Which Strikers?

[Holmowl]

We’ve stopped scoring. After two goals in the first 45 minutes of the season we’ve scored a pitiful 3 goals in six and a half games. Relegation material, even without the points deduction.
 

Here’s why - Our current strikers since August 2019:-

 

Rhodes 4 goals in 853 mins - goal every 213 mins

Windass 8 goals in 2034 mins - goal every 254 mins

Paterson 6 goals in 2118 mins - goal every 353 mins

Marriott 3 goals in 1484 mins - goal every 495 mins

Kachunga 3 goals in 2925 mins - goal every 975 mins
 

Some of Paterson, Windass and Kachunga’s time was as AM or winger.

 

From these 5 we MUST find a working partnership. If we continue at anything like our current goal-scoring famine we go down. Simple.
 

I posted a few weeks ago that we couldn’t afford to spend our first 10 matches chopping and changing, trying to find our strike partnership. Well, 7 games in can anybody say Monk is even close to nailing down our best duo?

 

 

[JOCOWl]

Think that's the problem, it's not just you wondering, GM is also wondering, which doesn't fill you with confidence! 

[Philb125]

I think who ever he sees as the partnership need a run of games. I’m fed up of us dropping strikers every two - three games for them to be out in cold for months. 
 

Personally I’d prefer Rhodes & Paterson. Marriott coming on from bench.  

[Holmowl]

I think the figures and their recent performances speak for themselves.

 

We have Saturday-Wednesday fixtures for months now. I think we need to be starting and subbing on any two from three - Windass, Rhodes, Paterson.

 

Kachunga should never be used as a striker again. 
 

Marriott’s most recent 15 months is barren, and he has looked simply awful here so far.

[areNOTwhatTHEYseem]

It's crazy to think that three of Rhodes' goals came in 37 minutes against Forest, isn't it?

 

For that brief time on the banks of the Trent, we had a prolific striker on our hands!

 

Taken on their own merits, none of our strikers are good enough to provide a regular threat in the way that Fletcher did, so we've just got to hope that a couple of them can develop an effective partnership which is greater than the sum of its parts.

 

I'm not convinced either way, but Paterson and Windass can offer physicality, closing down from the front, and different types of goal threat. I'd give them a run of games to try and forge something.

[The Night-Owl]

I'd play 3 upfront. We look far less solid and effective as a team without Iorfa and Luongo. We're also not physical, dynamic or balanced enough to play 3-5-2.

 

I'm a believer, that if you simplify things; play to our own strengths, be more solid and balanced as a team, then the goals will come. The first couple of games we looked solid, pressured the opposition at times and looked more threatening. However, 3-5-2 and our ultra defensive style nullifies ourselves as a team.

 

I don't think any partnership is 'the answer' but the solution lies more within how we set up. I'd like us to play a variation of three upfront and would prefer four at the back. How we set up is hindered by injuries and recruitment that's not replaced Murphy and Fletcher and not strengthened enough of our weaknesses to effectively play two upfront or 3-5-2, especially at home. 

[frastheowl]

 

I don't think the blame with our lack of goals, lays solely at the strikers feet.

 

We've created very little this season. Our NPxG (Non-penalty Expected Goals) so far stands at a really poor 5.78. We've only created >1xG in two games (Cardiff and Birmingham). Only four teams have created less xG than us so far this season.

 

So although we're underperforming our xG slightly, the quality of chances really aren't there. We need to find a way of creating much higher value chances. We've only created TWO higher value xG chances so far...2 in seven games is pitiful. 

 

Initially I thought had promise, because of the fluidity we seemed to show within it...but as the season is progressing, it's become another turgid, inflexible and sluggish system that has produced some really limited displays from an attacking outlet perspective. 

 

It seems that, despite it been so early in the season, we're going to be heavily reliant on Izzy Brown to be the creative force. And considering his injury record previously, it's very worrying that we've created a system that relies so heavily upon him. 

 

Away from home, we've created NPxG of an average of 1NPxG/game, but at home, it's a pitiful 0.68NPxG/game. We keep saying it, but we must find a way of creating chances at home.

 

 

[Kopparberg]

54 minutes ago, Holmowl said:

Rhodes 4 goals in 853 mins - goal every 213 mins

Windass 8 goals in 2034 mins - goal every 254 mins

Paterson 6 goals in 2118 mins - goal every 353 mins

Marriott 3 goals in 1484 mins - goal every 495 mins

Kachunga 3 goals in 2925 mins - goal every 975 mins

Cheers.
 

All those guys apart from Marriott (just arrived) have scored this season in a Wednesday shirt - so it’s not like it can’t be done. 
 

I can’t say I’ve seen loads of chances for them all either. We need to make more chances and some of them will find their feet. 

[pat blondeau]

59 minutes ago, Holmowl said:

We’ve stopped scoring. After two goals in the first 45 minutes of the season we’ve scored a pitiful 3 goals in six and a half games. Relegation material, even without the points deduction.
 

