[Archived] New Striker For Next Season

[rover6]

Bent, Lennon, Reo-Coker, Ashley Young, Huddlestone, Reading team as long as don't prove one-season wonders.

There are lower league players who can make the step up. However, undoubtedly, generally, if you're looking for exceptional technique levels, you've got to look abroad. The English Premiership has been accused of being filled with kick-and-rush teams according to some foreign players and managers, the lower leagues are even worse. It's not surprising that skill is not in abundance down there.

And it makes financial sense to look abroad first. Upson or Samba? Curtis Davies with his hefty price tag or Ryan Nelsen?

[FourLaneBlue]

Fair points FLB but Matteo, Dunn and Kuqi both had relatively recent Prem experience when we got them (in fact Matteo hadn't even kicked a ball for Leeds in a lower division when we picked him up) and Jason Brown has yet to displace Big Brad. Matteo was hardly a favourite with the fans, Kuqi and Stead before him did not convince as being Prem quality although they both did a very good job and proved good investments and Dunn would have been sold on Brum's relegation had he not been injured.

The reality is we have to go back four to five seasons since we last picked up Premiership quality in a lower English league.

Cahill and Johnson are class but they are isolated examples (alongside Dean Ashton).

True but if any of them were that good then other Premiership teams would have been in for them. Other than Bolton for Dunn there was little competition, besides I was answering your question about players we got from lower leagues. I'd suggest it's as viable a place to look as abroad simply because we know these players can play in England. Whether they can do it in the Prem is likewise unknown as it is with players from abroad. Was anyone 100% sure Benni would score 20 goals in his first season? Nobody was; not even Hughes. We can never be certain...and he was a Champions League winner!

If expecting "class" from lower divisions then there won't be that many examples. Then again someone like Mokoena isn't "class" but instead a decent squad player. Khizanishvilli was a bargain but not in the same league as the likes of Cahill and Johnson. We can't expect a Cahill every time and very few players have his "class" so no need to always look for players like him when looking in the lower leagues.

If you are looking for "class" buys then very few can be found in the lower leagues or for cheap abroad. They cost money and only every now and then can we pick up true bargains like Nelsen for next to nothing. Hopefully Samba will prove to be another.

So we should still be scouring the lower leagues as they do regularly turn up quality players albeit there aren't so many so we really do have to search well.

My reference to Billy Sharp was a reference to WSR who seemed to have a thing for us buying him and mentioned it almost constantly!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

If Tooting's thread of new investment is anything to go by perhaps we can forget the bargain basement deals!

[Mr. E]

Unless some huge star still in his prime decides to come to Rovers (fat chance of that), we shouldn't really change anything upfront. Derbs, Nonda, McCarthy and Roberts are good enough. What we need is consistency from them, that's all.

[pick32]

jon stead anyone 5 goals in 10 apps this season in premiership.

[mattie]

Roberts poor finishing and heavy first touch has cost us 3 point today and it wont be the last, We need a top class striker to partner Benni next season, Roberts is good for a 3rd choice striker, but not good enough if we want to aim for top 6 again. Roberts has always been a poor finisher and thats not going to change.

Will be interesting to see what people who went to the game think.

[modes98]

jon stead anyone 5 goals in 10 apps this season in premiership.

Keep that quiet it won't go down well with the i told you so crowd . He is having a bit of a rollercoaster of late! Found his level well with Sheff Utd.

At least roberts gets in the positions to get the shots in though mattie. When you look at the other strikers we currently have it is difficult to pick a better player. Derbs is better on his day but of recent hasn't hit form. We need another benni from somewhere.

[Gav]

jon stead anyone 5 goals in 10 apps this season in premiership.

Have you had to much sun today? Jon Stead is out of his depth and we don't want a return to those bad old days thank you.

As for Roberts, he's been out most of this season and has done very well since his return. Today he tired towards the end which is understandable but he's the number 2 striker at the club and long may that continue.

[joey_big_nose]

While Im pleased Stead is doing well I doubt Hughes would be interested. He obviously wasn't that keen on him on an intrinsic level.

Plus If Untied stay up they won't sell him for less than five million, and I am absolutely certian we can find someone better.

[benhben]

Just read a rumor that ourselves, Villa and City are after Marlon King from Watford. It was from a very unreliable wesite though. I think we should aim for better than king anyway.

On the other hand, Ajax have some promising attackers, Huntelaar and Babel. Dont know what price they would fetch though.

