Alexander Isak

[Astroblack]

4 hours ago, Pata said:

 

Lineker was before my time, can't really remember peak Fowler either.

 

Van Nistelrooy is in the top 3 of my just now made up all-time overrated/boring players list (alongside Cole). I can admit that he was extremely efficient and great finisher but that style of play has never done anything for me. If you can't go past a player or never score outside of the box and most of your goals are tap-ins from inside the six yard box, I just think you are boring to watch with good intangibles/senses. I know I'm very alone with this opinion and have got pelters for it here before.  At least RvN was an elite finisher which I never saw in Man Utd Andy Cole.

 

Even though he has tons of goals, I found Aguero's style of play quite boring. I do this day don't know what it was. He doesn't stand out like an Henry, Drogba, Suarez. I often forget he was even in the Premier League. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Fowler's finishing was insane. 

[Ronaldo]

RvN went past people for PSV and United mind. Not often, but that wasn’t how he was most effective. He’s about as good as I’ve seen at the one touch and then finish. 

[huss9]

Lineker was a predator.

great pace.

just had the knack of knowing where to be.

but that chance vs argentina in the quarters in 86.... had it gone in , sure we would have won the tournament.

[The College Dropout]

19 hours ago, Pata said:

Andy Cole at NUFC was right before my time but I can't accept having Man Utd Cole being part of that group. His finishing was horrible despite the raw numbers and I always laughed at him. Would be interesting to see some xG data from that period but feel like he should have scored a ton more at Man Utd.

 

 

 

Always felt that was a harsh narrative that he had. 
 

He’s second in the all time top scorer list for non penalty PL goals. More than Kane, Rooney, Fowler, Aguero, Henry etc.  Only 19 behind Shearer but people will get on the internet and say ‘his finishing was horrible.’

 

Remove penalties and his goals per game ratio would be close if not higher than RVN who is considered clinical.  While being even more limited all-round than Cole.  

 

 

[HaydnNUFC]

20 hours ago, Beren said:

 

I know you're not having a go at him, but I disagree with this massively.

 

We've used him like he's Dirk Kuyt. Him being gassed/sloppy as a consequence of this is not on him or his consistency.

 

Yep. We have consistently failed to use him correctly and get the best out him away from home. Especially last season and so far this.

[The College Dropout]

RVN - 77 goals from open play in the PL to my count. 0.51 strike rate.  
 

Cole - 0.47 strike rate for Man U from open play. 
 

RVN better by 0.04/5%
 

One was a lethal finisher. The other was horrible. 

 

 

Edited Friday at 11:28 by The College Dropout

[Sima]

Andy Cole was unreal in 93/94 but the team was built around him scoring.  Like someone mentioned earlier, having a Beardsley feeding Isak would be magical.

[Monters]

3 minutes ago, Sima said:

Andy Cole was unreal in 93/94 but the team was built around him scoring.  Like someone mentioned earlier, having a Beardsley feeding Isak would be magical.

True! And would be the perfect way for our much discussed Sporting Director to announce himself to the world 

[Ronaldo]

1 hour ago, The College Dropout said:

Always felt that was a harsh narrative that he had. 
 

He’s second in the all time top scorer list for non penalty PL goals. More than Kane, Rooney, Fowler, Aguero, Henry etc.  Only 19 behind Shearer but people will get on the internet and say ‘his finishing was horrible.’

 

Remove penalties and his goals per game ratio would be close if not higher than RVN who is considered clinical.  While being even more limited all-round than Cole.  

 

 

How was RVN more limited than Cole? What was Cole better at?

[gbandit]

RVN was so limited outside of goalscoring yet an unbelievable striker. I’d put him above Cole in terms of being a pure striker 

[The College Dropout]

1 hour ago, Ronaldo said:

How was RVN more limited than Cole? What was Cole better at?

Ruud was the quintessential greedy striker.  In an era of 2 strikers and proper number 10s he never really struck an elite partnership or combination. He just ate off the others without giving much to them apart from the assist. 
 

Andy Cole isn’t credited for his all round game either but he had 2 of the best partnerships the PL has seen.  He hit double figure in assists with us iirc. 
 

 

Ruud initially had the whole team built around him and they won 1 league title and FA Cup. I don’t think it’s a an accident that the relatively lean years were with RVN as their main man.  Directly before and after Man U were dominant.  If RVN was a more selfless player he could’ve been a part of that next phase.

