Is It Getting Harder To Find That 'Special' Striker?

[Murray 17]

Looking back a few years we have managed to find some great strikers for next to no money: Dean Saunders, Garry Nelson, Sergei Gotsmanov, Mike Small to name but a few.

With most clubs now having extensive talent-spotting networks, and with our obvious lack of funds in relation to other clubs, can you see us managing to find someone in the mould of the above?

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

It's hard especially when we haven't had a good recent track record of treating strikers well!

 

[BensGrandad]

Peterborough seem to keep unearthing them from lower grade clubs.

 

[TaxiRichieUK]

Well 2 seasons ago we had Glenn Murray and Ashley Barnes who had got us out of league 1 and both who had cost us very little money, Murray was deemed not good enough by Gus for the Championship and not offered a new contract, he never turned one down did he ?
Ashley Barnes was sold in Jan this year because of the fact the club realised it would be wise to accept 1 million from Burnley rather than let him go for nothing this summer.
Bearing in mind the fact we replaced Murray with CMS who cost us in the region of 2.5 million from posh and had a half decent first season and was injured for the majority of last season, we bought Ulloa last Jan for the region of 2 million, has been good at times, looked a little slow and hasnt got a massive amount of goals and is receiving bids in excessive of 5 million.
Although a lot of people probably wont like this, but i dont personally think we would be much worse off if we had stuck with Murray and Barnes for the last 2 seasons, and had about 4 million quid still in the bank

 

[TaxiRichieUK]

Peterborough seem to keep unearthing them from lower grade clubs.

yes and then making mugs out of clubs like ourselves who are willing to pay excessive transfer fees for them

 

[Beach Hut]

Well 2 seasons ago we had Glenn Murray and Ashley Barnes who had got us out of league 1 and both who had cost us very little money, Murray was deemed not good enough by Gus for the Championship and not offered a new contract, he never turned one down did he ?

He did, considered it a derisory offer and quite rightly got a better deal.

Gus did not like him as not a team player.

 

[TaxiRichieUK]

He did, considered it a derisory offer and quite rightly got a better deal.

Gus did not like him as not a team player.

mmmmmmm not a team player but arguably a better striker than CMS or Ulloa

 

[Beach Hut]

mmmmmmm not a team player but arguably a better striker than CMS or Ulloa

Definitely in my view, Murray is not your typical lads footballer very much keeps himself to himself but each to their own providing you produce on the pitch.

 

[Murray 17]

He did, considered it a derisory offer and quite rightly got a better deal.

Gus did not like him as not a team player.

Didn't play much for Pulis at the end of the season, so maybe he does not fancy him. If he still lives in Brighton I suppose there is a small chance he would consider a return?

 

[Acker79]

Well 2 seasons ago we had Glenn Murray and Ashley Barnes who had got us out of league 1 and both who had cost us very little money, Murray was deemed not good enough by Gus for the Championship and not offered a new contract, he never turned one down did he ?
Ashley Barnes was sold in Jan this year because of the fact the club realised it would be wise to accept 1 million from Burnley rather than let him go for nothing this summer.

Murray was offered a contract, but he declined it because we didn't want to/couldn't afford to offer him more. Gus claims the budget was split into transfers and wages, and there was no room to pay a little more wages taking it from the transfer pot, but that that was later changed at his insistence, but too late to be able to give Murray a bit more, others have claimed Gus didn't rate Murray enough to give the ok to give him more money - either way a contract was offered and Murray turned us down choosing more money with palace.

Ashley Barnes was offered a contract in the summer. The club then said they wouldn't negotiate until the end of the season. Barnes wasn't happy with the offer. According to him he was hoping to negotiate further with the club, but they weren't interested. According to others he had no interest in re-signing with us because he knew Burnley were willing to pay him more. The transfer fee is not entirely certain, at the time it was reported to be in the region of £750K. Since promotion, Sean Dyche has been quoted as saying he only spent £450K on his squad, so I'd be surprised if the fee is anywhere near the region of £1m.

Given how many out of contract players we had, I'm not sure I buy the whole "better to sell him than lose him for nothing" line. We've lost Kuszczak, Orlandi, Upson, Lopez, Hoskins and Rodriguez for nothing. We still might lose Bruno, Calderon and Ankergren for nothing (not heard any definitive news on whether they have agreed to new terms or not).

