Even though we did manage to score a decent amount last season, i'm still not convinced in our forward line. Chops, ok, if he plays most games will get us 15-20, but other than that, we don't have anyone else to bang them in. Scotland will get us 1-5, Murray doesn't look good enough, Martin will create a few....but thats it, we really do need another man up front to partner Chops. The problem is, who is out there that fits the bill? Derby's Davies seems to be the only one that fits the mould AND is available, but is any good? From what i know and have seen of him, he looks to be a good championship player. We need better than that if we want to challenge the big boys in this division. What if Wickham came back for a season loan, will he do the job for us? I think this season could be the opposite to last...we'll have a solid defence, but we won't be scoring that many either.
I will get inundated with post against this comment but here it goes- I dont think Wickham is a great player and I certainly dont think he is the player needed to fire in the goals for us. He looks a standout against his own age group but a lot of that was down to his size/ power and strength. In footballing terms he has a talent but is nowhere near the player that his reputation suggests he is.
You're crazy. The boy has it all at an early age. He still does need to step up to the next level but his potential is greater than what we can offer him currently.
We need at least 1 more striker ideally 2. I think Davies would be a really good addition and he would be able to offer a different dimension to the team and mean we could change our formation. We could probably also do with another striker in the mould of Chopra, someone to challenge him or come in and replace him if need be. Someone who likes to be on the shoulder of the last defender but for me a player like Davies would be a priority. As for Wickham, I would've liked him to still be here although I think in the end the club got a good deal for him but I'm not overly keen on him coming back on loan. He's a good player but he's a very very raw talent, IMO we need someone a bit more consistent to come in. As tractorbhoy said, it's hard to see if he is rated just because of his size, I still certainly have my doubts about him.
So i presume the goal he scored at newcastle was against kids? the goal against sheff utd was against kids, the hat-trick against donny rovers was against kids? i reckon you can gather that i think you are talking out of your ass!
I have to say that I agree with Smug Tractorbhoy on this one! I never rated Wickham that highly, yes potential is there but Jordan Rhodes had that and did something with it when he left us! Wickham could be a decent player but out of the 2 I would have sooner kept Rhodes!
Guru, as I said I in my post I knew I would be one of the few with my opinion but if you read it I said I think he looked standout (ie totally amazing) against his own age group due to his size. I also said I think he has a talent so no the goals scored against werent due to anything other than his talent (other than the sheffield united goal which was kamikaze defending) If people read it would help so I will put it in capitals IN MY OPINION HE HAS TALENT BUT IS NOT THE SUPERSTAR THAT REPORTS MADE HIM OUT TO BE. I think he can succeed in the premier league but I dont think he is the next Rooney or any other player that has gone on to exceed expectations. Or viewed another way would I like him to partner Chopra up front next season - not a bad idea. Can I see him reaching the magical 20 goal mark- no
Completely agree. Rhodes is a natural goalscorer and they are very very hard to find, every club is looking for them. Wickham doesn't really fall into a bracket as a striker, he's not a goalscorer, he's not a target man, he's not a hold up player!! Although what a mouthwatering prospect it would have been to see them lining up in an Ipswich team together!! He could still do a job for us no doubt but IMO he's got too much raw potential to be considered for a loan, he needs to get a little bit of finese and know how to his game. I would love for us to develop him but as our player not Sunderlands.
as often is the case I agree PTC. If he was ours and we could polish of the rough edges then great but when he was last here he was as likely to get booked as he was to score. The amount of time his (i will blame it on)youthful exuberance lead him to run 25 yards across the pitch and then slide in on a defender was worrying. A lot of his game was about his power, which as I said stood out against his own age, but with the size of the average championship defender you could see him barge them and nearly bounce off. He has talent without doubt but I think up until now in his career he has found it easier to outpower others rather than outwit them. He did show in the odd moment that he could make a difference but not on a regular basis. I also think Sunderland was a bad career move for him as the price tag was massive for a club of Sunderlands size and I think they were expecting a superstar to appear rather than a large lad with a lot of unfulfilled potential.
smug, I think the main problem is that he hasn't adapted to life in the premier league yet, when he does he will certainly be amongst the best in there.