[The College Dropout]

31 minutes ago, gbandit said:

RVN was so limited outside of goalscoring yet an unbelievable striker. I’d put him above Cole in terms of being a pure striker 

I would too as a pure striker. The numbers give him the edge.  But people act like he was this greyhound in the box and super duper elite finisher. While Cole needed 10 attempts to score 1 goal.  When the numbers show they were close. 
 

What they did in the Prem - they were pretty equal.  Same level overall. Neither touching Harold Kane.  That’s another level imo.  
 

A lot of it is narrative and personality. Cole has that kind of quiet, sulky demeanour.  Not taking penalties makes his numbers look worse. 

[Ronaldo]

17 hours ago, The College Dropout said:

Ruud was the quintessential greedy striker.  In an era of 2 strikers and proper number 10s he never really struck an elite partnership or combination. He just ate off the others without giving much to them apart from the assist. 
 

Andy Cole isn’t credited for his all round game either but he had 2 of the best partnerships the PL has seen.  He hit double figure in assists with us iirc. 
 

 

Ruud initially had the whole team built around him and they won 1 league title and FA Cup. I don’t think it’s a an accident that the relatively lean years were with RVN as their main man.  Directly before and after Man U were dominant.  If RVN was a more selfless player he could’ve been a part of that next phase.

They were up against an elite Arsenal and elite Chelsea under JM.

[gbandit]

This lad’s scoring tomorrow 

[The College Dropout]

1 hour ago, Ronaldo said:

They were up against an elite Arsenal and elite Chelsea under JM.

Finished behind Liverpool in his first season. Behind Ranieri's Chelsea.

 

Losing to the likes of Leverkusen & Porto in the CL.

 

Only got more than 80 points twice while he was there. The second one was while he was being phased out.

 

Prime Cole would've been a good part of that squad. RVN could never - too selfish and not prolific enough to compensate.

 

Neville says it himself - RVN was the most selfish striker he ever played with and he respected that but he acknowledges it may have come at a slight detriment to the team. RVN was doing all of that and still being outscored by Thierry.

 

 

Edited yesterday at 09:26 by The College Dropout

[Ronaldo]

In his first 2 seasons I’m sure they scored the same amount. Henry and RVN.

 

Either way, Cole was literally not better at anything. 

[Conjo]

4 hours ago, gbandit said:

This lad’s scoring tomorrow 

 

I've gone against his wishes and captained him in my fantasy team. 1 assist at best.

[Mahoneys Tache]

10 hours ago, gbandit said:

This lad’s scoring tomorrow 

Hat trick. 

[Coffee_Johnny]

16 hours ago, Conjo said:

 

I've gone against his wishes and captained him in my fantasy team. 1 assist at best.

I’ve got Watkins (captain) Haaland and Isak. So expecting a hat trick of braces. Yes, please, and thank you, very much. 

[PauloGeordio]

18 minutes ago, Coffee_Johnny said:

I’ve got Watkins (captain) Haaland and Isak. So expecting a hat trick of braces. Yes, please, and thank you, very much. 

He’ll be itching to ketchup with Haaland. Let’s hope he’s off the mark again today!

[Gawalls]

On 13/09/2024 at 10:27, huss9 said:

Lineker was a predator.

great pace.

just had the knack of knowing where to be.

but that chance vs argentina in the quarters in 86.... had it gone in , sure we would have won the tournament.

I read Linekars biography many years back so memory hazy and this may be out of context but he stated that he spent so much time learning how to read the game so he knew how and when to be in the right place. He said to do it consistently is a skill.

[Heron]

1 hour ago, Gawalls said:

I read Linekars biography many years back so memory hazy and this may be out of context but he stated that he spent so much time learning how to read the game so he knew how and when to be in the right place. He said to do it consistently is a skill.

Many good players aren't great simply because they're technically talented but aren't smart enough or capable of reading the game as well as they should.

[The College Dropout]

On 14/09/2024 at 11:10, Ronaldo said:

In his first 2 seasons I’m sure they scored the same amount. Henry and RVN.

 

Either way, Cole was literally not better at anything. 

Henry scored more non penalty goals. In the one season RVN outscored Henry 25 to 24, RVN took and scored 8 penalties compared to Henry taking and scoring 3. 

 

Henry was a better goalscorer than RVN and a much much better player.  
 

Cole’s all round game was better than RVNs. He was a better  team player and forged great partnerships. 
 

RVN the most over rated player of the PL era.  

[toon25]

Top of the list for boring as fuck but ruthlessly efficient strikers in recent times has to be Filippo Inzaghi