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morty

Strikers.

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Lots of talk about bringing in a striker, but what do we actually want / need?For the purposes of illustration I am going to assume Hooper will go to Sheff Wed, and Lafferty will go to Leeds (Even if they don''t its doubtful they would play anyway)We seem to be persisting with playing a lone striker, and we have two players in Jerome and Mbokani that can fulfill that role ( albeit in slightly different ways). Then we have Naismith, who will ( I think) compete for two roles, Hoolahan''s and also the role of second striker, should we want to play 4-4-2, or at least two strikers.So what do we actually need to buy? Any striker who was considering coming here would look at the usual formations we play, and wonder where he would fit in. It would be pretty hard to sell the club to any striker that has aspirations of playing first team football, unless we are planning to change the way we play, and I think that change would be far more likely to take place in the summer.

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Lots of talk about bringing in a striker, but what do we actually want / need?

I am quite excited by the signing of Naismith, but not 100% who is likely to make way for him, I think Howson may be looking over his shoulder ? Cant see AN changing the way we play drastically at this stage of the season, so any new strikers would have to be able to play the lone role.

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Agree mostly with you morty, my only concern of course if we go with just Cam and Mbokani and Naismith who seems could fill the role, is injury. Having one of those injured would be  pretty bad, havint two...and it does happen...would be very very bad indeed.My only logical guess is if we indeed  had got rid of Grabban, Hooper  and Lafferty, it seems illogical that only Naismith comes in, whos not an out and out striker anyway. So i would suggest if all those 3 leave, getting in 1 more proper striker would indeed be needed.

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[quote user="city-till-i-die"]If either got injured we would be VERY VERY light up top in way of numbers.

YES imho we do need "another"[/quote]I saw a league table, the other day, showing stats for injuries this season, and we have been very, very lucky so far!

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Lessingham - I would think that Wes is the most vunerable because of Naismith''s arrival. That may also influence the midfield/wide positions, as it may offer a subtle change of tactics.

I get what you are saying Morty, but feel we need a 3rd striker. It may come in the shape of a more permanent signing if big Dave is definitely off at the end of the season? It is all about survival ,and again I see that there may be a reasonable overhaul again in the Summer

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For the record, I don''t think we will sign Mbokani in the summer. Unless he is willing to take a pretty big wage cut.So this changes the dynamic, perhaps. Are we more likely to "go with what we have" for the rest of the season, then buy in the summer?This would also make it easier to sell the club to a striker coming in now, with the promise of bedding in for the rest of the season, and more likelihood of starts next season.

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[quote user="Crabbycanary3"]Lessingham - I would think that Wes is the most vunerable because of Naismith''s arrival. That may also influence the midfield/wide positions, as it may offer a subtle change of tactics.

I get what you are saying Morty, but feel we need a 3rd striker. It may come in the shape of a more permanent signing if big Dave is definitely off at the end of the season? It is all about survival ,and again I see that there may be a reasonable overhaul again in the Summer[/quote]Ah, we typed virtually the same, at the same time[;)]

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[quote user="morty"][quote user="city-till-i-die"]If either got injured we would be VERY VERY light up top in way of numbers.

YES imho we do need "another"[/quote]I saw a league table, the other day, showing stats for injuries this season, and we have been very, very lucky so far![/quote]You said it morty, and in the course of a hard 9 month football campaign its evens that good luck takes a back seat, so i think its imperative we get another striker in....if indeed both Hoops and Laffs depart.

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I don''t think AN is particularly enamoured with either Mbokani or Jerome so far this season. They have shown moments of promise but neither has managed to really make the position their own.

I expect Norwich are looking for someone who is an amalgam of the two, Mbokani''s strength and ability to hold the ball up and Jerome''s mobility and work rate. I suspect AN would also like someone who is versatile and can play out wide. This very much matches the profile of Haller - but his downfall might be that he isn''t massively clinical and is untested in a top level league.

Obviously getting a proven, mobile, clinical, strong striker is the holy grail for teams who play with one up front - getting one of them will set you back £25m - £30m these days.

Maybe Norwich will throw some more cash at Haller to convince him to come, maybe there is another player who hasn''t been mentioned in the press yet ready to come but I''m certain Norwich are looking.

As for the lack of injuries, I don''t think it is just luck, but also due to the way AN has rotated and dropped players - injuries usually come about due to overworking players whereas at Norwich the regular changes to the starting 11 have meant there has been plenty of recovery time for most.

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I think we need another striker, the ones we have are not scoring just my opinion we need a consistent striker and we dont have one at the moment!!!

