Why Strikers Miss Goals ? (1 Viewer)

[bringbackrattles]

As we're getting frustrated at our lack of goals, especially from our so called strikers, it raises the question : " why do they miss so many clear cut chances ? But not just our players but other clubs fans have moaned at their goal scorers fluffing goal opportunities time after time.
I was fortunate to have watched George Hudson bang in all types of goals for us, with his feet and head, he was lethal. If he was playing in this current team he'd be on 20 plus goals without doubt, as would Dublin, and numerous other strikers we've had over the years.
But were they just natural born goalscorers, not needing to be "taught" how to put the ball in the net ? Jimmy Greaves was a goal machine but hardly broke sweat during games. But watching some strikers these days many look they're trying too hard, and it often results in poor shooting and comical efforts.
So in conclusion maybe many miss easy chances because they're not born goalscorers, and have to work harder to make up for their lack of quality ?

 

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[rob9872]

No way of proving this of course, but

I have poor physique, never played professionally, have a fused left ankle and need contact lenses to see ... but I reckon from the chances we've created this season I would have at least a comparable goal tally to our strikers. It's difficult to explain why people paid to do this for a living, who train every day and consider themselves goal-scorers, have missed so many chances. For a while I thought perhaps confidence, get one to go in off their backside and it will get them going on a scoring run, but we've had that and it still hasn't happened. If it doesn't click soon, I'd be tempted to bin them all off and start again - they are young and will likely come good elsewhere, with us saying "what if", but

Sometimes I think we just have to accept that it hasn't worked, admit it was a mistake and move on. ​

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[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

For myself, the biggest reason would be tiredness. I'm not a natural athlete and that fatigue can just get you to skew a shot.

But in shooting drills in training I'd expect to get everything on target, with either foot, even if the keeper saved it. Even stuff like volleys I'd be expecting the vast majority to be on target. I played left back most of the time, with a bit of time on the wing.

It's not the same pressure situation or intensity as a game, but as Otis had said the pre-match shooting routines are woeful and so many chances are blazed high or wide. This is just poor technique. Then there is the confidence side of it and expecting to get slated if you miss when you're in a poor run of goalscoring form.

One of the things I felt from youth football was the strikers weren't necessarily those best at shooting - they were often the most selfish, egotistical "alpha male" personalities and couldn't be relied upon to do other jobs. What you described as goalhangers.

You get it with pundits that are strikers - Shearer is the worst - where he'll be far more sympathetic to a striker missing a chance "he was under pressure", "the ball bobbled" but a centre-back in the same position it's "he HAS to score that Gary - it's an extremely poor miss". Why I far more prefer defenders/midfielders becoming managers and coaches than strikers - far too self-centred and make it all about them.

 

[Houchens Head]

I rarely played outfield when I used to play, and then as full back, but I played in goals which I used to love (wasn't too bad, I hasten to add!). The only two goals I ever scored in my playing years, came in one game, when no-one wanted to come and take a corner. I was the full back and wanted all mid-fielders and forwards to flood the goal mouth, so I took the corner kick, right-footed and curled straight into the net! Bugger me, didn't I do it again a few minutes later. Same kick, same goal scored! In all the years that followed, I could never repeat that feat! I just carried on as a keeper!

 

[Nick]

I used to love pens, I could kick it harder than the other kids so used to just give it the foot through it approach and they would move out it's way.

 

[Houchens Head]

I used to love pens, I could kick it harder than the other kids so used to just give it the foot through it approach and they would move out it's way.

I dislocated the little finger on my left hand stopping a pen. Bend it totally the opposite way it supposed to be! That was about 1993 and it's still mis-shapen today! Mind you, the pen taker was the Midlands Kick Boxing Champion and a vicious loan shark!

 

[Houchens Head]

What my finger looked like at the time...……

 

[Gazolba]

I think strikers are being asked to do too much defensive work.
In my view they should be specialists in scoring goals and not much else.
But our strikers are probably following Robins' instructions.
There are so many things that go to making a successful team, it would fill a book.
The problem is CCFC's book has half the pages missing.

 

[tommydazzle]

Used to play a lot of five-a-side and all of us players could lash the ball in from any angle. It taught you to strike quickly and importantly, with small goals, put the ball where the goalie wasn't. Amazed how many professional footballers hit the ball at the keeper with a full size gaping goal.

 

[Covstu]

Confidence and coolness is key, Chaplin, Baka team al are shot on confidence and this shows on how nervous they look in front of goal. Strikers with high confidence seem to keep scoring even poor finishes as they are not doubting position, chasing lost causes and being in the right position

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Used to play a lot of five-a-side and all of us players could lash the ball in from any angle. It taught you to strike quickly and importantly, with small goals, put the ball where the goalie wasn't. Amazed how many professional footballers hit the ball at the keeper with a full size gaping goal.

I agree - 5 a side really does help with a few things technique wise - passing, shooting early and on-target even if you are much closer to the goal to begin with (although the goals are smaller as well). Only thing it doesn't really help with are stamina and spatial/tactical awareness on a full size pitch. I assume it's part of the training schedule.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

I think strikers are being asked to do too much defensive work.
In my view they should be specialists in scoring goals and not much else.
But our strikers are probably following Robins' instructions.
There are so many things that go to making a successful team, it would fill a book.
The problem is CCFC's book has half the pages missing.

As long as the team are under the understanding that a particular player is just in the team to score goals and the others will have to make up the slack. Then that striker (I don''t think you could put two on just to score goals - it'd leave too much for everyone else and the egos would make it unworkable) knows he has to score when a chance comes along to keep his place.

