without mention of how distressing our TWO strikers have been. Which got me thinking as to why, who or what is really to blame for the gerenal loss of form and personality pertaining to the two. As we know.,there is a sudden and marked level of disinterest being displayed by one, on the pitch. And the other one seems to be trying his upmost to score goals, but failing to do so week after week (when picked). So what do you think has changed for our TWO top strikers?. Could it be:- a) They're not getting the service of yesteryear. b) Are they being asked to do more to help out in defence., which then put them out of position to strike. c) Have they just got lazy. d) Could it be something to do with an impatient crowd of home fans. e) Has the game, as they know it, moved-on and has left the pair of them behind. f) Unsuitable tactics, pressure and being asked to perform when unfit. I'd also like your views as to why it is that strikers come here (some with big reputaions) and leave shortly after, having been all but destroyed in one way or the other. Peter Crouch..Robbie Keane..Roman Pavlyuchenko..louis Saha..Darren Bent etc.........and did Dimitar Berbatov see it coming, or did he just get lucky?
Until Brian McClair arrived Old Trafford was known as the strikers graveyard, we bought most of the top rated British strikers and they all failed big time. Not sure why, if it is the pressure that kills them or if the player is brought into the wrong system. I still think Ady should be doing better for you.
I don't want to blow my own trumpet but I've been saying for a couple of seasons that Ade and Defoe are very inconsistent and we were warned by other team's fans about Ade losing it. He was surplus to requirements at City and we needed a striker desperately and we took him in desperation. Defoe was a buy back and that's always a mistake and I think he has just gone and it's nothing to do with Spurs. Ade missed sitters for Togo in the last Africa world cup so again it's nothing to do with Spurs. If he's missing for both then it's he and nobody else. Bent was always crap. Crouch was just the same for us as he was for Liverpool so no change. Keane was a buy back so ditto above. Pav wasn't given enough games by Arry so not his fault. Can't comment on the others.
A top striker who consistently scores lots of goals is a rare animal and the ready made article is very expensive. I often think we do not give Defoe the credit he deserves because he is our striker, many other PL teams would love to have him. We dream of that top striker who would transform the team, but the reality is that the team has to create the chances for a striker to get them in the first place. Right now we have been trying to enable Bale because of the form he is in and Ade has spent a lot of his pitch time trying to provide assists rather than being the main man, because I suppose his confidence has taken a battering, I don't accept that he has not tried. All strikers go through lean spells, even the best like RVP. It's a pity we didn't get Berba back IMO but the politics were difficult. Maybe it's just our expectations are unrealisticly high.
Keane was wrecked at Liverpool not here....he joined in 2003 and scored over 100 goals for us until he left in 2008...when he returned he actually did ok (scoring regularly even scoring 4 at the beginning of the 09/10 season then he fell out with Redknapp for organising an xmas piss up) Pav never adapted to football here (nor did his mate asharvin) Bent scored plenty but didn't fit in to how Redknapp wanted us to play...he scored so many at sunderland that villa paid £24m for him (we made our money back £16m) Crouch did as well for us as he did else where prior ... we made a profit on his sale Defoe has scored goals throughout both his spells at the club...he may not be world class, he may be inconsistent but the idea that he has flopped is a harsh in the extreme. Ade has reverted to type...1 good season then it goes to pot... none of this suggests we've been a grave yard for strikers imo
Bent is the striker that proves the argument. He scored loads at Charlton which is why we paid too much for him, Charlton were relegated. In fact he has never played in a succesful team because his contribution apart from kneeing or shouldering goals is nil. I wouldn't want him any where near any team of mine but he has commanded huge fees from 4 clubs, all IMO looking at statistics rather than play. It proves to me that a good footballer must come first not just the ability to hit the net. What you can never know is how many goals a player like Bent cost you because you can't record that.
