We don't need a striker. Offensively, we are absolutely fantastic. Defensively... Well, Saturday rather laid bare the problems we have on that side of the ball.
@ReturnToSenda said:
We've got Vokes, Hanlan, Bayo, Dr Barr, Al-Hamadi... LWB, MF and maybe CB the priorities. I'd ask one or two questions of Taylor's character too - look up his views on taxing the rich and taking the knee. Not to mention he wouldn't get a great deal of playing time for us barring injuries.
@ReturnToSenda said:
We don't need a striker. Offensively, we are absolutely fantastic. Defensively... Well, Saturday rather laid bare the problems we have on that side of the ball.
Laid bare the shortcomings of going gung-ho playing three at the back against a team fighting for survival in League 1, known to be strong up front (and having recently held the lead against Spurs until the 70th minute). Add to that a surface that made passing football a bit of a lottery and a growing lack of defensive cover from central midfield and you have a recipe for what after all was the narrowest of defeats. Also, I believe our back four (including Stockdale) has managed a few clean sheets recently.
@ReturnToSenda said:
We don't need a striker. Offensively, we are absolutely fantastic. Defensively... Well, Saturday rather laid bare the problems we have on that side of the ball.
Laid bare the shortcomings of going gung-ho playing three at the back against a team fighting for survival in League 1, known to be strong up front (and having recently held the lead against Spurs until the 70th minute). Add to that a surface that made passing football a bit of a lottery and a growing lack of defensive cover from central midfield and you have a recipe for what after all was the narrowest of defeats. Also, I believe our back four (including Stockdale) has managed a few clean sheets recently.
Not sure about the ‘absolutely fantastic’. We have more attacking players than many of our competitors (and several of them are capable of magic moments) but we rarely score more than two goals a game. The chances to goals scored ratio could be better.
Shoring up defence (for obvious reasons) and midfield in the continuing absence of Gape possibly more vital than a striker for me. I like having goals spread across a number of players myself. I have no idea what the tone and precautions are like in the dressing room, but not sure a vocal anti-vaxxer will be welcome while we are still negotiating our way through this already fixture packed season!
Spot on @micra, we’re pretty good going forward but we are not ‘absolutely fantastic’. We have 5 strikers but 2 are just young lads that have 0 football league goals between them (and barely even any minutes between them). We also have a player that is basically a sub option who is retiring in 4 months time. If a striker like Uche became available and was feasible we should have a go for him. The first choice midfield 2 is brilliant at this level, but we don’t seem to be able to keep both fit and the back up is a big drop off for the way we play currently. So a midfielder would be a good option. And we’re also pretty good at the back, not at all shambolic. We’re short a centre back for the squad if we persist in playing with 3 though.
@Quarterman said:
Spot on @micra, we’re pretty good going forward but we are not ‘absolutely fantastic’. We have 5 strikers but 2 are just young lads that have 0 football league goals between them (and barely even any minutes between them). We also have a player that is basically a sub option who is retiring in 4 months time. If a striker like Uche became available and was feasible we should have a go for him. The first choice midfield 2 is brilliant at this level, but we don’t seem to be able to keep both fit and the back up is a big drop off for the way we play currently. So a midfielder would be a good option. And we’re also pretty good at the back, not at all shambolic. We’re short a centre back for the squad if we persist in playing with 3 though.
Sorry, I should have clarified that I meant in terms of chance creation - the underlying data backs that up. Our finishing could be better (although it's improved quite a lot compared to recent seasons), but I still don't think up front is an area of priority. Defensively, we have ridden our luck and have got away with it thanks to some excellent last-ditch stuff from the CBs and Stockdale - but better teams will punish our sloppiness when it comes to giving up chances, as we saw Sunderland do the other week. But the issue is more the loss of solidity when Thompson and/or Scowen aren't in the side than anything to do with the defensive unit itself.
@ReturnToSenda said:
We don't need a striker. Offensively, we are absolutely fantastic. Defensively... Well, Saturday rather laid bare the problems we have on that side of the ball.
We’ve had 10 clean sheets in 28 - that’s more than decent return at this stage in league 1. Not sure 1 match last Saturday is a reflection of our defensive stability.
None of our current forwards are classic 20 goal a season strikers (although they are great), so if an Uche or Taylor became available and the club thought it to be a good signing not sure what your problem is.
As someone else as said there will be some tight games and a prolific finisher may win us promotion. Doesn’t mean we can’t also consider defenders and midfielder also.
Just because someone feels strongly about something doesn’t mean they are bad egg either. Having strength of character is generally a positive trait.
Left wing back cover (a cheap loan) would be fairly high up my "wants" list
A starting genuine attacking right wing back would be my no 1 signing, and have Grimmer and McCarthy as our general defensive cover, so no centre back signing.
If Gape isn't going to be fit, then a replacement for him would be nice, although I can definitely see Wheeler growing into that role.
