[Slick_Footwork]

Good to see our scouting system searching far and wide for solutions...

Don't get me wrong, they are probably better than what we have, but I never trust a manager who simply raids his old club over and over again.

It's part of job to actually watch games and discover new talent. Think it shows a lack of knowledge when a manager only knows players they have coached before.

IMHO a bit harsh, Slick?
I can see where you're coming from, but if the manager knows that player inside out and also knows he can do a job at whatever level, there's little risk, unlike buying someone who the club  MAY have scouted thoroughly but just doesn't gel. We've had enough of those types who come amidst loud fanfares but just cant/don't perform!

Maybe it is harsh, but with thousands of players to choose from, I believe it shows a lack of knowledge to want 2 forwards from the manager's previous club.

I could accept us being linked with either or. But something doesn't sit right with me if this link is true and we're after both. It seems like too much of a coincidence that the best 2 options in the club's mind are both from the manager's previous club. This wasn't a good Barnsley side. I watched them a few times last year and they were an average side that ran like mad.

I watched them in the Championship playoffs and Ismael didn't even pick Dike for the second leg away at Swansea, which was a must win after losing the first leg at home.

Given any deal for Dike would probably involve a guaranteed big money transfer if we did get promoted, I think it is risky given Ismael didn't trust him to start that 2nd leg of the playoffs, which was Barnley's biggest game in years. As for the player, I'm not sure why he'd want to play for Ismael again after being left out of that huge game. I actually liked the look of Dike from what I've seen, so would be happy if we got him on loan. But whether he's Premier League standard remains to be seen, so any loan with a transfer baked in I'd probably try to avoid.

As for Woodrow, I've always thought he was a decent footballer. But he's neither the out and out striker we need, nor the player who drifts into the hole to link everything up (i.e. the Pereira replacement we're crying out for). I wouldn't mind if we got him on the cheap, but I don't think he really fits the profile of what we're desperate for.

I suspect we will get Woodrow as he's surplus to requirements at Barnley.

For me we need someone in the mould of Mbaye Diagne who we had on loan last year or a Salomon Rondon type. A proper out and out forward that would guarantee 10 goals in the 2nd half of the season.