Do we really need another striker?

[LightwaterRoyal]

The last time I was this confident going into a season Brendan Rodgers was manager.

[NewCorkSeth]

The last time I was this confident going into a season Brendan Rodgers was manager.

Way to kill the mood

[Hoop Blah]

Ah yes when i said depth i was referring to the fact we have ample back up for every position! our first team players are all quality! It pleases me to no end to be able to say that!

It might please you, but that doesn't make it true unfortunately!

[Clyde1998]

The last time I was this confident going into a season Brendan Rodgers was manager.

So, we're signing Tommy Smith then.

[SydenhamRoyal]

The last time I was this confident going into a season Brendan Rodgers was manager.

oxf*rd jinx it why dont you

[Ian Royal]

I remain unconvinced that ALF can't do well starting and in a line up with three good attacking players behind him. Clearly he can't be the big man up top and whilst he's not slow, he isn't lightning like Forster. But he's good at finding space, good at playing simple balls off to others and good at being in the right place to score goals. He likes playing off defenders shoulders or being a fox in the box and he can latch onto decent through balls.

Not saying he'll work, but I think writing him off from being able to do it at all is premature. As is writing off Pog being here. We'll see what happens as it happens.

[P!ssed Off]

The second time, in a home game, I shouted "Don't foul throw" just before, and then he went and did it anyway .

You put him off...

This may be correct.
But tbf if he's getting distracted by one fan shouting from 50 metres away then he needs to up his concentration level.

Regardless, I will conduct a study next season (assuming he's still allowed to take throw-ins) to truly discover:

'To what extent, if any, is Nick Blackman put off by the crowd when taking throw-ins?'

[Cypry]

I remain unconvinced that ALF can't do well starting and in a line up with three good attacking players behind him. Clearly he can't be the big man up top and whilst he's not slow, he isn't lightning like Forster. But he's good at finding space, good at playing simple balls off to others and good at being in the right place to score goals. He likes playing off defenders shoulders or being a fox in the box and he can latch onto decent through balls.

Not saying he'll work, but I think writing him off from being able to do it at all is premature. As is writing off Pog being here. We'll see what happens as it happens.

I think people are failing to draw a distinction between McDermotts Reading playing one up front, and Adkins Reading playing one up front...

Pog and ALF both struggled with McDermotts approach (lump it into the channels / into the front man to hold it up and wait for support), but I reckon both could flourish in that role with Adkins passing approach....

[SydenhamRoyal]

The second time, in a home game, I shouted "Don't foul throw" just before, and then he went and did it anyway .

You put him off...

This may be correct.
But tbf if he's getting distracted by one fan shouting from 50 metres away then he needs to up his concentration level.
]

Which speaks volumes about the decibel count at the Madstad

[NewCorkSeth]

Which speaks volumes about the decibel count at the Madstad

had to get the double whammy in?

[RoyallyFcuked]

If Pogrebnyak goes then we definitely need another striker. I hope he does go and we get someone else in. Were not likely to play one upfront in the championship and if we do it will be with 3 players behind. I would have ALF upfront with a new signing or HRK. Or, I would have ALF upfront in a 4-2-3-1 with HRK, Drenthe and Kebe/McCleary behind him.

[JC]

If Pogrebnyak goes then we definitely need another striker. I hope he does go and we get someone else in. Were not likely to play one upfront in the championship and if we do it will be with 3 players behind. I would have ALF upfront with a new signing or HRK. Or, I would have ALF upfront in a 4-2-3-1 with HRK, Drenthe and Kebe/McCleary behind him.

I would have thought the one thing for certain about ALF is that his role is not one of a lone striker.

[Hoop Blah]

I think people are failing to draw a distinction between McDermotts Reading playing one up front, and Adkins Reading playing one up front...

Pog and ALF both struggled with McDermotts approach (lump it into the channels / into the front man to hold it up and wait for support), but I reckon both could flourish in that role with Adkins passing approach....

This is a very fair point, there should be quite a difference between the way we play with one up front under Adkins in the Championship than under McDermott in the Premier League.

I'm not convinced either forward will be too suited to playing as the lone forward though as even in a passing side they need to have certain strengths to their game. Both Pogrebnyak and Le Fondre are good at finding space in and around the box and getting on the end of things. Because of his size Pogrebnyak is a litte better at winning and holding onto the ball under pressure, and probably uses the ball better as well, but it's still not really his strength (by the sheer size of the man it should be of course). Neither have the pace to play upfront on their own in the way Forster used to either so I just don't think it's quite their game.

Havign said that, I think Pogrebnyak is a good enough player to make it work in the Championship but Le Fondres all round game makes me think he can't be as successful (how many times last season did he fluff chances outside the box or pick the wrong option?).

