No panic signing of a striker

[clarkey]

He can fill the rarely used 4th striker place freed up by Elvis.

Better than not having a 4th striker.

This is the theory of anybody is better than nobody, that I don't subscribe to. O'Grady has almost none of the skills we need from a 4th striker, given he's in a similar mould to Hemed and Murray.

I think we will go with Murphy/Skalak/March as the 4th striker, and that's a better solution for me than O'Grady.

 

[clarkey]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha


Wait...you were joking, weren't you?

Feel like some people are really struggling this morning, some real Monday morning blues around. Can't believe some of the comments and suggestions on these threads.

 

[Whoislloydy]

Dont Panic guys!! Incoming............Soon!

source? how soon?

 

[Arthritic Toe]

You are wrong about Middlesbro and Rhodes as he scored the goals that earned them valuable points to get them promoted and they will hope to sell him on even at a slight loss as he has repaid the fee by contributing to earning them the £180m for promotion. I do wonder about a month loan for a young striker from a premier club to get over Tuesday and Saturday with an option to extend it for the remainder of the season if we want. I dont know if that is possible rather than try to shoehorn one of our wide men into a no 10 role.

- He cost £10 million
- He scored 6 goals - a very meager return for a promoted teams striker (for comparison, Hemed scored 11 in the same period)
- His acquisition disrupted the dressing room causing Karanka to walk out and Boro to go into a nosedive lasting about 5 games.
They went up despite him not because of him.

If you think that's a good deal then I'm glad you're not in charge of my weekly shopping.

 

[Bob'n'weave]

CH is as speculative about this as he is animated in his touchline celebrations. Cards V close to his chest. Fear not oh ye of little faith and see what happens within the next week. My guess is it will be a hungry PL striker on loan or a complete random that we didn't see coming. Remember, we know what we know and CH knows 100 times more.

 

[bhanutz]

source? how soon?

Doubt by tomorrow but like I have said...I do know we have our targets! I do know that we are very confident of getting one in at least!

 

[Luke93]

We'll have to seriously consider recalling O'Grady if we don't bring in another striker.

I don't think we can, because it's a season long loan (like Murray's?).

But... why would you anyway? He's been proven unless and given many chances. Keep him away from the wage bill.

 

[BangaloreGull]

I don't subscribe to the theory that signing Rhodes got Middlesborough over the line - I can't find a table for January 31st - but after 26 games they were 11 points clear of us - at the end of the season they beat us on goal difference. I submit they got promoted despite signing him - granted he scored a couple of goals, but I suspect (and I accept we can never know) that without his disruption the existing strikeforce would have seen them home comfortably. Its interesting, despite being a Murray fan, I was not keen on bringing him in January last year for the same reason - people say we missed out because we didn't have him, but it wasn't our record from the end of the window that cost us - it was the run we went on just before and whilst the window was open - our form after that was sensational. Could we have done with Murray in the games against Derby, Boro and Wednesday? Of course - but integrating him into the team in February may well have left us a bigger mountain to climb. And Rhodes is not Murray. . . I for one would flinch if I woke up to the news we had signed Rhodes, Nugent, McCormack or any such billy big bollox at this stage. I honestly think I would rather go with what we have. If we were to sign someone on the way up, or from abroad, with a point to prove, who would be prepared to come in and do whatever job they are asked to do in the knowledge that they are here for the long term. Someone like the guys we bought in in previous windows, mentioned elsewhere in this thread - Knockheart, Kayal, Sidwell, Stephens, Ulloa, Calderon etc. . . I know they are not strikers - but it is as much about attitude.

In the meantime - Towell or March at number 10 if we need them - Towell has looked good when I have seen him, and Oscar always claimed March was better as a number 10 than a winger. I don't like Knockheart there he is too valuable where he is.

If anyone wants to call me a licker - if that means I trust the club to do a better job than any of us on this board, well they are doing pretty well at the moment. Some people never happy.

