We should have bought another striker!

[cmonurz]

As I said, in my view, if we can't get that this is a squad game, we'll leave ourselves short. Maybe we'll get away with it - either the players will play out of their skins for a second season in a row, or we'll get lucky and have no real injuries. But 3 or 4 key players on the treatment table, and we are more fcuked than a cheap Vegas whore.

[Ian Royal]

As I said, in my view, if we can't get that this is a squad game, we'll leave ourselves short. Maybe we'll get away with it - either the players will play out of their skins for a second season in a row, or we'll get lucky and have no real injuries. But 3 or 4 key players on the treatment table, and we are more fcuked than a cheap Vegas whore.

Obviously it's a squad game, but you don't smash a transfer record to buy a squad player. You smash it to buy a first team and improve your squad by the displaced first teamer being in it.

And I still don't see how Zaha is a definite significant improvement on HRK for the here and now. At least £4m worth of significant improvement.

And anyone who gets 3 or 4 key players on the treatment table is screwed the same.

[RoyalBlue]

As I said, in my view, if we can't get that this is a squad game, we'll leave ourselves short. Maybe we'll get away with it - either the players will play out of their skins for a second season in a row, or we'll get lucky and have no real injuries. But 3 or 4 key players on the treatment table, and we are more fcuked than a cheap Vegas whore.

Obviously it's a squad game, but you don't smash a transfer record to buy a squad player. You smash it to buy a first team and improve your squad by the displaced first teamer being in it.

And I still don't see how Zaha is a definite significant improvement on HRK for the here and now. At least £4m worth of significant improvement.

And anyone who gets 3 or 4 key players on the treatment table is screwed the same.

Question that last remark and, even if it holds true, it is less catastrophic (apart from to the manager's career) to get screwed if you are competing at the top of the table, rather than at the bottom.

That having been said, I agree that it would be far better to sign a player to displace Roberts or Alf than someone who is struggling to get into the team.

[Cypry]

So we NEED Zaha? Why? How many goals did he score last year (fewer than Church I believe)? How many assists (same as HRK)? How would he improve the team? Who are you going to drop to include him in the starting lineup (I assume if you're going to spend £6M on him then you'll expect him to start)?

Seems bizarre to me that a player who scored less than Church, and got the same number of assists as one of our current players in the same league, is suddenly this years MUST HAVE, particularly as most of those clamouring for us to buy him seem to think that neither Church or HRK are "up to" the Prmiership.....

Dear me, that's an atrocious post.

Why sign Zaha? Because he is a very exciting, direct, pacy, attacking midfielder with bags of potential, that's why.

+1

Zaha or Robson-Kanu?

The question was why do we NEED Zaha, in response to the original "we needed Zaha here" - I used Church and HRK to show the kind of level he played at last year, my point being, I don't quite see how he can possibly be worth £6M today, especially as a "squad player". If he was likely to add 20 assists, or 15 goals, then fine, but if we're going to spend that level of money this season, then IMO we should be buying senior players who have demonstrated a consistent level of ability over a period of time, rather than youngsters with potential. That potential may not be realised this year, or even next, so we could have smashed our transfer record for a player that may not make a significant contribution to our primary goal of staying up this year....

Of course, it's all hypothetical, he might tear up the Championship this year and make me look silly. He might be a complete flop and make the decision not to sign him a very astute one - I guess we'll find out in a few months.

[AthleticoSpizz]

it seems that we have Jay Tabb

[melonhead]

im happy with the strike force we have
if they end up shit/injured , theres always the loan market, and jabuary

chilll winston

[ManchesterRoyals]

Its pointless now moaning about it i agree we should have bought another Striker maybe another another 1 or 2 also to strengthen the squad but its over now unless we get a freebie so lets just accept what we got, get behind the team and hope we stay up

[Hoop Blah]

As I said, in my view, if we can't get that this is a squad game, we'll leave ourselves short. Maybe we'll get away with it - either the players will play out of their skins for a second season in a row, or we'll get lucky and have no real injuries. But 3 or 4 key players on the treatment table, and we are more fcuked than a cheap Vegas whore.

Obviously it's a squad game, but you don't smash a transfer record to buy a squad player. You smash it to buy a first team and improve your squad by the displaced first teamer being in it.

And I still don't see how Zaha is a definite significant improvement on HRK for the here and now. At least £4m worth of significant improvement.

And anyone who gets 3 or 4 key players on the treatment table is screwed the same.

I agree we should be adding players to the first team, but where a record signing sits in the squad would depend on how much the existing first teamers are worth (eg we've paid £75k for a forward but over his time with us he's proven himself at a higher level and is now worth more than we've ever paid). We'd still need depth to the squad so might need to pay £4m for another option.

Young players with potential are always going to cost more than a 32 year old who's slightly better as well.

[Hoop Blah]

Pogregbnyak and Le Fondre - Premier League standard by my reckoning, albeit two games so far.

Roberts - Good enough and obviously experienced at this level.

Hunt and Simon Church - Very debatable. Championship level strikers.

