[Albion] Back to the striker thing

[blue-shifted]

I feel a bit differently about it. I’m actually of the opinion that for the first time in years we have options for the front three.

I completely understand the impatience regarding goals, but I can’t be the only person who watched that match yesterday and thinks that goals are going to come.

We’re having shots on target. Yes, they’re aimed right at the keeper, but we’re getting players in attacking positions who are getting shots away. Our attacking players seem a bit shell shocked by that atm, but the more this happens, the more confidence they’ll gain, the more likely they’ll be to slot them away.

I think Wellbeck when fit will score goals. I think Tau will score goals. If Andone can be rehabilitated I think he will score goals. Maupay will score goals, even Trossard (who is showing great movement with no end product reward) will score goals. I would have Connolly and Zequiri out on loan personally, I think they both need lots of game time at Championship level.

I know we can’t survive for ever with the promise of “jam tomorrow”, but I’m seeing a lot of good in what we’re doing.


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Lots of options yes ... but none of them compelling. None who looks like a goalscorer to me

 

[pasty]

Do u think mitrovic would of missed all the chances we had tonight ? I don’t think so


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Nor would Murray

 

[zefarelly]

Maupay is statically better than Mane, Bamford, Kane etc on shots to goal ratio so he isn’t more wasteful than most other PL strikers.

Our problem is that as a collective we are poor.

When Kane misses 3 sitters in a game, Son steps up and scores... when Mane misses Salah scores.

The responsibility on Maupay is far to high and when he misses a few no one else steps up and scores which brings the focus much more on him.

I’m not saying Maupay is an elite striker, but given some goals around him from midfield or elsewhere it might help him.

No point in camparing stats with other players/clubs, but you make a really good point in that the chemistry of our team/players in attack is all wrong . . .we've made a transition in defence which went over rocky ground for some time but finally seems to have settled. we're not shipping goals for fun like earlier in the season and players back there now seem to understand each other.

Trossard sometimes works really well with other players, his diagonal run to draw a defender and leave Connolly in space to score (V Newcastle? ) is a great example, but he is not a free scoring striker, Maupay more often than not seems to have a total lack of understanding with most of his team mates. Propper and Gross often deliver cracking crosses/passes into space, but there's rarely anyone there. The chemistry/understanding in attack is more often than not very poor indeed.

 

[gazingdown]

If we don't get a new, decent, striker in the window then I think our only hope is Andone (no idea if he in contention or will score but can't be worse than Maupay) if Welbeck isn't going to play much. Murray I assume is too slow/old so could not play much, not the worst options to have on bench for last 20m of a game though if he can keep fit.

I rather think some of the chances Maupay has would have been put away by Welbeck, and possibly Andone.

A striker can "play well" with the rest of the team until the cows come home, it's utterly irrelevant if goals aren't being scored.

 

[el punal]

Do u think mitrovic would of missed all the chances we had tonight ? I don’t think so


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Who knows? The Mitrovic discussion has come up several times in the past, as in, should we have signed him when he was available? It would have been a gamble with regard to team morale, Mr.M has had reputation for being a disruptive influence in the past and upsetting the proverbial apple cart - think Andone on this one.

According to some Fulham fans their team have the same problem as us - getting the ball in the back of the net. On that basis maybe Mitrovic isn’t as proficient as some on here would believe.

 

[blue-shifted]

Maupay is statically better than Mane, Bamford, Kane etc on shots to goal ratio so he isn’t more wasteful than most other PL strikers.

Our problem is that as a collective we are poor.

When Kane misses 3 sitters in a game, Son steps up and scores... when Mane misses Salah scores.

The responsibility on Maupay is far to high and when he misses a few no one else steps up and scores which brings the focus much more on him.

I’m not saying Maupay is an elite striker, but given some goals around him from midfield or elsewhere it might help him.

I think this is fair. Maupay's misses are much more noticeable because they are costing us points. He needs help up there.

Trossard should only play as a winger from now on, he'd look ok in a 4-4-2. But his belief in front of goal has gone, and isn't coming back soon.

But usually we play 3-4-3, so that means Trossard should be getting less game time. He can have no complaints.

Personally I think Lallana should be playing closer to the strikers. He has proven quality (and he can't get up and down well enough to play in midfield) Him and MaCallister in behind either Maupay or Connolly

 

[blue-shifted]

If we don't get a new, decent, striker in the window then I think our only hope is Andone (no idea if he in contention or will score but can't be worse than Maupay) if Welbeck isn't going to play much. Murray I assume is too slow/old so could not play much, not the worst options to have on bench for last 20m of a game though if he can keep fit.

I rather think some of the chances Maupay has would have been put away by Welbeck, and possibly Andone.

A striker can "play well" with the rest of the team until the cows come home, it's utterly irrelevant if goals aren't being scored.

Wellbeck was shelling a few before he got injured as well.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

No point in camparing stats with other players/clubs, but you make a really good point in that the chemistry of our team/players in attack is all wrong . . .we've made a transition in defence which went over rocky ground for some time but finally seems to have settled. we're not shipping goals for fun like earlier in the season and players back there now seem to understand each other.

