The lure of a 20+ goals a season striker

[chapperzUK]

Now then - if we needed 70+ goals to be in a with a shout of promotion, then consider the following ...........

Goalie - 0
Straker - 2
Clohessey - 2
Philips - 4
Barker - 4

Hall - 8
Moshni (midfield) - 4
Ferdinand - 4
Grant - 4
Timlin - 4
Martin - 2
Hurst - 2
Kalala - 2
Leonard - 4

Harris - 14
Moshni (striker) - 4
Tomlin - 8
Benyon - 4
Corr - 8

That takes us to the target (and beyond) ......... or am I being a little bit too optimistic?
​

With Grant scoring 4? YES! :winking:

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Now then - if we needed 70+ goals to be in a with a shout of promotion, then consider the following ...........

Goalie - 0
Straker - 2
Clohessey - 2
Philips - 4
Barker - 4

Hall - 8
Moshni (midfield) - 4
Ferdinand - 4
Grant - 4
Timlin - 4
Martin - 2
Hurst - 2
Kalala - 2
Leonard - 4

Harris - 14
Moshni (striker) - 4
Tomlin - 8
Benyon - 4
Corr - 8

That takes us to the target (and beyond) ......... or am I being a little bit too optimistic?
​

I'll take the under on Barker please!

Your full-backs goals are over-estimated, your midfielders' goals are probably underestimated but there probably will be further changes in the squad and loan players will proably contribute another 5-10 goals.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

With Grant scoring 4? YES! :winking:

Then. Just making sure you are not taking the point for Grant-ed ...........

 

[Mick]

Kalala - 2

Kalala gets a goal every other season and, unfortunately, this coming season is the turn for a barren year.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Kalala gets a goal every other season and, unfortunately, this coming season is the turn for a barren year.

I think that's fiddling at the edges rather dealing with the main point, don't you?

 

[Kevin Hogg]

As we (and 23 other clubs) saw last season...it is extremely difficult to find (and keep) a 20 goal a season man..in League 2.

 

[Beefy]

I reckon Benyon could surprise a few people this year. I definitely think he's got more than four goals in him....

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

I reckon Benyon could surprise a few people this year. I definitely think he's got more than four goals in him....

Well, yes, good point - and of course a big factor is how much time he gets on the pitch ...... and that might depend on how fit Barry Corr is for the season ........ but he (Benyon) has got some competition given that there is Tomlin, Harris, Corr and possibly even Moshni ....... and that's without the arrival of Freddie ..... could be interesting!

 

[TTS]

We have goals in the squad - the problem is creativity ! We relied to much on Hall and set pieces last season - you need that player with that eye for a chance, something we have never replaced since Gower left. Yes that was a long time ago, but it still an issue with the squads we've had after he left. I'm hoping that between Martin, Hall Hurst and maybe Tomlin as well this issue/problem may have been resolved . As someone said, Corr, Harris, Moshni and Benyon will get goals - if they've the opportunity to score them. This is what is required at at home, I think we can and should be more gun ho! Two wingers - and maybe Hall behind a striker !! Really go at people when they visit. We need to take the game to others as opposed to waiting the game to come to us! Like Swindon, like Shrewsbury and like Crewe during the second part of the season! Regardless of budgets etc - we can and should be able to control the tempo of games - I always find our pace somewhat laborious - the 2nd leg of the play off final being a case in point !

I have faith that this will be the case !!

Also I'm not looking for flowing Spanish type football - happy to hit teams hard - get that ball quickly out wide - even if people deem that long and direct - I dont care - I want results and promotion ! Direct football can be über exciting - if you are winning and control matches (Eg Webbys team in the early 90's)

UTB's

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Some very good points TTS. Perhaps it is the make up of the midfield that will be a key issue then ........ any suggestions for an ideal formation?

As for Webby's teams - I remember other fans calling us dirty at the time - tough midfielders like Martin, Clark and Butler existed. I was going to ask if we need someone of that ilk ........... but then I thought they wouldn't last 5 minutes on the pitch in 2012 before they had 2 yellows ............... :nope:

 

[Beefy]

I think we may go back to a 4-3-3 like we used in Sturrock's first season here. Tomlin's best position, IMO is wide in a front three, like he played for Gillingham. Him on the right, Hall on the left, Big Bad Barry Corr in the middle, might as well give us the title now.

 

[Jam_Man]

We have goals in the squad - the problem is creativity ! We relied to much on Hall and set pieces last season - you need that player with that eye for a chance, something we have never replaced since Gower left. Yes that was a long time ago, but it still an issue with squads after that. I'm hoping that between Martin, Hall Hurst and maybe Tomlin as well this may have resolved . As someone said, Corr, Harris, Moshni and Benyon will get goals - if they've the opportunity to score them. This what at home I think we can be more guns ho! Two wingers - and maybe Hall behind a striker !! Really go at people when they visit. We need to take the game to others as opposed to waiting the game to come to us! Like Swindon, like Shrewsbury and like Crewe during the second part of the season! Regardless of budgets etc - we can and should be able to control the tempo of games - I always find our pace somewhat laborious - the 2nd leg of the play off final being a case in point !

I have faith that this will be the case !!

Also I'm not looking for flowing Spanish type football - happy to hit teams hard - get that ball quickly out wide - even if people deem that long and direct - I dont care - I want results and promotion ! Direct football can be über exciting - if you are winning and control matches (Eg Webbys team in the early 90's)

UTB's

Regarding the first point, its very hard to control the tempo of a game if you dont have the ball, which on numerous occassions we saw last season we couldnt do because our direct passing just meant the opposition regained posession immediately.