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[quote user="morty"]We seem to be persisting with playing a lone striker, and we have two players in Jerome and Mbokani that can fulfill that role ( albeit in slightly different ways). [/quote]Nothing wrong with playing one striker as long as they score goals. Therefore I would question if Jerome or Mbokani do actually fulfill that role adequately enough.We need another alternative

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[quote user="Making Plans"][quote user="morty"]We seem to be persisting with playing a lone striker, and we have two players in Jerome and Mbokani that can fulfill that role ( albeit in slightly different ways). [/quote]Nothing wrong with playing one striker as long as they score goals. Therefore I would question if Jerome or Mbokani do actually fulfill that role adequately enough.We need another alternative[/quote]I think a bigger issue when playing a lone striker is midfielders making the numbers up in the box, when required.We haven''t done too bad scoring from midfield actually with 4 each for Redmond and Howson. The biggest missing piece is the number 10 chipping in, ie Wes.

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We need someone who can lead the line and score goals.  Jerome and Mbokani only fulfil the first part.

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Yes we need another striker if Laffs and Hooper go.

The question is; what kind of striker do we go for? Are we looking for basically a squad player like Lafferty or Hooper are/were but just perhaps a little better for us or do we try and find a striker who we think will actually succeed when he''s here. I hear we''re still in for Eder but personally I don''t think he''ll be a good signing if that happens.

I hope its the second option as that would really show our intent of staying up. Pinto Klose Naismith and a top (but realistic) striker would be good and is what is needed imo to secure safety - get that, and I think we''ll do really well..

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[quote user="morty"][quote user="Making Plans"][quote user="morty"]We seem to be persisting with playing a lone striker, and we have two players in Jerome and Mbokani that can fulfill that role ( albeit in slightly different ways). [/quote]Nothing wrong with playing one striker as long as they score goals. Therefore I would question if Jerome or Mbokani do actually fulfill that role adequately enough.We need another alternative[/quote]I think a bigger issue when playing a lone striker is midfielders making the numbers up in the box, when required.We haven''t done too bad scoring from midfield actually with 4 each for Redmond and Howson. The biggest missing piece is the number 10 chipping in, ie Wes.

[/quote]
To be fair, whilst he''s only scored 2, he has had 6 direct assists. So I wouldn''t look at him as the weak link. Although I get your point about Naismith being a more direct player and likely to score more than Wes, i''m not sure he''ll provide as much on the assist front. I imagine it''ll be much of an either-or scenario with neither of them significantly bettering the other, overall.
However, Wes was very poor vs Bournemouth and where Naismith will be a significant boost is having someone else that can play that role albeit differently.

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A striker with pace. I mean proper threat in behind pace. We''re seriously lacking in pace throughout the side but a striker who can play on the shoulder of the central defender would give us a threat on the counter attack.

The way we play, or the way AN wants to play, means we don''t really need a striker to hold the ball up. It''s almost old fashioned in modern top level football for a striker to play with their back to goal in a Grant Holt style.

If we need that option later in a game to take the pressure off the defence then Mbokani can do that job.

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I wouldn''t say a striker who holds the ball up is ''old fashioned''. Lewandoski is a prime example of a striker who puts his foot on the ball to bring others into the game - and Bayern certainly aren''t playing a retro style. Many teams who base their game on possession need a striker who can drop deep to link attack to midfield. AN has tried to play possession football consistently whilst at Norwich, so I would think that is exactly the type of striker he wants.

A big guy to hit long balls to for flick ons is probably more old fashioned, but still key to many teams. Lukaku is a great example of a modern striker - big and strong so he can win aerially or hold onto the ball, but also with excellent pace over 5 - 10 yards.

Jerome is very quick, certainly quicker than many give him credit for and he showed this against Man U for his first goal.

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Like someone said maybe City have an interest  somewhere that has been kept under the radar, otherwise these kind of topics always end up at two places, and one is already gone. The other of course, is at Palace.

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Attracting a top striker is never easy to any club with a wage cap policy - a good example being Burnley last season. Morty poses a great point: Norwich already have two players in place who can play as a lone striker - becoming the third here isn''t necessarily exciting. AN may indicate verbally to potential new recruits that Mbokani is unlikely to be around next season, however it''s not going to form part of a written contract is it? That''s the dilemma; how do we attract anyone of a higher standard to join in January? Maybe that''s why Afobe went to Bournemouth - at least with Callum Wilson out, Afobe knew he''d get a good chance of a game there...

I don''t think Mbokani is ''a beast'' or anything like one. In fact in general I prefer Cameron Jerome. With Naismith on the way, I think we''ll throw a bit more cash at the Haller proposition - if he doesn''t bite, probably best to wait until the summer before we do anything...

 

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Can''t see us fundamentally changing the way we play, with the quality of players we have a five man mid field is probably the way we will continue. Assuming Laffs and Hoops go, it would be too big a risk to continue with just two strikers. Admittedly Naismith may be able to stand in up front but it''s not enough.

It''s not just about injuries but loss of form in a striker. Any problems in this respect and we could easily find ourselves without a single recognised striker in the squad. A lone striker has to work very hard and that must also surely make them more vunerable to minor injury which can exacerbate as the season goes on.

As for a new striker feeling he is unlikely to play in a one up front system, surely the answer to that is to bring in somebody who is better than the two we have and who is confident he will be the one in the shirt.

