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.