WE Need A Poacher Next Year

[warksclaret]

Been clear in the past 3-4 months that we need a natural goal scorer. Been spoiled in recent years-Blake, Austin, Rodriguez and Ings. Convinced we would have several away wins with one. Vokes looks seriously over-weight and slow, while Barnes is just a spoiler for any defender. Gray is finding the PL just one step too far. Time to start looking

[Burnleyareback2]

As the team upgrades we will become less reliant on a striker than has to defend.
The we will see the benefit of Dyche 2.0

[cricketfieldclarets]

Austin is the only poacher there.

To be fair less and less teams have a poacher these days. And a poacher is only good if you offer creativity!

[Bin Ont Turf]

Austin is the only poacher there.

Aye, he definitely doesn't know his poachers from his number 10's.

Ings of a couple of seasons ago would be very good in this team.

[Vegas Claret]

Time to start looking

I suspect we have been for a good while

[Bin Ont Turf]

I suspect we have been for a good while

Give over man! We don't do any of that planning malarky.

We'll wait until the end of the season and panic, then we'll ask Sean if he's got enough eggs in at home.

[bobinho]

We could still be playing at goodison now and we wouldnt have scored from open play. Pains me a little to say it but our current three aren't really up to this standard.

Shane long would do me.

[jojomk1]

Lowest goal scorers apart from the bottom two says it all for me

Yes, you can point to a defensive set up where, until the signing of Brady, we have hardly ever seen our wide men go past any full back to give some service to the front men

But our front three have shown themselves to be a bit out of their depth at this level and, possibly with the exception of Gray, there looks to be very little room for improvement.

I just hope the fact that Barnes and Vokes contracted until the end of 2019 does not hold us back in recruitment for such a vital position this summer

[Firthy]

Gordon Ramsay does a cracking poached egg

[Herts Clarets]

We have set up nearly all season with 4 defensive midfielders. We have virtually zero creativity or pace to get behind a defence so the route to our forwards is balls from deep. Not saying the three we have are world beaters, but with the poor service they have received, any striker is going to struggle in this division.

[Spijed]

We could still be playing at goodison now and we wouldnt have scored from open play. Pains me a little to say it but our current three aren't really up to this standard.

Shane long would do me.

Shane long has scored 3 goals in 22 matches. He's next to useless!

[Cooperclaret]

I'd have a look at Anthony Modeste at FC Koln. Banging them in in the Bundesliga.

Ex Blackburn loan player but apart from that disease big strong powerful player with a cracking first touch.

[Cleveleys_claret]

Personally believe one of Jay Rod or Ings will return. She has proved he likes players that fit into the group and both these meet that criteria. Pretty low risk although injury concerns with no. If price was right would be better than risking money on an unproven in the premiership striker

[Tinribs]

Do you think we could get Ings on loan ?

[boiledclaret]

I agree with Herts, if we want another Jay Rod type who can get goals from deep then it's going to cost, so failing that we need to improve the supply line.

The way we set up even a 1 in 3 striker would deserve a great deal of praise.

[DCWat]

Keep them fit and one or both of Ings and Jay would be ideal. That said we would probably need another three strikers to ensure covered for injury.

Probably slightly controversial but if a decent bid came in, I'd consider selling Gray. I'm not wholly convinced he's going to deliver at this level although we haven't exactly played to his strengths to be fair to him.

[Tall Paul]

I agree with Herts, if we want another Jay Rod type who can get goals from deep then it's going to cost, so failing that we need to improve the supply line.

The way we set up even a 1 in 3 striker would deserve a great deal of praise.

Gray has scored 1 in 3 this season.

[SkiptonClaret]

We desperately need an upgrade on Barnes and Vokes. Won't be easy, within the limitations of our budget, but should certainly not be impossible if the scouting / recruitment is operating as it should.

[Walton]

Unfathomable that we started yesterday with Barnes and Vokes.

Vokes works best with a fast striker breaking the line, see his very good, promotion-winning partnerships with Ings and Gray.

Barnes isn't that man. He's too busy doing whatever the hell it is he does, and it's certainly not being a threat.

[SkiptonClaret]

Barnes is a pretty awful player. I like Vokes but we need better if we are to progress.

[Walton]

Without doubt the priority signing this summer is a PL standard number 9

[Pstotto]

Charlie Austen? Danny Ings?

[bfcjg]

Ings is to injury probe ditto Austin. Time to pay some big money for a forward and stop looking to the past.

[SkiptonClaret]

Unfortunately SD's record with signing strikers is poor. I make it about 1 out of 7 ?
Ok, maybe 1.5 (Barnes being the 0.5).

[claretspice]

We need more goals next season for sure, but im not convinced a goal poacher is the right answer. Norwich got safe a few years ago and then decided they needed a poacher, ended up with Ricky Van Wolfswinkle and never recovered. Apart from the fact the goals didn't materialise, he just didn't offer enough around the pitch to justify his place in the team. Out and out goalscorers rarely do. Those that are out and out goalscorers but do the other stuff have the sort of all round package big clubs prize so theyre out of our league. The only possible exception who might have enough to his game and be viable is Austin and i think he's probably out of our league.

West Brom are on for a top half finish this season despite Rondon being less prolific than our strikers and i think there's a lesson there. We have shared goals around OK this season but apart from the strikers, i think Keane, Hendrick and Boyd are the next highest scorers with two.

