Are we wasting a shirt playing a "9" every week?

[Evermaarton]

Beto does put a great shift in...

It's not kindergarden. The guy is absolutely terrible. Yes, he works hard but it's the Premier League. Playing him is like playing with one less because he isn't usable in teamplay. His holdup play is simply non-existent. I like his attitude and think he has heart but that alone is just not good enough. If we want to move on, we need to move him on.

I know Barry had some poor performances lately but the moment he starts scoring, Moyes puts him on the bench again. Very interesting way to build a players confidence. Not saying he is the real deal but he is better than Beto. Also smarter to play him investmentwise.

Grealish out leaves us with very few options up front as well. Putting Ndiaye up top isn't an option anymore since we lack wide-players as well. Ah well, only a couple of months till the next transfer window.

 

[Canute]

I started making a spreadsheet a while back with some data from our strikers signed over the last 10 years, and just some basic statistical analysis makes some grim reading. Numbers in euros.

View attachment 346559

We’ve spent a total of €203.7, with a net of €72.5m. That 72.5m has bought us a total of 142 league goals which doesn’t sound too bad until you bring strike rate into it…142 goals in 704 games gives an average of approx 0.2 goals per game for those strikers which is appalling. Considering that typically 2 strikers play a part during each game that means our strikers are contributing 0.4 goals per league game….Given strikers supposedly score around 40% of goals league-wide, proportionally our team could expect to score 38 goals per season from all positions….barely above the average goals scored to secure 17th place or higher which is 36.7. Basically any season that hasn’t been a relegation scrap over the past 10 years can statistically be attributed to performances from elsewhere on the pitch. If it wasn’t already obvious, our striker portfolio has been championship standard.

Seeming as we didn’t actually get relegated during that time, and actually had a couple of ok seasons mixed in, it’s clear that bigger contributions to the success of the team are coming from other areas of the pitch than upfront. It could be argued therefore that ‘bang for buck’ just doesn’t support investment in strikers and that more meaningful value can be had with strengthening other positions. Forgive the perverse comparison, but peak city played without a recognised number 9 for years didn’t they.

How do the goals per game ratio compare to goals per min. To see that Niasse is one of the best strikers on this list is baffeling. In these numbers Niasse and DCL are equal in goalthreat! That tells a lot about DCLs real quality - and I have allways liked DCL. I think my impression of him is a bit of because of the season under Ancelotti.

 

[Thomasc]

I’d honestly never play Beto or Barry again.

Incredible how we managed to find two out of their depth players in the same position.

 

[hallamblue]

You look at every other Premier League team and their strikers can at least control the flipping ball! Such a waste of over £50 million. Get rid for the £15-20 million we'll get for the 2 of them and move on

 

[BluePaul86]

Give George a run of games upfront. Sure he played there for Chelsea a handful of times.

 

[Blue Smoke]

Id give George plenty of minutes up top for the run in...imagine if he does really well, and we then have our new striker for around 25 million.
We need a clone of dewsbury hall,(as we have nobody like him). A new right and left back.

 

[Kendal]

Just watched The Match featuring EFC v Coventry. Should show this footage to Beto and Barry to show them what proper centre forwards are. Bob Latchford different class on poor pitches .

 

[Street end man]

It's not kindergarden. The guy is absolutely terrible. Yes, he works hard but it's the Premier League. Playing him is like playing with one less because he isn't usable in teamplay. His holdup play is simply non-existent. I like his attitude and think he has heart but that alone is just not good enough. If we want to move on, we need to move him on.

I know Barry had some poor performances lately but the moment he starts scoring, Moyes puts him on the bench again. Very interesting way to build a players confidence. Not saying he is the real deal but he is better than Beto. Also smarter to play him investmentwise.

Grealish out leaves us with very few options up front as well. Putting Ndiaye up top isn't an option anymore since we lack wide-players as well. Ah well, only a couple of months till the next transfer window.

To be fair putting Ndaiye up top as a loan striker is not what i'm suggesting.
If we were to play a lone 9 it'd be George for me.
What i'm suggesting is do away with fielding Beto/ Barry every game with the stupid 70 minute swap when the starting 9 has flopped.
Surely having an extra attack minded player on the pitch from the start helps us.
But yes i agree. Roll on the transfer window.

 

[Shibbywiggles]

That's basically what he did with Cahill and Fellaini.

And Steve Watson

 

[Mr Happy]

To be fair putting Ndaiye up top as a loan striker is not what i'm suggesting.
If we were to play a lone 9 it'd be George for me.
What i'm suggesting is do away with fielding Beto/ Barry every game with the stupid 70 minute swap when the starting 9 has flopped.
Surely having an extra attack minded player on the pitch from the start helps us.
But yes i agree. Roll on the transfer window.

*lone

As in Lone Ranger.

 

[Toffeelover]

Indeed.

It is totally pointless subbing one off for the other after the one who started has, as usual, stank the place out.

Time to try sommat else, Mr. Moyes.

Resigning ??

 

[Toffeelover]

Had to laugh when I saw the thread title.

 

[Joey66]

Had to laugh when I saw the thread title.

I have advocated all season Nydaye is better in the CF spot but need a good no 10 with him up there - we have to stop hoof ball ....

 

[Charles Hawtrey]

Trying something different can be no worse.................................surely?

 

[Seathestars]

It's a credi to our defenders that we have a good defensive record, because the ball just keeps coming back at them.
There is absolutely no respite from our Centre forwards.
Our defenders must breath a sigh of relief when the ball is with Illy or Grealish when he was fit, at least then they got a breather, even if it was just a few seconds.
Goals are one thing, hold up play is non existent.