| We really need a new striker in Jan 14:34 - Oct 29 with 15359 views | textbackup |
Potentially most important bit of business since Stewart |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:16 - Oct 30 with 2026 views | DanTheMan |
I'm with people here who think Hirst is doing really well even if he could add a few more goals to his game, and that we could do with some backup.
Scarlett really doesn't fit the sort of forward we need upfront, at least not in his current showings. Maybe he'll get better with time. |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:36 - Oct 30 with 1982 views | ElephantintheRoom |
I wonder when you’ll ever be happy… best recent record in Europe going back over 30 matches…top scorers in the division… and still you prefer other teams’ players
Perhaps the imperative is new owners with more money…. How about Town becoming a sportswashing project for an Iranian/Hamas syndicate? |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:39 - Oct 30 with 1969 views | WeWereZombies |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:36 - Oct 30 by ElephantintheRoom |
I wonder when you’ll ever be happy… best recent record in Europe going back over 30 matches…top scorers in the division… and still you prefer other teams’ players
Perhaps the imperative is new owners with more money…. How about Town becoming a sportswashing project for an Iranian/Hamas syndicate? |
Best 'Look At MEEEE' post ever. |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:40 - Oct 30 with 1960 views | wkj |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:36 - Oct 30 by ElephantintheRoom |
I wonder when you’ll ever be happy… best recent record in Europe going back over 30 matches…top scorers in the division… and still you prefer other teams’ players
Perhaps the imperative is new owners with more money…. How about Town becoming a sportswashing project for an Iranian/Hamas syndicate? |
Wow, have you got up on the other side of the bed this morning? Keep it up... ohhh, then I read the last bit [Post edited 30 Oct 2023 9:40]
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:41 - Oct 30 with 1948 views | cressi |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:16 - Oct 30 by DanTheMan |
I'm with people here who think Hirst is doing really well even if he could add a few more goals to his game, and that we could do with some backup.
Scarlett really doesn't fit the sort of forward we need upfront, at least not in his current showings. Maybe he'll get better with time. |
People who say we don't need to get anybody in NEED to remember when we was top 2 under Evans got nobody and lost McGoldrick and then lost to sc*m in playoffs.
Don't worry through all the smiles McKenna is ruthless look at Janoi , Clarke then he brought Williams in as was not happy, | | | |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:41 - Oct 30 with 1956 views | The_Flashing_Smile |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 19:43 - Oct 29 by MK1 |
I think we are fine for the Championship. Hirst and Ladapo will score double figures and Chaplin, Broadhead, burns Hutchinson etc will fill the gaps. Think we are better off waiting till the summer before spending big on any new signings. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. |
But what if it breaks in the meantime (I mean literally: injuries). |  |
| Trust the process. Trust Phil. |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:44 - Oct 30 with 1942 views | bournemouthblue |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 15:05 - Oct 29 by textbackup |
He is ok.
He runs his nuts off, holds it up, brings others into play.
So far this season I’m yet to see him get a goal from nothing, and at times yesterday having a striker to do that might have been handy. |
He's not that kind of striker, he makes that space for Broadhead and Chappers who can make a goal from nothing. He pins defenders back and drags them around the pitch. We never keep the ball quite as well, when he goes off.
I've no doubt it we got to the Prem, we may well sign a more complete striker with a bit more flair, I quite liked the look of the guy for Wolves who played against us. He seems to be doing alright for them this season, I'd be looking at someone like that. |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:52 - Oct 30 with 1926 views | ReusersTown |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 15:28 - Oct 29 by Swansea_Blue |
I’m going to stick my neck out and predict Scarlett coming good and being equally as good an option as Hurst (but in a slightly different way, as they’re different types of players). There’s not much to base that on so far, but I trust KM and his team to make it work. Then we won’t need another striker. |
From what I've seen of him so far, which as with the rest of you is very little, He has a lot of raw technical and physical attributes that he's been able to show in flashes but with no real impact on games and his inexperience also showing. I could definitely see him becoming useful to us later in the season. However that very much depends on how our transfer window goes though. | | | |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:54 - Oct 30 with 1912 views | wkj |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:52 - Oct 30 by ReusersTown |
From what I've seen of him so far, which as with the rest of you is very little, He has a lot of raw technical and physical attributes that he's been able to show in flashes but with no real impact on games and his inexperience also showing. I could definitely see him becoming useful to us later in the season. However that very much depends on how our transfer window goes though. |
Could well turn out to be similar to Chalobah in the sense he was almost ready but not quite. He's now a fairly tidy player and totally different to the one we saw at Portman Road. | |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:21 - Oct 30 with 1853 views | ReusersTown |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:54 - Oct 30 by wkj |
Could well turn out to be similar to Chalobah in the sense he was almost ready but not quite. He's now a fairly tidy player and totally different to the one we saw at Portman Road. |
That could be a great comparison! Though I did really like the look of Chabolah when he was here too lol, despite everything else going wrong at the time. | | | |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:26 - Oct 30 with 1843 views | Superblue95 |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 20:20 - Oct 29 by _clive_baker_ |
At this stage I’m not too worried about whether they’ll be good enough for premier league football. I’m more interested in them being good enough to get us there. We’ll inevitably need to strengthen if we go up, probably 5, 6, 7 additions realistically. With this system we’re probably talking 1 proven forward if that happens, with Hirst then being the understudy so it wouldn’t take a wholesale change.
