Striker needed

[Bruce Wayne]

Leon for his efforts ain't going to cut it, needed 4 touches to set himself 1st half, gets away with it last season not this one. Toiled away but offered nowt. Sharp needed something, just a glimmer but didn't get jot. Evans showed how ragged he was, who else have we got? Spend your money on a striker Wilder.

 

[Harry's Game]

Need pace really, either up front or out wide.

 

[robbiez666]

Just about to post something similar.

I'm not convinced by any of our strikers at this level, if I'm honest. Billy will score but he needs someone to either equal or surpass him in terms of goals.

Unless Evans can find his old form (unlikely, I would think), we're incredibly short upfront.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Need pace really, either up front or out wide.

Yep. Arguably might have been a better one for Lavery to have been introduced into today.

 

[bromtom]

Billy would be great if he got some service, same for Ched, but we just didn't get the ball in the box today, we we're like that against Walsall too. I'm happy we try and play nice football but crossing the ball isn't a hoof. We need to get it into the box instead of passing it around until they close the gaps and we end up back at coutts in our own half.

Wish Billy had gotten that Leon chance, would have been very different.

We need a fast Leon.

 

[Gavlar]

Billy would be great if he got some service, same for Ched, but we just didn't get the ball in the box today, we we're like that against Walsall too. I'm happy we try and play nice football but crossing the ball isn't a hoof. We need to get it into the box instead of passing it around until they close the gaps and we end up back at coutts in our own half.

Wish Billy had gotten that Leon chance, would have been very different.

We need a fast Leon.

This one any good?

 

[Blade56]

Can't blame strikers today. Never got any service from wings or midfield

 

[DronnieBlade]

Much to say on this.

Will leave it till I'm sober !

Bet y'all can't wait

UTB

 

[Keen Blade]

Need pace really, either up front or out wide.

Whaddaya mean out wide ? We don't have players out wide ! We don't have wingers , though I wish we did.
Because we might put in some crosses.
Coz lets face it , our corners are crap ! They all go straight down goalies throat. Get Woodwaaaard back !
But we certainly need pace up front , we must have the slowest strikers in this league.
They think slow , they act slow , they get slow service and defending against them is too easy.

That Mendez-Laing tore through us at Rochdale last season.
He got 2 for Cardiff today.
There's a quick player we could have had.
Dreading what he'll do on Tuesday night !

 

[Smirth]

We've played two league games and our 2 first choice strikers are being written off, unbelievable.

In case you forgot, for many people last week Leon Clarke was our best player and Sharp scored the winning goal.

I agree we need other options and a bit more pace but one narrow defeat, to a team which has cost in excess of £50m and are one of the favourites for the title is not enough cause to throw the baby out with the bath water.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Righdo. Here goes.

Is it just me having deja vue ??

Seem to recall stating all of this precisely 12 months ago.

Having been generally encouraged by Leon's improvement late last season, and a workmanlike performance against Brentford, his obvious technical deficiencies were clearly evident tonight. His first touch, so vitally important in his role, was Hanson Esque ! Not good. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

Billy. Our Billy. What can I say. You might as well come and have a sit in the stand with me if that's the way we are going to play. Said it times many, Sharp is useless in a side using direct long ball tactics. We went far too long far too often last night. Again. And to add insult to injury, against a team who's average height must have been 6'2". A giant side, big, strong, well drilled etc etc.

Why on earth would you employ such tactics against such a strong, tall side ?? It plays straight in to their hands. Their defenders lapped it up, had a field day, and our front lads did not get a sniff. The ball came straight back at us. Each and every time. For the life of me I can't understand why this tactically naive strategy was employed. Down to the manager ? Or down to the players ? I would really really love to know.

When we actually did get the ball down and played a bit, we looked good. So why the fuck did we not do it more ??
This is our game. We blasted L1 last year on the back of this. Why the "need" to change ? As you can tell, I'm utterly bemused by this !

I still maintain Clarke and Sharp is not a pair, but yesterday was not a game to judge this. The service was just not there.

Look, losing 1-0 away at Boro is no great cause for panic. Particularly as we were robbed of a point (a point we didn't deserve !).

They have spent more on players in the last 2 or 3 years than we have done in our entire 128 year history. Sadly it showed !!

Onwards. But we need to learn from this

UTB

 

[Fanny magnet]

Whaddaya mean out wide ? We don't have players out wide ! We don't have wingers , though I wish we did.
Because we might put in some crosses.
Coz lets face it , our corners are crap ! They all go straight down goalies throat. Get Woodwaaaard back !
But we certainly need pace up front , we must have the slowest strikers in this league.
They think slow , they act slow , they get slow service and defending against them is too easy.

