The Mail Bag
Strikers
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As we have just signed our 5th first team striker with the loan signing of Jo, I was just wondering who everyone thinks our best striker is?
I did a similar article when we still had Andy Johnson, and I concluded that James Vaughan was our best striker (yeah... I know... very bad decision). I think all our 5 strikers are good, and think that if we had all them fit, we would be a hell of a striking force to be reckoned with in the Premier League. If I had to rank our 5 strikers in order from best to worst:
1. Yakubu 2. Saha 3. Jo 4. Vaughan 5. AnichebeNow, I'm sure people will post different positions and opinions on this (just as long Anichebe isn't posted no1!!). I think the top 3 were difficult, but I think Yakubu just tops it because he has the class to score in the Premier League.
A fully fit Saha is fantastic, but when are we ever going to see a fully fit Saha?
Jo looked very promising in his debut, so could potentially be No 1 in that list quite easily, but still questionable over his time in Man City if he can cut it in England... I think he can.
Vaughan again has potential, but injury-prone, so not really sure how good he could turn out to be...
Anichebe, well, his attitude disappoints me, he could maybe do well playing first team in low-level Premier League clubs or Championship clubs? I think he's good for a squad player, but not first-teamer.
Ben Jones, Posted 09/02/2009 at 16:13:57
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I am in two minds about Jo.
1. I really want him to turn it on for the remainder of the season and score many many goals for us.
2. Just kind of get by showing enough promise for Moyes to buy him but the price be not too overinflated.
I fear that if 1 happens we will not be able to afford him, or Man C will see they were right to buy him and demand his return
But Jo?s performance against Bolton did show what we had been missing. And what it was didn?t look to me very much like what the other 4 strikers can do. Good players all of them, but Jo gave us a glimpse of magic.
One plus could be that he is already saying how happy he is with the club, the manager and his team mates (good mates all of them, according to him). Again, if if if .... City would be requiring an unhappy player to return.
Dean
Lawton
Vernon
Royle
Latchford
Sharp
Gray
Ferguson
They are the gold standard. The five you mention have a way to go. Now Tim Cahill, midfielder, is well on his way......
Joe and Jo. I haven’t thought about that before.
As a manager, I thought he could have been given longer ? he certainly understood Everton, strikers and what it means to be the Everton No 9. And we can adopt the ridiculous "Joe, Joe, Joe ROYLE!" chant for our new Jo.........
Even if all five were fighting fit, how does one keep all five happy? (Not to mention the other three lesser-known strikers or the likes of Cahill etc.)
Saha is very good but clearly very injury-prone plus time is not on his side. I’ve always been impressed by Yakubu but I was also VERY impressed by Jo on Saturday...okay only one game but his work rate, passing, his constant threat to Bolton was nice to see! Vaughn could turn out to be best of the bunch but injuries and the consequent toll on his fitness and learning puts a very big question mark over him.
Anichibe has issues.....I don’t think he’s 100% to blame but clearly he’s not on the same level as Vaughn (injuries aside).
I would also ask (does anybody know?) what kind of deal do we have for Jo? Can we buy him, what price, can City demand him back and so on.
It would be nice to have a fit Yakubu, Jo and Vaughn permanently on the books. That would be awesome.
Saha is too injury-prone.
Anichebe and Vaughan are effectively free, but honestly would anyone want play either of them in our lone striker 4-5-1 formation, given part-time-striker Cahill’s success?
Of course we can play 4-4-2 and field two strikers to share the burden but that would mean an almost complete overhaul of the 5 midfielders into 4 which is opening a new can of worms.
Vernon is the best I have ever seen but I must agree with your top three in that order. Vernon was exactly the same a Rush of Liverpool ? a real predator who loved playing in derby matches. I'm afraid Alex Young never played well in derby games and much preferred the less frenetic games. Vernon, Ball and Kay all had the same fire with Collins very similar.