I think the way the squad is evolving is being really well managed, we’ve got our younger and ‘higher ceiling’ players largely signed up to long enough deals at this stage, and the ones who perhaps don’t meet that definition are on deals that will leave all the cards in the clubs hands. Players like Edwards, Ladapo, Aluko, Donacien, Ball, Evans. You could maybe include Edmundson, Jackson, Harness and Luongo in that as well. That’s not to say they would all be off if we go up, but it’ll definitely give us some significant wiggle room to manoeuvre. [Post edited 29 Oct 2023 20:21]
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Going off on a tangent slightly and I’ve not been on here much lately so maybe somebody else has said it too, but one player from your list who I believe more and more each time he plays deserves a chance at the prem should we get there is Harness.
McKenna is turning him into such a classy composed player. When we subbed the front 4 against Plymouth and Clarke, Scarlett and Jackson were like headless chickens doing flicks and running into players when we were trying to run down the clock, it was Harness that was actually calming things down and playing simple passes towards the corner flag.
I really like him and considering most of us wanted him gone in the summer he’s doing a great job at redemption. |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:28 - Oct 30 with 1839 views | DanTheMan |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:26 - Oct 30 by Superblue95 |
Going off on a tangent slightly and I’ve not been on here much lately so maybe somebody else has said it too, but one player from your list who I believe more and more each time he plays deserves a chance at the prem should we get there is Harness.
McKenna is turning him into such a classy composed player. When we subbed the front 4 against Plymouth and Clarke, Scarlett and Jackson were like headless chickens doing flicks and running into players when we were trying to run down the clock, it was Harness that was actually calming things down and playing simple passes towards the corner flag.
I really like him and considering most of us wanted him gone in the summer he’s doing a great job at redemption. |
I noticed that, especially right at the end where he was pointing to Jackson to run it into the corner. He looked like one of the only players trying to slow the game right down, really intelligent play.
I was one of the people being critical of him over the summer but he's proven me well wrong. | |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:32 - Oct 30 with 1832 views | Herbivore |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:08 - Oct 30 by NthQldITFC |
If you watch that chance back, you'll see the brilliant if odd way that Chaplin hooked the ball over the defender for Hurst put a massive amount of spin on the ball, which kicked massively left as it hit the turf. Hirst did pretty well to get it on target at all. |
It's actually a good save from Cooper in the end, he instinctively sticks out a foot and gets a touch which takes the pace off the ball and enables him to get back and claw it off the line. Without that touch it's a goal and a clever finish. The way it bounced didn't give him too many options. I'd say scoring one from the chances he had on Saturday is about par for a Championship striker. |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:36 - Oct 30 with 1824 views | Superblue95 |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:28 - Oct 30 by DanTheMan |
I noticed that, especially right at the end where he was pointing to Jackson to run it into the corner. He looked like one of the only players trying to slow the game right down, really intelligent play.
I was one of the people being critical of him over the summer but he's proven me well wrong. |
Bonus points for him having the knack of popping up with goals here and there. | |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:43 - Oct 30 with 1813 views | _clive_baker_ |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:26 - Oct 30 by Superblue95 |
Going off on a tangent slightly and I’ve not been on here much lately so maybe somebody else has said it too, but one player from your list who I believe more and more each time he plays deserves a chance at the prem should we get there is Harness.
McKenna is turning him into such a classy composed player. When we subbed the front 4 against Plymouth and Clarke, Scarlett and Jackson were like headless chickens doing flicks and running into players when we were trying to run down the clock, it was Harness that was actually calming things down and playing simple passes towards the corner flag.
