Poyet: CMS will be tough to replace (From The Argus)

Feel sorry for cms although I get the feeling he would not of started many more games this season (regardless of what poyet has said)

In terms of a striker i feel buckley could do a job there if needed so perhaps its not as desperate as we all think.

I am available gus still got my boots

MrHove wrote:
Feel sorry for cms although I get the feeling he would not of started many more games this season (regardless of what poyet has said)

In terms of a striker i feel buckley could do a job there if needed so perhaps its not as desperate as we all think.

You wouldnt say that if you saw his performance in Bristol, he was very poor, he looked jaded, unfit, underwieght an lacking any speed that we used to enjoy from him. He isnt the answer up front.... nor is Barnes.

heathgate wrote:

MrHove wrote:
Feel sorry for cms although I get the feeling he would not of started many more games this season (regardless of what poyet has said)

In terms of a striker i feel buckley could do a job there if needed so perhaps its not as desperate as we all think.

You wouldnt say that if you saw his performance in Bristol, he was very poor, he looked jaded, unfit, underwieght an lacking any speed that we used to enjoy from him. He isnt the answer up front.... nor is Barnes.

Not even when you consider Barnes has been our second top-scorer for the last two seasons? He can definitely do a decent job up front, given a chance.

I think Barnes could do a decent job in what is still probably his preferred position. He hasn't had many chances to play there, especially in the last 2 seasons. He obviously isn't everyone's cup of tea but out of all our players, he seems to be one with the knack of hitting the back of the net more often than not when he gets the chance. We have plenty of options in midfield too. Lacking the pace of CMS won't matter too much as, with our style of play, the centre-forward has his back to goal most of the time. And we still have pace options in Buckley and Lua Lua.

However, it depends who we can get our hands on! If a tried and tested player came up, its a different story but how likely is that?

Still, no need to panic IMHO.

Yes Craig will be tough to replace,and i hope everything goes smoothly during his operation and recovery.

I have long thought that Kaz should be given a shot up front in situations like the one we are in. Give the guy a go and he may well surprise a few people with his pace and good feet,what is there to lose?.

But we still need Gus to bring in a cover for the rest of the season,come on Gus with the contacts you must have surely we can get someone worth while,look at the prize that is in reach.

But do it quick!. don`t procrastinate or the Play-offs will very quickly become out of reach. UTA

Ring Mancini Gus and ask him for Guidetti on loan for the rest of the season.

Play two wingers, Ulloa and Barnes alternating up front with Toby or Barker on the bench for cover and see what they can bring to the table.

Andy Naylor has tweeted Simon Church could be among the loan candidates.

Agree tommy, I would like to see Toby have a go. He would surely have more reason to perform and prove himself rather than some Vokes or a Paynter coming in.

At least Toby already knows our system.

With 11 games to go, we haven't got the luxury of giving an outsider time to settle in. In fact, come Tuesday we will have just 9 games left.

If we want speed to unsettle defences, chuck KLL on in a central role.

Unless it is a loan of a player we were looking to sign anyway, we should make do with who we have.

championshipgull wrote:
Andy Naylor has tweeted Simon Church could be among the loan candidates.

I thought Church was already on loan at Huddersfield?. UTA

tug509 wrote:

championshipgull wrote:
Andy Naylor has tweeted Simon Church could be among the loan candidates.

I thought Church was already on loan at Huddersfield?. UTA

Just had a look at Wikipedia according to his page there he went back to Reading in December after scoring 1 goal in 7 games the goal being against us when we won up there 1-2

Buckley through the middle - KLL on the wing

championshipgull wrote:

tug509 wrote:

championshipgull wrote:
Andy Naylor has tweeted Simon Church could be among the loan candidates.

I thought Church was already on loan at Huddersfield?. UTA

Just had a look at Wikipedia according to his page there he went back to Reading in December after scoring 1 goal in 7 games the goal being against us when we won up there 1-2

Used to think he was underrated,maybe ,with respect to Hudds,he didn`t have the team around him to shine,very early days but im still not sure about what he has that we dont have in the ranks already?. UTA

Can't we just play five in midfield and dominate with our passing game? 11 games to go, is it worth getting a new signing?

