Anthony Stokes

What?

 

What do you mean?

 

If we can keep everyone and add a striker, we have a good team now. Not a team that can win the CL; but a team that can at least challenge for 2nd or 3rd (edit: I mean in the group).

Forster
Lustig Ambrose Van Dijk Izzy
Mulgrew
Brown Johansen Biton
Commons/ Stokes
Lone Striker​

Edit: good cover for injuries and suspensions too. Matthews can cover RB or RM, Mulgrew can cover CB, LB or LM, Kayal can come into CM, Stokes and Commons can both play that deep striker role, we have Watt to come back. Looks OK, doesn't it? Much stronger than this year.

 

Also Barca are at their weakest.

Hardest group would have been between
Arsenal, Marseille, Dortmund
Real, Juve, Gala
etc

 

I agree but I think Forster and Van Dijk might leave in the summer. I am optimistic that we can convince them both to stay for another season but if a crazy offer comes in I think we could be tempted to sell.

I like the look of Biton and Johansen. I think they could do well in the CL. Griffiths done magnficantly well playing the lone striker at Hibs at times. However I do want to see a £4-5 million number 9 signing in the summer. We need a big presence upfront.

 

It's pretty obvious.

 

If it was I wouldn't be asking.

 

I didn't understand either. Could you please clarify what you meant?

 

Agree with that, Johansen I'm excited about in Europe, looks like a man who can keep the ball and play the important passes as well as the simple possesion ones. Our possesion play hasn't been up to par in Europe, even while we were getting results.

 

But you never asked, at first. You made a stupid remark, you know what I meant.

 

You haven't read the posts in the thread then.

 

Could you clarify what you meant by the comment of "in reality, it's one goal and one assist in the 14 games that matter". I would like to debate that point, but would prefer it to be clarified first, just in case I've picked you up wrong.

 

I have, mate. It's a long thread and I'm not Dominic O'Brien, though. Could you please either remind me which particular posts are relevant or explain what you meant?

 

I'm of the opinion that our poor possession play makes it hard for Commons to get far enough up the pitch to be as dangerous as we know he can be (without being irresponsible defensively).

 

I said what? It didn't make sense so I asked you what.

I have and I'm still unsure the point you are trying to get at. As are others in here.

I don't think that's it mate, Commons has been poor in possession in Europe this season, not so much last season, which has caused himself problems. I think our lack of clever possession in midfield keeps our strikers isolated.

 

I agree he wasn't good at keeping possession. I think teams identified him and Sammy and made sure they didn't play. I just mean that, unless we press high (and we all know how that ends ) or Commons leaves his defensive duties (which we can't afford), then we have to work our way up the pitch and that requires keeping possession long enough to do so. I just think that final third is where he excels and (unlike Sammy) don't think he's particularly dangerous in the central third of the pitch. Stokes is better at keeping possession and even at linking up, so SD's suggestion is not a bad one. In the final third, Commons would scare me more than Stokes as an opposition fan, though.

 

I just don't think Commons can cut it at against the top sides in Europe. The things that often come off for him domestically, or in the Qualifiers, just don't seem to work in the Group Stages. It's no great surprise really, when you are playing against smarter and better players, it's always going to be more difficult. Even more so in his case, as he has the extra pressure of being our most creative spark. It's a similar case with Stokes in my opinion, although he was handicapped by having no striker partner, which we all know works far better for him. However, I don't see that changing any time in the near future for the big European games.

 

I hate Stokes.

I always write him off after some mediocre domestic performances and doing almost nothing in Europe.

Then he hits a solid run of brilliant domestic form and has me thinking, ''Lets give him another chance in Europe?''.

I love Stokes.

 

I think it's a bit harsh on Commons, he's been good in Europe, in a different sort of role than he does for us in domestic football. He reads the game defensively well, tries to slow down the tempo and offers a lot of cover for the full backs.

He's not the same influence attacking wise than he is in Scotland but in Europe I still think he is useful.

 

Stokes is love, Stokes is life