The Annual Tottenham Hotspur Striker Search: January 2015 Edition

[Gutter Boy]

I see you didn't include Ade in your statement

Lets analyse the goals:

For two of Wellback's goals he made a run towards the area behind the defender that initiated the pass. He wasn't chasing the ball, he was asking for it and got it exactly where he wanted.

For another it was an opportunistic through ball that he busted a gut to get to first, there after he had the defender behind him and between the goal, was cool enough to place it far corner.

Simple and effective - that's the kind of striker we need.

I like Ade, but he's not suited to Arsenal's system. He's much more effective as a hold-up player in a countering team

I think Soldado in particular would thrive off that sort of service, but Kane too - as they are both smart players who read the game well and will spot those opportunities for through balls.

 

[scaramanga]

I see you didn't include Ade in your statement

Lets analyse the goals:

For two of Wellback's goals he made a run towards the area behind the defender that initiated the pass. He wasn't chasing the ball, he was asking for it and got it exactly where he wanted.

Soldado does that a lot. With Arsenal's service he'd have helped himself to goals last night.

For another it was an opportunistic through ball that he busted a gut to get to first, there after he had the defender behind him and between the goal, was cool enough to place it far corner.

Kane would have done that.

Between them we've got a good striker. Only problem is that there's an overpaid lump standing a few yards offside from their position.

 

[Cochise]

The thing with the Champions League is that teams try to play football, thus allowing the other team the same liberty. In the Premier League Welbeck likely wouldn't have had those chances as the opposition would've been sitting much deeper.

 

[Finney Is Back]

He's not good enough for us.

Soldado and Kane would have easily scored that hattrick last night with the service he got from their midfield.

Kane?.... Perhaps.... He shows promise (although I think lack of pace might've hindered him for at least one of the goals.

Soldado?.... History tells us he would probably have missed the target.... that's if he actually managed to get himself into position in the first place!

I think that most who didn't want Welbeck didn't want him because he is too "English".... It wouldn't surprise me if they are the same people who didn't like Redknapp and thought the sun shone out of AVB's ****.

 

[Jordinho]

Kane?.... Perhaps.... He shows promise (although I think lack of pace might've hindered him for at least one of the goals.

Soldado?.... History tells us he would probably have missed the target.... that's if he actually managed to get himself into position in the first place!

I think that most who didn't want Welbeck didn't want him because he is too "English".... It wouldn't surprise me if they are the same people who didn't like Redknapp and thought the sun shone out of AVB's ****.

Only if you have a short memory.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Only if you have a short memory.

I discount his time in Spain.... Completely different style of football... Morientes was a better striker than Soldado and yet he was a failure in England.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Kane?.... Perhaps.... He shows promise (although I think lack of pace might've hindered him for at least one of the goals.

Soldado?.... History tells us he would probably have missed the target.... that's if he actually managed to get himself into position in the first place!

I think that most who didn't want Welbeck didn't want him because he is too "English".... It wouldn't surprise me if they are the same people who didn't like Redknapp and thought the sun shone out of AVB's ****.

Personally I just think Kane and Rodriguez are better. So at least the accusation against me would just be racism, rather than inverse-nationalism!

Soldado would have gobbled them up in any season of the past decade, expect the last. If we gave him that type of service, he'd start banging them away again.

 

[Jordinho]

I discount his time in Spain.... Completely different style of football... Morientes was a better striker than Soldado and yet he was a failure in England.

If you're going to champion Welbeck on the back of one game in the Champions League, I don't see how Soldado's performances in England are all that relevant really.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Personally I just think Kane and Rodriguez are better. So at least the accusation against me would just be racism, rather than inverse-nationalism!

Soldado would have gobbled them up in any season of the past decade, expect the last. If we gave him that type of service, he'd start banging them away again.

I would happily have Rodriguez here... The problem is that:

a) he is injured
b) he is at a club who don't want to deal with us
c) he will probably have other suitors who are higher placed than we are.

Bringing in Welbeck would not have necessarily meant not also being able to have Rodriguez at a later date.... Signing Welbeck would've allowed us to get rid of Soldado out of our squad (admittedly this may have had to have been on loan as nobody seemed to want to pay anything for him). We would then have had two genuine options in Welbeck and Adebayor to play as the lone centre forward with the added bonus of us also having a player who could play alongside Adebayor as a left or right sided attacker.

It would also have given us the opportunity to move Adebayor on in the future if we did manage to get Rodriguez.

 

[Finney Is Back]

If you're going to champion Welbeck on the back of one game in the Champions League, I don't see how Soldado's performances in England are all that relevant really.

I think you'll find I was championing him before his game last night.... I was championing him based on what I saw of him playing up front for Man Utd.

 

[Gutter Boy]

I would happily have Rodriguez here... The problem is that:

a) he is injured
b) he is at a club who don't want to deal with us
c) he will probably have other suitors who are higher placed than we are.

Bringing in Welbeck would not have necessarily meant not also being able to have Rodriguez at a later date.... Signing Welbeck would've allowed us to get rid of Soldado out of our squad (admittedly this may have had to have been on loan as nobody seemed to want to pay anything for him). We would then have had two genuine options in Welbeck and Adebayor to play as the lone centre forward with the added bonus of us also having a player who could play alongside Adebayor as a left or right sided attacker.

It would also have given us the opportunity to move Adebayor on in the future if we did manage to get Rodriguez.

