Striker for 4-5-1/4-3-3

[winchester_royal]

Church seems ideally suited to the lone striker role, and 4-3-3 certainly seems to be BR's favoured formation based on the friendlies so far.

[Big Bears Blouse]

In pre-season so far it looks like Buck likes playing the thready-runny type thing, with Church or Long bombing up and trying to grab the ball. In this new, "world class" system, I think that works best. Although I can't see anything wrong with playing N Hunt up there with Henry and Kanu/Kebe/etc. receiving the flick-ons and having a crack.

definitely how i'll be explaining it for the next few years!

[leww_rfc]

Church for 4-5-1.

[Ginger Ninjas]

FWIW, in my dream last night, David Nugent was our main striker for the Newcastle away game - I was quite pleased with that signing.

One of the key things about playing 451/433 is having midfielders who make strong forward runs to get in the box and support the striker - otherwise there's only one man to aim at with any crosses. This is what makes Lampard so valuable to Chelsea's game and Gerrard's to Liverpool (although he plays as part of a 4411).

[loyalroyal4life]

although noel hunt is a quality player imo we cant rely on him this season we need an investment upfront although i am not sure t.smith is the right man then again BR makes the decision

[SteveRoyal]

In pre-season so far it looks like Buck likes playing the thready-runny type thing, with Church or Long bombing up and trying to grab the ball. In this new, "world class" system, I think that works best. Although I can't see anything wrong with playing N Hunt up there with Henry and Kanu/Kebe/etc. receiving the flick-ons and having a crack.

definitely how i'll be explaining it for the next few years!

I didn't know how else to explain it...

[JS28ZoD]

For me, the lone front man in a 4-5-1/4-3-3 shape has got to be a strong and quick player who is adept at both holding the ball up and bringing others into play, as well as knowing when to get in the channels and run off the last defender.

It appears that BR likes the look of Church, however I think he's too lightweight and slow to cover the ground a lone striker needs to cover. Shane Long & Noel Hunt can potentially do the job for me. A good example of the type of frontman I like in this formation would be Jason Scotland. I thought he was excellent for Swansea last year and was a great example of how to play this position.

[Ian Royal]

Don't know much about Mooney, but from the very little I've seen his style may be suited. More doubts over his quality. Same with Church but with the added concern I'm not sure he'd score enough goals. I agree with Royalee on NHunt having the right qualities.

We're not going to be just looking at putting balls onto the forward's head or chest, so height isn't a massive prerequesite.

Just in general terms it does matter whether you're playing the lump it up and see what sticks, the through balls to run onto, or the balls to feet to hold up style of game. The latter two seem more likely to me.

I think SOP has generally got it right with the first reply to Sarah.

[Negative_Jeff]

For me, the lone front man in a 4-5-1/4-3-3 shape has got to be a strong and quick player who is adept at both holding the ball up and bringing others into play, as well as knowing when to get in the channels and run off the last defender.

It appears that BR likes the look of Church, however I think he's too lightweight and slow to cover the ground a lone striker needs to cover. Shane Long & Noel Hunt can potentially do the job for me. A good example of the type of frontman I like in this formation would be Jason Scotland. I thought he was excellent for Swansea last year and was a great example of how to play this position.

Jason Scotland was indeed excellent last season but he isn`t quick, doesn`t tend to work the channels but does the other bits you mention brilliantly. Torres and Drogba have all the qualities required of your optimum striker but there are not many others.
Lowering our sights just a little then lets look at Long. I have not seen enough of Church or Mooney so Long is the best bet for loan striker. Pacey, good in the air, he runs the channels well but his control lets him down so no Jason Scotland. Rodgers could encourage him to drop off the defender, take the ball on the half turn and run at the opposition in a similar fashion to Nicky Forster. The trouble with Forster was when those runs took him wider he couldn`t look up and pick out support.
The difference between him and Michael Owen I suppose!

[Royal Rother]

Shane Long had an excellent 1st half against Burnley and was playing pretty much as a lone striker with wide (cutting in) support from Church and Kebe.

It worked pretty well for Long until Coppell brought Kitson, Little and Shunt on.

[RobRoyal]

Shane Long had an excellent 1st half against Burnley and was playing pretty much as a lone striker with wide (cutting in) support from Church and Kebe.

It worked pretty well for Long until Coppell brought Kitson, Little and Shunt on.

Agreed. I thought he was actually better in the 1st leg playing up there on his own with Doyle and Hunt off him. If it's 4-2-3-1 we're talking about, perhaps he could shine in the role long term.

