Strikers

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Can't hold two players responsibilresponsible game management is what let us down,OK they are two very experienced players but it takes a team effort to close a game down. We will learn from it.

You sound like Nigel Adkins...

 

[Booker4]

Whether or not we sign Sam Gallagher , who doesn't appear to be anything special, the fact that we appear to be interested should hopefully act as a reality check for some on here who've been banging on about the need for new strikers for the last 6 - 9 months.

This reality is that virtually every club in the country is looking for one or more who is an improvement on those they already have . As a result , anybody who is half decent in this respect carries a huge premium and is on the radar of many clubs , including ones from the Premiership , with far greater spending power than our own .

The idea , therefore, that we can go out and pick up a striker or strikers who are ' young , pacy , and hungry' and virtually guaranteed to score more goals than either Leon or Billy is faintly ludicrous. Yes, we'd all like to see the next Thierry Henry playing for us but unfortunately , a) so would at least 30 clubs who are in a much better position than us to make that happen and b) - he doesn't exist .

Meanwhile , what we do have is the strike partnership which scored the most goals in the Championship last season and either of whom at least two thirds of the fans in this league would be delighted to see joining them.

The idea that they could have both would send them into the realms of ecstasy , but here ......?

As someone would say , only in S2.

I agree generally with your point but also it does come across as we can't improve on Billy and Leon so why waste our money on anyone else! One of the main reasons we didn't make the play offs last season was the lack of options off the bench and/or competition for Billy and :Leon who had to play through lean spells because there was no one as good, let alone better. There are players out there who can offer us something different to what we have without breaking the bank and they'e usually on loan, playing in League One or even League 2 or abroad. Take Jack Marriot for example: he cost Peterborough a hundred grand or so, and was let go by Luton because he wasn't getting enough pitch time and they thought they had better. Look how that turned out!?

I'm not saying Marriot would have banged in 30 goals for us last season but he certainly would have being a great option off the bench and one to develop. I don't blame Wilder for not signing him either as he wasn't prolific at Luton and a step up to League One was a good move for Marriot. At our budget level we can't expect the finished article but we can bring in someone to develop who will have an impact. That's what we've done with Leonard and Lundstram and I believe they'll be better next season than last.

In short Mo Eisa from Cheltenham is a realistic shout and worth a gamble in my view. I like the loan option too though and I trust Wilder to bring in someone decent, Wilder's transfer record is brilliant overall.

 

[finlaytheblade]

You sound like Nigel Adkins...

Bloody hell hope I didn't come across like that.That is a worry

 

[Barney Rubble]

Nah mate. We weren't throwing everything forward down the stretch after we'd taken leads against Barnsley, Brentford, Millwall, Cardiff...

Defence is where we need to upgrade if we're to move from 10th to top 6. I'll be bold and say, no way do we finish top 6 with Basham & Stearman as first choice picks.

I'd agree with most of your thinking. Looking ahead I see AGE alone as a reason for bringing in replacements for Leon, Billy and Duff. If the were 5 years younger we wouldn't be able to afford them given the performances they've been turning in. Finding replacements will be difficult. It's not as clear to me if Brooks is better suited long term to the 2nd striker or the Duffy role but given that Wilder is looking to bring in 2 strikers it suggests that he sees him in the latter role. (Although if we brought in Maddison and a striker I might change that opinion.)

In terms of performance then Bash and Stearman are the weak links. Also good quality centre-halves cost less money than top end playmakers and strikers, so we have a better chance of improving the team within our limited budget.

Personally I'd have offered Donaldson another 12 month contract as I think he could have done a job in an emergency, with Leon, Billy, Brooks and 1 other as our main 4 strikers.

 

[DronnieBlade]

As much as I’d like the majority of fans, and more importantly CW and AK to be “right”, our record over the last 10 years or so, on so called “target” men, has been awful.

Messrs Horrenderson, Higdon and Hanson being amongst the most spectacularly bad ballers I have ever seen don the shirt.

