IS THE STRIKE FORCE REALLY A DUD???

[Izaak Hunt 0]

It''s mentioned on another thread that people believe the strike force is a dud. I don''t think this can be true 1, RVW.. he''s scored some awesome goals before he got here, yes it''s a weaker league however he scored some classy goals you don''t just lose that 2, Hooper... he''s bearly getting a look in but he''s scored in the champions league against multiple teams. then there unlucky Becchio never gets so much as a sniff god knows what Hughtons doing with him. Elmander.... he can score but he''s hardly prolific anyway, so I can''t see him being the answer to our problems as is witnessed when he plays... BUT with the first two you have to ask yourself is the lack of goals and accuracy a lack of gelling (what was pre-season for) or is this a training ground issue. I personally think it''s got to be training ground. But people might put this on p.t and his chum but then what''s hughton doing while this is going on. Surely you would want them practising more when it''s evident we can''t score for toffee

[Green and Yellow 0]

At he moment the strikers don''t look capable of scoring in a brothel. 

[Dubai Mark 0]

I personally have no doubt that our strike force is not a dud. In addition, I have no doubt that there isnt a lot of hard work going in on the training ground in all areas of our play. Plus, putting last night to one side, recent matches have clearly shown that the team IS gelling, its very clear its happening and the stats from Saturday clearly back that up.....other than not scoring of course....but on another day as we say. Finally, lets not think this is a problem just associated to City''s strike force......for example, Torres goal at the weekend was apparently just his second in the Premier League in something like 25 matches, plus there are many other top strikers yet to hit the back of the net, either at all or only once or twice.......that''s because its not easy at this level.........I am one of those who believes it''s going to happen and make no apology for that..OTBC

[City 2nd 191]

I agree with the previous posters - the current strike force of RVW and Hooper is not a dud. Both played at a high level at their last clubs, both scored league goals, and played and scored in at he Champions a League.

However I do not think it is coincidence that our previous strikers, Holt, Morrison and Jackson also failed to score goals at this level, although we know that all, and one in particular, were capable of it from the previous season, and he openly criticised his lack of goals on the way the team was set up, and how he was asked to play! Morrison and Jackson were frozen out, and now we see this happening with Becchio, and although we have him on board, we bring in Elmander. What does he add? There are many permutations there to try to address the lack of goals, but until that happens, or the system changes, then I do not see us winning too many games this season. But duds - no!

[can u sit down please 0]

I think thy are 2 good players, lacking any service.

When we signed the wolf I said it was all well and good but if we don''t change our supply line, it''s pointless.

[BroadstairsR 2,138]

Hughton''s dealings with strikers sine he has been at the Club has been abysmal.

As mentioned above, no striker has yet to really succeed under his tutelage.

I called Carrow road a ''striker''s graveyard'' in a previous post and this seems to be fact and worrying.

What to is the point of Helmander? We supposedly paid £1m for his services, yet reportedly received just £2m for Grant Holt a far, far more influential presence in the forward line and a more potent striker by a mile.

The fact that GH wanted out, prematurely IMO, harks back to the point. One reason is that he was unhappy with the system and he said as much.

Luciano Becchio has a far better goal-scoring pedigree than JH, yet gets a fraction of the exposure than a thirty two years old has-been who was poor last night and looked ponderous by comparison with United''s lively forwards.

We have spent record monies on decent strikers yet Hughton and his two stooges seem clueless about taking full advantage of their various talents.

Disaffection will creep in and, as with Holt, good players that we had every reason to get excited about will want out.

It seems that CH and his bunch are slowly stifling anything that threatens tto sparkle at the Club. He is cautious, negative and unimaginative and I am another of those who is beginning to think that he should be shown the exit door.

I just hope that overmuch damage has not been done before this happens.

He is beginning to appear as a frightened man who is out of his depth.

I have been generally in favour of his continuing tenure, but for some reason last night''s surrender has hit home.

[Yellowbeagle 0]

The strikers are not duds we just create nothing for them and as a team we don''t get other players around them in support, when was the last time our strikers were put through one on one with the keeper in a premier league game? You should defend as a team and attack as a team, we defend as a team but we sure as hell don''t attack as one for the most part.

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

It would actually be very nice to be in a position to give an informed answer to this question.

But we can''t , basically because of the negative dross favoured by Hughton , masquerading as "tactics" .

Adrian Forbes suggested on Saturday that we wouldn''t have scored more goals if we''d played 2 strikers and tactics to suit their strengths. We''ll we''ll never be able to put that question to the test either, will we?

I''m sure RvW and Hooper are very potent capable strikers. The trouble is that, under CH, we''ll never get to witness it .

[*** 0]

Its the bloody manager and his two mates who are the duds, no one else!

[PaulineFowler 4]

Agreed. Grant Holt wasn''t a dud until he played under Hughton.

[Shaun Tilly Lace 0]

No. Chris seems to take diamonds and turn them into dust when it comes to "offensive" (Hoots word) players.

[Daniel Brigham 0]

Andy Carroll did pretty well under Hughton. Better than he''s done under any manager since, anyway.

[snake-eyes 13]

He actually got the ball and in the right places too, which is why l cannot understand why it is not happening here!

[Salopian 1]

(I''ve been saying this for several weeks, please forgive me.)

Good strikers don''t become bad when they change clubs, or even countries. If they have any ability at all it should come out. RvW has taken up good positions and has pulled defences about as he did so. He is hard working. But the fact remains that he and Hooper have managed just one goal between them, and that from a looping header by RvW after a miss-hit cross by Whittaker! I hope that both strikers, and Elmander and Becchio can display their abilities soon.

 

The failure:

1) Shot direction - we have had some good goalkeeping from opponent keepers, but we have often helped them by shooting or heading too near them. This has to go down as a striker failure. (Colin Bell, a famous Man City scorer, used to spend hours shooting at a wall marked as a goal, with  perhaps 8 or 10 squares marked on the wall, with somebody calling out randomly one of the numbers on the squares. In the end he could hit square "lower left two" or whatever quickly and accurately. It was little wonder that he was a prolific scorer.)

2) Our attacks are too slow - wingers without pace, or with pace but constantly coming inside. The result is a crowded penalty area, with defence back and able to block. Last night Manure showed us how to break quickly and make incisive passes. The strikers had space to move and did so. When we attacked there were defenders in plenty to keep us out. We couldn''t move, and tended to try snatched shots through a crowd. We want our wingers to get round defenders quickly and cross from near the by-line - a ball hit hard and low between the goal line and the six yard area edge is difficult to defend and easier to score, while a cross for heading is easier for on-coming strikers, and more difficult for defenders when it is hit from the by-line. We are generally short on pace, with obvious examples, and lack the ability for a quick counter-attack.

3) Our two main strikers both "play off the shoulder" of the last defender, onside but ready to gain space over the slow turning defender if the ball is threaded forward between defenders. This is one of the strengths of both RvW and Hoops, but we have seen only one successful example - Hooper with his winning goal in the cup. You would hope that they practice this endlessly in training sessions, but Fer is the only one able to do this, it seems.

[Farkes The Herald Angels 0]

CH is not a striker''s manager. He should coach the defence. Attack (other than the basic disciplines of a well-set-up team) is about letting loose and allowing those up front to do something altogether weird and wonderful. We have the most gifted (apparently) strike-force in our history. Let''em loose and stop treating each match like it''s only a game of chess.

[nutty nigel 7,509]

I don''t think we''ll find out until Hughton has them all fit at the same time.