Have we lacked a bit of focus in our striker targets?

[Jim Smith 2,455]

I appreciate that from the outside looking in its hard for us to know precisely what is going on but it does appear that this summer we have flitted between various targets so far without yet having landed any of the strikers we have been going for.

Clearly, now we are targeting a higher quality of player, there is more competition for their signature, they are less inclined to jump at the chance of joining us and therefore any pursuit has to perhaps be be gradual and calculated but I just worry that we seem to be in for everyone but not quite offering enough (either to player or club) in most cases. i know we need to have a number of options on the go at one time but

One has to conclude that if we desperately wanted Hooper we could have signed him by now. personally i wish we had just got on and done that as I think he would be a good signing but i get the feeling we are treating Hooper as something of a fallback option in case one of our other targets can''t be secured. that''s all well and good but its a risky business if in the meantime he gets fed up or QPR or West Ham make him a more lucrative offer and suddenly he''s no longer available.

I think we are showing real ambition and have done fantastic business thus far this summer but i just wish i could see more of a coherent, focussed strategy in this particular area. it would be a shame if all our good work strengthening the team this summer was undone by an injury to RVW early in the season leaving us short on firepower. I know its still early days though so hopefully Mcnally makes me look stupid for posting this by unveiling a top striker signing in the not too distant future!

[CDMullins 482]

No, because lets be honest, we actually have no idea whats going on behind the scenes

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

What, just like last year?!

Lambert said he liked to get the strikers in first as this is the hardest spot o fill. Just like Wigan have done.

Still, the boy from Spurs is a year older and with Championship experience.

[Jim Smith 2,455]

[quote user="CDMullins"]No, because lets be honest, we actually have no idea whats going on behind the scenes[/quote]

Yes hence the opening paragraph of my posts but this board is all about discussion, opinions and speculation. Time will tell whether those opinions or that speculation is correct.

It just seems very strange that in january Hooper and RVW were very clearly our main targets but this summer, with a Hooper deal appearing much more achievable we seem to have lodged significant bids for Toivonen, N''Dame and this Quag chap. We seem to be juggling far more balls at once than in the past so it will be interesting to see if it turns out to be a masterful strategy from McNally which sees us land our main target/s for good value or a bit of a scattergun approach.

[RvWs 4 year contract 0]

[quote user="RUDOLPH HUCKER"]What, just like last year?!

Lambert said he liked to get the strikers in first as this is the hardest spot o fill. Just like Wigan have done.

Still, the boy from Spurs is a year older and with Championship experience.[/quote]We signed RvW before any of our other signings...

Your point being?

[It's Character Forming 1,192]

Last summer when Hughton came in, the defence was the priority and he replaced most of our starting defenders.  At the front, we''d scored plenty of goals the previous season and had all the same strikers in the squad, so new strikers were a lower priority in the summer window. 

 

This summer we''ve shipped out 4 strikers, obviously with all 4 the decision has been we should be looking at a higher standard now and so should realise what we can from them to maximise the funds available to buy.  Clearly therefore we need to look at a new strikers coming in as the top priority.  We can''t afford to limit ourselves to just chasing one new sriker, we''ve been linked with several, I would expect we''ve been making enquiries about quite a few more behind the scenes.   This time of year transfers should surely be the most important thing McNally and his team are working on ? If we concentrated on just one or two targets that fell through, people would rightly criticise the board for not casting the net more widely.

 

On Hooper, I don''t think the signing will fail for a lack of attention by us - if we don''t get him (and I say "if"), I think it will simply be because we aren''t prepared to bid enough to get him against QPR.  If that happens I will be fine with it, providing the board have other targets in the frame (not just Quag) that are as good or better than Hooper !

[PurpleCanary 6,142]

[quote user="Jim Smith"][quote user="CDMullins"]No, because lets be honest, we actually have no idea whats going on behind the scenes[/quote]

Yes hence the opening paragraph of my posts but this board is all about discussion, opinions and speculation. Time will tell whether those opinions or that speculation is correct.

It just seems very strange that in january Hooper and RVW were very clearly our main targets but this summer, with a Hooper deal appearing much more achievable we seem to have lodged significant bids for Toivonen, N''Dame and this Quag chap. We seem to be juggling far more balls at once than in the past so it will be interesting to see if it turns out to be a masterful strategy from McNally which sees us land our main target/s for good value or a bit of a scattergun approach.[/quote]

 

Jim, I don''t think the comparison with January is that valid. We stopped our interest in RVW as soon as that ludicrous price of €20m was quoted. But we kept pursuing Hooper, with a £7m bid on transfer deadline day, because we were desperate for another striker and we obviously thought (wrongly, according to McNally recently) that he was available.Then our choice was limited, and getting more limited as January 31 approached. Now we have a far wider choice (I doubt anyone out of Toivonen, N''dame or Quagliarella was available in January) plus much more time. We don''t now have to try to grab Hooper in the way we did last time if we still think we can do better.

[paul moy 235]

Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management.

[RvWs 4 year contract 0]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management. [/quote]

Stop it. Stop it now Paul!

It feels really weird that I agree with you [;)]

[BigFish 2,211]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management. [/quote]

What utter, utter nonsense. If all clubs adopted this approach no one would be able to move!

[paul moy 235]

[quote user="BigFish"][quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management. [/quote]

What utter, utter nonsense. If all clubs adopted this approach no one would be able to move![/quote]Indeed, but the ones that adopt that approach are probably the most safe and successful. We can really start to worry and panic soon !!!  Fail to prepare and prepare to fail.

[PurpleCanary 6,142]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management. [/quote]

 

Quite. that is why we have held on to Becchio.

[Fried Cheese 0]

Should we have kept Kamara too?