I undestand the rationale. Have an outlet for an outball. To be able to hold up play, usually from a long ball out of defence that relieves pressure.

My questions would be :-

1. In a general sense, does it work ?
2. Given the by now ingrained mantra of the way in which CW sets up his team, tactically and positionally, is a “target man” that important ?

I have to say, I find myself monitoring the percentage of the time that such a tactic has the ball coming straight back at us, with possession lost.

Historically this has been an incredibly high percentage of the time. Perhaps 80%-90% of the time.

That can’t be good. Can it ????

UTB

 

[Esablade]

I'm a big fan of brooks but it is yet to be seen whether he can be clinical enough to fill that role. I think we have seen defensively we are fine when were not chucking everything forward. Problem then was we weren't scoring enough we weren't killing off games. I think if we fix it upfront, it will fix it across the board. A better striker and I think we will get more clean sheets.

I think Brooks is better sitting a little deeper and running at people rather than ‘leading the line’ as Billy/Clarke do...our other options re: strikers are weak...I’m sure we’ll get a couple in.

UTB!

 

[loyalblade95]

Bobby Reid and Diedhiou, actually did more.

They scored more in all competitions since they got some goals in the league cup I believe

 

[BushBlade]

Also, i'm sorry but this 'only in S2' stuff is nonsense. Just because one particular poster repeats it ad nauseum doesn't mean you all have to go around parroting it.

Yes we do have plenty of fans lacking a brain cell here and there, the ones who set unrealistic expectations and moan at every little thing which goes wrong. But really, this is no different to any other club. Just check out the various fan channels on youTube, seems like we're all a bunch of moaning miserable gets, not just Blades. We just notice in our own support more for obvious reasons.

It’s very parochial. You don’t hear Blades who live in Brum, or Leeds, or London, or anywhere that isn’t Sheffield and its surrounding areas saying that because they hear exactly the same things from supporters of other clubs.

 

[BigBed]

Spot on but then you fall into his your own Category. Gallagher who isn’t anything special you say.

6ft 4, target man , with a fair bit of pace, and has 2 seasons doing well in 2 very poor teams.

There’s 2 top tiers of players in this league I believe. The lights of Kodija / Vydra / Assombalonga etc which all get swooped around for £10mil plus.

Then there’s the players under them the Hogans / Gallagher / Waghorn etc who may reach that level but are worth a few million.

We are shopping in the market we can afford. The “risk” category. Anyone of Hogan / Gallagher / Waghorn etc could get 15 goals a season and then we have a £10million player ourselves.

Which category does Rhodes come under then??, a £10m target man that doesn't know where the target is??

 

[FriethBlade]

We need 2 new strikers to compete for first team places. With Wilson,Hanson and Lavery out of the picture that's not too much of an ask with our improved budget.

I'd take Gallagher or Hogan as the big money one and either the Cheltenham or Colchester lad as the 'young project' who could make an immediate impact

 

[BigBed]

I think its our style of play that mean we will concede goals, not necessarily the personnel.

However, the missing of chances is down to how clinical some of our players are. This is why we need to improve this area (in my opinion).

I honestly think we miss a real CB with a voice n balls.
Someone that can give JOC, Bash, Stevens, Baldock/Freeman The confidence and direction they sometimes need, Jake Wright was good at this in league 1, but I don't think Stearman has it if I'm honest, we need an anchor, another Chris Morgan type.

 

[RedandWhite]

They scored more in all competitions since they got some goals in the league cup I believe

Ah, fair.

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

I honestly think we miss a real CB with a voice n balls.
Someone that can give JOC, Bash, Stevens, Baldock/Freeman The confidence and direction they sometimes need, Jake Wright was good at this in league 1, but I don't think Stearman has it if I'm honest, we need an anchor, another Chris Morgan type.

Stearman was immense last season.

 

[The Crab]

You sound like Nigel Adkins...

