Our strikers...

[Feel The Force 0]

Jerome: athletic, pacey, works hard but misses too many chances. Good championship player

Mbokani: powerful, good technique and vision, lacks pace and work rate: not suited to premier league

Grabban: Good pace and work rate, terrible attitude and not strong enough to play on his own

Hooper: excellent finisher, lacks pace, athleticism and work rate

Lafferty: strong, pacey, good finisher, good work rate. Not been tried in the prem.

It feels like all our strikers lack at least one key attribute to be able to play at this level as a lone striker. Lafferty is the only one who might be able to. AN needs to make a decision on lafferty (loaning him out is not a decision). Either he stays and plays or he''s sold. I would keep Jerome and mbokani and get rid of hooper and grabban.

We lack the kind of strong athletic players you need at this level. We''d be a decent side if this was the old first division but footballers are beasts theses days. Look at how Watford bullied our centre backs. This is a massive transfer window coming up and yes we need the redmonds and hoolahans but we need some muscle and preferable not muscle with two left feet like tetty. I have every faith in our manager but he needs the raw materials to do the job. Currently it''s men against boys every week. Sometimes we come good but more often we fall short. OTBC!!!

[Paul Spector 0]

Have to disagree with a lot of that i''m afraid. To highlight a few...

1) I think Mbokani is perfectly suited to the Premier League.

2) It is unfair to say Grabban lacks strength - I would say he is a strong player, however his weakness lies in his finishing.

3) Also think it is unfair to say Mbokani lacks pace, yet Lafferty is referred to as pacey. I would be interested to see a race between the two - i know who my money would be on.

[Feel The Force 0]

Mbokani isn''t slow but he doesn''t have the pace of jerome. His game is about strength and he''s used to playing a more technical style of football. Sure he can adapt but we don''t have time for that. Grabban does lack strength and the stature to play as a target man. He hasn''t held the ball up in either of the last two games and won''t bully defenders like holty used to. I just don''t understand why he''s starting games. He''ll run the channels but you don''t need that with Redmond and Brady in the team. When I''ve seen lafferty play he''s pretty quick and direct. He''s not going to be any worse than grabban but clearly AN doesn''t trust him to do the business.

[HampsteadCanary 0]

I would love to see two of our strikers on the pitch together. I know we''ve seen Mbokani and Jerome a couple of times, but they''re probably the most similar in terms of style. Would love to see Hooper with Mbokani or Lafferty in a flat 4-4-2. Seems to be working for Leicester, Newcastle and Watford, and they all beat us!

[GJP 79]

Hooper isn''t good enough.

[Yellowbeagle 0]

Mbokani looks like an impact player to me, much more impressive from the bench than when he has started.

Jerome is my preferred player, I just feel he fits into our style abit better than the others and works the back four more consistent when upfront in his own.

Grabban I don''t really rate but if we''re going to play defensive and lump the ball to him, he''s obviously going to struggle. In his good season for Bournemouth does anyone think they kept lumping it to him?

I think Lafferty deserves a chance, but I''m under no illusions that some have forgotten just how many chances he missed when he was playing for us regularly (albeit out wide mostly).. I doubt very much he is the answer and he''s also a walking red card. However the others arnt doing the business so what is there to lose and he''ll probably have a point to prove.

[Barclay seats 4849 the 3rd 0]

This post is an excellent example of how fans perceptions of certain players differ . The only thing which comes from this discussion that has no counter argument is that Lafferty hasn''t been given a chance ,, this is what baffles me more than some of the dire team selections we have seen at times . How long did it take for AN to finally see that Ryan Bennett is twice the CB that Russell Martin is ?

Maybe he could yet give a chance to Lafferty ?

Personally , I am yet to be convinced that AN can steer us to survival in this league , and believe that his lack of experience , unfortunately is more of an influence on the outcome so far than his " attention to detail". And " every man knowing his job " lines which are becoming the regular cliches of this managerial reign .

Obviously a driven and determined individual ,, but I am beginning to feel maybe a little too stubborn , as this is the only reason I can think of for leaving Lafferty out for this long . The other strikers are not doing the job ,,, something needs to change .