I realise it limits our options but with players we have in midfield surely their class will overcome the problem? 2x cdm in Bridcutt and Hammond, 2x wingers in Bucley and Lopez and 1x cam in Vicente and then we have Orlandi, LuaLua, Dicker and Crofts(?) in any amount of combinations.

Plus development squad for back up. Toby was more then capable when he came on against Peterborough last season

The main problem i see with not bringing in another striker is,(fingers and toes crossed,i dont want to tempt fate) things tend to happen in 3s,a bit like waiting for a bus,none then 3 at once. If Ulloa needed to be rested as has been implied by Gus we would need cover for him,or heaven forbid Barnes falls foul to this bug again or worse still,pick up an injury at Bolton,leaving 10 games to get through. I say get at least one loan striker,my dad,god rest him,always said,its better to have it and not need it,than to need it and not have it. UTA

Bring back Gary hart

Wouldn't it be good if one of the development squad as given a chance and it came off. I recall Wardy's first rub out with the first team in a pre-season match against first division Ipswich at the Goldstone - the first I'd seen of him. What a stunning debut - I was in awe (and shock) watching him totally bamboozle the likes of Kevin Beatie, then playing at international level. The look of sheer exasperation on Beatie's face at being given the run-around byhis kid was a joy to behold.

...this kid, that should have read, not HIS kid.
As I type on this site half the text goes missing!

Lawro was God wrote:
Ring Mancini Gus and ask him for Guidetti on loan for the rest of the season.

Gus seems to have a decent relationship with Man City based on last season's loan signings. Our biggest problem is lack of goals even when our forwards have been fit - can't believe that some people are now saying make do within our own squad. We need something extra to stay in the hunt for the play offs and hopefully ultimately prevail there.

Although CMS runs his socks off his Goals to appearances ratio has not been very good with us I think its about 1 in every 3 and a half games Leo has already achieved better than 1 in 2.
I know they are totally different players but they were both bought to score goals,

There seems to be a mix of, 'make do and mend,' and 'look at the prize that awaits,' I don't see how the two can be combined.

Ulloa had very little playing time before he came to us and now look how much he gets. If we want another injury all we need do is keep playing him, something will give sooner or later.

Can we pin our promotion run on two or three lads from the development squad, does that really make sense. 'Give them a go,' and hope it works out, I don't think so. Toby, JFC and Barker, all good lads yes but if they are good enough they would have been selected to start by now. The loan periods two of them have had didn't exactly set the world alight.

The simple fact is that we have just two strikers and one of them really needs to take a break, if only for the odd match, or half match here and there.

Play Buckley up front and Lua Lua out wide, Buckley seems to have lost his touch and Lua Lua, like Vicente, struggles to get thru 90 minutes. Make do and mend won't work. If we were mid table and going nowhere then yes, but we are not.

The prize is big, very big, and Gus must act quickly to bring in at least one striker, in fact I could make a case for two additional strikers. I htink we can get thru our next match with what we have but for the last ten, we must have someone else. If we have to spend 30k a week on two guys so be it, 300k against sixty million and prem football at the Amex.

jcd1972 wrote:

Lawro was God wrote:
Ring Mancini Gus and ask him for Guidetti on loan for the rest of the season.

Gus seems to have a decent relationship with Man City based on last season's loan signings. Our biggest problem is lack of goals even when our forwards have been fit - can't believe that some people are now saying make do within our own squad. We need something extra to stay in the hunt for the play offs and hopefully ultimately prevail there.

Yep agree, i thought the same jcd,just treading water from now on will lose our play-off place,we need goals,plain and simple!. UTA

markymark03 wrote:
Can't we just play five in midfield and dominate with our passing game? 11 games to go, is it worth getting a new signing? I realise it limits our options but with players we have in midfield surely their class will overcome the problem? 2x cdm in Bridcutt and Hammond, 2x wingers in Bucley and Lopez and 1x cam in Vicente and then we have Orlandi, LuaLua, Dicker and Crofts(?) in any amount of combinations. Plus development squad for back up. Toby was more then capable when he came on against Peterborough last season

Mark our, 'class,' didn't do anything for us at Bristol, not a single shot.

