[cite]Posted By: March51[/cite]Good post Oggy, the key word being 'instinctively', it just can't be taught or coached. Was Superclive our last truly instinctive striker?
i'd like to think darren bent was pretty instinctive
Darren Bent could lack composure too ....... not always a great first touch and not particularly clinical in the box.
His strength at Charlton was playing off the shoulder of the last defender, stripping him for pace, and taking chances on the run.
He knew what he was good at - and did it. Knew his own strengths and played to them.
Clive Mendonca, on the other hand, different type of player altogether. Great first touch, turn, composure and clinical in the box.
Unflustered and ice-cool under pressure. Great mental strength.
He was a bit of a late developer, but IF he'd only had pace, he'd have been playing at the top level for many seasons, maybe even an international breakthrough a la Kevin Phillips.
Quality, quality footballer. And great mental strength.
[cite]Posted By: March51[/cite]Good post Oggy, the key word being 'instinctively', it just can't be taught or coached. Was Superclive our last truly instinctive striker?
i'd like to think darren bent was pretty instinctive
Darren Bent could lack composure too ....... not always a great first touch and not particularly clinical in the box.
His strength at Charlton was playing off the shoulder of the last defender, stripping him for pace, and taking chances on the run.
He knew what he was good at - and did it. Knew his own strengths and played to them.
Clive Mendonca, on the other hand, different type of player altogether. Great first touch, turn, composure and clinical in the box.
Unflustered and ice-cool under pressure. Great mental strength.
He was a bit of a late developer, but IF he'd only had pace, he'd have been playing at the top level for many seasons, maybe even an international breakthrough a la Kevin Phillips.
Quality, quality footballer. And great mental strength.
Funny how people say that Mendonca lacked pace, he wasn't the quickest but I would never have called him slow and he did score a number of one on ones after getting behind the defence - most memorably from Keith Jones ball over the top at Wembley for his second goal.
You want slow? Alex Dyer, he was slow. I saw him get outpaced by a 38 year old Alvin Martin at Upton Park in 1992!!!
The best strikers anticipate and get into position and therefore make scoring goals look easy - think Ruud van Nistelrooy etc, scored tons of goals and no team should ever leave someone like him unmarked in the box and yet time after time he slipped a defender, found that extra half yard of room and the ball was in the back of the net.
One of the best strikers around is Miroslav Klose. A thin stick figure, more Ian Rush than say Ckive Mendonca and like Rush you wouldn't think to look at him that he is capable of out-thinking central defenders who are twice his size and can easily muscle him out ofa situation yet time after time he perfects his run to meet a cross perfectly. Like Darren Bent he's a great header of a ball, not because he has the prodigious leaping ability of a salmon but because he times his movements instinctively. That can't really be taught, it's part instinct and part bravery. Good goal scorers do miss plenty of chances but the best ones will keep looking for that opportunity no matter how many times they miss.
Can we get a fund together to buy Kevin Philips? Possibly the most underated player going, proven goal scorer, is it a coincidence that the last 2 teams he has played for have been promoted - no
[cite]Posted By: ColinTat[/cite]I've often thought that resources should be placed towards developing defenders and midfielders. These players have more time to develop, and character and temprement is more easily defined and observed. Big money at small clubs should not be spent on full backs. A mixture of wages and budget should go on strikers in the Warnock way of a bag of proven strikers. And in the case of Andy Gray when someone offers you money for a quite good forward you take it.
That's a good point actually. Look how easily we've got decent full backs on loan. Our best prospects coming through are mainly defenders and midfielders, Shelvey, Wright, Arter and Yussuff in midfield all getting pro contracts, Basey, Solly and Clark at full back, Mambo has broken into the reserves and McGinty is starting to.
If we somehow have £500k to spend on a player, it would be much better to find a good League Two striker that should cut it in League One ahead of a couple of decent full backs.
[cite]Posted By: BlackForestReds[/cite]The best strikers anticipate and get into position and therefore make scoring goals look easy - think Ruud van Nistelrooy etc, scored tons of goals and no team should ever leave someone like him unmarked in the box and yet time after time he slipped a defender, found that extra half yard of room and the ball was in the back of the net.
Yep. Henry was so good for Arsenal because he's movement and anticipation was among the best around. It made him look even quicker than he was.
Posted by Scoham "If we somehow have £500k to spend on a player, it would be much better to find a good League Two striker that should cut it in League One ahead of a couple of decent full backs."