If a striker is available who would complement Vokes and Hanlan I could us going for them- but only if they're a long term (longer than this season) option, as while we have Bayo, we don't need more strikers- they wouldn't have signed Hamadi if they didn't see him playing a part
@ReturnToSenda said:
We've got Vokes, Hanlan, Bayo, Dr Barr, Al-Hamadi... LWB, MF and maybe CB the priorities. I'd ask one or two questions of Taylor's character too - look up his views on taxing the rich and taking the knee. Not to mention he wouldn't get a great deal of playing time for us barring injuries.
As @Username says, two of the five are youngsters who have yet to score a league goal for us. Bayo will only start games when Omiron ( or, heaven forfend, a new variant) strikes or one or both of the other two is injured.
How Garath McCleary hasn’t been mentioned is puzzling, unless he is seen as more of an attacking midfielder. Whatever the reason, he is a joy to behold and I’m smiling as I write this, thinking about his response to the foul-mouthed Oxford chanting as he took the corner that led to Curtis Thompson’s brilliantly executed goal.
@ReturnToSenda said:
We've got Vokes, Hanlan, Bayo, Dr Barr, Al-Hamadi... LWB, MF and maybe CB the priorities. I'd ask one or two questions of Taylor's character too - look up his views on taxing the rich and taking the knee. Not to mention he wouldn't get a great deal of playing time for us barring injuries.
Vokes and Hanlan are the main men, and we tend to play both together.
A 3rd quality player added in surely wouldn't be something to say no to if we can do it.
It won't be our Asprilla moment (not sure if that's before your time!!)
@Blue_since_1990 said:
We need CB and MF. If Scowen is to be out for a long period then we are very short in that position.
Quality additions that would really benefit us don't always come available in the order we might choose.
If Gaz thinks there's a quality striker who can make the difference, I'd be all for it.
We've seen what happens when Vokes is out just for the last 2 games.
I’m not sure that we have 20 goal a season striker/poacher in our ranks.
Could be very useful in the run, a lot of very tight games to come no doubt.
Such a myth that you need a 20-goal striker
More like an 8 goal a season left back and 3 AMC's that get you 5 or 6 each. Bayo chips in with 5 or 6. Vokes on 8. Hanlan on 5 or 6 as it stands.
You are so correct. Would rather not rely on one person to get all the goals.
As it happens....if we can find someone even better than Vokes now and on less money, we could let Vokes go at the end of the season. I think he may struggle in the Championship if past evidence is anything to go by?
I think Vokes would still be good in the championship. He didn't have a great time at Stoke, but still scored 8 in 2019/20.
Uche, who is seen as a great success for us, scored 6 last season. And while yes he did miss a stretch of the season, he did make 33 appearances, so plenty of games.
This also doesn't factor in that Vokes is a proper target man, which Uche wasn't really.
@Malone said:
I think Vokes would still be good in the championship. He didn't have a great time at Stoke, but still scored 8 in 2019/20.
Uche, who is seen as a great success for us, scored 6 last season. And while yes he did miss a stretch of the season, he did make 33 appearances, so plenty of games.
This also doesn't factor in that Vokes is a proper target man, which Uche wasn't really.
Vokes might well be "good enough" but is that good enough for the Championship? We might have someone lined up who can push us onto the next level.
Dare I say it, it's Bayo's last season so Vokes will be our ONLY target man. Surely we need a plan B?
@Malone said:
I think Vokes would still be good in the championship. He didn't have a great time at Stoke, but still scored 8 in 2019/20.
Uche, who is seen as a great success for us, scored 6 last season. And while yes he did miss a stretch of the season, he did make 33 appearances, so plenty of games.
This also doesn't factor in that Vokes is a proper target man, which Uche wasn't really.
Vokes might well be "good enough" but is that good enough for the Championship? We might have someone lined up who can push us onto the next level.
Dare I say it, it's Bayo's last season so Vokes will be our ONLY target man. Surely we need a plan B?
In Gaz we trust as they say.
Vokes might fancy going elsewhere for one thing. But although we're on the up, if we keep him I can't imagine we could bring better in on top.
But yes we'd need options, throughout the squad.
As well as key players not being out for months this time.
Comments
Such a myth that you need a 20-goal striker
Maybe in the summer, not this month.
He's available this month
We need CB and MF. If Scowen is to be out for a long period then we are very short in that position.
We don't need a striker. Offensively, we are absolutely fantastic. Defensively... Well, Saturday rather laid bare the problems we have on that side of the ball.
Also seems like he's an anti-vaxxer. No thank you.
Laid bare the shortcomings of going gung-ho playing three at the back against a team fighting for survival in League 1, known to be strong up front (and having recently held the lead against Spurs until the 70th minute). Add to that a surface that made passing football a bit of a lottery and a growing lack of defensive cover from central midfield and you have a recipe for what after all was the narrowest of defeats. Also, I believe our back four (including Stockdale) has managed a few clean sheets recently.
