Best EPL era Striker

Knex*

pickarooney wrote: »

How he beat Jimmy Flody Hasselbaink to a mention I'll never know.

JFH would probably be close to the top of a list of players you'd least like to be hit in the bollocks with a ball at ten yards by.

I actually remember one poor unfortunate player getting a whack off one of his frees. I'm thinking it may have been Didi Hamann but could be completely wrong.

Jesus did he get some power behind a shot.

astonaidan

Dion Dublin anyone

Knex*

smokedeels wrote: »

It's between Ruud and Henry for me, at a push I'll go with Henry because he is a better all round player.

Re: Cantona. Personally, he is my favorite, but it's more so for intangible reasons, the same reasons that drive Liverpool fans to vote for Fowler. When dealing strictly with the question asked I feel that the two I mentioned above are better choices.

Fowler before his injury was incredible. 106 goals in 185 games between 1993 and 1999. Goal every 1.7 games. Considering he started playing at 18 that's phenomenal.

He was only 24/25 when his career practically hit a standstill as he could no longer reach the heights prior to his injuries.

For me, Henry was the best. The man could do anything and was incredible to watch.

Skylinehead

Skylinehead wrote: »

Bergkamp was better than Cantona. Neither were strikers though, so it's a moot point.

Bergkamp was world class, pardon the over-used phrase. The latter wasn't.

bad2dabone

rarnes1 wrote: »

Bergkamp was world class, pardon the over-used phrase. The latter wasn't.

i agree totally.

Cantona had the presence and personality to make him a cult figure for Utd fans, so I can understand the adulation he gets.

noodler

Shearer for me.

His technique was excellent - the way he struck volley.

RandolphEsq

Henry was sick, Shearer got goals, but Wayne Rooney is definitely up there too. And Andy Cole.

iregk

Alan Shearer. End of discussion.

Chucky the tree

RandolphEsq wrote: »

Henry was sick, Shearer got goals, but Wayne Rooney is definitely up there too. And Andy Cole.

Certainly not as a striker.

DARK-KNIGHT

Robbie keane!! His movement, racing pace and his messi like skills say it all

Will I Amnt

rarnes1 wrote: »

Bergkamp was world class, pardon the over-used phrase. The latter wasn't.

Change the record man.It's like groundhog day in here.

Yea Cantona is overrated by United fans but he's as much underrated by his critics.
He was shìte if you payed any attention to some people.

He was a legend for us and wouldn't have swapped him for anyone else at the time.

LuckyLloyd

cambo2008 wrote: »

Change the record man.It's like groundhog day in here.

Yea Cantona is overrated by United fans but he's as much underrated by his critics.
He was shìte if you payed any attention to some people.

He was a legend for us and wouldn't have swapped him for anyone else at the time.

Duncan Ferguson was a legend at Everton. He wouldn't be put forth by Everton fans in a thread like this because of it though.

breffni666

Bergkamp, Henry, Shearer, Van Nistlerooy, Drogba in that order.

Will I Amnt

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Duncan Ferguson was a legend at Everton. He wouldn't be put forth by Everton fans in a thread like this because of it though.

Way to selective highlight.
The rest of that sentence said "wouldn't have swapped him for anyone else at the time"
I'm sure Everton fans would have plenty of preferences to big Dunc as much as they loved him.

Cantona was a class above Ferguson,even you have got to recognise that.

gosplan

cambo2008 wrote: »

Way to selective highlight.
The rest of that sentence said "wouldn't have swapped him for anyone else at the time"
I'm sure Everton fans would have plenty of preferences to big Dunc as much as they loved him.

Cantona was a class above Ferguson,even you have got to recognise that.

Hmmm. Not even Baggio or Ronaldo?

Will I Amnt

gosplan wrote: »

Hmmm. Not even Baggio or Ronaldo?

Suppose I would have to consider Ronaldo

Donnielighto

Peter Crouch, most impressive score in the EPL era was him landing Abi Titmuss

Fighting Irish

matt le tissier or however you spell it

Hulk Hands

rarnes1 wrote: »

Bergkamp was world class, pardon the over-used phrase. The latter wasn't.

No he wasn't. Neither was Cantona. Both had the ability to be top class on their day, but neither was consistently brilliant. Cantona was more so than Bergkamp though certainly.

