New striker, or mid table at best

[John Lennon]

We need another striker who can score goals. Its been said over and over again, but pre season has showed that if Constable gets injured, we will struggle to score. If we are going to do anything this season, a goalscorer is needed, thats obvious now

[hector]

Where would we play him, given that we play a front three?? Out of position out wide, or stick a goalscorer on the bench just in case Constable gets injured?? Or play two up front, and only pick two midfielders from Bulman, Clist, Heslop and Hall...?

[dabigfella]

Things may change when the season start (and we can hope that it does), but the goal scoring front does look pretty weak so far.

[yellowg]

whats obvious is that Matt Green, Jack Midson and aaron Woodley will need to step up to the plate and help with the goals when the season starts. The Oxford City Match did not tell us much....We will know more by Xmas.

[SussexOx]

I mentioned in another thread that I think we will be hard to beat this season, but if the pre-season is anything to go by, we'll be drawing or losing a lot of tight games due to our lack of firepower. Not good for our poor ol' nerves!
Pre-season has proved that we need a goalscorer. If that means we have to change the system, so be it.
We were relegated to the conference not because we we're getting thrashed each week, but mainly because we didn't win/draw tight games as we didn't have a goalscorer.

[Long John Silver]

Jul 30, 2010 22:29:22 GMT hector said:

Where would we play him, given that we play a front three?? Out of position out wide, or stick a goalscorer on the bench just in case Constable gets injured?? Or play two up front, and only pick two midfielders from Bulman, Clist, Heslop and Hall...?

We don't have to play a front three .

We should play whatever formation is needed to win games, and maybe 4-4-2 would get more goals. We also don't have to play every centre midfield player that we have and could easily see us just playing Bulman and Heslop in the centre, or whichever two are showing form in training.

Playing those two centre midfield players, with Potter and Cole as wide players supplying Constable and a strike partner, both of whom can just concentrate on being in the centre, could be a decent option.

so...

Potter - Heslop - Bulman - Cole
Constable - other 'goalscorer'

With 7 players on the bench now, the other players will be involved and have the chances to impress if any of the starters don't measure up.

[manorrelic]

Agree we need another proven goalscorer. I also think we need a forwards' coach, may be worth approaching Mr.Claridge, doing some media work, lives quite close, would probably fancy a couple of days coaching, worked with Beano at Walsall, previously applied for Mgmt. at OUFC, worth a shout?

[The Fence End]

We need a new striker or we need Midson, Green, Cole, Hall, Potter, Deering, Hall and Heslop to deliver and create clear chances and/or get their share of the goals.

[hht]

What is so wrong with Matt Green's goal return?

24 in 49 Starts. Thats 1 in 2.

Including subs:

24 in 70 - Better than 1 in 3.


So if Beano and Green Started all 46 games next season they should see these goal returns (based on current goals/games ratio for OUFC):

13 (counting sub)-22(just league) ish for Matt Green

and

23-26 ish for beano


So lets air on the side of caution and say between them they get 35 then that would most likely manifest itself as 15ish for greeny and 20ish for beano.

Both bloody respectable for first season in league 2 with OUFC.


What im trying to demonstrate is Whilst beano is our main goalscorer green has actually a awesome record too for OUFC.
The goal drought buck will stop with Midson/Potter/Hall/Deering/Cole I feel as they should all (if they play a part in most games) be knocking in between 5-10. Midson perhaps moreso due to his striker status.

[John Lennon]

Say Constable gets injured for 2 or 3 games. Apart from Green, there is no other goal scorer. I fear we will struggle to do anything this season because of a lack of goals. If we arent just happy being a mid table side, then a proven goal scorer is a must

[billyox]

how many goals did we score last pre season???
personally i think we have more goals in us this season than last season we have better midfielders and better attacking options.

[baldy]

This thread title is bonkers. I'll have a wager with anyone that if we have this current strike force - Constable, Green, Midson and Woodley - for the whole of this season we will finish very, very close to a play off place at worst and we will be comfortably over mid table.

My league 2 knowledge isn't great but perhaps someone can post a potent foursome of strikers that other teams in our league have to select from who are considerably superior to our four.

Beano's a 1 in 2 merchant, Green can't be far off, Midson banged in 25 for a village team in the Conference the season before last and he barely spent any time at all last season in his favoured position and in the one that I assume made us buy him in the first place. Woodley is a bit of an unknown quantity but very highly thought of.

[dabigfella]

Jul 31, 2010 16:44:05 GMT baldy said:

This thread title is bonkers. I'll have a wager with anyone that if we have this current strike force - Constable, Green, Midson and Woodley - for the whole of this season we will finish very, very close to a play off place at worst and we will be comfortably over mid table.

