Dusic Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Pretty clear we have been dismal this season in this position, with none of Long, Austin, Gabbi or Carrillo ever firing and it was fairly similar under Puel, so clearly we need a change. IMO you could make a compelling argument to get rid of all the strikers and totally start again: Long - tries hard, hassles defenders but just doesn't score enough goals and is too unreliable. Austin - will score but offers nothing outside the area, especially in games against the better sides that dominate possession. In each of his three PL seasons with us he has suffered major injuries and doesn't look fit/mobile enough. Gabbiadini - very good player but as a lone striker doesn't work hard enough off the ball or win enough duels. Great moments in a Saints shirt but will probably go back to Italy. Carrillo- Bizarre signing, doesn't look good enough and we will probably have to loan him out unless Hughes sees something in him with a full pre season. For me we should try and move three of these four on and get some fresh players in with more rounded attributes. But that will be easier said than done. If we go into next season with Long or Austin starting it will have been another poor summer window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lighthouse Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 I would only keep Gabbi. Sadly I think he will leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintStinger Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Keep Austin, replace the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
for_heaven's_Saint Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Austin, Gabbi and Carrillo out. Long to stay to play as part of the 3 in a 4-2-3-1 (I.e not up front on his own) and a Pelle/Lambert style player to be a focal point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_clark Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Trouble we have is that all three of our strikers (I'm ignoring carillo) are lacking in quite essential areas - Austin cannot get on the end of passes unless he has a 5 yard head start, long struggles to finish one on one and Gabbi very rarely does anything unless it's played to his feet in the box. Gabbi did show signs of being able to hold the ball up against Swansea, and Long is always a positive for the team with his ability to win balls in the air, hold the ball up, chase down, run the channels and win free kicks. Honestly if we had to sell them I'd sell Austin, Gabbi and then Long in that order. If we're keeping all three then we need to play two out of them all the time. Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brmbrm Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 OK, so far we have "keep Gabbi, Austin and Long". easy business. Carillo: not sure whether he was a sop to the fans or to pellegrino, but has shown nothing unfortunately. I trust MH's judgement on this. Or whoever the manager is next season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saints foreva Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Get rid of them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_clark Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 We have set an incredibly low bar. It seems Long working hard and defending from the front is now enough. We've been too afraid to attack to start Gabbi. That was the original plan and we should have stuck with it. Play to his strengths, get some pace up there with him and we'll do well again. For me, someone like Promes in the attack with Tadic and JWP behind Gabbi would be decent. Austin is so slow, I don't know why we use him in games where we won't create much. He'll grab a few if we create plenty but I think he's looked a bit lost recently. Worth keeping though. Carillo, I think people are a bit harsh. We haven't seen enough to judge. Couple of games at a time when the whole team was a mess. We could use an extra physical presence. Given he's 19m and we won't get it back, surely it's worth having a proper look at him pre-season before deciding? But again, striker wouldn't be the priority signing for me. It's attackers around them. We can't make do with Redmond having a good game every 8 or 9 appearances.I'm not saying long is enough- I would sell the other two and get two more in. I'm saying that if you look at what they each DO offer the team, then you have to admit that Long is very good at what he does and is an excellent option to have when you are struggling to keep the ball out of your own half. Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OttawaSaint Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 We need a striker with the effort of Long, the movement of Gabbi, and the finishing of Austin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lighthouse Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 I'm not saying long is enough- I would sell the other two and get two more in. I'm saying that if you look at what they each DO offer the team, then you have to admit that Long is very good at what he does and is an excellent option to have when you are struggling to keep the ball out of your own half. Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk He’s a championship quality striker at best, he just chases people and that’s it. His scoring record is absolutely pitiful and has been for most of his career. This is the premier league and what he offers is nowhere near enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALWAYS_SFC Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 We need a striker with the effort of Long, the movement of Gabbi, and the finishing of Austin. Aguero it is then ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerx16 Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Presumably Gallagher isn't worth consideration ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally_uk Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Moussa Dembélé Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Lion Tamer Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 (edited) Sorry wrong thread Edited 13 May, 2018 by Ex Lion Tamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_clark Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 He’s a championship quality striker at best, he just chases people and that’s it. His scoring record is absolutely pitiful and has been for most of his career. This is the premier league and what he offers is nowhere near enough.Rubbish. He holds the ball up well, passes well, wins the ball in the air far more than a man of his size should...he has plenty to offer when he's not scoring goals. The other two offer nothing when not scoring goals. Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Lion Tamer Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Long is better than Brett Ormerod so that is something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saints foreva Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Presumably Gallagher isn't worth consideration ? Nope. Barely Championship standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 I think Austin should go. Like him but against his total lack of mobility is painful Carrillo. Out Gabbi our sadly That means keeping long :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilchards Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 We need a striker that can get those Cedric crosses that go 5 feet above everyone, The same striker who can reach for those Bertrand low balls that are 5 feet too out of reach plus we need a striker that can win those useless high balls that get pumped forward in hope. This is what we need..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lighthouse Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Rubbish. He holds the ball up well, passes well, wins the ball in the air far more than a man of his size should...he has plenty to offer when he's not scoring goals. The other two offer nothing when not scoring goals. Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk He also breaks down our own tracks fr too frequently by being offside or through poor control. The other two may offer nothing else but at least they do score goals. I’m genuinely gobsmacked that people continue to defend a 2 goal a season striker. We have struggled for 2 years to score goals and he is a large part of the problem. There are no prizes handed out for work rate and winning throw ins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_clark Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 He also breaks down our own tracks fr too frequently by being offside or through poor control. The other two may offer nothing else but at least they do score goals. I’m genuinely gobsmacked that people continue to defend a 2 goal a season striker. We have struggled for 2 years to score goals and he is a large part of the problem. There are no prizes handed out for work rate and winning throw ins.He was here for the two seasons before that too, in which we finished 7th and 6th respectively. Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Billy Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 I think Austin should go. Like him but against his total lack of mobility is painful Carrillo. Out Gabbi our sadly That means keeping long :-/ Agree about Austin, I think his numerous injuries have caught up with him. On the other hand I would ship out the whole forward line including Long. I love Longs work rate but whats the point of a striker who's only use is to harrass rather than score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNick Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Personally I think Long is brilliant at tiring the defenders and I think hed be a nightmare for a defender to play against. Hopefully MH can give him the confidence to start scoring again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy windham Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Austin is going to Aston Villa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNick Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Austin is going to Aston Villa. Oh that's Interesting. You seem certain on that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErwinK1961 Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Austin is going to Aston Villa. Regardless of promotion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Controller Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Pity there’s such a huge release clause On Icardi at Inter Milan Dzeko worth a go Austin - past it now Gabbi - deffo keep Long - Keep Carillo - bye bye Gallagher - bye bye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGalpin Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Pity there’s such a huge release clause On Icardi at Inter Milan Dzeko worth a go Austin - past it now Gabbi - deffo keep Long - Keep Carillo - bye bye Gallagher - bye bye Icardi and Dzeko? Give me strength Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuncanRG Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Gabbiadini's going, folks. Get it out of your system now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lighthouse Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Personally I think Long is brilliant at tiring the defenders and I think hed be a nightmare for a defender to play against. Hopefully MH can give him the confidence to start scoring again I can’t wait for them to hand out those extra points for making defenders tired, perhaps we’ll be top half when they’re added on. These are some of the best defenders in the world for crying out loud, they play against Kane, Lukaku, Hazard, Salah, Aubameyang, Aguero, Jesus