Strikers who can't score

Bruce Wayne · Sunday at 6:51 PM

Looking at the England game and Broja has just gone off. He always seems to get a gig, yet he has a goal every 6 games at club level, and broadly the same for Albania. We obviously have Beto and Barry of our own. Strikers who seem unable to do the basics of the role. You've obviously got the likes of Kane and Haaland who can score goals for fun, but the vast majority of teams in the league seem to have centre forwards that are utterly dreadful. Delap, for instance, is spoken about as an England player, yet has 1 goal in 12 games since joining Chelsea. I can't remember an era where so many strikers have been so bad.

chrismpw · Sunday at 6:52 PM

First

Also ... I could do that. Gizza job.

Bruce Wayne · Sunday at 6:55 PM

chrismpw said:
First

Also ... I could do that. Gizza job.

That's the other thing. They're still paid a bloody fortune, despite appearing to be utterly hopeless.

chrismpw · Sunday at 6:58 PM

Bruce Wayne said:
That's the other thing. They're still paid a bloody fortune, despite appearing to be utterly hopeless.

I'd not score for for Everton for only 1k a week. Mad savings.

Shevin Keedy · Sunday at 6:58 PM

We playing Jeopardy?

What is Everton centre forwards.

Gwladys St. Glory · Sunday at 7:11 PM

Thankfully this isn't a list, the scouting crew would be all over it.

daza_1973 · Sunday at 7:16 PM

Shouldn't this be in the Everton forum ?

barneygumble · Sunday at 7:26 PM

Emile Heskey started off okay, but in his final 8 premier league seasons, scored 27 goals in 208 games or one in 7.8 games.

If you include his spell at Bolton (excluding A-League) it becomes 31 goals i 253 games or a goal evrry 8.16 games.

Only ever scored more than 10 once too.

Bruce Wayne · Sunday at 7:34 PM

daza_1973 said:
Shouldn't this be in the Everton forum ?

It seems to be a wider thing though. I mean if we get rid of Beto and Barry, who on earth else is out there to replace them? Even in the top scorers list, there's only really Haaland tearing it up.

Gwladys St. Glory · Sunday at 7:42 PM

Bruce Wayne said:
It seems to be a wider thing though. I mean if we get rid of Beto and Barry, who on earth else is out there to replace them? Even in the top scorers list, there's only really Haaland tearing it up.

We need to tell Inter this when we attempt to lowball for Lautaro.

Rita_Poon · Sunday at 7:45 PM

Defenders have got better, they are fitter, not yard dogs anymore, practice as a unit, cover and do the set piece work. Having a plan means less panic.
This is echoed in the youth team player networks, it's easier scouting an athlete and grafting him into the game than it is finding the next Messi, there's only one of him per generation, but marathon runners that can head a ball and just about follow instructions there's plenty of by comparison.
Once again the answer is money.

Bruce Wayne · Sunday at 8:22 PM

Rita_Poon said:
Defenders have got better, they are fitter, not yard dogs anymore, practice as a unit, cover and do the set piece work. Having a plan means less panic.
This is echoed in the youth team player networks, it's easier scouting an athlete and grafting him into the game than it is finding the next Messi, there's only one of him per generation, but marathon runners that can head a ball and just about follow instructions there's plenty of by comparison.
Once again the answer is money.

I'd buy that if all leagues were like Serie A in the 90s, but they aren't. I think last season had the 2nd most PL goals scored in the history of the competition. It's just not centre forwards that are scoring them.

Daveysgingerlovechild · Sunday at 8:39 PM

Bruce Wayne said:
I'd buy that if all leagues were like Serie A in the 90s, but they aren't. I think last season had the 2nd most PL goals scored in the history of the competition. It's just not centre forwards that are scoring them.

Europe doesn't produce decent strikers any more, says Arsene Wenger

Wenger said that coaching conditions did not produce players who relished physical confrontation

www.independent.co.uk

Wenger called it a decade.

Rita_Poon · Sunday at 8:40 PM

Bruce Wayne said:
I'd buy that if all leagues were like Serie A in the 90s, but they aren't. I think last season had the 2nd most PL goals scored in the history of the competition. It's just not centre forwards that are scoring them.

Has the game evolved then, a battering ram up front to keep defenders busy, and a series of strikers just behind looking to get on goal? It would explain the current fascination with "you get no where without attacking full backs" - where the best LB and RB are expected to weigh in with a lot of assists per season, almost as if they are the new wingers providing ammo to the strikers and hitting the battering ram where possible. This further magnifies the box-to-box midfielder type and the Makelele/Kante two players in one the pre defence midfield defender.
The battle to have the extra man and work the overload has meant players are more jacks of all trades, and fitter, and taller, and heavier on average. The profile of the average raised to buy the leeway to involve a luxury like James or Okocha or Bergkamp etc.