Afterall, he's not that different to Nicky Forster, albeit greatly less polished and mature. He's considerably better in the air, which helps.

[Hoop Blah]

Forster was pretty decent in the air though, when looking to win it outside the box that is. He had a very canny way of dropping behind the defender and coming round him from behind to flick the ball on.

Long isn't too disimilar in that respect actually. He's deceptively good in the air, and probably taller than a lot of people realise.

I still don't think he suits playing up there on his own all that much (more adept at it than Kitson though) because he so often gets out thought and muscled off the ball by a decent centre back, largely because he doesn't know how to use his body or touch (or lack of) in that situation.

I haven't seen a great deal of Church playing the similar role, although I still think he just doesn't have enough about him to make it at this level. A bit of a huffer and puffer without the necessary quality. That's judging him on a lot of youth football and a few glimpses whilst he was on loan, so I may well be doing him a bit of a dis-service there and he may well have improved greatly (we have to remember how young some of these lads still are).

[Royal Rother]

Maybe Long's boxing training will give him greater body strength so he won't get out-muscled by big and hairy defenders. Actually, on reflection, I'm not sure it's all about strength with him, as he does some things that would suggest he is very strong, maybe it's more of a balance thing. He gets shoved and can't keep balanced so looks like he's out-muscled. The boxing thing could help with as well.... just thinking aloud again.

[Hoop Blah]

Maybe RR. He has the strength because, as you say, he shows it at other times, it's just a case of being able to use it.

Some players are just hard to knock off the ball whereas some it's quite easy. It's not always a size thing either, it's just having that balance and knowing how to use your body in the right way.

[Snowball]

I'd fancy Long to stand up to rough treatment better than Henry or Church (at the moment)
and maybe he can be taught to be a target man, if that's what Rodgers wants.

[Hoop Blah]

I'd fancy Long to stand up to rough treatment better than Henry or Church (at the moment)
and maybe he can be taught to be a target man, if that's what Rodgers wants.

Stand up to it, not be intimiated, dish out a bit back...yes to all of them.

So far in his career though he hasn't managed to retain possession very well or bring others into the game because for some reason he gets knocked off the ball, or beaten to it, too easily.

I don't expect Church to be any better at it than Long to be honest but he does seem to be happy with a bit of a physical duel too, and did manage to hold off the Burnley fullback well in his 45 minutes in the play offs.

Henry, who I don't think anyone has suggested plays as the lone forward, probably wouldn't be any better either, although, he does appear to have the innate technique to get the ball under his control and shield it from defenders that I was referring to.

It may be something Long can improve on, but I think it's one things he probably should've picked up by now (one of those things he should've learnt whilst out on a long term loan a couple of seasons ago).

[Snowball]

Agreed, I just don't think his game is suited to being the 1 in 4-5-1

[Tilehurst Mike]

Does anyone honestly expect Church, Long or NHunt to score 20 goals next season---i don't.
It doesn't matter what system you play, unless you have got a natural goal scorer in your squad that can guarantee you that sort of goal tally, you won't be challenging for honours.
Hence the signing of an experienced striker with a decent goal ratio (like Smith) is a must before the season starts.

[Ian Royal]

20 goals is very rare though. How many times has it been reached by a Reading player in the last 15 years? Certainly since 95/96 I can only think of Morley, Caskey, Cureton and maybe Butler the same season. How many of those seasons did we challenge for honours?

Kitson has hovered just under 20 in a couple of seasons for us. 19 one season, maybe 20 in the promotion season including cup games. Doyle 18 this season.

NHunt is certainly capable of beating 15 if he can stay fit and play regularly. What you really need is at least two players getting 15 or more and 5 or 6 getting 5 - 10.

That was one of our major problems last season. We had plenty in the circa 5-10 category (SHunt, NHunt*, Cisse, Long) but we only had Doyle over 15. Long got a lot of his goals late on. Doyle and NHunt got most of theirs before Xmas, which left us with a massive gap whilst virtually no one was scoring.

Just look at the promotion season. Doyle, Kitson and Lita all got respectable tallies. Virtually everyone else got at least one and plenty got several. It just isn't about one striker breaking 20.

[Royal Rother]

I can't remember us having a striker who could also score 2 or 3 direct from free kicks, (or reliably from the penalty spot for that matter) so NHunt might just pick up a few more than from "normal" striking.

(Forster I suppose wasn't bad from dead ball - anyone else? Not Caskey, he wasn't a striker.)