The difference today: A Quality Striker

[tomsdubs]

Have to admit our first half performance was shocking, lads just didn't seem up for it. Second half the subs changed the game but unfortunately the errors at the back cost us. The fact remains Burnley were low on confidence and had we got on top of them early on they would have crumbled. Instead we just sat back and just didn't seem willing to chase or get in their face.

I think it was fairly obvious today we need a quality striker, Charlie Austin today gave a master class in goalscoring. Hitting the post first half and just always being in the right place at the right time second half. After Fielding's fumble we were so slow to react and he was on to it like a flash. Are strikers from lower leagues a rip off? On today's evidence no! Sam Baldock just went for 2mil and from what i've seen he will do well in this league as well.

My only other main concern is how unwilling we are to exploit the centre of the pitch, we don't drive down the middle like other sides. We started to get joy when Davies went off and we got the ball on the ground.

Nigel says we need to get players out first, well no one wants Leacock or Bywater for fairly obvious reasons. I predict we will sign zero players by Tuesday.

Any one else got any thoughts?

[CumbrianRam]

I'd hardly call it masterclass, but goals were mistakes.

[Leeds Ram]

I said we should have signed austin well about the middle that is right but if we switched bryson with maguire who might have a bit more creativity and attacking prowess we might go with him a little more, switch bryson with bailey and hendrick and that would be sorted. We did get penetration down the flanks second half especially with croft, bryson and brayford being a menace and putting good balls in.

[tomsdubs]

I'd hardly call it masterclass, but goals were mistakes.

He did exactly what you expect of a goalscorer, came very close to scoring 4 but 2 isn't a bad return. We don't have a single player that could do what he did today.

[needles]

He did exactly what you expect of a goalscorer, came very close to scoring 4 but 2 isn't a bad return. We don't have a single player that could do what he did today.

We don't have £1.5m to spend on one either.

What we do have is Theo who took his tap in like a proper goalscorer too.

Now I'm not jumping on the Theo bandwagon but that's the game Cloughie's being forced to play. Sign might be's and improve them.

[Gary Teale]

He did exactly what you expect of a goalscorer, came very close to scoring 4 but 2 isn't a bad return. We don't have a single player that could do what he did today.

Theo scorer one in a half and also had one smothered by a keeper. I'm amazed how some are loving Austin, he did his job but we gifted them both goals, he would be a donkey if he had missed them

[Iceland Ram]

You really think that the difference was the striker??? Deluded mate. Yer he is a decent player but I also saw 13 Burnley players on the pitch.

Most cheating team there is right now. One taste of prem football and they think they are big time.

[ianm]

You could have had Messi, Ronaldo,Tevez, Rooney who-ever you want to name and they wouldn't have done anything because we were so negative first-half. One up front and a left-back who can't do his job, so the left-midfielder has to play as a virtual second left back. So we had 5 at the back two midfielders who were basically defenders playing in front of the back 5. Two proper midfielders and a striker, no wonder we hardly had a shot first half.

Second half they scored and we had to play with some intent, then we showed that if we had shown some attacking intent at the start we would probably have won because they were not great at the back. Robinson was good as was Croft and Bryson was more of an influence as the match went on.

PS Nigel send that carthorse back to Hull because his performance today was an embarrasment to the club.

[G STAR RAM]

Masterclass?

He put away two relatively easy chances and also missed an absolute sitter for his hat trick.

Difference was we made two mistakes and they didn't.

[Alph]

I think Steve Davies is a quality striker. He strikes the ball wonderfully well. A danger from anywhere up to 25 yards and he's scored 3 goals so far without having any easy chances at all so far this season.

But he's not and never will be a target man. So if Kilbane and O'Brien could stop hoofing it in his direction and we could get him with the ball at his feet facing the goal then he might show more of what he's made of.

Better than some of the players who have scored 20 in this league.

Ward is well out of form.

[needles]

I think Steve Davies is a quality striker. He strikes the ball wonderfully well. A danger from anywhere up to 25 yards and he's scored 3 goals so far without having any easy chances at all so far this season.

