Future Striker

[Diamond Scot]

1 hour ago, Hertsscot said:

I think at least a couple on that list had the potential to be good international strikers but their attitude was wrong. Probably not too difficult to work out who they might be!

They could have been better than they ended up being however none of them had the potential to be a top class striker. Boyd / Rhodes were only ever going to be box goal scorers. O'Connor, Fletcher and Ferguson hit just about the heights you would expect them too.

Riorden, Griffiths and McCormack were Championship level, maybe lower end EPL at best, even if they applied themselves better.

Theres no excuse for not applying themselves properly but looking good in Scotland for a season or 2 is a totally different ball game from being a regular striker at the top end of one of the big leagues.

Ive said it loads on here. Part of the reason why our strikers never hit the elite is the poor standard of defending right from a young age all the way through to our professional game. Our game isnt tactical or technical enough week in week out to make the strikers hone skills other than shooting which is why all our best strikers seem brilliant until they are asked to step up a level.

Hopefully with the number of players going down south and abroad at a much younger age now that will change. 

[gonzohiggy]

I don’t see a silver bullet coming in the form of a top class striker any time soon. Rory Wilson looks a good young player but he was brought on wide right for under 21s v Malta. Stewart, Brown, Nisbet etc are not going to be much (if at all) better than Dykes or Adams in my opinion.
 

We have 2 decent strikers in Adams and Dykes who have different qualities which are useful depending on the game. Although neither are natural goal scorers you see the impact that they can have to others scoring eg Dykes for McLean in Norway or McTominay v Cyprus.

I do think Doak can give us something that we sorely lack at the moment with his pace, directness and ability to take players on. A wide player though and he’ll need to be getting more game time for this to happen.

[Scot1]

4 minutes ago, gonzohiggy said:

I don’t see a silver bullet coming in the form of a top class striker any time soon. Rory Wilson looks a good young player but he was brought on wide right for under 21s v Malta. Stewart, Brown, Nisbet etc are not going to be much (if at all) better than Dykes or Adams in my opinion.
 

We have 2 decent strikers in Adams and Dykes who have different qualities which are useful depending on the game. Although neither are natural goal scorers you see the impact that they can have to others scoring eg Dykes for McLean in Norway or McTominay v Cyprus.

I do think Doak can give us something that we sorely lack at the moment with his pace, directness and ability to take players on. A wide player though and he’ll need to be getting more game time for this to happen.

I disagree with your assessment on Stewart. If he comes back from injury the same player as he was before. I’ll assume Southampton medical staff have done a thorough examination on his ACL injury. And if he can pick up from where he left off, then in my opinion he’s a step up from Dykes or Adams. He is a natural goal scorer, unlike Dykes and he has the physicality to lead the line, unlike Adams. He’s 27 years old; I think Dykes and Adams are around the same age. If we can get Stewart to perform for Scotland that gives time for other strikers to emerge.

[er yir macaroon]

15 hours ago, vanderark14 said:

 

Perhaps mccoist wasn't used enough or maybe not used in the right way. He was a poacher and maybe seen as a luxury. Who knows.

McCoist was more than a poacher. Very strong on the ball, great with his back to goal and could link up play. Scored a fair few from outside the box as well. 

[ceudmilefailte]

If McBurnie can produce his club form for us he is by a mile the best forward we have. 

One thing for sure France wouldn't have scored their first goal with him at the near post. 

[Third Lanark]

11 hours ago, Diamond Scot said:

They could have been better than they ended up being however none of them had the potential to be a top class striker. Boyd / Rhodes were only ever going to be box goal scorers. O'Connor, Fletcher and Ferguson hit just about the heights you would expect them too.

Riorden, Griffiths and McCormack were Championship level, maybe lower end EPL at best, even if they applied themselves better.

Theres no excuse for not applying themselves properly but looking good in Scotland for a season or 2 is a totally different ball game from being a regular striker at the top end of one of the big leagues.

Ive said it loads on here. Part of the reason why our strikers never hit the elite is the poor standard of defending right from a young age all the way through to our professional game. Our game isnt tactical or technical enough week in week out to make the strikers hone skills other than shooting which is why all our best strikers seem brilliant until they are asked to step up a level.

Hopefully with the number of players going down south and abroad at a much younger age now that will change. 

Great comment and analysis. By the way, I see that Rhys McCabe is managing Airdrie now. Remember he was seen as a great prospect at Rangers. Wonder what went wrong?

[Third Lanark]

30 minutes ago, Scot1 said:

I disagree with your assessment on Stewart. If he comes back from injury the same player as he was before. I’ll assume Southampton medical staff have done a thorough examination on his ACL injury. And if he can pick up from where he left off, then in my opinion he’s a step up from Dykes or Adams. He is a natural goal scorer, unlike Dykes and he has the physicality to lead the line, unlike Adams. He’s 27 years old; I think Dykes and Adams are around the same age. If we can get Stewart to perform for Scotland that gives time for other strikers to emerge.

I once met a Sunderland fan who was raving about him. Think he may be the best option now and Wilson in the not-too-distant. 

