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The Centre Forward Conundrum

The Centre Forward Conundrum

Worthington said:
Picture yourself as a new left back at a club. Keepers dropping clangers weekly and the first choice has been changed by October. Numerous different centre back pairings to your right in just two months. Yourself being dropped in and out of the team when you've not really done anything wrong (Bolton in - Reading out)

What this team is screaming out for is a settled defensive unit. Then will be the time to judge Hughes.

Nice One.
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Agree, think Hughes needs a bit more time yet.

He started very well and was good on Saturday. At the end of the day when you sell a player for £4m and buy one for £200k you’ll always be weakened in the short term, he needs time to adapt.

He has some good attributes but needs to work on his positioning. As I’ve said before I don’t think AN’s early season tactical tweaks with full backs pushing up helped either him or Fisher either.

I think there’s some homegrown sentiment with Earl. Top prospect but shouldn’t be a regular yet.

buckshawwhite said:
Didn't we bid the £2m asking price for Moore & then Barnsley bumped it up to £4m overnight?
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We never bid close to £2m.
 
Nishtar36 said:
Yes, was visible that he had all the tools to be a very good striker. His blindside movement at Swansea was underrated on this forum as was his touch, pace etc. I mentioned his xG and was shot down by a few of the King Moult brigade.

Against Stoke again his movement was very good and his strength stretched the game. He was poor at Norwich.

But now he’s fully arrived.


(Just like it was visible that Moult would offer nothing as a 9 at this level)
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I think it says all you need to know about his first few games that the best thing he did was make a blindside run (which almost all strikers with any sort of pace look to do, it’s not rocket science), which he ended up scuffing anyway.
 
Nmecha looks like he could be a star but he's 19, he needs competition and cover.

He's also clearly much better on the deck, still think the squad needs someone who can offer an aerial threat in games when we're struggling to play our way through.
 
Remind me
On the forward discussion
How much did we pay for moult?
I ask as I’m wondering with the alleged few million from the Hugill sale still in the coffers what we can realistically hope to get when we inevitably sell moult and trust of a potential purchase in the next transfer window ?
 
edgy said:
Remind me
On the forward discussion
How much did we pay for moult?
I ask as I’m wondering with the alleged few million from the Hugill sale still in the coffers what we can realistically hope to get when we inevitably sell moult and trust of a potential purchase in the next transfer window ?
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750k I think
 
AN says on the PNE Podcast that the players deserve credit for how threatening we look at the moment after failing to sign a striker and having 3 serious attacking injuries.
 
kingpne said:
I think it says all you need to know about his first few games that the best thing he did was make a blindside run (which almost all strikers with any sort of pace look to do, it’s not rocket science), which he ended up scuffing anyway.[/QUOTE

He ended up forcing the keeper to tip it over for a corner on his weaker left foot.

He’s not suddenly become a good player against Wigan, he’s displayed all those attributes in previous games. You don’t become City’s 3rd choice striker under Guardiola if you aren’t good enough - Mavididi comparisons were absolutely laughable and pathetic.
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If Nmecha now starts playing consistently as he has done in the last two matches then we could well have the most exciting centre forward in the Championship at out disposal for the rest of the season or maybe until January if he becomes so good that Man City recall him. For the next few games we need our attack to be threatening enough to opposition defences to allow our defence to get used to keeping clean sheets again. We have been creating chances for several games now - if Nmecha, Robinson, Maguire and Barkhuizen all play at the top of their game we actually could stick several goals a game away.
 
Nishtar36 said:
kingpne said:
I think it says all you need to know about his first few games that the best thing he did was make a blindside run (which almost all strikers with any sort of pace look to do, it’s not rocket science), which he ended up scuffing anyway.[/QUOTE

He ended up forcing the keeper to tip it over for a corner on his weaker left foot.

He’s not suddenly become a good player against Wigan, he’s displayed all those attributes in previous games. You don’t become City’s 3rd choice striker under Guardiola if you aren’t good enough - Mavididi comparisons were absolutely laughable and pathetic.
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You’re right he hasn’t suddenly become a good player. But he’s only started to show he’s a good player. As per himself, and the manager, who left him out the squad because he wasn’t performing.

He’s come through his settling in period and now seems ready for men’s football.
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ernest said:
If Nmecha now starts playing consistently as he has done in the last two matches then we could well have the most exciting centre forward in the Championship at out disposal for the rest of the season or maybe until January if he becomes so good that Man City recall him. For the next few games we need our attack to be threatening enough to opposition defences to allow our defence to get used to keeping clean sheets again. We have been creating chances for several games now - if Nmecha, Robinson, Maguire and Barkhuizen all play at the top of their game we actually could stick several goals a game away.
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Think they can only recall him if we agree to it. We probably would agree as to not harm any future relationship with City but I highly doubt they would recall him anyway.
 
Only way I see Nmecha being recalled is if he has a blinder here and someone like Huddersfield or Cardiff enquire to loan him with guarantees of playing time.
 
ernest said:
If Nmecha now starts playing consistently as he has done in the last two matches then we could well have the most exciting centre forward in the Championship at out disposal for the rest of the season or maybe until January if he becomes so good that Man City recall him. For the next few games we need our attack to be threatening enough to opposition defences to allow our defence to get used to keeping clean sheets again. We have been creating chances for several games now - if Nmecha, Robinson, Maguire and Barkhuizen all play at the top of their game we actually could stick several goals a game away.
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I'm afraid I don't have quite the same confidence in Nmecha maintaining his form of the last couple of games for the rest of the season (a big ask of an inexperienced youngster) or of Maguire staying fit for the same duration. I think we definitely need another striker, preferably the target man Neil has said he wants.
 
Schemer said:
I'm afraid I don't have quite the same confidence in Nmecha maintaining his form of the last couple of games for the rest of the season (a big ask of an inexperienced youngster) or of Maguire staying fit for the same duration. I think we definitely need another striker, preferably the target man Neil has said he wants.
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Let's see where we are come January. The player who gets dismissed all too easily in these discussions is Moult. If we had signed a targetman who had come on as a sub at Villa and scored the goal Moult did the shouts on here would all be - 'Look what we have been missing uptil now.'
 
ernest said:
Let's see where we are come January. The player who gets dismissed all too easily in these discussions is Moult. If we had signed a targetman who had come on as a sub at Villa and scored the goal Moult did the shouts on here would all be - 'Look what we have been missing uptil now.'
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One goal from a set piece won’t change people’s opinions though will it ?

It remains a fact that especially from the start of games he has looked incapable physically of leading the line, and carried hardly any goal threat.

Signing a physical forward in January remains a must. A couple of good displays from Nmecha and just one goal from Moult (his first of the season) doesn’t change that.
 
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