NEIL HARRIS has defended the performances of his strikers – after Steve Morison was critical of the lack of goals from the Lions front men this season.
Morison was typically forthright after the 1-0 loss to Fulham at the weekend when he said: “It’s our job to score goals…so at the minute we’re not doing our job.”
Morison, Lee Gregory and Tom Elliott have scored just four league goals between them this season, but Harris pointed to other aspects of their game that he is pleased with.
“I’ve talked many times about what they bring to the team with their energy, hunger, work rate, link-up play – it’s all there,” Harris said.
“It’s just that when forwards aren’t scoring you have to try to give them your trust, loyalty and belief. But you also have to make sure you give other people the opportunity to show their quality as well.
“At the moment it’s not as clear-cut as I’d like it, someone has got to grab the bull by the horns and go, ‘right, I’m the man, I’m going to score the goals’. You can’t just wave a magic wand as a manager or a coaching staff and say, ‘right, show them how to do this, show them how to do that’. Scoring goals is a natural instinct and as strikers you have to find that inner belief and confidence in yourself and outwit your opponent on a Saturday afternoon.
“At the moment I’m delighted with my players and my strikers for everything they’re delivering.
“Stevie Morison, with his very wise and honest words after the game the other day, said, ‘we’re not doing our jobs because we’re not scoring goals’.
“Well I agree and disagree with him. I disagree with him in the sense that they are doing their jobs because every other part of their game is outstanding – winning headers, their hold-up play, being creative, running the channels. They’re also working really hard without the ball to stop the opponent and helping us to be solid in our defensive shape.
“Where I agree with him is we’re not scoring enough goals. But we keep going with them. They know my thoughts, they know they’ve got my support. It’s down to one or two of them to really grab it and say, ‘I’m the man, I’m going to score the goals’.”
Image: Millwall FC