But he's not and never will be a target man. So if Kilbane and O'Brien could stop hoofing it in his direction and we could get him with the ball at his feet facing the goal then he might show more of what he's made of.

Better than some of the players who have scored 20 in this league.

Ward is well out of form.

Injured.

[Alph]

Injured.

That too, but he's struggled since leaving the pitch last season really.

Not poor, just not as good as we've seen.

Past couple of games he probably shouldn't have started. But if you leave him out then you may live to regret it?

[G STAR RAM]

Injured.

If he is injured he should not be playing

[Boycie]

If you want a player to head it on or hold it up.

Send for Mr S Howard.

[Jayram]

Was at the game today and the lack of a creative midfielder was the biggest problem to me. The midfield had very little to offer and Burnley stifled it well. It says something that our most creative talent was Brayford over the 90 minutes. We must remedy this as well as the striker situation. Burnley were nothing special and won't be at the races at the end of the season but they coped with us easily enough. On a brighter note Brayford really was excellent and Croft worked his socks off. We're not far away from having a solid side but the board really need to go the extra mile to get the last pieces of the jigsaw.

[Alph]

I thought Burnley just "parked to bus" for most the game once Derby took control. If that'd of been Derby i'd of thought "here we go, wait for us to conceede in the last minute"

I thought Bailey and Hendrick were very good at feeding the wide areas. Wide areas seemed the only option as Burnley were stuck inside their own box.

But that's my take. Not going to knock anyone who thinks different. Really, there were player out there like Bailey, Brayford, Croft and Hendrick that i'd be happy if they played like that every week.

Burnley were a good passing side last season and the technical side of their game is still intact. But the same with Doncaster and their struggling. Derby showed far more aggression in the second half than Burnley have shown in all 5 games probably. But a sleepy first half and 2 free goals....

[tomsdubs]

Indeed, the scary thing being that Brayford seemed more willing to run down the middle with the ball than our actual midfield! I don't know if Nige is instructing them to get it out wide asap or what.

Re: Austin and questioning my delusion. I have seen many good strikers come with teams to PP. The highest regarded strikers are ones that score goals of course. I remember Michael Owen coming to PP and playing a very similar game, one clear chance and he took it Liverpool won. Say what you like but the proof is in the pudding, Austin scored 2 and ensured his side got 3 points today.

I think Theo is all right but he will never score the amount that would make him considered a very good striker in this league. First touch is shocking beyond belief. Will Tyson be that player for us? Looking at the stats I'd say no.

[ianm]

Indeed, the scary thing being that Brayford seemed more willing to run down the middle with the ball than our actual midfield! I don't know if Nige is instructing them to get it out wide asap or what.

Re: Austin and questioning my delusion. I have seen many good strikers come with teams to PP. The highest regarded strikers are ones that score goals of course. I remember Michael Owen coming to PP and playing a very similar game, one clear chance and he took it Liverpool won. Say what you like but the proof is in the pudding, Austin scored 2 and ensured his side got 3 points today.

I think Theo is all right but he will never score the amount that would make him considered a very good striker in this league. First touch is shocking beyond belief. Will Tyson be that player for us? Looking at the stats I'd say no.

As a striker though you can't achieve anything without good balls being played to you. Austin got plenty to work with and sniffed his goals out well, you have to be there to score no matter how simple. However Robinson did well and got a good strikers goal but no striker would do anything of note the way we set up first half.

[tomsdubs]

As a striker though you can't achieve anything without good balls being played to you. Austin got plenty to work with and sniffed his goals out well, you have to be there to score no matter how simple. However Robinson did well and got a good strikers goal but no striker would do anything of note the way we set up first half.

Agreed we were seriously poor first half, really disappointing especially at home. We started getting to the byline well which was good but i think we also need to improve our attacking midfield options. Teams will stop us playing to easily if we just repeat the same moves over and over. Watching those balls being pumped up to Davies first half was just pointless.

[Leicester Ram]

Today was a sign we should invest in Le Fondre.