Where the goals came from to keep us up

[Kilworthfox]

Forsell, Edwards and Gray are all either wingers or strikers, not central midfielders (apologies for not stating that was the criteria). Hughes from Cov and Chaplow both don't score many goals. Bryan Hughes, however is a very good suggestion. I made the same one a few weeks ago. Great eye for goal.

I have been known to crack a few in from distance but unfortneately i can't find me boots so Bryan Hughes will have to do for the moment until they are located

appologies

[Manwell Pablo]

I wouldn't mind Carlos Edwards but Watford will go in for him in the January so we will stand little chance.

[Thracian]

No my point was that EH did not score when we were playing well, so why now?

I can agree with you that EH is not a striker

I cannot understand what you see in the guy i realy cannot!

Ironically Ric's touched on it when he asks quite rightly, where will we get a 10 goals a season midfielder. There don't seem to be too many about elsewhere and the only possible answers in our club right now are Hammond, Gradel and King.

Of those, Hammond and Gradel have pace and King is more suited to coming from central midfield. I'd use all three, with King in the centre and Hammond alternating with Gradel on the right.

What I see in the guy is pace, the ability to make space, a bloke who has more shots per game than Low/Sylla combined manage in a month and the ability to track back and tackle if asked or to close down swiftly from the front.

How would either Sylla or Low on the right be better than Hammond, if that's what you prefer? There's simply no case. And seeing as Dodds would occupy the central striking role with Fryatt, the need for him to compete there wouldn't exist.

I cannot believe Dodds would only have had two goals at this stage of a full season so far - which is Fryatt's tally - so his contribution is bound to be a plu. And seeing that Low/Sylla have scored none between them even including last season, Hammond can hardly do worse out wider, can he?.

Adding King to midfield will give us some more goals, Hughes will play better with options around him and we should be getting somewhere. We would also have a team full of fit players.

[Ric Flair]

Ironically Ric's touched on it when he asks quite rightly, where will we get a 10 goals a season midfielder. There don't seem to be too many about elsewhere and the only possible answers in our club right now are Hammond, Gradel and King.

Of those, Hammond and Gradel have pace and King is more suited to coming from central midfield. I'd use all three, with King in the centre and Hammond alternating with Gradel on the right.

What I see in the guy is pace, the ability to make space, a bloke who has more shots per game than Low/Sylla combined manage in a month and the ability to track back and tackle if asked or to close down swiftly from the front.

How would either Sylla or Low on the right be better than Hammond, if that's what you prefer? There's simply no case. And seeing as Dodds would occupy the central striking role with Fryatt, the need for him to compete there wouldn't exist.

I cannot believe Dodds would only have had two goals at this stage of a full season so far - which is Fryatt's tally - so his contribution is bound to be a plu. And seeing that Low/Sylla have scored none between them even including last season, Hammond can hardly do worse out wider, can he?.

Adding King to midfield will give us some more goals, Hughes will play better with options around him and we should be getting somewhere. We would also have a team full of fit players.

Please don't keep doing this to me Thracian. Elvis Hammond can't score 10 goals a season playing upfront so why would his finishing improve 500% by him switching to right wing? I am more than willing to give him a chance at right wing should he play there, but if he scored any goals let along any more than he does up front then i'd be astounded. The man is the worst finisher i've ever seen, worse than Benjamin and Akinbiyi during our Taylor years. He even makes Ormondroyd look clinical. Sadly, it doesn't matter whether he gets more shooting opportunities than Low or Sylla because I can't see how he'd still continue to get all of these shooting opportunities if he played out wide. Unless he just continued to stay in the centre, which would then defeat the object of him being employed as a winger.

[lookwhaticando]

I respect both your opinions, but I believe that Gudjonsson has benefitted from nostalgia/absence makes the heart grow fonder. I would agree he's better than Andy Johnson in the middle.

Wesolowski/Williams would be my first choice partnership though even if Gudjonsson was here.

