[Archived] Sam's January Targets

[John]

Would think Benjani is on quite decent wages at the moment.

[den]

Ideally Den, but remember that we play one up top in the majority of games. Furthermore, while I do agree that we shoud always look to have four strikers on the books at the start of the season, we should easily be able to cope with three srikers for the 14 games that we have remaining. We'd need simultaneously injuries and suspensions to all three of our strikers for it to come to Samba up front again.

It wouldn't take much for us to be left with Roberts as our only available striker. Think about it, injuries to Nicko and Di Santo, and we have only one fit striker. No-one else, no-one on the bench either.

[beerwins]

On the SSN ticker says we are in talks with Lens for Dindane.

[Sparky Marky]

Yeah, well, it would only need an injury/suspension to a couple of our three strikers and we would be watching our centre half trying to get on the end of twenty foot high howitzers again.

The three strikers "fighting for the first team spot have scored 5 PL goals between them and Roberts has three of them. Every club needs 4 strikers minimum and I for one, would be mightily disappointed if we didn't replace McCarthy.

Are we running a PL club here or a park team?

Absolute rubbish...we haven never been one of those clubs who just buy for the sake of it....I say DO NOT buy any of them Dindanes and all that....rubbish the lot of em...Keep the funds and invest wisely in the summer.

[MarkBRFC71]

Four strikers on the books;

1. Kalinic

2. Di Santo

3. Roberts

4. Junior

1. Good enough, will score goals

2. Question marks over his finishing

3. No question marks - cannot finish - Championship player at best

4. Question marks over his finishing and commitment - still not signed a contract?

So out of the 4, only one really cuts the mustard. If he gets injured we are likely a bit fooked.

We've known McCarthy would be leaving for weeks, and a deal of sorts has been as good as done for 2 weeks.

Why have we not moved earlier?

Is our scouting so bad under BFS that crocks, has-beens and never-will-bes are the best we can come up with?

Why did we not move earlier for someone like Beckford who is vastly superior in every way to Benjani, Beattie or Dindane?

Smacks of really bad management to me.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

1. Good enough, will score goals

2. Question marks over his finishing

3. No question marks - cannot finish - Championship player at best

4. Question marks over his finishing and commitment - still not signed a contract?

So out of the 4, only one really cuts the mustard. If he gets injured we are likely a bit fooked.

We've known McCarthy would be leaving for weeks, and a deal of sorts has been as good as done for 2 weeks.

Why have we not moved earlier?

Is our scouting so bad under BFS that crocks, has-beens and never-will-bes are the best we can come up with?

Why did we not move earlier for someone like Beckford who is vastly superior in every way to Benjani, Beattie or Dindane?

Smacks of really bad management to me.

Unless anyone knows for definite what is going on in the background - I don't think you hav eth eright to criticise the management.

For all anyone knows - we could have had numerous deals lined up only for them to fall through for various reasons.

[joey_big_nose]

On the SSN ticker says we are in talks with Lens for Dindane.

To be honest I will be suprised if this doesn't happen.

1) Sam is on record as an admirer

2) We are desperate

3) Stoke want £3m for Beattie

4) It is a loan so we are not committed.

To be honest, despite his dodgy finishing, I think Dindane will give us more than anyone else feasible. You have to say on balance we are going to be weaker up front now, but we just need to get on with it and hope Di Santo and Kalinic can have a good end to the season.

[roversinmyblood]

Thanks to the 7 points that we have recently gained and the fact that there are definetly at least 3 worse sides than ourselves, I think that saving our money for the summer would be a better bet than spending money on a past it striker.

Don't forget that in the summer we will not have Di Santo and probably Hoilett so we will need the money to replace them!!

[gumboots]

On the SSN ticker says we are in talks with Lens for Dindane.

And if he was any good, Portsmouth would not be in as much bother on the field as they are (yes, they'd still have as many off-field problems but they were creating chances for Dindane but he couldn't take them) We don't create enough chances to be able to afford to bring in another player who can't take them - we already have Roberts and di Santo. Also it looks so far as though Lens have been mucking about and are difficult to deal with. Personally, although I know we probably need another striker for all the reasons already mentioned, I am distinctly underwhelmed, even given the fact that we have little or no cash to speak of, with the players it seems to have come down to.

[MeanGreenMachine]

Nice, slate Roberts for his finishing and say bring in beckford. I know plenty of leeds fans who would be willing to drive him here for anything over the million mark. In league 1 he needs a good 3 or 4 chances to score.

[den]

On the SSN ticker says we are in talks with Lens for Dindane.

In Manchester, talking to Rovers about a loan move until the end of the season. {SSN}

[MarkBRFC71]

Unless anyone knows for definite what is going on in the background - I don't think you hav eth eright to criticise the management.

For all anyone knows - we could have had numerous deals lined up only for them to fall through for various reasons.

I've had a season ticket since 1982 - so I have every right to criticise the management. As usual it appears like last-minute floundering, although I take your point about deals that might fall through.

Nice, slate Roberts for his finishing and say bring in beckford. I know plenty of leeds fans who would be willing to drive him here for anything over the million mark. In league 1 he needs a good 3 or 4 chances to score.

But at least he scores. Roberts would still miss.

[tcj_jones]

It wouldn't take much for us to be left with Roberts as our only available striker. Think about it, injuries to Nicko and Di Santo, and we have only one fit striker. No-one else, no-one on the bench either.

I understand where you are coming from, it's definitely a valid concern. If we had even three fewer points on the board, then I would argue the necessity of a replacement for McCarthy. However, needing somewhere between 10 and 12 points over the course of the next 14 games, I think it is a risk worth taking. We could cope with Roberts up top for a couple of games, and I just cannot see all three being unavailable for a run of consecutive games. It's also important to rememer that both Kalinic and Di Santo have had a good record with injuries since joining.