If we somehow have £500k to spend on a player, it would be much better to find a good League Two striker that should cut it in League One ahead of a couple of decent full backs.
I thought we'd already done that signing Dizzy McLeod, Sco ....?
I nearly said not someone like McLeod, maybe I should have pointed that out.
I meant someone a bit more all round, his game was all about pace. I meant someone that's been around League One and Two, experienced, always scored goals, things to his game like a decent first touch, strong and good in the air if possible etc.
McLeod was/is a young striker, moving up the leagues, big expectations for him to manage. Good pace and decent movement was enough in League Two but not in the Championship.
We need someone we know is old enough not to crumble under the pressure like McLeod (and Varney) did.
I think it always better to sign forwards who've proven they can score at a specific level. This is virtually impossible at prem level, but even recent history proves there are strikers at every level for very little money; ok they might get big wages but a Phillips, Windass, or even Scott Mcgleish is worthy of the outlay if within budgetary concerns.
Spending millions on Varney and Mcleod, who've already proved themselves to be very questionable at champ level is simply idiotic. Why spend this money when players like Blake and Fuller constantly move for virtually nothing? Yes Blake and Fuller may have bigger wages, but they don't have long term contracts in order to protect your intial investments.
Yeah it was a mistake, I could see what Pardew was thinking in getting in younger players, but you have to question how much he knew about them, how often he and his staff watched them and his judgement of strikers. Neither were ever worth the money we paid. I liked Varney and he can play in this league, but he's no natural goalscorer.
Comments
Plain mental strength and composure.
Really like this thread, taught me a lot about what makes a good striker, but this comment has had me chuckling for ten minutes.
Darren Bent could lack composure too ....... not always a great first touch and not particularly clinical in the box.
His strength at Charlton was playing off the shoulder of the last defender, stripping him for pace, and taking chances on the run.
He knew what he was good at - and did it. Knew his own strengths and played to them.
Clive Mendonca, on the other hand, different type of player altogether. Great first touch, turn, composure and clinical in the box.
Unflustered and ice-cool under pressure. Great mental strength.
He was a bit of a late developer, but IF he'd only had pace, he'd have been playing at the top level for many seasons, maybe even an international breakthrough a la Kevin Phillips.
Quality, quality footballer. And great mental strength.
Funny how people say that Mendonca lacked pace, he wasn't the quickest but I would never have called him slow and he did score a number of one on ones after getting behind the defence - most memorably from Keith Jones ball over the top at Wembley for his second goal.
You want slow? Alex Dyer, he was slow. I saw him get outpaced by a 38 year old Alvin Martin at Upton Park in 1992!!!
One of the best strikers around is Miroslav Klose. A thin stick figure, more Ian Rush than say Ckive Mendonca and like Rush you wouldn't think to look at him that he is capable of out-thinking central defenders who are twice his size and can easily muscle him out ofa situation yet time after time he perfects his run to meet a cross perfectly. Like Darren Bent he's a great header of a ball, not because he has the prodigious leaping ability of a salmon but because he times his movements instinctively. That can't really be taught, it's part instinct and part bravery. Good goal scorers do miss plenty of chances but the best ones will keep looking for that opportunity no matter how many times they miss.
That's a good point actually. Look how easily we've got decent full backs on loan. Our best prospects coming through are mainly defenders and midfielders, Shelvey, Wright, Arter and Yussuff in midfield all getting pro contracts, Basey, Solly and Clark at full back, Mambo has broken into the reserves and McGinty is starting to.
If we somehow have £500k to spend on a player, it would be much better to find a good League Two striker that should cut it in League One ahead of a couple of decent full backs.
Yep. Henry was so good for Arsenal because he's movement and anticipation was among the best around. It made him look even quicker than he was.
What like Mcleod at double+ your 500k ?
I thought we'd already done that signing Dizzy McLeod, Sco ....?
;o)
I meant someone a bit more all round, his game was all about pace. I meant someone that's been around League One and Two, experienced, always scored goals, things to his game like a decent first touch, strong and good in the air if possible etc.
McLeod was/is a young striker, moving up the leagues, big expectations for him to manage. Good pace and decent movement was enough in League Two but not in the Championship.
We need someone we know is old enough not to crumble under the pressure like McLeod (and Varney) did.
Spending millions on Varney and Mcleod, who've already proved themselves to be very questionable at champ level is simply idiotic. Why spend this money when players like Blake and Fuller constantly move for virtually nothing? Yes Blake and Fuller may have bigger wages, but they don't have long term contracts in order to protect your intial investments.