Please please please get a new striker

[Hastings gull]

Actually, thought Baldock had a reasonable game, pinging in some decent crosses from out wide (although would rather he was on the end of them, not out wide) and he made some good runs elsewhere. Is he really being blamed for not winning balls lumped forward in the air to him?

I agree. It is a little unfair to blame SB. He did much running, like CMS, to their credit, but of course that is only part of the picture. I too noticed a couple of dangerous crosses that he made, but, surprise, surprise, no one there to capitalise on it. Why we start with one striker at home baffles me, and then long balls where he would not have a hope, seem to compound the problem. He can't be blamed for his lack of height, and I suspect that with quick-thinking midfielders threading through pin-point passes on the deck (yes, I know!!) SB would be a revelation. I could understand Blackburn putting on a sub on 89 minutes, as they are presumably happier with a point, and wanted to "kill the game" but find it hard to work out what we hoped to gain from that. This is the not the first time we have witnessed a supposed game-changing sub coming on when they have so little time to make a difference. Of course, you may take the cynical view that OG would not have done anyway, though that is not quite my point!

 

[Scoffers]

Like CMS, Baldock tries very hard, but he is so weak and his first touch poor, we simply cannot build play with him in the side. The midfield has no chance to get forward or beyond the front man. It is the biggest problem we have as a side and one that needs fixing and quickly.

A target man who has that touch and is strong enough to hold the ball and bring others in to the play as well as getting some goals himself

 

[mwrpoole]

Like CMS, Baldock tries very hard, but he is so weak and his first touch poor, we simply cannot build play with him in the side. The midfield has no chance to get forward or beyond the front man. It is the biggest problem we have as a side and one that needs fixing and quickly.

Baldock cannot play as a lone striker, end of. On Tuesday we were overrun in midfield and so yesterday reverted to a 3 man midfield at the sacrifice of playing Tex/Colunga/CMS. It worked to a certain extent but Baldock was isolated too often and not in the areas we need him in. He needs to play alongside someone, but that means sacrificing one of the wide men and then relying on the full backs again for width. At home we should be good enough against most in this league to play 2 up front and 2 wide men, but we're not. Ince had an excellent game yesterday and was our MOM by a country mile, and another like him we'd be ok. JFC & Gardner are not strong enough or quick enough to run the midfield together on their own.

We can blame the strikers all day long, but the problems lie elsewhere.

 

[Skylar]

A target man who has that touch and is strong enough to hold the ball and bring others in to the play as well as getting some goals himself

What is the point of that as that is direct one football and allowing players to come into play then allows the opposition to get back and defend.

 

[southstandandy]

I know we can't turn back the clock but the failure to land Lewis Grabban last season looks a costly mistake. How we could do with someone of his ilk now. The fee I believe had been agreed and it all came down to wages. Surely back then we could have offered a bit more?

The most depressing thing this season is 'as a team' we just don't look like scoring - not just the forwards. I never go to a game to thinking we could score 3 or 4. If we are fortunate to go in front like we have in the last 2 games, its then just a matter of holding on for grim death rather than pushing on to try to make the game safe with a second or third goal, and if we go behind then invariably the best we can hope for is a draw.

I for one couldn't see the point in leaving Baldock all on his own completely isolated up front yesterday - he looked completely lost. With 2 or 3 big strong players around him and to play off I'm sure he will get goals but our failure to address the problem by Burke & co is leaving us with a mountain to climb. I know there are still 29 games to go, but we need the equivalent of 11 or 12 wins to secure our safety - can anyone really see us winning that many between now and May?

 

[kevtherev]

You get what you pay for. We have paid peanuts and we have got a pile of shite at this level....In all honestly Baldock and O'Grady's past record's should have told anyone, they were a gamble at best. I'm sure they will score a hat full between them next season, in div 1. As that is their natural level. Because unless we splash the cash on some quality in January, that's where we are heading and even then we need the management team to get the best out of them.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Baldock would benefit from hitting the weights. If he developed a bit of upper body strength he'd be a completely different challenge for defenders. Whilst not wanting to compare the 2 players directly, Raheem Sterling's game really evolved when he gained strength.

 

[supaseagull]

I know we can't turn back the clock but the failure to land Lewis Grabban last season looks a costly mistake. How we could do with someone of his ilk now. The fee I believe had been agreed and it all came down to wages. Surely back then we could have offered a bit more?

The same Lewis Grabban that Norwich fans are saying is rubbish?

