I get the reasoning that ugly wins are still worth 3 points, and if we do that for the rest of the season we get 55. However, the reality is that if we're 1-0 up going into the last 10 mins of every game for the rest of the season, we'll likely concede 1 or 2 late equalizers.
The facts are, in our last 3 games starting Defoe we've not been on it - two 1-0 wins and Alfie actually had to come off the bench to save us in one of those games.
We need to have another option besides Defoe when Alfie is unavailable.
I'm not a Defoe critic by any stretch, I think he will be an important part of our squad in this title race but our luck in these games will eventually run out IMO.
I really hope SG is looking at possible strikers to bring in. I don't think they have to be fantastic strikers that have pedigrees like Alfie and Defoe, we just need something different when Defoe is suffocated by defenders around him.
With the excellent service our full backs can deliver, I think someone with a presence and height in the box could be the difference in breaking these teams down. Plenty will probably accuse me of not wanting to play "attractive football", but we already put plenty crosses in the box in open play to Defoe, and they get batted away by every SPL defender. Wouldn't it be nice if 1 or 2 of these crosses actually were converted, or even challenged for?!
I think it's possible to find a solution to this problem in this transfer window that won't break the bank.