Official: Yoan Gouffran signs new contract with Goztepe

[Cajun]

Unfortunately Ben Arfa will probably barely play.

 

Well those first eleven teams you see are exactly that, there is zero considering of injuries when doing them as they are what people want to see when everyone is fit and available.

 

[Ronaldo]

Coming round to the idea of him and Cisse up top more and more. Think he could be what Bellamy used to be for us in some ways, speed and movement causing defences problems and chipping in with goals too. Underrated player.

 

Bellamy mostly caused problems because he'd beat players with pace and skill and he'd create. Gouffran as much as I wanted him to be of that ilk just isn't. He's a tidy, tenacious and quick decent finisher. He's not the answer to getting the best out of Cisse and never will be.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Coming round to the idea of him and Cisse up top more and more. Think he could be what Bellamy used to be for us in some ways, speed and movement causing defences problems and chipping in with goals too. Underrated player.

 

Bellamy mostly caused problems because he'd beat players with pace and skill and he'd create. Gouffran as much as I wanted him to be of that ilk just isn't. He's a tidy, tenacious and quick decent finisher. He's not the answer to getting the best out of Cisse and never will be.

 

I don't think he's like Bellamy on the ball but I do think they share similar traits off the ball and that could be really effective if we utilise it. As for linking with Cisse, I think he showed against Arsenal that against certain opposition he can be good foil, he runs the channels well and can create opportunities.

[Disco]

From what I've seen I much prefer him as a central player rather than wide. If we do buy, he'll a very decent sub/fill in player to have though which for us is most unusual.

[Gallowgate Toon]

From what I've seen I much prefer him as a central player rather than wide.

 

Yeah, he's competent out wide and could be good there if we played a creative player at the tip of the midfield diamond but his brief appearances up top show where he will be most effective.

[Ronaldo]

There weren't any opportunities, though. You can't have two players up front with little to no creativity, especially in a team severely lacking creativity in the midfield.

[Yorkie]

I'd have Gouffran where Sissoko has been playing.

[Gallowgate Toon]

There weren't any opportunities, though. You can't have two players up front with little to no creativity, especially in a team severely lacking creativity in the midfield.

 

Depends on the type of creativity you're looking for. One of our best chances last week was when Gouffran got ahead of Mertesacker and put in a first-time cross across the goalmouth, Cisse was inches away from it. That's creative, not in the traditional sense but I think that could work for us. Admittedly, I wouldn't go for it unless we got a significant upgrade on the left wing in.

[Ronaldo]

I'd have Gouffran where Sissoko has been playing.

 

He's even less of a no.10 than Sissoko, to be fair.

[alexthegreat]

I really don't rate him but appreciate he works hard.

 

Think the most he can aspire to is to be the next Kevin Gallacher or Peter Lovenkrands.

 

7 goals in our last 10 league games is woeful and if we are still picking a strikeforce from Gouffran, Cisse, Shola, and Campbell then we will continue to struggle. He might be useful to have on the bench but isn't good enough to start for us imo.

[Mole_Toonfan]

I'd have Gouffran where Sissoko has been playing.

 

He's even less of a no.10 than Sissoko, to be fair.

 

Still say if we are to persist with 4-2-3-1 then we need a proper 10, the only one we have is Marveaux and he's a walking doctors note.

 

The rest is too much square pegs in round holes for my liking tbh.

[Ronaldo]

He's far better than those two, like. Lovenkrands was abhorrent footballer in the PL.

 

The lack of goal threat is digsuting, though. And although he got the goal that probably kept us up he's hardly a remedy. Criminal that we lost our main goal threat in January and tried to replace him with cheap players while no track record of consistently hitting the back of the net.

 

[Ginola]

He's far better than those two, like. Lovenkrands was abhorrent footballer in the PL.

 

The lack of goal threat is digsuting, though. And although he got the goal that probably kept us up he's hardly a remedy. Criminal that we lost our main goal threat in January and tried to replace him with cheap players while no track record of consistently hitting the back of the net.

 

 

One of our main issues throughout the season was that we only really had 1 goalscorer in the squad after Ba left

[loki679]

I'd have Gouffran where Sissoko has been playing.

 

He's even less of a no.10 than Sissoko, to be fair.

 

Still say if we are to persist with 4-2-3-1 then we need a proper 10, the only one we have is Marveaux and he's a walking doctors note.

 

The rest is too much square pegs in round holes for my liking tbh.

 

We've got the players for a decent 4-3-3 if Tiote can keep it simple.

[Ronaldo]

We haven't at all. Unless you're happy with no creativity, no goals and huge suceptibility to teams willing and able to press high up the park.

