Are we being too hard on our strikers?

It's fair to say that I was not overly impressed with the effort of our strikers at the weekend. The key word in that sentence being 'effort'.

I've read many a harsh word about our current crop of strikers, yet ironically it isn't their goalscoring that I have a real issue with. I mean we hardly create a lot of chances for them do we? I could perhaps understand the criticism if our strikers had missed a succession of sitters, but they didn't, so on that count I can't fault them.

However, what I can fault them for is their sheer lack of effort. At times it's almost like we have statues up front. There is no movement and no propensity to hold the ball up for any period of time. If the ball gets played up to them, especially Shola who is more of the hold up player you'd think, then you can pretty much guarantee that possession will soon be surrendered and another move will break down.

I mean things must be bad if I'm considering the merits of playing a Nile Ranger and Shefki Kuqi partnership up front. Surely they can't be any worse than the Shola/Lovekrands combo? At least they'll make an effort!

It's pretty god damn obvious that we need a striker in the summer. There is a strong argument for needing two first-choice strikers although I feel we've heard enough caveats from Alan Pardew to suggest that Hatem Ben Arfa will be used as our 'second striker'. Whatever really, but it's blatantly obvious that our attack needs beefing up.

What do we do with our current strikers though? Well Shefki Kuqi will be off anyway, but if it was up to me I'd probably flog them all aside from Leon Best, who has earned another crack at the Premier League in my view, and Nile Ranger, who I'd loan out. The problem is who would take Ameobi and Lovenkrands?

I'd hazard a guess at nobody.

I've stuck up for both Shola and Lovenkrands at times, but if I look deeper and ask myself if they are the long term future, I'd have to say no, and I think they've had enough chances to convince us otherwise. They are both getting a run in the team now and neither are really taking the opportunity to prove their point, unlike Leon Best who took his chance with both hands.

We look impotent with our current strikers. We simply don't threaten and it's like a freebie for the opposition defence when they see what we have to offer at the minute. Thankfully it seems as though our striker issue will be sorted in the summer. It's blatantly obvious that something needs done about it anyway!

So in answer to the title: Are we being too hard on our strikers?

No! They deserve the criticism in my opinion.