| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker 20:05 - Jan 31 with 10261 views | The_Romford_Blue |
My man ITK said there’s literally not a single name being thrown around at all.
Piroe a fortnight ago and Bamford before that but right now.. nobody.
We NEED a new striker. It’s so so painfully obvious hirst is gone at the game. And Azon, as likeable as he is, is still Azon. |  |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 00:47 - Feb 1 with 1967 views | Mercian |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 23:20 - Jan 31 by StNeotsBlue |
Don't think he was too popular here last time. |
He has improved significantly since then. I think it's a good call. |  | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 00:56 - Feb 1 with 1888 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 00:47 - Feb 1 by SuffolkPunchFC |
Check out the analysis of Szmodics and Akpom’s positions played. They are not the same at all. One an attacking midfielder who also plays a little further forward, the other a centre forward who also played as a second centre forward. This is not my analyse, but the stats you can easily find.
Anyway, I’m calling it a night now … |
If you have them shown them. Id like to see them
I argued for weeks that akpom should be our 9 but was told very specifically it wouldnt work as he was just a 10 like sammy s. So id been keen to see them. |  |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 02:20 - Feb 1 with 1811 views | Smoresy |
Did we miss a trick this summer with numbers, expenditure, recruitment?
Revisit the time and I'm sure people believed we already had a standout striker on the books, for this level, especially for McKenna's preferred attributes. Hirst was rated above Moore in our promotion season and fears focused on keeping him fit, not that he'd become this year's Al-Hamadi. No chance would most have swapped him for Vipotnik, Simms, Wright and so forth.
Azón was rumoured to be heavily on Valencia's radar and was a long-running link, suggestive of being reasonably high on our shortlist (recall posters becoming frustrated by continued purported interest, when stories also expressed his strong preference to return to Spain). Allegedly we hijacked the deal, something of a coup in the moment.
Then Akpom, very much a hijack, provided necessary depth in view of Al-Hamadi's departure. I'm confident we intended him to compete with Szmodics for the 10 spot, but to be used in either position if required, squad form and fitness dependent. He was mostly used as a CF by Ajax and Lille after all, in addition to being a prolific "fox in the box" for Boro. I wouldn't be at all shocked if he's one of our highest earners.
So had we signed McBurnie, Morris or Agyemang instead, I highly doubt prediction team sheets would have included anyone but Hirst to begin with. Not the majority anyway, while Akpom was the opposite of cheaping out sadly. Much about Azón's last 12 months confuses me so I'm less keen to guess those financials, but does it scream "cheaper than McBurnie" given available info? Not for me. It's just gone very wrong regrettably, in players identified, regressive form, stuff beyond trying to avoid spending in this area imo.
If we really don't have a replacement striker lined up this window, I wonder if that's a nod from the owners to misspent resources over the summer, and to obligations we can't get out of. We pulled out many stops to bolster this forward line, outcompeting notable teams from this league and abroad. Now it's on you to extract the performance levels we envisaged when we sanctioned these contracts.
Will finish by adding that our striker emergency is no doubt made worse by misfires at 10 and RW. We invested enough dollar on the right side for it to match the left, in quality and output. Few will have spent as much as we did on 10, even if we put aside Nunez's recasting. Had those areas kept pace with Jaden & Clarke, and by good fortune the centre has when Nunez is fit, it feels a safe bet that we wouldn't be so alarmed by our 9 choices. |  | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 05:00 - Feb 1 with 1691 views | Benters |
In McKenna we trust. |  |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 06:06 - Feb 1 with 1633 views | Kieran_Knows |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 21:50 - Jan 31 by BABLUE |
That first chance that Hirst missed was terrible and probably the difference between 1 & 3 points.
