totally agree with that analysis...i suppose that is why he is only getting cameos...Saha on the other end looks like a Defoe with a brain in the way that he is direct aswell but a team player.
Defoe's career goals per game for Spurs is 77 in 223 matches, Ade's in the PL is 72 in 163 matches. I guess Ade has probably had more game time but that is not a coincidence. Given that Defoe does pretty much nothing else for the team other than score goals it is clear who the most valuable player is. To find space for a pure goalscorer in the team he has to be incredibly good at scoring. One goal every three games is nowhere near good enough. Twice that amount puts you in the big league: Jimmy Greaves for example: 220 goals in 321 matches for us. Van Persie has one in two and makes loads more than Defoe. If Defoe is in the top 100 strikers in the world I'd be amazed but he is sufficiently different to do a job as an impact sub.
i agree with a lot of the points here. all i was getting at, is that i wouldn't be trying to move him on because he's a good impact sub, like everyone says. and also the fact that we wouldn't be able to replace his attributes with the money we get for him. PS, a little bit of an unfair comparison there with defoe, stating that 1 in 3 in "nowhere near good enough". lets remember how many of those goals have been from the bench. he's spent a lot of time over many season as what he is now. - an impact sub. for a player to get 20mins, get into the game and then score; i think that's pretty good going personally. To compare those stats to Ade, the legend that is JG or RVP isn't right. If you look at my point here, it's actually a very high good goal tally considering his "usual" circumstances.
Despite his faults, Defoe will score those goals that no other striker we currently have would score. He is a proven Premiership goalscorer. I agree that, especially if we are shipping in a new striker in the summer, he's not good enough as a regular starter. But, currently we don't have any other player like him. He's a poacher. Yes, he's always going to miss some by being greedy, but all strikers are greedy to a large extent.
Defoe seems to be becoming our Solskjaer. If he's happy with that, then it's not necessarily a bad thing. We definitely need to bring in someone that can deputise for Adebayor in the summer, though. Of course if we don't sign him on a permanent deal, then we need to bring in two strikers that can play the lone role, one of which will have to be happy sitting on the bench. Not easy.
I think thats the main issue, he clearly isn't happy but what options does he have? not many. Hopefully he will come off the bench and score the winner in the FA Cup final just after missing a sitter and failing to play in Bale for an open goal!
As far as I am aware, JD is 1st or 2nd in the list of Premier League player to have made a substitute appearance. He shares the top 2 with Kanu if memory serves me correct. He may only have 77 in 223 matches, but compare actual game time with Adebayor and I bet the stats will be much much more different. Also, that statistic is a little misleading because there is no control. Adebayor played for a very, very good Arsenal and Manchester City side who will obviously create many chances a game, whereas Defoe has played (not in this spell at Spurs) in front of a pretty poor midfield on some occasions. Last season he had those injuries and very few players come back from injuries all guns ablazing. Yes, what he did last night in the last minute was selfish, and he should have passed, but I don't think that selfishness can always be used against him. How many times have our players and especially Arsenal been accused of "trying to pass the ball into the net"? A team needs a person that is willing to be selfish and take those chances. Even if he misses a few and becomes frustrating, he will score enough to offset that.
To me Ade Bale and VDV are better than JD, so those three are my favoured 'main attackers'. JD is primarily a sub in my view, and I think Saha has a good shout to be seen as a better player than JD too, but I'm not dogmatic about that. I can't stand the JD fan club with their stupid 'yiddo' song, gets right on my nerves, and makes me less well inclined towards Defoe.
Are you sure Spurs are the right team for you. You seem very down on our team and players sometimes? I love the affection we fans have for JD, there is a definite need for someone as direct as him to at least come on as a sub. He had a profound effect on Tuesday night without any doubt, not least his perfectly weighted pass to Bale for the killer second goal. It's testiment to his skills that he is our top scorer this season with only occasional starts.
Defoe's well liked by the fans because he's spent a number of seasons at the club, scored plenty of goals, always shown willingness when used and returns the affection of the supporters when he can. As Paul Robinson showed, giving something back to those that turn up to watch you can result in a lot of appreciation and loyalty. Small gestures of appreciation are often overlooked, despite how easy they are to dish out.