Guru, each to their own opinion and I will agree to disagree on this one. I think he can do a job there but Im not convinced he will be anything special.
The Wickham situation is one that only time will tell, I personally rated him as a good championship player and like many before him moved up a league a year or two too soon and broke up his football education, I think we can agree he did show flashes of class with us but like other have already stated they were in between quiet spells and the odd heavy touch and fluffed chance... Which is expected at 17/18, but the hype that was around him was ridiculous and because of his size and power mixed with his age and nationality naturally people were getting over excited but the fact he went to Sunderland and not the likes of Man Utd or Arsenal like had been previously stated tells you something in my opinion. Personally I wouldn't want him back this season I think he needs a year somewhere nut wouldn't want us to be that club. I also think he will become a good Prem player (if given the chance) and score 10-15 goals a season, but not for a good 3 or 4 season which is why the 8million seems like a good bit of business now
Based on last season, we played 4-2-3-1. Murphy was the physical presence on the left, and did quite a good job. Should we have had Wickham last season in Murphy's role, he would have contributed far far more to the team. Based on us losing Murphy, and already having a natural enough goalscorer in Chopra I'd much sooner have Wickham back than Rhodes. In that formation you can only play 1 goalscorer. Should we go 4-4-2, I'm not convinced a Rhodes/ Chopra partnership would be the best either. Chopra would be better with Davies/ Heskey etc in my opinion. Sadly Ellington appears a write off. Shame, should have had a 1 year deal not 2. Murray could do with another spell on loan. That leaves us short. Who will we sign? " I think this season could be the opposite to last...we'll have a solid defence, but we won't be scoring that many either. " I don't. Alright, we've added a better goalkeeper and an upgrade at centre back. Edwards and Cresswell are both excellent going forwards, however I don't hugely trust either in a one on one situation. Edwards is often out of position too. Until we have a very solid base at centre back, the full-backs need to be careful. I also believe ( should both stay ) that JET and Martin could have excellent seasons. I think we'll score a bucket full, but certainly concede a lot. We could be very similar to Royle's 03-04 side that ended up 7th.
Have to agree with Westlake in the main, and dont forget that both JET and Martin can play upfront so we have options to move them forward and play a different midfield setup
Yes I definitely think he left a year to early for both the club and himself, although you cannot really complain when you get £8 million for him!! I was dissapointed when he went, because he was a very good young player and could potentially go on to be a decent PL player but he's far from it yet. As for Murphy, he is a pretty average player but he seemed to bring balance and work rate to the team which I quite liked. It's not often you get a solid winger, who puts in a good shift for the team. Even though PJ played Wickham there, he certainly isn't a winger. As for Rhodes, he is probably the player I would like at the club more than any other, he probs wouldn't play well with Chopra but I don't care we'd ship Chopra out!! Every team would want a 22 year old who scored 40 goals last season at a half decent level and has a high scoring record where ever he has been, even if it's not a high league, he seems to have a really good head on his shoulders aswell, he seems to take everything in his stride!! But I would agree that I'm still not convinced we shall be good defensively next season, a) I still don't think we have great defenders and b) I think we are likely(hopefully) going to be an attacking side. I also feel we will get off to a slow start again!! I'm certainly looking forward to seeing JET next season, still think he is better in the centre maybe even upfront next to Chopra or just behind but would you move Martin outwide again?
daryl murphy played against us last night and was worse than useless. can't run, can't jump, can't shoot, can't cross, can't pass... avoid like the plague
Supers, he can do all of those things. I have noticed you tend to be happy to base your opinion of a player on one performance. That said, he's not what we need and he's certainly not good enough for Celtic.
its true i base the above on last nights game but i've seen plenty of him in the past and he's bang average. surely you've seen enough of him by now - you keep bloody loaning the guy!
