Sol Campbell joins on one-year contract

[Thespence]

A world class goalscorer manages at least one season of 20 league goals, surely?

 

Unless of course we're looking squarely at Owen's creative genius. His tenacity and vision perhaps? f*** off.

 

He got 19 twice. Call the f***ing cops.

 

And that's his bragging right? 19, twice. Yeah, world class my left nut.

 

I don't think he is bragging about that is he. Unless you think I am him & I don't think that post was bragging. I would imagine he may talk fondly of his Ballon d'Or though.

 

The respected poster known as Swelly talked about 1 in 2 the other day which MO did often in his hey day at Liverpool.

[Optimistic Nut]

There's only thing you can judge goalscorers on, Rich.

 

There was nowt else to his game, so that's ultimately what it boils down to.

 

For Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle & Man Utd, he has 160 league goals in 276 starts and 65 sub apps.

For Liverpool, Newcastle & Man Utd, he has 23 goals in 36 starts and 6 sub apps in domestic cup competitions.

For Liverpool & Man Utd, he has 28 Euro goals from 53 starts and 11 sub apps.

 

He also has 40 goals for his country.

 

You like your stats, try and pick your way through that.

[Doctor Zaius]

Whats the definition of world class here? One of the best players in the world currently? Or one of the best players in the world ever?

[Thespence]

There's only thing you can judge goalscorers on, Rich.

 

 

If they got 20 top flight league goals once in there career?

 

Has the 24 year old Xisco got 20 top flight career league goals? Genuine question.

[Rich]

I can't go down the line of arguing ratio versus simple goals per season again, it was an utter ballache last time (admittedly that argument was with a clueless wanker) but that tends to be a better judge of quality (in my opinion). Even though both are ultimately flawed as they never tell you how the goals came, who they were against, what the circumstances were, etc.

 

But he had a ratio of better than 1-in-2 for Liverpool (easily in the league, and just about across all competitions) and just watching him, he was completely unplayable at times. He wasn't always taking penalties either (I know you love that one in regards to Drogba, particularly.) Dunno about the goals per minute, but that would be my usual go-to if I had the information to hand (it's the one I have known to be used most regularly by people in the game as well).

 

When you look into it a bit deeper the stats back him up, despite never hitting 20 in a single season. On the international stage it's the same.

 

That's about as much as I can argue without simply saying "well I saw him when he was at the top of his game and he was world class", which is the case as well to be fair, but then that's just my opinion.

[Cajun]

World class goalscorer but when you had people like Henry with a better goal ratio not to mention everything else he brought to the team which Owen simply wasn't capable of then I can't agree Owen was a world class player.

 

Van horseface's ratio must have dwarfed Owens too. Then you have the likes of trezeget and ibrahimovic who are often criticised but have done similar jobs.

[Ronaldo]

There's only thing you can judge goalscorers on, Rich.

 

There was nowt else to his game, so that's ultimately what it boils down to.

 

For Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle & Man Utd, he has 160 league goals in 276 starts and 65 sub apps.

For Liverpool, Newcastle & Man Utd, he has 23 goals in 36 starts and 6 sub apps in domestic cup competitions.

For Liverpool & Man Utd, he has 28 Euro goals from 53 starts and 11 sub apps.

 

He also has 40 goals for his country.

 

You like your stats, try and pick your way through that.

 

None of that makes him world class. Over a period of 10 years he was generally a very good goalscorer, nobody said any different.

[Ronaldo]

There's only thing you can judge goalscorers on, Rich.

 

 

If they got 20 top flight league goals once in there career?

 

Has the 24 year old Xisco got 20 top flight career league goals? Genuine question.

 

You've got mental issues.

[Optimistic Nut]

You just said yourself you can only judge him on his goalscoring.

[Thespence]

There's only thing you can judge goalscorers on, Rich.

 

 

If they got 20 top flight league goals once in there career?

 

Has the 24 year old Xisco got 20 top flight career league goals? Genuine question.

 

You've got mental issues.

 

Madras is mental, I have mental issues. I wonder what your word of the week is. Straight up has Xisco got 20 top flight goals yet.