 

[TaxiRichieUK]

Didn't play much for Pulis at the end of the season, so maybe he does not fancy him. If he still lives in Brighton I suppose there is a small chance he would consider a return?

Yes i think he would, and i think at the right price and on the right wages would be a good deal for both Murray and Brighton, but for some fans it would be impossible, purely down to the fact he left us for Palace, as some cannot see through the red mist of hatred that is anything associated with Palace, i mean fair play to the lad, he went elsewhere to ply his trade because of the fact they were offering a better deal, and in those 2 seasons at times it has worked out for him, probably not in the last few months, but thats footballers and they do go through good and bad spells and move clubs

 

[Murray 17]

Yes i think he would, and i think at the right price and on the right wages would be a good deal for both Murray and Brighton, but for some fans it would be impossible, purely down to the fact he left us for Palace, as some cannot see through the red mist of hatred that is anything associated with Palace, i mean fair play to the lad, he went elsewhere to ply his trade because of the fact they were offering a better deal, and in those 2 seasons at times it has worked out for him, probably not in the last few months, but thats footballers and they do go through good and bad spells and move clubs

I was one of those people screaming at him when he returned, but now admire him for the way he didn't respond.
I have also since met someone who knows him and she said that Gus just did not rate him as highly as he rated CMS. So I would welcome him back.

 

[Murray 17]

We still might lose ... Ankergren for nothing

We can but hope.

 

[TaxiRichieUK]

Personally i think that the upcoming season is both a make or break season for both CMS and Ulloa, in order for them to be considered championship quality strikers, personally i dont think either is good enough for them to score 20 plus goals a season each, and the fact is the club spent a decent amount on transfer fees for both these players, and they are both probably on 10k a week or more, maybe even 15k.
I think any club in this division, to be challenging in the top 3 for most of the season has to have at least one of the strikers playing to a high standard capable of getting 20 plus goals in a season, regardless of how much a club pays for them or how much they demand in wages per week

 

[algie]

Personally i think that the upcoming season is both a make or break season for both CMS and Ulloa, in order for them to be considered championship quality strikers, personally i dont think either is good enough for them to score 20 plus goals a season each, and the fact is the club spent a decent amount on transfer fees for both these players, and they are both probably on 10k a week or more, maybe even 15k.
I think any club in this division, to be challenging in the top 3 for most of the season has to have at least one of the strikers playing to a high standard capable of getting 20 plus goals in a season, regardless of how much a club pays for them or how much they demand in wages per week

Utter bollox about Ulloa. He has already proved he is a quality strilker at this level. Go and have a look at his goal ratio.

 

[TaxiRichieUK]

Utter bollox about Ulloa. He has already proved he is a quality strilker at this level. Go and have a look at his goal ratio.

mmmm really, signed in jan 2013, 47 leagues appearances in a season and half resulting in 23 league goals, hardly setting the championship alight !!!!!!

 

[Frutos]

Utter bollox about Ulloa. He has already proved he is a quality strilker at this level. Go and have a look at his goal ratio.

Absolutely this.

He is obviously quality at this level - even Stevie Wonder could see that.

 

[TaxiRichieUK]

Absolutely this.

He is obviously quality at this level - even Stevie Wonder could see that.

perhaps unlike yourself even stevie wonder could see that in some games this season, that his pace and turn of foot has been terribly slow, his first touch at some points has been appalling, at times he has looked jaded and uninterested, and even in some games that he has got a goal, has been poor to amount of chances he has had to score.

Not saying he is poor at this level, but to say he is quality is an overstatement

 

[Early Doors]

mmmm really, signed in jan 2013, 47 leagues appearances in a season and half resulting in 23 league goals, hardly setting the championship alight !!!!!!

Mate, you are on a wind up surely. A goal in every 2 games is not exactly bad either!

 

[BensGrandad]

mmmm really, signed in jan 2013, 47 leagues appearances in a season and half resulting in 23 league goals, hardly setting the championship alight !!!!!!

1 in every 2 games as the scoring rate of a very highly and expensive strike.. Who else has this ratio?