Striker PRIORITY

[South Coast Royal]

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.

An extremely rare agree with OMA.
We really don't make that many chances in a game and it would need an Aguero or Kane in our side for us to be challengers at this level.
Too often our lone striker is isolated and expected to do everything on his own.
In playing the one striker it is vital for wingers and/or midfielders to bust a gut and get further forward quickly in support.
IMHO not enough of that happens in what is so often a safety-first defence emphasised set-up (e.g. on Saturday Meite playing at times as a second right-back when a defensive midfielder or sweeper should be assisting in cover).

Maybe next season things will change-one day Rodney we will be millionaires.

[Notts Royal]

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.

But if we play with traditional wingers like you indicated in a Coppell style, you’d likely have to drop down to 2 central midfielders - whilst Rino could do that as a box-to-box, does that formation suit Ejaria, swift & Olise? Probably not.

2 more defensive-minded central mids would allow the 3 in front to play higher up the pitch & closer to the lone striker, able to play the intricate passing through the middle we seem intent on doing.

Traditional wingers, whilst I’m a big fan of them, is a dying trade. Could you name many top quality wingers in the division? Even looking at that Derby team, they had Lawrence & Waghorn out wide. Neither are wingers, both are inside forwards who play more narrowly.

There’s several ways to attack, I don’t think we have to use wingers. I’d argue it would be more cost-effective for us to utilise the players we currently have rather than buying several wingers

[Snowflake Royal]

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.

But if we play with traditional wingers like you indicated in a Coppell style, you’d likely have to drop down to 2 central midfielders - whilst Rino could do that as a box-to-box, does that formation suit Ejaria, swift & Olise? Probably not.

2 more defensive-minded central mids would allow the 3 in front to play higher up the pitch & closer to the lone striker, able to play the intricate passing through the middle we seem intent on doing.

Traditional wingers, whilst I’m a big fan of them, is a dying trade. Could you name many top quality wingers in the division? Even looking at that Derby team, they had Lawrence & Waghorn out wide. Neither are wingers, both are inside forwards who play more narrowly.

There’s several ways to attack, I don’t think we have to use wingers. I’d argue it would be more cost-effective for us to utilise the players we currently have rather than buying several wingers

Tend to agree, but do think we should have some wingers in our locker to switch it up.

[Hendo]

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.

But if we play with traditional wingers like you indicated in a Coppell style, you’d likely have to drop down to 2 central midfielders - whilst Rino could do that as a box-to-box, does that formation suit Ejaria, swift & Olise? Probably not.

2 more defensive-minded central mids would allow the 3 in front to play higher up the pitch & closer to the lone striker, able to play the intricate passing through the middle we seem intent on doing.

Traditional wingers, whilst I’m a big fan of them, is a dying trade. Could you name many top quality wingers in the division? Even looking at that Derby team, they had Lawrence & Waghorn out wide. Neither are wingers, both are inside forwards who play more narrowly.

There’s several ways to attack, I don’t think we have to use wingers. I’d argue it would be more cost-effective for us to utilise the players we currently have rather than buying several wingers

Tend to agree, but do think we should have some wingers in our locker to switch it up.

Think wingers are a dying breed of player.

[WestYorksRoyal]

But if we play with traditional wingers like you indicated in a Coppell style, you’d likely have to drop down to 2 central midfielders - whilst Rino could do that as a box-to-box, does that formation suit Ejaria, swift & Olise? Probably not.

2 more defensive-minded central mids would allow the 3 in front to play higher up the pitch & closer to the lone striker, able to play the intricate passing through the middle we seem intent on doing.

Traditional wingers, whilst I’m a big fan of them, is a dying trade. Could you name many top quality wingers in the division? Even looking at that Derby team, they had Lawrence & Waghorn out wide. Neither are wingers, both are inside forwards who play more narrowly.

There’s several ways to attack, I don’t think we have to use wingers. I’d argue it would be more cost-effective for us to utilise the players we currently have rather than buying several wingers

Tend to agree, but do think we should have some wingers in our locker to switch it up.

Think wingers are a dying breed of player.

Have to agree. Looking at our league's leading creators, you think of Benhrama, Mbeumo, Hernandez, Pereira, Lolley.

Extend this to others who have had recent success in this league. Knockart, Costa, Cavaleiro, Bowen, Grosicki. None have been your classic winger who focuses simply in providing crosses. That's the role of full backs these days.