Lets not say anything we can't take back

 

[Grappler]

The biggest issue we had last year imho was set peices and corners. The strikers did their job. But sometimes they had to feed of scraps. How often did we say Billy and Leon got no service. OK we did score some corkers from set peices, but they were the exception. I mean FFS how hard is it to take a decent corner. Get that right and our current strikers are good enough to convert. After saying that they are both going to be a year older, and maybe in danger of injury. We need a good youg back up striker to support them.

Well, they will both be a year older than the first game of last season, but they will only be a few months older than the last game of last season, Bristol City away, where they both scored absolute screamers (along with Kieron Freeman)

 

[BigBed]

Stearman was immense last season.

Wouldn't go that far, he did well, but improvements at CB n LWB are achievable.

 

[CopenhagenBlade]

But we have Ched after a full pre season behind him.

 

[BigBed]

What's the odds on him scoring more than Rhodes this season!!??

 

[8lade]

What's the odds on him scoring more than Rhodes this season!!??

Needs a thread of it's own...

 

[snootyfenooty]

What people don't realise when Brooks is brought into discussions like this is that if he has a price tag of £15m on him (which is not unreasonable), then this equates to a wage of about £40k per week. He'll be lucky to be on 10% of this at the moment which is frankly ludicrous and means he will be leaving soon whether the club want to sell him or not. The club cannot have their cake and eat it over Brooks, whether the club want to pay this or can even afford to pay it is irrelevant, United are not exempt from market forces and Brooks' agent knows this and is not going to be fobbed off either. The talk about Leon and Billy is also irrelevant, they have 1, maybe 2 years left in them maximum and that won't be playing 40+ games per season either.

We need to get real over United's prospects over the next few years. We cling on to players belonging in the past or we invest in those who are going to project us into the future. Brooks is pivotal in this respect and what happens over the next few months with regard to his future, not Leon's or Billy's, will define which direction we are heading.

 

[Bashar Al Asaba]

I know nowt about football, proof is I've followed the blades for over 60 years and always believed we will get it right, never see us losing a game and will always buy the best players.
In short I set unrealistic expectations, I believe in aliens and that a fantastically wealthy invested is about to turn us into the next Man citteh. And yes that might make me thick, myopic and ingrate but it also makes me a Blade and proud.
Careful about name callin your fellow supporters, all our opinions are driven by emotion and love of the club and therefore valid.

Actually, most of the opinions I see and hear are based on nothing more than spite, agendas and personal vendettas against those who don't deserve such crap.

I'm not going to absolve these pricks of their stupidity just because they attach themselves to the same football club as me.

 

[Blade56]

Actually, most of the opinions I see and hear are based on nothing more than spite, agendas and personal vendettas against those who don't deserve such crap.

I'm not going to absolve these pricks of their stupidity just because they attach themselves to the same football club as me.

I think your confusing us with BladesMad. Based on 2 posts you are the most opinionated name calling poster I have encounter since Len.

 

[Bashar Al Asaba]

I think your confusing us with BladesMad. Based on 2 posts you are the most opinionated name calling poster I have encounter since Len.

Not towards Leon and Billy I'm not.

 

[Blade56]

Not towards Leon and Billy I'm not.

I meant towards S24SU posters and blades fans in general.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

But in Brooks - we have one here already.

Not sure I see the fuss about boosting our front line? Our biggest issue last year was keeping clean sheets and holding on to leads...

I think Brooks could be that player Rog, I really hope so. If he played in every game like he did at Hillsborough he would propel us into the play offs at least.

I think the stat about conceding being more important than scoring is misleading tbh. It’s true we scored a lot of goals and conceded too many. So it’s easy to conclude defence is the main thing to be addressed because of that. But that doesn’t take into account the sheer wastefulness in front of goal.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen us miss so many easy chances as we did last season. Without exaggeration, if Leon alone had stuck half of those missed chances away he’d have finished the season on 30 goals. How many more points would that have accrued? It was very fine margins in a number of games where the missed chances cost us valuable points. If we can become more clinical in front of goal we could have a better season than last. And that requires strikers.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

I think Brooks could be that player Rog, I really hope so. If he played in every game like he did at Hillsborough he would propel us into the play offs at least.

