Yes, and equally if you had 10 players who can only finish and no one to win the ball/defend/make chances/play in goal then it wouldn't be much of a team. Obviously you need all of those elements to make a good team, but you can't say one type of player is better than the other. It's like saying strikers are better than defenders because they score more.
The majority would agree, but in my mind, a keeper is the priority. Basso might only last until the end of the season, and I rate Warner more than Gulasci (slight exaggeration ) We need a new permanent keeper like Myhill was, one that will play pretty much every game every season for a few/several years, rather than constant temporary keepers like Mannone, Duke, Gulasci, Basso and Guzan. And, as stated on another thread, if Rosie was injured, Macca would cover at centre-half, and then who would be left to cover? Bradley? At least up top we have Simpson, Fryatt and McLean, Adebola for an extra dimension, with several attacking midfielders if we have to go with 1 up front.
If Rosenior were to be injured or suspended, then we have Macca to cover. However, if it gets worse and he is needed to play CB, then Danny East could probably do a job for a couple of games. He looked solid in pre-season and him and Pusic were the only ones to come out of the Macclesfield game with their heads held high.
But we currently have 10 players who run around working hard, and no lazy goal poacher sitting around the box waiting to stick the pig bladder in the onion bag, which is what we're missing. As hard as McLean works, Fryatt works hard too even if he's not as physical, but he's alot more technical and intelligent, so we need someone to sit about and bash them away. And let's be honest, McLean couldn't hit a barge on a bandstand with a biscuit barrel.
Only if we're still not scoring come January. The fact that we have a lack of cover at CB & only one good keeper with dodgy knees will still be the case come January so we should be identifying targets now. As for strikers that can come third and we need to know what the situation with Jay is and whether or not NB wants him (or if he wants to be here) before we sign anyone else.
My point was we currently have my situation, and we can't go on saying everybody we've got is fine and it doesn't matter that they keep missing because they're not just there to score goals, they make chances as well, we need somebody there who's job is to score goals.
We had this situation under Pearson. It is entirely possible that Barmby can get the strikers scoring more goals by slightly altering the system we play, which he's alluded to in his interviews ie allowing the players to express themselves and not wanting them to be robots. Maybe Nick always thought under Pearson that he was too focused on team organisation and not allowing the other team to play and wanted more freedom (he certainly was always our most expressive player when he came on).
But McLean for one was playing the same way on Saturday (run round, make chances, miss shots) and being defended for playing that way because he's not there to just to score goals, so we still have the situation. Until it improves we're not wrong in complaining that the strikers (as a group) aren't scoring enough goals and it needs improving, and the most efficient way is to replace the one who seems to miss the most chances most often with someone more clinical.
Yeah but my point is what do you want the club to do right now? Either we play Dele (which you've already made clear you don't want us to do) or we play McLean until January and assess things then. It's all well and good saying that it's more efficient to replace the person who misses chances with somebody clinical but realistically we should get our coaches and manager to help solve the problem of us not scoring goals. That's what we pay them for as much as we pay our strikers to score goals (as well as put in good perofrmances which McLean has been doing most of this season barring the obvious - goals), your solution of getting rid of him because he's not scoring and get someone who will just seems a little naive. Do you suggest we get rid of our coaches and just get a load of scouts? Ok, i know that's not what you meant but you see my point? We have to wait until January before we can do anything about the strikeforce, we don't know what the situation with Waggy's injury is so McLean will probably play more, if he bags a few more between now and January and we continue to win games i'd be happy to stick with him. Hopefully Barmby won't do what Pearson did with Jay and drop him if we get someone new despite him hitting form (if he does).
I'll hand one thing to McLean which might help justify his scary amount of misses, and that's that he'll try and shot from positions and angles others wouldn't, he's not shy of having a pop. However there's a counter, as most of these chances come after, IMO, he makes a bad decision ie being too late to play a pass he should of made (which he does often) poor first touch leaving him with no other option etc. I do really like McLean and his work ethic and believe he does have a part to play, however I feel we could and should do much better.
We need to pass to Mclean at the very last minute, there's nothing wrong with his instincts, it's when he has to think that he ****s up.
Nickys the right guy to sort Mclean out, as for Simpson, he was invisible in most of the games I saw him play and I'd have Mclean over him any day of the week
It's not true about having to wait until January. If we could recall Simpson (we can't until January) or we could find a poacher then since around about the start of October we've been able to sign them and tie them onto a permanent deal (93 days emergency loan with a preagreed permanent transfer for 1st January), and the opportunity goes away again on Thursday night when the emergency loan window shuts. Even so, we're on a thread talking about replacing McLean with Simpson in January because Simpson is more of a goalscorer and people are saying no because McLean works harder and it's not just about goals. I'm not sure why in that context I'm being asked what I think we should do right now just because I said that I'd make the change when it comes to it. Nobody in our current squad is scoring regularly so making loads of chances isn't working for us. Lets make a few less but score more of them by making the change instead of saying "but they're all working really hard so we'll just leave it". If our strikers suddenly start banging goals in for fun then I can reassess at that point, but from the sound of it there's not been a sign of AM doing that yet.
I didn't realise you meant Simpson when referring to replacing McLean, for that I apologise. I still think it's too early to talk about it though, Jay's going to be at Millwall until January and he'll probably sign permanently then. McLean will be starting a lot more games from now until January and under a new manager and coaching staff he'll hopefully start scoring more goals. Even if he doesn't, he was our best player against West Ham and created tonnes, he had one shot at Forest and scored it, he scored a scruffy but important goal against Watford and we're currently sat in the play-offs with a game in hand over everyone else. That's probably why most people are happy to stick with him and everyone else, not "but they're all working really hard so we'll just leave it"
Fryatt 5 McLean 3 Koren 3 Waggy 1 Barmby 1 Brady 1 Stewart 1 Nearly all of our goals have been scored by strikers, and only one (Koren V Watford) has been scored by anyone playing outside of the front 4. If you want to pick on a group of players for not contributing enough goals, it should either be the centre backs or midfielders. My point was simply that just because Simpson is more of a goal-scoring player than McLean it doesn't make him better. To be honest, I rate them both. I agree that we don't have a striker who is reliable enough in front of goal. But I think to get one that is as good as McLean and Fryatt around the box, but also good at finishing it'd probably cost us in excess of £2m and we won't be spending that on one player!
McLean has more points in his favour than Simpson.He is a more physical presence and doesn't get knocked off the ball as easily.He is far superior aerially,he gets back and puts in a fair share of defending which Simpson very seldom does. Neither fill me full of eager anticipation as they prepare for a strike on goal ,but , Mclean should be ahead ( imo) of Simpson and Adebola until we have a more permanent alternative.
yes must agree with this. if the lions want him then sell him. put the money towards a better striker in jan.
I see Kenny Jackett wants to make some sort of bid for Jay. I always rated him but something was wrong why he didn't hit the back of the net. Some players never settle and when moved come alive because certain things just click. Was wondering what the current thinking is. 1) Do we let him go and use the money to try again in Jan with another striker 2) Get another striker anyway, and keep an eye on his extended loan down south 3) Have him back and hope he has got over whatever it was holding him back
I think we should sell him to Millwall and use the money to part-fund a better striker. I also think he is a good striker but will find it difficult settling outside his native London.
