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aaron wilbraham

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I''m personally chuffed with this bit of business. My only doubts lye with the reaction it''ll bring about from fans ignorant enough not to see why this transfer was made, so as to bring about connotations of ''lack of ambition''. The very same ''lack of ambition'' that brought us Grant Holt, Russell Martin, Andrew Crofts, Fraser Forster... etc., and the one and only Paul Lambert of course.Look at how ''uninspired'' that was.And for those that doubt Wilbraham, bear in mind it could be a lot worse. It could be Rory Fallon!

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Lambert knows what he''s doing, his knowledge of the leagues below us is good and as far as I can see this bloke is the backup/competition for Holt most of us have been saying we need. Would people rather we spent 500k on and Alan Lee type player?It''s just another piece of the jigsaw falling into place.Lambert has done more than enough in his short time here for us to cut him a bit of slack and trust his judgement I think.

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I''m glad so many people are excited by this signing but I remain totally underwhelmed by a 31 year old with only a very average record at a lower level. If this guy was ever going to be anything he would have done it by now. Don''t get me wrong, I hope he does well for all our sakes but if he has the talent to perform at a higher level he has certainly kept it well hidden for the last ten or so years.He can obviously put himself about but you need a bit more than that at this level and I for one can''t get excited about someone who will never be more than a stop gap. In the position we are in its time to be brave and this can hardly be called a brave signing. Perhaps PL is a genius and this guy will turn into a 20 goal a season striker but I''d lay long odds against it.

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[quote user="ricardo"]If true then its hardly an inspired signing.

If this is the time to "go for it" we need something a lot lot better than a 3rd division 31 year old.

might as well chuck 100k in the bin.
[/quote]

Have to agree with Ricardo on this one, totally underwhelmed!. 3 goals in 12 games this season & why has he only played 12 times which is a concern, injuries or just plain shite?!?

The BBC report also highlights what a poor scoring record he has got and if we ant to push onwards & upwards IMO something far better was required......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/norwich/9327997.stm

 

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If this signing is one of the 3 or so quoted and is seen as a player to push us forward than i must admit i''m disappointed with the calibre of the players we''re aiming for. I''m sure PL has been shrewed here and see him as nothing more than a useful back up and those "brave signings" are still being sussed out.

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[quote user="ricardo"]I''m glad so many people are excited by this signing but I remain totally underwhelmed by a 31 year old with only a very average record at a lower level. If this guy was ever going to be anything he would have done it by now. Don''t get me wrong, I hope he does well for all our sakes but if he has the talent to perform at a higher level he has certainly kept it well hidden for the last ten or so years.

He can obviously put himself about but you need a bit more than that at this level and I for one can''t get excited about someone who will never be more than a stop gap.

In the position we are in its time to be brave and this can hardly be called a brave signing. Perhaps PL is a genius and this guy will turn into a 20 goal a season striker but I''d lay long odds against it.
[/quote]

I agree with you at being underwhelmed.  But I will wait to see him play before making my feelings known, just doesn''t excite me ATM.

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Some posts have agued that this is an unambitious signing, and shows that we are not "going for it!"

You could argue the opposite.

Our record this season without Holty has been rather unimpressive, so if we are are looking for promotion we badly need cover for him.

Do we want to spend say, £500k for a Holt backup, knowing that he will sit mostly on the bench, and at that price will not be Premiership material?

If we follow he wishes of some, we would lay out buckets full for someone like Austin, with only peanuts for the two other targets. Would Austin, or whoever, be much better than Martin alongside Holt and could he combine with Holt if Martin/Jackson were not playing?

We hope to be promoted in 2010 or the following year, and we want to keep money back for Summer purchases, with Bosmans, in 2010, and for the Premiership, rather than going further into debt now.

Looking at this all, there is a rationale. The new striker will deputise for Holt, our most vital player, if the latter is suspended or injured, and thus increases our chances in 2011 and 2012. His contract runs until 2012, by which time his contribution will have ended because we have signed better players in the meantime.

Added to this, there should be other areas where we can buy well now with a view to the future, perhaps even players will real potential.

I am quite excited with the hope that we shall have two further new players, although I fear that we may have to find at least one other stop-gap or back up player, because of the length of our injury list.

