With Roy Keane admitting that Town need a striker, speculation is flying around as to who the new man could be.
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This season, Ipswich have really struggled for goals. So far, 17 goals in 17 matches is pretty dismal viewing for Town fans. To compound things, only six of those goals have been scored at Portman Road.
So where does the problem lie? The sale of Jordon Rhodes in the summer is still hot topic for some Ipswich fans this season. Currently sitting on nine goals in League One for Huddersfield, he was unproven in the Championship.
Jon Walters, who gives everything each time he pulls on the shirt, is more effective out wide. Although he was signed by Jim Magilton as a striker, he has always enjoyed his best form on the right hand side of midfield.
Jon Stead, who was our top scorer last season in the league with 12 goals, a decent haul for a player who has never been that prolific, has struggled to hold down a starting place.
Pablo Couñago is another who is constantly in and out of the team. In my opinion he is the best striker at the club. While he is not going to get us 20 goals a season, he has the ability and skill to bring other people into the game.
Tamas Priskin, who was signed from Watford for £1.7 million, has also not hit his top form. He currently sits on one league goal this season.
Which brings us to the argument of Connor Wickham. As I was travelling home from the Sheffield Wednesday game, a number of callers and texts were saying how he is too young to be playing regular first team football. I think the argument of that is complete rubbish – if you are good enough, you are old enough. There is only one way to get better, and that is experience and playing. In my opinion, Wickham and Couñago should be the starting front two.
Personally, Jim Magilton selling Alan Lee looks now to be even worse business than it did at the start of the 2008/09 campaign.
Yes, we made a profit on the former Cardiff man, but have we really got anyone in his mould? He went down easily, but gave his all for the shirt, had great ability in the air, and had a respectable record of 31 goals in his two and a half seasons as an Ipswich Town player.
With the defence seemingly tightened up for now (six games unbeaten, including two clean sheets and only four goals conceded), Roy is on the hunt for a loan striker.
Giovani Dos Santos is a player adored by the Portman Road faithful, despite only playing eight games for the club last season. His skill, pace and composure puts him head a shoulders above most players in the Championship. With him not even making matchday squads at Spurs this season, he would welcome the chance of playing regular first team football again. However, a deal for him seems unlikely.
Although very optimistic, Danny Welbeck from Manchester United would be a masterstroke, if Keane decides to use his past links to Manchester United. Awesome pace and with great finishing ability, in the Championship he would score goals for fun. In and out of the first team squad at Old Trafford, this would be a highly optimistic and unlikely signing.
Keane may also decide to loan a player from the lower leagues, with a view to a permanent signing in the January window – Simeon Jackson of Gillingham, Lee Barnard of Southend, even Grant Holt from Norwich, could bring some desperately needed goals to our frontline.
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Lee was so unfit that he couldn't play two games a week during the second half of 2007-08. By the start of 2008-09 he looked even worse. Selling Lee was the right decision. Not properly replacing him on the other hand...
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HE MIGHT BE 35 but k, phillips is the man we need on loan or for a season or two. He puts away half chances let alone full ones that quinn priskin and walters miss.
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Is this a blog, personal opinion or a few facts?? Yes we need a striker, I think that is the one topic everyone on this site is in agreement with and has been since the summer. Easier said than done though.
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To me it's blatantly obvious that the strikers aren't the problem - it's the continual rotation & lack of quality supply to them.
It seems to be a case of the manager thinking "well that hasn't worked today,let's try this..then this..then this"...pick your best 11 Keane & stick with them.
Sadly there's not much common sense coming out of Portman Road these days.
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lightingboy what a lot of rubbish you talk man by what you are saying "To me it's blatantly obvious that the strikers aren't the problem" There have been countless game where chances have been on a plate for are forwards but most have struggled to take them the game at the weekend was a fine example of this.
About your last point sadly there are supporters like you at the club but as i said in a a previous thread on here all clubs have them and their is nothing you can do about it i am afraid.
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We definately need someone with pace up front, someone who can play on the shoulder of the defender and actually run onto through balls, apart from Counago most of our strikers do not seem very composed infront of goal, Welbeck could be a good shout from Man Utd i dont think we need another player in the mould of Alan Lee he looked knackered after 10 minutes, just someone with abit of pace would be nice......
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It seems to me we have the easy job on here, we can name strikers from Jackson (maybe) to Henry (yeah right!). However whether that player is 1) available 2)wanting to come here 3) likely to do the business anyway, is what makes the clubs/managers job the difficult one. Plenty of people on her give the impression that they think that they could do that job...this is real life , not football manager 10!! Think on that before you post..please
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Unlikely we can get any of the better lower league players - like Jackson - on a loan, maybe a purchase in Jan when the window opens. Gio injured at the moment, but unlikely to break into first team based on current results (Wigan almost took away our most unwanted record). I really wouldn't be surprised if no one comes in by thursday, disappointed but not surprised.
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Anyone who is banging goals in at the moment is currently in their first team and so would not be looking to move on. It is a sad fact of life is even if a player is languishing in the reerves of a Premiership team he is more likley to want to stay there than drop a division, especially to a club struggling at the base of it.
That leaves us with ageing stars, who realise that their first team chances are minimal, so may need to drop a division to prolong their career. These type of players can be prone to injury and have limited ability to last 90 minutes.
Or players in the lower divisions who want to relaise ambitions of making it higher. There is a rsik with these players as they are untried at this level.
John Walters was a good buy, but Sam Parkin (or was it Pop Larkin) was awful.
I think Kevin Philips would be a good one to get in, as he could help Wickham along. Remember when he passed a fitness test here and agreed personal terms before? That was when he was leaving Watford and Sunderland came in with a bigger offer and he turned us down.
We need a striker and fast, but I have no idea where Keane is going to get one from, one who will guarantee us 20+ goals. Perhaps the answer would be to look abroad (and I don't mean Ireland) for someone who wants to break into the English scene. Even then they will need time to bed in.
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