Goals

[wardy12345]

Maybe stags could get charlie wyke as Sunderland are on the verge of administration.

[PaulG]

I don't understand this obsession with Bowery's lack of goals. Two points; firstly two strikers are not a necessity. Chris Greenacre played up front on his own, in our best team of the last 20 years. Secondly, if you play with one striker, everyone else (including centre backs) has got to chip in with a few goals, and this is clearly what Nigel Clough is trying to achieve. The problem is that the likes of Lapslie, Charsley, Maris, Clarke and, yes, Bowery, are not putting away enough of the chances they are creating for each other, and we don't have an out-and-out striker (and I'm referring to Maynard, Cook and Reid) in any sort of form. If you stop thinking of Bowery as a striker, and stop assuming we need to play with two strikers, it's easy to see where the real problems lie.

[Parkinsons Perm]

I don't understand this obsession with Bowery's lack of goals. Two points; firstly two strikers are not a necessity. Chris Greenacre played up front on his own, in our best team of the last 20 years. Secondly, if you play with one striker, everyone else (including centre backs) has got to chip in with a few goals, and this is clearly what Nigel Clough is trying to achieve. The problem is that the likes of Lapslie, Charsley, Maris, Clarke and, yes, Bowery, are not putting away enough of the chances they are creating for each other, and we don't have an out-and-out striker (and I'm referring to Maynard, Cook and Reid) in any sort of form. If you stop thinking of Bowery as a striker, and stop assuming we need to play with two strikers, it's easy to see where the real problems lie.

You are right of course.
I shall contact my Exeter and Crawley mates and see if they'll ask Bowman and Watters to drop back and defend, how dare they keep scoring more in one game than our striker has in the last season and a half

[Dave Wayne]

Looking at our strike force pace- power- goals- natural scoring ability- in the Premier league a player with these skills would cost millions, in league 2 any player scoring goals would soon be snapped up by a bigger clubs in a higher division. Bowery age 29 always been a lower league striker==Cook age 30 again spent his career in lower leagues=Reid 26 first time in league football
Maynard former premier striker been in lower leagues since his Bury days and on his second season at Mansfield 34 years of age. This then is our strike force to rip league 2 apart,
Thankfully Clough thinks goals should come from anyone Defenders =Midfield =Forwards all strikers go through barren patches, and perhaps our expectations as fans cloud the facts.
we have failed to score once since 24th oct, so perhaps failing to keep clean sheets is the problem scoring 3 at home and still not winning. proving it is a team game.

Apart from the 60+ games he has played at Premiership and Championship level ?

[MTFCMusings]

To be honest, Bowery is exactly what I thought he’d be. Hard working, holds the ball up decently, but not a goal threat. He’s doing a decent job for the team when on form, and that’s why he continues to get clubs despite his poor goal scoring record.

If we’re hoping to progress next season he can’t be a starter though.

[Sedgwick]

Looking at our strike force pace- power- goals- natural scoring ability- in the Premier league a player with these skills would cost millions, in league 2 any player scoring goals would soon be snapped up by a bigger clubs in a higher division. Bowery age 29 always been a lower league striker==Cook age 30 again spent his career in lower leagues=Reid 26 first time in league football
Maynard former premier striker been in lower leagues since his Bury days and on his second season at Mansfield 34 years of age. This then is our strike force to rip league 2 apart,
Thankfully Clough thinks goals should come from anyone Defenders =Midfield =Forwards all strikers go through barren patches, and perhaps our expectations as fans cloud the facts.
we have failed to score once since 24th oct, so perhaps failing to keep clean sheets is the problem scoring 3 at home and still not winning. proving it is a team game.

Apart from the 60+ games he has played at Premiership and Championship level ?

19 games in Premier with Villa
43 games in the championship with Doncaster and Rotherham

Feel if he was actually played as a striker getting into the 6 yard box he'd score more and be more of a threat.

[adamstag]

Looking at our strike force pace- power- goals- natural scoring ability- in the Premier league a player with these skills would cost millions, in league 2 any player scoring goals would soon be snapped up by a bigger clubs in a higher division. Bowery age 29 always been a lower league striker==Cook age 30 again spent his career in lower leagues=Reid 26 first time in league football
Maynard former premier striker been in lower leagues since his Bury days and on his second season at Mansfield 34 years of age. This then is our strike force to rip league 2 apart,
Thankfully Clough thinks goals should come from anyone Defenders =Midfield =Forwards all strikers go through barren patches, and perhaps our expectations as fans cloud the facts.
we have failed to score once since 24th oct, so perhaps failing to keep clean sheets is the problem scoring 3 at home and still not winning. proving it is a team game.

Apart from the 60+ games he has played at Premiership and Championship level ?

19 games in Premier with Villa
43 games in the championship with Doncaster and Rotherham

Feel if he was actually played as a striker getting into the 6 yard box he'd score more and be more of a threat.

19 games in Premier with Villa - 0 goals
43 games in the championship with Doncaster - (0 goals) and Rotherham - 5 goals.

His stats how that clearly he isn't going to ever be a goalscorer likely to score 10 a season (something he managed once in 12 seasons to date) - so in playing him in a top 2 you're pretty much removing the direct goal threat from 1 of the 2 forwards on the pitch - which is one of the reasons why we've scored so few goals. The 1 goal he's scored this season didn't even come from open play

As said, it's not really him - played in a different formation he might be more effective

[daddycool]

Bowery seems to head for the left hand side of the area a lot then cuts back on to his right foot and waits for help ,I keep expecting him to cut across the area and get a shot away but he doesn’t seem to have the confidence

[Dave Wayne]

Looking at our strike force pace- power- goals- natural scoring ability- in the Premier league a player with these skills would cost millions, in league 2 any player scoring goals would soon be snapped up by a bigger clubs in a higher division. Bowery age 29 always been a lower league striker==Cook age 30 again spent his career in lower leagues=Reid 26 first time in league football
Maynard former premier striker been in lower leagues since his Bury days and on his second season at Mansfield 34 years of age. This then is our strike force to rip league 2 apart,
Thankfully Clough thinks goals should come from anyone Defenders =Midfield =Forwards all strikers go through barren patches, and perhaps our expectations as fans cloud the facts.
we have failed to score once since 24th oct, so perhaps failing to keep clean sheets is the problem scoring 3 at home and still not winning. proving it is a team game.

Apart from the 60+ games he has played at Premiership and Championship level ?

19 games in Premier with Villa
43 games in the championship with Doncaster and Rotherham

Feel if he was actually played as a striker getting into the 6 yard box he'd score more and be more of a threat.

19 games in Premier with Villa - 0 goals
43 games in the championship with Doncaster - (0 goals) and Rotherham - 5 goals.

His stats how that clearly he isn't going to ever be a goalscorer likely to score 10 a season (something he managed once in 12 seasons to date) - so in playing him in a top 2 you're pretty much removing the direct goal threat from 1 of the 2 forwards on the pitch - which is one of the reasons why we've scored so few goals. The 1 goal he's scored this season didn't even come from open play

As said, it's not really him - played in a different formation he might be more effective

I wasn't commenting on whether he was capable of scoring goals or not, just that the original post I quoted was factually incorrect in claiming he has 'always been a lower league striker' when around 20% of his league appearances have been in the top 2 divisions.

[ST4GS]

Goals....... Tend to be 8 yards wide and 8 feet high.

Why don't we design a set of goals that the height can be adjusted by remote control (telescopically from below the ground)
When we are attacking they can be set at 8 foot 6 inches and when we are defending they can be 7 foot 6 inch.
I don't think anyone will notice if we are cute about it. Ie very slow telescopic actuation during half time.