We need more creativity and craft both in the 3 slots behind the main striker whether we play 442 or 451 to create more chances, but we also need more goals from around the park. In a team like ours, the striker's job is always going to be to win field position and territory and provide an attacking platform before it is to score goals.

[taio]

We certainly need to sign a forward and be prepared to break our record transfer fee again. It's going to be really difficult signing one from our domestic leagues who'd be good enough and interested in coming here, so we might have to look to the continent which of course is a greater risk.

[Rileybobs]

A Josh King type would be ideal.

[claretspice]

Keeping Gray and pairing him with a classier version of Barnes would be ideal.

[Rileybobs]

Jonathan Walters would also do a job. Age is against him though.

[CombatClaret]

Gray has scored 1 in 3 this season.

Sunderland and Swansea inflate this average a little.

Grey has scored in 5 out of 24 starts.
About another game in other mins

So it's more like 1 in 5 games Gray scores.

[claretspice]

Sunderland and Swansea inflate this average a little.

Grey has scored in 5 out of 24 starts.
About another game in other mins

So it's more like 1 in 5 games Gray scores.

That isnt how stats work, unfortunately for you.

[Rileybobs]

Gray's goal haul in his first Premier League season is decent. He certainly carries more goal threat than our other strikers. But as pointed out above he's only scored in 5 games this season, and in one of those games his goal came from the spot. Considering that he doesn't offer an enormous amount other than a very mild goal threat I don't think that it's unreasonable that some fans are questioning whether we should be aiming for better.

Having said that, I agree that the first port of call would be to improve the second striker - someone who can link the midfield with attack, provide Gray with better service and also chip in with more goals than Vokes and Barnes.

[Newcastleclaret93]

Gray has a better return than Ings yet burnley fans are crying out for him.
Gray is good striker and gets no end of grief.

Let's see what people are saying when he goes to a bigger club in the summer an starts banging them in.

[Rileybobs]

Gray has a better return than Ings yet burnley fans are crying out for him.
Gray is good striker and gets no end of grief.

There is far more to Ings' game. He's a much more rounded player.

[CombatClaret]

That isnt how stats work, unfortunately for you.

Ok

One in every five games Grey has scored one goal or more.
Grey has an average of one goal every three games.
Grey has not scored in 80% of his games.

All are correct, that's how stats work. Happier?

[Tall Paul]

Maybe we should sign this Grey bloke, he sounds quite good.

[taio]

Gray has a better return than Ings yet burnley fans are crying out for him.
Gray is good striker and gets no end of grief.

Let's see what people are saying when he goes to a bigger club in the summer an starts banging them in.

Ings league goals in his last two seasons = 32
Gray last season and so far this season = 31

[KRBFC]

Gray is obviously going to struggle in a Dyche team with so many long balls. Gray isn't a target man, infact he's hopeless in the air. Who's the one providing the striker service? Boyd? Yeah you can see why we don't score many then. We need a striker to partner Gray, one that can drop deep and link play effectively with mobility and the dribbling ability to make things happen, Ings the perfect fit. We also need to allow the creative players like Brady more freedom to create.

[KefkaClaret]

We already have a Poacher in Gray, lad needs a runway of space to actually score. If his first touch doesn't cock the chance up.

[ksrclaret]

What we need next year is someone reliable in front of goal. We don't necessarily need a poacher, but we need far more composure from our forwards.

For all Gray brings to us, he isn't anywhere near reliable enough simply because his touch is so erratic. We need better.

[northernpowerhouse]

Gray is a poacher, the problem is we don't create enough chances for him. What we need is a decent target man alongside him. Someone in the mould of Rondon would be ideal

[Walnutwillie]

We need to create 2 or 3 scoring opportunities for our strikers to score .
Which is about average for most teams
Trouble is the creating part
It ain't that easy unless you have the talent in the team .
Then trying to keep them at little old Burnley .
Stay up this season and we will only get better players to create the scoring chances . Hopefully

[No Ney Never]

We simply need better footballers to play the framework. There is a lot of flexibility to expand the framework, but much of the current squad doesn't have that ability so we play more narrow and compact. This limiting effect means there's much less chance of getting the most from our better players. Recruitment in the right areas of the required quality should see us maximise the potential of the likes of Gray, Brady, Hendrick, etc.

[FactualFrank]

[3putt]

Eggsactly

[Frenchclaret]

Wilson from Man Utd as part of the fee for Keane ?

[Let'sChaseTheDragon]

We simply need better footballers to play the framework. There is a lot of flexibility to expand the framework, but much of the current squad doesn't have that ability so we play more narrow and compact. This limiting effect means there's much less chance of getting the most from our better players. Recruitment in the right areas of the required quality should see us maximise the potential of the likes of Gray, Brady, Hendrick, etc.

This.

Any evolution will require good recruitment, and patience. The idea that a team like Burnley can accommodate a poacher seems quite fanciful, to me. We're not that sort of team, and are unlikely to ever be- whilst we're in the Prem.

[Diesel]

We should have signed him years ago but when Huddersfield lose in the play offs, Nahki Wells ticks all the boxes.

[Diesel]

...and while I'm at it, a partnership of Jordan Rhodes and Nahki Wells next year, would tickle my tessies.

10mil - 12mil?

[IanMcL]

Thought this would be about Sean Dyche's persuasive techniques to attract players.