Trossard sometimes works really well with other players, his diagonal run to draw a defender and leave Connolly in space to score (V Newcastle? ) is a great example, but he is not a free scoring striker, Maupay more often than not seems to have a total lack of understanding with most of his team mates. Propper and Gross often deliver cracking crosses/passes into space, but there's rarely anyone there. The chemistry/understanding in attack is more often than not very poor indeed.

This!

However.... last night he managed to pass and set up Trossard, linked beautifully with MacAllister's sublime flick and shot first time!
There may yet be hope.

 

[BNthree]

Given our financial situation I understand we're not likely to be spending £30m on a striker but I was hoping we might get a loan in for the rest of the season. Maybe someone a club in worst straits than ourselves wants off their wage bill. Obviously it will still cost us but not long term and no signing fees etc. Just a thought.

 

[Doc Lynam]

I can't help think with all the pressure we built up we could've just planted GM in their penalty box I'm sure there's a high probability of him getting on the end of something. I know in the normal way we play the game has become to dynamic for his lack of movement but agains some lower teams towards the end we just need someone to put it in the onion bag.

 

[zefarelly]

Who knows? The Mitrovic discussion has come up several times in the past, as in, should we have signed him when he was available? It would have been a gamble with regard to team morale, Mr.M has had reputation for being a disruptive influence in the past and upsetting the proverbial apple cart - think Andone on this one.

According to some Fulham fans their team have the same problem as us - getting the ball in the back of the net. On that basis maybe Mitrovic isn’t as proficient as some on here would believe.

He is built like a brick shit house and wouldn't fall over every 12 seconds, and can head the ball. we don't have a player like that. He obviously wouldn't get through the Walter the softy Psychoanalysis entry exam. He and Wood are just the kind of player we need to support our stunted inverted weebles

 

[doogie004]

Mitrovic?
Who can't even make the starting line up for the other team in the league who are unable to score?

Fact is Maupay is not clinical enough for the amount of chances he and Trossard had


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[Hugo Rune]

According to some Fulham fans their team have the same problem as us - getting the ball in the back of the net. On that basis maybe Mitrovic isn’t as proficient as some on here would believe.

Is their problem actually creating big chances though? We are top 5 in the EPL for doing this.

I think Fulham generally take their big chances but I’d need to check that. Our problem is finishing.

 

[el punal]

He is built like a brick shit house and wouldn't fall over every 12 seconds, and can head the ball. we don't have a player like that. He obviously wouldn't get through the Walter the softy Psychoanalysis entry exam. He and Wood are just the kind of player we need to support our stunted inverted weebles

Let’s hear it for Walter!

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Fact is Maupay is not clinical enough for the amount of chances he and Trossard had


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I'm not arguing with that statement.

The fact that I am arguing with is that Mitrovic is better.
Shot accuracy 36% in Prem overall and 31% this season.
What makes you think he would have buried any of our opportunities last night?

 

[brighton_tom]

Can we bring in a specialist strikers coach? Is that even a thing? Do other teams have them?

 

[twickers]

Oh ny days...Mackail-Smith and O’Grady...you could check your phone messages when they ran into box, you never felt like a goal was coming.

I don't know why Naylor is tweeting that it's ridiculous for us to ask for a striker with the position of club accounts as it is. The selling of players to balance the books and subsidise buying other players is not our problem. We are not converting chances, kind of don't care how it's solved, but solve it because if we don't getting relegated will be much worse on the accounts.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Oh ny days...Mackail-Smith and O’Grady...you could check your phone messages when they ran into box, you never felt like a goal was coming.

I don't know why Naylor is tweeting that it's ridiculous for us to ask for a striker with the position of club accounts as it is. The selling of players to balance the books and subsidise buying other players is not our problem. We are not converting chances, kind of don't care how it's solved, but solve it because if we don't getting relegated will be much worse on the accounts.

It does feel a bit like watching the final days of CMS at the moment. The harder Maupay and Trossard try to WILL the ball over the line, the more the ball refuses to play, er, ball. Anxiety in front of goal is proving counter-productive in our current predicament. Trying too hard?

 

[rogersix]

Think there's plenty of decent strikers in that list even if it might lack that player. Murray did a decent job from what I've heard, Hemed was a pretty experienced player who would have been a decent signing for most Championship teams, Andone had made an impression in La Liga, Maupay has been relatively good in the PL... some of the guys I dont know enough about but the only one on the list who strikers me as a "wtf are you doing" signing is Locadia.

Elvis Manu, I overheard a fan describe him as "being born offside", still makes me laugh

 

[JBizzle]

I'm not arguing with that statement.

The fact that I am arguing with is that Mitrovic is better.
Shot accuracy 36% in Prem overall and 31% this season.
What makes you think he would have buried any of our opportunities last night?

The same thing as applies to any "X striker would score these chances" option: They don't play for Brighton. Everyone always seems to think this "buy a striker" lark is a piece of p!ss, just pick random A. N. Other striker somewhere, doesn't really matter who or what their form / price / goal return / wages look like and state with confidence that they're better than what we have.