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Baggies boss stresses striker need
West Bromwich Albion, 09:44, December 15, 2008 ,
Tony Mowbray wants to sign a quality loan striker in January as he looks for goals which will help keep West Brom in the top flight.
The Baggies boss watched his side suffer a demoralising 4-0 defeat against fellow strugglers Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and felt the difference between the two clubs was the fact the Black Cats had big-money hitmen Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse leading the line.
Jones grabbed a brace, while Cisse scored a penalty and Andy Reid also got on the score sheet as Mowbray was left to concede that his own forward line is in dire need of strengthening. However, with cash sparse, he must rely on a loan arrival in the upcoming transfer window.
He told the Birmingham Mail: "If we can find a clinical cutting edge then that will make a difference, although our defending has to improve.
"We need to find someone with the desire, the hunger, the ability to score goals. If we do then I think we will have a fighting chance.
"If we can't find that then we will struggle because we won't score enough goals.
"Every week I seem to talk about opposition strikers. There is no money. We have to find some loans if we can and it is very difficult to find Premier League-quality strikers who are going to score you goals week in, week out.
"Who will give you a Premier League striker on loan? You tell me," added Mowbray.
"That's our predicament but not something I fall out with the chairman about.
"He runs our club as a very well-run business. We never carry any debt and we understand that. If we sell anybody we can use that money. If not we'll have to look for loans.
"Cisse and Jones scored. Jones had a free header in the box and scored. We had a free header in the box through Roman (Bednar) and didn't score.
"The evidence was there with Sunderland's strikers who were a constant menace.
"If we don't bring anyone in then Luke Moore, Roman and Craig (Beattie) will need to step up."