Bolton Strikers: Why Are They So Shite?

Let's face it, our strikers are all crap.

Credit to Ngog, he has come a long way on absolutely no talent. Awful player and his goal yesterday has done nothing to change that.

Kevin Davies was once a great Bolton player but his best is years behind him and he simply isn't good enough anymore.

Sordell looks to have a bit of talent but can't produce it to any consistency - and if I'm being honest his finishing isn't that good.

Craig Davies hasn't really had a fair crack of the whip yet, but from what I've seen he's not going to be troubling the goal statisticians very often.

So this Summer Dougie has to find someone to score goals. I'm not interested in "team players" or "100% effort" strikers, I want a forward with proven goalscoring ability. Look at Jordan Rhodes at Rovers. Scored a bagful at Huddersfield in League 1 and has done the same at Rovers a division higher, despite being in a shite team.

Natural goalscorers will often score goals whatever division they play in because they get themselves in the right positions and can finish.

So I'd like Dougie to look at Championship & League 1 teams and buy a couple of strikers that have scored goals over the last couple of seasons. It's not bloody rocket science is it.

Yes but ... only 3 teams have scored more goals in the Championship than us so far this season. It's our defence that used to let us down (thanks again OC).

Sometimes it doesn't matter who scores as long as someone does.

xmiles wrote:Yes but ... only 3 teams have scored more goals in the Championship than us so far this season. It's our defence that used to let us down (thanks again OC).

Sometimes it doesn't matter who scores as long as someone does.

True, but if we'd had a 20 goal striker I suspect we'd be pushing Hull & Watford for second place.

If we had some competent defenders we'd be in the top 4 no question.

individual errors, mostly defensive, have lost us a large majority of those 29 (?) points we've dropped.

Just 10 of them back, hell 6 of them, would obviously put us in a better place.

Klasnic was our last goalscorer and most complained about his work rate ....you can't have it all.
Cavies has scored goals but not had a run in our side as of yet. Ngog has never scored goals in his entire career but I think he is useful and does try to beat a man, run at defenders and have a shot. SKD has kept most of them from having a run either individually or together...strikers need to play together to pick up on each others flicks & moves. I blame Doog for this.
If we don't get promoted what striker of note would want to join us? everybody needs quality strikers and as per usual other clubs are perceived to have more ambition etc...than us.

I've just mentioned Dwight gayle on the Dawson thread.

If we don't go up I hope we go for him, if we do go up I'd like to see a better striker come in.

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I don't see many "ambitious" signings in there. Ok Rhodes was a gamble, thats fired Blackburn into the relegation spots.

Ince is considered to have a lot of upside, other than that it's journeymen, It's about finding a poacher. You don't need to be spending 15 million on anyone in this league.

Any donkey can score given quality service and enough chances. Not saying our strikers are great, but our defensive improvements have been in part due to midfielders playing deeper, so less chances up front. We can't afford better strikers than we have so our best hope is to find an undiscovered talent and that ain't easy unless there's another Michu out there somwhere. FWIW I think that despite acting like a petulant child, Sords is improving the more starts he makes and Ngog may be a worker, but he still gets the occasional goal and keeps possession most of the time so I wouldn't be rushing to dump either unless we are lucky enough to find an affordable superstar. If they get us back in the prem, then maybe the manager will be allowed to spend a few quid on a striker, but TBH I think his budget would be spoken for replacing those that leave.

wanderlust wrote:We can't afford better strikers than we have so our best hope is to find an undiscovered talent and that ain't easy

He doesn't have to be undiscovered because that usually means he's hardly scored a goal all season.

Better to take a chance on a regular scorer at an unfashionable club.

Hipster_Nebula wrote: Ok Rhodes was a gamble, thats fired Blackburn into the relegation spots.

What's your point, that Rovers are in the relegation zone because they signed Rhodes?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Hipster_Nebula wrote: Ok Rhodes was a gamble, thats fired Blackburn into the relegation spots.

What's your point, that Rovers are in the relegation zone because they signed Rhodes?

No that having someone scoring a hat full of goals doesn't mean you'll be top.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

No that having someone scoring a hat full of goals doesn't mean you'll be top.

Hopefully you'll agree that there's more chance of being top than bottom with a 20 goal a season striker?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

No that having someone scoring a hat full of goals doesn't mean you'll be top.

Hopefully you'll agree that there's more chance of being top than bottom with a 20 goal a season striker?

It's always nice to have a striker with that ability to poach 12-15 goals but it's not an absolute must.

Cardiffs top scorer has 8.

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Because we buy poorly, who was the last decent striker to come through the Academy? I can't remember any at all?

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

It's always nice to have a striker with that ability to poach 12-15 goals but it's not an absolute must.

Cardiffs top scorer has 8.

It's generally a must to have a 15+ goal striker if you're going to win anything.

'Ince is considered to have a lot of upside, other than that it's journeymen'


I'd say that there are at least three more other than Rhodes and Ince in that list who don't fall into the category of journeymen.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

It's always nice to have a striker with that ability to poach 12-15 goals but it's not an absolute must.

Cardiffs top scorer has 8.

It's generally a must to have a 15+ goal striker if you're going to win anything.

Apart from Cardiff.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

Apart from Cardiff.

Southampton & Reading went up last season with 15+ strikers. As did the two clubs who went up the year before.

I'm not saying it happens every time, but in general you need a 15+ striker to go up.

The hipster and whittam show is back.

At least we don't have the mayhem that prevailed when Largehat went on a rant.