Anyway when it comes to Cantona, he can never be included in these 'best of' polls because he wasn't good enough. However, he more than any other player has changed the face of English football. He was the talisman of a team and club that started the a general dominance that shows no sign of stopping. While not being the best player the Premier League has ever seen, he's certainly the most important

bullvine

Henry has been arguably the greatest player to grace the premiership. I wouldnt pick Henry though because he was more of an attacking force than just a striker, similar to Ronaldo.

Without Cantona, the premiership would not be what it is today but this is a debate about who was the best striker, so its between Shearer and RVN.

Shearer edges it because of longevity and his 3x30 league goal seasons in a row but Van Nistelrooy was the best for pure goalscoring though he was only around for 5 seeasons.

FearDark

I'm still laughing at the idea from the first page that Cantona was better than Henry...

I mean wtf.

pickarooney

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

Robbie keane!! His movement, racing pace and his messi like skills say it all

I know you're taking the piss but this was actually an accurate description of him in his Coventry days.

cgpg5

1. Henry
2. SHearer
3. Bergkamp

redzerdrog

Henry for me!

Also
Andy cole > cantona

Kirby

Depends on how you categorize "Best".

Most successfull trophy haul?
Best player ability wise?
Longest period of sustained success?

It's a subjective term.

Bergkamp was better technically, Shearer scored more goals, Van Nistelrooy won more, Ronaldo could score from anywhere, etc.

Just going by his ability to influence a game and vastly improve any team if you just threw him in.......Drogba. Whatever system you wanted to play, he would fit it. And he could win a game on his own.

So Drogba.

smileyj1987

To me each of these individuals could be seen as the greatest striker since the EPL began and I put them down in no particular order .

Shearer , Andy Cole , Micheal Owen (When he played for Liverpool ) , Robbie Fowler , Cantona , Bergkamp , Henry , Drogba and Les Ferdinand .

kryogen

smileyj1987 wrote: »

To me each of these individuals could be seen as the greatest striker since the EPL began and I put them down in no particular order .

Shearer , Andy Cole , Micheal Owen (When he played for Liverpool ) , Robbie Fowler , Cantona , Bergkamp , Henry , Drogba and Les Ferdinand .

Couple of things I need explained

Why do you ignore RVN? his record of 95 in 130 starts surely makes him at least worthy of a short list place

Also, if you are going to cast your net so wide why also ignore, Torres (when he played for Liverpool) Solskjaer, Sheringham, Zola, Di Canio etc etc etc

kryogen

bullvine wrote: »

Henry has been arguably the greatest player to grace the premiership. I wouldnt pick Henry though because he was more of an attacking force than just a striker, similar to Ronaldo.

Without Cantona, the premiership would not be what it is today but this is a debate about who was the best striker, so its between Shearer and RVN.

Shearer edges it because of longevity and his 3x30 league goal seasons in a row but Van Nistelrooy was the best for pure goalscoring though he was only around for 5 seeasons.

Is it terribly bitter to suggest that during Shearers 30 goal seasons he had more games in which to score the goals (bar the last) and the league was of much much weaker standard? Or that in next 10 seasons he managed to break 20 goals only 4 times?

Maybe

As a striker, as much as I hate Shearer, he does deserve to be mentioned however and has a real argument to be the greatest, but in for me Ruud was the greatest natural striker to ever grace the league.

He just had a killer instinct

smileyj1987

kryogen wrote: »

Couple of things I need explained

Why do you ignore RVN? his record of 95 in 130 starts surely makes him at least worthy of a short list place

Also, if you are going to cast your net so wide why also ignore, Torres (when he played for Liverpool) Solskjaer, Sheringham, Zola, Di Canio etc etc etc

I knew I forgot somebody RVN :o I mostly went for the players I picked because they are the ones who I remember the most about . I follow Liverpool myself but with Torres still playing I think he needs to start scoring again because he only really has been prolific during his stint at LFC . He was very good for athletico but he has done f - all for Chelsea .
Solksjaer would have made the list but to me he just didn't play even for United his career seemed to ravaged with injury . Sheringham he was good enough but I don't think he was as good as the rest of the players I mentioned . Zola and Di Canio where great but they didn't score enough goals Zola (59 goals - 229 Appearances ) Di Canio (52 Goals - 149 PL Appearances )

Corholio

kryogen wrote: »

Is it terribly bitter to suggest that during Shearers 30 goal seasons he had more games in which to score the goals (bar the last) and the league was of much much weaker standard? Or that in next 10 seasons he managed to break 20 goals only 4 times?