[92er]

Roberts poor finishing and heavy first touch has cost us 3 point today and it wont be the last, We need a top class striker to partner Benni next season, Roberts is good for a 3rd choice striker, but not good enough if we want to aim for top 6 again. Roberts has always been a poor finisher and thats not going to change.

Will be interesting to see what people who went to the game think.

After listening to Radio Lancs yesterday, it sounded as though we were all over Fulham in the 2nd half, that we made loads of chances but still could not score the 2nd goal and it got me to thinking about the quality of the strikers we have. Benjamin has scored a lot of goals, is probably capable of doing better next season in what will be his 2nd season in a foreign league and is a player we should keep, despite the criticisms made about him. Nonda, unless he really is injured and MH thinks he can do better next season, is likely to go back.Hopefully Jeffers will be settled enough at Ipswich for them to buy him ( £500,000 ? )Which leaves us the question of, Derbyshire and Roberts. I remember reading in the last couple of weeks that Roberts was unhappy at not starting regularly since his recovering from his injury and was thinking about handing in a transfer request. Since then he has played more regularly!

At the start of the season Roberts looked very unlikely to score many, if at all, in the Premiership and he didn't seem an ideal partner for Benni. It also struck me that if the Rovers are to move on after this season, whatever Roberts' qualities are, he is not good enough to be a number 1, or 2, striker at a club who want to finish in the top 6. Now, if we are happy to finish lower than that, or if Roberts is prepared to be a number 3 striker, then there is an argument for keeping him. If we want to move on, if we want to improve, we have to bring in a number 1, or 2, striker to partner Benni and if Roberts is unhappy, MH should use his magic to get us a big fee. If Roberts were to move, then we need a number 3/4 striker to accompany Derbyshire.

[Eddie]

Who's Benjamin?

[mattie]

Who's Benjamin?

Why you being a smartarse Eagle?

[Eddie]

[Billy Castell]

He means McCarthy. Took me a while to work it out, so Eddie's probably not being a smartass Mattie.

Anyway, Billy Sharp scored this weekend! I'd like to see an established player come in, such as a Bellamy, or an intruiging player from the lower leagues like Eastwood or Sharp if the price is right. Talk of Klose is sadly dreamland stuff unless this American billionaire takes over .

[philipl]

Who's Benjamin?

He was a pretty reliable performer for Notts County wasn't he? I thought he would be retired by now and don't understand why Rovers should be looking at him for next season.

[92er]

He was a pretty reliable performer for Notts County wasn't he? I thought he would be retired by now and don't understand why Rovers should be looking at him for next season.

At the time of writing, I couldn't remember how to spell McCarthy, so I referred to Benni in the way he was listed on the screen for the SF.

[Jimmy Jupiter]

Coupled with the fact he's actually called Benedict and not Benjamin, it's easy to see why people got confused!

[92er]

Coupled with the fact he's actually called Benedict and not Benjamin, it's easy to see why people got confused!

SORRY, SORRY, SORRRY.

It struck me at 8:45 that I had got the name wrong-and I couldn't post it as quickly as I would have liked as I was not on line.

[FourLaneBlue]

You weren't getting him mixed up with Floella Benjamin were you 92er?

Allegedly even she would do more running around outside the box according to some though...

[92er]

You weren't getting him mixed up with Floella Benjamin were you 92er?

Allegedly even she would do more running around outside the box according to some though...

Nope-in trying to avoid mistakes with "McCarthy", I mixed up my "Benjamin" and my "Benedict".

[FourLaneBlue]

I know 92er I was just having a joke.

Anyone else think there is a bit of a resemblance between the two McCarthys though?

[Billy Castell]

You mean Benni and Senator George?

Speaking of Floela Benjiman, my sisters' friends dad had her.

[LDRover]

You mean Benni and Senator George?

Speaking of Floela Benjiman, my sisters' friends dad had her.

Fair play to him, I can quite see the appeal now I'm older.

Thought she was a right munter when I was six but how things change.

[waggy]

a couple of seasons ago i thought ashton would have been a good buy,a lot thought he was not good enough.i thought nugent would be a good buy,but many who had seen him thought him poor.

i think there are two in the lower divisions worth giving a trial too,varney off crewe,and sharp off scunthorpe.

thoughts anyone

i see varney joined charlton yesterday,and pne are after sharp,he must be worth a chance,surely the 3rd division to the premier is not a big a jump,as derbyshire has made.