Fair enough, they're your first choice. You couldn't possibly not want a decent replacement for either of them should they get (continue to be) crocked, though. Do we really have any decent replacements for either Williams/Weso?

In the absence of Wesolowski, who would you rather have to replace him? Andy Johnson? Danny Tiatto? Stephen Hughes? or Joey Gudjonsson?

I know who I'd rather have as backup. Given the amount of football our first choice 'pair' have played together (still just 13 minutes, I imagine), I'd say decent backup was essential.

Gudjonsson is missed, one way or another - as a decent squad player at the least.

[The People's Hero]

Thracian said

Ironically Ric's touched on it when he asks quite rightly, where will we get a 10 goals a season midfielder. There don't seem to be too many about elsewhere and the only possible answers in our club right now are Hammond, Gradel and King.

I reply:

There you go again - 10 goals from midfield!

But when it comes to Hammond.....

[Manwell Pablo]

Fair enough, they're your first choice. You couldn't possibly not want a decent replacement for either of them should they get... or continue to be, rather, crocked.

In the absence of Wesolowski, who would you rather have to replace him? Andy Johnson? Danny Tiatto? Stephen Hughes? or Joey Gudjonsson?

I know who I'd rather have as backup. Given the amount of football our first choice 'pair' have played together, I'd say decent backup was essential.

Gudjonsson is missed, one way or another - as a decent squad player at the least.

Joey Gujonsson is not coming back to Leicester City.

[The People's Hero]

Have people forgotten how cr ap we were when we had JG?

Admittedly compared to Hammond, Low, McCarthy, CoG etc the man is a footballing god. Let's not pretend he's great though. Most weeks he was shocking.

[lookwhaticando]

Have people forgotten how cr ap we were when we had JG?

Admittedly compared to Hammond, Low, McCarthy, CoG etc the man is a footballing god. Let's not pretend he's great though. Most weeks he was shocking.

He's an improvement over what we currently have. That's all that's needed - someone/something better.

He may not be brilliant, he may be a rough-and-ready player... but at least he's bloody ready. Old Andy 'Mercenary' Johnson played shit for weeks then got crocked. Danny Tiatto still likes to take players out, so gets plenty of cards, and now even he might be proper injured.

This is half the problem - our CM area is filled with people who can't seem to get fit. No less than three of them are out of contract at the end of the year, too. Not exactly a great state of affairs.

Joey had his faults, I agree - he was pretty much piss poor for a while - but he was one player who tried hard for us, even when he knew he wasn't going to be around much longer (so little need to impress for a new contract, he already had one).

No matter how good or bad you think he is, truth is we miss him in midfield, the present bunch just aren't up to much at the minute - and that's being generous.

[The People's Hero]

I've got nothing against him, I just wonder why he's remembered (and regarded) with such affection.

His pass completion ratio was about 40% I'd have thought.

Also, those who complain about stupid ambitious cross field balls which go miles out of play - Joey was the king of those.

There was no questioning his application and yes, I would take him. He wouldn't solve this mess though.

[Manwell Pablo]

He's an improvement over what we currently have. That's all that's needed - someone/something better.

He may not be brilliant, he may be a rough-and-ready player... but at least he's bloody ready. Old Andy 'Mercenary' Johnson played shit for weeks then got crocked. Danny Tiatto still likes to take players out, so gets plenty of cards, and now even he might be proper injured.

This is half the problem - our CM area is filled with people who can't seem to get fit. No less than three of them are out of contract at the end of the year, too. Not exactly a great state of affairs.

Joey had his faults, I agree - he was pretty much piss poor for a while - but he was one player who tried hard for us, even when he knew he wasn't going to be around much longer (so little need to impress for a new contract, he already had one).

No matter how good or bad you think he is, truth is we miss him in midfield, the present bunch just aren't up to much at the minute - and that's being generous.

Thats so untrue, we shouldn't be signing players because they are not as shit as what we have, we should be signing them because they are good and have the abilty to take us to the next level.