and Mané every week. The idea that they have nightmares about Shane Long is laughable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cartman Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Austin - Physically shot (I will choose to believe that he is off to Villa) Long - Technical ability non existent Gabbi - Best of the lot (no great accomplishment )but looks like going to Torino Gallagher - Championship standard at best That leaves... we aren't getting our money back so we might as well keep him as a squad player. Rather keep him than Long, if only because I know exactly what Long offers (or more to the point, doesn't offer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Long and Austin are fine, they are legit PL strikers and both have shown they can get double digit goals. Sure it would be great to have Salah or Arguello, but they don't exactly grow on trees. I'd be ok with all of Gabbi, Long, and Austin returning. They are all as good as most other PL strikers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsaint Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Would keep Gabbi and Austin, sell Long and Carrillo. Think Gabbi might go though. Austin needs to move to being a bit part player, be a good option to bring on in the last 20 needing a goal. Need to spend big on a starting striker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrensup Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Long and Austin are fine, they are legit PL strikers and both have shown they can get double digit goals. Sure it would be great to have Salah or Arguello, but they don't exactly grow on trees. I'd be ok with all of Gabbi, Long, and Austin returning. They are all as good as most other PL strikers. I like Long, but come on! He’s scored double digits once in the Prem and that was a grand total of 10! In 9 seasons.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloydie Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Long and Austin are fine, they are legit PL strikers and both have shown they can get double digit goals. Sure it would be great to have Salah or Arguello, but they don't exactly grow on trees. I'd be ok with all of Gabbi, Long, and Austin returning. They are all as good as most other PL strikers. You are clearly not qualified to keep your username, sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Munster Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Long and Austin are fine, they are legit PL strikers and both have shown they can get double digit goals. Sure it would be great to have Salah or Arguello, but they don't exactly grow on trees. I'd be ok with all of Gabbi, Long, and Austin returning. They are all as good as most other PL strikers. Sorry Les, you were wrong about that for the last two seasons, and you're wrong again now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Charlie Austin is 28. He might be too injury prone for some people’s liking, but please can we stop with the “past it” comments as if we are keeping a 40-year old on the books...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 13 May, 2018 Share Posted 13 May, 2018 Icardi and Dzeko? Give me strength I still can’t believe we didn’t sign Giroud in January Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintBobby Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 Austin's strike rate is pretty good. Injury is the issue. I'm pro-Long, but he isn't going to score a hatful in normal situations. I have no idea how we can improve on the present bunch without gambling on a £25m CF.....a gamble (like Carrillo) that might not pay off..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVEADAMS Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 I like the look of Promes and hope we are back in for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatch Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 get rid of all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 Charlie Austin is 28. He might be too injury prone for some people’s liking, but please can we stop with the “past it” comments as if we are keeping a 40-year old on the books...! I think it is because he plays like a 40 year old. I like him loads but his absolute lack of mobility is alarming as we have set up more defensively. Maybe he could stay as a squad player? Whether he would be happy with that at this stage in his career? Doubt it! Could well be off Reckon Long is a Hughes type of player to have around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 I think it is because he plays like a 40 year old. I like him loads but his absolute lack of mobility is alarming as we have set up more defensively. Maybe he could stay as a squad player? Whether he would be happy with that at this stage in his career? Doubt it! Could well be off Reckon Long is a Hughes type of player to have around. Maybe so, but it still irks me the way that people say it, it implies they think he is old. I met a fellow Saints fan in the office a while back who said "Charlie Adam is getting on a bit now". Not only did he get his name wrong, but it was a typical misconception about his age. Either he isn't good/mobile enough, or injuries have taken it out of him and he has "lost it", but he's not too old. I'm more flagging it up for anyone who might think he is! Because you can't rely on him being fit, and no-one else is capable of being a target man (even Austin isn't great at it, but he's better than everyone else), I think we need another striker. It's a difficult situation though because if all four are fit there's bound to be some unhappy players about. I'm sure Hughes would have liked to give Gabbiadini a chance yesterday, for example, but because Long was the most different from Austin, he was the better replacement. If you're needing to change things around, ironically