Couldn't agree more Rahman.

I`m a Saha fan, but you can't go into a season depending on his fitness and their is no guarentee the Yak can ever be the player he was.

If Everton FC have any desire to build on what we have and break into the big time a TOP striker is absolutely imperative.

How do we pay for him though... that to me is blindingly obvious.

Some very valid points. Saha has been useless for the last couple of months. Was his last goal against Chelsea? The Yak may or may not get his old form back; at the moment, looks like not. Not sure about Marcus Bent though! Andy Johnson is a similar player and if you´d have Bent surely you´d choose Johnson... but, with what we´ve got, playing Cahill as striker makes sense.

I think that this post is about 3 months late!!

We haven't seen much from Saha since New Year, Yakubu has done nothing all season. Vaughan has missed out on all the valuable learning experience and is now 22 so will not develop anymore. Anichebe like Yakubu has come back slowly from his injury but seems confused as to is he a striker / right mid and Moyes will still remember the incident on the training pitch and the collapsed move to Hull.

Out of these players, I would retain only Saha for next season with a priority on a dedicated right winger with pace and a striker who can play on his own. A move for Cardozo or Huntelaar would be ideal as I feel both would be available in the summer for different reasons.

Cardozo's value would have increased with a great scoring record in Portugal and good displays in the Europa. Huntelaar will become surplus to AC Milan. Both lack pace but make up for it with positional play and strength, something which none of our strikers have.

4-6-0 was forced by having NO strikers fit for a prolonged period of time. For all of Cahill's "I am great at arriving late in the box" methods, having Saha as a proper forward and an outlet further up the field means he cannot be dropped.

At the start of the season, didn't Davie say that he would give Rodwell more playing time but it was still too early in his development to be considered a starter? The injury crisis we had meant that Rodwell had to play week-in, week-out but, as the players started to come back, he was eased out and has made more sub appearances recently.

With all the talk of an England call-up in the first months of the season, moves to Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City... and now an improved contract offer, I think the boy's mind has had enough to deal with. Davie is easing him in, playing him in various positions, giving him a great knowledge of all areas. Agard and Baxter will not be good enough to play for us. Moved on within a couple of season to League 1 or below.

If, like most agree, that (when fit) we have the most talented side since the mid-80s all-conquering side, then the added distraction of European football next season we can do without. The extra games and extra travelling could be offset against a proper push for top 4. With the 2 positions mentioned above filled, I believe we can be a match for ANYONE in this division.

On my last note, Marcus Bent. Sorry mate, all credibility to this OP was lost with this. Isn't he on his 5th club now since leaving us!!! Great up front on his own for the 1 season of worth when we finished 4th.

It's not that we don't have any strikers.... It's just they need a wake-up call. Both Saha and Yakubu need a bloody good kick up the arse. Sort them out, Moyes.

Hi Rahman. I spent 4 wonderful years in Jakarta with my family in the 80s. The last thing I expected to see was an Evertonian there. I'm next door in Sarawak at the moment. Welcome to the board!

Marcus Bent?!? Really.

Saha and the Yak are quality strikers, Saha has been off form for a little while now though, but the Yak will never get the chance to get back to where he was without games so I say play him until the end of the season.

4-6-0 was a way out of a difficult period but should not be the norm. We did loose the cup final playing 4-5-1 yes but it was that 1 who scored the fastest goal in Cup Final history!

Also who was it above said our strikers have no strength. You have seen Yakubu haven't you, he's a brick shithouse, you can question his workrate and passing at times but players bounce off him. Saha is fairly strong and Big Vic is called Big Vic for a reason. Even Vaughan is fairly strong.

We can't afford what we really need and that's a striker of true quality, one that will put away one in less than six chances they have rather than the one in less than twelve we have right now.

It's no surprise that the same old names get the champion's league spots, look at their goal difference, Chelski often put five or more past teams. Even if we were to scrape a season heavy with 1-0 wins, we wouldn't get through on goal difference.

In Europe, away goals crucially count, as has been seen this week, and if we are goal-shy we are humped. No idea how we raise the cash to get a decent striker as we are potless unless we sell... thus breaking the back of the team.

Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons, haven't we been scoring of late then? Didn't the Yak nearly get us an undeserved 3 points against Wet Spam and didn't we have over 20 chances agains Wolves but failed to score one. It's not the strikers fault, we are scoring but we are also conceeding stupid goals too.

We are in a run of half decent results, having only been beaten twice in the league for almost half a season so I don't know why we need to blame the strikers, when we should have been out of sight at Wolves and been able to keep a 2-1 lead against Wet Spam.

4-6-0 is an ultra defensive set-up and can you imagine some of the posters on here should he revert to that with "fit" strikers? I would imagine it would tip some posters over the edge and it's possible a few of their heads might actually explode.

4-5-1, 4-4-2, 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 for me but we should never revert to the 4-6-0 again unless we have no other option.

Draws against West Ham & Wolves coincided with Arteta's injury, he has the ability to retain the ball and continue the attack as well as playing the killer pass.

Felliani's injury has also meant Heitinga moving forward so we don't play the ball out of defence as much and so conceding possession.

It's not all about strikers... it's a team game. I'd look at Agard to run his bollocks of for half a game then bring Saha / Yak on for the second half.

Can't agree with one bit of this.

The reason why we're not playing so good is because we're not playing the right people in the right positions... we've lost the balance we had with Donovan/Anichebe and that certain players are still getting the nod irrespective of their performances.

To suggest that Saha's season is over is pure nonsense... and the additional factor of continuing to play Cahill — whose season hasn't started — is purely bizarre.

Are you happy to launch next year's campaign with the current pair then, Ciarán? Bear in mind they will both be a year older and will struggle even more to shake off any fresh injuries.

If we are happy to stay where we are, this is merely a problem... but if we harbour any ambitions at all of gatecrashing the big four, we have to think big four and see it for what it is.

It's a crisis.

Marcus Bent!?

Fact: This post is 9 days too late.

Let me get this straight... to have more of an attacking threat, we need to play with no strikers?? What a fuckin comedian!!!

I think this talk of Yakubu being a non-entity is a little strange just now. He's knocked in goals against Spurs, Birmingham and West Ham recently — 3 in the last 7 games — most of which he has not started. Another day he would have had a hat-trick against Hull too. Give the guy the playing time he needs.

I don't think Saha is firing on all cylinders. Could be an injury or psychological — he is one of those players who has to think he is fully fit and to trust his body to be at his best. Play the Yak and give Louis a rest for a bit.

Dave,

The article appears to me to be more about what we should do for the remainder of this season, rather than next season. That's what I based my reply on anyway...

The three quality players I think we require, for moving forward, includes a striker...

"I wish we hadn't sold Bent"???

Fuckin' hell...

Marcus Bent is definately the answer !!!! In fact we should bring Jeffers back too.

Wrong Bent, should've bust a gut to get Darren, in the summer. But I think Rahman's got a point in that it's better to play 4-6-0 than 4-5-1 or even 4-4-2, when the forwards look like they can't be bothered, and ever since Saha's been given the nice new contract, he's kicked his shoes off, put his feet up and lit a cigar.

The grinding thing about Darren Bent is that, not too many moons ago, Joe Royle offered a swap deal for him and Duncan Ferguson whilst still at Ipswich... would have been a cracking swap that one.

At the other end of the scale on swap deals, the Blackpool fans are growing in belief that DM is going to swap Coleman plus £3.5M for Charlie Adams; I used to watch him for Rangers and he is gash.

Wish people would stop talking (IMO) utter shite, especially about Yakubu.

The man doesnt run channels like AJ or Marcus Bent (WTF??) but he scored something like 19 & 21 in his first two seasons & after the 1st serious injury of his career has recently scored 3 goals!!

In my opinion, I would be starting him now & using Saha as we intended when we signed him as 2nd choice.

Also the criticsim of Cahill is harsh, the tempo he sets is key to this team playing well, he is a constant nuisance to the opposition but most of the good things he does go unseen, but yes he has been below standards.... his standards. He has still been better than Bily, Osman and a few others.

For next game deffo, I would start with the following:

GK: Howard
RB: Neville
CB:
Jagielka
CB: Heitinga
LB: Baines
RM: Anichebe
CM: Arteta
CM: Rodwell
CM: Cahill
LM: Pienaar
CF: Yakubu

I wouldn't mind if he played Johnny centre-mid for Rodwell & Distin centre half. But we need wins now, no point not going for it!