I just don't think Welbeck has the raw talent. He'd be an expensive version of Dempsey, who we'd have to move on (at a loss) in 12-18 months. I don't think he's anywhere near as good as Soldado

Welbeck and Kane are more comparable for me though. Welbeck is quicker, but Kane is so much more intelligent, and because of that will keep getting better and better with age, whereas Welbeck will Darren Bent it back down the league.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I just don't think Welbeck has the raw talent. He'd be an expensive version of Dempsey, who we'd have to move on (at a loss) in 12-18 months. I don't think he's anywhere near as good as Soldado

Welbeck and Kane are more comparable for me though. Welbeck is quicker, but Kane is so much more intelligent, and because of that will keep getting better and better with age, whereas Welbeck will Darren Bent it back down the league.

I thought Dempsey was a pretty good player.

I don't think you would have to move Welbeck on at all (let alone at a loss). He is a young, homegrown, goalscorer. I think he is far better than Soldado (as well as being younger).

I really do fail to see what people see in Soldado - he has been absolutely woeful for Spurs (other than at taking penalties). People talk about the service to him but even when he has had chances created for him he has often squandered them, I have been appalled at some of his finishing. I haven't even really seen decent movement from him (and I go to a majority of Spurs games so see his work off the ball first hand).

I don't think Welbeck and Kane are similar at all. I think Kane will end up being a number 10 type player (probably in the Sherringham mould) whereas I think Welbeck is a number 9 or a wide forward. In fact I think that a Welbeck, Kane, 9, 10 partnership would be a good one.

 

[glorygloryeze]

I thought Dempsey was a pretty good player.

I don't think you would have to move Welbeck on at all (let alone at a loss). He is a young, homegrown, goalscorer. I think he is far better than Soldado (as well as being younger).

I really do fail to see what people see in Soldado - he has been absolutely woeful for Spurs (other than at taking penalties). People talk about the service to him but even when he has had chances created for him he has often squandered them, I have been appalled at some of his finishing. I haven't even really seen decent movement from him (and I go to a majority of Spurs games so see his work off the ball first hand).

I don't think Welbeck and Kane are similar at all. I think Kane will end up being a number 10 type player (probably in the Sherringham mould) whereas I think Welbeck is a number 9 or a wide forward. In fact I think that a Welbeck, Kane, 9, 10 partnership would be a good one.

That may be a good point. I just hope we don't regret buying him; he's still only 23 and for all the faults peple lay at him, he has a good attitude and doesn't seem to have the obnoxious WAG-inspired media-fest constantly following him for an update on his drinking and dating habits.
So far....

 

[Gutter Boy]

That may be a good point. I just hope we don't regret buying him; he's still only 23 and for all the faults peple lay at him, he has a good attitude and doesn't seem to have the obnoxious WAG-inspired media-fest constantly following him for an update on his drinking and dating habits.
So far....

I'd prefer to see something like this:

-------------------Sturridge

Rodriguez---------Kane----------Sterling


Welbeck is a decent back-up to Rodriguez.

 

[indianspur]

I'd prefer to see something like this:

-------------------Sturridge

Rodriguez---------Kane----------Sterling


Welbeck is a decent back-up to Rodriguez.

no, Welbeck is the natural back up to Sturridge, just as he proved against the Swiss......Welbeck is a centre forward. I just hope we can get in Rodriguez in Jan and convert him back to his natural centre forward role too

 

[indianspur]

Thierry Henry is another natural striker who was shunted out to a wide position in his early years at monaco, funnily enough by Wenger, and he stayed out there for club and country until he moved to Arsanal where Wenger converted him back to the main centre forward role

 

[Gutter Boy]

no, Welbeck is the natural back up to Sturridge, just as he proved against the Swiss......Welbeck is a centre forward. I just hope we can get in Rodriguez in Jan and convert him back to his natural centre forward role too

Thierry Henry is another natural striker who was shunted out to a wide position in his early years at monaco, funnily enough by Wenger, and he stayed out there for club and country until he moved to Arsanal where Wenger converted him back to the main centre forward role

I think it's unfair to see the WF position as an 'apprentice CF' role. Yes it does happen - people like Henry and Sturridge have converted - but WF is a really important role in its own right.

Personally I see Rodriguez as a WF for a good few more years yet, certainly until his pace starts to tail off in his later 20s.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I'd prefer to see something like this:

-------------------Sturridge

Rodriguez---------Kane----------Sterling


Welbeck is a decent back-up to Rodriguez.

I don't think there is much (if anything) between Sturridge and Welbeck to be honest.... Other than the fact that one of them was available for a decent fee in the Summer because his club had a surplus of big name centre forwards and the other one's club didn't.

As you say yourself Welbeck is also adept at playing as a LWF so could also have provided us good back-up for a current problem position. Soldado is neither suited to playing as a lone CF or a wing forward.... Which makes it all the more baffling why we didn't move him on and replace him with Welbeck, although perhaps it was because we couldn't recoup and money for him. Sometimes though you have to just accept you've done a bad deal and try to learn from that in the future.

 

[mattls]

Demba Ba

When this guy was made available by Chelsea where were we exactly? Was Baldini scratching his nuts? 8 million quid.. Bite your hand off! Levy likes a cheap deal aswell like when we bought Rafa..

Apparently ive heard rumours we dont do business with chelsea after we didnt sell them Modric so that must have been the reason?

I look at players like Paulinho and chiriches and think what where you thinking Franco?

Please in January deliver us a striker and player maker Franco! Pjanic and jackson martinez please.

 

[glorygloryeze]

Re: Demba Ba

As woeful as we often can be going forwards, Demba Ba would fit right in with us; he only scored from a penalty and he missed loads.

Overall, I agree that Baldini and Levy HAVE to get us a reliable striker in January (though we said we'd got that with Soldado...)