Posted March 11, 201312 yr Early presumptions of our new striker, thought he started off reasonably well with two goals against the Saints but FSW seems adamant about rotating him with Torres. I personally think he needs a longer run of games. Then obviously got a nasty injury at Newcastle and has only scored once since, how would you rate his start at Chelsea out of 10?
March 11, 201312 yr 4 goals in 12 games doesn't seem great but a handful of them have been late sub appearances. Also he seems far more involved in games than Torres does so i don't think he will end up anything like him. We also need to remember that he is just settling in to a new club so it will take him a while to get going. I remember when Anelka joined he only scored 2 goals in 20 odd games, the next season he was Premier League top goalscorer and got 25 goals that season overall. Demba Ba will never be our greatest striker but i think in the long run he will be a success at the club.
March 11, 201312 yr We need either Lukaku back or a new striker next season, I don't think Ba is good enough to be our first choice, or at least he hasn't shown it so far.
March 11, 201312 yr He's an improvement but not the answer. I don't see him producing many moments of individual brilliance which is what you need from your forwards if you are going to win titles.
March 11, 201312 yr Pair him with Lukaku next season and I think we can have a solid combo that will definately bag some goals. Ba seems to play pretty well coming off the bench as well which is crucial for a back up striker. Hes had a few very good games, a few poor ones and the rest have been middle of the road. For the money he cost its been a solid and much needed signing
March 11, 201312 yr He's an improvement but not the answer. I don't see him producing many moments of individual brilliance which is what you need from your forwards if you are going to win titles. .......or being competing with the top clubs in Europe. I see Ba as a stop-gap and a bit of a panic buy to be honest. With Lukaku on loan and Torres spent, we clearly needed someone to score goals for the remainder of the season. I'm still disappointed we let Sturridge go. I know he wasn't happy and maybe that Ba is the slightly more prolific of the two but Sturridge is by far and away the superior of the two in terms of actual ability and has more of a future. Next season with Torres gone, I see Ba as third choice behind Lukaku and a new summer signing and once someone like Feruz makes the step-up, Ba will be surplus to requirements.
March 11, 201312 yr i don't think lukaku and ba will be enough. neither of them can produce a goal from nothing whereas forwards like van persie and suarez can. we need someone with the quality of falcao. hopefully if mourinho does join us in the summer he can bring benzene or higuain with him
March 11, 201312 yr Anything is better than Torres. Infact playing without a striker (10 men) is better than playing with Torres. I think Ba needs to play week in week out to get the best out of him. He is new to the team and will improve with time playing with the team. Him sitting on the bench watching Torres pass to the keeper or passing backwards destroying another attack wont do him any good.
March 11, 201312 yr .......or being competing with the top clubs in Europe. I see Ba as a stop-gap and a bit of a panic buy to be honest. With Lukaku on loan and Torres spent, we clearly needed someone to score goals for the remainder of the season. I'm still disappointed we let Sturridge go. I know he wasn't happy and maybe that Ba is the slightly more prolific of the two but Sturridge is by far and away the superior of the two in terms of actual ability and has more of a future. Next season with Torres gone, I see Ba as third choice behind Lukaku and a new summer signing and once someone like Feruz makes the step-up, Ba will be surplus to requirements. To be honest, Ba is going to be happy to pick up his wages and play when called upon. I don't think he will demand a move if he isn't first choice and so will be back up next season. If we don't sign a "big name" striker in the summer I would be very surprised, I think Lukaku for as well as he has done this season at WBA will possibly stay on loan their for a second season to continue is development. As for Sturridge, I sometimes a players face just doesn't fit. He's a talented player but I just don't think it worked for him at Chelsea. Who knows, clash of personality with too many players perhaps?
March 11, 201312 yr Infact playing without a striker (10 men) is better than playing with Torres. I'm not a fan of Torres, but that's just bullsh*t.
March 11, 201312 yr I can't believe Ba is being written off by some after only 12 games, especially considering those twelve games have been sporadic due to injury and the Interim's pointless rotation. We need to remember the team is hardly playing to it's potential at the moment, so it's shouldn't be surprising when he has the odd quiet game.
March 11, 201312 yr Really? without Torres holding back attacks and running into our attacking players we might score a few more goals. The guy is finished as a footballer. I use to think maybe a move to another club he will return to his old form but now i think he is done all together. He is better to just retire and live off his millions. Maybe he could go into coaching or be a spanish pundit. But as a footballer he is finished.