I think the stat about conceding being more important than scoring is misleading tbh. It’s true we scored a lot of goals and conceded too many. So it’s easy to conclude defence is the main thing to be addressed because of that. But that doesn’t take into account the sheer wastefulness in front of goal.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen us miss so many easy chances as we did last season. Without exaggeration, if Leon alone had stuck half of those missed chances away he’d have finished the season on 30 goals. How many more points would that have accrued? It was very fine margins in a number of games where the missed chances cost us valuable points. If we can become more clinical in front of goal we could have a better season than last. And that requires strikers.

If you look at the modern striker: Aguero, Abemuyeng and dare I say Vardy - Brooks has the raw attributes to develop in their mould.

Imagine Duffy, Coutts and Fleck supplying him...

 

[Dronfield Blade]

Absolutely spot on.

Unfortunately, a significant proportion of our fan base are among the thickest, most myopic ingrates in all of English football.

Consider two commonly held "ideas" by these arseholes, both in the stands and on the internet:

1) Our strikers are shit/past it/ don't "do" anything.

2) Let's offload David Brooks as soon as possible.

Imagine the shit we'd be in if those morons had any say whatsoever.

You must sit around some right arseholes at the lane if any of them think Billy or Leon are shit or past it. Billy is a living legend and Leon has been playing the form of his life, what more do people want?

The general consensus among my mates, is that Wilder himself wants Billy as a backup (going off how he used him last year) and we all admitted that we have a feeling that Leon wont hit the same form, buts thats just bladey-blade gut feeling.

Anyway, I would be absolutely astounded if we start the season with 2 new strikers in the starring 11, if we actaully do, it means we have Billy and Leon on the bench. Any sensible football fans wet dream. Unlikely to happen.

My only worry is that there is no strength in depth up-top, but we all know Wilder knows what is needed. Not really understanding the urgency amongst fans. Its almost like they aren't happy unless they have something to moan about.

 

[Bashar Al Asaba]

You must sit around some right arseholes at the lane if any of them think Billy or Leon are shit or past it. Billy is a living legend and Leon has been playing the form of his life, what more do people want?

The general consensus among my mates, is that Wilder himself wants Billy as a backup (going off how he used him last year) and we all admitted that we have a feeling that Leon wont hit the same form, buts thats just bladey-blade gut feeling.

Anyway, I would be absolutely astounded if we start the season with 2 new strikers in the starring 11, if we actaully do, it means we have Billy and Leon on the bench. Any sensible football fans wet dream. Unlikely to happen.

My only worry is that there is no strength in depth up-top, but we all know Wilder knows what is needed. Not really understanding the urgency amongst fans. Its almost like they aren't happy unless they have something to moan about.

I'm on the Kop, and there's some absolute twats on there. I have no idea why they bother coming. It's fair enough to slate bad performances but I've even heard them slag the team off at 3 or 4 goals up, especially the strikers.

Like you say, if it was anywhere else the players we have would be appreciated. Not here though.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

I'm on the Kop, and there's some absolute twats on there. I have no idea why they bother coming. It's fair enough to slate bad performances but I've even heard them slag the team off at 3 or 4 goals up, especially the strikers.

Like you say, if it was anywhere else the players we have would be appreciated. Not here though.

Mate, there's dudes on there like my old man.

We were pissing a Senior cup game, ended up winning 11-0. My old man was moaning at the end of the game because we 'weren't putting the effort in'.

Fuck me dad, we won 11-0.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Mate, there's dudes on there like my old man.

We were pissing a Senior cup game, ended up winning 11-0. My old man was moaning at the end of the game because we 'weren't putting the effort in'.

Fuck me dad, we won 11-0.

Yeah but it should have been 12, always room for some constructive criticism.