VegasSeagull wrote:
There seems to be a mix of, 'make do and mend,' and 'look at the prize that awaits,' I don't see how the two can be combined. Ulloa had very little playing time before he came to us and now look how much he gets. If we want another injury all we need do is keep playing him, something will give sooner or later. Can we pin our promotion run on two or three lads from the development squad, does that really make sense. 'Give them a go,' and hope it works out, I don't think so. Toby, JFC and Barker, all good lads yes but if they are good enough they would have been selected to start by now. The loan periods two of them have had didn't exactly set the world alight. The simple fact is that we have just two strikers and one of them really needs to take a break, if only for the odd match, or half match here and there. Play Buckley up front and Lua Lua out wide, Buckley seems to have lost his touch and Lua Lua, like Vicente, struggles to get thru 90 minutes. Make do and mend won't work. If we were mid table and going nowhere then yes, but we are not. The prize is big, very big, and Gus must act quickly to bring in at least one striker, in fact I could make a case for two additional strikers. I htink we can get thru our next match with what we have but for the last ten, we must have someone else. If we have to spend 30k a week on two guys so be it, 300k against sixty million and prem football at the Amex.

Nail. On. Head.

If we are serious about making the play-offs this season and getting to the promised land of The Premiership, then I think getting another striker in is an absolute must. If we don't, and (God forbid) Ulloa breaks down as well, we can kiss the play-offs goodbye. As Vegas says, if we were mid-table and going nowhere, then fine, mae do with what we've got and give the ds guys a chance, but we're not.

If we aren't looking at Toby now to step up, I would want to leave if I were him. He is 6ft 1in, strong, has good balance, reads the game well and has showed commitment to the club. What more do we want from someone.

He has always played well with his limited chances, he never looked out of sorts, and we signed him until 2015.

At 21 he should be given the chance to play first team football, and if not with us he should be out on loan somewhere else, like what WBA did with Wood.

Sometimes the solution is under your noses. Last year we went for two loanies instead of playing Toby and we dropped down the table. Not playing him didn't work out.

Give him a go Gus, at least from the bench.

Morning Vegas,

as usual your on the money,cant see us getting away with a band-aid to close a wound as big as this one. I truly believe if we go for a couple of good loans and ante up,we will benefit in the play-offs,if not i see us missing out altogether.

Hopefully Gus will realise this is our biggest chance of going up,on the Bolton forums they are chuffed we have lost CMS,but it is also on their sites that Gus will get someone in to take up the strain. Their confident about Saturday,a loan signing may change that,the lack of one will confirm it.

I say pay the money,get the loans,and smile all the way to the bank when we go up. UTA

tug509 wrote:
Morning Vegas,

as usual your on the money,cant see us getting away with a band-aid to close a wound as big as this one. I truly believe if we go for a couple of good loans and ante up,we will benefit in the play-offs,if not i see us missing out altogether.

Hopefully Gus will realise this is our biggest chance of going up,on the Bolton forums they are chuffed we have lost CMS,but it is also on their sites that Gus will get someone in to take up the strain. Their confident about Saturday,a loan signing may change that,the lack of one will confirm it.

I say pay the money,get the loans,and smile all the way to the bank when we go up. UTA

Agree right up to your confidence of going up. What many people on here have got to get their heads round is the balance sheet.
QPR have just lost 20 + million in their first year in prem and about to come back down in year 2. Wakey ,wakey or we will be back at the withdean!!!
Holy grail of prem ,is just that. If our season is about to falter on injuries ,so be it , that as gus says is football.
I will say this if our 20 = age group players can't step up then i fear a big step down to no league footie for them req as obviously they are to coin a poster on here and it grieves me to say it they are freeloaders.

Some of us are old enough to recall that Mullery signed Martin Chivers at the back end of the 78/79 season, the final push for promotion. Cost £15k then, and I think scored 2 or 3 goals that made the difference. We currently only have Ulloa and Barnes as recognised first team strikers. This is not enough to get us to the play offs. Gus had Barker and Jake on the bench on Tuesday and elected to use neither of them, why? This tells us that he does not yet have the confidence in them to make a difference in the first team. If we had been 3 up at 70 mins, we might have seen either or both on the pitch. My view is GP is right to look for a quality and proven striker to support us through to the season end.

The gap between playing for the Development Squad and the first team is huge. If Barker and Agdestein were up to it, we would surely have seen them by now.

How quickly things change in football. Five days ago, we were brimming with confidence after Ulloa's hat-trick heroics against Huddersfield. Now that confidence has been shaken (at least mine has) – not so much by the result at Bristol City but more by the shocking performance and the season-ending injury to CMS.

