Do we really need another striker?

[NewCorkSeth]

Well he does.. just because he doesn't score a goal every time doesn't mean he isn't doing his job! Signing a target man would not increase the amount of goals we score this season significantly. Most would likely come from set pieces (which I think we need to be more incisive in) but the quality of striker we would sign now would (most likely) be useless in the premiership. So why sign a player now who we (most likely) wont get a good future from instead of waiting for promotion and seeing what names we could attract? The market right now is bare. We should wait and be opportunistic.

1) I have no idea! I would pick him. Unless there is backroom things going on i.e. he wants to leave and Adkins wont play him till its all sorted..

2) He was not a shit as a lot of people on this seem to think last season.. He was everything you want from a target man unfortunately not scoring enough goals to make him seem a shrewd signing. He contributes well to play and in my head at least is very consistent! the best of his ability as you put it is truly fantastic (his header) but we cant expect to see that every game! other wise he would be playing at a much higher level. As for him being lazy I really just think thats his natural expression and people form that opinion based on that!

[Hoop Blah]

A little confused people are saying on one hand we need a striker capable of scoring 20+ goals a season and on the other that we need a target man. I dont know any target man who is going to score 20 goals a season who will come to reading.. I think Dzeko probably scored the most goals for a target man last season and that was 15.. and we can in no way attract/afford a player of his caliber.

So what is it people want? a Finisher or a Target man? I think target men are probably at their best with their back to goal playing it back to creative types then storming the box to force people into air or to challenge the keeper! Pog can and does do that..

You do realise we're not in the Premier League this season don't you?

The likes of Steve Morison, Grant Holt, Chris Wood, Charlie Austin, Matty Fryat, Jay Bothroyd, Danny Graham and even Darius Henderson have led the line in the Championship and scored 15-20+ goals in a season.

There are plenty of players out there capable, it's just always a bit of a gamble whether or not they'll do it here and in the way we play.

[PerthPom2013]

A little confused people are saying on one hand we need a striker capable of scoring 20+ goals a season and on the other that we need a target man. I dont know any target man who is going to score 20 goals a season who will come to reading.. I think Dzeko probably scored the most goals for a target man last season and that was 15.. and we can in no way attract/afford a player of his caliber.

So what is it people want? a Finisher or a Target man? I think target men are probably at their best with their back to goal playing it back to creative types then storming the box to force people into air or to challenge the keeper! Pog can and does do that..

With the system we play we are going to do well to find someone who can score 20 plus goals playing up front on their own. I think it's more important that we find someone who can fit Adkins' system and that is someone who does have a physical presence and can hold the ball up and bring other's into play obviously with the ability to score goals too. If only we still had Shane Long, I think he would be perfect for us right now!

[NewCorkSeth]

You do realise we're not in the Premier League this season don't you?

The likes of Steve Morison, Grant Holt, Chris Wood, Charlie Austin, Matty Fryat, Jay Bothroyd, Danny Graham and even Darius Henderson have led the line in the Championship and scored 15-20+ goals in a season.

There are plenty of players out there capable, it's just always a bit of a gamble whether or not they'll do it here and in the way we play.

I realise fully.. so in essence what you are saying is it is easier to score goals in the Champ (obviously) so why cant Alf get 20+ this season?
Fryatt, Henderson and Bothroyd have never scored 20+ goals in the Champ.. people are asking for a target man to score 20 goals not 15.
Morison is well passed it.
And the rest have been signed! I said "who would come to us" I dont think anybody is capable of naming a 20+ target man who will come to us so why are they appealing for one without having any realistic targets. I know its a gamble and I think its one we shouldnt take!

[NewCorkSeth]

With the system we play we are going to do well to find someone who can score 20 plus goals playing up front on their own. I think it's more important that we find someone who can fit Adkins' system and that is someone who does have a physical presence and can hold the ball up and bring other's into play obviously with the ability to score goals too. If only we still had Shane Long, I think he would be perfect for us right now!

Why cant we play one up front who's job is to keep a man on him at all times? Doesnt have to be physical all he has to do is stay onside and move with the defensive line. This frees up room for our midfield to move into the space he creates by keeping a man on him at all times. If the defenders moves of him you can bang cheeky through balls for the onside striker to poach in. ALF would be perfect at this. He would be bringing others into play by forcing the defence to stick to him! ALF rarely misses a chance to score when he presented with one(great save by Bogdan) he could do this very well.

[Hoop Blah]

You do realise we're not in the Premier League this season don't you?

The likes of Steve Morison, Grant Holt, Chris Wood, Charlie Austin, Matty Fryat, Jay Bothroyd, Danny Graham and even Darius Henderson have led the line in the Championship and scored 15-20+ goals in a season.

There are plenty of players out there capable, it's just always a bit of a gamble whether or not they'll do it here and in the way we play.

I realise fully.. so in essence what you are saying is it is easier to score goals in the Champ (obviously) so why cant Alf get 20+ this season?

