Strikers - what's happened to them?

Where have all the £#%&!ing centre forwards gone in world football? 20 years ago there were £#%&!ing loads of really good centre forwards operating in european football.

Now it's slim pickings. What's the £#%&!ing cause? Is it a dead position now? Has football terrorist Guardiola's 'false 9' tiki taka shite caused it?

Don't know

Originally Posted by Sapien

Don't know

Quality footballers in general are a rare thing not just strikers.

what's luka jović up to these days?

We've got an excellent one on our books who won't play for us again.

Originally Posted by redhegemony

We've got an excellent one on our books who won't play for us again.

we would be level with arsenal if greenwood wasn't such a £#%&!ing dick.

Originally Posted by redhegemony

We've got an excellent one on our books who won't play for us again.

Let's see how the court case pans out before we make strong ststmenents like that.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Where have all the f***ing centre forwards gone in world football? 20 years ago there were f***ing loads of really good centre forwards operating in european football.

Now it's slim pickings. What's the f***ing cause? Is it a dead position now? Has football terrorist Guardiola's 'false 9' tiki taka shite caused it?

Ever since Henry they all want to be wingers

Originally Posted by redhegemony

We've got an excellent one on our books who won't play for us again.

Not arsed, he's also a winger by design....

Sparky is right, there isn't a. Lot of out and out strikers about....

On my fa coaching level 2 now and it's all aimed at finding space and retaining ball...

I don't play my teams like that, almost go along with it in classes......

Where's all the number 9's, the big lumps, the Lidil Andy carol's....



Dying breed

Horrific tiki-taka accelerated it but even we spurned an out and out striker in 06 with RVN and had our last great team essentially be comprised of three roaming forward players. Fergie rightly saw that more control was needed in Europe and helter skelter English football wasn’t going to translate as well, Guardiola got that idea and took it to its end point of suffocating so that no football would break out.

It’s all about inverted wingers and playmakers these days. I think the tiki-taka thing is running out of steam though. Wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years time we get a new generation of strikers running the show and you’ll have people wondering what happened to all the false 9s.

Same place as all the proper midfielders, I suppose

Worst era for spread of talent since the 80’s?

Originally Posted by Chris Quayd

Horrific tiki-taka accelerated it but even we spurned an out and out striker in 06 with RVN and had our last great team essentially be comprised of three roaming forward players. Fergie rightly saw that more control was needed in Europe and helter skelter English football wasn’t going to translate as well, Guardiola got that idea and took it to its end point of suffocating so that no football would break out.

This is very true. The helter skelter football of the 90s/2000s is well and truly dead, now its all geared towards control and dominating games through endless cycles of benign passing.

Guardiola has perfected his machine at City though, it's like watching 11 robots carrying out pre-programmed passing drills, one drops out - another seamlessly takes it's place to slot in and do exactly the same thing. There's no room for individual flair or imagination, it's all about enacting what that autistic #@&%! has drilled into them.

The general standard of player has dipped significantly.

Pierre Van Hooijdonk would be worth 90M today such is the shortage.

Just because we’ve not had one in the last 10 years doesn’t mean they don’t exist, literally every top club in Europe over the last ten years has had one and still does.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

This is very true. The helter skelter football of the 90s/2000s is well and truly dead, now its all geared towards control and dominating games through endless cycles of benign passing.

Guardiola has perfected his machine at City though, it's like watching 11 robots carrying out pre-programmed passing drills, one drops out - another seamlessly takes it's place to slot in and do exactly the same thing. There's no room for individual flair or imagination, it's all about enacting what that autistic #@&%! has drilled into them.

Yet Guardiola then signs the best "old fashioned centre forward" about.

It's a mixed up muddled up shook up world.

Originally Posted by believe

Just because we’ve not had one in the last 10 years doesn’t mean they don’t exist, literally every top club in Europe over the last ten years has had one and still does.

oh here he goes, Mr Devils advocate lashing out.

Originally Posted by sweetleftfoot

Yet Guardiola then signs the best "old fashioned centre forward" about.

It's a mixed up muddled up shook up world.

Because he could.

But yeah.

Originally Posted by Stickman

oh here he goes, Mr Devils advocate lashing out.

a 34yo lewa is probably still the best pure striker in europe, which tells you a lot.

you just don't get as many classic no 9's these days. it's not how the top teams play.

could probably argue to a point that that freak at city is one. But in the top 6 only really Spurs, with Kane, operate with a pure striker and he drops deep a shitload as well and plays split w/ Son