Quality striker away from Automatic Promotion...

[Machiavelli]

Can you explain why you like Baldock a lot in case there's something I'm missing. I've tried but I simply can't find any part of his game that I rate.

He did have a superb first touch on one particular
ball up to him today, I'll give him that, but as usual he then squandered the chance he'd created.
For me he's just woeful at this level. Another one who's good only at League One level.

I'll bite. He has a prodigious work rate, and his movement is PL level. His touch can be sublime, and he can carry the ball (see how he set up Kayal's goal vs Huddersfield), but he can equally squander it when it looks easier to keep it under control. His finishing this season has been poor, granted. But they're not far away. They're either miss-hit and on target, or well-hit and a whisker away. I still have hope that he can go on a bit of a goalscoring run, and wouldn't be surprised if he did, but the most we can expect from him will be 12-15 goals.
And we may well be a quality striker from automatic promotion, but they really are few and far between at the moment. I'm grateful for what we've got. That said, wouldn't be too disappointed if we got Calleri in January.

 

[catfish]

I said this today along with 26,000 others and more you are spot on my friend, all we lack now is a decent striker with dare i say it
" the eye of the Tiger " without doubt today, had we have had that striker it could quite have easily have ended up 6/7/8 -1 to us easily.
Fairplay to their keeper the only thing that stopped them from a monumental hammering was him.

And that's not the first time this season we could have run up a cricket score.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The football that Hughton has got us playing and the self belief he has instilled into the team in comparison to last season is nothing short of amazing!

However, I can't help thinking our failure to land Calleri or Vydra before the transfer window closed could put paid to our auto promotion hopes.
Baldock does add a lot to the side (as was apparent when we drew a blank at Wolves away) but he missed two gilt edged chances today, I was really hoping he would find some goalscoring form after going close on several occasions in previous matches but he is not clinical enough if we want to stay in the top 2. Still not fully sold on Hemed's ability to score goals consisntently like Ulloa used to either.

Such a shame as our defence and central midfield pairing really are quality.

Barnes or Murray would have had an absolute field day today.

 

[Dolph Ins]

Seems to me you are looking for a problem that doesn't exist. Remind me again where we are in the league.




WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE I SAY WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE

 

[NooBHA]

I don't think that pairing are too bad.

I also have a feeling that some time soon, someone will take a real hammering from Brighton. I don't think there has been a game so far that we haven't deserved to win. There may have been one but I don't recall it.

I know that there will be better teams that we have still to play but I think we can raise our game to beat any of them as well. The confidence is there, the ability is there and the work ethic is there. If we get a bit of luck along with it then someone is gonna take a real beating from us.

The time we got the luck was the day we didn't play so well in the 2nd half against Fulham but our first half display that day, we deserved to get the luck so someone had better watch out soon when everything all clicks on the same day

 

[Finchley Seagull]

Barnes or Murray would have had an absolute field day today.

Remind me of the abuse Barnes got when he was here. He was never that prolific too. We had the same problem with him and CMS the last Poyet season. We dominated games and couldn't finish teams off. Ulloa signed and we got the most points in the league after that.

 

[BadFish]

This is one of those truisms in football and explains the reason that top notch strikers are both hard to find and expensive. With our budget and lack of parachute payments i think that finding this last piece of the jigsaw is going to prove very difficult and our scouting networks are going to be put to the test.

Either that or we have to make the best of what we have, and lets face it at the moment we are doing a pretty good job at that.

 

[1066familyman]

I'll bite. He has a prodigious work rate, and his movement is PL level. His touch can be sublime, and he can carry the ball (see how he set up Kayal's goal vs Huddersfield), but he can equally squander it when it looks easier to keep it under control. His finishing this season has been poor, granted. But they're not far away. They're either miss-hit and on target, or well-hit and a whisker away. I still have hope that he can go on a bit of a goalscoring run, and wouldn't be surprised if he did, but the most we can expect from him will be 12-15 goals.
And we may well be a quality striker from automatic promotion, but they really are few and far between at the moment. I'm grateful for what we've got. That said, wouldn't be too disappointed if we got Calleri in January.

"...prodigious work rate, and his movement is Pl level" Are you his agent by any chance?

"His finishing this season has been poor, granted". Have you forgotten last season already ( I wouldn't blame you on that one, all of us will want to forget last season).

"His touch can be sublime" I saw one such example today, as I already mentioned, but it's not something I've particularly noticed on a regular basis.

I think I know what you'll say next as well...he was played out of position all season. But this is one of my problems with him. Not only is he weak as an out and out striker, he brings nothing being played out wide and asked to do a job. Compare him to Barnes and they're simply miles apart. Now there was a man for work rate and with fire in his belly. Barnes would tackle back, win numerous free kicks in dangerous areas for us and still weigh in with goals. Baldock shirks every 50/50 challenge, and what's more gets knocked off the ball too easily when he does have it. I can't see any wonderful movement off the ball that is magically bringing others into the game all the time either. Sorry, I just think he's lightweight in every department.

