Experienced forward required in January

[Westhillman]

This is just my second post but I now feel that it is a matter of urgency that if ICT are going to stay up we need to have some sort of experienced striker up front. Someone who is able to provide serious man management skills on the pitch which will boost the confidence of our promising but not worldly strikers. We need someone who can instill confidence with his positional awareness (sadly lacking at the moment!). I am not one to spread rumours but someone in the mould of Robbie Winters who is looking to leave FC Brann at the end of the year might just fit the bill. I know he is not a superstar but he has the type of experience we need. Brewster did fit this bill but that was a couple of years ago!

Other suggestions welcome!

[PompeyCT]

Yeah someone had suggested Robbie Winters up front. We need someone who is capable of putting away 10-15 goals a season, in truth, i dont know who we could afford who would foot the bill.

[Alex MacLeod]

Who's likely to be available that fits the bill?

Will he come at a salary we can afford?

How long will he take to gel with our players?

Its all good and well suggesting someone but the questions have to be answered. We brought in the right type of player at the beginning of last season but he still took half a season to start doing something positive. And we're still paying for the success's we never achieved by bringing him in.

[stomach]

In the short term I think we should have been playing Barry Wilson upfront with Rooney.

Barrowman has been injured, I don't think Wood is ready yet and Wilson has shown in the past that he can do a job for us there.

[PompeyCT]

I think Rooney is a talent, but if im honest we cant play him as a lone striker because he hasnt got the experience yet. Its a case of who to play next to him.

[Alex MacLeod]

I think Rooney and Barrowman are quite similar, hence the reason they aren't played together. The only one we have as partner is Wood. Rory had his chance and didn't take it.

[PompeyCT]

Then thats what id want in January, a strike partener for Rooney.

[Alex MacLeod]

What I think is this........we're 10 games into the season and, partly because we've played with only one up front, partly through injury, we have not played enough with the same two strikers to form a partnership. My gut feeling is that the successful paring will be Rooney and Wood but they need to get consecutive starts together, both home and away, to gel.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

What about Marius Niculae - is he not still on loan or was it a free transfer to Alan Savage ?

[Kingsmills]

How about Kenny Deuchar now that the MLS season is over ?

[caley100]

Deuchar's name came up on another thread, seemingly he's been guaranteed medical work over there when he's not playing football, big decision eh, stay there in the heat or come to Sneck in the winter.

Edited October 30, 2008 by caley100

[Council Juice]

I would have thought Toronto would be cold at this time of year as well no? It's further North than New york, which gets hell loads of Snow at times and gets pure kelvin an dat at times, albeit further in land. But I cant see Dr Deucher doing a Beckham.

2ndly. I suggest Rabbie Winters. Loads of experience but i've no idea what his level is at now.

[CaleyD]

What I think is this........we're 10 games into the season and, partly because we've played with only one up front, partly through injury, we have not played enough with the same two strikers to form a partnership. My gut feeling is that the successful paring will be Rooney and Wood but they need to get consecutive starts together, both home and away, to gel.

Sounds very similar to what we were saying for most of last season when Brewster couldn't seem to settle on a consistent front pairing.

Just how long do we keep making excuses or calling for Brewster to be given time when it's apparently obvious it's the same mistakes he's making over and over again?

[AJS]

Robbie Winters would be a decent idea i reckon. I hear he is a very popular player at SK Brann and recent players that have come from Norweigan divisons have been good in Scotland, Kalvenes for example(one of Brews signings ).

My last idea is that we could may'be go for Jim Hamilton. I know he is a bit of a wanderer but he has been a fairly inspirational player wherever he has gone and with Dargo, Wyness, Mehmet and Brighton all vying for a place he may look to move on.

Edited October 30, 2008 by ajsict92

[Jay_7]

Sounds very similar to what we were saying for most of last season when Brewster couldn't seem to settle on a consistent front pairing.