[lookwhaticando]

Thats so untrue, we shouldn't be signing players because they are not as shit as what we have, we should be signing them because they are good and have the abilty to take us to the next level.

With the shit that fills out the squad, we might have to settle for gradual improvements.

It won't be easy, trying to offload and replace 12-15 players in a squad of 20.

Fair point though. I'd still have Joey as a squad player - because when fit, Weso and Williams should, in theory, take us to the next level anyway.

[The People's Hero]

With Milan's money (not necessarily a huge amount needed) and a manager some some vision, charisma and ambition, I think we can attract much better than what we've got.

[Dr The Singh]

With Milan's money (not necessarily a huge amount needed) and a manager some some vision, charisma and ambition, I think we can attract much better than what we've got.

So, were stuck with another more of the lows and Johnsons of the world arriving at our club!!!

[Thracian]

Thracian said

Ironically Ric's touched on it when he asks quite rightly, where will we get a 10 goals a season midfielder. There don't seem to be too many about elsewhere and the only possible answers in our club right now are Hammond, Gradel and King.

I reply:

There you go again - 10 goals from midfield!

But when it comes to Hammond.....

Let's put it to you another way:

Pick me a better scoring option on right midfield.

To me there are two choices: Gradel or Hammond and I believe Gradel should make his way from the bench first.

The alternatives I'm aware of haven't had 10 meaningful shots let alone put the ball in the net 10 times.

Pick your team by all means.

I've tried and tried to get this club to use a properly co-ordinated attacking system for months now and explained exactly why we would struggle as far back as last October and again in July/August and still we go for the same boring and flawed approach.

As far as what we've got is concerned I'm more than happy with:

King, Hughes;

Hammond, Dodds, Hume, Porter

..as our front six.

Williams and Weso are still less than fit, Low/Sylla don't even figure as options to me and I've mentioned Gradel.

O'Grady's not been fit for weeks and Fryatt, with his two goals so far, has looked a shadow of himself, has no real pace and isn't as good an all rounder as Dodds anyway. So, apart from Hammond, I don't see there being much else on offer even with some manipulation.

If Williams were genuinely fit I could live with Dodds/Hume up front and Gradel, Williams, Hughes, Porter in midfield with King on the bench.

But it loses the special abilities King has got and that we particularly need, yet anything else is a compromise, with players being simple accommodated because they are quite good, rather than being selected to do a job that's needed.

Every one of my preferred six attacking players can score/make goals - not lots perhaps, but some.

Backed by attacking full-backs I am reasonably happy they will score goals. But whether they can score enough with the mountain we have voluntarily left ourselves to climb - and keep enough out - I don't know now.

And if someone comes up with a young Len Glover or a young Howard Riley for the right side then fine but otherwise the only choices to have any hopes of scoring are Hammond and Gradel.

The only attacking full-backs we have are Stearman, Sheehan and Mattock and to make it all work at this stage there are three vitally missing incredients: confidence, belief and familiarity with the system which should have been established in the close season.

* PS: It is such a chronically bad situation I would even have contemplated blanket defence - sacrilege to me - were there any evidence at all that we could ever stop leaking at least one goal and game and recently more. But there isn't so there seems little hope in that direction.

[Manwell Pablo]

Let's put it to you another way:

Pick me a better scoring option on right midfield.

To me there are two choices: Gradel or Hammond and I believe Gradel should make his way from the bench first.

The alternatives I'm aware of haven't had 10 meaningful shots let alone put the ball in the net 10 times.

Pick your team by all means.

I've tried and tried to get this club to use a properly co-ordinated attacking system for months now and explained exactly why we would struggle as far back as last October and again in July/August and still we go for the same boring and flawed approach.

As far as what we've got is concerned I'm more than happy with:

King, Hughes;

Hammond, Dodds, Hume, Porter

..as our front six.

