Wor Shola - The best "back-up" striker in the EPL....???

We all know Shola gets a lot flack for just for being Shola but I've always fought his corner and before the season started I posted about how Shola was the best "back-up" striker in the Premier League and challenged anyone to name a better back-up striker.

http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/61570-Ameobi-Positives

When Shola has come off the bench he's been a top performer this season, scoring important goals and killing a teams attacking threat by holding the ball further up the field.

Just wondering now that we've signed Ba and Cisse and now Shola has a more reserved role within the squad and being used by Pardew how I said he's best used, would people agree that Shola is in fact the best back-up striker in the EPL?

 

I'm not slating Shola but you have got be to kidding.

He puts in the odd performance or cameo but gives the ball away so much, gets caught offside too much and fouls too much. His pass for cisses second aganist Bolton, the goal against Sunderland and the goal against Tottenham were pretty much the only relly solid stuff hes done.

There's alot of better backup strikers.

Bellamy
Berbatov
Mcfadden
Dzeko
Best
Kalou
Andy Johnson


That's just a few, there will be loads more.

 

Please don't get too far ahead of ourselves with Shola... I still think he's ****e when he starts(at least when he did start for the better part of the first half), but when brought on as a sub the limited minutes allows him to shine. Take a good look at Papiss Cisse and how he attacks balls. If you told me that the current Shola could've attacked balls even half like that(note: striker's primary objective is to score goals), then he'd be a very good backup.

My major knock on Shola when he starts is the only 1 thing you could argue in his favour is that he "holds the ball up well". As a result I don't think he's a capable starter but he can do a job as a sub.

 

Ameobi or Berbatov .. HMMMMM?

 

we know he will never leave so we have to accept he will be playing with a zimmer frame when he's 50

 

I like Shola and he has done well in the 2nd half of the season as an impact sub. ****e in the first part of the season and shocking when he has started games. Best sub in the PL? Not even close but he now does a cracking job for us when we want to kill the game.

 

Haaha. He's not the best back up striker in terms of ability, but he could be put down as one of the most effective at times. His strength and presence are a massive nuisance for the opposition.

 

Man Utd- Berbatov & Hernandez
Man City- Balotelli & Dzeko
Arsenal - Chamakh
Tottenham - Defoe
Chelsea- Sturridge & Torres
Everton- Stracqualursi
Liverpool- Bellamy
Fulham- Johnson
West Brom- Fortune & Cox
Sunderland- Wickham
Swansea- Moore & Lita
Norwich- Vaughan & Jackson
Stoke- Jones
Villa- Heskey & Weimann
QPR- Bothroyd & Campbell
Wigan- Sammon
Blackburn- Goodwillie
Bolton- Sordell, Tuncay & Davies
Wolves- Ebanks Blake

All the one's which aren't in bold are better than Ameobi.

 

Excuse me but what the **** has wickham ever done at this level? Scored one good goal? Whenever I've seen him he's looked average. I know he's still developing, but he's not done enough to say he's a better back-up striker than Shola atm.

 

MrToontastic - as much as I love Shola, I'm not so sure he's the best back up striker in the EPL (he can be incredibly frustrating at times).

But one thing is for sure - he's the best striker to put on against the mackems! Worth keeping him in the squad just for those 2 games each season alone!

SHOLASHOLASHOLASHOLASHOLASHOLASHOLASHOLA

 

I don't think he has said that Tash..................

 

oops apologies I read that wrong :s

 

Haha wouldn't say he's anywhere near as good a back up as most in the PL, but as seen this season with 30 minutes to go he can certainly do a job on tiring defences. Going to have to start calling him Ole Gunna Sholskjaer SUPER SUB!

 

Nope Leon Best is

 

Sorry mate, but I can't even agree that Shola is the best back up striker at our club!

 

Agree that the OP has gone way too far, but there is now getting to be a regular point in the game where I think "Right, time for Shola".

20 minutes from time, when we're beginning to look tired or sloppy, when the skill players are getting a bit bullied, when we need steadying, bring on old Shamblefeet. He slows things down, holds the ball up, brings others into play. When a game needs killing off (perhaps to die of boredom) he's your man. When you need tiring CB's mucked about so that an opportunity opens for someone else, or when the opposition wears red and white stripes, he's your man.

A very valuable man to bring off the bench

 

Best is better if we need a striker to rely on for goals and play well when starting, however Shola is beast when coming on as an impact sub.

 

Hernandez isn't bad either.

 

I'm not even 100% convinced that he's the best back up striker at our club with the surname of Ameobi - but I still love him!

 

A lot of those are first teamers such as Ballotelli, Torres, Sturridge, Bellamy, Fortune, Weimann. Some of them are rotation strikers such as Hernandez, Defoe, Bellamy, Dzeko.

From the actual back-up players you've named Berbatov, Chamakh, Stacqualursi, Johnson, Jones, Bothroyd, Campbell, Goodwillie, Sordell, Tuncay and Ebanks-Blake. None of these have been as affective as Shola this season.

One or two have mentioned Kalou, McFadden and Best. Kalou is rubbish, what are his qualities, what does he give to Chelsea? NOWT! McFadden is woeful the only reason he's in the EPL is because Everton were desperate for numbers and no ****er else wanted him. I think Best runs Shola close but he can't hold the ball up or occupy defenders like Shola can. There's no one in the EPL that can do the same job better than Shola and it's being proved now we've got Ba and Cisse.