I really like him and considering most of us wanted him gone in the summer he’s doing a great job at redemption. |
Harness is a frustrating player for me, he's really effective when he's facing their goal, he's shown he can finish and at times on Saturday he carried the ball really well to help us relieve pressure. After conceding the 2nd goal the way we managed that final 5 minutes (admittedly against 10 men) was so professional and a sign of how far we've come. Kept the ball, took it to the corners, brave on it across the back. You would normally expect to be defending long balls, winning headers, their keeper up for a corner etc when you're a goal ahead with 5 minutes left but we stayed calm and kept the ball which Harness played a really big part in.
My issue with him is when he's got his back to goal, he's not in the same league as Chaplin or Broadhead in terms of looking after the ball in tight areas. A couple of times on Saturday it bounced off him and ended up with 2 bookings for his teammates and freekicks in dangerous areas for Plymouth.
Arguably if he had it all he's not going to be a £600k signing from Pompey in L1 but that often does seem to be an area where he falls short, with his touch and close control. Those 4 you mentioned did well with fresh legs against 10 men in a stretched game, but if they were to start a game like that I don't think they offer anything close to the quality of Broady, Chaplin. Hutchinson, Hirst, Burns etc. Williams is in a different league to Clarke IMO. |  | | |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:46 - Oct 30 with 1800 views | LankHenners |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:26 - Oct 30 by Superblue95 |
Going off on a tangent slightly and I’ve not been on here much lately so maybe somebody else has said it too, but one player from your list who I believe more and more each time he plays deserves a chance at the prem should we get there is Harness.
McKenna is turning him into such a classy composed player. When we subbed the front 4 against Plymouth and Clarke, Scarlett and Jackson were like headless chickens doing flicks and running into players when we were trying to run down the clock, it was Harness that was actually calming things down and playing simple passes towards the corner flag.
I really like him and considering most of us wanted him gone in the summer he’s doing a great job at redemption. |
I thought he was pretty poor really until he scored. Came on and played like Schumacher had given him some money to help him out. Gave the ball away cheaply a few times which resulted in his teammates having to make yellow card challenges and gave Plymouth the opportunity to put pressure on us and get the ball in our box.
When he did score it seemed to calm him down and he was much less erratic. Think overall he's far too loose with the ball to go much further with us and had we managed to get someone we were after like Rak-Sakyi in for an attacking position then he'd have struggled to get much game time, but he's clearly a good character and works hard so has something to contribute for now. |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:54 - Oct 30 with 1782 views | Steve_M |
You've sent the thread off on a bit of a tangent by underrating Hirst here but, on your main point, we definitely do need another striker who can play that role in January. So much of the success elsewhere, comes form the work Hirst does and the space he makes for the players behind him.
He's probably our second most important player after Morsy (and central midfield is another area we should be looking to reinforce in January) and, as you and others say, the drop off when Hirst goes off is far too great.
It's also clear that we failed to sign that striker in the Summer so need to do so this transfer window. |  |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 11:34 - Oct 30 with 1714 views | Superblue95 |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:46 - Oct 30 by LankHenners |
I thought he was pretty poor really until he scored. Came on and played like Schumacher had given him some money to help him out. Gave the ball away cheaply a few times which resulted in his teammates having to make yellow card challenges and gave Plymouth the opportunity to put pressure on us and get the ball in our box.
When he did score it seemed to calm him down and he was much less erratic. Think overall he's far too loose with the ball to go much further with us and had we managed to get someone we were after like Rak-Sakyi in for an attacking position then he'd have struggled to get much game time, but he's clearly a good character and works hard so has something to contribute for now. |
Hmm funny how people see things differently.
Admittedly my stream dropped a few times in the second half so I probably missed those occasions he gave the ball away.
Based on what I’ve seen this season I think he’s fine as a backup. Obviously not Broadhead/Chaplin standard but I think he’s been a more important player than any of us would have anticipated pre season.
Obviously we’ll need to be ruthless if we do go up so he may well be one that leaves but I wouldn’t be gutted if he was kept around as a cheap squad option | |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 11:41 - Oct 30 with 1680 views | Churchman |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:43 - Oct 30 by _clive_baker_ |
Harness is a frustrating player for me, he's really effective when he's facing their goal, he's shown he can finish and at times on Saturday he carried the ball really well to help us relieve pressure. After conceding the 2nd goal the way we managed that final 5 minutes (admittedly against 10 men) was so professional and a sign of how far we've come. Kept the ball, took it to the corners, brave on it across the back. You would normally expect to be defending long balls, winning headers, their keeper up for a corner etc when you're a goal ahead with 5 minutes left but we stayed calm and kept the ball which Harness played a really big part in.
