[Archived] Top Strikers For Rovers - Last 20 Yrs

[Parsonblue]

Rhodes has contributed more to BRFC than Graham probably ever will. Fact.

Personally I'm happy with what Lambert has done with the squad. Our bench is stronger, our stacking options are greater, our defence (full backs) need work. But at the moment it's only temporary due to contracts ending and loanees.

However, let's stop trying to rewrite history and pretend Rhodes wasn't one of Rovers' top 10 strikers of the last 20 years - because the record books will always say different.

Rovers fans have been spoiled for far too long.

You can't compare him with strikers who scored in the Premier League. As yet, nobody knows if Rhodes can cut it at the top level. He has proved good at Championship level but both Tommy Briggs and Simon Garner were prolific at that level without ever really proving themselves at the top level. Yes, Rhodes can score goals against the likes of Rotherham etc but doing it against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Utd., etc is another matter and another level.

[ABBEY]

Get over it Stuart, were better now he's gone.

SO HAVE ALL THE OTHER STRIKERS BEING MENTIONED

[Tom]

Rhodes has contributed more to BRFC than Graham probably ever will. Fact.

How can it be both probably and a fact?

[den]

SO HAVE ALL THE OTHER STRIKERS BEING MENTIONED

What's that mean?

BTW - aren't you enjoying the goals, performances and results since we've replaced him Abbs?

And don't worry Abbs, I can appreciate you will be posting through gritted teeth and find it pretty embarrassing. You've got Thenodrogs to face as well when and if he starts posting again.

[MCMC1875]

Rhodes has contributed more to BRFC than Graham probably ever will. Fact.

Personally I'm happy with what Lambert has done with the squad. Our bench is stronger, our stacking options are greater, our defence (full backs) need work. But at the moment it's only temporary due to contracts ending and loanees.

However, let's stop trying to rewrite history and pretend Rhodes wasn't one of Rovers' top 10 strikers of the last 20 years - because the record books will always say different.

Rovers fans have been spoiled for far too long.

That's your opinion Stu and not fact.

[Stuart]

You can't compare him with strikers who scored in the Premier League. As yet, nobody knows if Rhodes can cut it at the top level. He has proved good at Championship level but both Tommy Briggs and Simon Garner were prolific at that level without ever really proving themselves at the top level. Yes, Rhodes can score goals against the likes of Rotherham etc but doing it against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Utd., etc is another matter and another level.

So every striker that scored for Rovers in the PL was better than Rhodes? Don't be silly.

How can it be both probably and a fact?

I was caught between the past and future. But the chances are that won't be here next season, let alone score 80-odd goals for Rovers.

[ABBEY]

Great ain't it stu .

[den]

So every striker that scored for Rovers in the PL was better than Rhodes? Don't be silly.

He didn't say that Stu. He was asking how he can be rated better than any of them when he's not played in that league - which is fair enough.

[ABBEY]

It would be

[den]

Great ain't it stu .

Lol - us haters always gonna hate Abbey.

Would I be right in thinking that if we'd sold Rhodes, gone on a downward spiral and couldn't score goals for toffee, that you and Stu would have been all over it? No, never, not you. Perish that thought!

[Amo]

I was caught between the past and future. But the chances are that won't be here next season, let alone score 80-odd goals for Rovers.

So if Graham scored 15 goals next season and spearheaded our promotion (...just go with it), he'd still be less successful than Rhodes in your eyes?

[Stuart]

He didn't say that Stu. He was asking how he can be rated better than any of them when he's not played in that league - which is fair enough.

The topic is top strikers for Rovers in the last 20 years. It's all getting a bit too silly now.

Next we won't be able to compare strikers unless they both played against the best opposition.

It's very simple: Rhodes, in my view, is one of the top 10 Rovers strikers of the last 20 years. Taking off your Rhodes-hating-goggles for a few minutes,the only way to counter that is to name 10 better ones, in your view, instead of trying to frame it in such a way as to exclude him from the rankings. Oh, and did I mention churlish?