He possibly could, but what he can't do is lead the line and play up front on his own.

Fryatt, Henderson and Bothroyd have never scored 20+ goals in the Champ.. people are asking for a target man to score 20 goals not 15.

Well I specifically said 15-20 goals, but if you're going to be picky about it Bothroyd scored 21 league goals in 11-12. That's neither here nor there, though, scoring 16, 18, or 20, it's not a lot of difference really and it all depends on how those players are played. They're just examples of players who can lead the line and score a good tally of goals without being too expensive (you said there was no way of attracting a player of Dzeko's caliber and that's what we'd need, but we can easily attract a Holt, Henderson, Fryat, Bothroyd etc who have shown it's possible to lead the line AND score the best part of 20 goals in this division).

Morison is well passed it.
And the rest have been signed! I said "who would come to us" I dont think anybody is capable of naming a 20+ target man who will come to us so why are they appealing for one without having any realistic targets. I know its a gamble and I think its one we shouldnt take!

They're examples of players who could've done it. There will be many others out there that the club are aware of and think they could bring to the club and would be a success.

That's not to say they all would be a success, but to think there aren't players out there capable of it is just a bit daft really.

[Sweet FA]

With the system we play we are going to do well to find someone who can score 20 plus goals playing up front on their own. I think it's more important that we find someone who can fit Adkins' system and that is someone who does have a physical presence and can hold the ball up and bring other's into play obviously with the ability to score goals too. If only we still had Shane Long, I think he would be perfect for us right now!

This. With the midfield we have, if they maintain a decent level of form, there are goals all over the team. When Nick Blackman woke up in the second half against Bolton we saw him chesting the ball down to one of the CMs who then played it out to a winger, the other midfields flocked to join the party and we got in some very dangerous positions.

We don't necessarily need a player who is going to score a million goals, we need a player who can hold the ball up and get Guthrie/Royston/Williams etc involved in the attacks. Then the goals will fly in.

[NewCorkSeth]

He possibly could, but what he can't do is lead the line and play up front on his own.

I think he could! simple change of tactics! see my previous post.

Well I specifically said 15-20 goals, but if you're going to be picky about it Bothroyd scored 21 league goals in 11-12. That's neither here nor there, though, scoring 16, 18, or 20, it's not a lot of difference really and it all depends on how those players are played. They're just examples of players who can lead the line and score a good tally of goals without being too expensive (you said there was no way of attracting a player of Dzeko's caliber and that's what we'd need, but we can easily attract a Holt, Henderson, Fryat, Bothroyd etc who have shown it's possible to lead the line AND score the best part of 20 goals in this division).

I was only being picky because people are crying out for a 20+ goals scorer! It was the requirements they are insisting upon, not me! We could attract them but there isnt any we can sign that I know of! do you know anyone we actually could sign as of tomorrow rather than someone we could have signed a while ago.

That's not to say they all would be a success, but to think there aren't players out there capable of it is just a bit daft really.

I dont know any we could sign! I really truly dont. Until people actually have a viable option they should stop insisting we have to sign a target man! name some names we could get who could improve our squad and ill shut up and agree!

[NewCorkSeth]

According to my quick googling he only scored 18 league goals that season. (Only 18 )

[Hoop Blah]

A couple of months back I wouldn't have suggested we'd be looking at a player with the history and pedigree of Drenthe.

I'm not paid to know of all the forwards across Europe that would fit Adkins requirements, but I'm sure he's got a nice little list of the players that he'd like.

The problem with your tactical masterplan is that we can't carry a man just to occupy a single defender. They have to be able to join in the play and do more. What I think we've seen from Le Fondre is that he's a bit too wasteful in posession and, despite his success in the box, he hasn't been able to hold down a place in any of our sides because his alround game isn't quite up to scratch (not that it can't ncessarily get there though)

[NewCorkSeth]

A couple of months back I wouldn't have suggested we'd be looking at a player with the history and pedigree of Drenthe.

I'm not paid to know of all the forwards across Europe that would fit Adkins requirements, but I'm sure he's got a nice little list of the players that he'd like.

The problem with your tactical masterplan is that we can't carry a man just to occupy a single defender. They have to be able to join in the play and do more. What I think we've seen from Le Fondre is that he's a bit too wasteful in posession and, despite his success in the box, he hasn't been able to hold down a place in any of our sides because his alround game isn't quite up to scratch (not that it can't ncessarily get there though)

We can! in defense all he would be required to do is close down anyone in his area! In attack he may need to occasionally play a one-two which he is capable of but apart from that he would be doing plenty! Fabregas playing in a false 9 position does this (obviously he is not limited by ability) but ALF could easily play a smilar position with the midfield we have

[Cureton's Volley]

He hasn't been able to hold down a place in any of our sides because his alround game isn't quite up to scratch (not that it can't ncessarily get there though)

This is true.

