With Roy Keane admitting that Town need a striker, speculation is flying around as to who the new man could be.

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.

Notts_tractor added 20:35 - Nov 24 See http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2009/11/huddersfield_show_you_can_win.ht I know we have to move on, but had this not happened would we be having this debate now?
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devontractorboy added 21:07 - Nov 24 I agree kevin Phillips a real natural goalscorer, the thing we are currently missing! There I did a posting without mentioning Roy Keane! Dooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
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naa added 21:37 - Nov 24 I'm fairly certain that Keane et al are all now regretting the sale of Rhodes. We can say what we like about potential, but the very fact the we are now seriously considering playing a 16 year old regularly from the start shows that we'll do anything for a goal and we sold our only natural goalscorer. But yes, we have to move on. It was a big mistake in my opinion but what do we do now? To be honest I still think we have enough in the squad. Priskin can score - we know that from his time at Watford. We just need to find a midfield and strike partner to work with him. Having Garvan in midfield should help (if anyone will actually pass him the ball when he asks for it) and I think Counago should be given a run - especially at home. After all, we scored enough last year with a pretty weak strike force. As I have said previously, I doubt even Lineker in his pomp would have scored for us on Saturday. We need to create and go on from there. Yes, some good chances have been missed recently, but the fact is that we are creating very. very few chances, so the good ones that do come along are becoming vitally important. These are Championship strikers, they won't have that great a chances to goals ratio, or they'd be in the Premiership.

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Keaneish added 21:42 - Nov 24 I think from the options given or posted on here it's fairly evident why Keane is struggling to get a decent striker in...there aren't many if any about. Look at the goal scoring charts and the sides in the top 6. Only a couple of them have strikers with enough goals to make the top 10. A lot of sides are relying on goals from midfield this season: Palace, Middlesbrough, Newcastle. As i stated on here before, Magilton was lucky Stead was on form last season otherwise we'd have been in a similar predicament. Would Rhodes have been the answer? Although i don't doubt he'll get goals at this level from the limited amount of times i've seen him play, i don't think he would have hit the 20 mark this early on. For me, and i can't understand why it's taking so long given the relationship between Keane and Bruce it's: David Healy: 1 in 3 at championship level, 1 in 2 at international level. I even like the thought of a pairing with him and Walters up front. I can only assume Keane and Healy don't see eye to eye or Healy doesn't want to come to town.

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brogansnose added 05:18 - Nov 25 Get the midfield delivering quality balls to two forwards and stop this head tennis hoof ball to Johnny Walters rubbish.We may not have the greatest strikers in the world but as ( i think ) naa has said , Lineker in his prime wouldnt have scored for us. Lets face it we are not going to get a twenty goals a season player and if we did whats the point of feeding him scraps.

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Keaneish added 06:32 - Nov 25 I think we've had enough balls bouncing in the box in recent games for Lineker to have converted so have to disagree there.
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moomoosereni added 11:35 - Nov 25 I have to agree with Keaneish. If you watch back the Sheff Wed match, some very good balls being put in the box and at times Priskin looked scared to put himself in the right place because the ball might bounce of his arse and go in! In all seriousness we all know who the more realistic targets are. Jackson, Barnard etc far more realistic prospects than other premier league names mentioned. I would agree though, a 35 year old KP would probably still have bags more experience etc and a cool head in front of goal to sort our goal problems out. Don't get me started on Nicky Barmby though, I'm not sure I could bare watching a minute of him in a town shirt!

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