March 11, 201312 yr I never considered Ba to be a permanent fixture in the first team after this season. If I was in charge he'd be 3rd choice next season. He's a good back up striker. About the same level as Welbeck or Defoe. I'd have signed him at the beginning of the season. Then when Sturridge left I'd have brought back Lukaku. His goalscoring form was terrible this time last season. First half of the season he was one of the top scorers in the league. Second half of the season he barely scored a goal, but he was playing on the left when Cisse came in. He seems to be following a similar goal scoring pattern this season, although he's playing a lot fewer games this time round.
March 11, 201312 yr I think Ba will be second choice behind a new signing next season. He's done well enough in his first few games and will hopefully improve with a full pre-season with us. Lukaku will be going out on loan again, he would'nt want to be 3rd choice especially with our inability to ever play more than 1 upfront. Torres is off as long as someone will take him, or we pay someone to take him. Wouldnt be suprised to see two strikers come in, to go with Ba.
March 11, 201312 yr He's an okay option to have, but he's not exactly world class. If you look at our rivals they all have world class strikers who can score a lot of goals: RVP, Rooney - Hernadez being a very good option off the bench Augero, Tevez - Dzeko being a very good option off the bench Even Liveprool have Suarez Whereas we have Torres - abysmal, Ba - good. We need that world class striker who is going to score 20-30 goals a season, then Ba and Lukaku can be used in rotation with him.
March 11, 201312 yr who will be our number 9 next season then? Falcao Cavani Lewandowski Wilfried Bony Jackson MartÃnez David Villa (I know he's 31 but he is quality) I literally just listed Europe's top goalscorers outside of the Premier League and excluded Messi and Ronaldo for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to buy someone who is scoring goals frequently.
March 11, 201312 yr He's an improvement but not the answer. I don't see him producing many moments of individual brilliance which is what you need from your forwards if you are going to win titles. That's true, this is also the reason why i don't think Lukaku is ready to be 1st choice striker next season.
March 11, 201312 yr That's true, this is also the reason why i don't think Lukaku is ready to be 1st choice striker next season. It's the "how did he do that?" moments. Drogba every now and then could just pull a goal from nowhere. Hasselbaink used to do it too, slightest site of goal and he could just thunder a shot goal bound... That was a man who didn't need a run up. But I look at some of the goals RVP and Auguero have scored for the Manchester clubs and it is definitely something we are missing.
March 11, 201312 yr But I look at some of the goals RVP and Auguero have scored for the Manchester clubs and it is definitely something we are missing. and then you look at some of the goals from hazard and mata and realize neither united nor city have AMs of that quality yeah, maybe lukaku is not on par with rvp and aguero (who has actually been pretty poor this season) but different teams have strengths in different areas of the pitch and lukaku has proved he deserves to be invested in and that he has ridiculous potential
March 11, 201312 yr and then you look at some of the goals from hazard and mata and realize neither united nor city have AMs of that quality yeah, maybe lukaku is not on par with rvp and aguero (who has actually been pretty poor this season) but different teams have strengths in different areas of the pitch and lukaku has proved he deserves to be invested in and that he has ridiculous potential And that's just it. Considering the supply line Mata Oscar Hazard Lampard Luiz Some of the most creative players in the league if not Europe I really think we should be scoring a lot more goals. Now whether that is due to the lack of a decent target man to aim at/draw players away to create space or even a just a bit of a skillful goal scorer with a bit of pace about them who can work a yard of pace for themselves. Either way, I think we are lacking something "unique" up front.
March 11, 201312 yr Falcao Cavani Lewandowski Wilfried Bony Jackson MartÃnez David Villa (I know he's 31 but he is quality) I literally just listed Europe's top goalscorers outside of the Premier League and excluded Messi and Ronaldo for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to buy someone who is scoring goals frequently. Have you ever watched Bony play? Ba is better than him
March 11, 201312 yr Have you ever watched Bony play? Ba is better than him I haven't no, sorry if it wasn't clear but I was admitting as much in my post. I was basically trying to say we need to sign a player who is scoring frequently. Bony, according to the ever reliable Wiki, has scored 24 goals in 23 appearances this season for Vitesse. That's the kind of strike rate you want in your forwards not 18 games without a goal.
March 11, 201312 yr Kalas was talking up Bony a while ago. But he strikes me as a Lukaku-type player - big and strong. It would be better to have different types of strikers, not all the same. That's why it worked so well when we had the likes of: Drogba - big, strong, great in the air Crespo - excellent finisher Gudjohnsen - Very quick feet, very calm finisher etc...
