The striker situation

[super_city_si]

What's David James doing?

 

[sam-caddick]

injuries or not we were always going to buy in jan if at all possible. nothing should change that.

I would like to think that but with FFP we are skint next month, I think we have aoud £10m + whatever sales we make, and I only see Nastasic going, maybe for around £5m

£15m gets you nothing in January, not the quality we need or desire anyway.

 

[unexpected item]

Ogden reckons Villa is a no

Manchester City have ruled out a loan move for David Villa to ease the club's striker shortage, despite the Spanish forward's short-term availability at New York City FC.
The Premier League champions have been left with just one fit forward - teenager Jose Angel Pozo - after Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic joined knee injury victim Sergio Aguero on the sidelines over the weekend.
Dzeko is set to be sidelined for at least three weeks with a recurrence of a calf injury, but there is optimism that Jovetic may return more swiftly from a hamstring problem.
Having allowed Alvaro Negredo to leave the Etihad Stadium for Valencia in August, City have operated with just three forwards since the start of the season.
But manager Manuel Pellegrini is set to move for another forward in the January transfer window in order to avoid being left short of firepower in the second half of the season.

Villa, 33, signed for newly-formed MLS franchise New York City - owned by City's Abu Dhabi hierarchy - during the summer after leaving Atletico Madrid at the end of last season.
The former Valencia and Barcelona striker has since made four appearances on loan at Melbourne City - Abu Dhabi's A-League outfit - in order to maintain his fitness ahead of the MLS season, which kicks off in March.
But although City have benefited hugely from Frank Lampard's presence at the club following his temporary move from New York, which may yet be extended until the end of the season, there are no plans to sign Villa on a similar basis.
City currently have their full quota of non-English players in their squad, ensuring that a foreign player would have to be sold to recruit another overseas signing.
It is understood, however, that the foreign player restriction is not a stumbling block for Villa, with Pellegrini and the City hierarchy simply not viewing the former Spain international as a target.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...id-Villa-to-ease-striker-injury-concerns.html

 

[Bill]

injuries or not we were always going to buy in jan if at all possible. nothing should change that.

I would like to think that but with FFP we are skint next month, I think we have aoud £10m + whatever sales we make, and I only see Nastasic going, maybe for around £5m

£15m gets you nothing in January, not the quality we need or desire anyway.

we pay that to loan bony with a view to buy in the summer.

 

[OB1]

JAMES MILNER ALL DAY LONG FOR ME.
Perfect stop gap. Runs all day, intelligent, 2 footed, really good finisher, good in the air and team player. He'd make space for merlin, Nasri etc with his movement. Can't see went no one else has thought of it. Stop laughing and think about it!!!!

great player and great pro but thick as pig shit. his decsion making, vital up front, is terrible. makes up for it with sheer effort but not sharp enough for me.
i'd drag in david villa, if only to piss the media off.

James Milner LOL - this place is fucking mental.

Apparently so is Manuel Pellegrini.

 

[SouthOCblue]

I don't think Milner makes bad decisions. He could do the job...strong, can hold the ball up, work rate is first class. I disagree with the pig **** comment. I think Milner would be just as good as Yaya in that role. But I say we get Patrick Viera to make a call to Titi about coming in for a month or so.

 

[Wilf Wild 1937]

Ogden reckons Villa is a no

City currently have their full quota of non-English players in their squad, ensuring that a foreign player would have to be sold to recruit another overseas signing.
It is understood, however, that the foreign player restriction is not a stumbling block for Villa, with Pellegrini and the City hierarchy simply not viewing the former Spain international as a target.

He might be right that we won't be signing Villa but I think he is wrong about the quota.
We loaned/sold Negredo to meet the CL restriction of only 16 "foreign" players whilst the PL limit is 17.
Also I think we only currently have 23 in the squad. I don't see any reason why we couldn't sign a free agent
"foreign" player now and play them prior to the 1st January.

 

[kun]

JAMES MILNER ALL DAY LONG FOR ME.
Perfect stop gap. Runs all day, intelligent, 2 footed, really good finisher, good in the air and team player. He'd make space for merlin, Nasri etc with his movement. Can't see went no one else has thought of it. Stop laughing and think about it!!!!

great player and great pro but thick as pig shit. his decsion making, vital up front, is terrible. makes up for it with sheer effort but not sharp enough for me.
i'd drag in david villa, if only to piss the media off.

He's one of the most Intelligent players at the club.

 

[nobody can eat fifty eggs]

JAMES MILNER ALL DAY LONG FOR ME.
Perfect stop gap. Runs all day, intelligent, 2 footed, really good finisher, good in the air and team player. He'd make space for merlin, Nasri etc with his movement. Can't see went no one else has thought of it. Stop laughing and think about it!!!!

great player and great pro but thick as pig shit. his decsion making, vital up front, is terrible. makes up for it with sheer effort but not sharp enough for me.
i'd drag in david villa, if only to piss the media off.

He's one of the most Intelligent players at the club.

In the premier league in my opinion.