Maybe

As a striker, as much as I hate Shearer, he does deserve to be mentioned however and has a real argument to be the greatest, but in for me Ruud was the greatest natural striker to ever grace the league.

He just had a killer instinct

Van Nistelrooy was outstanding, was always a big fan. However I'd rate Shearer that little bit higher. His finishing, as much as it's always said about him, was incredible. His assists record and goals outside the box are also very understated too, which is another reason I'd just put him ahead of Ruud. Both outstanding players though.

tdv123

Why is everyone having a go at Cantona?

He rejuvenated English football from it's dark days in the late 80's & helped propel it to new levels in 90's.

He was never an out & out goalscorer to begin with. He always played off someone.

The argument against him was that he couldn't do it in Europe. All english teams were struggling to crack back into Europe after the ban in 1985 & United were no exception.

He brought them to touching distance of a final in 1997 & from what I remember of that semi-final United out played Dortmuned for 180 mins of football & Dortmund got two very flucky goals.

How did Shearer do with Blackburn in the 1995/96 Champions League? Oh thats right they finished rock bottom of there group.

And theres no doubt in my mind United would have won 5 tittles in row if it wasn't for his moment of madness.

redzerdrog

People are having a go a cantona because idiots keep putting him forward as the best striker in the EPA era when in reality he has never in close to the level of players like Henry.

If Liverpool fans constantly put forward Robbie Fowler there would be the same type of comments, but as much as Fowler is a god to Liverpool fans we can see clearly that He wasn't as good as Henry!

kryogen

Fowler has been named in this thread too

For me the only realistic choices are Shearer, Henry and RVN

As a traditional striker that goes down to Shearer and Ruud

There is not much in it either way tbh

Schism

I'm a United fan and it really has to be Henry. I'd like to say Van Nistelrooy but pound for pound Henry was just a better player and he got the goals.

cloptrop

This is funny . Ronaldo by a country mile . Dont know how many times when united were struggling for a goal Id spend the match screamibg at them to just give the ball to ronaldo . Didnt matter where he was. He could collect it short from a goal kick and go score.

Cokeistan

Henry & van Nistelrooy for me

GEM_13

tdv123 wrote: »

He rejuvenated English football from it's dark days in the late 80's & helped propel it to new levels in 90's.

That is one of the most outlandish statements i have ever seen tbh.

The introduction of the Premier League and the money that came with it changed the English game.I don't think Eric Cantona personally convinced every foreign footballer to come to England.The influx of foreign players and the money has made it what it is today imo.

I would have to put Van Nistelrooy up there.If he had stayed for longer than he did,he could have been a legend at Utd.
My pick for his all-round ability has to be Henry.He was just a joy to watch.
Shearer's longevity in the league and the fact that Newcastle were not a top team puts his goalscoring ability in no doubt either.It was mentioned already that had he gone to Utd,there would be no debate.I think this is spot on.

Blazer

Shearer, Henry and Nistelrooy.

Shearer in his prime was unstoppable..sheer power and strength etc..as he used to say for his shots...he rarely dwelt too long on aiming.just hit the ball as hard as he could

Henry...loved watching him play and scored some if not a shedload of goal of the seasons...

Nistelrooy...the ultimate poacher...I think something like 99% of his goals were from inside the box. Put it like this..everytime the bastard got the ball against us (newcastle) in the box I used to brick it as I knew a certain goal was coming

cson

Biased for this but Henry all day long for me. Between 2001 - 2006 his lowest EPL total was 24 goals. Which is incredible tbh. Add to this his creativity and he was the total striker imo. In 02/03 he scored 24 goals and had 23 assists. 23 assists... for a striker. Its unprecedented.

I hate doing the Youtube thing to back him up but I will in this case;

Charlton Backheel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKOHq4za9bM

United Volley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvl1lqUeowQ

Liverpool solo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVXQw9yo5Sw

Sheer power against City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBpEEmV5Nvk

Not bad in the air either v United

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbiwkkU3rCQ

Comeback v Leeds with his atypical Arsenal goal that he did so so often, opening his body up and sliding it into the corner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYRcNIW-Gqc

The guy had absolutely everything in his locker. Shearer and van Nistelrooy were both superb players too, but they were moreso superb finishers. I don't think you'd see them score goals like you've seen above.

TH14

tdv123

GEM_13 wrote: »

That is one of the most outlandish statements i have ever seen tbh.