The next four games are going to be tough to say the least. Bolton (a), Barnsley (a), Palace (h), Forest (a). I would say Barnsley is a "must win" and I'll take what I can get from the other three.

While I hope Gus can find a suitable striker on loan, I think the return of Wayne Bridge from injury is much more important because playing Calde in that position, particularly away from home, leaves us exposed. Has anyone heard anything about when we can expect Bridge to be back?

bruce beckett wrote:
The gap between playing for the Development Squad and the first team is huge. If Barker and Agdestein were up to it, we would surely have seen them by now.

How quickly things change in football. Five days ago, we were brimming with confidence after Ulloa's hat-trick heroics against Huddersfield. Now that confidence has been shaken (at least mine has) – not so much by the result at Bristol City but more by the shocking performance and the season-ending injury to CMS.

The next four games are going to be tough to say the least. Bolton (a), Barnsley (a), Palace (h), Forest (a). I would say Barnsley is a "must win" and I'll take what I can get from the other three.

While I hope Gus can find a suitable striker on loan, I think the return of Wayne Bridge from injury is much more important because playing Calde in that position, particularly away from home, leaves us exposed. Has anyone heard anything about when we can expect Bridge to be back?

The gap might be huge, Bruce, but somehow it has to be bridged. Young Barker should perhaps have been shoved on against BC, given the objective on the night seemed more about not losing. He would have learned a little - as might Gus - and he couldn't have done worse than a 'jaded' Ulloa...

Probably, there's too much wrong with our development system at the moment if players can't come through - which will take more than fancy facilities to fix.

CantUseNSCatWork wrote:

VegasSeagull wrote:
There seems to be a mix of, 'make do and mend,' and 'look at the prize that awaits,' I don't see how the two can be combined. Ulloa had very little playing time before he came to us and now look how much he gets. If we want another injury all we need do is keep playing him, something will give sooner or later. Can we pin our promotion run on two or three lads from the development squad, does that really make sense. 'Give them a go,' and hope it works out, I don't think so. Toby, JFC and Barker, all good lads yes but if they are good enough they would have been selected to start by now. The loan periods two of them have had didn't exactly set the world alight. The simple fact is that we have just two strikers and one of them really needs to take a break, if only for the odd match, or half match here and there. Play Buckley up front and Lua Lua out wide, Buckley seems to have lost his touch and Lua Lua, like Vicente, struggles to get thru 90 minutes. Make do and mend won't work. If we were mid table and going nowhere then yes, but we are not. The prize is big, very big, and Gus must act quickly to bring in at least one striker, in fact I could make a case for two additional strikers. I htink we can get thru our next match with what we have but for the last ten, we must have someone else. If we have to spend 30k a week on two guys so be it, 300k against sixty million and prem football at the Amex.

Nail. On. Head.

If we are serious about making the play-offs this season and getting to the promised land of The Premiership, then I think getting another striker in is an absolute must. If we don't, and (God forbid) Ulloa breaks down as well, we can kiss the play-offs goodbye. As Vegas says, if we were mid-table and going nowhere, then fine, mae do with what we've got and give the ds guys a chance, but we're not.

We got two loanies last year and we dropped down the table.

We don't even know what targets are available, or even their commitment to our promotion.

I don't want anyone coming here just to stretch their legs, and Gus has always said he doesn't like loans.

In 5 days time we will only have 9 games left and with al the will in the world I cannot see a miracle signing coming in.

Good morning Tug.

I think that there is a big difference when asking a DS player to step up when we are challenging for the playoffs, than when it is mid-season or earlier.

Our whole season rests on the remaining matches, gamble on the DS lads or gamble on a couple of experienced prem loanees, you pay your money and take your choice.

The fact that Gus instantly announced that he would look to borrow a striker might suggest that he feels that the young lads are just not up to it.
We can't start players based on sentiment, not at this time of the year and being where we are in the table.

Toby, JFC, Barker and Hoskins, they all have their supporters but as yet I haven't found anything to suggest that Gus is wrong about how he uses them or not, as the case might be.
Hoskins would have got his chance had it not been for his injury, but that seems about as far as Gus is prepared to go, there has to be a reason for that.