We need someone to finish chances like that and to lead the line |
His first ‘action’ when he came on was spending more time trying to pin the defender, rather than getting the ball under control which was played to him. |  |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 06:10 - Feb 1 with 1627 views | Kieran_Knows |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 21:44 - Jan 31 by SomethingBlue |
I like both Hirst and Azon but it feels essential that we do something. Currently we look like a team that, while absolutely fine most weeks, will find a way not to get promoted. We need the option of a clinical finisher or, at least, someone who the ball can stick to. |
I have said it time and time again SB, we all know that a striker in a McKenna team isn’t about the goals. It’s their overall play, running the channels, making the ball stick, simple lay offs to the 10’s or wingers etc. Hirst played that role so well 2 years, but I have no idea what he’s playing at this season.
We might not be as a cohesive team as 2 years ago, but just do the basics. Hes incredibly lucky Akpom and Azon have been just as poor. | |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 06:57 - Feb 1 with 1555 views | BlueOura |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 06:10 - Feb 1 by Kieran_Knows |
I have said it time and time again SB, we all know that a striker in a McKenna team isn’t about the goals. It’s their overall play, running the channels, making the ball stick, simple lay offs to the 10’s or wingers etc. Hirst played that role so well 2 years, but I have no idea what he’s playing at this season.
We might not be as a cohesive team as 2 years ago, but just do the basics. Hes incredibly lucky Akpom and Azon have been just as poor. |
This is the thing, Hirst is not doing anything well in the role. Much is made of him being a 'fit for our system' but yet I don't see him 'pressing' particularly effectively or ticking any of the required box's currently.
We may as well go for a finisher like Piroe who may not press to the level we would ultimately like but will at least stick the ball in the net when presented with a chance. |  | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 07:35 - Feb 1 with 1452 views | Zx1988 |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 23:58 - Jan 31 by SuffolkPunchFC |
But you’re still missing the point (and I’m really not trying to have a go at you). Yes, we have more funds, and this might allow us to pay silly (championship) money for a top centre forward. But if they don’t want to play in the championship, then whatever we offer won’t bring them here.
A couple of days ago, I posted a list of centre forwards who have moved to Championship club this window. Not one of them is the quality we’re looking for, and would not have improved on what we have.
I find it frustrating too, but recognise that it’s not as easy as some make out. Armchair management is easy without the constraints of what makes real-world transactions actually happen 😉 |
It's not just this window, though. The point is that we're left in this position now, because we've been at least one striker light since Summer 24.
If you look at our previous rosters for the No9 position, you can see the gaps as clear as day:
2021/22
1 - Bonne
2- Norwood
3 - Jackson
4 - Piggott
2022/23
1 - Ladapo
2 - Hirst (From January)
3 - John-Jules
4 - Jackson
5 - Ahadme (Until January)
2023/24
1 - Hirst
2 - Scarlett (to Jan)/Moore (Jan onwards)
3 - Al-Hamadi (January onwards)
4 - Jackson
5- Buabo
2024/25
1 - VACANCY
2 - Delap
3 - Hirst
4 - Al-Hamadi
2025/26
1 - VACANCY
2 - Hirst
3 - Azon
4 - VACANCY?
n.b. Players are included based on their presence/use - not based on quality. Players are also included/excluded based on the position they were seemingly signed for (Akpom having been brought in as a No10, for instance). Rankings in pecking order are generally subjective, or based on evidence of transfer activity (i.e.£30m bids for Broja and Ioannidis in Summer 24) [Post edited 1 Feb 7:58]
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 08:04 - Feb 1 with 1375 views | PrideOfTheEast |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 20:26 - Jan 31 by portmanking |
It's an utter dereliction of duty if we can't upgrade on Hirst. We knew Delap was likely off since last Jan, so why the hell haven't we got someone lined up in 12 months?! If we're so data driven, the dashboard should be spouting out potential candidates all the time. |
It’s genuinely incredible. My concern is that we’re looking for something perfect which just isn’t what we need. | | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 08:06 - Feb 1 with 1366 views | Zx1988 |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 08:04 - Feb 1 by PrideOfTheEast |
It’s genuinely incredible. My concern is that we’re looking for something perfect which just isn’t what we need. |
That's my worry - we've got a list of amazing but unrealistic targets, meaning we don't go after players who'd come here and still contribute.