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[quote user="Mr Jenkins"]It''s not just about injuries but loss of form in a striker.[/quote]Barring the odd blip our strikers, or at least the ones who have had a game, have been out of form all season. How bad do they have to get?

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Does anyone know, when Naismith scored his hattrick earlier in the season, how he was played (position) that particular game (as well as how Chelsea set up against him)?

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Mbokani is only a loan player so assuming Laffs and Hooper leave we have space for an improvement on Jerome. Afobe was that man if we were prepared to overpay which we were right not to do imo. Bare in mind that the lad may be injured after Saturday along with half their squad. I don''t think that player is out there hence strengthening the number 10 position to add options rather than numbers.

Should we sign Mbokani in the summer or look to step up in quality if we are still in the prem. If not then how easy will it be to be improve on Laffs and Hooper in the champ?

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Making Plans wrote the following post at 18/01/2016 4:30 PM:

Mr Jenkins wrote:

It''s not just about injuries but loss of form in a striker.

Barring the odd blip our strikers, or at least the ones who have had a game, have been out of form all season.

How bad do they have to get?

None of them have been on fire have they, so maybe a new signing would not be too worried about getting the shirt.

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[quote user="Viva Marc Libbra"]A striker with pace. I mean proper threat in behind pace. We''re seriously lacking in pace throughout the side but a striker who can play on the shoulder of the central defender would give us a threat on the counter attack.

The way we play, or the way AN wants to play, means we don''t really need a striker to hold the ball up. It''s almost old fashioned in modern top level football for a striker to play with their back to goal in a Grant Holt style.

If we need that option later in a game to take the pressure off the defence then Mbokani can do that job.[/quote]My thinking as well at this point.We already have 2 players for the ''hold up'' role, so someone who offers something different would be my preferred choice.In the grand tradition of my suggesting players that are either laughed off or called unrealistic, I''ll put my suggestion forward - Marco Sau.Bags of pace, good close control, decent finishing (if nothing special), and would almost certainly be interested in a move to the prem, and he wouldn''t cost the earth (either in wages or transfer fee).

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As long as I''m a Norwich fan I''ll never understand why we don''t just emulate Watford and play 2 strikers, seems to work for them. Have been watching the same "one man up front to hold the ball up" for as long as I can remember and I''m convinced it''s one of the reasons we always struggle to score. "Come to Norwich to be the isolated front man up against 2+ defenders with no support!" - Hardly enticing.

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As I''ve said before I''d be OK with acquiring Gayle at 4-6 mill range solely for a almost decent #3 option. Mostly because Neismith should NEVER play striker under any circumstance. Let him take Wes'' role (because he''s better than Wes) or put him out on the right (not ideal but he''ll do fine there). And if something happens to Mbokan/Jerome then Gayle is fine for the right price. He''s arguably a better #3 option than Grabban and better than Hooper/Lafferty as an option.

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[quote user="Canary Wundaboy"]As long as I''m a Norwich fan I''ll never understand why we don''t just emulate Watford and play 2 strikers, seems to work for them. Have been watching the same "one man up front to hold the ball up" for as long as I can remember and I''m convinced it''s one of the reasons we always struggle to score. "Come to Norwich to be the isolated front man up against 2+ defenders with no support!" - Hardly enticing.[/quote]Pretty sure, in the Championship, we played two strikers fairly often?Remember that this squad really isn''t Alex Neils yet either. To play certain formations you need the right players, and, in fact, the players you have actually dictate the formation you have to play. We can''t change the way we play over night, so if Alex Neil had a mind to play 4-4-2 primarily, it would have to evolve over 2 or 3 transfer windows. Assuming he can get the players he wants.A lot also depends on your current situation, there is the way you want to play, then there is the way you have to play, to achieve your objective. Alex Neil played in a very open way at the beginning of the season, only to realise we were shipping goals for fun, so he changed things.

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[quote user="Canary Wundaboy"]As long as I''m a Norwich fan I''ll never understand why we don''t just emulate Watford and play 2 strikers, seems to work for them. Have been watching the same "one man up front to hold the ball up" for as long as I can remember and I''m convinced it''s one of the reasons we always struggle to score. "Come to Norwich to be the isolated front man up against 2+ defenders with no support!" - Hardly enticing.[/quote]Pretty sure, in the Championship, we played two strikers fairly often?Remember that this squad really isn''t Alex Neils yet either. To play certain formations you need the right players, and, in fact, the players you have actually dictate the formation you have to play. We can''t change the way we play over night, so if Alex Neil had a mind to play 4-4-2 primarily, it would have to evolve over 2 or 3 transfer windows. Assuming he can get the players he wants.A lot also depends on your current situation, there is the way you want to play, then there is the way you have to play, to achieve your objective. Alex Neil played in a very open way at the beginning of the season, only to realise we were shipping goals for fun, so he changed things.

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