[loki679]

We'll have to agree to disagree then.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Creativity isn't too much of an issue with our first XI, we only really need a good left midfielder to come in and there's good quality in there. Our squad options are very poor though, outside of Ben Arfa and Cabaye there's only Marveaux, and that needs addressing.

[GuyP]

To be honest i was a fan of the Gouff-Cisse-Ben Arfa front 3...provided Ben Arfa is back to full fitness and Cabaye is played further forward in the midfield 3 (or 4-2-3-1 with Cabaye in the 3).

 

Gouffrans work rate is fantastic, and is sharp enough against all but the top level in the league. Cisse has shown flashes of getting back into form and if Cabaye can feed him better from a further forward position, we can score goals. Tiote also needs to "keep it simple" as someone said, and Sissoko needs to settle into his rightful position further back.

 

Problem this year is the amount of "ifs"

 

- Cisse out of form

- Ben Arfa injured

- Cabaye out of form/injured

- Sissoko played in ridiculous positions

- Tiote playing suicidal passes/tackles

 

Gouffran is the only player working as he should so far. These are things that generally went right in the 5th place season so hopefully we can tend towards that rather than what we saw this season.

 

Striker backup too!

[Guest]

There weren't any opportunities, though. You can't have two players up front with little to no creativity, especially in a team severely lacking creativity in the midfield.

 

Depends on the type of creativity you're looking for. One of our best chances last week was when Gouffran got ahead of Mertesacker and put in a first-time cross across the goalmouth, Cisse was inches away from it. That's creative, not in the traditional sense but I think that could work for us. Admittedly, I wouldn't go for it unless we got a significant upgrade on the left wing in.

 

Was that only last week? Fucking hell this is going to be a long summer.

[sugoinufc]

i did not have high expectations for Gouffran when we signed him. I also think we signed him:

 

A) we needed a LW badly

 

B) He was cheap

 

He has proved to be a valuable player who easily can perform for us. BUT i do think and hope he will be used as a sub next season. I think we will go for Remy or someone else. Gouffran has done well but an upgrade is needed. Great player for the bench coz he offers a bit of everything!

 

[madras]

my main, probably only, problem with him is that when he's not playing through the middle he doesn't really get into the box (the way he did for his goal v spurs) anywhere near enough, leaving cisse there on his own which has been our biggest problem this season (getting bodies in the box). unlike some i don't see it as purely tactical, more that we don't really have enough players for whiom it's their natural game, hence why sissoko was pushed further forward with little or no defensive responsibilities.

[alexthegreat]

He's far better than those two, like. Lovenkrands was abhorrent footballer in the PL.

 

The lack of goal threat is digsuting, though. And although he got the goal that probably kept us up he's hardly a remedy. Criminal that we lost our main goal threat in January and tried to replace him with cheap players while no track record of consistently hitting the back of the net.

 

 

One of our main issues throughout the season was that we only really had 1 goalscorer in the squad after Ba left

 

That is true. Limited striking options have been a problem before with Ashley, and will continue to be so unless he has a change of attitude. Put simply, he doesn't like to buy them because its difficult to get them cheap, hence we're still slogging away with Shola in 2013. Compare to a previous era:

 

 

Ashley / various managers spending on strikers 2007 - 2013:

 

Viduka 0

Xisco £5.7m

Zamblera 0.5

Ranger 0

Lovenkrands (twice) 0

Best £2m

Ba 0 (+various add ons)

Cisse  £10m

Gouffran £2m

 

Total: £20.2m

 

Keegan / Hall spending on strikers 1993 -96

 

Cole £1.75m

Beardsley £1.5m

Allen £0.3m

Mathie £0.25k

Kitson  £2.25

Ferdinand £6m

Huckerby  £0.45m

Asprilla £7.5m

Shearer £15m

 

Total: £35m

 

Shelling out £7.5m and £15m within the space of a few months on centre forwards is an unlikely prospect with Ashley in charge, despite the fact that we have done it before and its what we desperately need now. We are not as small as Llambias likes to make out.

[MW]

His song is all over the place. Had so much potential

[tmonkey]

i did not have high expectations for Gouffran when we signed him. I also think we signed him:

 

A) we needed a LW badly

 

B) He was cheap

 

He has proved to be a valuable player who easily can perform for us. BUT i do think and hope he will be used as a sub next season. I think we will go for Remy or someone else. Gouffran has done well but an upgrade is needed. Great player for the bench coz he offers a bit of everything!

 

Reminds me a bit of us signing Kevin Gallagher (not comparing the actual players) - available at the right time for peanuts, works hard, does a decent job, neat little squad filler, but ultimately shouldn't really be in the first team every week if we have any real ambition.

[Skeletor]