 

[Brighton Mod]

We have a lot of midfielders, one of them scored both goals on Friday. Surely we don't have to pigeon hole players to exact position, one of our midfield will step up, i'm sure CH has a contingency.

 

[pishhead]

I'm completely calm about the whole situation. As with most of our business it will be done quietly in the background. I'm quite certain that Tony will be taking a calculated punt and we will all be delighted with who we bring in.

 

[northstandsteve]

Good jobe we are 8 points clear of third or this board would be in total meltdown.!!! I can't believe some of the comments today, still NSC at its best.

 

[edna krabappel]

I'll go for Ollie Watkins (Exeter), for the next signing, seeing as (initial) DS targets seem to be popular currently.

 

[bhanutz]

I'll go for Ollie Watkins (Exeter), for the next signing, seeing as (initial) DS targets seem to be popular currently.

We would have competition.....But good shout! What about the fella Morris at Scunthorpe?

 

[Finchley Seagull]

- He cost £10 million
- He scored 6 goals - a very meager return for a promoted teams striker (for comparison, Hemed scored 11 in the same period)
- His acquisition disrupted the dressing room causing Karanka to walk out and Boro to go into a nosedive lasting about 5 games.
They went up despite him not because of him.

If you think that's a good deal then I'm glad you're not in charge of my weekly shopping.

Exactly. It is flawed logic that says Middlesbrough going up means Rhodes was good value. On the same flawed logic, if he'd scored 15 goals in half a season but they'd not got promoted, he would have been bad value despite performing amazingly in half a season. Middlesbrough were comfortably in the top two when he signed and had to hold on against ten men to guarantee their place in the top two on goal difference by the end of the season. He clearly didn't make the difference they wanted him to.

Anyway, this is all irrelevant. Rhodes is not the player we need (he's more of a target man than a Baldock alternative) even if we were going to spend £9 million on a striker and whatever wages he wants, which we won't.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

It doesn't look as if we'll be getting another striker in to play against Cardiff, even if the appeal against Murray's red card is dismissed and Baldock is still out. I really hope we're not going to gamble on our current strike-force getting us to the promised land. Further injuries and suspensions are almost certain to hit us before the end of the season, which are likely to cost us dearly. Would the club be short-sighted enough to take such a risk given the riches on offer from the Premier League? I can't see it but I can't pretend that the absence of any action in the transfer window is not beginning to worry me. At the risk of stating the obvious, we will never have a better season to get promotion than this.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/alb...nic_signing_to_solve_Albion_striker_shortage/

Yes, you are completely right. We should go and buy any striker for whatever money they want just so we have an alternative for Cardiff. Or maybe the club look further ahead than one game and actually are thinking of the whole rest of the season.

 

[chaileyjem]

You are wrong about Middlesbro and Rhodes as he scored the goals that earned them valuable points to get them promoted

If Rhodes was really that crucial to their team and their promotion prospects then how come Karanka kept dropping him or keeping him on the bench including that final game of the season.

 

[Zebedee]

Yes, you are completely right. We should go and buy any striker for whatever money they want just so we have an alternative for Cardiff. Or maybe the club look further ahead than one game and actually are thinking of the whole rest of the season.

I wasn't actually saying we should get a striker in before the Cardiff game although that would have been great if possible. I do appreciate that these things take time and that the club are no doubt looking at options. The thrust of my post was that we can't afford to take a gamble with the strikers we've got for the rest of the season - a view I stand by.

 

[The_Viper]

I have to agree with someone else in this thread earlier, the bigger concern is that with all the work and effort put into our DS, the output into the first team has been awful.

 

[chaileyjem]

It doesn't look as if we'll be getting another striker in to play against Cardiff, even if the appeal against Murray's red card is dismissed and Baldock is still out.

Baldock is back training today.

 

[bhanutz]

If Rhodes was really that crucial to their team and their promotion prospects then how come Karanka kept dropping him or keeping him on the bench including that final game of the season.

Rhodes isn't all that....And Wednesday just about to spunk £10 million on him makes me smile!

But don't worry guys! We are the ones that have failed FFP apparently