Worth also pointing out that I think Adkins will be quite flexible about his formations and crucially how many he plays up tops so I think, ideally, we need a full set of options for him.

[Ian Royal]

Havign said that, I think Pogrebnyak is a good enough player to make it work in the Championship but Le Fondres all round game makes me think he can't be as successful (how many times last season did he fluff chances outside the box or pick the wrong option?).

I can't think of any. Now I know my memory isn't great and I didn't see all the games, so I'm sure there's a couple. But then you'd expect that even with the best player most suited to that sort of role.

[marcusopp]

People seem to think that players can't adapt their game. I'm sure both Pog and ALF will work on what they need to fulfill the lone striker role, and with shorter passing support won't be 50 yards back either!
Remember, these guys are playing football everyday, with top coaches helping to bring their game along.
It's weird how Le Fondre, for example, has really divided opinion. I thought we were all united in believing he's a top finisher who's adding to his game and more than compensates for lack of height, but a few negative folk are saying he's not up to it!
PS, blistering pace is not everything. Fred of Brazil barely moves, look at his scoring record!

[RoyallyFcuked]

If Pogrebnyak goes then we definitely need another striker. I hope he does go and we get someone else in. Were not likely to play one upfront in the championship and if we do it will be with 3 players behind. I would have ALF upfront with a new signing or HRK. Or, I would have ALF upfront in a 4-2-3-1 with HRK, Drenthe and Kebe/McCleary behind him.

I would have thought the one thing for certain about ALF is that his role is not one of a lone striker.

Yeah but it wont be like under McDermott. Under Adkins I think ALF could technically be the only striker on the pitch for us, but with creative players around him supporting him it would be like having 3 upfront, especially when we are attacking. I think it could be very effective.

[SydenhamRoyal]

Which speaks volumes about the decibel count at the Madstad

had to get the double whammy in?

Oh yes was conscious of it even as I typed it

[Hoop Blah]

People seem to think that players can't adapt their game. I'm sure both Pog and ALF will work on what they need to fulfill the lone striker role, and with shorter passing support won't be 50 yards back either!
Remember, these guys are playing football everyday, with top coaches helping to bring their game along.

They can improve, but there's usually only so much scope for improvement otherwise any player could do any role. They have strengths and weaknesses, like any other player, and the art of management is to make the most of those strengths whilst minimising the impact of the weaknesses across the team.

It's weird how Le Fondre, for example, has really divided opinion. I thought we were all united in believing he's a top finisher who's adding to his game and more than compensates for lack of height, but a few negative folk are saying he's not up to it!

He's up to doing what he does well, and has done for us consistently. At no point under either manager has he really made a starting position his own consistently, even playing alongside a complementary partner. He could have a significant role to play, but its most likely to be one that utilises that ability to find space and sniff out and take a chance at crucial times. Is unlikely, IMO, that his role will be as the focal point of our fluid attacking unit in a 4-2-3-1 type of team.

[Hoop Blah]

Havign said that, I think Pogrebnyak is a good enough player to make it work in the Championship but Le Fondres all round game makes me think he can't be as successful (how many times last season did he fluff chances outside the box or pick the wrong option?).

I can't think of any. Now I know my memory isn't great and I didn't see all the games, so I'm sure there's a couple. But then you'd expect that even with the best player most suited to that sort of role.

Plenty of times he'd shoot instead of passing, or passing instead of holding up pay etc. All players do it off course, but Le Fondre seemed to do a higher percentage when it mattered last season.

[Ian Royal]

People seem to think that players can't adapt their game. I'm sure both Pog and ALF will work on what they need to fulfill the lone striker role, and with shorter passing support won't be 50 yards back either!
Remember, these guys are playing football everyday, with top coaches helping to bring their game along.

They can improve, but there's usually only so much scope for improvement otherwise any player could do any role. They have strengths and weaknesses, like any other player, and the art of management is to make the most of those strengths whilst minimising the impact of the weaknesses across the team.

It's weird how Le Fondre, for example, has really divided opinion. I thought we were all united in believing he's a top finisher who's adding to his game and more than compensates for lack of height, but a few negative folk are saying he's not up to it!

He's up to doing what he does well, and has done for us consistently. At no point under either manager has he really made a starting position his own consistently, even playing alongside a complementary partner. He could have a significant role to play, but its most likely to be one that utilises that ability to find space and sniff out and take a chance at crucial times. Is unlikely, IMO, that his role will be as the focal point of our fluid attacking unit in a 4-2-3-1 type of team.

He hasn't really had a complementary partner under decent circumstances. He played with an utterly ineffective Church in the Championship and a few games with Pog when we had a dire midfield in the PL.