Turner is after a new striker and seems to be foiled by what is available and balancing the wages. Bradshaw needs a run in the first team to possibly show what he can do and bringing in a striker will limit that. Midfield has many players within it yet supply seems limited for the forwards, with Taylor willing to attack. McAllister and Summerfield are strong and offer an outlet, hall and Wildig might have their days nunbered, and McGinn looks a handful. Parry looked cracking at the start of the season, who knows what's gone wrong there and Wrighty has suffered from injury, but did look good in his last recent game. Purdie offered some interesting stuff on the wing but that lessened as his time there moved on. So what is our ideal midfield? Should our priority be a striker or a winger? Or should we consider a formation change?
I personally would go 4-5-1 in tricky away games á la Swindon to help us stiffen up in the middle of the park and retain the ball better. A trio of McGinn, Summerfield and D. Mac in the centre would do well against most teams in this league, and it would allow the wingers slightly more attacking freedom. Taylor on the right and Parry, although he's off form, on the left - he's a natural winger who can score goals. However, at home, I'd prefer we stick with a 4-4-2. McGinn or Summerfield can both actually play out wide, but, again, I'd start Parry there. I've said for a while I'd like another genuine winger, and I still think that's a higher priority than a new striker.
Lenny, I agree we need another winger (how about Rooney who is not getting much of a look in at Swindon but always impressed against before his move there). However, I still think we need at least one striker more desperately - since Collins left we have had very little strength in the box and Marvin looks as if he is running on empty at the moment. With Rogers and Bradhaw probably little better than bit part players in this league we are absolutely threadbare in this vital department. If we do not sign someone who has a track record as a striker in this league soon we could well go down. As for the midfield I think Richards needs a break at the moment and would go 4-3- 3 at home with Mcginn, Mcallister and Summerfeld in the middle and Bradshaw, Morgan and Taylor up front. We need another five wins at home to ensure staying up and I just cannot see where the goals are going to come from at the moment.
Thin on the ground now in central defence with Grandison out for some time. Perhaps Collins could return on loan?
Finding myself agreeing with a lot of these comments. 4-5-1 away? Yes, why not, 4-4-2 hasn't done much for us has it? Main problem is I think you need pace out wide to really benefit from it. Wright & Ainsworth was a good combination for this but we've only really got Taylor at the moment. The alternative is to play 4-4-1-1, which might suit our current squad better. A striker has to be the first priority. As has been said, we're pretty threadbare whereas Parry, Wright (when fit again) and Purdie give us wide midfield options alongside Taylor, not to mention that McAllister, McGinn, Wildig & Richards have played there. Doble can't be too far off fitness now but we're seriously short of a real goal threat. Having said that, where will it come from? Players are under contract in January and who's going to let go now of a player they want to keep? It seems to me we're fishing amongst unproven loanees, the out of favour or the non-leagues. Wherever our striker comes from, if he comes at all, he's unlikely to be the fabled 20 goal striker we'd love to see. If we can wait till summer, I think the better permanent signings will be available then so I'll be quite happy to see a good loanee come in. Finally, please let's not write off all those currently out of favour at the Meadow. Grandison and Taylor have had their detractors rubbishing them in the past and I believe Goldson and Wildig, for example, have the potential to be fine players for us - if we give them the time to develop properly. The treatment of Wildig by some has been shameful. As indeed has the treatment of Richards by those who forget how vital a player he's been for us and that, far from not being L1 standard as I heard someone say, he has a lot of Championship experience. Yes his form's not good at the moment but why should that be permanent? He's too good a player to discard just because he's hit an indifferent patch.
Well spoken as always ShrewdC. I agree on Wildig, he shows some really good stuff when allowed to, unfortunately opinion for any player is based on current form and with an ever tightening chance for a place in CM he will find his opportunities numbered. With time he could prove a star, but town fans are a fickle bunch sometimes just look at Mark Wright and the love/hate from block 19!
most of, or not all our players are far to inconstant, so its very hard to try to figure away of formulating a team, you just don't know whose going to step up to the plate on the day,one player will play out of his skin one week, then play like a right fanny for the next few games , Rowland wont spend, GT has already had a disaster in the loan market, so where do we go from here?......we have some pretty hard games after the Bury match, so lets hope we can start picking a few points up..
It would be great to see Bradshaw start and get a couple of good goals against Bury, before a sub and whoever replaces hom also scores!!! http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11719/8431943/Di-Canio-No-bids-for-Ritchie Matt Ritchie anyone?