[Stuart]

So if Graham scored 15 goals next season and spearheaded our promotion (...just go with it), he'd still be less successful than Rhodes in your eyes?

Promotion takes more than just a striker. It would demonstrate that we had a better team.

Look, there's no denying that we have a better squad under Lambert than we had under Bowyer, even taking into consideration Rhodes' leaving. However, I would have preferred to have seen Rhodes stay alongside Graham and with Gomez feeding him. I'm not sure why people don't believe that would be better. That's all I've argued, despite Rhodes recent loss of form, and that was before the £9m was swallowed up. So we've lost a striker and the money.

But yeah "we are much better off without Rhodes" is all people can see for some reason.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Rhodes was a Rovers legend in my eyes but the gulf in quality between the PL and Championship now is not even funny.

Season Top scorer 2004-05 Nathan Ellington 2005–06 Marlon King 2006–07 Jamie Cureton 2007–08 Sylvan Ebanks-Blake 2008–09 Sylvan Ebanks-Blake 2009–10 Peter Whittingham 2009-10 Nicky Maynard 2009-11 Danny Graham 2009-12 Rickie Lambert 2009-13 Glenn Murray 2009-14 Ross McCormack 2009-15 Daryl Murphy

That's the Championship top scorers list in recent times. 1 player out of that lot made it in the PL.

[onlyonejackwalker]

It would be

You had Rhodes down as number two behind Shearer! I had to giggle. Its a basic requirement in football to be able to run.

Agree with others. No way can Rhodes goals against the likes Barnsley, Peteborough and Huddersfield, be compared to any of our strikers who scored regularly in the Premier League. His fans don't want to hear it, but already are watching Rhodes struggle, often unable to get a game now he has moved to a more ambitious side with a larger squad. Rhodes simply would never get a game at the higher level, therefore how can his goals lower down be compared in anyway?

Shearer

Bellamy

Sutton

Yakubu

Roque Santa Cruz

Matt Jansen

Benni Mcarthy

Andy Cole

Dwight Yorke

Kevin Gally

Top strikers one and all. Pl and CL winners amongst them.

I think the Yak deserves a special mention scoring so many goals in so few games playing in such a poor, poor team.

Edit: Great post grizfoot.

Edit again. Forgot Mike Newell. Very good Rovers striker and team player.

[Amo]

Promotion takes more than just a striker. It would demonstrate that we had a better team.

No, it takes a striker who can lead the line and do more than just score goals.

[Parsonblue]

So every striker that scored for Rovers in the PL was better than Rhodes? Don't be silly.

I was caught between the past and future. But the chances are that won't be here next season, let alone score 80-odd goals for Rovers.

The strikers who have performed at the highest level and scored goals have already proved they could operate amongst the elite of English football. Rhodes has proved he can score goals against the likes of Rotherham and Bristol City. There is a difference in the quality of defender you are likely to face at the highest level and, as yet, Rhodes is totally unproven at that level.

[Stuart]

No, it takes a striker who can lead the line and do more than just score goals.

That must rank as the definitive, dumbass, anti-Rhodes pointscoring post on his board. It takes a TEAM to get promoted not an individual. If you really think otherwise I suggest you take up a different sport. Armchair pocket billiards?

The strikers who have performed at the highest level and scored goals have already proved they could operate amongst the elite of English football. Rhodes has proved he can score goals against the likes of Rotherham and Bristol City. There is a difference in the quality of defender you are likely to face at the highest level and, as yet, Rhodes is totally unproven at that level.

Paul Gallagher scored 6 PL goals for Rovers. Presumably that means he is proven to be a better striker than Rhodes?

[VinjayV4]

The strikers who have performed at the highest level and scored goals have already proved they could operate amongst the elite of English football. Rhodes has proved he can score goals against the likes of Rotherham and Bristol City. There is a difference in the quality of defender you are likely to face at the highest level and, as yet, Rhodes is totally unproven at that level.

Yeah but even likes of yourself who attend every youth/reserve game aren't always accurate on judgement. Sure I saw a post from you saying Nick Blackman was no better then League 2 level. If EPL clubs wanted him they would have got him just like CL clubs would have got Pedersen. It was opposition fans in MGP's case who didn't see him every single week and thought he was better than he really was. Mainly because of his good goalscoring record...so to an extent goals hiding the true picture there as well!

