why the delay

[spudski]

It's all very well thinking we are going to find a top goal scorer overnight...but it very rarely happens. Matt Smith last season was certainly a rarity.

You only have to look at the list of goal scorers in the Championship, and there are only 10 better than our own Kodger and he's on a barren run...of which 5 are only 2 or 3 goals better.

Personally I wouldn't be looking at the 'Championship' for another striker. I'd look outside of that.

 

[Esmond Million's Bung]

29 minutes ago, spudski said:

It's all very well thinking we are going to find a top goal scorer overnight...but it very rarely happens. Matt Smith last season was certainly a rarity.

You only have to look at the list of goal scorers in the Championship, and there are only 10 better than our own Kodger and he's on a barren run...of which 5 are only 2 or 3 goals better.

Personally I wouldn't be looking at the 'Championship' for another striker. I'd look outside of that.

 

Frankly in the UK I feel we have probably 3 viable options Smith, Laverty or Bent, they all will want to loan for mainly economic reasons.

After that nobody in any UK league is going to want to loan out a current goalscorer, it would be a risk to bring in a real untried kid, a player coming back from long term injury or a has been.

Personally I feel our only hope is possibly a striker at a foreign club and repeat it is only hope.

 

 

[spudski]

45 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

Frankly in the UK I feel we have probably 3 viable options Smith, Laverty or Bent, they all will want to loan for mainly economic reasons.

After that nobody in any UK league is going to want to loan out a current goalscorer, it would be a risk to bring in a real untried kid, a player coming back from long term injury or a has been.

Personally I feel our only hope is possibly a striker at a foreign club and repeat it is only hope.

 

 

Reading between the lines, I get the impression LJ wants a quick striker, not a Matt Smith type player. Easier said than done...perhaps a scoring AM would be an easier option.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

1 minute ago, spudski said:

Reading between the lines, I get the impression LJ wants a quick striker, not a Matt Smith type player. Easier said than done...perhaps a scoring AM would be an easier option.

Then his only option IMHO is abroad, they are there no doubt about that, I told Harry on Saturday night Lorient picked up a 21 year old from bottom of ligue 1 Troyes last week called Jimmy Cabot, more of a winger, but looked the business in his debut on Saturday evening, caused problems every time he was on the ball and is going to be a massive fans favourite and they will undoubtedly sell him on at huge profit, because that is what they do and they do it far better than most clubs in Europe, I haven't seen a fee mentioned but looks a snip even if they paid what we paid for Kodjia.

As I said to Harry this is a club BCFC should seek to emulate and their training facility/academy make ours look like amateur by comparison.

 

 

[Lrrr]

6 hours ago, phantom said:

Blimey - how many players are we looking at ?

Would guess each list is for a different type of striker, target man, poacher etc.

[spudski]

7 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

Then his only option IMHO is abroad, they are there no doubt about that, I told Harry on Saturday night Lorient picked up a 21 year old from bottom of ligue 1 Troyes last week called Jimmy Cabot, more of a winger, but looked the business in his debut on Saturday evening, caused problems every time he was on the ball and is going to be a massive fans favourite and they will undoubtedly sell him on at huge profit, because that is what they do and they do it far better than most clubs in Europe, I haven't seen a fee mentioned but looks a snip even if they paid what we paid for Kodjia.

As I said to Harry this is a club BCFC should seek to emulate and their training facility/academy make ours look like amateur by comparison.

 

 

Excellent points EMB...I'm hoping LJ and MA have better contacts and Scouts available to them, and are more receptive to various sources of information regarding players of talent than our present DoF/Head Scout...as he seems quiet blinkered imho.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

1 minute ago, spudski said:

Excellent points EMB...I'm hoping LJ and MA have better contacts and Scouts available to them, and are more receptive to various sources of information regarding players of talent than our present DoF/Head Scout...as he seems quiet blinkered imho.