That Mendez-Laing tore through us at Rochdale last season.
He got 2 for Cardiff today.
There's a quick player we could have had.
Dreading what he'll do on Tuesday night !

Our corners went straight to the keeper because our players were being outmuscled at set pieces allowing the keeper free reign to come and claim

Our strikers were ok last week and all last season
Try to give your thoughts some context

 

[FTPE]

Striker needed?
Why because Sharp missed all his chances yesterday?

 

[Fanny magnet]

Makes me laugh how it's always someone else's fault when Billy doesn't score
He had 7 touches first half

 

[Weasel]

Give the front lads some proper service and balls played to them at a far quicker pace (so the opposition haven't all had chance to funnel back into position) and then and only then can we judge the existing forwards. If they miss chances then fine we need others, but if the poor sods are feeding on scraps (like last nignt) what are they supposed to do? Messi could have played up top for Utd for 60 mins last night and looked garbage cos he wouldn't have got the ball.

 

[Fanny magnet]

Give the front lads some proper service and balls played to them at a far quicker pace (so the opposition haven't all had chance to funnel back into position) and then and only then can we judge the existing forwards. If they miss chances then fine we need others, but if the poor sods are feeding on scraps (like last nignt) what are they supposed to do? Messi could have played up top for Utd for 60 mins last night and looked garbage cos he wouldn't have got the ball.

So in translation
Completely change the style of play and personnel of last season

Brilliant thanks for that

 

[Grizzly blade]

Sharp was miles away from play most of the game.
That was either tactical or just him being off it.
Watching the game, Clarke and Sharp split and went wide when they had the ball at the back, Caruthers then stepped in to close down high up the Pitch.
That meant that each of them was often isolated when we played the ball forward to them. So we were either not keeping the ball well enough at the back or we were rushing the pass forwards before they were in position again.
I think it was a combination of that. Boro rushed us more in possession and we were guilty of too many long balls. We lack pace and power up front to play balls forwards as Clarke and Sharp aren't capable of going alone and scoring at this level.

So we either reinforce how we are supposed to play and stick to what we have done before, or buy strikers who can carry out the change of tactic we adopted today.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Sharp was miles away from play most of the game.
That was either tactical or just him being off it.
Watching the game, Clarke and Sharp split and went wide when they had the ball at the back, Caruthers then stepped in to close down high up the Pitch.
That meant that each of them was often isolated when we played the ball forward to them. So we were either not keeping the ball well enough at the back or we were rushing the pass forwards before they were in position again.
I think it was a combination of that. Boro rushed us more in possession and we were guilty of too many long balls. We lack pace and power up front to play balls forwards as Clarke and Sharp aren't capable of going alone and scoring at this level.

So we either reinforce how we are supposed to play and stick to what we have done before, or buy strikers who can carry out the change of tactic we adopted today.

Good. Not just me then !

UTB

 

[Snowman]

I blame the new away strip. You wouldn't have got this bad luck with the black and orange kit.

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

Not sure its a striker issue,more a lack of pace and quick movements in the build up. Carruthers is finding his feet but both he and Fleck look to move the ball quickly or run at and commit defenders. Hate to say it but Coutts slows the whole thing down,and that is not to deride his many qualities,he CAN play at tempo but seldom does,like he CAN smash a shot on target but seldom does.Reminds me of Butch "The Crab " Wilkins. Also our wingbacks were given a torrid time yesterday so there was no supply from them.
Wilder will know exactly what needs fixing,and will fix it.

 

[Grizzly blade]

Good. Not just me then !

UTB

I know why we did it....they played a diamond in midfield to invite their full backs on, so it was clearly a ploy first half to try and keep them in their own half and disrupt their system.
Sadly, they adapted well and Bamford was afforded a lot of space as our midfield pushed up to them, while their forward pair ran the channels well and moved the back three around all over keeping that space.

Down side is that we lacked effectiveness up top as a result. Sharp hardly got in the box, and that has never suited him, never mind now when he's perhaps a little slower.

Caruthers, and to a lesser extent Duffy got in some good positions, but Carruthers lacked confidence to have a go and take a risk, while I thought Duffy was slow to get into the game and was crowded out on occasions and dispossessed.

No need to panic, strikers who do what Assombalonga can do aren't ten a penny, and the few who are cost a packet. Our scouts need to find a rough diamond, as that's the budget we have.

