Agree with this although MacAnuff should have supplied more ammunition. Hendo going off the boil and Ellington never reaching body temperature was our main failing ... desperate acts like using Big Dan as a striker bear this out. I'll leave Tamas out of this for the time being as he showed some improvement. We need 2 strikers (one to replace Ellington and one to replace Hendo) and if Aidy does not bring in some firepower we will struggle.
Spot on. People are saying that our strikers are not a priority, but even with a solid defence and a capable midfield, we will do **** all with our current attack.
I'm sorry but I disagree with this about Henderson. We are in the Championship and in two seasons Hendo has scored over thirty goals for us at this level. That's not a bad return. He may not be good enough for the Prem but he is very much proven at this level. How much would another 15 goal a season striker cost on the open transfer market? Far more than we have to spend!! And that's even if such a player would be prepared to join us at the moment.
I think Theo and Moses are both going to play a part this season. And this is thier season. They have developed as the should so far, but it's time for them to make the next step. They need to start to deliver. Add to this the stories of Nemeth and I think we're alright. I'd still prefer it if Hendo left though.
On paper, you are absolutely right. I hate Hendo as a player, but if he gets double figures every year, even I can't argue with that. The problem is, as I see it, that Hendo's goals were highly dependent on him playing alongside real quality, in Ash and Marlon. In the absence of such talent, he's always looked terrible and unable to score. It may have just been an extended rough patch as the rest of the team slumped, but we can't ignore his pathetic return from the NY onwards last season. Personally, I predict that without the likes of King to take markers away and to put the ball on a plate in the 6 yard box for him, he's gonna score **** all again in the future.
I have no problem with this, a fair point. To ensure Hendo is able to contribute his fair share of goals this season he will need a decent partner and he will also need better supply from the midfield. This is true of most centre-forwards though. Work-in-progress shall we say?
It would be lovely to invest some money in some good quality strikers but if we have no quality in midfield, those strikers aren't going to see much of the ball are they?
I'm hoping that Gareth Williams will prove his fitness and is the answer. He's only played three games for us so hasn't had a chance to impress yet.
I don't think it is feasible to have more than 4 strikers on the book personally, and with Aidy transfer listing Kabba and Hoskins, it leaves Hendo, Robinson Priskin and Ashikodi. I don't think he will bring in anymore strikers unless one of the others goes outo n loan for the season, which I seriously doubt will happen considering people have high hopes for Ashikodi and Robinson came back to be involved in the first team. We will have to trust his judgement that our current strikers will do well next year. I know people are uneasy about this, as am I sometimes, but I think that is what is going to happen so, meh. To be honest since Springy left our midfield has been p!ss poor, and I think if we sort that out the goals will come easily no matter who is upfront. With good playmaking even the most average striker will find himself with many good chances a match and should be able to put some of them away.
If that's true, it will be the worst strike force we've had at the club since the season after we sold Dyer and Furlong. Can't see more than 20 goals out of that lot combined. It would be a pathetic strikeforce and we'd be laughed out of the bottom of the league. I am quite sure you're wrong, as Aidy can't be that stupid. If he is, I might pop round there myself and bang his heads together.
Unfortunataly Priskin, Ashikodi and Robinson are all very unproven at this level or have failed to deliver at this level. Ashikodi and Robinson amy still be a little short in the physical stakes for this league. I can see Aidy briing in at least one more "90 minute" striker and maybe an expirianced impact striker.
Agreed to an extent, BUT the biggest problem was we had no 'creativity' in midfield! We had 'plodders' like Mahon, Eustace and O'Toole. We missed someone like Matt Spring, who would chip in with 10 goals from midfield and make goals too. Get a more creative midfielder in the side, and an experienced striker with a good pedigree at this level, then who knows...
I don't know, I'm a bit 50/50 about buying a new striker. On one hand, we still need to replace King, but on the other hand we don't have much resources and I think the little money we have can be spent better elsewhere. Hendo scores regularly at Championship level, and if we use him the right way he's key player for us. What we have to avoid is hoofing balls at him when he's 30 yards from goal, because that gets us nowhere. Hendo is best when he's in the box and gets supply from wingers and midfielders. I still think Priskin is the key to success though. What we desperately need is a bit of flair and creativity and Priskin's got that. With Williams and Eustace in the center there's a good chance we can get some balls to his feet. Any of the other strikers could possibly hit a scoring streak if we're lucky. Theo, Hoskins, hell even Moses or Kabba. But that would be a strike of luck as we haven't seen anything to suggest this yet.