There's no point in me having a Lambo Uris or a Bentley Bentayga on my shortlist of replacement cars should my XC60 go bang, if I'd never be able to get one in a month of Sundays.
Doubly so if we're without a car for a few weeks, the wife questions my lack of cat-acquisition, and I remind her that I'm being ambitious, and that my shortlist has some scarily good options on it. [Post edited 1 Feb 8:14]
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 08:53 - Feb 1 with 1246 views | Pinewoodblue |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 08:06 - Feb 1 by Zx1988 |
That's my worry - we've got a list of amazing but unrealistic targets, meaning we don't go after players who'd come here and still contribute.
There's no point in me having a Lambo Uris or a Bentley Bentayga on my shortlist of replacement cars should my XC60 go bang, if I'd never be able to get one in a month of Sundays.
Doubly so if we're without a car for a few weeks, the wife questions my lack of cat-acquisition, and I remind her that I'm being ambitious, and that my shortlist has some scarily good options on it. [Post edited 1 Feb 8:14]
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Congratulations you managed to reference Lambert & Benters in one sentence. |  |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:04 - Feb 1 with 1191 views | RetroBlue |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 21:06 - Jan 31 by redrickstuhaart |
Can someone point to another Champ team which has secured a top striker in this window? |
Our failing on the effective striker front is not just “ this window” though, is it, this is the whole argument. |  |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:19 - Feb 1 with 1127 views | boysof1981 |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 00:21 - Feb 1 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
I don’t think we signed him to play up front myself, I think Azon was the back up to Hirst, I think we signed Akpom him to play in behind, Nunez was an 8 when he first arrived remember. |
That’s on McKenna. Gets players in who have performed in their position, and then McKenna plays them elsewhere. | | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:23 - Feb 1 with 1104 views | Tractor_Boy333 |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 20:39 - Jan 31 by Zx1988 |
Depends on the player.
If a loan with an obligation to buy on promotion is the only way of getting in one of those 'scary' PL-quality targets we've been promised since just before the ST renewal packs went out, I wouldn't be against it.
If it's, say, Jebbison on loan (as Mick Mills seems to think is possible despite *checks notes* him already being on loan at Preston from Bournemouth), then you're right - it would be somewhat of a failure and would reek of desperation and poor planning. |
Saying we should look at Jebbison shows how hard it is to find a striker. Yes his running off the ball was good and he gave Kipre a tough time but his finishing no better than Hirst’s. I actually left the stadium thinking how lucky we were that the Prestons strikers finishing was just as bad as ours or we would have conceded another couple of goals. | | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:34 - Feb 1 with 1051 views | Zx1988 |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:23 - Feb 1 by Tractor_Boy333 |
Saying we should look at Jebbison shows how hard it is to find a striker. Yes his running off the ball was good and he gave Kipre a tough time but his finishing no better than Hirst’s. I actually left the stadium thinking how lucky we were that the Prestons strikers finishing was just as bad as ours or we would have conceded another couple of goals. |
The only reason I mentioned Jebbison was because of Mick Mills harping on about how we should go in for him, despite acknowledging that he's currently on loan at Preston from Bournemouth. | |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:40 - Feb 1 with 1026 views | Whos_blue |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:19 - Feb 1 by boysof1981 |
That’s on McKenna. Gets players in who have performed in their position, and then McKenna plays them elsewhere. |
McKenna the problem?
Should he go?
Maybe we could get a decent two for one offer somewhere?
A manager who knows what they're doing and a new No. 9. [Post edited 1 Feb 9:52]
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:51 - Feb 1 with 946 views | billlm |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 20:26 - Jan 31 by portmanking |
It's an utter dereliction of duty if we can't upgrade on Hirst. We knew Delap was likely off since last Jan, so why the hell haven't we got someone lined up in 12 months?! If we're so data driven, the dashboard should be spouting out potential candidates all the time. |
Said that for months and got shot down, they knew we were a one season stepping stones for delap, had we stayed up he would have gone anyway,
So recruiting a permanent striker better than Hirst and co has been very poor, |  | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 11:10 - Feb 1 with 783 views | cressi |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 09:19 - Feb 1 by boysof1981 |
That’s on McKenna. Gets players in who have performed in their position, and then McKenna plays them elsewhere. |
Your 100% right tries to make players what there not over coached if that's possible. | | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 13:57 - Feb 1 with 570 views | BouncebackIpswich |
Recruitment is a shambles at this club, and anyon who says otherwise has their head firmly in the sand.