I have to think that in training our DS lads have been pitted against our first team defenders, if they didn't show enough in training then how can we call on them to get us promoted, and that is what we would be doing. Draws won't get it done, goals will.

Please do not mistake this as a negative post, more a realists post. CMS is without doubt a hard worker, runs around and trys to get involved, but correct me if I am wrong, but he is employed to score goals-that is the remit of a forward?? I have just looked at the 'wonderful' club web site and found the stats on CMS goals and the last one he scored was on New Years day at Ipswich, and no goals since which proves ---IMO--that he has definitely gone off the boil, and whilst he is definitely a 'good professional bloke', who Gus has high regard for, 11 goals so far for a goal scoring machine does not compare with some others I could mention!!
The question whether Gus is going to find a replacement is debateable bearing in mind the difficulty and time taken to land Ulloa---OK he was a signing rather than loan, but I think many commented here at the time that GOOD forwards are a rare commodity. For those who have mentioned Michael Owen---I assume you were all joking, nice guy but another Mr Sicknote!!. I wish Gus all the luck and as Vegas has said, we need a proven forward not a 'try and see member of the Dev Squad'--their time will come or they will be out in the shakeup.

Hovite you are right regarding who we might bring in, finding a, 'star,' with such little time left in the season will not be easy.
If it doesn't happen then the DS lads will get their chance, we will have no other option.

Upson wants a contract next year, maybe there are a couple of strikers, or at least one, who might also fancy it.

For Upson Brighton looks like his road back to regular prem football, or at least the chance of it, can we say that it's impossible that a striker of his ilk might not think the same.

I don't think we could get Crouch but just for arguments sake let's say we could, would you play Toby ahead of Crouch? There are some prem strikers that are not seeing much match time, three months by the seaside might look good to them.

Mikeygit,not a negative post at all imo,but bang on the money,it seems a great deal of lads on here are in agreement,all bar the detail.

Vegas,you have a knack at looking at both sides of a problem at once,nice to see you are using so much of that Nevada sunshine to think about the Albion......You do of course know that they tested THE bomb just up the road at Whitesands!!!. Just a thought. UTA

Mikeygit, you make a very good point and one I mentioned yesterday. We paid a lot of money (for a club of our resources) for CMS in the expectation of him scoring a lot of goals for us. If you use the yardstick that a top striker should be averaging a goal in every three games, then his record of 20 goals in 74 games is below average.

You can argue that his chances have been limited due to the system Gus plays, but whatever way you cut it, his second half of the season has been a big disappointment.

Obviously, his loss is a major blow, but it's based more on what he could have done for us rather than what he has done for us lately.

Bruce--yes agree---we have played 35 games and he has scored 11 and now not scored in 12 matches--a certain Mr Murray has scored 27 in 36!!! At present it is our midfield that are scoring our goals!!

Tug I am well aware of, 'that test,' and as Vegas is a military city, maybe not many people know that, it is a subject that is still talked about today.

Every day, except sundays, I have an assortment of war planes flying just north of my home, at times they are right above it.

A-wacs, F 16's, stealth fighters and bombers, transport planes, choppers, just about every type of war plane America has.
At certain times of the year we also get to look up and see war planes from all over the world, they come here to practice tactical flight and fight plans, nato forces.

When these flights happen I get to chew the fat with British air crew in my local bar, footy is always the top topic.


,

VegasSeagull wrote:
Tug I am well aware of, 'that test,' and as Vegas is a military city, maybe not many people know that, it is a subject that is still talked about today.

Every day, except sundays, I have an assortment of war planes flying just north of my home, at times they are right above it.

A-wacs, F 16's, stealth fighters and bombers, transport planes, choppers, just about every type of war plane America has.
At certain times of the year we also get to look up and see war planes from all over the world, they come here to practice tactical flight and fight plans, nato forces.

When these flights happen I get to chew the fat with British air crew in my local bar, footy is always the top topic.


,

Love military aircraft ever since a kid. I was trying to make a smart arse joke about the fallout effecting your capacity and propensity to talk about our great club,keep up the good work mate. UTA

Tug it would take more than a mere atom bomb test to stop my brain thinking about Brighton.

You can take the man out of Brighton but you can't take Brighton out of the man.

My wife got a break tuesday evening as there was nothing for me to bang on about after the City performance.