By pairing Alf up with another striker who both complements his shortcomings and drags defenders around creating more space for him to control the ball and assess his options we would see the best of him.

The thought of Pog + Alf on form, hungry, confident and working together in a fine partnership is but a dream we are unlikely to realise - but I wish it was given a chance because it could be awesome

[Hoop Blah]

We can! in defense all he would be required to do is close down anyone in his area! In attack he may need to occasionally play a one-two which he is capable of but apart from that he would be doing plenty! Fabregas playing in a false 9 position does this (obviously he is not limited by ability) but ALF could easily play a smilar position with the midfield we have

You've not seen a lot of us in the flesh have you?

Le Fondre doesn't keep the ball well enough. He just doesn't do it. He wants to make a flick and make a run to get into the box and he just doesn't do enough of the basic stuff well enough to play up front on his own in the way you think he can (IMO of course).

Adkins may be able to get him to do more of it and it would certainly be easier for him with the style we're cultivating under Adkins than McDermotts approach but we'd still be a lot more effective with a player who's natural game suits that position.

[NewCorkSeth]

You've not seen a lot of us in the flesh have you?

Le Fondre doesn't keep the ball well enough. He just doesn't do it. He wants to make a flick and make a run to get into the box and he just doesn't do enough of the basic stuff well enough to play up front on his own in the way you think he can (IMO of course).

Adkins may be able to get him to do more of it and it would certainly be easier for him with the style we're cultivating under Adkins than McDermotts approach but we'd still be a lot more effective with a player who's natural game suits that position.

A lot of Hob nobbers? nope.. are you propositioning me?

All I was trying to do was build a tactic to suit what weve got!

I agree completely! we would be a lot more effective! but when the question is "do we really need another striker" then the answer is no! we have a very good strikeforce for the Champ! of course it could be a lot better but we dont need someone. We are not lacking badly enough to need a new striker. I would love a new striker someone like that Havenaar guy would have been great! I honestly feel we are too strong in that area to need a new striker

[Hoop Blah]

We're building a squad to play a certain way. We don't have a forward who best suits that way of playing so of course we need a new forward, especially as Adkins seems to have lost faith with Pogrebnyak.

[NewCorkSeth]

We're building a squad to play a certain way. We don't have a forward who best suits that way of playing so of course we need a new forward, especially as Adkins seems to have lost faith with Pogrebnyak.

But are you propositioning me?

[Ian Royal]

It's a sign of just how spoilt we've become as a fanbase.

This much is very true....

I think many just feel a quality target man would be the icing on the cake of an already strong squad.

Furthermore, if TSI have the capital available, why wouldn't they invest it now? A deal worth £10m is only a small stake against the potential winnings of a first-time prem return. The only case is if the players are not there to purchase, but the sheer volume of names mooted above suggest that for our budget there are plenty of options - the ball is in our court as to how seriously we pursue them.

ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! I hate this this argument, it's so bloody... wrong!

The vast majority of the winnings from getting to the prem, go on paying for being there and trying to stay. May I remind you, we only made £6m profit the first year we were there, that's not having had to significantly improve the squad over the summer and having had a £5m debt the previous year. So in fact, our net profit from gaining promotion was £1m.

How exactly does that fund spending £10m in the Championship on one player to slightly increase our chances of promotion!!

[PerthPom2013]

With the system we play we are going to do well to find someone who can score 20 plus goals playing up front on their own. I think it's more important that we find someone who can fit Adkins' system and that is someone who does have a physical presence and can hold the ball up and bring other's into play obviously with the ability to score goals too. If only we still had Shane Long, I think he would be perfect for us right now!

Why cant we play one up front who's job is to keep a man on him at all times? Doesnt have to be physical all he has to do is stay onside and move with the defensive line. This frees up room for our midfield to move into the space he creates by keeping a man on him at all times. If the defenders moves of him you can bang cheeky through balls for the onside striker to poach in. ALF would be perfect at this. He would be bringing others into play by forcing the defence to stick to him! ALF rarely misses a chance to score when he presented with one(great save by Bogdan) he could do this very well.

You might want to ask Adkins that. All I know is that ALF has been given a chance at playing up on his own and it clearly isn't working. It is pretty frustrating and ridiculous that we do potentially have a 20 + goal a season striker in ALF in our squad that doesn't actually fit our system. From what I can see ALF is only going to be any use coming off the bench late in a game, but obviously he would think differently and trying to keep a striker of his calibre happy when on the bench week in week out is never going to be easy. I'm just going by what Adkins used at Southampton and that was having a physical striker in the form of Rickie Lambert up top. Even though we are obviously trying to play the ball on the ground a lot more there is still going to be quite a few high balls for the striker to deal with and if we don't have someone who can compete for these and keep possession then we are going to just keep giving possession back to the opposition?

[Hoop Blah]

Even when we've been playing 2 upfront Le Fondre has failed to make one of those positions his own.

[melonhead]

^^^^