It also depends on how creative you are at making chances too. If you don't create much then you're essentially playing a player short because one isn't doing anything.

What's your opinion on midfielders/defenders 'chipping in'? Do you think they should be doing that or it's not their job and they're specialists at something else? Should defenders be asked to be comfortable on the ball and pass it around, or should their sole job be to keep the ball out of their net and as long as they do that they're fine?

 

[bringbackrattles]

As long as the team are under the understanding that a particular player is just in the team to score goals and the others will have to make up the slack. Then that striker (I don''t think you could put two on just to score goals - it'd leave too much for everyone else and the egos would make it unworkable) knows he has to score when a chance comes along to keep his place.

It also depends on how creative you are at making chances too. If you don't create much then you're essentially playing a player short because one isn't doing anything.

What's your opinion on midfielders/defenders 'chipping in'? Do you think they should be doing that or it's not their job and they're specialists at something else? Should defenders be asked to be comfortable on the ball and pass it around, or should their sole job be to keep the ball out of their net and as long as they do that they're fine?

Some good points there. If your strikers are firing blanks, other players should chip in and net a few.
But our strikers aren't doing the business, so that puts pressure on our midfield and defence. I've lost count of the games this season when we should have been 2 or 3 goals up, but we missed chances so let the opposition get in front, and then it's catch up time. It's frustrating though, because we play some good football, and we're not too far away from being a decent side.

 

[Gazolba]

As long as the team are under the understanding that a particular player is just in the team to score goals and the others will have to make up the slack. Then that striker (I don''t think you could put two on just to score goals - it'd leave too much for everyone else and the egos would make it unworkable) knows he has to score when a chance comes along to keep his place.

It also depends on how creative you are at making chances too. If you don't create much then you're essentially playing a player short because one isn't doing anything.

What's your opinion on midfielders/defenders 'chipping in'? Do you think they should be doing that or it's not their job and they're specialists at something else? Should defenders be asked to be comfortable on the ball and pass it around, or should their sole job be to keep the ball out of their net and as long as they do that they're fine?

I'm not saying strikers should do nothing other than hang around the opponents goal waiting for a tap-in. But they shouldn't have to run back when the opposition have possession and wear themselves out and they shouldn't have to defend corners. There wouldn't be much extra 'slack' because with a couple of strikers up front, the opposition dare not commit so many men forward and with a hard-tacking midfield they can always lose possesion. I believe football is a simple game which has become over complex. The defenders job is to get the ball to the midfielders and their job is to get it to the strikers, the strikers job is to score. Everyone performs best when they are doing what they are best at. Of course, that's an oversimplification. The details depend on the system and tactics the manager decides on and the players at his disposal.

 

[speedie87]

If you think back to the late eighties/ early 90’s most team played 442 often with a big man an little man upfront, and often it was the little man who scored most the goals. Players like lineker , cottee, Quinn, were all about living in the box and finishing- most of their goals were sliding in falling over just doing whatever it took to get the ball in the net.
Most teams now play 1upfront but it’s the big man, build up play man who survived not the goal hanging lad. Was watching Newport v Middlesbrough the other night Middlesbrough bought a couple a big lads on and I watching them thinking why do they play at a higher than scorers from lower leagues/ just watching them you can tell they aren’t goal scorers even in league 1-2 they’d wouldn’t score 20goals a season

I am for goal scores like billy sharp, hes not trying to look cool, do anything fancy he just wants to score goals.

 

[CJ_covblaze]

Just came across a stat that may indicate why we so many issues up front. We've not kept our top league goalscorer at the end of any of the last 8 seasons!

 

[speedie87]

If you think back to the late eighties/ early 90’s most team played 442 often with a big man an little man upfront, and often it was the little man who scored most the goals. Players like lineker , cottee, Quinn, were all about living in the box and finishing- most of their goals were sliding in falling over just doing whatever it took to get the ball in the net.
Most teams now play 1upfront but it’s the big man, build up play man who survived not the goal hanging lad. Was watching Newport v Middlesbrough the other night Middlesbrough bought a couple a big lads on and I watching them thinking why do they play at a higher than scorers from lower leagues/ just watching them you can tell they aren’t goal scorers even in league 1-2 they’d wouldn’t score 20goals a season

I am for goal scores like billy sharp, hes not trying to look cool, do anything fancy he just wants to score goals.

Billy sharp doing it again tonight 3 goals combined yardage of about 6 yards,

 

[tommydazzle]

If you think back to the late eighties/ early 90’s most team played 442 often with a big man an little man upfront, and often it was the little man who scored most the goals. Players like lineker , cottee, Quinn, were all about living in the box and finishing- most of their goals were sliding in falling over just doing whatever it took to get the ball in the net.
Most teams now play 1upfront but it’s the big man, build up play man who survived not the goal hanging lad. Was watching Newport v Middlesbrough the other night Middlesbrough bought a couple a big lads on and I watching them thinking why do they play at a higher than scorers from lower leagues/ just watching them you can tell they aren’t goal scorers even in league 1-2 they’d wouldn’t score 20goals a season

I am for goal scores like billy sharp, hes not trying to look cool, do anything fancy he just wants to score goals.

Ferguson and Wallace - our top scoring side in the top flight. Always a massive roar went up when we won a corner, flick ons, knock downs, spilled crosses - meat and drink to the dynamic duo.