I don't dwell on the negatives with her when we don't play well, no point as she is only now getting into soccer. She is still confused by the terms, fallback and mid-field holding player. She doesn't like Rooney, she thinks he looks like a thug, go figure. She likes Bale but not his haircut. It took me forever to explain the offside rule to her and now she gets it, she wants it done away with, she says it would make for a more exciting game. She might have a point.

I agree with Brian Owen. He wrote in the Argus today.
“Much as he might not want the role CMS has been used as an effective substitute at home in recent games.
He also has that busy style which makes him far more appropriate for the games on the back foot such as that at Bristol city.”
CMS was having a magnificent season right up until the injury.

I know what you mean,my wife never moans about my love for the Albion,even though i have 5 framed shirts in the living room and 5 in the dining room,homes in the LR aways in the DR.

Your right there was naff all to moan or talk about Tuesday night,even my pint tasted off.

Its funny you say ,"cant take Brighton out of the man" . Today ,as i sometimes do,i had a little walk around my old haunts in Brighton,the sort of places that i dont have time to see on a quick visit for a game.

I had a bad motorbike smash,years ago,it didn`t involve anyone else. And i have been a passenger in a car crash on two occasions,one a write off,so guess who dont fecking drive any where no more!.

My point is Vegas ,that even going for a walk in Brighton via Google Maps,although sentimental,is my way to keep hold of my home,when you cant be there!. UTA

Sorry---I would disagree with the statement that CMS was having 'a magnificent' season--IMO a gross overstatement. If you said that of Orlandi or Bridcutt--Yes but as I said before CMS is paid to score goals that win games and he has not delivered that--one goal in less than 3 games is not magnificent!!

mikeygit wrote:
Sorry---I would disagree with the statement that CMS was having 'a magnificent' season--IMO a gross overstatement. If you said that of Orlandi or Bridcutt--Yes but as I said before CMS is paid to score goals that win games and he has not delivered that--one goal in less than 3 games is not magnificent!!

It really is a shame that he hasn`t scored more,great lad,great work ethic,but simple fact is ,your right,he doesn`t score enough for the job title. UTA

markymark03 wrote:
Can't we just play five in midfield and dominate with our passing game? 11 games to go, is it worth getting a new signing?

I realise it limits our options but with players we have in midfield surely their class will overcome the problem? 2x cdm in Bridcutt and Hammond, 2x wingers in Bucley and Lopez and 1x cam in Vicente and then we have Orlandi, LuaLua, Dicker and Crofts(?) in any amount of combinations.

Plus development squad for back up. Toby was more then capable when he came on against Peterborough last season

Dream world stuff.Toby was more than capable when he came on against Peterborough last season lol.What against almost a div one team almost a year ago.Ask yourself why?Plus ask yourself why know lower league clubs even want these guys on loan.When not even part of our first team.

VegasSeagull wrote:
There seems to be a mix of, 'make do and mend,' and 'look at the prize that awaits,' I don't see how the two can be combined.

Ulloa had very little playing time before he came to us and now look how much he gets. If we want another injury all we need do is keep playing him, something will give sooner or later.

Can we pin our promotion run on two or three lads from the development squad, does that really make sense. 'Give them a go,' and hope it works out, I don't think so. Toby, JFC and Barker, all good lads yes but if they are good enough they would have been selected to start by now. The loan periods two of them have had didn't exactly set the world alight.

The simple fact is that we have just two strikers and one of them really needs to take a break, if only for the odd match, or half match here and there.

Play Buckley up front and Lua Lua out wide, Buckley seems to have lost his touch and Lua Lua, like Vicente, struggles to get thru 90 minutes. Make do and mend won't work. If we were mid table and going nowhere then yes, but we are not.

The prize is big, very big, and Gus must act quickly to bring in at least one striker, in fact I could make a case for two additional strikers. I htink we can get thru our next match with what we have but for the last ten, we must have someone else. If we have to spend 30k a week on two guys so be it, 300k against sixty million and prem football at the Amex.

