QPR Victory Highlights Newcastle's Need for a Goalscorer

Despite a 1-0 victory this Sunday over a solid QPR side still on the high of having hired a new manager in Mark Hughes, one major problem was outlined that Newcastle will need to solve soon. This problem is the inability to score goals.

With star striker Demba Ba off to the African Cup of Nations, Newcastle are short of a major piece of their attacking puzzle. Ba had 15 goals before his departure and Newcastle's second-highest goalscorer is Leon Best with just four.

Whilst Best did score with quite a fine finish against QPR, this shot was actually one of Newcastle's meager four shots on target.

Alongside Best, Newcastle were playing the lackluster Shola Ameobi, who has managed just 39 Premier League goals in 228 appearances. This goal-scoring record just won't do for a side challenging for a place in the Champions League. Even Best himself was disappointing in that 21 games into the season he is still not fit enough to play a full 90 minutes.

Alan Pardew should look to introduce Peter Lovenkrands into the starting line-up a little more often as he seems to possess the class that Ameobi lacks and Best only rarely shows. If Best keeps up his form and, more importantly, gets fit the two could form a formidable duo, at least until Ba returns.

Outside of Lovenkrands there isn't much depth to call upon. Shola's brother Sammy is out for months with an injury and Shola himself seems unlikely to pick up the slack. Pardew refuses to play promising striker Nile Ranger very often due to hiss well-documented off-field struggles and Alan Smith—now a defensive midfielder—hasn't scored a league goal in six years.

Due to this, Pardew may look to invest in a player from outside the club. A young player just won't do at this point, the Toon need an established goalscorer going into this much-important stretch of the season.

Rumours have linked former player Andy Carroll to the club but Pardew has already insisted that this won't happen. After seeing the dry attacking performance by Newcastle against QPR, though, his mind might well change.

Exactly who the Toon will move for outside of Carroll is uncertain as of yet, with a deal for Maiga falling through last month due to a failed medical. Wilfried Zaha has emerged as a possible target but, again, at his age it is doubtful that he'll be quite as productive as Newcastle need right now.

Maybe simply adding a cheap goal-poacher could do the trick—rather than a world class talent—especially considering the growing influence Hatem Ben Arfa is having on attacking moves. Ben Arfa seems literally able to place the ball on the plate for his strikers but they simply aren't consistently finishing these great opportunities.

On that note, goal-scoring from midfield has its added importance now, so Newcastle will be looking for some good efforts from midfield duo Danny Guthrie and Yohan Cabaye; who appears to be OK after leaving Sunday's win on a stretcher. 

Expect the second half of January to link Newcastle to tons of strikers and, hopefully, come February 1st, all of the goal-scoring woes will be solved.