Goals & Goalscorers - comparison & analysis:

[Eggs]

Really interesting stats there @Eggs. Thanks for putting that together. Be interesting to see how the averages changed with cup games and Europe. Cottee ended on 99 goals for us but quite a few came in the Simod/ZDS Cup.

There stats also show the paucity of goalscorers for us in the PL era.

...for me, it almost shows a blueprint for a successful team. I think Vernon scored 24 in the 1963 title winning season, but beyond that our best teams seem to have;

- Two quality strikers who contribute their share of goals but are not necessarily prolific (Vernon/Young - Royle/Whittle -Sharp/Gray/Heath). When we had a truly prolific striker in Gary Lineker we fell a little short. Having Alan Ball in 1970 was clearly a massive factor.

- Two wide midfielders/wingers who chip in with goals. Unfortunately I don’t have assists, but I imagine Scott/Temple/Morrissey/Steven/Sheedy created plenty of goals for others.

- Interestingly, two defensive midfielders who contributed little in the way of goals (Kendall/Harvey - Reid/Bracewell)

- A goalscoring CB helps (Hurst/Mountfield).

There you go Mr Brands, just make it happen.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

...for me, it almost shows a blueprint for a successful team. I think Vernon scored 24 in the 1963 title winning season, but beyond that our best teams seem to have;

- Two quality strikers who contribute their share of goals but are not necessarily prolific (Vernon/Young - Royle/Whittle -Sharp/Gray/Heath). When we had a truly prolific striker in Gary Lineker we fell a little short. Having Alan Ball in 1970 was clearly a massive factor.

- Two wide midfielders/wingers who chip in with goals. Unfortunately I don’t have assists, but I imagine Scott/Temple/Morrissey/Steven/Sheedy created plenty of goals for others.

- Interestingly, two defensive midfielders who contributed little in the way of goals (Kendall/Harvey - Reid/Bracewell)

- A goalscoring CB helps (Hurst/Mountfield).

There you go Mr Brands, just make it happen.

After his World Cup, I hoped Mina would have chipped in with rather more goals than he has, especially as for his many faults, Sig (and Digne) produce good set pieces.

 

[Old Blue 2]

...for me, it almost shows a blueprint for a successful team. I think Vernon scored 24 in the 1963 title winning season, but beyond that our best teams seem to have;

- Two quality strikers who contribute their share of goals but are not necessarily prolific (Vernon/Young - Royle/Whittle -Sharp/Gray/Heath). When we had a truly prolific striker in Gary Lineker we fell a little short. Having Alan Ball in 1970 was clearly a massive factor.

- Two wide midfielders/wingers who chip in with goals. Unfortunately I don’t have assists, but I imagine Scott/Temple/Morrissey/Steven/Sheedy created plenty of goals for others.

- Interestingly, two defensive midfielders who contributed little in the way of goals (Kendall/Harvey - Reid/Bracewell)

- A goalscoring CB helps (Hurst/Mountfield).

There you go Mr Brands, just make it happen.

Vernon & Young in 62/63 scored 42 goals out of 84. One got 22, the other 20.

The problem with Lineker was that everything went through him. When he was scoring, fine. When he was mis-firing, not much happened. Oxford away towards the end of the season and him clear on goal at 0-0... You know the final result, Eggs, and we lost the title by two points...

 

[Jeff Jones]

Was John Hurst a defender? What was the formation?

 

[Eggs]

Was John Hurst a defender? What was the formation?

....he was Jeff, but ironically he came through the Academy as a striker and I think he played up front for the 1964 FA Youth Cup winning team. He was terrific alongside Labone at CB. I think the first game of the 69/70 title winning season was a 1-0 win at Highbury with Hurst scoring the goal.

i suggest the formation was a standard back four, and two defensive midfielders in Harvey/Kendall. Probably only one conventional winger in Johnny Morrissey and conventional striker in Joe Royle but flexible, busy and quality players around that formation with Alan Ball key with Husband/Whittle.

 

[Joey66]

How come Fred Pickering only played 90 odd games for us?

cartilage injury - which kept him out of the 1966 semi and the then final -his scoring record it the FA Cup that season was high.....

 

[Joey66]

....he was Jeff, but ironically he came through the Academy as a striker and I think he played up front for the 1964 FA Youth Cup winning team. He was terrific alongside Labone at CB.

He also broke from defence into attack linking with the midfield - early on in the tite tear 2nd game in at old Trafford My late father, and older brother enthused about the build up and Hurst 20 yard shot to finish the move off - My late father stated then this team will win the league their performance on that night in a 2-0 win was so one sided brushing a United side away - hurst was always the unsung hero - it was only if he did not play you missed him .. he was pure class - He made todays John Stones look ordinary......

 

[Joey66]

I would class Jimmy Husband as a right winger that title team had one striker imo Joe Royle ..... goals came from most positions though - a total footballing side.....

 

[Eggs]

I would class Jimmy Husband as a right winger that title team had one striker imo Joe Royle ..... goals came from most positions though - a total footballing side.....

...yes, for balance but not a conventional winger like Morrissey. Plus Whittle came in at a critical time on the run-in. Ball was fabulous linking Kendall & Harvey with forwards. What a trio they were, such blend.