Strikers

[Timak]

Too many people looking at this season only as the basis for their opinions. Fletcher has scored 99 goals in 324 club games - Jelavic has 94 in 216. If you're looking to replace Anichebe, fair enough... but Fletcher is not as good as Jelavic. Le Fondre from Reading has more promise than Fletcher and would be cheaper.

Le Fondre is nearly a year older than Fletcher and nowhere near as good.
He'd be cheaper though, I agree with you there

 

[Tree13]

Le Fondre is nearly a year older than Fletcher and nowhere near as good.
He'd be cheaper though, I agree with you there

Fletcher made 31 appearances this year, all starts. Scored 11 goals.
Le Fondre made 37 appearances, 23 of which involved him coming on as a substitute. Scored 12 goals.

How exactly are you measuring "good"?

 

[Tony Hibbert's 3rd leg]

I think I remember Paul Merson saying that a team needs at least 4 strikers. One of those has to be your focal point and reliable. With this in mind id take someone like Kone or Long and expect a big name striker that can become the focal point with reliance and a goal scoring nature. That way I'd be happy knowing there are semi decent strikers on the bench if things weren't going well. That was certainly an issue last season, the amount of times we should have gone and killed of teams from a winning position. I feel Naismith arguably deserves another chance as much as Jelavic, who like him was playing in roles that squandered his abilities. Take the Chelsea game, Naismith starts up top with Vic where he should be playing and bags a decent goal.

 

[Essex Blue]

As for "I'd sell Fellaini, spend all the money on one striker and be happy with that".... madness. One serious injury, or one arrest, or one Juan Sebastian Veron and all that investment is wasted. And you didn't replace Felli, or bolster the squad.

Our lack of funds means we HAVE to spread the risk when we invest what little we have. Our small squad HAS to get bigger if we are going to challenge for anything.

The same argument could have been applied when we signed Fellaini. I think it is better to choose quality over quantity.

 

[Christiffa25]

Teams in Europe need 4 strikers, teams chasing like ourselves need 3 IMO. Vic jelavic and a marque striker signing would be fine. You've obviously then got the kids aswell who you'd like to hope one of, is knocking on the door for the first team squad.

If fellaini goes and we could sign Rooney with all the money from his sale I'd absolutely do that. There should still the be around 15M funds for CM, Winger, squadies etc...From TV money/current funds.

However if fellaini goes, and Rooney remains a day dream I'd be very wary to spend 20M or so on a foreign striker that could flop.
Think the better options would be a 10m ish striker and save/spend the change elsewhere.

If there's no fellaini sale, we'v got 15M to sign a CM winger and striker...ouch!

 

[Michael Tsui]

Fletcher made 31 appearances this year, all starts. Scored 11 goals.
Le Fondre made 37 appearances, 23 of which involved him coming on as a substitute. Scored 12 goals.

How exactly are you measuring "good"?

Do you exactly understand how these 2 contribute to the team?

Le Fondre is the typical selfish striker. Useless at holding the ball up and would prefer to create space himself by dribbling (by his standards), then if some space opens up he would try punt the ball into the goal. Can't really pass.
Fletcher has a much better all round game. His finishing is certainly patchy but he could hold up the ball better, and use his physique to provide maneuvering room for his teamates. Like to do flick ons and short passes.

I would prefer Fletcher as his all-round contribution is much better than Le Fondre.

 

[Tree13]

The same argument could have been applied when we signed Fellaini. I think it is better to choose quality over quantity.

I'd agree with you, if only there was some way of guaranteeing quality. Price is nothing more than a vague indication.
For instance, £8m gets you one Bilyaletdinov.... or a Gibson, a Coleman and a Mirallas. And an Oviedo. And change.

Of course it can work the other way too, as you say. But I worry that we are always one big transfer flop away from serious financial bother.

 

[Tree13]

Do you exactly understand how these 2 contribute to the team?

Le Fondre is the typical selfish striker. Useless at holding the ball up and would prefer to create space himself by dribbling (by his standards), then if some space opens up he would try punt the ball into the goal. Can't really pass.
Fletcher has a much better all round game. His finishing is certainly patchy but he could hold up the ball better, and use his physique to provide maneuvering room for his teamates. Like to do flick ons and short passes.

