Goal poachers are a dying breed By Ian Rush
Mar 14 2006
By Ian Rush, Liverpool Echo
THE visit of Fulham will conjure more memories for a certain Robbie Fowler.
We all remember what Robbie did on his Anfield debut against Fulham.
As he seeks that first, elusive goal since his return, perhaps it's destined to be against the club who suffered so much on that fantastic night.
You can't help feel sorry for Robbie. He's barely had a chance since he returned, but I've been impressed with him.
Having a goal poacher in the side is one thing, but the service has to be right to get goals from such a player.
I'm starting to worry the art of goal poaching is dying out because of managers undervaluing the importance of the outand-out goalscorer.
Michael Owen and Ruud van Nistelrooy have carried the torch in recent seasons but now there is a preoccupation with superhuman strikers such as Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney.
These are unique players who don't score tap-ins, but some of the most difficult goals you can get.
Many managers are obsessed with buying these types of players now, but they don't come around that often, so most clubs end up with pale imitations.
All I see nowadays in the Premiership is strikers who score one great goal every 10 games, live off it for a few weeks, and hardly ever score in the six yard box. That's not good enough, for me.
The value of the prolific forward who scores 20 goals a season, half of which are scruffy tap-ins in the six yard box, is immeasurable.
Henry and Rooney are exceptional in their own way. But for as long as I've been playing football, the value of a goal from one yard has been identical to a stunner from 25.