Currently it appears that our options are: Beattie, Dindane and Benjani. If we could get one on loan, then that would be fantastic. What if, however, the only way to get one on board would be on a permanent basis? Would you pay over the odds for one of these three or go into our remaining 14 games with Kalinic (performing very well), Di Santo and Roberts?

[RevidgeBlue]

Very disappointing that we're apparently after the likes of Benjani and Beattie who are both right at the tail end of their careers and who both represent "dead money."

Benni was around the 32 mark when he left but he wasn't when we signed him so why replace one 31/32 year old with another? It makes no business sense at all.

[Iceman]

we in talks with both Dindane and Benjani??? out of the 2 players, Dindane is the better one and that’s the scary part.

[bluebruce]

i respectfully disagree sir.

That's fine, but it would be splendid if you could let me know why!

I wasn't saying we are desperate, purely pointing out reasons that Samba up front is not something we should be relying on. I am actually in a similar boat to you- I don't want us to purchase a Beattie or a Dindane just for the sake of filling out our striker quota. Injuries and suspensions could limit our forward options but we usually only play one up anyway, and do have (admittedly unpalatable) backup options if crisis hits. I'd be fine with us taking either player on loan, as long as the loan fee was very small. I don't wish to buy either though, neither now nor in the summer. I do wish we had lined up something for a much younger striker permanently though (I'm sure we did, but perhaps more of them!), as I think this half of the season is a perfect time to risk blooding a youngster. We aren't looking likely to struggle for survival or challenge for Europe, so we should use this period of mediocrity as one of transition, and look to the future.

[nick1979]

I can understand the club staying well clear of Beattie. I'm sure Nicko mentioned he wanted a 2 and a half year deal at 30k a week. That's £3.9 million in wages before any goal bonuses etc. Add on to that the transfer fee. Plus the fact there is little re-sale value or none at all. It just doesn't make any sense. If Beattie and his advisors can get a deal like that from another team, good luck to them.

[mogster]

we in talks with both Dindane and Benjani??? out of the 2 players, Dindane is the better one and that’s the scary part.

Beattie, Dindane or Benjani - whichever one it is, if they score 2 goals in the next 2 games we'll all love them.

And don't forget Dindane scored against Burnley so he's ok in my book

[greco]

That's fine, but it would be splendid if you could let me know why!

I wasn't saying we are desperate, purely pointing out reasons that Samba up front is not something we should be relying on. I am actually in a similar boat to you- I don't want us to purchase a Beattie or a Dindane just for the sake of filling out our striker quota. Injuries and suspensions could limit our forward options but we usually only play one up anyway, and do have (admittedly unpalatable) backup options if crisis hits. I'd be fine with us taking either player on loan, as long as the loan fee was very small. I don't wish to buy either though, neither now nor in the summer. I do wish we had lined up something for a much younger striker permanently though (I'm sure we did, but perhaps more of them!), as I think this half of the season is a perfect time to risk blooding a youngster. We aren't looking likely to struggle for survival or challenge for Europe, so we should use this period of mediocrity as one of transition, and look to the future.

i thought i made it clear why i disagreed mate. I just think the money saved now, would be of better use to sam in the summer. He could juggle around with both transfer and wage budgets, abit more then.

i would rather save now, when we sit comfortbale in the league and then in the summer go all in, on whatever target/s sam might have.

The part of your post i underlined, i completely agree with.

[bluebruce]

Over 1 goal every 3 matches for a club rooted at the bottom of the Premier League ain't bad.

But there's the thing. Whilst it averages at that, it isn't actually every] three games. He had one excellent game where he bagged a hat-trick, and other than that his record is very comparable to our existing strikers. Who are all capable of really turning it on for one game too.

[PAFELL]

Over 1 goal every 3 matches for a club rooted at the bottom of the Premier League ain't bad. More than any of our strikers this season. I'd say it'd be a good signing and I'll be happier with this than having kept Benni.

I agree it is not that bad. We have also to consider who creats the most chances the most chances, Rovers or pompey. Do pompey have better creative players than Rovers. It is alright having a decnt striker, but even the best need chances created for them. Rovers do pump enough bals into the box. Dindane does have pace, which Rovers lack. No he is worth a loan - with an agreed buying price in the hope he is successfull.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Very disappointing that we're apparently after the likes of Benjani and Beattie who are both right at the tail end of their careers and who both represent "dead money."

Benni was around the 32 mark when he left but he wasn't when we signed him so why replace one 31/32 year old with another? It makes no business sense at all.

Because we dont have a choice. Please list a number of 25 year old strikers who could do the job that Rovers could attract. There arent that many.

[PAFELL]

But there's the thing. Whilst it averages at that, it isn't actually every] three games. He had one excellent game where he bagged a hat-trick, and other than that his record is very comparable to our existing strikers. Who are all capable of really turning it on for one game too.

Don't forget, pompey are bottom of the table and therefore spend more time defending than attacking.

[bluebruce]

i thought i made it clear why i disagreed mate. I just think the money saved now, would be of better use to sam in the summer. He could juggle around with both transfer and wage budgets, abit more then.

i would rather save now, when we sit comfortbale in the league and then in the summer go all in, on whatever target/s sam might have.

The part of your post i underlined, i completely agree with.

Ah then you were disagreeing with it because you thought I was coming at it from another angle that I wasn't. My points were not meant to suggest that we simply must buy another forward, they were only to express my discontent at the prospect of playing Samba up front again (even though he performed the role fine). None of my points said we had to buy, so it looked like you were disagreeing without actually answering any of my points. Just some crossed wires then ;-)

[waggy]

i'd rather stick with what we have than sign either dindan or benjani