Watching some MOTD games & generally other teams, thinking about what we've had in previous years, it's a "player", someone who can change the game. As much as I slated Diame, he was that player who was on the pitch & just popped up with something, that's what we don't have. Over the last few years we've had Geovanni, Koren & Diame, to name a few "flair" players that popped up at the right time. I'm sure others will add names to the list, but right now, we are missing that "player" we need. Do we have it? Can anyone step up? Tune in, for the next....
He's knocking on a bit now but Wes Hoolahan would have been a great player, if only he was a bit younger. We could do with a bit more pace in the side. All teams now seem to be built around pace.
We lack decent options up front. Hernandez can be good when everything is just right for him, and Mbokani might well be excellent, but that's only two. You need to have options even with the odd injury. We also lack wingers. We only really have Snodgrass who's a proper out and out winger.
All flair players are risks,Geovanni, Koren & Diame brilliant moments and long missing spells, Okocha & Ben Arfa expensive flops, expected some flair from Huddlestone & Mason but they are better balanced players still capable of rare special moments. I'd swop the flair risk with seeing a few more powerful headed goals from centre backs like last night.
Okocha wasn't a flop, he was ****ing brilliant (even if he was past his best), I loved him and his signing was a real statement of intent.
Soz not questioning Okocha's skills, was brilliant to see them, but he hardly played any games and don't think he scored so not sure we got value, same with Bremner, Emlyn Hughes and Peter Barnes, past it when we signed them.
Mason did score a pretty great goal to win the cup game, Snodgrass stuck a free kick in as well. I know Diame got the playoff goal but he didn't do much last season for me. What we have missed is probably someone who plays strikers in. I think Clucas has potential to develop but he's playing deeper recently. Mason has been getting some assists so maybe he can step up.
We simply dont turn defences, we havent for a long time. I just saw the Liverpool goals from last night and Sturridge is through 1-on-1 from just inside the Spurs half. When did we last do that?
I miss Diame. His goals were incredibly important to our promotion. I see he scored a goal last night very similar to his Wembley one.
The question isn't as much what is missing as how badly what we have is used. By definition a midfield is supposed to try to occupy the space in the middle of the pitch. This reduces the distance between midfield and the strikers and therefore allows attacks to build with shorter probing passes to feet. It also denies the opposition from having three quarters of the pitch as a safe sanctuary from any possible threat. Our midfield is always set so far back that it can't operate in any sort of effective attacking way. Passes to strikers have to be hopeful punts and if the striker somehow manages to keep possession he is isolated and hopelessly outnumbered.. This fundamental flaw in tactics puts us on the back foot from the start of games and makes all of our players look bad as they struggle against mediocre teams that can't believe how much space we gift them. The problem is a mind set. You need someone in charge who has the courage to play football as it's supposed to be played and not someone who wants to pull everyone back and pray for survival.
A top class keeper, better than all the others we have so the Jak v Marshall thing can be put to bed once and for all.
Still short of a few , another striker or two is a must , and crying out for a right winger somebody with pace and the ability to put a decent ball in the box
We're currently missing all our full-backs, our only winger and our only striker capable of playing up front on his own. Other than that, we're laughing.