[colinmk]

World class goalscorer but when you had people like Henry with a better goal ratio not to mention everything else he brought to the team which Owen simply wasn't capable of then I can't agree Owen was a world class player.

 

Van horseface's ratio must have dwarfed Owens too. Then you have the likes of trezeget and ibrahimovic who are often criticised but have done similar jobs.

 

Pretty much my views, can't put Owen up there.

[Rich]

World class goalscorer but when you had people like Henry with a better goal ratio not to mention everything else he brought to the team which Owen simply wasn't capable of then I can't agree Owen was a world class player.

 

Van horseface's ratio must have dwarfed Owens too. Then you have the likes of trezeget and ibrahimovic who are often criticised but have done similar jobs.

 

Easy enough to argue that Henry and van Nistelrooy did it in better teams (although I would say that they were both world class individually during their Premiership career and beyond, to an extent with the latter point). Bit boring though.

 

Nobody is going to change anybody else's mind here, but I can't accept that "19 goal" shite as a stick to beat him with.

 

Ronaldo doesn't think he's world class based on what he's seen of him, which is his opinion and fair enough, you don't think he's world class, which again is fair enough. I think he was world class, certainly for a decent spell of a few years. That's all there is to it.

 

Not going to sit here and watch people write opinions as though they are fact though, does my fucking nut in.

[Ronaldo]

You can only judge him on his goalscoring, because that's all he had to his game.

 

Scoring goals (alone) isn't enough to make a player world class, unless it's a standout brilliant record, which Owen's clearly isn't.

[Doctor Zaius]

You can only judge him on his goalscoring, because that's all he had to his game.

 

Scoring goals (alone) isn't enough to make a player world class , unless it's a standout brilliant record, which Owen's clearly isn't.

 

I think it is. Just because a player doesnt have an all round game doesnt mean he isnt worldclass in my view.

[Thespence]

Even the dullards that are the commercial dept @ NUFC should be able to see a few boxes to Barrett Homes now.

[Cajun]

To be fair the only reason he never scored more than 19 in the league is injuries, if he was lampard-esque fitness wise he would have done for a good few seasons.

 

I still don't think he had any outstanding attributes other than his finishing which to me seperates world class from exceptional at one aspect. I know people say "he's a striker, his job is to score goals!" but to me, world class players are those who go beyond what is expected of them as their main objective.

[Ronaldo]

Or at least can come up with an assist or two every 3 years.

[EthiGeordie]

  Ohhh my " WORLD CLASS " statement create a havoc over here.

[Guest neesy111]

The term world class is used for too much, only players like messi, zidane, ronaldo, figo of recent years should go down as world class

 

no one is doubting owen as a goalscorer until 2008, but the best players adapt their games ala. shearer, giggs

 

i think liverpool fan's wouldn't say owen was 'world class'

[Guest elbee909]

You can only judge him on his goalscoring, because that's all he had to his game.

 

Scoring goals (alone) isn't enough to make a player world class , unless it's a standout brilliant record, which Owen's clearly isn't.

 

I think it is. Just because a player doesnt have an all round game doesnt mean he isnt worldclass in my view.

 

Kevin Philips.

[NG32]

The term world class is used for too much, only players like messi, zidane, ronaldo, figo of recent years should go down as world class

 

no one is doubting owen as a goalscorer until 2008, but the best players adapt their games ala. shearer, giggs

 

i think liverpool fan's wouldn't say owen was 'world class'

 

How can you adapt your game when Sam Allerdyce is hoofing long balls at you and you're having to challenge for headers against players like Samba.

 

I think KK had adapated Owens game well.

[Dave]

Michael Owen doesn't have an outstanding goalscoring record.

 

Fucking heard it all now. :lol:

[Disco]

Its a subjective term anyways so nobody is going to win the argument.

[Guest Stephen927]

In 2 seasons Michael Owen came 2 goals shy of 30 in all competitions. He was world class in the way he manipulated the defence to allow him to get into a one on one situation time and time again. In terms of finding space in the 18 yard box despite his obvious danger he was one of the best in the world. Up until 2005, if you put him into your team he would get you goals.

[joeyt]

Ronnie Gale saying that he won't be made captain