At the moment, and for several weeks back, our problem is not scoring goals but scoring enough to cover the goals we are conceding. If one of the new players is to be a defender, we probably need a "play anywhere at the back" player.

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Can I remind some of you that a certain Horse could have been seen as a "failed" championship striker up to about even maybe a month ago ?He had 2 stints in here before and failed to impress !Give the bloke a chance ! We need a player similar to Holt and frankly anyone must be better than Oli and Jacko given the lack of games and lack of form respectively.Even Martin is in a goal drought atm !

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PL has persevered with Jacko but it is clear that he hasn''t got a lot to offer at this level. Methinks he may be off loaded sooner or later, with Olly given a loan spell somewhere. Chris Martin needs geeing up from time to time and I can see this being a good additional reason for bringing Wilbrahams in, competition and cover for either the front two.

Incidentally, what is his current card points tally and do points get wiped when transfering? ...somehow doubt it!

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[quote user="ricardo"]I''m glad so many people are excited by this signing but I remain totally underwhelmed by a 31 year old with only a very average record at a lower level. If this guy was ever going to be anything he would have done it by now. Don''t get me wrong, I hope he does well for all our sakes but if he has the talent to perform at a higher level he has certainly kept it well hidden for the last ten or so years.

He can obviously put himself about but you need a bit more than that at this level and I for one can''t get excited about someone who will never be more than a stop gap.

In the position we are in its time to be brave and this can hardly be called a brave signing. Perhaps PL is a genius and this guy will turn into a 20 goal a season striker but I''d lay long odds against it.
[/quote]

All fair points Ricky but stop gap is exactly what he is. We bemoan the fact that we don''t have cover for Holty and that''s exactly what this guy is. Fresh legs at the end of the game or cover for injuries and suspensions. No twenty goal a season Championship striker would settle for a place on the bench and anyway Norwich can''t afford two Grant Holts.

 

 

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[quote user="Evil Monkey"]

Love the pic on the Pinkun front page of Wilbraham getting a special Donkey Cuddle...

(Incidentally, weren''t we supposed to miss Doherty and Rusty this year and struggle without them...?)

[/quote]There, you had to mention him didn''t you? [:@]......I still miss him! [:''(][:''(][:''(]

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[quote user="ricardo"]I''m glad so many people are excited by this signing [/quote]I don''t remember anyone saying they were particularly excited by the signing, more that he potentially fills a glaring hole in our squad. A frontman isn''t just about scoring goals, how many did Holt get against the Blades?I think too many people are underestimating the influence a good manager/backroom has on a player too. Has this bloke played under anyone as good as Lambert and co before? I doubt it.

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As a regular reader of your match reports, Ricardo, I can see the points you are making, but we all seem to be forgetting how surprised we were when Lambert let out that he was trying to sign 3 players!

Would any target man coming in have any chance of ousting Holt? I don''t think so. A strike rate of 1 goal in every 3.5 matches for the Dons is respectable at least and at 6''3" he''s also a useful player to bring on if we''re chasing the game late on.

It''s only an 18 month contract and if it enables two more signings that do really excite us, then it could well be a shrewd bit of business, given that we''ve already got the biggest and best squad we''ve had in years. Even with the current injuries, we will still put out a good team backed by a solid bench against QPR. When did that ever happen with Roeder, Grant or Worthy?

Let''s give the guy a chance!

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Sorry this signing excites me as much as seeing Susan Boyle naked, this sounds like the old city to me, cheapskate. We are in the mix ffs gamble a little, Morison, Austin or Rhodes somebody with a goal scoring record not a 31 year old who has done nout. Its not just the old moan, PL has worked miracles imo but if we dont back him, there are plenty of good jobs coming up we need abit more class in the side to push on.