If you're not going to be a prolific goalscorer as a striker, and even his supporters seem to acknowledge he won't be, then you must bring other things to the table. For me he brings very little. The sooner we get a proper number 9 in the better.

 

[crookie]

there's no guarantees, Fulham signed McCormack for £11 million, he scored 17 league goals last season. Hemed is on target to score at least that many for a fraction of the fee

 

[Bozza]

Short by one fox in the box.

(No Ulloa implication in that)

 

[Bozza]

there's no guarantees, Fulham signed McCormack for £11 million, he scored 17 league goals last season. Hemed is on target to score at least that many for a fraction of the fee

1. I don't think Hemed will get 17.

2. It's where goals are scored that is decisive. 17 goals can accrue 51 points, or no points.

 

[Hastings gull]

I said this today along with 26,000 others and more you are spot on my friend, all we lack now is a decent striker with dare i say it
" the eye of the Tiger " without doubt today, had we have had that striker it could quite have easily have ended up 6/7/8 -1 to us easily.
Fairplay to their keeper the only thing that stopped them from a monumental hammering was him.

Spot on.

 

[Mutts Nuts]

The football that Hughton has got us playing and the self belief he has instilled into the team in comparison to last season is nothing short of amazing!

However, I can't help thinking our failure to land Calleri or Vydra before the transfer window closed could put paid to our auto promotion hopes.
Baldock does add a lot to the side (as was apparent when we drew a blank at Wolves away) but he missed two gilt edged chances today, I was really hoping he would find some goalscoring form after going close on several occasions in previous matches but he is not clinical enough if we want to stay in the top 2. Still not fully sold on Hemed's ability to score goals consisntently like Ulloa used to either.

Such a shame as our defence and central midfield pairing really are quality.

We are BHA we do not need goal scoring strikers , running very fast and trying really hard is what counts bring back McSmudger to play alongside Baldock

 

[Bold Seagull]

Hemed is off to a flyer but this is still a very new league to him, the more game time he gets the better he'll be. Baldock is working well with him and we just need to hope they start to click again. We're creating chances which is a big positive, the goals will start coming again. If 3 or 4 draws is our 'blip' in games we should be winning, we should still be feeling very satisfied.

 

[Machiavelli]

"...prodigious work rate, and his movement is Pl level" Are you his agent by any chance?

"His finishing this season has been poor, granted". Have you forgotten last season already ( I wouldn't blame you on that one, all of us will want to forget last season).

"His touch can be sublime" I saw one such example today, as I already mentioned, but it's not something I've particularly noticed on a regular basis.

I think I know what you'll say next as well...he was played out of position all season. But this is one of my problems with him. Not only is he weak as an out and out striker, he brings nothing being played out wide and asked to do a job. Compare him to Barnes and they're simply miles apart. Now there was a man for work rate and with fire in his belly. Barnes would tackle back, win numerous free kicks in dangerous areas for us and still weigh in with goals. Baldock shirks every 50/50 challenge, and what's more gets knocked off the ball too easily when he does have it. I can't see any wonderful movement off the ball that is magically bringing others into the game all the time either. Sorry, I just think he's lightweight in every department.

If you're not going to be a prolific goalscorer as a striker, and even his supporters seem to acknowledge he won't be, then you must bring other things to the table. For me he brings very little. The sooner we get a proper number 9 in the better.

I'm not his agent, but my post has attracted three thumbs-up. And yours?
(If I get a bit of time, I might respond to all your points.)

 

[Phat Baz 68]

And that's not the first time this season we could have run up a cricket score.

Quite right !

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Remind me of the abuse Barnes got when he was here.

Only from lanyard-toting JCLs.

 

[1066familyman]

I'm not his agent, but my post has attracted three thumbs-up. And yours?
(If I get a bit of time, I might respond to all your points.)

Classic retort!....more thumbs up than me

It's all about opinion of course, but being more popular never made anyone right.

The nasty party just won the last election for starters, so I rest my case

 

[Questions]

Remind me of the abuse Barnes got when he was here. He was never that prolific too. We had the same problem with him and CMS the last Poyet season. We dominated games and couldn't finish teams off. Ulloa signed and we got the most points in the league after that.

This is true. Barnes scored 11 and 9 in his 2 full championship seasons with us in this league. We are going to hear the same arguments I suspect with Baldock.

 

[chairman]

Only a small problem every club in the league are looking for a striker, if he is scoring at moment club's won't loan, it's always a gamble looking at players with potential, or players out of favour at their clubs.so although I agree we need someone I'm not sure we will find someone