For all the talk of big spending Ipswich and having a Championship superstar squad, I'd argue that McKenna is over performing with the tools he has available to him. A controversial take I know as some would be excellent players in different systems but we've spent so much on players who did well in certain roles, and then tried to crowbar them into a system that doesn't fit their qualities. Rendering them expensive white elephants.
Exhibit A - since this thread is about strikers, Sam Szmodics. On paper a top, top player at this level but in reality does not contribute to a possession based side as he needs space to thrive. Akpom - another shiny toy bought to then crowbarred into a role he doesn't fit in as a creative number 10, What's that all about?
And then we get into the amounts blown on Kasey chuffing Mcateer and Egeli, and end up with an ageing post injury Wes Burns as firs choice.
It's farcical how little value for money we are getting, and a problem that is going to keep stunting the clubs progress until it becomes fit for purpose. And McKenna fantastic manager as he is has to take some of the blame for not being identify which players suit the system he wants to play better.
I'm sure if this post gets rea it will get downvoted to high heaven and accused of being negative etc but I don't see how anyone can reasonably argue that it's been the major failing of an otherwise upwardly mobile club. [Post edited 1 Feb 14:02]
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 15:06 - Feb 1 with 406 views | FoghornGleghorn |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 06:10 - Feb 1 by Kieran_Knows |
I have said it time and time again SB, we all know that a striker in a McKenna team isn’t about the goals. It’s their overall play, running the channels, making the ball stick, simple lay offs to the 10’s or wingers etc. Hirst played that role so well 2 years, but I have no idea what he’s playing at this season.
We might not be as a cohesive team as 2 years ago, but just do the basics. Hes incredibly lucky Akpom and Azon have been just as poor. |
Saying "a striker in a McKenna team isn’t about the goals" is simplistic. It isn't only, or even mainly, about the goals, but a striker in a McKenna team gets plenty of chances presented to them to score goals. And, as per yesterday, misses them when they shouldn't. If it's only about dragging defenders about the place and laying the ball off to bring others into play, we could just stick Kipre up front.
Even when we win, and win comfortably, our strikers also miss plenty of presentable chances. Azon's had a host of chances across the season, and drawn incredible saves from some, but he's missed most because he's an Al-Hamadi-level finisher.
It feels like we'd have won comfortably yesterday with a decent poacher, even if they weren't necessarily 100% drilled into the "McKenna #9" role. Surely there's some of those out there, rather than the ultra-specific criteria we seem to be insisting upon. | | | |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 15:26 - Feb 1 with 320 views | tractordownsouth |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 23:46 - Jan 31 by FrimleyBlue |
Most sides with their own financial levels to look after had their strikers in place. Coventry for example.
Clubs who needed strikers got them.
The old fpl line I get it. But the reason why parachute clubs historically do well in general is because you can afford to do things others cant. So yeah maybe instead of 3 right wingers. 4 right backs etc we could have used and this is an exaggeration btw but that £12 mill of mcateer and put that in for armstrong. For example. |
I can’t think of a Chanpionship striker less suited to how we play than Adam Armstrong. |  |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 15:35 - Feb 1 with 243 views | tractordownsouth |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 13:57 - Feb 1 by BouncebackIpswich |
Recruitment is a shambles at this club, and anyon who says otherwise has their head firmly in the sand.
For all the talk of big spending Ipswich and having a Championship superstar squad, I'd argue that McKenna is over performing with the tools he has available to him. A controversial take I know as some would be excellent players in different systems but we've spent so much on players who did well in certain roles, and then tried to crowbar them into a system that doesn't fit their qualities. Rendering them expensive white elephants.