[gonzohiggy]

45 minutes ago, Scot1 said:

I disagree with your assessment on Stewart. If he comes back from injury the same player as he was before. I’ll assume Southampton medical staff have done a thorough examination on his ACL injury. And if he can pick up from where he left off, then in my opinion he’s a step up from Dykes or Adams. He is a natural goal scorer, unlike Dykes and he has the physicality to lead the line, unlike Adams. He’s 27 years old; I think Dykes and Adams are around the same age. If we can get Stewart to perform for Scotland that gives time for other strikers to emerge.

I like Stewart, have known of him for a long time from his time at Kilwinning and he’s done brilliantly. But if you look at it coldly he’s never even played in the premier league. Adams has been a consistent premier league player for a period of time and done pretty well at the level. 

A stretch in my view to say Stewart’s a step up.

[er yir macaroon]

1 hour ago, Third Lanark said:

Great comment and analysis. By the way, I see that Rhys McCabe is managing Airdrie now. Remember he was seen as a great prospect at Rangers. Wonder what went wrong?

Injury mainly, but he was a midfielder.

[JandC]

I mentioned McCoist and Johnston as for me, they were a class above what we've had since and that's in terms of their ability and not necessary what they did in a Scotland shirt. 
 

I'm also old enough to remember strikers like Charlie Nicholas, McAvennie and Archibald and although they were naturally brilliant, none of them were really great for Scotland.

I'd take any of them in their prime over what we have now and I think that's the main issue.

 

[ceudmilefailte]

3 hours ago, Third Lanark said:

I once met a Sunderland fan who was raving about him. Think he may be the best option now and Wilson in the not-too-distant. 

I once met a Sunderland fan who said a striker was their most needed upgrade after Stewarts goals got them promoted to the champiinship

[Scot1]

7 hours ago, gonzohiggy said:

I like Stewart, have known of him for a long time from his time at Kilwinning and he’s done brilliantly. But if you look at it coldly he’s never even played in the premier league. Adams has been a consistent premier league player for a period of time and done pretty well at the level. 

A stretch in my view to say Stewart’s a step up.

Well we may well find out because I think Southampton may well play 1 up front, so Adams and Stewart could be in direct competition with each other for 1 starting place. I think there are aspects of Adam's game which are better to Stewarts, he's technically a better footballer. But I think Stewart is an upgrade in terms of goalscoring, Stewart wants to spend the whole game in the opposition box, Adams likes to drop deep, drift wide. Adams is more of a no 10, Stewart is a no 9. We are looking for a no 9. We have McGinn playing as a no 10, and he is a superior player to Adams in every aspect of the game.

As I said it'll be interesting to see what happens at Southampton, whether they play as a pair or the opt for 1 up front. And if they do play 1 up, who gets chosen.

Edited October 20, 2023 by Scot1

[breeks_mctavish]

Adams plays well for our system. His work off the ball allows the midfielders to get forward. He’s got a better touch than our other strikers, his link up lay is better and he’s got decent pace. For me, he’s our best forward, but not a great goal scorer. I do agree that it’s a relatively weak point in our team and certainly in our squad but I personally think we’re weaker at centre back. Give away too many soft goals and chances at the top level. I think if we added a couple of top half premier league standard defenders, we’d be an excellent side. Due to our midfield and full backs, we’re still no bad

[marinello]

On 10/19/2023 at 2:19 PM, scotlad said:

I liked the look of Keiron Bowie in the past couple of U21 games - he looked tall, strong, had a decent change of pace and could finish - but it can be hard to tell how good these lads are based on U21 football. At club level he's currently playing on loan with Northampton in the English third tier and he's yet to get of the mark this season, although, in fairness, I think he's plays more as a secondary forward rather than the main number nine.

I'm with you Scotlad. Was at Fir Park on Tuesday and could see that Bowie has a lot of the potential you state. If he can marry that with some goals at club level his confidence will grow.

Let's see how he progresses.

[Rab The Crab]

5 hours ago, Scot1 said:

Well we may well find out because I think Southampton may well play 1 up front, so Adams and Stewart could be in direct competition with each other for 1 starting place. I think there are aspects of Adam's game which are better to Stewarts, he's technically a better footballer. But I think Stewart is an upgrade in terms of goalscoring, Stewart wants to spend the whole game in the opposition box, Adams likes to drop deep, drift wide. Adams is more of a no 10, Stewart is a no 9. We are looking for a no 9. We have McGinn playing as a no 10, and he is a superior player to Adams in every aspect of the game.

As I said it'll be interesting to see what happens at Southampton, whether they play as a pair or the opt for 1 up front. And if they do play 1 up, who gets chosen.

Still a couple of weeks till Stewart is due to feature in squads for Southampton so November games probably just a bit too early for him. March friendlies would be more realistic. I’m quite looking forward to seeing him return.

[Diamond Scot]

13 hours ago, Third Lanark said:

Great comment and analysis. By the way, I see that Rhys McCabe is managing Airdrie now. Remember he was seen as a great prospect at Rangers. Wonder what went wrong?

