In, Out, Shake It All About: January 2025 Transfer Window

[Bijou Bob]

This would strike me as a ludicrous signing, unless they're paying all of his wages and reducing our risk to zero. Am I right in thinking he wouldn't take a squad place due to his age?

[BWFC_Insane]

I suspect with some bedevilment, you are being somewhat narrow in your view of "what folks wanted." I agree the spec might have been a bit shy on detail, though

I'm concerned fans will see we're signing a 6'6" lad and assume he's a traditional target man, which he's very much not.

So long as the manager knows what he's getting it's less of an issue.

What does he do if he's not a target man? Retrieve things from high shelves? Save cats stuck up trees? Look beyond the blue horizon for incoming ships?

Seriously though, how would you define him? I wouldn't know him if I were stood beside him, although I'd shiver in the shadow as he blocked out the sun.

It’s another Nlundulu. He’s a big kid who needs to evolve into a target man but hasn’t yet.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

out of contract at the end of the season, so probably snaffling him before someone else does so we can sign him in summer. No idea if he's going to be useful, just hope he's not the next injury prone Dan.

[GhostoftheBok]

What does he do if he's not a target man? Retrieve things from high shelves? Save cats stuck up trees? Look beyond the blue horizon for incoming ships?

Seriously though, how would you define him? I wouldn't know him if I were stood beside him, although I'd shiver in the shadow as he blocked out the sun.

He's a very tall, technical forward - rather than a battering ram.

He has bulked up a bit in the past few years, but he's still light for his size. That means he's also quicker than you'd expect, if one-paced.

Kanoute, Samaras, Crouch...those sorts of "big lads", rather than a Davies or a Ferguson. Though obviously they were all top-league players and had things this kid lacks.

He wants the ball to feet and he'll chest it rather than head it if he can. His hold up play is based on his ability with his feet, rather than his strength. A bit like Lolos. He used to be very easy to knock off the ball, but that's improved.

I like him as a player - he grafts and he doesn't waste the ball often - but he's more a link-up player than a traditional 9.

His biggest issue has always been his finishing. There are plenty of League One strikers who bag despite being crap finishers, because the defending gives you chances and the keepers are dross; but I'd not put 50p on him from 12 yards. You think "just hit the target" and he nods it over the bar or shanks it.

It's one of those where if he could finish Cardiff would be keeping him and they should probably never have taken him to the Championship due to how raw he was, but they needed a cheap option and he looked coachable. He has improved, but the added weight from bulking him up has led to the usual issues around hamstrings and joints. Maybe had he gone to a League One club he'd now be Championship-level. Dunno.

As Insane said, there's an element of Nlundulu to it. Obvious talent, but a project - if one Cardiff have started for us.

I said before that he looks like the profile of player we'd go for and I expected this to be one on the short list for a reason. He's certainly not a bad player for League One by any means.

The huge issue for me is bringing in a forward with known injury issues and asking him to press for an hour. How do you avoid breaking him?

[The_Gun]

Six career goals by the age of 23 is appalling. I’d much rather just go with Vic, who I thought did a very good job on Saturday.

[GhostoftheBok]

Six career goals by the age of 23 is appalling. I’d much rather just go with Vic, who I thought did a very good job on Saturday.

20-odd in all comps, isn't it?

[The_Gun]

Six career goals by the age of 23 is appalling. I’d much rather just go with Vic, who I thought did a very good job on Saturday.

20-odd in all comps, isn't it?

I count six in all senior comps.

Edit: Scratch that, I don’t know what I was looking at.

[BWFC_Insane]

In short he’s a young kid who if he wants a decent career needs to mature into a proper target man.

[TANGODANCER]

Six career goals by the age of 23 is appalling. I’d much rather just go with Vic, who I thought did a very good job on Saturday.

20-odd in all comps, isn't it?

I like Vic and feel he's very under-rated. A better prospect up front then McAtee at least.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I like Vic and feel he's very under-rated.