Williams and Weso are still less than fit, Low/Sylla don't even figure as options to me and I've mentioned Gradel.

O'Grady's not been fit for weeks and Fryatt, with his two goals so far, has looked a shadow of himself, has no real pace and isn't as good an all rounder as Dodds anyway. So, apart from Hammond, I don't see there being much else on offer even with some manipulation.

If Williams were genuinely fit I could live with Dodds/Hume up front and Gradel, Williams, Hughes, Porter in midfield with King on the bench.

But it loses the special abilities King has got and that we particularly need, yet anything else is a compromise, with players being simple accommodated because they are quite good, rather than being selected to do a job that's needed.

Every one of my preferred six attacking players can score/make goals - not lots perhaps, but some.

Backed by attacking full-backs I am reasonably happy they will score goals. But whether they can score enough with the mountain we have voluntarily left ourselves to climb - and keep enough out - I don't know now.

And if someone comes up with a young Len Glover or a young Howard Riley for the right side then fine but otherwise the only choices to have any hopes of scoring are Hammond and Gradel.

The only attacking full-backs we have are Stearman, Sheehan and Mattock and to make it all work at this stage there are three vitally missing incredients: confidence, belief and familiarity with the system which should have been established in the close season.

Elvis Hammond has not scored 10 times, Elivs would score didly squat from Right midfield. Sylla has twice the talent and the abilty to deliver a through ball better than Elvis could ever dream, I'd prefere Low to Hammond on the right wing at least he can cross a ball one in every three attempts.

If we're that desperate we should play Hughes (once we have something resembling a fit squad) he used to play there for Rangers.

[The People's Hero]

I'd play Sylla on the right. Failing that, Hughes or even give Gradel a go.

Hammond, no way. I don't see how those factors which limit him as a forward would do anything other than limit him as a wide midfielder.

[Dr The Singh]

I'd play Sylla on the right. Failing that, Hughes or even give Gradel a go.

Hammond, no way. I don't see how those factors which limit him as a forward would do anything other than limit him as a wide midfielder.

And why would you want to play a player out of position in the first place, especially as we have been moaning about it and cursing RK for doing that!!!

[lookwhaticando]

And why would you want to play a player out of position in the first place, especially as we have been moaning about it and cursing RK for doing that!!!

TPH is on the ABH bandwagon.

** ABH = Anything But Hammond, not Actual Bodily Harm.

[Thracian]

I'd play Sylla on the right. Failing that, Hughes or even give Gradel a go.

Hammond, no way. I don't see how those factors which limit him as a forward would do anything other than limit him as a wide midfielder.

I rest my case.

[The People's Hero]

Sylla has quite easily been our most effective right winger this season. How would Hammond do any better?

His distribution is woeful. Sure he could run reasonably quickly in a straight line towards the corner flag, then what? At least when he's upfront in the middle, defenders (stupid ones who've done no homework) sometimes take him down for a penalty/free kick in a dangerous area. Full backs would be better equipped to keep pace with him (nullifying his only strength) and then would let him simply run it out of play, fall over his own feet and whip a tame ball in to the keeper's arms/behind the goal.

Not convinced at all.

[Fez of Mahrez]

If restricted to 4-4-2,

I'd play Hughes on the right. He went through a rough patch earlier in the season and there will be those who never rate him but we did enough with a non-attacking midfielder on the right when Maybury played there. Sylla seems to be fashionable at the moment for some reason but it's only because people are fed up with Low. Sylla has never offered us enough on a consistent basis. With the added options of Hughes tucking in and Hume drifting out to the right, it makes us more flexible. Porter to give us the energy through the middle if Weso or Williams are unfit. He could play alongside either of them and we'd have a decent outlet. Tiatto on the left, ideally with an attacking left-back to overlap. Unfortunately we don't really have a decent one that Kelly would pick.

[l444ry]

Judging by all these combinations and positional changes being put forward I think we'd better get used to low scoring games for the rest of the season.