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[quote user="ricardo"]I''m glad so many people are excited by this signing but I remain totally underwhelmed by a 31 year old with only a very average record at a lower level. If this guy was ever going to be anything he would have done it by now. Don''t get me wrong, I hope he does well for all our sakes but if he has the talent to perform at a higher level he has certainly kept it well hidden for the last ten or so years.[/quote]You''re an astute and sensible bloke Ricardo, but i don''t reckon this comment as having done yourself justice here.Grant Holt was playing in League Two by the age of 28. The best Chris Iwelumo had done before moving to Colchester was score 7 goals for Stoke in a season in the second tier. And the best Jason Scotland had done by the age of 28 was score 18 goals for St. Johnstone in the Scottish second division. Who was to say that only 2 years down the line or so he''d be considered the most prolific striker in the Championship, sought after by a handful of Premier League outfits? Having kept that talent ''well hidden'' for the last ten years or so, who''d have thought it?Football is a constantly fluctuating sport, unexpected failures coming just as often as unexpected successes. Records are history. Those of a sound mind only learn from it; they don''t consign themselves to it.

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[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Evil Monkey"]

Love the pic on the Pinkun front page of Wilbraham getting a special Donkey Cuddle...

(Incidentally, weren''t we supposed to miss Doherty and Rusty this year and struggle without them...?)

[/quote]There, you had to mention him didn''t you? [:@]......I still miss him! [:''(][:''(][:''(][/quote][img]http://www.zwani.com/graphics/i_miss_you/images/11.jpg[/img]

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[quote user="ricky knight"]Sorry this signing excites me as much as seeing Susan Boyle naked, this sounds like the old city to me, cheapskate. We are in the mix ffs gamble a little, Morison, Austin or Rhodes somebody with a goal scoring record not a 31 year old who has done nout. Its not just the old moan, PL has worked miracles imo but if we dont back him, there are plenty of good jobs coming up we need abit more class in the side to push on.
[/quote]

Moan, moan, blame the Board, etc, etc. How do you know that Lambert is not perfectly happy with the situation?

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If Grant, Roeder or Gunn had signed this guy then I''d be worried.  As it is I''m not.

Peter Thorne had a better record than Wilbraham when he joined us - had Lambert signed him we''d undoubtely have seen a much better player than we ever did.  That''s the difference having a manager who can get the best out of journeymen players can make.

One point about Wilbraham though.  Where he''s had success he''s done so as the big fish in a small pond - much like Holt and Cureton had been.  Not all players can cope with the additional pressure e.g. when 25,000 fans are restless because we''re not hammering some supposedly inferior outfit in the first 30 minutes.  Holt has managed it, Cureton never did.  It will be interesting to see what Aaron makes of it.

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does anyone know the mk dons fan website so we can read what they are saying about him leaving.just read someone''s posts about the effect a manager can have on a player and he''s spot on, lambert has managed to bring the best out of this group of players, some who i honestly didnt think were gonna stand a chance this season in the champ- russel martin is a prime example, he was made to look silly for peterborough in this division, but look at him under lambert, same with lappin, hes playing the best i have ever seen him play and so was drury before he got injured- back to the form that won him player of the season for us few years back

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[quote user="nutty nigel"]

[quote user="ricardo"]I''m glad so many people are excited by this signing but I remain totally underwhelmed by a 31 year old with only a very average record at a lower level. If this guy was ever going to be anything he would have done it by now. Don''t get me wrong, I hope he does well for all our sakes but if he has the talent to perform at a higher level he has certainly kept it well hidden for the last ten or so years.He can obviously put himself about but you need a bit more than that at this level and I for one can''t get excited about someone who will never be more than a stop gap. In the position we are in its time to be brave and this can hardly be called a brave signing. Perhaps PL is a genius and this guy will turn into a 20 goal a season striker but I''d lay long odds against it.[/quote]

All fair points Ricky but stop gap is exactly what he is. We bemoan the fact that we don''t have cover for Holty and that''s exactly what this guy is. Fresh legs at the end of the game or cover for injuries and suspensions. No twenty goal a season Championship striker would settle for a place on the bench and anyway Norwich can''t afford two Grant Holts.

 

 

[/quote]I wouldn''t disagree with that analysis Nigel but perhaps I was looking for something a bit more exciting.I really hope the bloke does well but if people are expecting another Grant Holt they are likely to be mightily disappointed. Someone earlier in the thread was comparing Holt and Wilbrahams as failed championship strikers so I had a look at their respective records on Wikki and they are not even in the same ballpark.I repeat, I hope the guy does well and proves me wrong.

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A decent bit of business if you ask me.