We have lost a hell of a lot of shape since Donovan left. You only have to compare the results with him to without him. Also, it's amazing how much harder it is to win without pace in the side.

I personally feel we have to stick with Saha as we don't have a better option at present.

Let's get Walter Smith back and play nothing but centre-halves... aye lads!

Marcus Bent was a crap striker but he has fucked both Danielle Lloyd and Gemma Atkinson.

That's impressive — even if his football stats aren't. Lucky bugger.

The fact that, over the last 4 months, our form would see us in the top 3 would suggest that we have the right team, manager and coaching staff to propel us to greater things. The only problem I can see is the short-sighted and belief-lacking fans on this site who can't see the facts and get behind our squad.

Sure you always need new players but the facts are indisputable that if we get a good start to next season, knowing that many of the big 3's players will be working overtime in the summer, then we really should believe in fate.

24 is something to believe in so why not just show some faith?

And to think we considered that he couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo, Dick.

Just out of interest Ciaran, who are the two other players you think we should buy to progress? A right winger and a....... right back?

About the article itself though, I think it is a bit too critical on the strikers. Yak is starting to get back slowly, scored a good goal against West Ham. Saha is a bit off form, though calling his season over is nonsense, there's still another week before our next game so he'll be fit for that.

Personally I'd start Yakubu, hope Arteta is fit and I think we can beat Villa in their own back yard.

I think what people may not realise is the Anichebe injury was a bit of a killer. He stays on the right, holds the ball up and gives us a bit more balance. Makes the team look better. A very nice option to have in the team.

Kevin Kuranyi is on a Bosman this summer. He would be an excellent addition.

The other quality players I think we require are a right winger and and central midfielder...

We have 3 right backs on the books. Not a big requirement in my book.

Why do people like you have to be so negative, no strikers??!! Are you having a laugh? Have you seen our run-in? So you honestly think against inferior teams like Fulham, Stoke, Portsmouth etc we should have no striker? Let's hope Moyes doesn't listen to you, he's negative enough as it is.

These are teams we should be going out and attacking and the Yak deserves a chance to be given more starts; even though he missed a penalty when he started the game against Hull, he played very well — and so did the team. This is an ideal no-pressure run-in to give him some confidence and get a few goals to end the season on a high, not sit back and defend.

So we are struggling to score goals and the solution is... we play with no strikers!!!!!! Un-believable.

I agree with Ciaran, the problem we have had of late has been a total lack of balance in the team since Donovan left. To be fair to Vic, he does actually provide that balance when he plays — I think he slots in on the right-hand side quite well to be honest but he is just injured too much. Without those two, we have reverted to Osman on the right and we all know that is like playing with 10 men.

Also, we should be sticking with Yakubu — we play our best football when Yakubu is in the side. He holds the ball up as well as anyone when it is played lower than head height. The other player we have missed is Osman in the middle — another player whose inclusion in this position seems to coincide with us playing our best football.

I have posted regarding Cahill numerous times — I still believe he has a role to play in the squad but he should not be guaranteed a starting place each week, as he is now.

For the rest of this season, we should pair Heitinga and Jagielka together to get them used to each other, play Yakubu up front, keep our fingers crossed that Vic can play most games on the right, Pienaar left with Rodwell, Arteta and Osman in the middle.

As for Neville's "we don't need to sign anyone" comment — what a prick! Has he not seen how shit we were before and after Donavan? At least the Yak had him sussed on Sky Sports News: when asked about the comment, he said it's probably because he is worried about his place — what's that about never a truer word spoken in jest? We need a right midfielder, a striker as a minimum.

Pretty much agree with all that, Mike. I think, as everybody pretty much knows by now, Beckford will be the incoming striker. Right wing should be the main priority. And obviously keeping everyone we have.

I would play Saha over Yakubu at present though.

Or why not both up front and drop Cahill?

Yes, James, I wouldn't be against two up front.

The one thing that puzzles me regarding 4-4-2 though is that when we play it from the start we seem to struggle and yet, when we throw an extra striker on to save / win a game, the two strikers seem to make a difference and play well together.

The only explanation can be that the team are given more freedom to play in the latter stages of the game?