Latics must be sharper at both ends

STRIKER, striker, striker: there has been so much talk about so many players that if they all turned up together at Boundary Park it would look like a picket line.

Adam Rooney’s departure to Aberdeen marked the end of a frustrating spell for the forward. His release has left not only a gap in the squad but also a question about the team’s goalscoring ability.

Lee Gregory, Jon Stead and David Goodwillie have all been linked with a move to Boundary Park, as have others. None have arrived.

Manager Lee Johnson says players of the calibre he’s seeking - within the club’s financial reach - are few and far between.

Plenty of fans would dearly love to see a replacement for Rooney before the transfer window shuts tomorrow at 11pm. Even with the amazing five-goal miracle against Peterborough, Athletic have drawn a blank in three of their last four league games.

It is easy to imagine that if Rooney hadn’t opted to join Athletic and was currently available, supporters would be very happy to see a player with his one-in-three record joining the side now.

So why didn’t the move work out?

Johnson indicated Rooney’s style of play didn’t quite tally with the team ethic he is trying to instil.

Get the ball into the box early, around head-height and Rooney is happy getting on the end of it. Athletic aren’t set up in that direct style. Perhaps that he couldn’t manage that means there is fault on both sides.

What is worth examining, though, is what would happen if the pressure on Rooney and his fellow strikers, none of whom have scored in 2014 — wasn’t so strong.

At present, Athletic’s front men enter every contest knowing they will probably be required to score two goals to stand a chance of winning. Often the task is made tougher because the opposition frequently scores first, so our players continually face trying to pick a way through a packed defence.

Only three league clean sheets have been kept by Athletic this season, and no team in the league has fallen behind to the first goal as many times (20 out of 28).

A new striker will no doubt help Athletic’s scoring quest. But it isn’t a cure-all. The leaky defence that has let in seven goals in two home games has to be plugged too.