What is "a good finisher"?

pickarooney

I was kind of baffled by a commentator's semi-rhetorical remark the other day:

"Is there a better finisher in the Premier League at the moment [than Eduardo]... his first league goal this season."



Surely one of the players who has finished 10 or 12 times in the league already could be considered a better finisher than a chap who's just broken his duck.

It's not the first time I've heard someone with an average scoring rate being referred to as a good finisher, so what exactly do people mean by it?

kippy

Most of the time I reckon it is just commentators trying to make "conversation". Hypying up a game/player really.
It's absolute tosh purely for the reason you've just stated in my opinion.

whatawaster

my rule of thumb is that they must have finishing of 18+ in FM, as well as 15+ in
composure.

PHB

A player who scores more than half of the decent chances he gets is a very good finisher. That would be players like Owen, Ole etc.
A player who does that, but at the same time, scores goals from almost impossible angles becomes a very very top class finisher, like Ruud.

Guy:Incognito

whatawaster wrote: »

my rule of thumb is that they must have finishing of 18+ in FM, as well as 15+ in
composure.

My stats are all 20.

NotWormBoy

PHB wrote: »

A player who scores more than half of the decent chances he gets is a very good finisher. That would be players like Owen, Ole etc.
A player who does that, but at the same time, scores goals from almost impossible angles becomes a very very top class finisher, like Ruud.

Ditto. Though I'd drop to maybe 2/5ths of the chances.

smackbunnybaby

pickarooney wrote: »

I was kind of baffled by a commentator's semi-rhetorical remark the other day:

"Is there a better finisher in the Premier League at the moment [than Eduardo]... his first league goal this season."



Surely one of the players who has finished 10 or 12 times in the league already could be considered a better finisher than a chap who's just broken his duck.

It's not the first time I've heard someone with an average scoring rate being referred to as a good finisher, so what exactly do people mean by it?

well eduardo's minutes on the pitch to goals scored is excellent. he only broke his duck in the league cus wenger has given him real game time.
for this reason i would have had eduardo in this list also.

pickarooney

Does it matter what kind of chances though? If you put away five out of six tap-ins played to your toe does it make you a better finisher than a guy who scores one in four shots from the edge of the box? At what stage would you consider someone to have a scoring chance?

Tusky

pickarooney wrote: »

I was kind of baffled by a commentator's semi-rhetorical remark the other day:

"Is there a better finisher in the Premier League at the moment [than Eduardo]... his first league goal this season."



Surely one of the players who has finished 10 or 12 times in the league already could be considered a better finisher than a chap who's just broken his duck.

It's not the first time I've heard someone with an average scoring rate being referred to as a good finisher, so what exactly do people mean by it?

This is a silly thread, isnt it an obvious question ? A good finisher is a player that has a very accurate shot and will score a high percentage of chances that they have. Eduarado is a great finisher. He is 3rd in the league for goals/minutes on the pitch after Ronaldo & Torres.

pd101

John O Shea:D Didnt he score with 4 out of his 6 attempts on goal last season.

estebancambias

What is a good finisher? Perhaps the question should be what is a natural finisher?

In that case I don't think Torres is per se.

And it was Johnathon Pearce who made that comment regarding Eduardo, leave him alone.

Basically for me a good finisher is the type of guy who when he gets a one on one with the goalie you KNOW he will score EVERY time (Ruud, Torres, Raul, Henry, Eto'o, Villa, Crespo), as opposed to a guy who theres still a doubt in your mind (Rooney, Owen, Adebayor etc).


It doesnt always mean that theyre better players (Rooney would be better than any of those guys at dropping behind for instance), it just means that they are better finishers.

estebancambias

I personally think El Nino(Torres) is just decent one on one with goalkeeper.

Tusky

estebancambias wrote: »

I personally think El Nino(Torres) is just decent one on one with goalkeeper.

Would have to completely disagree with that. Apart from the Newcastle game, Ive seen him score pretty much every 1v1 hes been in. That includes his games for Spain.

Pepe LeFrits

There's a damn good finisher.

Thanx 4 The Fish

Robbie Fowler.

Most natural finisher I have seen for some time at his prime.

Unearthly

Fowler back in his day, Solskjaer aswell, RVN etc

People who normally always score when given a chance

KdjaCL

13 goals in 21 apps for croatia.
8 in 12 for arsenal.


reckon that makes him a good finisher.


kdjac

Mr Alan

i agree he is a good finisher.

BUT it was pretty hilarious when the commentator said..."is there a better finisher in the PL at the moment"? and then followed it up with....."thats his first goal of the season".

Unearthly

Is this the goal against West Ham? That wasn't his 1st premiership goal

Mr Alan

his first home premiership goal maybe?

Big Ears

A 'good finisher' is a player that is good at finishing chances...........sounds crazy I know .

eZe^

Thierry Henry.

Seaneh

Pippo is the best finisher in the world, looks like a baby deer on ice skates but is absolutly leathal in the box, not natural finisher I've ever seen and never stops working!

Pepe LeFrits

That he also plays for Milan is a happy coincidence!

Pepe LeFrits

eZe^ wrote: »

Thierry Henry.

Finishing was never really his strong point, although I guess he fits the thread's title. Not great though.

Seaneh

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

That he also plays for Milan is a happy coincidence!

haha, even when he was at Juve I loved the guy!

Helix

Thanx 4 The Fish wrote: »

Robbie Fowler.