I would prefer Fletcher as his all-round contribution is much better than Le Fondre.

They're both strikers. We are looking at strikers because our strikers didn't score enough goals this season, and you DON'T want the striker with the better strike rate? I respectfully suggest, Sir, that you are getting a little mixed up. We are, after all, only discussing two candidates for replacing Anichebe. Neither have Jelavic's goal-scoring record.

Oh and by the way, Reading scored more goals than Sunderland this year. So much for Fletcher's all-round contribution, flick-ons and short passes.

 

[Michael Tsui]

They're both strikers. We are looking at strikers because our strikers didn't score enough goals this season, and you DON'T want the striker with the better strike rate? I respectfully suggest, Sir, that you are getting a little mixed up. We are, after all, only discussing two candidates for replacing Anichebe. Neither have Jelavic's goal-scoring record.

Oh and by the way, Reading scored more goals than Sunderland this year. So much for Fletcher's all-round contribution, flick-ons and short passes.

The last thing I would look at is strike rate. Forwards score because they are naturally closer to the goal, so they are more likely to get onto rebounds or loose balls in the box, not because they are better at slotting them. If they can score, fine, but the first thing I would want in a striker is how they help the team in general. In fact the best place to score a goal is runs from Zone 14 (just on top of the box), with somebody already (probably the forward) in front.

In addition, you are talking about replacement for Anichebe. Then its 100% Fletcher if the comparison is Le Fondre. Playing with Le Fondre means we actually forgo any kind of hold-up play for more shots but generally less realistic scoring chances.

 

[Bilko]

Not got time to read through thread,but has Jordan Rhodes been mentioned ?. I guess there would be questions over the level at which he scored his goals,but didn't he carry Blackburn last season.at the right price,reckon he could be ok,a bit concerned that no other Premiership side have gone for him though.............there,talked myself out of the transfer in one post !!.

 

[Tree13]

The last thing I would look at is strike rate. Forwards score because they are naturally closer to the goal, so they are more likely to get onto rebounds or loose balls in the box, not because they are better at slotting them. If they can score, fine, but the first thing I would want in a striker is how they help the team in general. In fact the best place to score a goal is runs from Zone 14 (just on top of the box), with somebody already (probably the forward) in front.

In addition, you are talking about replacement for Anichebe. Then its 100% Fletcher if the comparison is Le Fondre. Playing with Le Fondre means we actually forgo any kind of hold-up play for more shots but generally less realistic scoring chances.

The original premise of this thread was "our strikers don't score enough, do we have the worst strikers in the prem" and has somehow reached the point where people want to replace our low-scoring strikers with more low-scoring strikers, on the basis that the number of goals a striker scores is not that important?!

Take a deep breath, and think that through for a minute or two.

 

[Thuck ma Baws]

The last thing I would look at is strike rate. Forwards score because they are naturally closer to the goal, so they are more likely to get onto rebounds or loose balls in the box, not because they are better at slotting them.

With respect mate, that's the biggest load of balls I've ever read on here. Strikers play in a specialist position and to suggest that they only score because they happen to be closest to the goal is a bit daft.

 

[Neiler]

The likes of Ba or Kone would improve us hugely, a good proven PL goal scorer whos capable of 15 a season would make a huge difference to us. Though im still backing Jela.

 

[Jags..class]

The original premise of this thread was "our strikers don't score enough, do we have the worst strikers in the prem" and has somehow reached the point where people want to replace our low-scoring strikers with more low-scoring strikers, on the basis that the number of goals a striker scores is not that important?!

Take a deep breath, and think that through for a minute or two.

The point is we have the worse strike force in this league, you can argue and say that not true as you came back with stats but we had the worse strike force in this league LAST SEASON.

 

[Jeff Jones]

Have you seen Vellios playing U21's, though? Complete donkey...

He isn't a donkey with the big boys.

Oh, I haven't seen Holt at Norwich mentioned yet. He's a bit crude but he slots.