Strikers. We need one urgently.

[portugull]

Goals win games. You can have a great defence but you have to score and this is our stand out problem.
Our 2 main strikers have scored 10 goals Rene 7 and Tai 3. Crawley its 24 Tubbs and Barnett BUT both now sold.
Southend 18,Swindon 17, Cheltenham 17,Shrews 16,Oxford 14.
I know Lee Mansell has scored 8 in the League but from midfield.
Every Manager wants a prolific striker but we have to get one in on loan because we are very weak up front as the stats show.
Martin Ling knows this and I will be amazed if we do not bring in an experienced goalscrer this week ready for Crawley.
Mondays match Shrews v Crawley will be very interesting. I think Crawley will regret selling both their main strikers.
Any chance Reading would loan us Mathieu Manset? He has only made 4 League starts this season.
After our wonderful run it will be so disappointing if we start to slide for the lack of one quality goalscorer.

[bobby93]

I don't think the goals necessarily need to come from the striker. There are plenty of teams who don't have that luxury and they work around it. Just like us.

That said, I would like to see another forward on loan. I imagine it would be someone very much in the Bodin mould, however, rather than a proven target man.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Nathan Craig anyone?

Been saying for months that we need a new face just to freshen things up but it has not happened. Ling has chosen not to replace Bodin directly but has brought in Nathan Craig. The decision not to replace Bodin was justified as we still won many games without him since his departure; however, it is now IMPERATIVE that Martin adds to the squad in this department as Rene has disappointed massively since his return and Tai and McPhee are far from prolific. At this critical point in the season with still all to play for, failure to either bring someone in AND PLAY THEM would be the only criticism of Martins' managerial reign thus far. It is glaringly obvious to everyone so it surely must be for Martin and i trust him to make the necesary additions. I expected defeat today and we can write off next week v Crawley which will then all but rule us out of an automatic spot but we need some new blood in time for the games against Aldershot and Rovers. I still can't fathom why he won't play Nathan Craig if only for a few minutes though.

[Yellow4life]

from what i saw monday, Craig is pretty far away from first team football!

[bobby93]

I think it would be unfair to expect too much from Nathan Craig at this point in time. I agree it would be nice to see what he can do, but from what others have said, he doesn't quite sound like he is ready for a first team place, more of a work in progress. I don't really think he is even with us with much of an intention of a first team place at this stage. I'm sure he'd like one but it's more a case of Ling having a look at him really, or so it comes across.

It's difficult not to compare him to Eunan. Similar situations, both released by Premiership teams (possibly even the same team?), both returning to their home country to play for clubs at lower level, hoping to impress. I remember when Eunan first came into the side, he looked nervy and a far cry from the confident, creative force who is essentially the hub of our side. When he first came into the side, for the first few sub appearances at least, I wasn't sure if he was going to cut it. He did of course, but a different personality might not respond in the same way. If Ling doesn't think he's ready, we can't push him.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Fair enough yellow and Bobby, i've no idea what level he's at currently but surely if he is fit then he can at least do a job for 10 or 20 minutes otherwise we may as well release him. We're not a charity and if he is 'pretty far away from first team football' then lose the guy. No malice or offence meant but we need bodies NOW who can help us. This may be a short term point of view and indeed a blinkered one but it is how i see it. If he is not ready for first team football in league 2 even though he has appeared for Everton in a European game v Borisov then clearly he can't really be very good.

[popside_yidlad]

Tbh having seen on 3/4 occasions I believe he could have a role as sub. I have seen him play winger and centrally. Ling seems to prefer him centrally but my opinion would be he could be a very capable left winger, if had the conviction to take his man on a bit more. In centre I feel he lets players run off him too frequently. His sweet left foot is certainly capable of a match deciding bit of quality

[ferrarilover]

Can he be less effective that McPhee or Tai, neither of whom touched the ball having come on today, or even Rene, who has very obviously decided he doesn't like scoring and is refusing to do so ever again?

I'm not sure what we need, but we need something, because today was not the first time just recently that we have been utter rubbish. Previously, we got away with it by scoring first, but now, go a goal behind, and we're very much in trouble.

Matt.

[Dave]

I am not sure how much room Martin Ling has to move in the loan market, or how many loan players he is looking to bring in , if it is the case that we are looking at a maximum of 2 players , then personaly I would not go for an out and out striker.

My reason for that is our style of play, if you bring in a striker ask him to go up top on his own, backed by a midfield who have pretty much had the legs run of them all season with out a break, really not sure it would be the magic answer.

For me a wide forward to take the pressure of Stevens and Morris is must, and cover for the midfield, as a club in general I think we all rely far to much on O'Kane, yes we know his quailty, we know what he is capable of, and for pretty much all of us he would be first name on the team sheet, however the lad i feel is in dire need of a break, there is only so much he can do, bring in cover rest him, have him back refreshed and ready for the run in and the play-off's.

Onto Nathan Craig now, think the point has missed so what, Martin Ling quite clearly stated that he was keeping Nathan on an extended trial rather than looking at putting him into first team action, its not charity, its about being fair to our manager and club and the player, we know our club is not flushed with cash, it is about looking for rough cut diamonds, that can be polished.