Most natural finisher I have seen for some time at his prime.

absolutely, but i think eduardohas it in him to be better tbh

the blokes composure is just phenomenal

Bubs101

Best finisher ever

Peyton Manning

Ruud Van Nistelrooy is the best finisher the premiership has seen.

Mr Alan

best finisher ever in the PL.

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=zHaxf1dMDWY

irishpartyboy

I think the boy Fowler & Ole were best the natural finishers ever seen in the PL.

I think Ole shades Fowler just - length of time at the top and longevity. Fowler went to the dogs after he left the Pool first time.

Come on Ole - http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=dbSYjq4j7Os

Helix

Archimedes wrote: »

Ruud Van Nistelrooy is the best finisher the premiership has seen.

nah, hes behind fowler for me

Mr Alan

Fowler scored goals everywhere he went

estebancambias

Ronaldo is the best finisher ever. His stats are insane.

Mr Alan

Brazilian or Portugeese Ronaldo?

estebancambias

The REAL Ronaldo, you decide...

irishpartyboy

Well even as a Pool fan, I'm sure you will agree when Fowler left Liverpool for the first time, he was half the player he used to be. He should have been at his peak. The paint fumes must have gone to his head.

Mr Alan wrote: »

Fowler scored goals everywhere he went

eZe^

estebancambias wrote: »

Ronaldo is the best finisher ever. His stats are insane.

Agreed, 34 goals in 37 games for barcelona...

Mr Alan

Fowler scored 14 goals in 29 games at Leeds as far as i know.

irishpartyboy

I'm not arguing with that ratio, but he wasn't the same player when he left. I'm sure many would agree.

Look at Lee Sharpe, went to the dogs after he left United - also to Leeds and then to lower leagues. Waste of talent.

Anyway my opinion is, top clubs like the Pool and Utd decide when to let these players go - reason being they're not doing their stuff - primarily due to off-field distractions..

Mr Alan wrote: »

Fowler scored 14 goals in 29 games at Leeds as far as i know.

Peyton Manning

eZe^ wrote: »

Agreed, 34 goals in 37 games for barcelona...

His goal to games ratio is just insane when you look at it.

Club....................Apps.......Goals
Cruzeiro...............13............12
PSV....................46.............42
FC Barcelona........37.............32
Internazionale.......69............49
Real Madrid.........127............83
A.C. Milan...........14..............7
Brazil..................97.............62

Best player ever

Mr Alan

Archimedes wrote: »

Club....................Apps.......Goals
Cruzeiro...............13............12
PSV....................46.............42
FC Barcelona........37.............32
Internazionale.......69............49
Real Madrid.........127............83
A.C. Milan...........14..............7
Brazil..................97.............62

well thats put an end to this debate! Best of our time certainly.

pickarooney

So what about someone like Mateja Kezman? 35+ goals a season in Holland and then can't hit a banjo from six yard with a barn door in England - if this 'finishing' lark is a natural ability, why does it not translate? Same with Dirk Kuyt, scores 2/3 games in Holland but would you'd thrown out of most pubs for suggesting he was a great finisher, surely?

People always seem to think it makes them look wise to say "Fowler is the greatest natural finisher in blah blah blah" but once Michael Owen appeared on the scene the only thing he finished was his career as a serious goalscorer. Can someone explain to me why Owen, or Shearer for that matter are less accomplished finishers than the Toxteth Daschhund?

Mr Alan

Owen never scored 20 or more in a season.

Unearthly

Mr Alan wrote: »

Owen never scored 20 or more in a season.

He did but not in league goals

To answer Pickarooney

Proliffic scoring doesn't neccesarily mean great finisher. Henry wasn't a great finisher, but still ended up with a lot of goals. Kuyt is not a great finisher as proven by his premiership stay, and Kezman was playing upfront on his own when given a chance, which he wasn't suited to, unlike the likes of Van Nistelrooy etc

Tusky

Helix wrote: »

absolutely, but i think eduardohas it in him to be better tbh

the blokes composure is just phenomenal

Is this a joke ? Eduardo is 24. Folwers was doing it long before then.

estebancambias

He finished long before as well.

PHB

I think Ronaldo was without a doubt the best forward of his generation, but Ruud is imo the best finisher I've ever seen. When he gets a chance, you'd bet a lot of money on him to score it. Problem is, he's not exactly fast and doesn't have a powerful shot outside the box, so nearly all of his chances come from his positional movement. As such, he is a somewhat limited player.

Ronaldo can do everything. Not to the same level as a limited player who focuses on something, but he had everything. Pace, Power, Strength, Ability. He was magical. I really hope he is magical again. Nothing used to bring me greater joy than watching Zidane play, so I hope that Ronaldo can get back some of his game and remind the world why he was the best player of his generation by a long mile.

Helix

Tusky wrote: »

Is this a joke ? Eduardo is 24. Folwers was doing it long before then.

doesnt matter what age eduardo is at the moment or from what age fowler was doing it

eduardo one on one or within 12 yards looks absolutely peerless, if he keeps it up he'll definitely go down as being a better finisher than fowler, and i rate fowler as the best ive seen in the premiership

WhiteWashMan

From the EPL, I would have picked players like Shearer, Owen, Sheringham, Berbatov, Drogba and Andy Cole.
I reckon they were all top class finishers.

Personally wouldnt put them in the same catagory as prolific strikers, but these were guys that were able to score pretty consistantly with great finishes.

Different skill to being in the right place at the right time to tap in a 2 foot goal, allthough, i reckon they all had that ability as well.

Have to say, those stats for Ronaldo are very impressive. never realised he had scored so many goals! Now, he was both a prolific striker, and a world class finisher.