As I pointed out to Harry, we now have a French scout and he should all over this club like a rash, trying to find out why they are so successful for a town one tenth the size of Bristol, last week they sold Kone to Sunderland for 5 mill and they still have a mainly young squad worth anything between 60 to 100 mil at least, we haven't got one player even close to being worth 5 mil, there are 6 or 7 players worth anything between 5 to 15 mil and more coming through and I suspect already scouting the next batch ready for some big money sales this summer.

SL I suspect would get on like a house on fire with their owner Loic Fery.

 

[spudski]

9 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

 As I pointed out to Harry, we now have a French scout and he should all over this club like a rash, trying to find out why they are so successful for a town one tenth the size of Bristol, last week they sold Kone to Sunderland for 5 mill and they still have a mainly young squad worth anything between 60 to 100 mil at least, we haven't got one player even close to being worth 5 mil, there are 6 or 7 players worth anything between 5 to 15 mil and more coming through and I suspect already scouting the next batch ready for some big money sales this summer.

SL I suspect would get on like a house on fire with their owner Loic Fery.

 

That's my worry fella...the French Scout is one of KB's contacts....I get the impression they only like to work with certain people, contacts or 'Associates'.

Hopefully I'm proved wrong...but I know KB has been quiet closed to suggestions before. Of which SoD wasn't and neither is MA...at least they reply to suggestions and are interested and not closed or blinkered.

I know Scouts have suggested many good players to KB, to which he showed no interest, yet a great majority of those players suggested, went on to Clubs either better or equal to ourselves.

[Lanterne Rouge]

2 minutes ago, spudski said:

That's my worry fella...the French Scout is one of KB's contacts....I get the impression they only like to work with certain people, contacts or 'Associates'.

Hopefully I'm proved wrong...but I know KB has been quiet closed to suggestions before. Of which SoD wasn't and neither is MA...at least they reply to suggestions and are interested and not closed or blinkered.

I know Scouts have suggested many good players to KB, to which he showed no interest, yet a great majority of those players suggested, went on to Clubs either better or equal to ourselves.

Sounds like a showdown between KB & MA in the not too distant future looks likely then?

[Esmond Million's Bung]

2 minutes ago, spudski said:

That's my worry fella...the French Scout is one of KB's contacts....I get the impression they only like to work with certain people, contacts or 'Associates'.

Hopefully I'm proved wrong...but I know KB has been quiet closed to suggestions before. Of which SoD wasn't and neither is MA...at least they reply to suggestions and are interested and not closed or blinkered.

I know Scouts have suggested many good players to KB, to which he showed no interest, yet a great majority of those players suggested, went on to Clubs either better or equal to ourselves.

The bottom line for me is we ain't going sign any striker who is going to score goals or even make a difference from the UK leagues, to me that is pure fantasy and I hope that I am wrong, unless of course it's either Smith, Laverty or Bent.

 

[spudski]

3 minutes ago, Red Right Hand said:

Sounds like a showdown between KB & MA in the not too distant future looks likely then?

Who knows...with LJ in the mix now, I think there maybe a bit of different thinking. That's my own opinion, not based on anything I've heard.

2 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

The bottom line for me is we ain't going sign any striker who is going to score goals or even make a difference from the UK leagues, to me that is pure fantasy and I hope that I am wrong, unless of course it's either Smith, Laverty or Bent.

 

Who knows mate...stranger things have happened. Look a Zamora...35yo and 7 goals...who'd have thought. A bit like Wilbs last season.

Can't see any of the 3 you mention being an LJ type player though...maybe short term, but not long term.

[Son of Fred]

8 hours ago, RumRed said:

Err there are different types of striker.  Evaluation of the current tools at his disposal is exactly what's needed to choose exactly what this particular squad needs.

That's not very nice..calling our strikers tools............

[Esmond Million's Bung]

3 hours ago, spudski said:

Who knows...with LJ in the mix now, I think there maybe a bit of different thinking. That's my own opinion, not based on anything I've heard.

Who knows mate...stranger things have happened. Look a Zamora...35yo and 7 goals...who'd have thought. A bit like Wilbs last season.

Can't see any of the 3 you mention being an LJ type player though...maybe short term, but not long term.

