Putting Goals Back In The Team

[bcfcnick]

The transfer window has gone and there is no realistic prospect that any other club will release a proven goalscorer under the emergency loan system. The club have to look for goalscorers within the current squad.

Step forward a 20 plus a season proven goal scorer Scott Murray and play him in a central but fairly free role up front with Brooker. He's got a great eye for goal and is the sort of player centre backs hate running at them with pace. Play him deep so he can run at defences from a central position - that is the position Stewart has often elected to play but, unlike Scott, he can't pose a threat by running at defences. We'd probably win a few more penalties as well. That's another topic for someone interested enough to do the count - where do City sit in the league table for penalty wins for the last season or so. Rock botom would be my guess.

If Cotterill is playing, the two could switch at times during games. The left midfield position would be freed up, at least for home games, for another player with goals in him, Jennison Williams. The defence and midfield are pretty solid but prolific goal-scorers they are not. That solidiity does allow the team to be balanced with players who have pace, can score goals but may not 'affect the game' GJ style in terms of out muscling the opposition.

There were desperate searches for a 'pacy little one' with a half-decent lower league goals record to play alongside Brooker - well, maybe, just maybe, we already have a player who can fulfil that role within the club. Sure he is not going to ceate knock downs for Brooker to stick away but, as Bas Savage admits himself, our current forward is weak in the air. The case for Savage is that he not afraid to run at defences and unsettles them to leave space for Brooker. Well why not have someone play up front who can do that role properly and has plenty of goals in him as well. The disadvantage is that Brooker might be a bit isolated at times but he has played the lone striker position before pretty well.

Cotterill, Williams and Murray in the same team solves the lack of pace issue along with the absence of players with an eye for goal . With Murray up front the solid midfield partnership can remain intact. There's no denying it would be an experiment but an experiment worth trying given the desperate need to have a player up front who can find the net.

I don't see it as a gamble - the gamble in my view is to continue to stick with players up front who have an inferior goal scoring record to a few South American goalkeepers in the hope they can learn the art of goal-scoring. I hope GJ suddenly begins to appreciate that old cliché 'goal scorers are born not made.'

[shamussy]

Is never going to happen... He is 2 ft too short, wrong colour and 5 stone underweight.