OK so Kabbas gone to Blackpool soooo thats one option removed from the striking equation. I think any optimism of Henderson scoring double figures is very much wishful thinking, the blokes a donkey.... plain and simple. As I see it ou best hope is to go with Priskin, Robinson, Ashikodi and Hoskins which gives us a very young inexperienced but mobile strike force. If we can deliver the right balls to them could be very interesting, however, I've got a very bad feeling about the coming season.
The good thing about having a young strike force is: 1. They're hungry, and want to prove a point. 2. They offer the 'unknown' factor, a lot of sides wouldn't know much about them, therefore wouldn't know how to play against them. 3. As you say, they're more mobile. The downside is, they lack experience! Someone like Clinton Morrison upfront would be ideal, IMO.
Also none of our young strikers has much power and strength and will be muscled off the ball pretty easily.
Priskin is good when we play on the floor. Hull at home in the play offs, he came off the bench and was quality. Had a few shots, his pace was unbeliveable and he put in a lot of effort.
But statistically he has in the last two seasons he played in this division, so it would be foolish to think he would not again, statistically speaking. Even a one legged blind donkey would score goals if they received the right delivery.
Definitely agree there mate. Priskin looked a lot more sharper in the last few games of the season. I hope he goes on to prove myself and a number of others wrong next season. If he's given a fair crack and we give him the good service I can see him doing alright. Henderson has had a decent strike-record in his last two championship seasons but still has managed to be catastrophically SH*T for about 40% of that time. I'd keep him in the team unless we get a better striker in.
NO he isn't!! He gets the ball to feet and stands there looking like a rabbit in the headlights until an opposing player takes it from him. He has been absolute toilet everytime I have seen him and I don't know what makes you lot think he is going to transform over the closed season into a goal scoring machine?
Purely from the play offs. Which is the only reason I have found to have any optimism about next season at all.
So he raised his game slightly from toilet to inadequate! he is still not good enough for this league and needs getting off the books.
Prisken is going no where - at the end of last season he moved accross the road to a bigger, nicer apartment - a few weeks after Jorden Stewart moved back to the midlands. Personnally I like Prisken and think he'll do a job for us, given the right service. But then I've always thought we signed decent players last year and then preceeded to play completely inappropriate football for them. Hopefully it will 'all' be different this year!
He was very good in the play-offs. A sign of things to come? Although I can't see him and Hoskins playing together. Hoskins sounds quite similar to him. We'd need a bit of variation in the team for it to work. I can see a good partnership between Priskin and Robinson if anything.
I don't see why Hoskins and Priskin wouldn't work, i think both players are capable are coming short and going in behind and perhaps a partnership where they rotate who's coming short and who's going in behind would work quite well, the opposition defence wouldn't know what was coming each time.
I just feel that we shouldhave someone stood by the opposition's back line. Priskin isn't the one to go closing the kepper down is he?
Theo, Moses, Hoskins, Priskin will be useless! What makes you guys think we'll suddenly going to stop hoofing the ball? Most of the assumptions for these players doing anything good next season translates into this: "If we play like brazil and Eustace suddenly gets the passing vision and ability of Riquelme or Ronaldinho, they'll get a goal". I feel a lot of you are over hyping these guys, yes i'd like to see them succeed, but really don't think they're ready to lead the line together.
My fear is we will try it briefly, get clobbered in a few early season games and then revert to hoofball in panic. Needless to say I HOPE I'm wrong! The playoffs may have shown encouraging signs but don't forget the bottom line, that we lost 6-1 on aggregate.
A welcome dose of reality. Has everyone forgotten how **** this lot really are in such a short space of time? I can only imagine that people are remembering the odd 10 second glimmer we've seen from one or two players, then assuming that we will suddenly see them turning this in consistently. It ain't gonna happen. Moses, Hendo, Hoskins and Theo are a League two strikeforce.
Good God!! You lot have us down for relegation already and the season doesn't start for four weeks. I have no idea how we are going to do this season but to be so vitriolic in your (wayward) criticism in mid-July!! If you guys were feeling this way in October with the team in the bottom three then I might understand it. For f**cks sake get a life and enjoy the summer!
