Striker PRIORITY

[Top Flight]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdrCsB23GoU

There you go

[Millsy]

We don't need a striker. We already have Kermorgant, who is experienced. Mendes who is fast. Rakels who is from abroad and Samuel who is home grown.

We should concentrate on midfielders I think.

Another 3.

[Sutekh]

We don't need a striker. We already have Kermorgant, who is experienced. Mendes who is fast. Rakels who is from abroad and Samuel who is home grown.

We should concentrate on midfielders I think.

Another 3.

At least, plus it would probably be prudent to get another just to give a bit of cover.

[Top Flight]

You're right. We certainly don't need centre backs either. The Barcelona style of play that we are looking to develop at RFC is actually based on having a team of midfielders in every position. Ball playing technical artists throughout the team. That's why Barca converted Mascherano the Centre midfielder to defence. We are doing the same with Joey. It's all about midfielders. It's also why Messi another midfielder players as a Forward.

[Westwood52]

So what do we do-sign another winger and midfielder !
It has seemed to be a policy for RFC-for years; to have a huge squad of bang average players-rather than push the boat out for say 5 quality players(pay a lot of money) in key positions.
If they get injured-then feed the Academy recruits in & hope there is enough quality left uninjured to get them through.

[Top Flight]

So what do we do-sign another winger and midfielder !
It has seemed to be a policy for RFC-for years; to have a huge squad of bang average players-rather than push the boat out for say 5 quality players(pay a lot of money) in key positions.
If they get injured-then feed the Academy recruits in & hope there is enough quality left uninjured to get them through.

The cream rises to the top.

We haven't been able to hold on to our own quality players in recent years. They have gone in search for more.

We just have to accept that we are a small club compared to others and enjoy the football for what it is. We are a team battling to stay in the division this season. 4th from bottom would be a major achievement. I'll be out on the lash if we can pull it off come May.

[CountryRoyal]

We just have to accept that we are a small club compared to others and enjoy the football for what it is. We are a team battling to stay in the division this season. 4th from bottom would be a major achievement. I'll be out on the lash if we can pull it off come May.

TF you strike me as the kind of fellow that has half a shandy and then gets lairy starting fights with bouncers and disabled people.

[Top Flight]

We just have to accept that we are a small club compared to others and enjoy the football for what it is. We are a team battling to stay in the division this season. 4th from bottom would be a major achievement. I'll be out on the lash if we can pull it off come May.

TF you strike me as the kind of fellow that has half a shandy and then gets lairy starting fights with bouncers and disabled people.

Nice image.

[Maneki Neko]

We don't need a striker. We already have Kermorgant, who is experienced. Mendes who is fast. Rakels who is from abroad and Samuel who is home grown.

We should concentrate on midfielders I think.

Another 3.

if only we could invent the striker-melder and get one decent forward from the ones we have

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Even now I think this is relevant.

Next season we need to get us a striker who can score 15/20 a season or we will have yet another mediocre season.

I can’t see Puscas, Baldock etc being that man.

[Simmops]

Even now I think this is relevant.

Next season we need to get us a striker who can score 15/20 a season or we will have yet another mediocre season.

I can’t see Puscas, Baldock etc being that man.

Agreed. I can't remember vividly a striker that good for us since 05/06 actually and then Shane Long. We have been missing one for a very long time.

Even Grabban And Martin have seemed to have been failures here but go on a score bucket loads elsewhere.

[Millsy]

I'm not sure anymore.

We were crying out for strikers and we splashed the cash on Puscas, who let's be honest is not a donkey. Yes he misses the occasional chance but he's young and has shown plenty of promise. We also splashed out on Joao who has been excellent, but just unlucky with injury. On top of that we have Meite who may seem a bit clumsy, but always manages to get goals. Not to mention Baldock, who has been a revelation since his re-inclusion.

Speaking of Baldock and his sudden change of form it reminds us how a striker doesn't play isolated but in a system and a style and if that doesn't suit him he'll be rubbish. Baldock went from zero to hero just playing him in a different way presumably. OP mentions Bodvarsson, well he was mediocre for us. Vydra, rubbish for us, good elsewhere. Even Joao many were calling useless until we played to his strengths.

If we had only had 2 strikers, and both donkeys I'd agree, but we have 4 strikers, whom I'm sure most of us would be sad to see go. Spending more money on a striker is not going to be that fruitful as clearly we are not playing them properly if we think they're not good enough. Yes Puscas missed A chance Stoke. ONE chance provided for a striker all game? Is that fair? You think if he had 3 chances he wouldn't put one away?

What I miss is Barrow storming down the left and McCleary storming down the right putting balls in for the strikers. This Stam-ness of multiple multipurpose midfielders doesn't sit right with me but I accept we have too many midfielders now to start bringing wingers in.

[Hendo]

Even now I think this is relevant.

Next season we need to get us a striker who can score 15/20 a season or we will have yet another mediocre season.

I can’t see Puscas, Baldock etc being that man.

Yes, it would be nice to have a striker that scores on the regs and would likely end up with 20 goals come the end of the season, but I would rather have 3 or 4 forwards who could get 10-12 goals in a season than rely on one to get 20, if he gets crocked you end up being shafted.

Meite has 12, Puscas 11 and Joao 6 so far this season and with Joao playing nearly half the minutes of the other 2 you'd say he would be right along side those with goals in the double digits. Even Baldock is on 5 with even less minutes played.

Other players would, of course, chip in with goals, even if we had one main striker but I think if one player was getting all of the goals, then it takes confidence and momentum away from other players. We've seen with Puscas this year that if he can get on a roll, he looks more and more threatening.