 

[citymad]

Makes sense to stick with Pozo. He hasn't done too bad, but for a brilliant save and a timely header from Morgan he could've had a couple of goals in his two appearances. The experience will do him no harm and he'll get better as the players learn to trust him.

 

[MangoMagic01]

JAMES MILNER ALL DAY LONG FOR ME.
Perfect stop gap. Runs all day, intelligent, 2 footed, really good finisher, good in the air and team player. He'd make space for merlin, Nasri etc with his movement. Can't see went no one else has thought of it. Stop laughing and think about it!!!!

great player and great pro but thick as pig shit. his decsion making, vital up front, is terrible. makes up for it with sheer effort but not sharp enough for me.
i'd drag in david villa, if only to piss the media off.

Henry on a free just so Wenger explodes.

I would love to have Henry at this club! Henry and Lampard, could you imagine..

 

[MangoMagic01]

Its obvious we HAVE to buy/loan a new striker in January. In my opinion, we should look at:
Jay Rodriguez - Relatively young, fast, versitile, can finish and English.
Saido Berahinho: Same reasons as Jay Rod, and both would be eligible to play in the Champions League if needed.
Bony
Lacazette - Young French striker, fast and can finish. In fact his goal scoring record is amongst the best in Europe.
Podolski
Jermaine Defoe (100% on a 5 month loan only).
Balotelli
David Villa
Higuain
Álvaro Morata

Lacazette all day! He won't come cheap though.. Has all the qualities to be a superstar in England

 

[Shirley]

Makes sense to stick with Pozo. He hasn't done too bad, but for a brilliant save and a timely header from Morgan he could've had a couple of goals in his two appearances. The experience will do him no harm and he'll get better as the players learn to trust him.

My opinion also, with 4 of the next 5 games at home it is worth giving Pozo a run even if not 90 minutes each game.
By the time the Everton game comes around on 10 Jan hopefully the injuries will have cleared up, if not then the club will know what to do.

 

[bitsmith]

Daily Mail is running a story Milner is getting prepared for the role. Unless they just read the forum and made a story.

 

[MillionDollarDream]

Said this on twitter today but I honestly can't see Lyon throwing away their title hopes and selling us Lacazette in January or any time really. They will at least make champions league next season and he will be there to lead the charge until the rest of their youth steps up, because since Gomis and Briand left... He's really all they have upfront.

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

I suppose it depends on how we envision the role and who we're playing against. If we were playing the Rags then Pozo would have a field day, but playing packed defences that camp on the edge of their own penalty area really doesn't do the lad any favours. If Pozo plays then we need to set up to help him; Navas needs to play, and possibly Kolarov too, to give him the kind of service he can convert. Try and get in behind, low crosses into dangerous areas.

I can see the merit of using Milner up there; if Dirk Kuyt can be played as a lone striker then James Milner should be able to do it. He'll run all day, drag the defence around and press constantly. I'm unsure about his suitability to convert chances but we have goals in midfield.

Talk of Yaya is extremely fanciful. He won't run the channels, press (something which Pozo has done very well, especially putting the keeper under pressure) or make the kind of dummy runs that open up space. Besides, his passing is needed in the middle of the park. If we're desperate for a goal then Yaya up in a two with Pozo would maybe make sense in a pinch.

Then we have the false-9 option of Siva or Nasri. They're both very mobile, intelligent and have excellent close control, and could bring the rest of the team into play. Even though Silva has played the role before I would favour Nasri personally. He's a better finisher for one thing, and we'll need Silva on the ball making passes.

 

[ws01]

I know Villa is unlikely but he'd be perfect if we could get him.

 

[Matt the Giant]

I know Villa is unlikely but he'd be perfect if we could get him.

Absolutely, but as I just said in the transfer forum, if he is unattainable (which wouldn't surprise me) and we still need a short term emergency signing, how about Jermain Defoe until the end of the season? He's got the experience, a good finisher, is homegrown and his tenure in Toronto suggests he's still in pretty good shape. I think the way he plays would make him rather suitable for us.

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

I know Villa is unlikely but he'd be perfect if we could get him.

Villa didn't exactly set the world on fire in Melbourne and made a swift exit so how match fit and sharp enough would he be for the premier league? It might take him a month to get up to any decent playing level. So I'd give that one a miss, why can't we get Lopez back who'd be far more of a goal threat than Pozo? If not I'd go all out for Benteke rather than Boney for age reasons and saving us pissing money away on a stop gap signing.

 

[coleridge]

I was wondering about Lopez. Seems more effective than Pozo at the moment.

Pozo looks class but he'll have to wait. MP said as much.

Pellers also said [I think it was that Mail piece] that he was thinking of Nasri, Silva or Milner, and had asked Patrick about anyone else from the EDS. No indication of a buy/loan in January. Why bother when all three senior strikers are due back around then?

With respect, I think that many posters are getting way ahead of themselves. MP is a calm and calculating chap. He's not unduly worried and neither should we be. He's not a panic buy kinda guy, is he?