Mate of mine worked out after Saturday what when we've started with Vic this year we've W9 D3 L2 (=98pts over a season) and without him starting we're W8 D4 L10 (=59pts). He doesn't score as many as I'd like, partly because we've stopped flashing the ball across goal, but the stats suggest we're better with him than without.

However, what happens when he goes off? Well, that's where I'd like a whippet to come on and stretch them, but I can also see the theoretical reason for a big man to link things up.

[BWFC_Insane]

I worry we are in danger of asking the wrong questions up front and ending up with the wrong answers as a consequence.

We went into the season with what most saw as the best strikeforce in the league bar maybe Brum. Four front line strikers. Charles and Collins with goals in them. McAtee with movement and goals. Vic as the hold it up type.

Since then we’ve lost Charles. Collins is the only one scoring and it’s unclear really whether Vic or McAtee have a real role to play leading the line and if they do what that would be.

Regardless of the decision to sell Charles the things we’ve lost are his pace, workrate and goals. And as it stands we are a Collins injury away from arguably the most toothless attack we’ve had in a long time.

There was an argument for a big number 9 who could hold it or chase it down the channels but also get in the box. For another option. Ideally one who would add to our goal threat. Realistically we gave up a potential 20 goal plus a season striker - maybe we had to - but that to me is what we need to look at.

If that’s getting a number 9 who can score some but also do other stuff like a fit and ready Bodvarrson type or finding someone with real pace who would add a dynamic and maybe get some goals too I don’t know.

But I don’t feel as though we are answering the right exam question. Which is as it stands beyond Collins where are our goal threats?

[GhostoftheBok]

All the strikers we have are talented lads.

Schumacher's forwards scored goals for him at Plymouth. Ennis and Cosgrove had their best ever goalscoring seasons under him in that 22/23 campaign.

Macca has proven he can score goals and is doing so this season. So has Vic in the previous two seasons. Let's see what the new man can get out of them. Collins is already starting to fly.

[The_Gun]

Schumacher seems to like pace, which is an attribute we’re sorely lacking at the moment.

[GhostoftheBok]

The reality is we don't have a natural striker on the books. We have three converted forwards who are all good players in their own way - with Collins always looking like he'd convert into an excellent goal-scorer if any coach would just see it.

Etete also isn't a natural striker.

So yes, we lack an obvious "20 goal man" outside Collins' sticktheballinfromanywhere style; but how many teams at any level have more than one 20-a-season bloke? Not many. How many are available on short notice at the end of a Jan window? Fewer than not many.

[The_Gun]

I don’t see how Collins is anything other than a striker at this point.

[GhostoftheBok]

I don’t see how Collins is anything other than a striker at this point.

He's a converted winger.

He should always have been converted, as it was clear what he could offer as a forward; but he's not a natural striker.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I don’t see how Collins is anything other than a striker at this point.

He's curious. To me he's still more 10 than 9, better playing off someone and coming on to the ball than with his back to goal. I guess one definition of a "striker" (or perhaps more accurately a centre-forward) is whether you could play him alone up top; I don't think Collins alone leads you to promotion that way.

I still suspect his best position is as per Dapo, coming in off the left in a 4231. Not just with the ball (the boy can shoot from downtown) but also arriving late at the far post from a right-wing cross – although who would be the 7 to his 11, supplying said cross, is up for discussion (Tutu?)

[Prufrock]

Yep. He'd be unplayable off the left in this league. He's done very well in a two anyway, in a worsening team. But you'd get even more from him there.

[GhostoftheBok]

Collins should useful to any manager playing any system.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Agree with DSB about Collins on the left of a three, or two.

In a team with a lot of players who seem a bit quiet, it's good to see players like Collins and Schon who seem more lively.

Saw some hightlights of Anelka on the Wanderers TV vault. In the first half of his goals Diouf is always the first one there to celebrate as the lively one. I think that's needed a lot of the time.