That's 3 good enough for this level then. Where's the fourth or fifth?

Le Fondre is a good finisher, but I've not seen anything from him yet to prove he'll be a consistent Premier League performer. His performance against Stoke looked like a player a bit out of his depth. I'm sure he'll improve and get used to having to be more clinical and make the most of opportunities that come his way but he needs to learn quickly.

[blythspartan]

I would rather have our strike force than Liverpool's

[ManchesterRoyals]

I would rather have our strike force than Liverpool's

suarez and pog would be nice

[moonwalklikebas]

Our prayers were answered yesterday..... By Jay Tabb

[Royal Bahamas]

I remember people saying that we didn't have any strikers last season either, yet we had one of the greatest winning streaks ever,.....because the TEAM scored! It doesn't matter what position the scorer plays in,....as long as the ball goes into the net! Brian McD has every member of the TEAM thinking that he can score if he wants to, and that is how we will be playing in the Premier. You may not realize it now, but we will become a very feared TEAM. It's hard to mark out a player when all of the rest are eager to take his place on the Goal Scoring sheet......

[Snowball]

Le Fondre is a good finisher, but I've not seen anything from him yet to prove he'll be a consistent Premier League performer. His performance against Stoke looked like a player a bit out of his depth. I'm sure he'll improve and get used to having to be more clinical and make the most of opportunities that come his way but he needs to learn quickly.

TBF Alf looks out of his depth most of the time except when he gets chances

I can't remember him "terrorising CBs". He just has a VG goals-per-minute ratio

[melonhead]

so when he gets the ball in the box he puts it away, but the rest of his game is shit?

ill take that

[loyalroyal4life]

we did try apparently

Celtic new boy Miku has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to sign for Swansea or Reading in favour of making a move to Scotland.

The 27-year-old was a surprise arrival at Parkhead on transfer deadline day, with Neil Lennon securing his services on loan from Getafe.

The Spaniard was known to be a target for Premier League clubs and was expected to try his luck in England if a late summer switch was pushed through.

Miku has, however, put the opportunity to challenge for multiple honours in Glasgow ahead of turning out for a mid-table side.

He said in the Daily Record: "I hope to have a great year here. I like the fact Celtic are a big team who face the challenge of playing every weekend to win.

"If you are with other teams you can sometimes lose but here there is the pressure and I like that. I like the attitude that says: If you don't win, it's a problem.

"It's a big honour - I hope to have a great year and stay longer.

"Swansea and Reading both wanted to sign me in the summer and Getafe wanted money for me before the season started but I said I fancied moving to a big team.

"I was the best striker at Getafe. I played every game and felt if I was to go to another team and another country, it would have to be a really big one.

"Swansea and Reading are both good teams but for me, it would be similar to Getafe.

"Celtic is different. It has the support, the history, the Champions League. There is more here for me. I want to win three trophies and I think we have the team to do it."

[cmonurz]

I would rather have our strike force than Liverpool's

Said as only a Reading fan could say.

[E. Andrew]

Our prayers were answered yesterday..... By Jay Tabb

From Official page:
http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/article ... 48579.aspx

"I haven't scored since October 2008 - and yet the gaffer has just told me that I'm starting up front against Spurs!" he joked after our 8-1 win in Bray.

My heart froze until I came to 'joked'... " WTF??? "

[Ian Royal]

Pogregbnyak and Le Fondre - Premier League standard by my reckoning, albeit two games so far.

Roberts - Good enough and obviously experienced at this level.

Hunt and Simon Church - Very debatable. Championship level strikers.

That's 3 good enough for this level then. Where's the fourth or fifth?

Le Fondre is a good finisher, but I've not seen anything from him yet to prove he'll be a consistent Premier League performer. His performance against Stoke looked like a player a bit out of his depth. I'm sure he'll improve and get used to having to be more clinical and make the most of opportunities that come his way but he needs to learn quickly.

To me, he looked a player who hadn't quite found his scoring boots. He then scored a penalty and got a hat-trick in the recent friendly. I reckon if he plays more games, we'll see more 'keeper troubling shots from him.

[Royal Bahamas]

Pogregbnyak and Le Fondre - Premier League standard by my reckoning, albeit two games so far.

Roberts - Good enough and obviously experienced at this level.

Hunt and Simon Church - Very debatable. Championship level strikers.

That's 3 good enough for this level then. Where's the fourth or fifth?

Le Fondre is a good finisher, but I've not seen anything from him yet to prove he'll be a consistent Premier League performer. His performance against Stoke looked like a player a bit out of his depth. I'm sure he'll improve and get used to having to be more clinical and make the most of opportunities that come his way but he needs to learn quickly.

To me, he looked a player who hadn't quite found his scoring boots. He then scored a penalty and got a hat-trick in the recent friendly. I reckon if he plays more games, we'll see more 'keeper troubling shots from him.

^^^This.

He has shown some awesome flashes of brilliance in the past, and I believe that we shall see those flashes more often in the Premier, as long as he gets the play......