My issue with him is when he's got his back to goal, he's not in the same league as Chaplin or Broadhead in terms of looking after the ball in tight areas. A couple of times on Saturday it bounced off him and ended up with 2 bookings for his teammates and freekicks in dangerous areas for Plymouth.
Arguably if he had it all he's not going to be a £600k signing from Pompey in L1 but that often does seem to be an area where he falls short, with his touch and close control. Those 4 you mentioned did well with fresh legs against 10 men in a stretched game, but if they were to start a game like that I don't think they offer anything close to the quality of Broady, Chaplin. Hutchinson, Hirst, Burns etc. Williams is in a different league to Clarke IMO. |
I like Harness. No, he can’t do what Chaplin and Broadhead do control wise, but he has good awareness of where he and others are on the pitch, can pass a ball and knows where the goal is. He is certainly more effective facing the goal than with his back to it. Harness offers something slightly different - he’s a real asset in my view. |  | | |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 11:44 - Oct 30 with 1660 views | tractorboy1978 |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 10:43 - Oct 30 by _clive_baker_ |
Harness is a frustrating player for me, he's really effective when he's facing their goal, he's shown he can finish and at times on Saturday he carried the ball really well to help us relieve pressure. After conceding the 2nd goal the way we managed that final 5 minutes (admittedly against 10 men) was so professional and a sign of how far we've come. Kept the ball, took it to the corners, brave on it across the back. You would normally expect to be defending long balls, winning headers, their keeper up for a corner etc when you're a goal ahead with 5 minutes left but we stayed calm and kept the ball which Harness played a really big part in.
My issue with him is when he's got his back to goal, he's not in the same league as Chaplin or Broadhead in terms of looking after the ball in tight areas. A couple of times on Saturday it bounced off him and ended up with 2 bookings for his teammates and freekicks in dangerous areas for Plymouth.
Arguably if he had it all he's not going to be a £600k signing from Pompey in L1 but that often does seem to be an area where he falls short, with his touch and close control. Those 4 you mentioned did well with fresh legs against 10 men in a stretched game, but if they were to start a game like that I don't think they offer anything close to the quality of Broady, Chaplin. Hutchinson, Hirst, Burns etc. Williams is in a different league to Clarke IMO. |
It'll be interesting to see how ruthless we are in January, especially if we are in a similar position to now. I think another striker in the Hirst mould is a given and I expect another CM to come in too. But I also think we will look to bring in another 10 option too - someone of the quality to really push Broadhead/Chaplin. Harness and Jackson are functional off the bench and to occasionally start but as you infer they aren't in any danger of challenging for a regular start.
The best teams are constantly looking to evolve their squad and I expect us to be no different. [Post edited 30 Oct 2023 11:54]
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| Classy stuff on 11:47 - Oct 30 with 1655 views | Dyland |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:36 - Oct 30 by ElephantintheRoom |
I wonder when you’ll ever be happy… best recent record in Europe going back over 30 matches…top scorers in the division… and still you prefer other teams’ players
Perhaps the imperative is new owners with more money…. How about Town becoming a sportswashing project for an Iranian/Hamas syndicate? |
Even ignoring the hilarious hypocrisy, gotta hand it to you buh. |  |
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| Grow up mate. (n/t) on 11:52 - Oct 30 with 1636 views | Bloots |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 09:36 - Oct 30 by ElephantintheRoom |
I wonder when you’ll ever be happy… best recent record in Europe going back over 30 matches…top scorers in the division… and still you prefer other teams’ players
Perhaps the imperative is new owners with more money…. How about Town becoming a sportswashing project for an Iranian/Hamas syndicate? |
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| "The sooner he comes back the better, this place has been a disaster without him" - TWTD User (July 2025) |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 13:04 - Oct 30 with 1540 views | BigCommon |
Thinking outside the box a bit. There's a noticeable drop off when Hirst come off. But is it entirely down to Hirst leaving the pitch?... You could argue, that we've started losing the MF a bit, as Mass Morsy and even Chappers tire, at around the same minutes mark. And we've been more or less forced to hit it longer , rather than play through the lines. Which, lets be fare to Scarlett, doesn't really suit his game... I think its equally important, that we bolster the spine of the team, just for the energy needed to control the game more in the latter stages.. We've got one credible Mass/Morsy replacement, in Taylor. But even then, he's not quite up to the standard, in terms of positioning and reading the game, imo.... Thought the fitness levels of Bristol City and Plymouth, were off the scale. It's not often we look the more ragged towards the end of games than the oppo'... I'd also throw in, that Davis is looking a bit jaded. Still getting the assists, but caught napping twice in the last two games, defensively. That's usually a concentration issue, born out of fatigue...
