Has to start next season as our no.1 striker. Hopefully we can get Earnie off our books. Also if we can get a fee for Kenny then id sell him. Malky should look for a partner to play alongside Joe. Me id ring Mark Hughes and ask how much he wants for Jay. With a couple of fast wingers im convinced Malky will lead us to the autos next season and also if Joe is up top all season he will bag 20 plus. Miller has played well this season but hes not doing the job for the money we pay him - sticking the ball in the net.
The boy has been fantastic. He will get even better next year with an intense pre-season behind him. He reminds me of a very young Kevin Doyle with the potential to surpass that level in the future. Cool, calm and composed in front of goal with a very quick reaction time to the second ball - wonderful prospect.
Shrewd of the club to tie him down with a long term contract but I suspect some big clubs already have him on their radar. In no way am I deriding the lad,far from it, but he is by far the outstanding striker at our club which just about sums up the quality of our squad.
Yep, Miller 12 goals in 47 games is not good enough. I understand he's playing all over the park but he can't expect to score if he's not in the strikers position. Great work ethic but not enough goals. Mason will be a star in time but not sure Bothroyd is the answer for next season, perhaps Malky will find another gem.
I agree about Earnie but not sure about Miller. We need 2 players for every position. If Miller and Earnie go, that puts us in the market for another 2 strikers. Miller with a partner or with a bit more width would be a different prospect. I agree that Mason should be 1st choice, but you could do a lot worse than Miller as back up. Swap Earnie for a target man / hold up player and most of pre-season should be spent recruiting for the midfield. 2-3 wide players together with Conway and Cowie leaves us short a quarter back or two. Don't think we should expect too much from McPhail next season. Jay would be well suited to our play, but not sure where his head is or if his work rate would be adequate for MM.
I'd keep Miller, don't want Jay back. There will be loads of good players looking for clubs in the off season and who we go after will depend on the league we are in.
mason, good young player but outmuscled far too much and would be twice the player he is with more strength. hard worker who chases down lost causes (should preserve his stamina but he's eager to impress). good finisher and dribbler but i wouldnt play him up front on his own as its not his game to play with his back to goal, you go 4-4-2 if he goes up front IMO. miller, 1 in 4 is not good enough. but he's not hiding, he hit the post last week which led to the mason goal. he never wins flick ons so i dont know why we continue to hoof it up to him, and we're paying him alot of money as bursaspor pay very well. i'd only bin him if we could get someone better than him. you'd have thought after playing champions league football, this league would be a walk in the park for him, but for the majority of the season he's had to feed off scraps. earnie will go as he hasnt been given the chance to earn another contract, a shame, you wonder why we signed him in the first place to then not play him but he'll have takers in the summer. therefore we need 2 strikers at least this summer, and wingers.
We can also hope that Rudy stays fit and shows us something as well. Would keep Miller as a third striker.
Miller needs someone to take the pressure off him up front. His game depends on space created for him by others. Whilst having Mason in there for us is a huge plus, it doesn't help Miller's game. Bigger target man to drag the opposition CBs about would create the space he requires Bothroyd???? His style of play would suit Miller, but the "ego" scenario may not be to Malky's liking.
Mason is getting better every game and played really well on Saturday, especially holding up the ball and laying it off. Miller is not scoring but is putting in the graft from a deeper position. Don't want Jay back but we do need another good forward who will work hard and stay on his feet.
I said earlier in the season Joe needed to stop chasing the lost causes. I wont knock the boy for trying but he's too important to us to waste his energy chasing 40 yrds to make the keeper kick a ball a second earlier. He often fades second half when we really need him. His movement first half against Leeds is the best I've seen from any striker at the CCS this season. I don't think Millers contribution when not scoring should be underestimated. Agreed he should score more but he is very often involved in the build up to our better play/chances. We have a lot more pressing issues than replacing Miller imo. Get some pace into the side, in the form of a winger who can score and create. I wouldn't mind seeing a large chunk of whatever budget we have going on getting a real game changing player but he MUST have a decent turn of pace!
Clearly I just don't see games the way others seem to see it. Mason has been nothing short of brilliant all season. The lad will never give up,forces defensive mistakes,gets into the box and scores goals. Miller basically plays far too deep in a midfield role,often pulls up when a through ball is laid on a few yards in front of him and for most of the season doesn't score goals. Compare their wages and I know which is the best value for money.
I wasn't suggesting Miller over Mason in any way. I'd also rather see Joe trying too hard than sulking aka Jay. I just think he could learn when to use his energy a little better, it's a tiny criticism of player I'm a huge fan of. There is no doubt Mason should start next season as our number 1 striker.
Stevoldinho! Agreed the youngster sometimes needs to take a breather but he is still keen to prove he is a genuine replacement for Malky's first player on the teamsheet. Youthful exuberance I suppose. I don't doubt Joe is learning a lot from Miller as alluded to in a recent interview with Malky but I just don't think we can afford Miller as a back up striker. What Mason needs is a big target man taking the knocks and drawing centrebacks apart and laying on balls into the box. Miller has scored 11 in 44 this season while Billy Whizz has scored 12 in 26.
i agree with steveoldinho, as i've said on a thread here somewhere, he chases too many lost causes, he's eager to impress which is a good thing, i just think he should reign things in a bit and save his stamina so he can hurt teams as the final whistle approaches. his physique is not suited to championship football but its an age thing and he'll get stronger with age.... strangely i dont think he's suited to being an out and out striker, he's a good dribbler and finisher, maybe a bit like sturridge of chelsea, he could play on the right hand side of a 4-3-3 or 4.2.3.1,
Taking into account Joe came to us from Plymouth after 53 league appearances, mostly in Div. 1, and 10 goals, he has been a revelation in the Championship. His goals per game ratio is better with us at a higher level (4.2 compared to 5.3) and he contributes so much more with his pace and energy even if he does go on a lot of fruitless journeys - that is part of the game now in terms of closing down defenders and pressing and he has the energy to carry it off. Kenny has a more canny head on his shoulders but at 32 he can't put in the hard yards of a 20 year old. He has to pick and chose the times to make his runs although I thought he pulled up a bit too soon a couple of times on Saturday. Nevertheless he contributes all over the park. Did anyone else notice who was marking Snodgrass before he pulled the ball back to Connolly - who crossed for Bechio to score? It was Miller, our no. 9, at left back as Taylor had gone on a run. Kiss and Gunner should have covered the cross but bounced off each other giving Connolly the space. Miller is certainly a team player although his goals per game stats have never been great apart from his last spell at Rangers. Maybe we shouldn't have relied so much on him as a main striker? Both will form part of our attack next season plus Rudy with Earnie off to earn a few dollars in the states. Another striker is a must, preferably one with a higher goals per game ratio. I saw a reference in one of the papers last week to us looking at Simon Cox at WBA. Great record at Swindon, goal every other game, but has only managed 1 in 6 at the Baggies since going there in 2009. Might be a gamble but may be out of contract after 3 years there?