For LJ and BCFC IMO it's a case of beggars can't be choosers at this ridiculously late stage of the season, I would say prepare yourself for disappointment because nobody is going to release as an emergency loan the type of striker you believe that LJ is after not in the UK anyway, who on earth would want to release somebody who is actually scoring goals at this stage of the season it's pure fantasy to believe that anybody will.

[steviestevieneville]

11 hours ago, Phileas Fogg said:

No news of a striker right now because, quite rightly, LJ is taking time to assess the squad and make sure any new arrivals - of which has implied there will be some - fit in with how he wants us to play.

This morning he has said;

LJ re the transfer market: "I can't comment on specific players, that would be wrong. We're working on several lists of players."

LJ: "I want to have a week and a game to look at things at least."

Can't see anything wrong with that personally.

He also said we can get players on loan with a view to a permanent deal. 

[Davefevs]

10 hours ago, ooRya said:

If only we could unearth another little gem like Andy Cole............................................

Was only thinking the same.  I think he will be looking at his Premier League contacts and trying to bring in a young striker (19/20) who is of the quick variety.  I quite like the thought of Smith, but looks like he's not what we're after.

9 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Maybe, just maybe he wants to see a bit more of Kodjia, Wlibraham and Agard in training before deciding what type of striker that we need?

I'm pretty underwhelmed by his appointment but it is pretty silly to start moaning because someone who started work on Monday doesn't have all the answers by Thursday..

Sounds reasonable.  His many minutes has Agard played for his 3 goals?  He can be a poacher (West Brom).

[YorkshireSection]

9 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Maybe, just maybe he wants to see a bit more of Kodjia, Wlibraham and Agard in training before deciding what type of striker that we need?

I'm pretty underwhelmed by his appointment but it is pretty silly to start moaning because someone who started work on Monday doesn't have all the answers by Thursday..

He's had long enough in my mind to know what striker we should be looking for.

He will have plenty of experience seeing what league one has to offer, I'm not blaming him but after a few games without a new capable striker then the fans will be back.

I Wilbs was are best striker last season, followed by JET, both won't feature so he needs to decide (should) have decided who he's going to look for as his main striker and potential partner, at the moment I'm not excited by Agard (fitness) and Kodjia, far too one footed. I think a season on loan for Wes would do him wonders.

SC should have us comfortably but his as we know things went tits up and we are where we are, personally I think we need Smith and one other, a Tont Thorpe styled player but we've got loan spot left unless we can get an emergency in (doubtful), either way I don't see LJ as the man to do weave the magic, but I'll support him in what he does unless he pulls on his old shirt!!!!

[spudski]

1 hour ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

For LJ and BCFC IMO it's a case of beggars can't be choosers at this ridiculously late stage of the season, I would say prepare yourself for disappointment because nobody is going to release as an emergency loan the type of striker you believe that LJ is after not in the UK anyway, who on earth would want to release somebody who is actually scoring goals at this stage of the season it's pure fantasy to believe that anybody will.

Who thought Matt smith would do what he did when he came to us...or Wilbs.

I agree...it's not going to be easy. But we might find someone who we don't particularly rate, that might pull out the stops and surprise us...who knows...could be exciting or a complete flop. That's football I guess...

[Esmond Million's Bung]

1 minute ago, spudski said:

Who thought Matt smith would do what he did when he came to us...or Wilbs.

I agree...it's not going to be easy. But we might find someone who we don't particularly rate, that might pull out the stops and surprise us...who knows...could be exciting or a complete flop. That's football I guess...

Our total of successful strikers loans for this part of the season since 1992 and Andy Cole total Matt Smith and Mark Robins, unless you can think of anymore, 2 in almost 2 generations.

I sincerely hope it goes right of course I do, relegation at any time is bad this season would be potentially disastrous, exciting is not the way I would describe things, fool hardy beyond belief since last January is the way I would describe the lead up to our current position.

[spudski]

6 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

Our total of successful strikers loans for this part of the season since 1992 and Andy Cole total Matt Smith and Mark Robins, unless you can think of anymore, 2 in almost 2 generations.