The introduction of the Premier League and the money that came with it changed the English game.I don't think Eric Cantona personally convinced every foreign footballer to come to England.The influx of foreign players and the money has made it what it is today imo.

I would have to put Van Nistelrooy up there.If he had stayed for longer than he did,he could have been a legend at Utd.
My pick for his all-round ability has to be Henry.He was just a joy to watch.
Shearer's longevity in the league and the fact that Newcastle were not a top team puts his goalscoring ability in no doubt either.It was mentioned already that had he gone to Utd,there would be no debate.I think this is spot on.

I said he "helped" I didn't say he single handily changed it.

tdv123

redzerdrog wrote: »

People are having a go a cantona because idiots keep putting him forward as the best striker in the EPA era when in reality he has never in close to the level of players like Henry.

If Liverpool fans constantly put forward Robbie Fowler there would be the same type of comments, but as much as Fowler is a god to Liverpool fans we can see clearly that He wasn't as good as Henry!

But Fowler didn't win anything (of note) & didnt turn them in to a top team.

Cantona won a league tittle every full season he played for in England.

Fowler would be more of a cult hero like Solskjaer is to United fans.

bullvine

Cantona came to early, if he had played at the turn of the century who knows but to those who remember him he was easily one of the best finishers ever.

He was absolutely lethal at one on ones.

eagle eye

bullvine wrote: »

Cantona came to early, if he had played at the turn of the century who knows but to those who remember him he was easily one of the best finishers ever.

He was absolutely lethal at one on ones.

He was not a top goalscorer though. As I said earlier on he is for me one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League and I'm talking right up at the top and he'd be very close to(if not on) a Premier League team for me. He is not better though than Shearer, Henry or Rooney up front. He is better than almost any attacking midfielder/withdrawn striker. I'd have him ahead of Bergkamp, Scholes and others that people talk about in those positions.

I wouldn't have him near the top in a thread relating to what this one is though which is best 'striker'.

redzerdrog

tdv123 wrote: »

But Fowler didn't win anything (of note) & didnt turn them in to a top team.

Cantona won a league tittle every full season he played for in England.

Fowler would be more of a cult hero like Solskjaer is to United fans.

Fowler score 30+ in each of his first four Full seasons as a pro please don't compare him to solskear who never came anything close to the player fowler was.

saying that fowler, just like cantona was not the best striker of the epl era and it would be stupid to suggest otherwise.

DARK-KNIGHT

redzerdrog wrote: »

Fowler score 30+ in each of his first four Full seasons as a pro please don't compare him to solskear who never came anything close to the player fowler was.

saying that fowler, just like cantona was not the best striker of the epl era and it would be stupid to suggest otherwise.

Funny thing is what I remember fowler doing in his career was pretend to snort coke off sideline!!! That says it all he really was a true scouser. He doesn't hold a candle to most strikers in top 10 never mind top 3!! Typical lfc talking themselves the club or players up when lets face it they are a terrible team that for a decade or so were good.

DARK-KNIGHT

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

Funny thing is what I remember fowler doing in his career was pretend to snort coke off sideline!!! That says it all he really was a true scouser. He doesn't hold a candle to most strikers in top 10 never mind top 3!! Typical lfc talking themselves the club or players up when lets face it they are a terrible team that for a decade or so were good.

Can't beat a generalisation on a Saturday afternoon eh.

Will I Amnt

rarnes1 wrote: »

Can't beat a generalisation on a Saturday afternoon eh.

It's a well known fact that all scousers are coke-heads.
Cilla Black is the biggest druglord in the UK,supplying the whole city since 1976.
That's a lorra lorra coke.

Pepe LeFrits

van Persie will prove himself better than Drogba, though the latter certainly isn't the best PL era striker anyway.

Oscorp

Fowler wouldn't be in my top three, but let's not forget he broke the 30 goal mark three times.

MagicIRL

I think we need some criteria that needs to be filled out for each entry. The term greatest can mean a hundred and one different things to different people, so in order to compare the "greatest" strike in the EPL, you'll need to match them up, stat wise, over key areas.

E.g.
Goals scored
Assists
Trophies/Medals won
European Goals scored (Lets face CL is a whole other level, which is why Cantona just can;t even be considered for this glorious title)

Personally it has to be Ruud van Nistelrooy for me because I just thought he class from day one, and he was the first name I got on a jersey as a child! Bias aside, he was a proven goal scorer and winner. Henry, however, is also one savage striker.