you might find the best "all round" striker is the one who gets the least time on the pitch. And that's just with 3 of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doddisalegend Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 Depends how we plan to play next season. If we continue with Hughes and he continues with five at the back then we need more pace and mobility than Austin offers. Shane long fits the system better but he couldn't score in a brothel. Personally I'd like us to go back to playing more on the front foot and have a proper big CF that can score goals, win balls in the air, hold the ball up and play with his back to goal. We had it with Lambert and Pelle and haven't had I the last two seasons. Interestingly though Burnley have finished best of the rest scoring 36 goals one less than we managed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintStinger Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 Austin has never been fast even when he was younger, but he makes up for it with quick thinking and this usually allows him to beat a defender and get a shot off even from very tight angles. If a nice ball isn't played in he will create a chance for himself. He does need some support though, he's a great header of the ball yet how many decent crosses has our fullbacks put in? And yesterday, how many times did he get into a decent position only for Redmond to just give the ball away? He can't do it all. Then JWP comes on, one of the few that can ping a ball in and Austin comes off. Instead of replacing him how about replacing some other players that can actually feed the strikers? We moan about lack of support for Gabbi, well it's the same thing surely? If he does go it will be to another Prem team. I would be very surprised to see him in the Championship next season. I hope he stays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 Austin has never been fast even when he was younger, but he makes up for it with quick thinking and this usually allows him to beat a defender and get a shot off even from very tight angles. If a nice ball isn't played in he will create a chance for himself. He does need some support though, he's a great header of the ball yet how many decent crosses has our fullbacks put in? And yesterday, how many times did he get into a decent position only for Redmond to just give the ball away? He can't do it all. Then JWP comes on, one of the few that can ping a ball in and Austin comes off. Instead of replacing him how about replacing some other players that can actually feed the strikers? We moan about lack of support for Gabbi, well it's the same thing surely? If he does go it will be to another Prem team. I would be very surprised to see him in the Championship next season. I hope he stays. Agree. Offloading the one player who we know can score goals (ok, sure, not enough, and has spent too long injured, but he is still our top goalscorer, where would we be without those goals?) without having a proven replacement would be crazy. It's not like we could get much money for him either. He seems like a popular character in the squad, so other than saving on wages what would we really have to gain by offloading him? Even if we sign someone from abroad, should we assume they are going to be a success and get rid of Austin? Bit risky, sticking the ball in the net is the hardest and most sought after thing in football! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnet Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 We would have finished 9th if it was done by the expected goals table. I know it has other factors in it to but it does show how pants we are at finishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 How many clubs outside of the top six have awesome strikers. How many awesome strikers want to come to a club who just avoided relegation? Its going to be a slog to rebuild the club's attractiveness and reputation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 How many clubs outside of the top six have awesome strikers. How many awesome strikers want to come to a club who just avoided relegation? Its going to be a slog to rebuild the club's attractiveness and reputation. +1. Salah doesn't grow on trees. Austin, Long, and Gabbi (although I think he's leaving) are normal PL quality. Think through all the 20 teams, you can pick the better stirkers than Austin on your fingers (less than 10 for those counting impaired). Austin isn't slow, he isn't quick. Once he gets going he's actually go speed. However he makes good runs, and opens up space for others even if he's not getting the ball. This was pointed out by Hughes numerous times, and an example is Redmond's goal against Everton. In addition the guy gets shots off consistently, who else do we have you can say that about. You know in a full game Austin will get 5 or so quality attempts no matter what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajjuk Posted 14 May, 2018 Share Posted 14 May, 2018 Austin is by far our best striker, he is the most reliable source of goals we have, he just gets injured. But if he had been played from the start of the season, he would have played way more games had over 30 league games this season. Pellegrino didn't start him in the league until the 4-1 win over Everton (where he scored twice), so he was fit and available for 11 league games before that and barely played, coming off the bench a handful of times. I also get the impression Huges likes Long so he'll stay. Gabbi will be down to whether he wants to stay I reckon and any family problems. Carrillo we will struggle to give away, might get him to go on loan. I reckon next year we'll still have Long, Austin, + one new striker and maybe still Gabbi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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