New striker

[B.W.]

Barnes won't start v Blackpool

Are you sure? Gus seems welded to the idea of selecting Barnes, then playing him out of position.

 

[B.W.]

Agreed. It would be good to see him get a chance to prove he is good enough.

That horse has bolted.

 

[B.W.]

'but it will take too long to settle into our style of play' ........

It has taken Gus far too long to recognise that we need to replace Murray with a better player of similar type...

 

[B.W.]

FWIW Barnes worked his tits off at Leicester and despite missing the penalty he looked our biggest threat (which says little for the rest). Will Gus bow to the boo boys and drop him? I'm not sure.He is a player of immense promise and it would be risking damaging his progress - a bit like we did so successfully with Craig Davies who hasn't stopped scoring since we gave him away for nothing. Personally I think we need a shake up and a radically different midfield/front line and Barnes is as vulnerable as any. He should not, however, be the only whipping boy.

I did (for about 5 seconds) fantasise that Gus and Tanno being absent from this morning's press conference might mean that they were out chasing a loan striker but the buouyant mood didn't last once I came on NSC. Now I'm off to see the doctor for some anti-depressants

I wasn't at Leicester so will not comment on Barnes' performance in that game, but he has been consistently poor this season in the games I have seen. A lot of this is, IMHO, down to Gus' insistence on playing Barnes out of position. WE may not have, but should have a better striker option. This is also down to Gus.

 

[Rugrat]

Yes they are, especially Paynter in L1.

Getting nobody is not a viable option unless you would like to see us continue our fall down the table.

It was tongue in cheek .... and I genuinely believe we have the players in the squad to do it, at least I'd prefer that to a random lump which is what I fear we might end up with .... time will tell I s'pose

 

[Rugrat]

Are you sure? Gus seems welded to the idea of selecting Barnes, then playing him out of position.

I don't think Gus has an option, he's pretty well the only thing he hasn't changed so far and it's a position being occupied that should be scoring ... CMS probably gets off the hook for this one (meaning not dropped) due to his injury and the fact that at some point Gus has to start CMS/Dobbie

 

[severnside gull]

I wasn't at Leicester so will not comment on Barnes' performance in that game, but he has been consistently poor this season in the games I have seen. A lot of this is, IMHO, down to Gus' insistence on playing Barnes out of position. WE may not have, but should have a better striker option. This is also down to Gus.

Don't disagree with any of that and I am a Barnes' fan. Missing the pen very clearly galvanised him but that aside the second half was his best performance of the season in my view.

We do need to shake it up and assuming that we don't have anyone new to bring in my suggestion in front of the 5 man defence plus Bridcutt (I cannot believe the criticism of him as even below his best as he has been for the past few games he is still a class act) I'd go for Crofts Lopez Buckley with Dobbie and CMS up front and Orlandi, Kaz and Hoskins available off the bench. Agdestein is another possibility but we have pace available and the continual disappointment is our inability (unpreparedness?) to use it as we favour an overly methodical build-up with forward players who don't inject sufficient movement to make it work

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Gus said before the Leicester game that if we didn't score he would have to look at bringing in a striker but who do NSC reckon and who is available

My suggestion is Connor Wickham

Would this have anything to do with something being on that silly little rumour site about Wickham ?

Either way ive been crying out saying we need a young player like him to come in for a while.

 

[Hornblower]

Any chance we could renew our interest in Greg Bobkin?

 

[B.W.]

I don't think Gus has an option, he's pretty well the only thing he hasn't changed so far and it's a position being occupied that should be scoring ... CMS probably gets off the hook for this one (meaning not dropped) due to his injury and the fact that at some point Gus has to start CMS/Dobbie

He plays Barnes on the left side of midfield. We have plenty of options there, including LuaLua, when we need to be more attacking, which is now!

 

[B.W.]

Don't disagree with any of that and I am a Barnes' fan. Missing the pen very clearly galvanised him but that aside the second half was his best performance of the season in my view.

We do need to shake it up and assuming that we don't have anyone new to bring in my suggestion in front of the 5 man defence plus Bridcutt (I cannot believe the criticism of him as even below his best as he has been for the past few games he is still a class act) I'd go for Crofts Lopez Buckley with Dobbie and CMS up front and Orlandi, Kaz and Hoskins available off the bench. Agdestein is another possibility but we have pace available and the continual disappointment is our inability (unpreparedness?) to use it as we favour an overly methodical build-up with forward players who don't inject sufficient movement to make it work

Spot on! Why can't Gus see this!?

 

[BensGrandad]

Would this have anything to do with something being on that silly little rumour site about Wickham ?

Either way ive been crying out saying we need a young player like him to come in for a while.

No that site says we are in talks with Stoke about Cameron Jerome and with Chelsea about Lucas Piazon

 

[Pat_Albion]

Wickham has stated that he wants to stay at Sunderland rather than look for a loan move. Why not try Toby for the time being? He's big, looks strong and has played well whenever he has been used. Blackpool may not be the right game to start him but he's worth a mention

 

[APACHE]

But will Poyet play a new striker up front with CMS if he gets one. Since that tilte win he's gone for the lone front runner and floods the m/f and then it's full of players who are too slow to get forward or is this the way their coached. It's going to take a change in Poyet's mindset IMHO to get the setup right so we start scoring or look like in most games. If Barnes is going to play it's got to be alongside CMS not on the wing or in the m/f but right up there with him.

 

[Dub-67]

We need a big unit.

 

[BensGrandad]

Wickham has stated that he wants to stay at Sunderland rather than look for a loan move. Why not try Toby for the time being? He's big, looks strong and has played well whenever he has been used. Blackpool may not be the right game to start him but he's worth a mention

I don't think that Toby is anywhere near ready for first team action and the responsibility that would be placed on his shoulders.

 

[APACHE]

I don't think that Toby is anywhere near ready for first team action and the responsibility that would be placed on his shoulders.

We'll never know unless Poyet gives it a go, IMHO I don't think he has any faith ithe younger strikers, time will tell.

 

[BALDISBEAUTIFUL]

Listen to Charlies press conference for the answer.

 

[BensGrandad]

Listen to Charlies press conference for the answer.

What does he say for those who do not have access to it.

 

[Sweeney Todd]

Recently, watching the Albion has been like viewing an episode of Midsomer Murders in slow-motion, which is criminal given how quick our attacking players are.

We have Hoskins, Agdestein and Barker, to add to Dobbie, CMS and Barnes. Surely, we have enough strikers at the club.