This signing improves our squad. We have someone to push Holt for his shirt and at the very least have a ''big man'' option should Holt get injured/suspended. It also leaves the majority of our budget (one would hope) for strengthening elsewhere.

A right-back and right winger then?

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This guy is a donkey! His goalscoring record is crap too! Is this the sort of signing that is classed as going for it?! Wilbraham must think all his birthdays and christmas have come at once.

This is a very poor signing. Does lambert realise when signing a striker the aim is for them to score goals? Oli Johnson now Wilbraham i guess spotting talent in this particular area is not Lamberts strong point.

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[quote user="John"][quote user="ricardo"]I''m glad so many people are excited by this signing but I remain totally underwhelmed by a 31 year old with only a very average record at a lower level. If this guy was ever going to be anything he would have done it by now. Don''t get me wrong, I hope he does well for all our sakes but if he has the talent to perform at a higher level he has certainly kept it well hidden for the last ten or so years.[/quote]You''re an astute and sensible bloke Ricardo, but i don''t reckon this comment as having done yourself justice here.Grant Holt was playing in League Two by the age of 28. The best Chris Iwelumo had done before moving to Colchester was score 7 goals for Stoke in a season in the second tier. And the best Jason Scotland had done by the age of 28 was score 18 goals for St. Johnstone in the Scottish second division. Who was to say that only 2 years down the line or so he''d be considered the most prolific striker in the Championship, sought after by a handful of Premier League outfits? Having kept that talent ''well hidden'' for the last ten years or so, who''d have thought it?Football is a constantly fluctuating sport, unexpected failures coming just as often as unexpected successes. Records are history. Those of a sound mind only learn from it; they don''t consign themselves to it.[/quote]I don''t make these comments without looking at their records John. If PL has found a 31 year old gem then he will rise even higher in the Pantheon of the Gods than he is already.

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[quote user="NCfC Till I Die "]the other 2 signings will be a winger(David templeton from hearts) & David Edgar from burnley - can cover both centre back and right back which we are sort of cover at.[/quote]

I very much doubt we''ll sign Templeton. He''s one of the most highly rated young Scottish players coming through at the moment and rated at over £2m.

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Any decent Championship target-man would cost upwards of 750k minimum. We simply do not have that kind of money to spend on a player like Austin or Rhodes, who may take time to adjust to this level of football. Yes, Wilbraham isn''t ideal but he will be able to provide us with that other dimension needed if and when Holt is unavailable. I''d much prefer us spend around 400-500k to keep Lansbury on loan for the rest of the season, the boy is quality and will create chances for whoever is playing upfront.

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[quote user="Absent Friend"]

If Grant, Roeder or Gunn had signed this guy then I''d be worried.  As it is I''m not.Peter Thorne had a better record than Wilbraham when he joined us - had Lambert signed him we''d undoubtely have seen a much better player than we ever did.  That''s the difference having a manager who can get the best out of journeymen players can make.One point about Wilbraham though.  Where he''s had success he''s done so as the big fish in a small pond - much like Holt and Cureton had been.  Not all players can cope with the additional pressure e.g. when 25,000 fans are restless because we''re not hammering some supposedly inferior outfit in the first 30 minutes.  Holt has managed it, Cureton never did.  It will be interesting to see what Aaron makes of it.

[/quote]If Wilbrahams had a decent record in the lower leagues it might be grounds for some optimism at least. I suggest you check Jamie Lads record against Wilbrahams record and you will see light years between them.This is not the case of a top rated 3rd tier striking looking to see if he can make it at a higher grade. Wilbrahams has a very ordinary strike rate in the lower leagues and to expect him to improve at a higher level is wishful thinking at best.

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This signing looks like just another incremental improvement in the squad. Nothing major, but it will provide more striking partnership options.Lambert clearly doesn''t rate Oli at this level. Now he has four strikers he does rate, and we know how Lambert likes to shuffle his players around. Maybe the hope is that Jackson will be more productive playing off a conventional ''big man up front''?Anyway, I hope Lambert also has someone creative lined up. With Lansbury unlikely to play again and Hoolahan not making the starting eleven for whatever reason, we lack someone to pull the strings in midfield and create.

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