I sincerely hope it goes right of course I do, relegation at any time is bad this season would be potentially disastrous, exciting is not the way I would describe things, fool hardy beyond belief since last January is the way I would describe the lead up to our current position.

I have a feeling we will find more goals from midfield than before.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

16 minutes ago, spudski said:

I have a feeling we will find more goals from midfield than before.

Hope and feeling is that what we have come to, i'm sorry that is sounds so depressing.

in fact on reflection it's like the words that you hear on one of those American bible belt cable TV channels, the ones that play on peoples fears to make them send money.

Please don't say Jesus loves me.

 

 

[twodogs]

16 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

Hope and feeling is that what we have come to, i'm sorry that is sounds so depressing.

in fact on reflection it's like the words that you hear on one of those American bible belt cable TV channels, the ones that play on peoples fears to make them send money.

 

Its being so cheerful that keeps you going

[Esmond Million's Bung]

2 minutes ago, twodogs said:

Its being so cheerful that keeps you going

You'd think that after 58 years I would be used to being a BCFC fan but sadly even at my age, a defeat on Saturday ***** my whole week up and a midweek defeat ***** the rest of the week up.

I know we won on Saturday and I am believe it or not reasonably happy, certainly happier than I have been for a few weeks, but the last 12 months of transfer **** up's, just beggar belief and now we are left with hope and feelings.

I hope the that the feelings are correct, but be honest what a way to run a football club where the owner wants prem football.

 

[twodogs]

I can't argue against any of what you've said and as I've posted somewhere else (Red wine and 2 night shifts kicking in) I'm hoping against hope that we've learned lessons otherwise it really doesn't bear thinking about.

I'm taking the positives out of the managerial appointment and the ma bit. I'm hoping the board will leave it to football people to decide transfers and back the head coach. This on the premise we stay up which I'm thinking we will whether its because we get clear ourselves or other teams are just simply worse than us i don't care which.

Seems to me that simply wanting premership football is a great soundbite but back it up. 

As for the original bit of why the delay I didn't decide to marry the missus (or her let me marry her) after 4 days. See what you've got then decide where you're going to go.

 

[Esmond Million's Bung]

11 hours ago, twodogs said:

I can't argue against any of what you've said and as I've posted somewhere else (Red wine and 2 night shifts kicking in) I'm hoping against hope that we've learned lessons otherwise it really doesn't bear thinking about.

I'm taking the positives out of the managerial appointment and the ma bit. I'm hoping the board will leave it to football people to decide transfers and back the head coach. This on the premise we stay up which I'm thinking we will whether its because we get clear ourselves or other teams are just simply worse than us i don't care which.

Seems to me that simply wanting premership football is a great soundbite but back it up. 

As for the original bit of why the delay I didn't decide to marry the missus (or her let me marry her) after 4 days. See what you've got then decide where you're going to go.

 

15 games left after Saturday, so to carry on with your analogy, if your missus was pregnant most people try to get married before the bump is too obvious and certainly well before the 'drop'.

The truth is LJ knows and everybody connected to the club knows that in reality it is now far too late in the day to sign a credible striker (unless one of the three mentioned whose clubs might want to unload for financial reasons) but there is good news IMO and that is that Shola Ameobi has just signed for Fleetwood and historically he would have been a nailed on BCFC end of season loan striker panic signing.

 

[glynriley]

13 hours ago, YorkshireSection said:

He's had long enough in my mind to know what striker we should be looking for.

He will have plenty of experience seeing what league one has to offer, I'm not blaming him but after a few games without a new capable striker then the fans will be back.

I Wilbs was are best striker last season, followed by JET, both won't feature so he needs to decide (should) have decided who he's going to look for as his main striker and potential partner, at the moment I'm not excited by Agard (fitness) and Kodjia, far too one footed. I think a season on loan for Wes would do him wonders.

SC should have us comfortably but his as we know things went tits up and we are where we are, personally I think we need Smith and one other, a Tont Thorpe styled player but we've got loan spot left unless we can get an emergency in (doubtful), either way I don't see LJ as the man to do weave the magic, but I'll support him in what he does unless he pulls on his old shirt!!!!