Must admit I was very much against his appointment but he has done really well. Really liked him as a player, you can tell he has a good footballing brain. He was never a good enough player for Scots Prem level though if im honest.

In terms of Adams or Stewart. One thing to consider is that if Stewart spends most of his time and does most of his good work inside the opposition box then it may take away from our goalscoring attacking mids. Part of the reason McGinn etc have done so well is that Adams draws defenders out of position, leaving space for them to run into. Dykes on the other hand is good at bullying defenders and laying off to attacking mids. 

If Stewart requires "service" then im not sure that suits our current style as much.

[BryanBlessed]

13 hours ago, breeks_mctavish said:

I do agree that it’s a relatively weak point in our team and certainly in our squad but I personally think we’re weaker at centre back. Give away too many soft goals and chances at the top level. I think if we added a couple of top half premier league standard defenders, we’d be an excellent side. Due to our midfield and full backs, we’re still no bad

Cyprus cut us open a few times quite easily and we got away with a couple in both Spain matches. You'd hope Porteous will keep improving and get a move to the EPL move but Jack Hendry is now 28 and, though I understand his motivations for going to Saudi Arabia, it would have been better for us if he had got a love to a bottom-half EPL team. Grant Hanley might be back but will he be the same player?

I still think Souttar has the potential to be our best CB if he stays injury free and the new Rangers manager sorts them out.

[syecosse]

Conway could be in line for his first start since returning from injury, he has the talent to go further than what we have available and is still young, you only have to look at how Bristol and away fans talk about his potential. Wilson is then the next, hopefully, but looking further afield Bavidge at Aberdeen and Eadie at Rangers seem to score for fun at or above age ranges. 

Lewis Pirie at Leeds has gone down south and also carried on scoring for fun. 

Edited October 21, 2023 by syecosse

[Scot1]

9 hours ago, Diamond Scot said:

Must admit I was very much against his appointment but he has done really well. Really liked him as a player, you can tell he has a good footballing brain. He was never a good enough player for Scots Prem level though if im honest.

In terms of Adams or Stewart. One thing to consider is that if Stewart spends most of his time and does most of his good work inside the opposition box then it may take away from our goalscoring attacking mids. Part of the reason McGinn etc have done so well is that Adams draws defenders out of position, leaving space for them to run into. Dykes on the other hand is good at bullying defenders and laying off to attacking mids. 

If Stewart requires "service" then im not sure that suits our current style as much.

When he plays for Southampton, watch him and you’ll see he’s a very similar type of player to Dykes. He has  a tremendous work rate and will close down defenders, chase lost causes, run the channels, he’ll drop deep and link up. But he always looks to get into the box at the earliest opportunity. And he’ll push opposition Centre Half’s back because of it. 

[Scot1]

15 hours ago, breeks_mctavish said:

Adams plays well for our system. His work off the ball allows the midfielders to get forward. He’s got a better touch than our other strikers, his link up lay is better and he’s got decent pace. For me, he’s our best forward, but not a great goal scorer. I do agree that it’s a relatively weak point in our team and certainly in our squad but I personally think we’re weaker at centre back. Give away too many soft goals and chances at the top level. I think if we added a couple of top half premier league standard defenders, we’d be an excellent side. Due to our midfield and full backs, we’re still no bad

Until new Centre half’s develop. It’s my opinion that the best way to give them protection is to switch to a back 4 , get a defensive midfielder in front of the centre half’s. Play on the front foot instead of inviting teams onto us. Sounds counterintuitive but if you get the midfield functioning correctly, and move it 5-10 yards higher up the pitch, then that’s the best set up for us in terms of defence and offensively.

[Yr Alban]

What is bizarre is that Scotland have qualified for a major tournament with two games to spare (25% of the total), out of a group containing Spain and Norway, despite our resources at CF and CH being at least as poor as I can ever remember (and I was 50 a few months back)!

[Orraloon]

19 minutes ago, Yr Alban said:

What is bizarre is that Scotland have qualified for a major tournament with two games to spare (25% of the total), out of a group containing Spain and Norway, despite our resources at CF and CH being at least as poor as I can ever remember (and I was 50 a few months back)!

I agree with you about our CF options. They are no better (or worse) than what we have had over the past 20 years. But our centre backs have improved significantly. They are no world beaters, but they are a big improvement on the likes of MacManus, Weir and Caldwell, and those three were some of the better CBs we had over that time. 

[mccaughey85]

57 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

I agree with you about our CF options. They are no better (or worse) than what we have had over the past 20 years. But our centre backs have improved significantly. They are no world beaters, but they are a big improvement on the likes of MacManus, Weir and Caldwell, and those three were some of the better CBs we had over that time. 

None of our centre backs are an improvement on weir. He was a good epl centre back and and played in a good rangers side who reached the europa league final.

[ProudScot]

Robbie Ure gets his second for Anderlechts development team, he has potential too could be a player for us yet 

[syecosse]

37 minutes ago, ProudScot said:

Robbie Ure gets his second for Anderlechts development team, he has potential too could be a player for us yet 

They play in the second division in Belgium and there are some decent teams or a few that I have at least heard of, 2 in 2 games.