Lyle Taylor is, by all accounts, thick as mince and quite unpleasant with it.
Sounds like he's going to Birmingham
Not sure about the ‘absolutely fantastic’. We have more attacking players than many of our competitors (and several of them are capable of magic moments) but we rarely score more than two goals a game. The chances to goals scored ratio could be better.
Shoring up defence (for obvious reasons) and midfield in the continuing absence of Gape possibly more vital than a striker for me. I like having goals spread across a number of players myself. I have no idea what the tone and precautions are like in the dressing room, but not sure a vocal anti-vaxxer will be welcome while we are still negotiating our way through this already fixture packed season!
Spot on @micra, we’re pretty good going forward but we are not ‘absolutely fantastic’. We have 5 strikers but 2 are just young lads that have 0 football league goals between them (and barely even any minutes between them). We also have a player that is basically a sub option who is retiring in 4 months time. If a striker like Uche became available and was feasible we should have a go for him. The first choice midfield 2 is brilliant at this level, but we don’t seem to be able to keep both fit and the back up is a big drop off for the way we play currently. So a midfielder would be a good option. And we’re also pretty good at the back, not at all shambolic. We’re short a centre back for the squad if we persist in playing with 3 though.
Sorry, I should have clarified that I meant in terms of chance creation - the underlying data backs that up. Our finishing could be better (although it's improved quite a lot compared to recent seasons), but I still don't think up front is an area of priority. Defensively, we have ridden our luck and have got away with it thanks to some excellent last-ditch stuff from the CBs and Stockdale - but better teams will punish our sloppiness when it comes to giving up chances, as we saw Sunderland do the other week. But the issue is more the loss of solidity when Thompson and/or Scowen aren't in the side than anything to do with the defensive unit itself.
Thanks for the clarification @ReturnToSenda. Makes absolute sense.
Amen to this.
It did until it magically vanished! Does the Gasroom think I'm a bot?
Left wing back cover (a cheap loan) would be fairly high up my "wants" list
A starting genuine attacking right wing back would be my no 1 signing, and have Grimmer and McCarthy as our general defensive cover, so no centre back signing.
If Gape isn't going to be fit, then a replacement for him would be nice, although I can definitely see Wheeler growing into that role.
If a striker is available who would complement Vokes and Hanlan I could us going for them- but only if they're a long term (longer than this season) option, as while we have Bayo, we don't need more strikers- they wouldn't have signed Hamadi if they didn't see him playing a part
As @Username says, two of the five are youngsters who have yet to score a league goal for us. Bayo will only start games when Omiron ( or, heaven forfend, a new variant) strikes or one or both of the other two is injured.
How Garath McCleary hasn’t been mentioned is puzzling, unless he is seen as more of an attacking midfielder. Whatever the reason, he is a joy to behold and I’m smiling as I write this, thinking about his response to the foul-mouthed Oxford chanting as he took the corner that led to Curtis Thompson’s brilliantly executed goal.
Vokes and Hanlan are the main men, and we tend to play both together.
A 3rd quality player added in surely wouldn't be something to say no to if we can do it.
It won't be our Asprilla moment (not sure if that's before your time!!)
Quality additions that would really benefit us don't always come available in the order we might choose.
If Gaz thinks there's a quality striker who can make the difference, I'd be all for it.
We've seen what happens when Vokes is out just for the last 2 games.
More like an 8 goal a season left back and 3 AMC's that get you 5 or 6 each. Bayo chips in with 5 or 6. Vokes on 8. Hanlan on 5 or 6 as it stands.
You are so correct. Would rather not rely on one person to get all the goals.
As it happens....if we can find someone even better than Vokes now and on less money, we could let Vokes go at the end of the season. I think he may struggle in the Championship if past evidence is anything to go by?
By the way, what the hell is up with Gape? I'm starting to think we may never see him back. At least not the Gape we know.
I think Vokes would still be good in the championship. He didn't have a great time at Stoke, but still scored 8 in 2019/20.
Uche, who is seen as a great success for us, scored 6 last season. And while yes he did miss a stretch of the season, he did make 33 appearances, so plenty of games.
This also doesn't factor in that Vokes is a proper target man, which Uche wasn't really.
When he came back from his last long term injury he really wasn’t ‘the Gape we know’.
Vokes might well be "good enough" but is that good enough for the Championship? We might have someone lined up who can push us onto the next level.
Dare I say it, it's Bayo's last season so Vokes will be our ONLY target man. Surely we need a plan B?
In Gaz we trust as they say.
Vokes might fancy going elsewhere for one thing. But although we're on the up, if we keep him I can't imagine we could bring better in on top.
But yes we'd need options, throughout the squad.
As well as key players not being out for months this time.
Let's get that promotion sorted first
Yes, that is the small detail to be sorted