[HampsteadCanary 0]

You could also argue that there has been very little consistency in the striker selection. A lot of strikers need to feel like they''re ''the man,'' like GKs being told they''re no. 1. It gives them the confidence that if they miss a chance, they''ll still be in the team the next week.

Grabban missed a sitter in his first ever game in the prem, we were all saying he''s not good enough for this league, and that may be true but he was then out of the team, threw his toys out of the pram and has only had two starts in a row, three total appearances. That''s not enough to give a striker confidence, whether he''s good enough or not.

I feel Jerome is the only player who''s really been given a decent run of games, and proven that he isn''t the answer to our goal scoring problems. Yes he works hard, but he doesn''t have an assist to his name either, and only 2 goals from 9 starts.

Mbokani has been fairly harshly treated as well, having scored something like 2 in 3, and looking like he was at least bring our midfielders into the game more, providing assists for the likes of Jarvis and Howson. If the strikers aren''t scoring, they should at least provide a decent threat to play other players in.

So, our strikers are all performing at a similar level, although they''re all in and out of the team most of the time. But if they''re not doing the business, then the midfield has to step up and as of late, that hasn''t really happened! Redmond is the only player to have a decent scoring record (for a winger) this season, and I would certainly start him, and I feel the return of Jarvis will help massively. None of our central midfielders are chipping in either, with Howson and Wes getting one goal each.

So basically we''re screwed...

[Van wink 2,994]

Hooper not making a great impression at Wednesday

"Sheffield Wednesday fans react on Twitter to Gary Hooper’s performance v Stoke"

Sheffield Wednesday signed Gary Hooper on loan from Norwich City.

Hooper linked up with Sheffield Wednesday towards the end of October, agreeing a loan switch until January.

The Scottish striker had played just two games for the Canaries before leaving the Premier League club, and has since appeared four times for Wednesday in the Championship - starting one game.

He has yet to score, but Carlos Carvalhal named him in his starting XI on Tuesday evening as the Owls took on Stoke City

Carvalhal’s side was also struck down by a number of injuries, but their search for victory was not aided by the performance of Hooper.

He looked lost in the final third, and did little to suggest that he was good enough for Championship level Wednesday, let alone Premier League level Norwich.

[AJ 1,218]

Hooper, like Ricky, is a player who needs a good squad around him to score goals. He cannot conjure up chances himself like CamJam and that''s why he is struggling to make an impression in the prem under AN''s one up top system.

Shame though, like the guy and he''s a good footballer and a good finisher - he just needs the team to be built towards him a little bit.

[YorkshirePudding 0]

I''m still confused as to why Grabban is being described as ''pacey'', he looks nowhere near as quick as Jerome. Mbokani is by far our best striker overall, but in some situations Jerome is better suited.

[Guest]

Jerome, Grabban and Lafferty were all signed to help get us out of the Championship. Which they did. But none really look the part at this level. Or at least, AN can''t get that from them, for whatever reason.Mbokani has shown promise with a couple of goals and an assist. But hasn''t really kicked on. While it also has to be said the team around him has gone into decline.January is an expensive time for signing any player. Strikers will be at a premium. It makes you feel all the more disappointed that more wasn''t done during the summer transfer window when we had time and money.

[norfolkngood 1,086]

you can play who you like but they need support from the midfielders

a lone striker can work the back four all he likes but unless the midfielders are pressing too its a waste of time

also a striker can hold it up but he needs players around him to lay it off to set up etc

and as a lone striker you need quality passes crosses into the box chances made for you

our strikers look poor but lets face it most strikers in the league would struggle in our side midfield need pace and power to play one up front as they need to be at both ends of the pitch as the game flows

[Budapest Canary 152]

I don''t think Jerome had that many chances to miss...

[Capt. Pants 4,195]

Exactly, the creativity of our midfield is generally poor, sitting far too deep and not pressing far enough up the pitch. It''s far too easy for the opposition to build from the back and retain possession. I thought AN would be the type of manager to address this and have a more pressing style, but he''s not, or at least not for the last few games - just sit back and wait for things to happen.