Verdict on Blues’ search for striker in January sales
Archer expected to stay at Villa and Defoe return ruled out
POMPEY succumbed to their first League One defeat since October on Saturday with their 2-1 Fratton Park loss against MK Dons once again highlighting an urgent need for striking reinforcements.
Chief sports writer Neil Allen gives his responses to Pepe Lacey’s questions on the key talking points which the game threw up, as well as Hayden Carter’s arrival on loan from Blackburn.
■ Hayden Carter represents Pompey’s first arrival this month. But Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against MK Dons seemed to quickly overshadow that, didn’t it?
NA: He was on the bench as a sub, not used, and we (the media) were focused on the actual game itself.
And for that game, bearing in mind Pompey hadn’t conceded in five League One matches, it didn’t make a lot of sense to throw him in after one day’s training on a Friday, so he was going to have to wait his time.
As far as the game went, it wasn’t defensive issues (which cost Pompey) – it was at the other end of the pitch, which we’ve seen a lot this season.
We all know the disappointing stats of Pompey’s goal record in League One this season.
It still remains that, outside the bottom three, only Shrewsbury have scored fewer.
Pompey haven’t got the goals, haven’t got the quality with the final ball in the final third – and again we saw that on Saturday.
MK Dons scored completely against the run of play in their first attack and were 2-0 up at half time.
Pompey did give it a real go in the second half, pulled one back through George Hirst, but they couldn’t quite find the equaliser.
I think fans went away a little bit heartened after that second-half performance but again it’s obvious – there are issues in attacking situations in terms of quality either putting the ball in the net or use of the ball.
■ Pompey’s lack of cutting edge has been something Danny Cowley has bemoaned most of this season so far. So why didn't he prioritise it in the summer and why was it not his first port of call this month?
NA: He looked in the summer but the Jayden Stockley deal fell through, while he tried all sorts of other moves.
Danny has repeatedly said a striker is his priority in the January window but it’s about what comes up when really.
When Hayden Carter came up, Cowley wasn’t going to say to him: ‘Can you just wait a few weeks? I want a striker first’.
You’ve got to grab an opportunity to sign someone when you can.
You can’t say: ‘Let’s stall a deal until further down the line because you’re a defender and I want a striker’. It’s just what pops up.
Cowley knows, we all know, we need a striker.
Hopefully, he can bring in one this window because if he doesn’t resolve it this season and Pompey don’t end up in the play-offs, he’s got to sort it out in the summer because next year will have to be a promotion challenge.
Somewhere down the line he’s got to get in one, maybe two strikers, to make an impact.
■ Focus has turned to Aston Villa youngster Cameron Archer in recent days. Is he a realistic target for Pompey this month?
NA: The word ‘realistic’ is key here because I don’t think he can.
He’s been on Villa’s bench for the past three games, two of which have been in the Premier League.
He hasn’t come off the bench, but Villa only have three strikers at the moment – (Ollie) Watkins, (Danny) Ings and Archer.
I can’t see them letting him out.
And if they did, for me, Pompey would be well down the list.
There will be a lot of clubs interested in him.
Does Danny Cowley think he’ll get him? I’m not so sure and I’m not holding my breath on that one.
He is one of a number of players, you don’t pick one player to get in the transfer window.
Just touching on something I wrote from last week about how the coaching team, the management team have been out scouting other players and some people have gone: ‘Why are they scouting players they should sign?’
You need to keep scouting players, you need to keep scouting opposition.
You need to keep scouting players for the future, for the summer.
You don’t just stop scouting because it’s a transfer window and say that’s it, this is our list, we aren’t budging.
You have to keep thinking and that’s all that they’re doing, just trying to be constructive.
It’s not all going to be about Archer, there are other players lined up, no doubt.
■ Is Danny Cowley under pressure to get his recruitment right this January or does he have the safety net of not having much money to spend?
NA: He will be under pressure to get some quality recruits, especially up front because if they don’t strengthen up front then they’re relying on Hirst for the rest of the season.
They desperately need a player up front and the season could be in danger of petering out completely. Obviously, Pompey can still get to the play-offs but I think it will be a tough ask really unless they bring the right players in.
Clearly Pompey need a striker. They’ve already got a defender in, and for me, they’re desperate for a natural left wing-back. Whether that’s resolved in this window or the next we’ll wait and see.
There’s still places to fill and players to bring in. They’re alright in the centre of midfield with a lot of players coming back from injury, so there’s a lot of transfers to be made this window and Cowley knows that he’s just trying to get the right players in.
But they’re also looking at next summer, when there will be free agents available that they’ve identified. Cowley will be looking at next summer for the vast majority of his recruitment, but in the meantime he still needs to sign players here and now because there’s a season going on and Pompey still have an outside chance of reaching the play-offs.
There has to be some quality introduced in this transfer window but I think we’ll have to accept it might be loanees because the proper signings will be made in the summer.
■ Finally, ex-Blues striker Jermain Defoe is available on a free transfer – and is interesting Sunderland. Do you think Pompey fans would welcome him back to Fratton Park IF he was affordable?
NA: Firstly, Pompey couldn’t afford him.
Secondly, he wouldn’t want to come back to Fratton Park.
And, thirdly, some of us have very long memories about how he couldn’t be bothered to play for Pompey at the end.
He had a nasty cold and refused to play in the FA Cup so he wasn’t cup-tied.
There was his awful performance at West Brom where he couldn’t be bothered, the penalty miss against West Ham and it was a horrible way how he left the club (to join Tottenham Hotspur in 2009).
He had no respect for the football club.
He’s a good player but there’s no chance of him coming back. He wouldn’t come here anyway, it’s not going to happen.
Obviously, what he did at Sunderland with that lad (Bradley Lowery) was superb.
But he showed Pompey and continued to show Pompey complete disrespect, so we don’t want players like that here.