Exhibit A - since this thread is about strikers, Sam Szmodics. On paper a top, top player at this level but in reality does not contribute to a possession based side as he needs space to thrive. Akpom - another shiny toy bought to then crowbarred into a role he doesn't fit in as a creative number 10, What's that all about?
And then we get into the amounts blown on Kasey chuffing Mcateer and Egeli, and end up with an ageing post injury Wes Burns as firs choice.
It's farcical how little value for money we are getting, and a problem that is going to keep stunting the clubs progress until it becomes fit for purpose. And McKenna fantastic manager as he is has to take some of the blame for not being identify which players suit the system he wants to play better.
I'm sure if this post gets rea it will get downvoted to high heaven and accused of being negative etc but I don't see how anyone can reasonably argue that it's been the major failing of an otherwise upwardly mobile club. [Post edited 1 Feb 14:02]
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There is a definite issue with mis-profiling a lot of our signings from 2024 onwards.
Ben Johnson: Signed to be the hybrid RB/CB in the Premier League but clearly more suited to being a wing-back.
Jens Cajuste: Not enough defensive awareness to play the old Luongo role in the Premier League.
Chuba Akpom: Nowhere near creative enough to be a number ten in our system.
AAH was a project signing but could throw him into the mix too. Did his best work at Wimbledon in a front two alongside a big man, something we don’t do here. | |
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| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 15:37 - Feb 1 with 219 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Phil please say you’ve heard something re a new striker on 02:20 - Feb 1 by Smoresy |
Did we miss a trick this summer with numbers, expenditure, recruitment?
Revisit the time and I'm sure people believed we already had a standout striker on the books, for this level, especially for McKenna's preferred attributes. Hirst was rated above Moore in our promotion season and fears focused on keeping him fit, not that he'd become this year's Al-Hamadi. No chance would most have swapped him for Vipotnik, Simms, Wright and so forth.
Azón was rumoured to be heavily on Valencia's radar and was a long-running link, suggestive of being reasonably high on our shortlist (recall posters becoming frustrated by continued purported interest, when stories also expressed his strong preference to return to Spain). Allegedly we hijacked the deal, something of a coup in the moment.
Then Akpom, very much a hijack, provided necessary depth in view of Al-Hamadi's departure. I'm confident we intended him to compete with Szmodics for the 10 spot, but to be used in either position if required, squad form and fitness dependent. He was mostly used as a CF by Ajax and Lille after all, in addition to being a prolific "fox in the box" for Boro. I wouldn't be at all shocked if he's one of our highest earners.
So had we signed McBurnie, Morris or Agyemang instead, I highly doubt prediction team sheets would have included anyone but Hirst to begin with. Not the majority anyway, while Akpom was the opposite of cheaping out sadly. Much about Azón's last 12 months confuses me so I'm less keen to guess those financials, but does it scream "cheaper than McBurnie" given available info? Not for me. It's just gone very wrong regrettably, in players identified, regressive form, stuff beyond trying to avoid spending in this area imo.
If we really don't have a replacement striker lined up this window, I wonder if that's a nod from the owners to misspent resources over the summer, and to obligations we can't get out of. We pulled out many stops to bolster this forward line, outcompeting notable teams from this league and abroad. Now it's on you to extract the performance levels we envisaged when we sanctioned these contracts.
Will finish by adding that our striker emergency is no doubt made worse by misfires at 10 and RW. We invested enough dollar on the right side for it to match the left, in quality and output. Few will have spent as much as we did on 10, even if we put aside Nunez's recasting. Had those areas kept pace with Jaden & Clarke, and by good fortune the centre has when Nunez is fit, it feels a safe bet that we wouldn't be so alarmed by our 9 choices. |
Excellent summary. We certainly went the extra mile to get players in through the door and are now stuck with them permanently if we go up. There may not be an away to back out of some of those loans even if we wanted to.
A club can’t keep throwing players at a situation hoping a change of face will make a difference either. We have good players. Hindsight is great, but as you say most fans at the start of the season were very happy with the squad. So much so that it raised expectations that they had to finish top 2. |  |
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