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Rudolph Hucker

A successful season? It comes down to this.

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The striker issue.

We sit in 6th with only four sides having scored fewer goals.

On the one hand this illustrates our resilience and strengths; on the other we know that the most successful sides invariably score plenty of goals while conceding amongst the fewest.

We show few signs of scoring enough to challenge over a season despite our impressive work-rate, organisation and defensive capabilities.

Away from home this is less marked as it suits the situation and if you ask what the situation is then it is similar to what visiting sides have done to us at home.

And the kind of goals we need more of are the instinctive striker goals such as Nelson scored late last week, but Nelson''s ongoing fitness problems leave us woefully short.

Cameron Jerome is an admirable team player who it could be argued would be first choice for the first half at least of an away game but he is scoring fewer goals and not the kind of instinctive strike Nelson unlocked a defence with.

Therefore, at home, with Cameron leading the line we are toothless as has been demonstrated.

Assuming Nelson stays sidelined; how would you manage Jerome with so many games coming up in such a short space of time?

Would you play him at Arsenal? If not who else do we have?

Can were recall anyone? When is Marley due back and can he play upfront on his own?

Will better visiting opposition be more expansive so CJ has space in front of him?

Farke has done brilliantly with the resources he has but he arguably started the season one striker light and things have got worse.

This is the key to a successful season for me and I don''t see an obvious solution other than an expedient cure for Oliveira.

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If nelson is going to suffer his groin on the day we will need that their option.

But the lack of goals is not just a Jerome issue. We have not been creating enough since we went defensively solid. That is both a tactical choice as a result of sitting the midfield deeper and the lack of support the lone striker gets from the attacking midfield 3 who have neither git close enough nor created chances. Wes maddison vrancic Murphy Watkins and wildschut need to step up too.

Given the progress we have made in 6 weeks and the points gained i am confident that this squad will get there.

But like the defence it is not solved just by changing the person as the problem is not just one person.

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"

The striker issue."We get issued with strikers ?Whatever next ?

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I hope this didn''t come across as a Cameron Jerome bashing post, Zimmer. I appreciate his qualities but he needs supporting and resting.

He is also often the right option. I''m grateful we could call on him today.

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I think when Pritchard gets back there won''t be a problem. I reckon he & Maddison together will score more than enough.

It may be unconventional but with Jerome used as a decoy - a decoy that is still capable of scoring - enough space will open up for those two to rip defences apart. And they don''t need much space.

Also I think Watkins, in a less physical way, could be coached to do a similar job.

Imagine Wes & those two in midfield. ''twould be very heaven! Two out of Tettey/Trybull/Reed as cover with the usual suspects at the back & we could be unstoppable!

Of course Nelson would be a huge bonus, but I''ve got a horrible feeling this groin thingy could be difficult to fix - Farke seemed to be saying they''re not really sure of the source of the problem, which is a problem in itself.

But ... as ever ... I''m optimistic!! Per ardua ad astra!!

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i agree with what is being said with Pritchard coming back but he has got to earn his place as others have found

i am not bashing Jerome but if we are to get up and we do have a chance with this fantastic run of form and the way we play we do need more than from a striker than workrate and passion

i know its easy to say and they are hard to find and cost money but if we did have a striker with workrate and chipped in with more goals than Jerome it would take that burden off the team

i would like to see Farke use his contacts knowledge and find a rough diamond who has scored goals at lower German league it has worked with a lot of the players he has brought in a the German players are looking great buys

For me Jerome has lost something the ball is not sticking with him his control is letting him down more often and he just does not look like scoring the number of goals a second striker should

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I think it is obvious we do need another striker. We won''t be getting one this side of Christmas though so we are certainly going to have to accept that winning 1-0 is going to have to suffice for now.

I''m not sure we could rely on Watkins if the other two are out.

I have always argued for style over substance but have to admit that after the appalling start, winning by one goal has to be enough under the circumstances.

And we can''t just blame the strikers as lots waded in with goals last season. So not getting enough into the box is one of the reasons for the low scoring.

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[quote user="keelansgrandad"]I think it is obvious we do need another striker. We won''t be getting one this side of Christmas though so we are certainly going to have to accept that winning 1-0 is going to have to suffice for now.

I''m not sure we could rely on Watkins if the other two are out.

I have always argued for style over substance but have to admit that after the appalling start, winning by one goal has to be enough under the circumstances.

And we can''t just blame the strikers as lots waded in with goals last season. So not getting enough into the box is one of the reasons for the low scoring.[/quote]Agreed. We are in effect one injury away from having none (arguably we are already in that position), and then no amount of tactical acumen and goals from midfield would suffice. The problem, I believe, is that we spent our January money on Hanley, and will have to sell (asuming we can find interested clubs for players willing to leave) to buy again. And probably not just to get in the transfer money, but to keep the wage bill within limits. Unless there is an influx of cash from a share issue or similar.

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So, top 6 on December 31st.

Transfer window opens - do you stick or twist? A decent (proven) striker at this level is 8mil+. Unproven from Germany will be 2-3mil+.

If it works we get promotion so there is no issue. If we don’t get promotion do we have enough in player sales to cover it next summer?

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