Billy Sharp is a very good player but 5 months ago we said Chopra was the answer to our prayers. Im still not convinced we need any need strikers. Scotland, Priskin and Chopra are all decent options at this level and we have Murphy, Murray, JET, Martin and Ellington who have all played there. We still cant create clear cut chances and we still have a defensive with more gaps than the average tennis racket. I would call that more of an issue than getting another striker atm
Got your meds already Spanish, glad to see you are on the road to recovery. Joking aside I think Sharp would be a good addition. Sure we have a lot of strikers at the moment but how many do you really want to keep tractorbhoy? We do have frailties at the back that need addressing too but we should always be looking to strengthen everywhere. Time for Ronan to at least start making the bench.
Its a good question SD! Its not only a question of numbers but type. All of our strikers are similar and Sharp has the same qualities as most of them. In the summer, I would have prefered Sharp to Chopra but Im not sure if I would play them both. As to our current strikers then Scotland, hated him last year but he now appears fitter and is having more of an impact. Priskin, Im convinced he is a goalscorer (I must be mad) but has never shown it here Ellington, Hasnt really been seen but when he has looks OK but hasnt had an impact or the ability to change a game Murphy, Useless idiot Murray, Meant to be a decent striker but isnt near the first team picture and again is similar in build to the others I wouldnt really be sorry to see any of them go other than Murray, who deserves a chance at least, BUT I still dont think the way we have played helps out strikers. If we played Carson, who is quick, hugs a touchline and can cross, on a regular basis then we may actually create true chances on a more regular basis for any of our strikers. I dont think it is coincidence that we have signed Chopra, Scotland and Priskin as 20 goal a season strikers and they have never looked liked fulfilling that role. The last time we looked like a goalscoring team was under Magilton, when our formation had Lee and Counago upfront but had the likes of Walters and Billy Clarke out wide who would effectively work as a front four. You would most probably say that our current frontline has better players but we dont have the mix of characters that that line up gave.
Tractorbhoy is right, the defence is the key to success! when we went on our decent six game run the defence was solid and looked unbeatable, now it looks shaky again we are losing matches and conceding silly goals. We can't expect to score 3 goals every game, its just plain crazy. When i was young and doing football training, i was given some very good advice. You wouldn't build a house unless you had solid foundations! so you won't get a successful team without a solid defence.
Don't like to use the scummers as an example of how to set a team out but they started against Villa (I think) with a flat back four, a midfield of Hoolahan, Bennet, Pilkington and Johnson plus Morrison and Holt up front. All of them work hard for the team both defending and attacking and three out of the four midfielders you would class as attackingly minded, plus two strikers who offer a physical threat and a goal threat. We should have bought someone in the mould of Ricky Lambert / Darius Henderson and bought another one or two wingers in (although I understand Jewell tried to bring in James Henry and Coppinger), at the moment we have too many strikers of a similar mould and too many midfielders of a similar mould.