 

[Albion Dan]

As soon as we signed Baldick many people who know him said he will do well as long as he is part of a front two and would fail if he was asked to be a loan striker. So how does Sami play him? Laughable.

 

[sir albion]

We have the worst midfield in the league that create jack shite for the strikers...would rather we focused on getting an experienced leader in the middle.

 

[sir albion]

As soon as we signed Baldick many people who know him said he will do well as long as he is part of a front two and would fail if he was asked to be a loan striker. So how does Sami play him? Laughable.

Yep the brizzle supporters stated he's no good on his own up top and good old Sami does just that...Very much laughable.

 

[kevo]

Like CMS, Baldock tries very hard, but he is so weak and his first touch poor, we simply cannot build play with him in the side. The midfield has no chance to get forward or beyond the front man. It is the biggest problem we have as a side and one that needs fixing and quickly.

Agreed. I was wondering yesterday whether Baldock will ever be good enough at this level. He did really well in League One but I wonder if this is a step up too far for him. He just never looks like scoring and I just can't see that changing.

 

[flying high]

What has happened to Do Prado who was at Southampton. Have Saints got any reasonable strikers not getting a game that Sammy Lee may help Sami out with.

 

[kevo]

As soon as we signed Baldick many people who know him said he will do well as long as he is part of a front two and would fail if he was asked to be a loan striker. So how does Sami play him? Laughable.

And more often than not he wasn't even playing in the centre. There were a few occasions when he was out on the wing crossing the ball into the box (I'm not sure who to as he was our lone striker!). Kept thinking what the hell is he doing out there?

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

Our midfield is light. The amount of 50/50 balls we lost in the middle of the park was horrendous. We seem to have lost the ability to pass AND move, meaning their players close ours down and panic them into poor passes or going backwards.
We need more movement and incisive passing, not the GP andf OG style of side to side, more like the Derby style of give and GO, not give and dawdle.

Yes our strikers have been poor, but IMO the most important recruit must be someone who can turn defense into attack. Really think we miss Crofts and/or Stephens (we have no natural replacement for them). March is also a big miss in the middle.

 

[Tubby-McFat-Fuc]

Like CMS, Baldock tries very hard, but he is so weak and his first touch poor, we simply cannot build play with him in the side. The midfield has no chance to get forward or beyond the front man. It is the biggest problem we have as a side and one that needs fixing and quickly.

Yet CMS, like Baldock managed to bang in the goals for their previous clubs. I think what need fixing quickly is why our striker is getting so few goals and so few chances. All the time we play a midget in a 4-5-1 formation and pump balls to his head, he's not going to score goals. Been the same old story for a few years now. THe system needs fixing, not the players, although whoever signed of a 12k a week contract for O'Grady needs a serve talking to!

 

[Tubby-McFat-Fuc]

As soon as we signed Baldick many people who know him said he will do well as long as he is part of a front two and would fail if he was asked to be a loan striker. So how does Sami play him? Laughable.

100% bang on the problem. We are either signing the wrong type of player or playing the wrong style of football. The two are not going to go together!

 

[Machiavelli]

Baldock cannot play as a lone striker, end of. On Tuesday we were overrun in midfield and so yesterday reverted to a 3 man midfield at the sacrifice of playing Tex/Colunga/CMS. It worked to a certain extent but Baldock was isolated too often and not in the areas we need him in. He needs to play alongside someone, but that means sacrificing one of the wide men and then relying on the full backs again for width. At home we should be good enough against most in this league to play 2 up front and 2 wide men, but we're not. Ince had an excellent game yesterday and was our MOM by a country mile, and another like him we'd be ok. JFC & Gardner are not strong enough or quick enough to run the midfield together on their own.

We can blame the strikers all day long, but the problems lie elsewhere.

Think you've got it right here. Baldock looks good, but he's not the one to lead the line in our system. Burke should have known that he played off a big man at Bristol City, and thought about whether he'd be appropriate for us.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

But so many others have gone on loan and we were nowhere near them

FFS
Holt
Taylor Fletcher
Sagbo

list goes on. There is something ROTTEN about our player recruitment.

 

[Machiavelli]

What has happened to Do Prado who was at Southampton. Have Saints got any reasonable strikers not getting a game that Sammy Lee may help Sami out with.

They had a striker that came through their youth system, and played a few games towards the end of last season, Sam Gallagher. He'd be perfect for us, as he was strong, fast and knew how to score. Southampton's style of play is not unlike ours either (granted, they're more effective than we are), and he'll be needing first team experience. All ought to benefit from such a move.