Failure to sign striker cost us


Well done to our players and Tony Mowbray for working miracles with the players at his disposal.
Lot of nonsense posted about tactics or players bottling it.
The cold facts are we were unable to counter their high press because we had no option to play long.
The reason for this is the abject failure to sign a decent physical striker in January.
Those responsible have let down the players who have performed amazing the manager and the supporters.
You need the tools to do the job.
Injuries cost us in the back line ultimately.
 
It's devastating that we didn't sign a has been like Wickham. It's also devastating that I had to watch some of the most beautiful goals I have ever seen a Sunderland side score making up for a lack of striker. It's also devastating that despite we were one of the most consistent scoring sides in the decision. Yeah, not buying a striker cost us...
 
So that failure is going to.dictate our transfer policy from now on.
Leaving aside that most of the players the new recruitment team have signed have been impressive, indicating that when we do recruit in the main we have recruited well.
It seems so .
Along the same lines of ‘but we finished 5th in league 1’ so let’s not aim too high .
Some folk have ambition and some folk don’t I suppose.
 
Did we buy a striker?
Did we get promoted?
The answer to that is no as I predicted on January 31st

Goodness me - what a genius.
Are you trying to claim credit for what every single one of us on here was thinking too?

Why can't people let go of this hoary old chestnut.
The club tried (but failed) to sign a striker or three. It was not possible, apparently.

It's a very easy target to swing your wrecking ball at, and loads on here have been doing it ad nauseam.
 
First half was littered with individual mistakes and bad decisions both under pressure and with no pressure. We looked absolutely rattled after the goal went in and every time they went forward we looked like folding. The second goal had been coming for most of the half.

Only really Hume came out of the first half with much credit.

Definitely a touch of that. Luton and their fans had got to Amad and he wasnt playing his game, though I do think without Roberts close to him he hasn't been great recently in general play, though he's dug us out so many times with moments of brilliance.

I think they pressed us so well we just couldn't get any tempo or flow going and individuals were trying to do too much on occasions, often as we were fragmented as a team.
 
Yes. They aren't going to be sugar daddies pumping tend of millions in. If that's what you want, the Saudis are up the road.
Who’s on about spending tens of million ?
Bit disingenuous of you to come out with that to a poster pointing out what he thinks went wrong .
Let’s see how this summer pans out in terms of outgoings and future recruitment of young talent, and we can see if you are still happy with the model.
 
Definitely a touch of that. Luton and their fans had got to Amad and he wasnt playing his game, though I do think without Roberts close to him he hasn't been great recently in general play, though he's dug us out so many times with moments of brilliance.

I think they pressed us so well we just couldn't get any tempo or flow going and individuals were trying to do too much on occasions, often as we were fragmented as a team.

They press well no doubt. They are highest pressing side in the league I think.

We used it to our advantage on Saturday and played them off the park when we adapted to it. Last night we just fell apart in a high pressure game where the entire build up has been focused on then getting balls into the box and playing direct.

Think it’s got to them tbh and the early goal from just that has rammed it home and they’ve wobbled.

Realistically we are playing a back three of Hume (a wing back), O’Nien who doesn’t get a game when others are fit, and Gooch who’s a winger/wingback playing on his wrong side. We’ve probably been forced into having more there as support and not having a fit full back to make a back 4 but it’s left us having to deal with a high intensive press but with out most technical players too withdrawn and wrong side of the ball to break it down. Particularly as we looked shit scared in our own third with and without the ball so we didn’t move for it like we did Saturday.

If they hasn’t scored so early from exactly how everyone expected them to score then I think we would have seen more composure once we settled and would have broke them down better. Not saying that would have won us the game, mind. Just that the early goal reinforced what everyone thought and heads went off the back of it and affected everything we did.
 
Lets get this straight. Our owners are billionaires, richer than some premier league owners. We have been getting gates which far exceed most clubs in our division.
We have invested modest amounts so far but paying 5 million for a striker will fuck us up financially and stop us buying players in the summer.
Really?
So what you're saying is that the owners should spend THEIR money, to sign some random striker that's way down their list of potential signings, to satisfy the likes of you with your amateur ideas on football management? No thanks, I'd rather trust them.
 
Certainly comes across as a whinge to me

I understand the point you're trying to make but your wrong.

If we'd had an outlet up front then maybe it would have been different, but we didn't go out of the play offs because we didn't score. And we didn't not qualify for the play offs because we failed to score

We went out of the play offs because we failed to defend set pieces, and if you look at the injuries to key personnel then that is the reason we went out. The inability to get a back-up striker is not the reason.
Maybe with a striker we wouldn’t have needed to bother with the playoffs
 
Maybe with a striker we wouldn’t have needed to bother with the playoffs
You can’t say that .
Apparently because we scored goals it proved we don’t need a striker .
Who would have guessed, I bet the other 91 teams are kicking themselves wasting all that money 😀
 
Instead of bleeting on about your January striker , which you have months , why dont you say who would you have liked to sign.....as Ive told you mnay times before there was no one available. Yes you could have splashed out £5 million on Johnson Clarke Harris or gone for a free like Chris Martin , Watmore , Waghorn but thankfully we didnt because we are not going down that root of wasting money again.

We did try and get Archer but he went to Boro.....Simms would have come back but Everton sacked Lampard and they didnt sign a striker on deadline day..... Stewart got injured in January which ruined the Joffy/Stewart partnership......Im glad we didnt sign somebody which now we would have been lumbered with. Now we can go for the targets that have probably been planned for months.....

Youve been dying to start this thread....probably had it ready on copy and paste for past 4 months
Don’t stop the bleating about lack of strikers in January ffs. It’ll only create a vacuum for bleating about only having two strikers in August……..then starting with both on the pitch.
You can’t say that .
Apparently because we scored goals it proved we don’t need a striker .
Who would have guessed, I bet the other 91 teams are kicking themselves wasting all that money 😀
Waddyamean I can’t say that? Do you know what “maybe” even means?
Sorry misread your post! That’s a couple of times I’ve done that recently. Owner keen to get hold of the stick even if it’s the wrong end.
 
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It would have strengthened us having a striker to utilise, without a doubt, but I'd dare suggest letting Bailey Wright leave and replacing him with a young and untested defender was a bigger mistake.

That's not to say Anderson wont be of use to us in the future, but when we needed some defensive cover, Mowbray didn't think he was capable enough yet. Wright would have slotted in nicely and used his experience to help.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda unfortunately.
 
Well done to our players and Tony Mowbray for working miracles with the players at his disposal.
Lot of nonsense posted about tactics or players bottling it.
The cold facts are we were unable to counter their high press because we had no option to play long.
The reason for this is the abject failure to sign a decent physical striker in January.
Those responsible have let down the players who have performed amazing the manager and the supporters.
You need the tools to do the job.

As if this topic needed another thread. Would the new striker cover for all the defensive injuries as well?

Last night we were let down by a lack of defenders, not strikers.
 

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