts all these facets of his game together, he could find himself in a premier league squad very soon
Seen a lot of talk about Rudoni and rightly so. His goal on Saturday reminded me of the first time I heard of him. He was in the middle of his second season at Wimbledon and was gaining plaudits as a ‘box crashing’ ten. He offered little creativity but used his height, intelligent runs and goalscoring nous to score goals. He only registered 5 assists that season but managed to score 12 goals. I don’t have the data but would be willing to bet the majority came from within 10 yards of the goal.
This is a real good 2 minute watch that explains it better than I can:
21 Under 21: Jack Rudoni of AFC Wimbledon
They even name check Lampard as an idol of his and from those highlights, it’s clear to see that was a style of play he was emulating. He is absolutely nothing like the Rudoni we see.
He then joins Huddersfield and by the end of the 22/23 season, his game totally changed. As you will remember from when he played against us, he would pick the ball up all over the pitch. He was used in numerous positions and was tasked with being their creative force. Almost a box to box midfielder rather than a 10. Involved far more in games but the numbers weren’t stacking up.
His goalscoring ability was pretty much gone. He only managed 2 goals in that first season and 7 goals in 80 games in total. Crazy for a player whose biggest attribute at a young age was his goal scoring nous.
See these comments from Huddersfield fans regarding his shooting:
Now he’s here, he still pops up all over the pitch, still carries the ball effectively and still can be used as a number 8 if needed.
However, his best and most surprising attribute for me has been his delivery. From the left touchline, right touchline or even in the inside channels, he punishes teams who stand off him. See his assist vs Sheffield Wednesday for a recent example. I can only see this getting even more effective once we have, Wright, Simms or EMC attacking the back post. As pointed out on other threads, he is often taking up positions on the left wing for that very reason.
These stats comparing this season with last season are a real eye opener:
As you can see, so much more effective going forward. The attacking stats speak for themselves. His defensive stats to me show obviously he is in a better team but more so that his role has changed and he isn’t required in those defensive areas anymore.
His set piece delivery is also very good, something he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to do at Huddersfield or Wimbledon. I think it’s 4 assists from corners this season? Good going.
Then he scores that goal vs Preston. The type of goal he scored so often for Wimbledon but had left his game for a while. It makes you wonder that at the very young age of 23, he has played as a box crashing 10, an all action 8, and now a floating inside forward with the ability to hurt teams from wide areas. If Rudoni puts all these facets of his game together, he could find himself in a premier league squad very soon