Excellent well reasoned post (as always) VegasSeagull.
To me it seems obvious that we should get more players in. One is a must but two extra players would be better since it would provide more depth.
The more options that Poyet has the better.
Firstly because if we have any more injuries, illness or suspensions (hopefully not) then we have cover.
Secondly even if we do have say two more strikers then all the other options that posters are suggesting are still ALSO available. Poyet could still play Buckley or LuaLua more centrally or select Agdestein or Barker. Vicente of course is an option but he has to be 'managed' from a fitness viewpoint and is more effective anyway as the midfield playmaker
With only about two weeks or so until the loan window closes time is of the essence. tt doesn't look as if we will have any new recruit in time for the olton game now but I trust that at least one loan signing will be made in time for the Barnsley game.
With one of our two remaining strikers (Ulloa) needing to be 'rested' from time to time and the other (Barnes) now really a 'wide support' striker, witness the Arsenal game, Poyet needs the other options VegasSeagull that you and i have alluded to.
The next 11 games have alot at stake.There is no point in being under resourced and trusting to Lady Luck. The club needs to adopt a pragmatic strategy and the indications are that that is exactly what Poyet is proposing.
Lets hope he is successful in acquiring the right type of players. Remember it is not just the next 11 games that need to be considered but quite possbly the play-offs as well.

Its not all about scoring goals anymore 3rd place Hull’s top scorer is Aluko also with 8 goals. Top club Cardiff’s highest scorer is Helgeson also with 8 goals. Having a couple of strikers hanging around in the opposition half waiting for the ball to turn up is from the past, so judging a forward by the number of goals he scores is also from the past. CMS, Aluko and Helgerson contribute all over the park.

If I were to choose I would play 4 5 1 playing Vicente, Kazenga and Buckley should be enough to scare most teams with pace. Leave Ulloa up front and Barnes on bench for last 20 of a game. All of them capable of scoring and Orlandi is an option of second striker in my opinion he has an eye for goal.

Hovite wrote:
If we aren't looking at Toby now to step up, I would want to leave if I were him. He is 6ft 1in, strong, has good balance, reads the game well and has showed commitment to the club. What more do we want from someone.

He has always played well with his limited chances, he never looked out of sorts, and we signed him until 2015.

At 21 he should be given the chance to play first team football, and if not with us he should be out on loan somewhere else, like what WBA did with Wood.

Sometimes the solution is under your noses. Last year we went for two loanies instead of playing Toby and we dropped down the table. Not playing him didn't work out.

Give him a go Gus, at least from the bench.

Never read such pure rubbish in my life.Now try and ask yourself why Gus has not played him all this time.Plus ask yourself why not one other club has wanted this guy on loan.Because they don't want what poor Barnett got with that other freeloader Barker.How can you compare a top class hard working striker like Wood with vile nightclub super kids.The fact Leicester payed almost 1.5 million for Wood proves me 100% correct.Plus so many other clubs were after Wood also.Not one other club in England wants freeloaders Toby or Barker,not even on loan.

bruce beckett wrote:
The gap between playing for the Development Squad and the first team is huge. If Barker and Agdestein were up to it, we would surely have seen them by now.

How quickly things change in football. Five days ago, we were brimming with confidence after Ulloa's hat-trick heroics against Huddersfield. Now that confidence has been shaken (at least mine has) – not so much by the result at Bristol City but more by the shocking performance and the season-ending injury to CMS.

The next four games are going to be tough to say the least. Bolton (a), Barnsley (a), Palace (h), Forest (a). I would say Barnsley is a "must win" and I'll take what I can get from the other three.

While I hope Gus can find a suitable striker on loan, I think the return of Wayne Bridge from injury is much more important because playing Calde in that position, particularly away from home, leaves us exposed. Has anyone heard anything about when we can expect Bridge to be back?

Good post BB.
I hope I'm proved wrong but I don't think we will see Bridge back for Saturday. He might be back for the Barnsley game. I can't see any point in rushing him back only to become injured again.
Vicente could be a consideration given our striker situation but much the same comments would apply to him, perhaps especially to him. If we get to the play-offs Vicente might just make all the difference.
As I have posted already on this thread the more options Poyet has over the rest of the season the better - Budget permitting of course.

bruce beckett wrote:
The gap between playing for the Development Squad and the first team is huge. If Barker and Agdestein were up to it, we would surely have seen them by now.

How quickly things change in football. Five days ago, we were brimming with confidence after Ulloa's hat-trick heroics against Huddersfield. Now that confidence has been shaken (at least mine has) – not so much by the result at Bristol City but more by the shocking performance and the season-ending injury to CMS.

