BRISTOL CITY: Striker signing a priority for Robins in January transfer window. By a_stockhausen please log in to view this image Kyle LaffertyBRISTOL City manager Steve Cotterill has made no secret of his desire to recruit a striker during the January transfer window. And recourse to statistical analysis suggests the acquisition of a proven Championship goal-scorer represents the most reliable means of helping the Robins pull clear of relegation trouble during the second half of the season. Although City have conceded more goals than any other side in the second tier, recent events suggest their biggest problem is at the other end of the pitch. Since winning promotion from League One, Cotterill's team has scored 22 goals in 25 league games. The last 10 outings have yielded a meagre five goals, only one of them from open play, and that trend suggests the recruitment of a striker must be deemed a priority this month. Certainly, City fans seem to agree, according to the results of a Bristol Post poll conducted over the Bank Holiday weekend. We asked City fans to vote on which position most urgently requires strengthening if the Robins are to stay in the Championship. And 50.52 per cent said they thought the club should make signing a striker a priority. That compared with 24.35 per cent who felt a creative midfielder was most needed, while 15.97 per cent voted for a holding midfielder. please log in to view this image Just 5.24 per cent felt the acquisition of a goalkeeper was most important, while 3.93 per cent wanted a defender. Cotterill tried in vain to sign a proven Championship goal-scorer last summer, only to miss out on Dwight Gayle, below, Andre Gray, above, and Yann Kermogant. Crystal Palace and Brentford accepted bids in the region of £6m for Gayle and Gray respectively, while a deadline day attempt to lure Kermogant from Bournemouth fell through at the eleventh hour. Reading striker Simon Cox has come and gone in the meantime and City's manager is now actively seeking a forward who is able to complement Aaron Wilbraham, Jonathan Kodjia and Kieran Agard. please log in to view this image The loan market represents a more viable financial option in the short term and a number of Premier League players are likely to be made available this month. Among those unable to hold down a first team place and apparently surplus to requirements is Kyle Lafferty, the Northern Ireland striker who has hardly featured since Norwich returned to the top flight last year. Eager to play regular football and prove his fitness ahead of June's European Championships, the 28-year-old Irishman has been linked with a loan move to Leeds United. please log in to view this image A majority of City fans would welcome a player of Lafferty's ilk with open arms. But the task of attracting such players to Ashton Gate remains a difficult one. Majority shareholder Steve Lansdown's billionaire status notwithstanding, the Robins will surely be hard-pressed to lure proven goal-scorers from Premier League clubs while they remain engaged in a relegation battle. If signing those players was difficult in the summer, it will be even more so in January, in what is traditionally a seller's market. And that is the Catch-22 situation Cotterill must find a solution to if he is to inspire a sustained upturn in fortunes during the second half of the campaign. http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...ity-Robins/story-28461169-detail/story.html#1
Worth repeating - Bristol Post Vote - Player most required.. * 50.52% Want a Striker.. * 24.35% Want a creative midfielder.. * 15.97% Want a defensive midfielder.. * 05.24% Want a goalkeeper.. * 03.93% Want a defender..
I would love we sign a Striker, we're desperate, but we need at least 3 players in this window. I'd like to add - have 5.24% of Arsenal fans thanked their lucky stars they changed their keeper to Cech ? Cech will most likely help Arsenal win the Premiership. I'm happy to be part of our 5.24%. Can't stress enough how a keeper, good or bad, influences results.
I think the priority is a holding midfielder closely followed by a striker.. Also against the grain I would give El Abd a proper run in a 4-4-2.. Brighton fans love him.. Bury fans love him.. Swindon fans love him? why is it just us that can't get a performance out of him?
How about someone like Simon Cox?............... Need a long term replacement for wilbs. Replacement for Elliot. And a quality defender to enable us to play 442. All of which are difficult to get in January. We don't need a keeper, Frank is good enough and how many of you saw Bentley's howler on Saturday on football league show.
A goal keeper/ attacking midfielder/ quality striker would give us hope. Why not go for gayle again,no harm is asking.
No-one gets a second chance to make a first impression and despite all his preferences might I remind him that there is no way City will or can meet his demands Strangely enough I think we could get more cold shoulder in the January window and given our well shouted restrictions I just can't see how new players would find Ashton Gate to be anywhere on their priority list. The club have virtually come out and said that they don't believe they can compete at this level when you consider the transfer fees and salary demands on the table during negotiations, so I ask how the heck can we expect a realistic partial rebuild of the squad? Is this window going to any different from all the rest or can we expect the management to shock us all with some well thought out decisions designed, not only to get consolidation for the rest of this season, but to move onwards and upwards towards some higher place? My suggestion would be to not hold your breath because we're not very good at handling what's in front of us and yet we excel at looking back and knowing what should have happened. It shocks me to finally accept that my lifelong team is not really very good at getting things right and appear willing to stay in the same old boring rut with a smile here and there followed by a grin and assurances that everything is under control. Get real please and stop taking your supporters for a ride that borders on almost funny, if indeed not totally predictable, as it is starting to lose it's appeal and just in case you haven't noticed we have travelled this bumpy road before and we had a lousy driver that took us where we didn't want to go. I, like many others, didn't expect us to arrive in paradise this season but at least I thought we might end up in a brighter place than this, so the thought of having to change my plans yet again to accommodate the lack of funds scares me when I think of the backwater places on the potential bus tour. If there was anything I would like to say to Steve Lansdowne before he gets out his cheque book (credit card or whatever) to bring in the new crop it would be for him to show respect for his followers and to finally put more of the pieces of a very difficult puzzle together in an organised fashion and you might find that the final picture looks rather nice. I await with baited breath to see how it will all go work out.
Norwich are signing Gayle. 8m deal apparently. Strikers: Matt Smith, Tom Bradshaw and Danny Graham on loan from Sunderland, he's not getting much game time there (and yes all 3!) Midfielders: Adlène Guedioura (loan) Bradley Dack, Darron Gibson (loan) Defenders: Adrian Mariappa, Harry Maguire (loan) Goalkeeper: Brad Jones go ****ing get um
BOURNEMOUTH are eyeing a loan swoop for Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford after his loan spell with Crystal Palace was terminated. This, in turn, could make Yann Kermorgant surplus to requirements and Bristol City may step up their pursuit after nearly signing the player last year.
Bring out your unwanted over 35's and perhaps Bristol City will sign them because they did the same for David James. Each passing day decreases my desire to follow the antics happening at Ashton Gate and it's starting to sound like an improv theatre group where the script is made up as you go along. Where the theatrical group have us beaten is that they never have to make up excuses for their words. The beat goes on.