I said last summer I was happy to put up with whatever style if it meant promotion so without stating the obvious, we didnt get promoted. We showed towards the end of the season we can play better and get results so Im really hoping we build on that.

 

[Jam_Man]

I think we may go back to a 4-3-3 like we used in Sturrock's first season here. Tomlin's best position, IMO is wide in a front three, like he played for Gillingham. Him on the right, Hall on the left, Big Bad Barry Corr in the middle, might as well give us the title now.

What formation would you say we played last season as I thought thats what we were playing last year? Never know whether to call it 4-5-1 / 433.

At the end we were 442 at home, but at other times, certainly when we were playing away we had one up front with Hall/Mohsni as the two wide front men. Then Grant/Timlin/Ferdinand in the middle.

 

[TTS]

Regarding the first point, its very hard to control the tempo of a game if you dont have the ball, which on numerous occassions we saw last season we couldnt do because our direct passing just meant the opposition regained posession immediately.

I said last summer I was happy to put up with whatever style if it meant promotion so without stating the obvious, we didnt get promoted. We showed towards the end of the season we can play better and get results so Im really hoping we build on that.

Sorry fella, I dont agree with that. My point of Webby's football, proves that you can be direct and control the tempo of the game. If the ball came back in Webby days, we again put teams on the back foot again. You can control the tempo, with bombardment of pressure, tempo does not need to be controlled by having the ball on the deck, yes that is the purer way to control the tempo, but not the only way. Shrewsbury away was another case in point of this, when we went there last season they bombarded us and kept us on the back foot for most of the game, therefore, they controlled the tempo of the game, on a direct basis.

 

[Mick]

Shrewsbury away was another case in point of this, when we went there last season they bombarded us and kept us on the back foot for most of the game, therefore, they controlled the tempo of the game, on a direct basis.

I disagree. Given its importance, I thought Shrewsbury away last season was one of the most disappointing matches of the season. We lost it through poor tactics, team selection and substitutions. They were there for the taking and we threw it away.

 

[Jam_Man]

Sorry fella, I dont agree with that. My point of Webby's football, proves that you can be direct and control the tempo of the game. If the ball came back in Webby days, we again put teams on the back foot again. You can control the tempo, with bombardment of pressure, tempo does not need to be controlled by having the ball on the deck, yes that is the purer way to control the tempo, but not the only way. Shrewsbury away was another case in point of this, when we went there last season they bombarded us and kept us on the back foot for most of the game, therefore, they controlled the tempo of the game, on a direct basis.

If we had held onto the ball more against Shrewsbury they wouldnt have been able to..

Full back kicks ball forward, opposition takes possession and pass the ball around. When do we then get to bombard them ?

You can only bombard a team if you have the ball, if the opposition arent great at keeping possession then its easy, but up against a team like Crewe who when you gave it away didnt give it straight back then they are the ones in the driving seat and its them that control the tempo. (and in Crewe and Swindons case they both blew us away with their tempo even playing good football).

Webbs team did play direct, but they also had two up front and plenty of players who were comfortable on the ball.

We played direct all last season and at times it got the result, and at times when teams came to Roots Hall and were set up to soak up pressure playing direct played into their hands and they walked away with a 1-0 victory.

Direct football is fine, but you need to be able to offer a little more at times and we showed we could at the end of the season.

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

Every team would love a 20-goal striker but there aren't that many of them around at League Two level. Izale McLeod was the top scorer in the league last season and his team avoided relegation on the final day. We have plenty of goal potential in the team - Harris, Benyon, Corr, Eastwood if he signs, Timlin, Tomlin, Ferdinand, Hall, Mohsni. Despite his age Harris actually got better towards the end of last season, with the right partner and playing the ball on the floor he could get us a decent tally of goals. Looking at the squad at the moment, I'd say creating chances is more of an issue than scoring them.

 

[Jam_Man]

Every team would love a 20-goal striker but there aren't that many of them around at League Two level. Izale McLeod was the top scorer in the league last season and his team avoided relegation on the final day. We have plenty of goal potential in the team - Harris, Benyon, Corr, Eastwood if he signs, Timlin, Tomlin, Ferdinand, Hall, Mohsni. Despite his age Harris actually got better towards the end of last season,with the right partner and playing the ball on the floor he could get us a decent tally of goals. Looking at the squad at the moment, I'd say creating chances is more of an issue than scoring them.

Indeed, the key as you say is when we started using 442 and playing on the floor more.

Thats our main issue with getting a 20 goal a season player, we have two proven goal scorers in Benyon and Harris but if we revert to playing one up front with direct passing then they arent getting the service that suits them. They arent going to win a lot in the air and neither are blessed with pace.

Corr on the other hand will be more comfortable in that system and style of play.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Direct football is fine, but you need to be able to offer a little more at times and we showed we could at the end of the season.

I'm not sure I want to wade into a discussion on tactics but I would agree that teams, even in Division 4, need to be able to change the way they play when they come up particular opposition ......... I think we did that a little last season but need to do it more.

If nothing else it will be good practice for when we get promoted to Division 3 .........

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I disagree. Given its importance, I thought Shrewsbury away last season was one of the most disappointing matches of the season. We lost it through poor tactics, team selection and substitutions. They were there for the taking and we threw it away.

Very true; We wasted that game, Shrews were there for the taking, the strange subs and playing on with injured players and Dicko being bonkers and going for rash challenges summed up lots of what was going wrong in that period and showed an inability to adapt tactics.