Look at where O'kane and Lathrope were when they arrived at our club, they were given time and coaching improved, and now both are first names on the team sheet, same applies to Nathan Craig, he needs time, he needs coaching, there is no doubt Nathan Craig has a sweet left foot, he can pass, he can cross, that is not enough for league 2 though is it.

If the team was stuck in mid table, I think Lingy could get away with giving the lad a go, however in the position the team is in, it would as said above be unfair, saw him play against Buckland, he is not ready for league 2 action, wants to much time on the ball, and does not have a defensive element to his game, however the lad clearly does have something about him, so to just release would be wrong, given time coaching and maybe even a loan move, he could develop into the next little gem at Torquay.

[brucie]

Whats the point in bringing in another striker when we only play one up front. Any striker would struggle to score goals in our team due to the formation we play.
However Ling has made it work for us so whats the point in knocking it?

[ferrarilover]

Whats the point in bringing in another striker when we only play one up front. Any striker would struggle to score goals in our team due to the formation we play.
However Ling has made it work for us so whats the point in knocking it?

If we're going to play one up, we need a striker to fill that role. Presently, we have the two laziest forwards in the league, yet we persist with one up and balls into space. We need a Benyon type who will run about and chase things if we are to continue this system.

As for making it work, he hasn't even come close, which is why, between them, our centre forward pairing have fewer goals than Billy Kee on his own, and he's missed three months through injury.

Everywhere else on the pitch, we are just fine, our approach play is excellent, we just haven't got anybody to reliably stick it in the onion bag.

Matt.

[stevegull]

If we're going to play one up, we need a striker to fill that role. Presently, we have the two laziest forwards in the league, yet we persist with one up and balls into space. We need a Benyon type who will run about and chase things if we are to continue this system.

As for making it work, he hasn't even come close, which is why, between them, our centre forward pairing have fewer goals than Billy Kee on his own, and he's missed three months through injury.

Everywhere else on the pitch, we are just fine, our approach play is excellent, we just haven't got anybody to reliably stick it in the onion bag.

Matt.

The bit in red i disagree with.

I think with this type of formation Howe is the perfect type of player to play by himself up there. He is a big target that we can hit long to, but only if required. He is also good with his feet and can play our passing game. He can bully defenders and despite being fairly large, i still think he has enough pace to be useful.

In my opinion Howe will look like a worse player if we don't get players running past him. This is where Danny and Morris need to show how crucial they are to us scoring and creating chances from open play. He'll be too isolated if we can't get those two and possibly our full-backs and Manse and O'Kane in and around him.

In terms of his laziness, yes he does seem to have that streak in him. From what i've seen maybe Howe is the type of player who needs to have 'something to prove' to work harder. I purely base this on my own observation of him at the start of the season where I felt he wanted to show everyone that he wasn't just some misfiring huge centre forward, and that he can play a bit. I think maybe he is relying a bit on how much some of us built him up when we were worried about his suspension. Ling is crucial in re-instilling a bit of workman-like attitude in Howe to make him perform better.

I do think we need another option, a plan B so to speak, but i don't think Howe is the wrong type of player for the job.

[portugull]

It is precisely why we need " a fox in the box" because our approach play is so good.
We are missing opportunities which a goal poacher would take.
If you watch the Football League show look how many goals are scored if you get the ball in the box.
We need a finisher pure and simple. I am sure Martin Ling knows this and is just waiting for the right man but we need him soon!!!

[bc-gull]

Whats the point in bringing in another striker when we only play one up front. Any striker would struggle to score goals in our team due to the formation we play.
However Ling has made it work for us so whats the point in knocking it?

100% agree!!

We need wide, faster players, I feel we can bring in a quick young winger on load and use morris in the O'kane role to give O'kane a rest, although you dont want to change to much, and everyone saying a 'Fox in the box' etc. With 1 upfront, someone like Benyon, it wont work. Does anyone remember the Crawley FA cup game last year where we had Benyon on his own up top? That was a disaster. We need more pace on the wings to be more effective.

[Dave]

Have to say, totaly argee with Brucie here , and thats a fair point BC-gull about the Crawley F.A cup game, we came on here week in and out and critised Buckle for playing Benyon up front on his own, we all argeed Benyon could not play the loan striker role, purely because he was a "fox in the box type striker" We all agreed he needed some one up top with him.

As Bruice says you can't knock the system it worked for 17 plus matchs, the idea of a loan striker surely is, a player who is fit, can hold the ball up, when played into his feet or played long, and then links up play with the supporting midfielders, the reason why this has not worked of late is, one and ive said this for a while now, Rene Howe does not look fit, and two, the ball should played up to the loan striker, not half mile in front, behind, or half mile to his left or right, no loan striker can hold the ball up unless its passed to him.

If Martin Ling is going continue playing one up front, then a "fox in the box" is no where near what we need, a fitter version of Rene Howe is, or a Scott Rendell type.