I know he is not an impact sub, but I struggle to see another striker who we had in the team last year who could do that job. Also, I struggle to see what campbell offers to the team that means we don't need gayle. Yes he bullies defences, but that can't be used to mask the fact that he isn't really a premier league quality striker.

Murray is a fantastic striker with a brilliant footballing brain as many have already stated, but clearly, he is getting on and it dosent look like he's going to be our first choice striker, and isn't much of an impact player.

Gayle has the pace and ability to open a game when things are becoming flat, and is widely quoted as the best finisher at the club. I believe that he still has a place in the squad, and for certain oppositions with not so well drilled defences, I think he will be in the right place at the right time to get a goal. With improved midfield talent in yohan, I can see him getting on the end of more and more through balls, and if he's got the chance, he will put it in the back of the net.

Then again I'm sure wickham is an informed choice and could prove to be both Glenn Murray and gayle rolled into one. Although, I think it will take time.

Sorry fellow HOL'ers if I appear sycophantic, but Syd (who I have never met) is again absolutely spot on here. There is some real nonsense on this site about DG - time to move on and upgrade, imho.

Leaving Gayle aside and addressing this question, I think the threat of the "goals drying up" is vastly less likely than it was 12 months ago (which makes forward depth much less of a worry, on top of which with the arrival of Bamford and Wickham, our forwards have been improved anyway). Why do I think this?

1. With the arrival of Cabaye and Mutch we have two players who have consistently scored goals from central midfield. A year ago, this was not the case. It's entirely reasonable to think between those two we will get 10 goals this season, where a year ago we might have hoped for two or three from the same "shirt".

2. Pards has stated, and worked on in training, that he expects Yala and Wilf to both take more responsibility for scoring this season, far more so than in the past. If their performances towards the end of last season where, generally, they improved dramatically in this area of the game, continues to trend upwards then we ought also be able to expect ten to fifteen goals between those two. A year ago, we might have hoped for half that. Plus, we've got Chung on the wing, who is also a scoring threat.

3. With Cabaye and Mutch firing as well as the threat from Wilf and Yala now looking for goals, defenders will no longer be able to sit back and double up on our forwards. They'll have to stretch themselves and cover our midfielders too. This, inevitably, will create space in the box making it far more likely our forwards will increase their quota of goals, whoever plays. In short, when you're a centre forward and you have Cabaye behind you, your job becomes easier. Defenders will sit back and let Ledley or Jedi take a shot while focusing on the forward they're marking. They won't do that with Cabaye, thereby freeing the forward up.

4. Chammy and Campbell are, touch wood, highly unlikely to be as injury plagued as they were last season. Fit and firing, in Chammy, Wickham and Bamford (not to mention Muzza and Campbell) we have far more forwards capable of scoring Premiership goals than we did twelve months ago.

5. Our tactics under Pardew stress creating chances and scoring goals far more than they ever did under Colin or Pulis. That alone helps.

I'm not saying we'll be a free-scoring team this year but I would be surprised if the "goals drying up" was a serious problem. We are team with goals in us from pretty much all areas of the park.