The next four games are going to be tough to say the least. Bolton (a), Barnsley (a), Palace (h), Forest (a). I would say Barnsley is a "must win" and I'll take what I can get from the other three.

While I hope Gus can find a suitable striker on loan, I think the return of Wayne Bridge from injury is much more important because playing Calde in that position, particularly away from home, leaves us exposed. Has anyone heard anything about when we can expect Bridge to be back?

Good post BB.
I hope I'm proved wrong but I don't think we will see Bridge back for Saturday. He might be back for the Barnsley game. I can't see any point in rushing him back only to become injured again.
Vicente could be a consideration given our striker situation but much the same comments would apply to him, perhaps especially to him. If we get to the play-offs Vicente might just make all the difference.
As I have posted already on this thread the more options Poyet has over the rest of the season the better - Budget permitting of course.

So you now think your a better manager than Gus do you Hovite?You really think you know better than Gus and his staff do you?So the solution has been right under his nose twice now has it lol.First Hoskins & now Toby.These top super stars strikers are right under his nose,but Gus and his staff don't notice them ha lol.Plus not one scout in England notices them also lol.You sad brain dead mug.

So you now think your a better manager than Gus do you Hovite?You really think you know better than Gus and his staff do you?So the solution has been right under his nose twice now has it lol.First Hoskins & now Toby.These top super stars strikers are right under his nose,but Gus and his staff don't notice them ha lol.Plus not one scout in England notices them also lol.You sad brain dead mug.

Assuming that Gus still feels the need to rest Ulloa, and why wouldn't he, then the lone striker system returns, Barnes up front.

If this is how it pans out, and thinking of the fact that we only got a point at Bristol, then Vicente must start as he can turn a game on it's head in just seconds.

With Buckley's goals having dried up would we lose anything by giving the first 60 minutes on saturday to Kazenga?

I think Bolton will want to play an open game and given our striker situation it would appear that they can.

Vicente, David and Orlandi will need to have big games if we are to get three points, as will out back five. We have goal scorers in midfiled and when Barnes last had a run of games he was scoring.
I think we can put together a credible threat for saturday, tuesday, well I haven't got a clue. other than if Ulloa does stand down against Bolton he will come back for tuesday. Star Vicente saturday and I doubt we see him tuesday, same for Kazenga, maybe.

Feel pretty sure that two DS strikers will be on the bench for Bolton.

Totally agree with 'Lawro Was God' re Guidetti.
Look at his track record so far throughout his short career:
37 Appearances
24 Goals
12 Assists
Maybe Gus is not interested as he's too tall! (6 ft.1") and therefore too similar to Leo but the guy knows where the goal is and Gus must have a good rapport with Mancini re Wayne.

I just read the latest statement mad eby Gus on our website.

Taking just two line sfrom it he say, 'we need fresh legs,' he also says that he will,' take risks if needed to beat Bolton.'

Barnes fresh legs Ulloa tired legs Ulloa off starting sheet?
Maybe Kazenga gets a run out, Vicente too.

Take risks, a DS striker starting and another on the bench, Ulloa left at home?

heathgate wrote:

MrHove wrote:
Feel sorry for cms although I get the feeling he would not of started many more games this season (regardless of what poyet has said)

In terms of a striker i feel buckley could do a job there if needed so perhaps its not as desperate as we all think.

You wouldnt say that if you saw his performance in Bristol, he was very poor, he looked jaded, unfit, underwieght an lacking any speed that we used to enjoy from him. He isnt the answer up front.... nor is Barnes.

14,000% agree!! We are looking to challenge for a place in the Premiership, the most famous and most prestigious league in the World. Buckling, cobbling things together quite simply isn't the answer

With regards to Saturday we have to keep it very simple and we need to take risks - with Ulloa on the pitch it makes things simple - get balls close to his head, sit back and relax!!

Buckley, Barnes, Vicente, Barker, Toby - none of them fit the bill. if they do then let's have seen them score a couple in a match one time this season - we can't be fiddling around now

A draw away to Bolton will be a good result so pack the midfield and play without a striker.

Same with the Forest and Boro matches. Worry about the few remaining matches when the time comes. We only have to nurse Barnes, Buckley and Ulloa through to just half dozen other remaining matches which we will need to win

I would think at this late stage any decent striker worth signing has already gone elsewhere besides its too late in the season to break a new face in