My league 2 knowledge isn't great but perhaps someone can post a potent foursome of strikers that other teams in our league have to select from who are considerably superior to our four.

Beano's a 1 in 2 merchant, Green can't be far off, Midson banged in 25 for a village team in the Conference the season before last and he barely spent any time at all last season in his favoured position and in the one that I assume made us buy him in the first place. Woodley is a bit of an unknown quantity but very highly thought of.

I think people are basing their worries on the form so far this season. And that doesn't look too good. As I have said before things may change and we must hope that they do.

[oufcrealist]

The simple fact is that we have to average around 2 goals a game to be play off contenders or better.
Do our crop of strikers have that in them? Bearing in mind there will be injuries and suspensions.

[headlesspnub]

Bollox is it. The FACT is that if we won every game next year 1-0 we would win the league and I'd rather that then winning 4-3, then we really do have a problem.

I agree that we need more than just Beano scoring the goals, and Wilder acknowledged that the midfield didn't chip in with enough last season (an issue he has addressed hopefully with the signing of Hall and Heslop).

I'm sure it's a situation that Wilder and his staff are monitoring, but a 20 goal a season striker isn't just going to appear on a free, so we are just going to have to wait and be patient and pray Wilder finds a gem.

As for the title of this thread... Could you be any more dramatic?

[edgecam]

Before we condemn the team to mid table, lets all remember when we signed a lad on loan called Jamie Guy what was billed as the league’s top scorer, Ha bloody Ha. Give the team a chance. I believe.

[m]

Jul 31, 2010 11:44:03 GMT hht said:

What is so wrong with Matt Green's goal return?

24 in 49 Starts. Thats 1 in 2.

Including subs:

24 in 70 - Better than 1 in 3.


So if Beano and Green Started all 46 games next season they should see these goal returns (based on current goals/games ratio for OUFC):

13 (counting sub)-22(just league) ish for Matt Green

and

23-26 ish for beano


So lets air on the side of caution and say between them they get 35 then that would most likely manifest itself as 15ish for greeny and 20ish for beano.

Both bloody respectable for first season in league 2 with OUFC.


What im trying to demonstrate is Whilst beano is our main goalscorer green has actually a awesome record too for OUFC.
The goal drought buck will stop with Midson/Potter/Hall/Deering/Cole I feel as they should all (if they play a part in most games) be knocking in between 5-10. Midson perhaps moreso due to his striker status.

To add to that, it would be nice for our CB's to chip in with a few goals from corners or free kicks.



It's worth remembering that only 2, yes 2 teams in the entire FL had 2 20+ goal strikers last season.

[ernie]

didnt realise it was only 2 but its very unusual to have 2 prolific strikers ie 20 goal + per season men....when we were flying at the beginning of last season goals came from all over the team to back up Beano..thats what we need this year...hopefully Hall and Heslop can deliver some from midfield as well as Sam, Alfie and Mitchell...Realistically a 20 goal a season man isnt going to come here to play 2nd fiddle to Beano if hes experienced ...The young lad who's come on loan fromn Chelsea is a more likely solution or someone like him....fingers crossed

[dabigfella]

Aug 2, 2010 11:41:58 GMT ernie said:

didnt realise it was only 2 but its very unusual to have 2 prolific strikers ie 20 goal + per season men....when we were flying at the beginning of last season goals came from all over the team to back up Beano..thats what we need this year...hopefully Hall and Heslop can deliver some from midfield as well as Sam, Alfie and Mitchell...Realistically a 20 goal a season man isnt going to come here to play 2nd fiddle to Beano if hes experienced ...The young lad who's come on loan fromn Chelsea is a more likely solution or someone like him....fingers crossed

Though he is a midfielder and not a forward despite the blurb on the official site. Mind you he might help on the lack of goals from midfield.

[headlesspnub]

Aug 2, 2010 12:06:35 GMT dabigfella said:

Aug 2, 2010 11:41:58 GMT ernie said:

didnt realise it was only 2 but its very unusual to have 2 prolific strikers ie 20 goal + per season men....when we were flying at the beginning of last season goals came from all over the team to back up Beano..thats what we need this year...hopefully Hall and Heslop can deliver some from midfield as well as Sam, Alfie and Mitchell...Realistically a 20 goal a season man isnt going to come here to play 2nd fiddle to Beano if hes experienced ...The young lad who's come on loan fromn Chelsea is a more likely solution or someone like him....fingers crossed

Though he is a midfielder and not a forward despite the blurb on the official site. Mind you he might help on the lack of goals from midfield.

He may consider himself a midfielder, but if Wilder thinks he can play in that forward role Midson occupies then that's where he'll play. I agree though that he's also competition for Hall's role, but I think from Wilder's comments we'll be trying him out upfront.