 

[Aston max]

for me carruthers did what he was asked to do and press high up , bamford wasn't on this instruction and got more room to play and we saw the effect that had , the position between the central 2 and the strikers needs to be a free position looking for space to collect the ball and make a difference for a 42 mill difference their defenders were no better than ours we just lost the game because of lack of service to the 2 strikers and a mix up in defense , plus adam clayton in the holding role breaking our attacks up "now we need to go and get coady ?"

 

[mancunianblade]

Makes me laugh how it's always someone else's fault when Billy doesn't score
He had 7 touches first half

Struggling to understand your logic here..Sharp wasn't given any service hence 7 touches and the fact he only had 7 touches backs up the fact that the back 4 just kept looking for Clarke with a long ball?

 

[Fanny magnet]

Struggling to understand your logic here..Sharp wasn't given any service hence 7 touches and the fact he only had 7 touches backs up the fact that the back 4 just kept looking for Clarke with a long ball?

Wonder how many other teams have players that when they are totally anonymous in a game get a free ride because it's everyone else's fault
Same as it was blackwells/robsons/Warnocks fault
Must be wilders now

Personally think Billy will do ok in this league but his lack of mobility or Ariel strength means sometimes he will be kept quiet

 

[super_pig]

Righdo. Here goes.

Is it just me having deja vue ??

Seem to recall stating all of this precisely 12 months ago.

Having been generally encouraged by Leon's improvement late last season, and a workmanlike performance against Brentford, his obvious technical deficiencies were clearly evident tonight. His first touch, so vitally important in his role, was Hanson Esque ! Not good. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

Billy. Our Billy. What can I say. You might as well come and have a sit in the stand with me if that's the way we are going to play. Said it times many, Sharp is useless in a side using direct long ball tactics. We went far too long far too often last night. Again. And to add insult to injury, against a team who's average height must have been 6'2". A giant side, big, strong, well drilled etc etc.

Why on earth would you employ such tactics against such a strong, tall side ?? It plays straight in to their hands. Their defenders lapped it up, had a field day, and our front lads did not get a sniff. The ball came straight back at us. Each and every time. For the life of me I can't understand why this tactically naive strategy was employed. Down to the manager ? Or down to the players ? I would really really love to know.

When we actually did get the ball down and played a bit, we looked good. So why the fuck did we not do it more ??
This is our game. We blasted L1 last year on the back of this. Why the "need" to change ? As you can tell, I'm utterly bemused by this !

I still maintain Clarke and Sharp is not a pair, but yesterday was not a game to judge this. The service was just not there.

Look, losing 1-0 away at Boro is no great cause for panic. Particularly as we were robbed of a point (a point we didn't deserve !).

They have spent more on players in the last 2 or 3 years than we have done in our entire 128 year history. Sadly it showed !!

Onwards. But we need to learn from this

UTB

why didn't we do it more?? .. because they wouldn't allow us to.. they've done their homework and know what we're good at

 

[mancunianblade]

Wonder how many other teams have players that when they are totally anonymous in a game get a free ride because it's everyone else's fault
Same as it was blackwells/robsons/Warnocks fault
Must be wilders now

Personally think Billy will do ok in this league but his lack of mobility or Ariel strength means sometimes he will be kept quiet

Won't find me giving him a free pas at all. But yesterday was not his fault in anyway if there is no service there is no service.

Only reason Clarke touched it more was because he was the target.

 

[Fanny magnet]

Won't find me giving him a free pas at all. But yesterday was not his fault in anyway if there is no service there is no service.

Only reason Clarke touched it more was because he was the target.

He put himself about won a lot of second balls tackled people closed people down pressured people

Billy might as well have been sat in the stand

 

[DronnieBlade]

why didn't we do it more?? .. because they wouldn't allow us to.. they've done their homework and know what we're good at

Your right. But only in part. When we got the ball down, mostly in the 2nd half, orchestrated by the magnificent Coutts, we looked much better, and importantly more of a threat.

So again, I have to ask why ??

UTB

 

[DronnieBlade]

He put himself about won a lot of second balls tackled people closed people down pressured people

Billy might as well have been sat in the stand

Clarke was no better than Sharp. And he was more directly involved, and did precisely squat with it. First touch was abysmal.

Not a good day at the office for either. Trying to pick out who was best, rather pointless.

Evans will ultimately displace one of them in the long run. For the sake of the team, it should be Clarke that makes way. I'm not at all sure Tufty sees it as I do !

UTB

 

[super_pig]

Your right. But only in part. When we got the ball down, mostly in the 2nd half, orchestrated by the magnificent Coutts, we looked much better, and importantly more of a threat.

So again, I have to ask why ??

UTB

experience of the first half !