Can't argue that our players aren't leaving everything on the pitch to get these points every match... But, personally, when I look at our key players, I'm asking myself, how far they can go at this pace?.
So getting back to the OP, without the team controlling the general play, a lone strikers role is much harder. They can be made to look very average, without the correct service. Hirst has benefitted from playing with a more energised team in the first hour or so of games.
We need more than just another striker, if we are to keep pushing all season, for a full 90, each game. Imo. |  | | |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 13:16 - Oct 30 with 1520 views | WeWereZombies |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 13:04 - Oct 30 by BigCommon |
Thinking outside the box a bit. There's a noticeable drop off when Hirst come off. But is it entirely down to Hirst leaving the pitch?... You could argue, that we've started losing the MF a bit, as Mass Morsy and even Chappers tire, at around the same minutes mark. And we've been more or less forced to hit it longer , rather than play through the lines. Which, lets be fare to Scarlett, doesn't really suit his game... I think its equally important, that we bolster the spine of the team, just for the energy needed to control the game more in the latter stages.. We've got one credible Mass/Morsy replacement, in Taylor. But even then, he's not quite up to the standard, in terms of positioning and reading the game, imo.... Thought the fitness levels of Bristol City and Plymouth, were off the scale. It's not often we look the more ragged towards the end of games than the oppo'... I'd also throw in, that Davis is looking a bit jaded. Still getting the assists, but caught napping twice in the last two games, defensively. That's usually a concentration issue, born out of fatigue...
Can't argue that our players aren't leaving everything on the pitch to get these points every match... But, personally, when I look at our key players, I'm asking myself, how far they can go at this pace?.
So getting back to the OP, without the team controlling the general play, a lone strikers role is much harder. They can be made to look very average, without the correct service. Hirst has benefitted from playing with a more energised team in the first hour or so of games.
We need more than just another striker, if we are to keep pushing all season, for a full 90, each game. Imo. |
Although Taylor is not there yet I think he is improving with every appearance, longer term he is likely to be a Morsy or Luongo replacement should we remain in the Second Division for a couple of seasons, too early to tell if he can raise his game to First Division levels. So your post has prompted agreement on my part, we should be looking at another midfielder in January and as good as we can afford and persuade to join the McKenna project. That isn't to say that Humphries or El Mizouni no longer have a part to play but they are unlikely to be ready for the challenge should we go up. | |
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| We really need a new striker in Jan on 13:58 - Oct 30 with 1474 views | textbackup |
| We really need a new striker in Jan on 13:04 - Oct 30 by BigCommon |
Thinking outside the box a bit. There's a noticeable drop off when Hirst come off. But is it entirely down to Hirst leaving the pitch?... You could argue, that we've started losing the MF a bit, as Mass Morsy and even Chappers tire, at around the same minutes mark. And we've been more or less forced to hit it longer , rather than play through the lines. Which, lets be fare to Scarlett, doesn't really suit his game... I think its equally important, that we bolster the spine of the team, just for the energy needed to control the game more in the latter stages.. We've got one credible Mass/Morsy replacement, in Taylor. But even then, he's not quite up to the standard, in terms of positioning and reading the game, imo.... Thought the fitness levels of Bristol City and Plymouth, were off the scale. It's not often we look the more ragged towards the end of games than the oppo'... I'd also throw in, that Davis is looking a bit jaded. Still getting the assists, but caught napping twice in the last two games, defensively. That's usually a concentration issue, born out of fatigue...
Can't argue that our players aren't leaving everything on the pitch to get these points every match... But, personally, when I look at our key players, I'm asking myself, how far they can go at this pace?.
So getting back to the OP, without the team controlling the general play, a lone strikers role is much harder. They can be made to look very average, without the correct service. Hirst has benefitted from playing with a more energised team in the first hour or so of games.
We need more than just another striker, if we are to keep pushing all season, for a full 90, each game. Imo. |
You are correct, we are starting to look fcked in these games.
Which in itself worries me a bit, are we going to fully run out of steam sooner or later and face a run of poorer results? Obviously I hope we don’t, but Bristol city second half, and Plymouth now, both haven’t been anywhere near our best levels.
Yet we won them both so clearly still doing so much right | |
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