Shrimpsvoices

A much improved performance against Grimsby with some nice approach play particularly involving McGurk but again no goals. A possible 3 points became 1 point and not for the first time this season. It's clear that despite his excellence in the air and his strength in holding the ball, Oliver is not a natural finisher and is unlikely to get ten goals in a season. So where are the goals to lift us up the table going to come from? Thommo will chip in a few and so will McGurk but we lack a consistent striker to get 15-20 goals. We had one in Amond who was released some seasons ago and has continued to score regularly for Grimsby, Hartlepool and now Newport. Where are we going to get another one? Is there anyone playing in a lower league waiting to prove themselves at league 2 level ? Do the board decide to splash out some money on a striker in the January window, after all that would be cheaper in the longer term than possible relegation? Its a problem, but one we have to overcome to ensure we get the points return our play deserves.

It was a huge mistake letting Amond leave , he was played as a winger most of the time and still managed double figures in both seasons.

We now have 12 goals scored in 15 games and none scored in the last 4 home games.

IMHO we could do with someone now rather than wait till January. Maybe there are some free agent strikers out there. It could be financed by letting a number of fringe players who are not getting first team games go out on loan to Conference sides if any of the Conference sides want a player who can't get in our team !

I thought it's been a while since we all had a whinge about podge ....let's do it ..I'll start by saying " change the fucking record!"

Here’s another first , I agree with tatiehead

McGurk needs to play through the middle and nearer to the goal. Clearly he is our best player by a million miles and naturally tries to do too much. He should be on the last man all the time for me. He is our only goal threat. The only trouble is we don't have a midfielder capable of passing forward.

BerlinWaller wrote:McGurk needs to play through the middle and nearer to the goal. Clearly he is our best player by a million miles and naturally tries to do too much. He should be on the last man all the time for me. He is our only goal threat. The only trouble is we don't have a midfielder capable of passing forward.

Elliott Osbourne ?

Gone_Shrimping wrote:

BerlinWaller wrote:McGurk needs to play through the middle and nearer to the goal. Clearly he is our best player by a million miles and naturally tries to do too much. He should be on the last man all the time for me. He is our only goal threat. The only trouble is we don't have a midfielder capable of passing forward.

Elliott Osbourne ?

Fully expected him to start but for some reason he's seems to be used as a sub. And as for making use of the striker on loan from Everton....

No doubt when Kevin is available he'll get back in at the expence of Wildig ( ) but as everyone seems to agree we need to splash some pennies in January to find a striker from somewhere....but not sure where.

I rate Osbourne highly but he does give it away quite a bit. I think he is worth starting and accepting that he will lose it or try one too many glory passes. I would start him in place of Flemmo and drop Wildig in to a more Central role.

Christies Child wrote:

Gone_Shrimping wrote:

BerlinWaller wrote:McGurk needs to play through the middle and nearer to the goal. Clearly he is our best player by a million miles and naturally tries to do too much. He should be on the last man all the time for me. He is our only goal threat. The only trouble is we don't have a midfielder capable of passing forward.

Elliott Osbourne ?

Fully expected him to start but for some reason he's seems to be used as a sub. And as for making use of the striker on loan from Everton....

No doubt when Kevin is available he'll get back in at the expence of Wildig ( ) but as everyone seems to agree we need to splash some pennies in January to find a striker from somewhere....but not sure where.

Oliver and McGurk are decent League 2 strikers. The problem is the same problem we have had for a bit and that is terrible service.

BerlinWaller wrote:McGurk needs to play through the middle and nearer to the goal. Clearly he is our best player by a million miles and naturally tries to do too much. He should be on the last man all the time for me. He is our only goal threat. The only trouble is we don't have a midfielder capable of passing forward.

IMO wildig is the best passer we have, he plays intelligent balls and his movement off the ball is excellent.

am I the only one that would play Oliver as a holding midfielder?

MFC-Manc wrote:

BerlinWaller wrote:McGurk needs to play through the middle and nearer to the goal. Clearly he is our best player by a million miles and naturally tries to do too much. He should be on the last man all the time for me. He is our only goal threat. The only trouble is we don't have a midfielder capable of passing forward.

IMO wildig is the best passer we have, he plays intelligent balls and his movement off the ball is excellent.

Agreed. He is wasted in this number 10/Frank Lampard role. He has no influence on the game but his passing and runs from deep make him our best Centre Mid.

I think its the pace at which we go forward at is the problem ,just take the Grimsby game for example . We had some really good build up play in the first half on Saturday but all the Grimsby players were in position with their backs to goal and prepared for our attack , whereas when they broke forward we were back pedalling and and looked panicy as in most games. Its the same situation when we are in the attacking half and get a throw-in , we either wait ten minutes for Michael Rose to come over and take a long throw but again is negated by all the opposition being in position ready to head it away or another player will just stand there wating for someone to move for him.
Another thing that i think is missing from our front players is to actually run at defenders and create their own chance or lay it off into space for one of their team mates , maybe give Luke Jordan and Deakin a chance to run at defenders , just an idea.