[Old Man Andrews]

Even now I think this is relevant.

Next season we need to get us a striker who can score 15/20 a season or we will have yet another mediocre season.

I can’t see Puscas, Baldock etc being that man.

Yes, it would be nice to have a striker that scores on the regs and would likely end up with 20 goals come the end of the season, but I would rather have 3 or 4 forwards who could get 10-12 goals in a season than rely on one to get 20, if he gets crocked you end up being shafted.

Meite has 12, Puscas 11 and Joao 6 so far this season and with Joao playing nearly half the minutes of the other 2 you'd say he would be right along side those with goals in the double digits. Even Baldock is on 5 with even less minutes played.

Other players would, of course, chip in with goals, even if we had one main striker but I think if one player was getting all of the goals, then it takes confidence and momentum away from other players. We've seen with Puscas this year that if he can get on a roll, he looks more and more threatening.

For me it isn't about the striker so much it is about the complete lack of service to our strikers, especially from the wings. We are crying out for two decent wingers who can deliver a football, as it stands the service to our strikers is very limited and we don't create many chances for them. It isn't like Puscas is missing multiple chances every match, he rarely even gets the chance to begin with.

[Hendo]

Even now I think this is relevant.

Next season we need to get us a striker who can score 15/20 a season or we will have yet another mediocre season.

I can’t see Puscas, Baldock etc being that man.

Yes, it would be nice to have a striker that scores on the regs and would likely end up with 20 goals come the end of the season, but I would rather have 3 or 4 forwards who could get 10-12 goals in a season than rely on one to get 20, if he gets crocked you end up being shafted.

Meite has 12, Puscas 11 and Joao 6 so far this season and with Joao playing nearly half the minutes of the other 2 you'd say he would be right along side those with goals in the double digits. Even Baldock is on 5 with even less minutes played.

Other players would, of course, chip in with goals, even if we had one main striker but I think if one player was getting all of the goals, then it takes confidence and momentum away from other players. We've seen with Puscas this year that if he can get on a roll, he looks more and more threatening.

For me it isn't about the striker so much it is about the complete lack of service to our strikers, especially from the wings. We are crying out for two decent wingers who can deliver a football, as it stands the service to our strikers is very limited and we don't create many chances for them. It isn't like Puscas is missing multiple chances every match, he rarely even gets the chance to begin with.

Agree with this also.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Puscas and Joao are good enough to get 10-15 each. If other team members chip in, that's plenty. Who are WBA's and Leeds' top scorers this year? I doubt nobody is close to 20+

[Simmops]

Puscas and Joao are good enough to get 10-15 each. If other team members chip in, that's plenty. Who are WBA's and Leeds' top scorers this year? I doubt nobody is close to 20+

I do not think they are good enough. They have never reached the dizzy of oxf*rd 10 for Puscas and 13 for Joao..... pretty pathetic for a striker really when the top teams have those that score truckloads. I could genuinely score 15-20 a season in my prime if I was up top for Reading, I am (was before my 2 ACL injuries) a Pacy, nippy goal poacher like Michael Owen that scored a truckload in my junior years.

[Hendo]

Puscas and Joao are good enough to get 10-15 each. If other team members chip in, that's plenty. Who are WBA's and Leeds' top scorers this year? I doubt nobody is close to 20+

Bamford on 14
Robson-Kanu on 10

Championship top scorer is Watkins and Mitrovic both on 23.

They are the only 2 with 20+ so far.

You then have Grabban on 19, Grant (Huddersfield) on 17, Bowen and Wells on 16.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Yes, it would be nice to have a striker that scores on the regs and would likely end up with 20 goals come the end of the season, but I would rather have 3 or 4 forwards who could get 10-12 goals in a season than rely on one to get 20, if he gets crocked you end up being shafted.

Meite has 12, Puscas 11 and Joao 6 so far this season and with Joao playing nearly half the minutes of the other 2 you'd say he would be right along side those with goals in the double digits. Even Baldock is on 5 with even less minutes played.

Other players would, of course, chip in with goals, even if we had one main striker but I think if one player was getting all of the goals, then it takes confidence and momentum away from other players. We've seen with Puscas this year that if he can get on a roll, he looks more and more threatening.

For me it isn't about the striker so much it is about the complete lack of service to our strikers, especially from the wings. We are crying out for two decent wingers who can deliver a football, as it stands the service to our strikers is very limited and we don't create many chances for them. It isn't like Puscas is missing multiple chances every match, he rarely even gets the chance to begin with.

Agree with this also.

Tbf, I can think of plenty of chances Puscas has missed this season, including a big one at 0-0 on Saturday. On our losing run under Gomes it felt like he was missing big ones and costing us points every week.

[Top Flight]

In terms of service, That ball in the last moments of the game at Derby from Masika that was just inches from Meite turning it into the net for a last gasp equaliser was quality.

That is the kind of service that we need to see a lot more of. I think Puscas, Baldock and Meite could easily get into double figures if they had Coppell style service coming in to them from the midfield and wide areas in games. And Joao could hit 20 in a season if he could stay clear of injuries as he has that real knack of being in the right places to score goals and can get by with less service.

The lack of service is the problem in my opinion. Ejaria holds the ball for too long. He is a quality player technically but he makes poor decisions regularly, always taking too many touches and trying to beat too many players. He needs to be more ruthless and efficient and make the right passes and crosses at the right time. Unleash hell earlier and catch the opposition when they are least prepared to deal with it.