Here’s why - Our current strikers since August 2019:-

 

Rhodes 4 goals in 853 mins - goal every 213 mins

Windass 8 goals in 2034 mins - goal every 254 mins

Paterson 6 goals in 2118 mins - goal every 353 mins

Marriott 3 goals in 1484 mins - goal every 495 mins

Kachunga 3 goals in 2925 mins - goal every 975 mins
 

Some of Paterson, Windass and Kachunga’s time was as AM or winger.

 

From these 5 we MUST find a working partnership. If we continue at anything like our current goal-scoring famine we go down. Simple.
 

I posted a few weeks ago that we couldn’t afford to spend our first 10 matches chopping and changing, trying to find our strike partnership. Well, 7 games in can anybody say Monk is even close to nailing down our best duo?

 

 

I can see why Marriott and Kachunga were available for free looking at that

[gurujuan]

1 hour ago, Holmowl said:

We’ve stopped scoring. After two goals in the first 45 minutes of the season we’ve scored a pitiful 3 goals in six and a half games. Relegation material, even without the points deduction.
 

Here’s why - Our current strikers since August 2019:-

 

Rhodes 4 goals in 853 mins - goal every 213 mins

Windass 8 goals in 2034 mins - goal every 254 mins

Paterson 6 goals in 2118 mins - goal every 353 mins

Marriott 3 goals in 1484 mins - goal every 495 mins

Kachunga 3 goals in 2925 mins - goal every 975 mins
 

Some of Paterson, Windass and Kachunga’s time was as AM or winger.

 

From these 5 we MUST find a working partnership. If we continue at anything like our current goal-scoring famine we go down. Simple.
 

I posted a few weeks ago that we couldn’t afford to spend our first 10 matches chopping and changing, trying to find our strike partnership. Well, 7 games in can anybody say Monk is even close to nailing down our best duo?

 

 

There isn’t one. It’s not me saying this in hindsight either, as we began collecting this motley crew, identified it seems, for having attributes that had very little to do with footballing ability, I warned this would be the outcome. The best we can hope for is to get someone in who can organise the players into some sort of shape that can stop the rot, until something can be done in the January window.

Personally, I’d start by switching to a back four, a system that better suits most of our defenders. When fit, not just play our best three midfielders, but play through them. As others have said, then go with the extra man up front, not least because there isn’t a pairing. If that means bringing Harris and Reach into the front three equation, then so be it, the current way of playing simply isn’t working

[pat blondeau]

Do you have the stats for Fletcher and Joao over the same period?

[gurujuan]

10 minutes ago, pat blondeau said:

I can see why Marriott and Kachunga were available for free looking at that

but equally cannot see why we paid a fee for Windass and Paterson

[Bouncing Owl]

When everybody on here was getting excited about our recruitment, I was grimacing with every signing.

 

Izzy Brown is a very good player and improves us when fit bit I wouldn’t have touched the rest we’ve brought in.

 

Those striking options are absolutely awful. 

[Holmowl]

2 minutes ago, pat blondeau said:

Do you have the stats for Fletcher and Joao over the same period?

Fletcher 15 in 2500 mins - goal every 166 mins 

 

However, really should take penalties out for a fair like for like.

 

Without pens 11 in 2500 mins - goal every 227 mins

 

 

Joao 11 in 1640 mins - goal every 149 mins

 

Without pens 10 in 1640 - goal every 164 mins

 

 

[McRightSide]

Windass and Paterson looks the best bet to me

 

 

[Drewswfc]

Nowt to do with the strikers it's midfield. It's non existent. The strikers are just getting the ball hoofed up to them with no bodies around them. You could have Kane and vardy upfront and they'd struggle in this team

[gurujuan]

4 minutes ago, Drewswfc said:

Nowt to do with the strikers it's midfield. It's non existent. The strikers are just getting the ball hoofed up to them with no bodies around them. You could have Kane and vardy upfront and they'd struggle in this team

We do tend to bypass the midfield, that’s true, but come on, none of those strikers are good enough, that’s why their previous clubs were willing to let them go.

[deano]

I suppose it depends how you define good enough, I think they are better than a bottom 3 team but not by much, having said that I think most would struggle in a team put together like ours, complete shambles.

[Owls1992]

We need to give two of them a run in the team and not chop and change game after game. The only way to get any consistency is to back them. 

 

We also need the midfield to step up and start contributing. 

[N0rtherner]

At this point I'm wondering if there's an issue with our strikers even, but rather the service they're getting. Can't expect a lone, unsupported striker to latch on to a hoofed ball, take it down and control it and challenge three defenders and score.

We're sat so deep, Bannan and Pessy were alongside Flint and Van Aken at times and we enjoy most possession with the ball in our own half... Harris can't even deliver a back pass in an offensive situation without giving away a throw in, there's no offensive push and people coming up to support our strikers.

 

Remember Hogan for Brum v us, and how stranded and helpless he was, rest of his team were 50 yards further down the pitch, and they brought on Leko who bridged that gap.

 

Windass or most importantly Izzy Brown gave us that connection between midfield and forwards, but on the whole, we're playing with isolated strikers and it doesn't matter who's up there, you won't be getting goals out of Ronaldo, Neymar or anyone else the way we're setup.

 

At least my thoughts...