Best Forward

Cooky for me, although he’s obviously not been as prolific since he’s been back but not really had much game time.

Whether he suits our constant press type football I don’t know, for me his main strength has been pulling finishes out of thin air, often with little service, not running around chasing the ball & forcing mistakes, especially at 35.

 

Swan hasn’t scored a goal since the start of September !!!

 

I think a young loan number 9 is a priority in January.

 

We played our best football this season when Humphrys was in that role. At that time everyone was flying so even when Swan came in, we still looked decent.

Until the transfer window opens and we have the chance to sign a new forward he needs to play there, especially as if you move him wide you can’t drop our best player…..Pointon.

 

To be fair Bobby seems to have stalled his progress since the mystery foot “ problem” ?

 

Agreed, you see just how much we miss Bobby when he's not on the pitch. We look like we can't pass wind let alone a football. He's reminding me more and more of Nicky Law in that 16/17 season, an important ball carrier. Law was also criticised when he didn't score or assist, as is creeping in with Bobby. If it's a choice between Bobby and Humphrys, it's a no-brainer. Humphrys wouldn't know where a team-mate was if they screamed in his face. So whether people like to admit it or not, he plays as a number 9 or not at all on the current strongest team. It is a position to look at in January, though.

 

There's far more to it than just goals and assists which often don't tell the full story such as statistically Humphrys gets no credit for winning the penalty yet that is more of an assist than a player who makes a 5 yard pass and runs past 3 players to score. There was also the big part he played in both goals against Wycombe and I'm sure there will be others as well if we looked back at highlights.
He is the most all round of the 4 strikers for what we need with an ok aerial duel rate with the ability to press and get on the ball to run at people.
We can't ignore that the record for us with games he's started this season in the league is 20 points from 9 games which is a very good record, I'm not saying it is all down to him but he will play a big part of it especially the early season results.

Swan had an early season burst where everything went his way but his goal rate was never going to continue as he wasn't going to keep getting open goal gifts and he wasn't going to keep with every shot on target being a goal.

 

Wrong Injury. Foot was last Season, Scored 8 goals in 26 appearances ( I think it’s about that) since then.

Recent Injury was Shoulder.

 

It's a pool of inconsistent players that we are hoping to get a tune out off. No attacker or attacking midfielder has an open play goal or assist in nearly 2 months in the league. We look our best when Bobby is playing, certainly at home, but away from home he struggles to get into games, he hasn't an assist away from home in the league for nearly 2 years. Sarcevic probably has the best output of any attacking mid over the last year or so minutes wise, but he always seems to have a game or two missing through some small issue.

Horses for courses might work but it wont build consistent approaches through any attacker. I think we have strikers who'd look best in a partnership, and wide players in Bobby, Sarce, Lapslie who might well be better used as a 10 than a wide man.

 

Bobby's game is of a support player that contributes towards the goal tally, he's not a ten that will dominate a game. Same really with Sarcevic, both suit each other but if you're playing Humphrys in front of them the pressure is on both of them to keep scoring as Humphrys doesn't. Fair play to Alexander, the system works well but without those two it can be a painful watch.

 

I think that's an issue we have found now we are watching this team and we cant play on the break as much. At the start of the season, it felt like teams played us expecting a load of possesion and to beat us down, but we played so fast and free on the break, and it worked a treat.

But now we've had a little figuring out, we are seeing the ball way more than the start of the season and it shows that not just in the AM slots, but in the whole squad, that we have nobody at all that can control a game. We do need that midfielder in the building who can keep the ball and play with composure. Our current ones after 4 or 5 team passes look like they cant wait to play a hollywood ball or something out of the norm when all we need to do is keep our heads even 10% better than we do.

 

Thanks D yes you are right. Thanks for the correction.

 

I'd like to see us start (a shame we don't have any more pain pot games to test it in) with Cook and Humphrys as a two up front. Cook could just stay in the middle and look to get on the end of things and Humphrys could play more of a free role.

Having said that, the stats tell you we get the most points when we play Bobby and Sarce together so my suggestion, above, is more of a plan B scenario.

 

Alexander stated that he wants his striker to be doing 12k a game, basically working his nuts off. That's not Cookys game, not saying he doesn't graft but he ain't chasing defenders down the channels, which is which is our default attacking ball.

 

I thought he said Humphrys would have to do that if he played wide.

 

I think he said that's what he expects from his wide players, which is why he's playing Humphrys as a striker and not out wide.

 

My apologies if I've read that wrong. I'll be honest in that case I'd start Andy Cook

 

Except at Mansfield and Gillingham where he robbed the full back, drove at goal and scored?

Honestly, I think too many are now contributing to the myth that Humphrys works far harder than Cook can. Yes there's a difference in pace but I don't see that Humphrys works harder, in fact, a lot of the time he's a lazy sod and either stood still or walking.