[Parsonblue]

Yeah but even likes of yourself who attend every youth/reserve game aren't always accurate on judgement. Sure I saw a post from you saying Nick Blackman was no better then League 2 level. If EPL clubs wanted him they would have got him just like CL clubs would have got Pedersen. It was opposition fans in MGP's case who didn't see him every single week and thought he was better than he really was. Mainly because of his good goalscoring record...so to an extent goals hiding the true picture!

That must rank as the definitive, dumbass, anti-Rhodes pointscoring post on his board. It takes a TEAM to get promoted not an individual. If you really think otherwise I suggest you take up a different sport. Armchair pocket billiards?

Paul Gallagher scored 6 PL goals for Rovers. Presumably that means he is proven to be a better striker than Rhodes?

Gally was good enough to play Premier League football at one point in his career. Thus far Rhodes hasn't proved good enough to tempt Premier League clubs to gamble on him - there clearly has to be a reason, the same reason why he can't make a Scotland squad.

[Stuart]

Gally was good enough to play Premier League football at one point in his career. Thus far Rhodes hasn't proved good enough to tempt Premier League clubs to gamble on him - there clearly has to be a reason, the same reason why he can't make a Scotland squad.

He's made several Scotland squads but your point would be much better made if Scotland had qualified for the Euros.

Just so we're clear though, as you are dancing around it, you believe that Paul Gallagher is a better striker than Jordan Rhodes. And by the same token, Jon Stead too. Right-o then.

[VinjayV4]

Gally was good enough to play Premier League football at one point in his career. Thus far Rhodes hasn't proved good enough to tempt Premier League clubs to gamble on him - there clearly has to be a reason, the same reason why he can't make a Scotland squad.

Oh sorry totally misread and thought you were claiming good chance Rhodes could cut it at EPL level. I'm a fast but not always accurate reader lol.

[Parsonblue]

He's made several Scotland squads but your point would be much better made if Scotland had qualified for the Euros.

Just so we're clear though, as you are dancing around it, you believe that Paul Gallagher is a better striker than Jordan Rhodes. And by the same token, Jon Stead too. Right-o then.

I think that it is impossible to know how Rhodes would cope with Premier League football until he plays in the Premier League. Like Tommy Briggs and Simon Garner he has been prolific in the Second Division but for me that doesn't mean he stands any comparison with the likes of Shearer, Sutton, Gallacher, Newell, Cole, Yorke, McCarthy, Santa Cruz, Bellamy and the rest. They were operating, and succeeding, at a totally different level to Rhodes. I prefer to compare Rhodes with guys who operated at a similar level to him - Briggs, Garner, Quinn, Thompson etc. When you do that he might well make the top 20 of strikers for Rovers who have operated in the Second Division - although in the fifties we had the likes of Dobing, Vernon, Johnston etc who were all far superior to Jordan.

[Stuart]

I think that it is impossible to know how Rhodes would cope with Premier League football until he plays in the Premier League. Like Tommy Briggs and Simon Garner he has been prolific in the Second Division but for me that doesn't mean he stands any comparison with the likes of Shearer, Sutton, Gallacher, Newell, Cole, Yorke, McCarthy, Santa Cruz, Bellamy and the rest. They were operating, and succeeding, at a totally different level to Rhodes. I prefer to compare Rhodes with guys who operated at a similar level to him - Briggs, Garner, Quinn, Thompson etc. When you do that he might well make the top 20 of strikers for Rovers who have operated in the Second Division - although in the fifties we had the likes of Dobing, Vernon, Johnston etc who were all far superior to Jordan.

You're over-complicating things again, PB. So you wouldn't put Garner in your list of, say, top 20 Rovers strikers then because he hasn't played in the top flight? That's your prerogative but it's genuinely difficult to understand your point of view on this one.

[blondie]

Jordan Rhodes " a flat track bully" in cricketing parlance.