A Question For The Oldies

[merlin]

I think its a difficult one, but Shearer has serious competition from both Lineker and Greaves ; the difference is basically that all 3 were different types of striker - Shearer had more all-round power than both of them, but Lineker was a very good footballer as well as with a great instinct for a chance ; both of them together would have been an awesome prospect, esp with someone like Beardsley behind them...

 

Greaves was basically an instinctive finisher - but what a finisher !

He is one of the few British strikers(I suppose John Charles was the other) who have made it in the Italian League as well as in England.. he didn't have Shearer's power, or Lineker's all-round ability, but he had an unbelievable eye for chances.. very unlucky to miss out on the WC of 1966, but they did OK without him..

 

Interestingly, if you compare Newcastle strikers who played for England in the last 30 years, Shearer beats Macdonald as an England player and was certainly possibly a better ALL ROUND striker, but Supermac would have left him(AND Lineker) dead for pace over 30 yards - he could do 100m in 10 secs...!!

Was really exciting to watch in full flow, very strong for his size, and good in the air too.

Only weakness was his reliance on his left foot, but boy, his power was awesome - saw a goal against Leicester in 1975(not televised unfortunately), which went in from 35 yards like a bullet - the keeper was still diving as it hit the top corner..best strike I've ever seen for power.

[macbeth]

For England, the tops are Greaves and Michael Owen. Greaves was the perfect finisher, Owen's speed and finishign has been fantastic.

 

Overall though has to be Greaves 44 goals from 57 caps !!

 

Greaves' overall stats are

 

Years Club App  - Goals

1957-1961 Chelsea  157 - 124

1961-1962 AC Milan  14 - 9

1961-1970 Spurs 321 - 220

1970-1971 West Ham 38 - 13

[Guest The Corner]

Some strikers on a par with Shearer and not necessarily English during my time would be:

 

Jimmy Greaves

Denis Law

Allan Clarke

Martin Chivers

Ian Wright

Gary Lineker

Mark Hughes

Francis Lee

Bobby Charlton

Kenny Dalglish

Kevin Keegan

Trevor Francis

Peter Osgood

Pop Robson

Malcolm MacDonald

Brian Clough

Geoff Hurst

Emile Heskey

Some great goalscorers, not necessarily all in the Shearer mould

 

[Cronky]

I chose Shearer because he was as near as you can get to the complete package. He could play as a target man, or off another striker. He could head, he could finish from short or long range. His touch on the ball was decent. He was strong, hard-working and his reading of the game was impeccable. His only real weakness was a shortage of pace, but even then, at the peak of his career, he wasn't exactly slow.

 

With all the others, you could spot a more significant flaw. Greaves couldn't head the ball and was a specialist finisher rather than a target man. Lineker didn't graft and his touch wasn't great.

 

The British strikers that I'd put in the same class as Shearer weren't English - Law, Dalglish and Rush. Law in particular was a great player. No defender could keep him quiet for the full 90 minutes.

[NE5]

England were a better team and won the World Cup without Greaves. His replacement scored a hat trick in the Final. Lineker, Greaves and Owen are all from a similar mould, but :

 

Shearer is by far the most complete package of all the England strikers in my time.

 

I always thought Martin Chivers was very underrated.