There are about 10 strikers in the world better than Ade and Defoe and another 90 about the same. Which of those 90 you sign is mostly down to luck as is how they actually perform for you. We could easily sign Michu and Benteke and discover that they are no better
Well the easy answer is they are not that good. In most case their price dictates how good they are ( yes a few exceptions , cheap Michu, expensive Torres ) I think Defoe returned for £10 million and Ade £6 million. Look at our rivals RVP aged 30 ,24 million , Man City host of quality £30 million strikers , even the Arse have better options upfront. We are not at the races and these were relative cheap options that satisfied our prudent board but nobody else.
Defoe has been an inconsistent performer for the majority of seasons he has worn the shirt, for a number of reasons: Injury, being third or worse in the pecking order, and not getting a run of games. He is maybe being brought back from injury too soon right now, due to our dire situation up front. On his day there are very few strikers that are as much of a predator as him, but his day is all too infrequent. Ade is an enigma and not in a good way. He has every weapon a top class striker requires, but club after club have seen him under-perform. Maybe he has yet to find the right one, but his lack of form and perceived poor attitude are narrowing his options considerably.
Bit more than just that I thought.... Scored one, made the other, showed some great close control and also made several surging runs, which although didn't bring goals certainly brought the crowd to life. Much more like last seasons version of Adebayor!!
Hopefully he's getting his confidence back and can push on from here for the remainder of the season. Another goal on Thursday might be key, just in time to face one of his old clubs.
Think that was the difference today mate, he looked 'confident'. The ball was sticking and he looked to take on the opposition. Here's hoping........
Being brought back too soon I couldn't agree more Chirpy., being brought back to play (with the additional pressures and ambitions of the club) in this league when not fit, surely contributes to poor form, on this point chirpy, I agree. This situation has happened to both strikers this season and it boils down to degraceful decisions made by management. The players themselves should not have to shoulder all the blame, in the case. Enigma, that is Ade tongue-in-cheek., I had began to imagine that Adebayor was a working as a 'double agent'. Yes ! Employed by one of his previous outfits to put the kyba'wash on spurs for the season. His uncharacteristic sending off at the Arsenal library ?. loose first touch?., poor ball control?. Wild shoots ?....... An average lawyer could put two and two together and have a field day in persuading a judge that Adebayor has a secrete mission . I've abandoned those thoughts after todays reasonably showing. So could it just be that these to players (Adeboyer and Defoe) need to be managed differently with a certain amount of praise for their efforts. Could it be that these two lads need moddycodling and made to feel special, in order to get the best out of them.
Just adds more ammo to the argument that we need more strikers, doesn't it, Bajan? Poor form, not fit? Put someone else in. Still can't believe that we didn't bring anyone in. 4 goals in 7 appearances for Remy since he joined QPR, as we failed to follow up our interest.
Brilliant finish today - looks like he would grace a higher stage than QPR. No doubt will be available in a month of so.....
2 goals in 2 games will hopefully be the start of a good run in for Ade God knows we need him to start firing them in
Yes Its does PNP., and we should keep adding the ammo, until something is done about it. If we had bought Remy we would be comfortably lingering in third spot now, with almost a guarantee of Champions League to come.
You should never stand still , we have gone slightly backwards this season, if the club bought (spend a little extra) on the right players in the first place this would not be an issue. Trying to capture Champs league position will always be a rare experience when will mainly sign mainly mid table players . Both strikers as most could see were not top 4 class . Not along ago Dembele was our saviour, then we gave up on him, then Holtby was are new Jesus , that has gone tits up. Dempsey , Ziggy Stardust are average players. If we were bold and signed someone of Montinho class and a quality strikers as Bajan said we would be top 3, but that's never going to happen.
The problem is you have to build your team around a striker. Chelsea are case in point, our team was made for Drogba from the offset, our foundations were built around him. Once he left we had to change our entire philosophical approach to the point where we are now pretty much reliant on our 3 attacking midfielders and a striker makes little difference. This 4-2-3-1 formation AVB plays is made for Bale (who is by a mile your best player) and Dembele but not so much the others. The big problem I have with 4-2-3-1 is the Inability to break sides down that are well organised and the inability to defend counter attacks. Defoe has always been better in a 4-4-2
