Striker search

[Notcher]

Apologies in advance, I know I probably bore some people rigid with my striker talk but it's the one area I can at least talk about with some experience and I pay closest attention to detail on.

How the hell has it come to this? I never thought I'd be making a thread about having to find at least one decent striker. An issue which extends back to January 2025.

My concern here is that I don't think the club have a clue what they're doing. I think we got somewhat fortunate with Woody and caught lightening in a bottle. Taiwo is really poor overall footballer as a footballer, Jesus isn't a goalscorer and I haven't got a clue what I'm looking at with Lucca.

It all points to people within the recruitment department who haven't got a clue what they are looking for. It's such a specific role and it's time that they sought some professional experience of the role to help them. Grabban would've been ideal to give some input and help compile a shortlist.

 

[Listen 'ere young man]

 

[Captain Sinister]

Even when we have had good strikers in the past, we have been unable to hold onto them, because good strikers have always been in big demand.
Now we can't attract even attract good strikers.

 

[Bob Fossil]

I just can't comprehend what was going through the mind of the person who looked at Lucca and thought 'that's exactly what we need!'

I can somewhat understand the thinking behind Bakwa, Hutch, Luiz, NDoye & Kali etc. Even if they don't all work out.

But the identification & pursuant chase of Lucca blows my mind.

 

[chaospunx]

Can we still pick up free transfers if we could identify anyone.
Whats Geoff horsfield doing these days

 

[LiarsBar]

I’d be starting with a bid for Patrick Agyemang, just for the lols.

 

[Bob Fossil]

I'd be looking at Troy Parrot . Big risk but huge potential rewards.

 

[Notcher]

Can we still pick up free transfers if we could identify anyone.
Whats Geoff horsfield doing these days

He's got a building company. I know him, I'll ask him if he fancies a stint for us

 

[chaospunx]

Get him in notcher

 

[JonnoSnr]

Physicality is important in the Premier League but it's not the be and end all if you have ability. In the couple of cameos I saw of him I'd say Kalimuendo had the most 'strikers instinct' of the strikers we've had (Wood aside) but I don't know if his all-round game would've held up in the Premier League as he was never put on in it.

I feel as if we looked at a list on Excel in January, went to the height column and clicked 'Sort Largest to Smallest' and just contacted the agent of the top name. Not sure if that had anything to do with Dyche or not though.

 

[Notcher]

Get him in notcher

He's slow as f*ck but he can still pin a defender and hold the ball up

 

[Statto]

Just thinking this has been an issue for ages.

Grabban was our last consistent striker, but then his non-goal return was pretty poor. Before that it was probably Earnshaw. Johnson and Harewood in 2002-3. Before that probably PvH and then Stan.

Quite sad when you can go back 30 years and struggle to name 10 strikers we have had which are any good

 

[thereds66]

People weren't saying those things about Taiwo in his first season. He is a quality striker who unfortunately has had bad injuries / too much time on the bench. He needs to go elsewhere, but I have no doubt he can be a success.

 

[Bob Fossil]

Frankfurt won't be taking up the option on Kali unless they get Europe so we might have him back come the summer.....

 

[JonnoSnr]

Just thinking this has been an issue for ages.

Grabban was our last consistent striker, but then his non-goal return was pretty poor. Before that it was probably Earnshaw. Johnson and Harewood in 2002-3. Before that probably PvH and then Stan.

Quite sad when you can go back 30 years and struggle to name 10 strikers we have had which are any good

I'd probably chuck Assombalonga into the mix who was quality really (relative to the level) before a horrendous injury.

 

[Bob Fossil]

Just thinking this has been an issue for ages.

Grabban was our last consistent striker, but then his non-goal return was pretty poor. Before that it was probably Earnshaw. Johnson and Harewood in 2002-3. Before that probably PvH and then Stan.

Quite sad when you can go back 30 years and struggle to name 10 strikers we have had which are any good

Wood wants a word

 

[JonnoSnr]

People weren't saying those things about Taiwo in his first season. He is a quality striker who unfortunately has had bad injuries / too much time on the bench. He needs to go elsewhere, but I have no doubt he can be a success.

I think with Taiwo, whilst he was scoring goals and being a general nuisance it was always clear he was extremely limited as a footballer. When that's the case and your physicality is taken away through injury you're really unable to bring anything useful to the team at all.

 

[Notcher]

People weren't saying those things about Taiwo in his first season. He is a quality striker who unfortunately has had bad injuries / too much time on the bench. He needs to go elsewhere, but I have no doubt he can be a success.

People were mate. He somehow seemed to pop up with a goal but his actual ability was always in question. The general consensus was that if he didn't have a clue what he was doing then the defenders didn't.

 

[Tom W]

I'd bring back Keinan Davis for depth

 

[thereds66]

People were mate. He somehow seemed to pop up with a goal but his actual ability was always in question. The general consensus was that if he didn't have a clue what he was doing then the defenders didn't.

I disagree. In his first season he scored some great goals. I remember the run he made for his goal against Arsenal, the brace he bagged against Southampton, and he popped up with some great assists that season. I honestly think you're misremembering him as a player that season.

 

[StanleyVictorCollywobbles]

for a spell taiwo was unplayable and make a mockery of some of the best defenders in the league unfortunately outside of that one patch he’s been utter utter shit

 

[Bob Fossil]

I disagree. In his first season he scored some great goals. I remember the run he made for his goal against Arsenal, the brace he bagged against Southampton, and he popped up with some great assists that season. I honestly think you're misremembering him as a player that season.

I completely agree.

He was a great buy and excellent in our first season. A massive reason we stayed up. Not the most graceful player & scored a few lucky goals but they were due him being in the right place at the right time.

 

[reddog8000]

He's got a building company. I know him, I'll ask him if he fancies a stint for us

If he turns out to be no good at least we can use him to make a start on the new stand.

 

[StanleyVictorCollywobbles]

jhon duran and ivan toney should be being sounded out. yes question marks and wages an issue but both proven pl goal scorers

 

[redforest]

Wood last season was a revelation although it really was a thunderbolt and very unlikely to be repeated given his returns either side of that purple patch when his conversion rate was unreal. Collymore and Van Hooijdonk were absolute beasts in the 90s but during he Clough era we rarely had a beast as a number 9, Sheringham was sold too early, Davenport & Birtles were ok but fairly lightweight Wallace, Fashanu and Ward were laughable - we’ve developed clever or fast strikers (Clough, Francis for example) but never really out and out centre forwards who were expected to score nearly every week except for the 2 in the 90s