Just how long do we keep making excuses or calling for Brewster to be given time when it's apparently obvious it's the same mistakes he's making over and over again?

Those who are calling for more time for Brewster appear to forget that originally we should all give him until Christmas. Now he has two months to learn from the mistakes he's been making since last August!

If he can't learn from his mistakes in 15 months, what chance does he have in two?!

Either sack him or demote him to Fitness Coach and fire Thomson. It has to happen before any more damage is done!

[Fanoffooty]

I heard Real Madrid are no longer interested in Ronaldo

[chris123]

Steven Milne was talked about in the summer. Terrific player.

[Scotty]

I would have thought Toronto would be cold at this time of year as well no? It's further North than New york, which gets hell loads of Snow at times and gets pure kelvin an dat at times, albeit further in land. But I cant see Dr Deucher doing a Beckham.

2ndly. I suggest Rabbie Winters. Loads of experience but i've no idea what his level is at now.

Deuchar is playing for Real Salt Lake in Utah not in Toronto.

[Kingsmills]

In that case maybe we can tempt him by offering free flights for him and his wives !

[stevico1]

Personally I would try to offload Rory at Xmas, forget putting him out on loan better to get him off the payroll, as for Woods I am not convinced he has it either but probably worth putting him out on loan as its clear that he is not ready for the SPL yet, and although on loan last year it probably wasnt long enough. I think both Rooney and Barrowman may well come good but we desperately need an experienced forward to come in and help these two. Who we can attract I have no idea but surely a club with SPL status must have a good enough scouting system to find one.

[Kingsmills]

I wouldn't disagree wqith any of that.

[Scotty]

Personally I would try to offload Rory at Xmas, forget putting him out on loan better to get him off the payroll, as for Woods I am not convinced he has it either but probably worth putting him out on loan as its clear that he is not ready for the SPL yet, and although on loan last year it probably wasnt long enough. I think both Rooney and Barrowman may well come good but we desperately need an experienced forward to come in and help these two. Who we can attract I have no idea but surely a club with SPL status must have a good enough scouting system to find one.

Agree with this also, and before anyone starts, this is not a Rory-bashing post. It is quite clear he has "something". I have had conversations with various people, including people at the club and most rate him highly. He has also been picked for International squads below the first team so others must see something too. The frustrating thing (for me and also from many I have spoken to) seems to be that he can go and destroy people in the reserves but is totally different when making the step up to the first team. We often comment about how ICT can resurrect careers of certain players or how some players seem to do well at one club but fail at another. Perhaps Rory is one of these but in reverse. Perhaps ICT is not the club for him and he would flourish at another club ..... just a thought.

As for Wood, I will have to rely on others' better judgement as I havent really seen him. He is another who seems to have something and if he were to go on loan, then perhaps after serving his time at Montrose, he now needs to step up to a 1st division side on loan bfore coming back to ICT in the SPL ....

[ictchris]

In that case maybe we can tempt him by offering free flights for him and his wives !

[Brian]

Think Rooney and Barrowman are the future pairing, with Wood in reserve.

Could Wood go on loan to a higher level than Montrose to help

Why did we not go for Lovell - scoring goals for Falkirk already

Maybe we will go for Buchanan again in January, although he is still injured (I think) although again another player not yet proven in SPL

[alternative maryhill]

Think Rooney and Barrowman are the future pairing, with Wood in reserve.

Could Wood go on loan to a higher level than Montrose to help

Why did we not go for Lovell - scoring goals for Falkirk already

Maybe we will go for Buchanan again in January, although he is still injured (I think) although again another player not yet proven in SPL

Would Buchanan come? We did eventually make an offer for him, I think, after not offering a pre-contract when he was on trial with us in January '07 (opportunity missed IMO), and got the knock-back - "better prospects at Partick" or somesuch. Maybe his take on that has changed as Partick don't seem to be moving forward in the First, but I'd guess he's one of those guys for whom Glasgow is the centre of the universe and the Highlands is full of scary dragon creatures.