[Salopian 1]

We shall probably never know!

 

We do not know how many we have approached, which by some mystery did not get out into the press. Perhaps the other clubs agreed to silence, although this is unlikely

We do not know how many  we have been reported interested in, were exaggerations, and only merely slight enquiries. Perhaps agents were trying to sell their players. This may be the case with Barnes of Brighton.

We don''t even  know how many targets have held discussions, or come to CR.

We don''t know if CR has been approached by players or agents.

 

Did an apparent visit to Italy by CH suggest an attempt to persuade Quag, or did he talk about other players

 

I am not trying to be dismissive, but for some time to come we shall probably not know what the degree of interest was, or which players we considered, so it may be premature at the moment.

[Webbo118 0]

[quote user="paul moy"][quote user="BigFish"][quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management.
[/quote] What utter, utter nonsense. If all clubs adopted this approach no one would be able to move![/quote]

Indeed, but the ones that adopt that approach are probably the most safe and successful. We can really start to worry and panic soon !!!  Fail to prepare and prepare to fail.
[/quote]

 

I must say you come out with some very profound statements.

[Juggy 0]

On 1st July I said on this forum that we should start to worry if we don''t have any new strikers by 1st August. I''m sticking with that, will be two weeks before I begin to panic. 

[paul moy 235]

[quote user="PurpleCanary"]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management. [/quote]

 

Quite. that is why we have held on to Becchio.

[/quote]The management obviously believe that Becchio and VW are better proven than Holt. We will soon find out, that''s for sure.

[Juggy 0]

[quote user="paul moy"][quote user="PurpleCanary"]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management. [/quote]

Quite. that is why we have held on to Becchio.

[/quote]The management obviously believe that Becchio and VW are better proven than Holt. We will soon find out, that''s for sure.[/quote]

Well we can be pretty certain that RVW is a level up on Holt, but doubt many of us are convinced that Becchio is. Another top quality striker is imperative.

[*** 0]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management.
[/quote]

 

Agreed.[Y]

[ellis206 0]

[quote user="Wiz"]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management. [/quote]

 

Agreed.[Y]

[/quote]So you believe that Jackson, Martin, Vaughan etc were competent strikers?? RVW was obviously brought in to replace Holt, the others are easily replaced

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="ellis206"][quote user="Wiz"][quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management.

[/quote]

Agreed.[Y][/quote]

So you believe that Jackson, Martin, Vaughan etc were competent strikers?? RVW was obviously brought in to replace Holt, the others are easily replaced[/quote]I think the two posters in question were talking about Cody MacDonald and Jamie Cureton. [:''(]

[*** 0]

[quote user="ellis206"][quote user="Wiz"]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management.
[/quote]

 

Agreed.[Y]

[/quote]

So you believe that Jackson, Martin, Vaughan etc were competent strikers??
RVW was obviously brought in to replace Holt, the others are easily replaced
[/quote]

 

Grant Holt!

[Highland Canary 78]

After loaning out Vaughan last season and subsequently failing to address our striker weaknesses in two successive windows one can only but hope it is not the case of history repeating itself. Selling our only established PL striker, Holt, before having a replacement in place seems, on the face of it at least, to be a risky strategy. We are in a situation where we need to bring not one, but two and, arguably, three strikers, if Becchio is not played again, before the transfer window closes.

[Joanna Grey 0]

HC wrote - "After loaning out Vaughan last season and subsequently failing to address our striker weaknesses in two successive windows one can only but hope it is not the case of history repeating itself."

Yeah, we don''t want to get relegated again.

Oh wait.

We didn''t did we?

We finished in a comfortable mid-table position.

[CambridgeCanary 0]

Sorry but how many more times? We had a deal agreed to sign Frazier Campbell until O''Neill vetoed the deal at the last minute.

There are many criticisms of strategy last summer but not trying to buy first rank strikers is not one of them.

[Alan_Grey 0]

[quote user="CambridgeCanary"]Sorry but how many more times? We had a deal agreed to sign Frazier Campbell until O''Neill vetoed the deal at the last minute.[/quote]

Plenty more times, apparently, because that''s the first time I''ve ever heard that.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

Joanna Grey wrote -

"We finished in a comfortable mid-table position."

Some really short memories. Yes we finished mid table, but it was anything but comfortable. At half time in Wigan''s game after our defeat at home to Villa we were actually the bookies favourites for the third relegation spot. Comfortable it was most certainly not.

[paul moy 235]

[quote user="ellis206"][quote user="Wiz"]

[quote user="paul moy"]Never ship out a competent striker before shipping in because you may never replace him. That is risky bad management. [/quote]

 

Agreed.[Y]

[/quote]So you believe that Jackson, Martin, Vaughan etc were competent strikers?? RVW was obviously brought in to replace Holt, the others are easily replaced[/quote]RVW is not a Holt type player so hardly a replacement. Vaughan may have been competent but not Martin or Jackson at Prem level. Getting rid of Vaughan may also be a mistake.

[Alan_Grey 0]

I swear if anyone uses bookie''s odds to try and justify a point one more time I''m going to punch a hole in the wall.

[PurpleCanary 6,142]

[quote user="CambridgeCanary"]Sorry but how many more times? We had a deal agreed to sign Frazier Campbell until O''Neill vetoed the deal at the last minute.

There are many criticisms of strategy last summer but not trying to buy first rank strikers is not one of them.[/quote]

 

I have to say that is a new one on me as well, but perhaps I haven''t been paying attention. In any event I don''t think six goals in 58 games for Sunderland exactly qualifies as "first rank". As it happens I don''t think our summer transfer strategy was flawed. It was in January, but that is another matter.