Of today's bunch I really don't rate the Yak as much as some obviously do; he is basically a club trotter and can be as lazy as anyone. For ball control it's definitely Saha and probably Jo... the Yak is strongest and Vaughan is an unknown really as he has been injured so often and in some games he looks decidedly raw.
I reckon that Anichebe has more natural ability than Vaughan but not his fire and effort.... Vic could develop with age and make a decent striker down the line.
Carlton Cole has come on tremendously under Zola and sometimes it's the way players are handled that matters.
If he doesn’t want to stay at Man City there is not much Hughes can do to stop him going, especially if the loan agreement has included an ’option to buy’ clause. If he scores 20 goals then it may be a choice of paying £18million for him or Joao Mutinho.
2. Yakubu
3. Vaughan
3. Saha
5. Anichebe
I think on potential Jo is better (His CSKA days) The Yak also has a lot of potential but is too lazy sometimes.
2. Babayoko
3. Brett Angell.
4. Daniel Amokachi.
5. Victor Anichebe.
Its got to be Yak in pole position ? 21 goals last season speaks for itself and there?s no debate on this one. Saha really isn?t worth counting due to injuries (much like Vaughan to my dissapointment).
Jo certainly has potential to be an awesome centre forward... his aerial threat along with his obvious natural footballing talent makes him a big goal scoring prospect, and possibly world class.
Big Vic, even when he used to try hard, isn?t Premier League material.
Yak
Jo
Saha
Vaughan
Hibbert
Anichebe
To answer your original posting, Yakubu by a long, long way.
2 err
3 err
4 err
5 err
Jo has had 1 good game.
Saha is always injured as is Vaughan. Vic, is a championship player.
Andy Crooks, You?re sarcasm is unfair to Amokachi, Remember the 2 goals vs Spurs?
I bet there?ll only be 2 possibly 3 of the 5 at Everton next season.
I, like 99% of Evertonians, have a huge soft spot for Big Dunc ? his passion was undeniable and as Jimmy Bullard, Steffan Freund and many others would testify he was a fearsome character but I?d be lying if I didn?t say that seeing his name at the bottom of Paul?s illustrious list made me cringe a little.
This fine websites own records will tell you that in Ferguson?s 191 (81) appearances he chalked up 72 goals... if you compare that to Yakubu?s total so far of 31 in 59 (16) so far in his Blues career, it doesn?t look great. A grand total of 11 in a season was Ferguson?s best offering whereas The Yak near doubled that last term with 21.
I know I?m not really comparing apples with apples here (especially as Dunc didn?t have the world?s finest Spaniard pinging balls at him) and I?ll admit Ferguson had the hairs on the back on my neck stand up a few more times than Yakubu has so far but (at this maybe fits in with the other topic of defining moments) I think Moyes?s decision to purchase a goal scorer of proven Premier League quality was a pivotal moment for this great club and signalled his intentions.
Before him, I think we had plenty of ?try hards? and ?good team players? that never gave us what we needed ? goals! I?ll put myself up there to but shot down by the stattos but am I right in thinking the last player to bag 15 Premier League goals for us was Kanchelskis?
Jo might of only had the one game with us so far but the way he fit into the system we play you have to say it all looks very well.
Not sure I trust the Yak... he still has a lot to prove with regards his attitude.
Will Saha ever get a run of games injuries permiting?
Vaughan for me has fantastic potential and hopefully he gets to show it by the end of the season.
If Jo does as well as he did last weekend in the coming months I would choose him as our best. He played with a smile on his face, has goals in him, better movement and plays to the teams strengths more than the Yak.
http://www.iraqgoals.com/en/ch1.html (password 2500)
If Saha not ready I guess Big Vic will be allowed back in the fold...
2. Jo
3. Saha
4. Vaughan
5. Madar
6. Cadamarteri
7. Bakayoko
8. Angell
9. John Spencer
10. Joe Max Moore
11. Anichebe
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1 Posted 09/02/2009 at 21:23:26
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1. Tim Cahill
2. Joleon Lescott
3. Marouane Fellaini
4. Mikel Arteta
5. Super Danny Gosling