It's about developing a good a partnership. For me.

Like Sheringham and Shearer, Lineker and Beardsley, Rush and Dalglish, Cole and Yorke

I woukd like Olivier n McGurk/Thompson in a front 2, and keep the fricking shape of the team the same, then we might see the players gel.

We've a pacy team, but we faff around with side/back passes instead of going forward. There were a couple of opportunities against Grimsby where we could, and should, have just gone forward at full speed when their players were forward, even if there was just 1 or 2 of our players, and just tried our luck to shoot from a distance or swerve around their defence. Yet we did the usual - started passing it around ourselves and delaying until we had plenty of players up front, which gave them the time to regroup and put plenty of bodies back in front of their goal. We need to be willing to run at the opposition, and we're just not doing that at the moment. McGowan shows signs of it as he can sometimes be happy to run with the ball at/past defenders, but Flemmo, Wildig, etc just seem eager to pass and won't keep and run with it.

As said on here many times, the lads on the front line aren't getting the service from the midfield. It's why the likes of Osborne, Miller, etc are so noticeable when they play as they're happy to bring the ball through, dodging a few opposition players on the way.

Re a front line pairing, yes, of course, a good partnership is essential if you have 2 up front, but it's still not going to help if they're not getting the right service from midfield - it needs to be more than hopeful hoofs from the back line!

halftimeresults wrote:am I the only one that would play Oliver as a holding midfielder?

Yes

BerlinWaller wrote:I rate Osbourne highly but he does give it away quite a bit. I think he is worth starting and accepting that he will lose it or try one too many glory passes. I would start him in place of Flemmo and drop Wildig in to a more Central role.

I'd just drop Wildig. Doesn't offer anything in the attacking midfield role for me especially when we are short of goals. He's never scored more than 3 in a season and last year scored 2. That's only one more than Barry! I do like him as a footballer, just can't see where he fits in.

However always happy to put my money where my mouth is. £10 to the trust for every goal he scores (including the one he already has)

OK I'm being facetious and not wholly serious here, but "Shouldn't have let Podge go?" Really?
He's been to Grimsby, Hartlepool and now Newport since he left?

What next, we shouldn't have let Roy Fawcett retire? Or Keith Galley? Twissy anyone?

For me Kev is available and will return on Saturday as he is the only current forward who is inform.

As for Wildig, he gets himself in some great positions but needs to pot one and then push on, but he keeps missing them!!!

Freez wrote:OK I'm being facetious and not wholly serious here, but "Shouldn't have let Podge go?" Really?
He's been to Grimsby, Hartlepool and now Newport since he left?

What next, we shouldn't have let Roy Fawcett retire? Or Keith Galley? Twissy anyone?

For me Kev is available and will return on Saturday as he is the only current forward who is inform.

As for Wildig, he gets himself in some great positions but needs to pot one and then push on, but he keeps missing them!!!

Grimsby 35 goals and 2 Wembley medals in a season. (Conference goals are probably just as hard to score)

6 goals in 10 games for Newport.

He's gone and isn't coming back but IMHO he would be useful to us now if we had him.

You missed Tony Webber out

KenH wrote:We've a pacy team

Do we? My biggest concern about this team is how pedestrian we are going forward. When your quickest player in attacking positions is a 36 year old you have a problem!

I wonder how far off Luke Jordan and Reece Deakin are from being ready for more first team action?

Gone_Shrimping wrote:

Freez wrote:OK I'm being facetious and not wholly serious here, but "Shouldn't have let Podge go?" Really?
He's been to Grimsby, Hartlepool and now Newport since he left?

What next, we shouldn't have let Roy Fawcett retire? Or Keith Galley? Twissy anyone?

For me Kev is available and will return on Saturday as he is the only current forward who is inform.

As for Wildig, he gets himself in some great positions but needs to pot one and then push on, but he keeps missing them!!!

Grimsby 35 goals and 2 Wembley medals in a season. (Conference goals are probably just as hard to score)

6 goals in 10 games for Newport.

He's schooled you on this one Freez

Grimsby was Conference, not admissible, Kev has four goals in 7 starts in the league, similar stat.
As for Tony Webber, it did cross my mind, though he set them up at Wembley which was good enough for me

Freez wrote:Grimsby was Conference, not admissible, Kev has four goals in 7 starts in the league, similar stat.
As for Tony Webber, it did cross my mind, though he set them up at Wembley which was good enough for me

If you look at Podge's goals in the Conference for Grimsby he was very much a flat track bully. The vast majority of them came against teams that finished in the bottom half of the table. I think he only scored one or two against the top 10 all season.

Aha, Shrimpy comes to my aid, thank you good Sir Knight! So ner ner

Freez wrote:Aha, Shrimpy comes to my aid, thank you good Sir Knight! So ner ner

Do you not think we could do with a "flat track bully" ? Crawley , Port Vale , Grimsby !!

35 goals in the Conference must equate to 15/20 in League 2.

Who in the present squad will score 10 this season , possibly Kev.