What Makes A Good Striker?

[Robbie]

What makes a good Striker?

It goes without saying that a good striker needs to have a combination of technical & physical skills, as well as tactical awareness. 

They also need to be able to read the game & make quick decisions under pressure. They need to have the ability of being in the right place at the right time.

They need to be fit, strong & have plenty of energy to run into space & create space for others.

A good striker should be able to link up well with other teammates, hold up the ball & maintain possession.

Strikers should have good ball striking abilities & be good in the air. They should also be able to help in defence when required.

A striker can have all these attributes, but they also need teammates that can work with them well & supply them with good service & plenty of goalscoring opportunities.

For example, McGoldrick & Jatta have both had good starts to the season. They both have many of those attributes I have described, but they do need to have good service too.

And they both need to be able to fit into the Notts style of play comfortably, which they are clearly doing 

The point I'm trying to make is that every player in a good team has their role to play. If all the players are on the same wavelength, the strikers will get plenty of opportunities to score plenty of goals.

Strikers just need to have those good attributes to play their part in the side & to be able to take those opportunities when they come 

After all, it's a team game.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

You'd best ask Arthur Scargill, he had a few Strikers . Joking apart @Robbie the game has changed so much over the years, at one time a strikers job was to just score goals, very rarely did you see them back defending, that was the job of a defender that's what he was paid for. As you have said there's more to a Strikers game nowadays. And a striker getting the right amount of service and his team mates playing to his strengths is very important ( that maybe why Macca isn't doing to well at the moment, No service).

Back in the 1970's when Liverpool dominated the then First Division, John Toshak and Kevin Keegan had a deadly partnership, each seemed to know where the other was during a Liverpool attack. Ian St John and Ian Callaghan were the guys who provided the service to the Strike Force. Looking back over the years all successful Striker partnerships seem to have a telepathic bond with each other, which I believe Macca and Cedwyn Scott had at Gateshead and something I don't think either Luke Williams or Stuart Maynard exploited to it's full potential. Admittedly Ced's injury didn't help matters, but when they were both fit they didn't play in the same positions has they had done while at Gateshead.

Also Back in the Day Assists weren't a thing, it was all about the Goal Scorer not the guy who passed him the ball. That of course has changed now and the player who assists with a goal, rightly gets the credit he deserves. Back int he 70's or 80's Jodi certainly wouldn't have got the recognition he received last season. At the moment I don't think Notts have a Strike force as such, both Didzy and Jatta take their chances when they come but I don't think you can actually claim they work well together, at the moment Notts are scoring goals from all over the pitch which is a good thing, both Jodi and Dan Crowley have hit the back of the net in several matches, can they keep this up for the whole season? Probably not that's why Stuart Maynard has to get Cedwyn Scott firing on all cylinders and getting in amongst the goals, or further into the season the Magpies may find their Goals drying up and that could prove costly for Notts and their push for Promotion.

 

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man

In my opinion, if he is fit Jatta has to start every game. Didzy should come on after 60 minutes if the situation requires.

Didzy should start the occasional match, but he must be looked after 

Brown needs to get some game time, he's fast and strong and will give Stuart more options.

As far as Scott is concerned, I agree that he doesn't look fully fit & he wasn't available for the Bromley match so his injury against Accrington must be more than we were led to believe.

I think Notts missed a trick not signing a striker they wanted, but as I have said, re my preamble, I think we have the players in the squad to supply our strikers with the opportunities for them to score plenty of goals.

We have Crowley, Jones, Grant & Edwards that can chip in too, so as long as the defence do their job, we should be winning plenty of matches.

[TheSkipper]

It’s all about the differences and how each striker understands the game. You have strikers like Lee Hughes, who knows where to be when play opens up, being a natural goalscorer who can read the game remarkably well. You have more traditional finishers, like Macaulay Langstaff, who puts hard work into his play, chasing every opportunity and pouncing on mistakes. Again, he has a good level of understanding of how the play might open up, and his positional play here at Notts was exceptional.

You have finishers like Alan Shearer, who can do everything and strike the ball from distance without relying so much on pace. I think what makes a good striker is being able to see how play will unfold, being in the right place at the right time, having natural finishing qualities, not being downhearted about missed chances, and having the ability to hold off the opposition to get an effort away. Pace is useful, but it’s all about the technical ability to move with the play and finish when presented with a chance.

[liampie]

a good striker needs to have a sharp eye for goal and read the game well. they must be quick on their feet with good ball control. positioning is key, knowing where to be to receive the ball and create chances. a good striker should have a powerful and accurate shot, able to finish with both feet and their head. they need to be strong to hold off defenders and have the stamina to keep pressing and making runs. teamwork is crucial, linking up well with midfielders and wingers. mental toughness is important, staying focused under pressure and having the confidence to take chances. overall, a good striker combines skill, physical ability, and a strong mentality to score goals.

[Chris]

I think you need to have hunger and self-drive. Missing chances can really affect your morale, but when you believe in yourself and understand that working hard will get you chances, it makes a big difference. The ability to finish, along with other important attributes, can really push you forward.

Technically, movement and positioning are two different aspects that often get mistaken for the same thing. You need to make good movements, but positioning is what can give you that extra yard advantage over defenders. Understanding the game’s flow is key to being successful. Sometimes, it just helps to have a knack for being in the right place.

I have seen players who had everything you would think they needed, yet barely made an impact as a striker.