Bad Strikers or Bad tactics?

[Southend Elvis]

Whats the reason we're not scoring, have we signed really poor strikers or are we just playing bad tactical football?
I don't know, but i can't remember another season where we had so many of our strike force not hitting the back of the net.
I wonder if other teams in this division have thr same problem.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Terrible service from our midfield doesn't help matters.
The 2 league games we played recently with 3 up top we looked more threatening than we have all season but we reverted back today.
Pepple was a law unto himself as in he didn't need the midfield to feed him, he made most of his goals himself. With him gone, we really need more creativity from midfield

 

[Supershrimper]

Both

 

[Shrimper]

We will never have prolific scorers with Maher's style of play. We're far too slow to get the ball in the box, there's no movement from the midfield and we're not creating the balls that cause issues.

 

[Dawg]

We’ve already seen Moncur score a couple after leaving for a poor side…

 

[HertfordshireBlue]

It’s not our strikers (or entirely their fault, as I can admit they were woeful today) but when playing an attacking/highly creative formation 3-4-3 our strikers looked brilliant. A midfield with Morton and Husin does not lack creativity when allowed to express themselves but when they’re restricted with formations and most of their options behind them in defence instead of ahead, how is a midfielder supposed to create anything and equally a striker to score with no service.

Don’t get me wrong, we should have atleast got one today, but one against a team with Maidenhead’s form is criminal. Mahers defensive style will either relegate us or keep us in this league until it changes. Sadly his unwillingness to listen to any feedback from fans about the formation will cost him his job, we play positive formations one week then realise who we are and go straight back to defensive priorities like it was a bad dream.

 

[Strike Force]

The other aspect is not signing strikers fresh off any confidence or good form.

Kendall, Bonne, Walker, Hopper's stats from last season:

123 appearances, 15 goals.

That's shocking. And yes, for most, that was at a higher level - but those are stats and performances which show why they've dropped out of the football league.

Not having a single striker with recent good form is a huge problem - as well as the obvious midfield and wing-back creative issues.

 

[Southend Elvis]

Has anyone got stats on how many goals our strikers have scored over the last few seasons?
Seeing Hopper and Kendal fire blanks, i know it's early for them, they don't fill me with any confidence that they will be hitting double figures any time soon, or even single figures .

 

[Shrimper83]

Bit of both, Walker and Coker really shouldn't be starting!

 

[hlane17]

Terrible all round tbh, no supply, misfiring strikers and a management team hellbent on self-sabotage.

 

[Avl1983]

The other aspect is not signing strikers fresh off any confidence or good form.

Kendall, Bonne, Walker, Hopper's stats from last season:

123 appearances, 15 goals.

That's shocking. And yes, for most, that was at a higher level - but those are stats and performances which show why they've dropped out of the football league.

Not having a single striker with recent good form is a huge problem - as well as the obvious midfield and wing-back creative issues.

Waldron was doing really well last year in the league below but never gets a decent chance. Maher doesn’t rate him at all. Yet we spent months trying to sign him.

 

[kevin_h]

Another thing that has occurred to me - the lack of penalties this season. I can only recall one and last year we had quite a few. That says a lot for our players not running into the box anymore. You can't blame Kensdale and Cardwell no longer being with us for that. It's got to be tactics.

 

[Shrimper]

Has anyone got stats on how many goals our strikers have scored over the last few seasons?
Seeing Hopper and Kendal fire blanks, i know it's early for them, they don't fill me with any confidence that they will be hitting double figures any time soon, or even single figures .

2024/25:

Hopper 0 in 2
Bonne 1 in 24
Pepple 7 in 19
Walker 3 in 21
Kendall 0 in 8
Cardwell 1 in 5
Waldron 0 in 8

12 in 87

2023/24:

Kanu 4 in 6
Dackers 1 in 17
Sandat 2 in 15
Cardwell 18 in 39
Waldron 3 in 15

28 in 92

2022/23:

Dackers 3 in 6
Hyde 4 in 18
Cosgrave 0 in 10
Murphy 2 in 11
Wreh 4 in 27
Cardwell 5 in 23
Sandat 1 in 12

19 in 107

2021/22:

Kimpioka 0 in 1
Dalby 7 in 33
Dennis 7 in 22
Murphy 4 in 11
Cardwell 3 in 14
Rush 0 in 7

21 in 88

In the league only since Maher joined.

 

[Southend Elvis]

2024/25:

Hopper 0 in 2
Bonne 1 in 24
Pepple 7 in 19
Walker 3 in 21
Kendall 0 in 8
Cardwell 1 in 5
Waldron 0 in 8

12 in 87

2023/24:

Kanu 4 in 6
Dackers 1 in 17
Sandat 2 in 15
Cardwell 18 in 39
Waldron 3 in 15

28 in 92

2022/23:

Dackers 3 in 6
Hyde 4 in 18
Cosgrave 0 in 10
Murphy 2 in 11
Wreh 4 in 27
Cardwell 5 in 23
Sandat 1 in 12

19 in 107

2021/22:

Kimpioka 0 in 1
Dalby 7 in 33
Dennis 7 in 22
Murphy 4 in 11
Cardwell 3 in 14
Rush 0 in 7

21 in 88

In the league only since Maher joined.

Blimey, that's grim... 22/23 running it close! Only 5 goals so far from signed strikers..

 

[Roger The Alien]

Bad tactic

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

2024/25:

Hopper 0 in 2
Bonne 1 in 24
Pepple 7 in 19
Walker 3 in 21
Kendall 0 in 8
Cardwell 1 in 5
Waldron 0 in 8

12 in 87

2023/24:

Kanu 4 in 6
Dackers 1 in 17
Sandat 2 in 15
Cardwell 18 in 39
Waldron 3 in 15

28 in 92

2022/23:

Dackers 3 in 6
Hyde 4 in 18
Cosgrave 0 in 10
Murphy 2 in 11
Wreh 4 in 27
Cardwell 5 in 23
Sandat 1 in 12

19 in 107

2021/22:

Kimpioka 0 in 1
Dalby 7 in 33
Dennis 7 in 22
Murphy 4 in 11
Cardwell 3 in 14
Rush 0 in 7

21 in 88

In the league only since Maher joined.

Thanks for that: interesting.
So, are we using wrong tactics to set up strikers?
If so, Pepple was an outlier. As pointed out, he didn't need tactics, and a half-decent striker (Cardwell inc) can make a decent fist regardless.
Would three strikers make a difference? Looking at the rest of the list, I'm not so sure.

 

[tallboyblue]

Pepple was big and strong could get the ball and run at a defence. We don’t have anyone like that,

 

[Southend Elvis]

So in our best season, our strikers scored 1 every 3 games, even that sounds quite poor

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Those stats tell a story. In general, we are absolutely useless in the last 4 seasons at finding a regular goalscorer. But of course, that's not the whole picture. The midfield is sideways, sideways, and back, as has been said a Million times. All allergic to a forward pass, barring Morton. Hopefully there may be a shift coming with Parillon signing. And then there's the poor crosses from the wide men, under hit, or over hit.

 

[Southend Elvis]

These numbers tell me that the current crop are the worse we have had, doesn't say much. Kev has not changed ... and unlikely to. But tactically it's not good.