Rate these English forwards

sun_tzu

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So having a chat with a spurs fan today I was a little shocked at just how highly he rates Kane... Now I think Kane is arguably the best striker in the pl (though a fit Aguero is certainly competition) and one of the best cf's in the world (but lewendowski.... Suarez)

Anyway we started to discuss Kane in relation to other England forwards we had seen and I think it must be the spurs bias as he thinks Kane is the best of the lot... Anyway it was interesting to see how we rated some of the others so wondered what a more general consensus would be

I went for

1. Lineker
2. Shearer
3. Rooney
4. Owen
5. Keegan
6. Kane
7. Beardsley
8. Wright
9. Fowler
10. Cole

It may be that keegan was past his best when we saw him that we place him that low... Obvs he had Kane a lot higher and Wright as 10th

Owen was a tricky one but pre injury he was very good at such a young age

Again Rooney is a bit tricky as he didn't necessarily play up top and was a player who had big up and downs in form... But would be interested to see how others rated those 10 and particularly where they would put Kane in the list
 

Thunderhead

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I love Beardsley but he wasn't what I'd call an out and out striker so I'd drop him from the list

*edit, sorry I've just read the thread so I've changed to just the 10 you had

Shearer
Keegan
Fowler
Rooney
Cole
Lineker
Kane (I think he'll end up 2nd at worst)
Owen
Wright
Beardsley
 
Last edited:

ivaldo

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Where's Rickie Lambert?
 

Wiltord02

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1. Shearer
2. Keegan
3. Rooney
4. Beardsley
5. Lineker
6. Owen
7. Kane
8. Cole
9. Wright
10. Fowler

Kane has the potential to be the best of the lot but could do with a few trophies to help him along.
 

Pexbo

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Owen at 4? He’s an Anglo Chicharito.
 

Classical Mechanic

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So having a chat with a spurs fan today I was a little shocked at just how highly he rates Kane... Now I think Kane is arguably the best striker in the pl (though a fit Aguero is certainly competition) and one of the best cf's in the world (but lewendowski.... Suarez)

Anyway we started to discuss Kane in relation to other England forwards we had seen and I think it must be the spurs bias as he thinks Kane is the best of the lot... Anyway it was interesting to see how we rated some of the others so wondered what a more general consensus would be

I went for

1. Lineker
2. Shearer
3. Rooney
4. Owen
5. Keegan
6. Kane
7. Beardsley
8. Wright
9. Fowler
10. Cole

It may be that keegan was past his best when we saw him that we place him that low... Obvs he had Kane a lot higher and Wright as 10th

Owen was a tricky one but pre injury he was very good at such a young age

Again Rooney is a bit tricky as he didn't necessarily play up top and was a player who had big up and downs in form... But would be interested to see how others rated those 10 and particularly where they would put Kane in the list
Kane was top scorer in Europe for the calendar year of 2017 beating everyone you mentioned and Messi and Ronaldo. It is hugely impressive.
 

Scarecrow

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Rooney was the best player out of those. Shearer the best striker. Kane is after them, I would think, though he's likely to get better.

Better than Owen, Fowler, Cole. I can't comment on the rest.
 

DWelbz19

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Rooney, Shearer, Kane top 3.
 

Camilo

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I think he's as good as any of them, and I think that speaks volumes. I think peak Rooney is above all of them (and just about everyone else in the last 30 years), but after that it's just a spread of fantastic strikers.
 

SNes

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1. Keegan
2. Lineker
3. Shearer
4. Beardsley
5. Rooney
6. Wright
7. Owen
8. Cole
9. Kane
10.Fowler

Keegan, no.1 for me he made every team he played for better.
Lineker, the best English finisher I've seen.
Shearer, I think his International career not as good as it should be.
Beardsley, the most underrated footballer.
Kane has a chance to be no1.
 

Number1

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Owen at 4? He’s an Anglo Chicharito.
Put it this way, teenage Michael Owen was better than teenage Wayne Rooney.

If not for injuries taking away his pace, he could have gone on to be an all time great.

 

Physiocrat

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Strikers

1. Shearer
2. Owen
3. Kane
4. Lineker
5. Wright
6. Cole
7. Fowler

Second-Strikers

1. Rooney
2. Keegan
3. Beardsley
 

Zlatattack

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Put it this way, teenage Michael Owen was better than teenage Wayne Rooney.

If not for injuries taking away his pace, he could have gone on to be an all time great.

Teenage Owen was all that. He was leading the line for Liverpool and smashed it for England too.
 

Jaybomb

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Rooney
Shearer
Owen
Lineker
Cole
Kane
Keegan
Wright
Fowler
Beardsley

Keep in mind, I haven’t seen much of Beardsley or Keegan.
 

Pink Moon

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Kane has yet to win a single trophy and is still so young, seems unfair to put him in there at this point.
I think it's unfair to judge a player on trophies won. Kane is the perfect example as to why. World class player but playing for a club that generally never win anything and are in competition with teams stronger and richer than them. It doesn't say anything about Kane as a player, IMO.
 

Rhyme Animal

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I think it's unfair to judge a player on trophies won. Kane is the perfect example as to why. World class player but playing for a club that generally never win anything and are in competition with teams stronger and richer than them. It doesn't say anything about Kane as a player, IMO.
When rating players, stage and context does come into it, great players do lead their teams to trophies, and this is particularly true of forwards.

At this point, Kane has all the makings to be an English great, but he has to fecking win things to be up there!

All the other players in that list have trophies, that's what Kane has to do.

At the moment, all his goals have contributed to Daniel Levy getting CL money, and that's all. He needs to win trophies with Spuds or move to a team equipped to win things.
 

lysglimt

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So having a chat with a spurs fan today I was a little shocked at just how highly he rates Kane... Now I think Kane is arguably the best striker in the pl (though a fit Aguero is certainly competition) and one of the best cf's in the world (but lewendowski.... Suarez)

Anyway we started to discuss Kane in relation to other England forwards we had seen and I think it must be the spurs bias as he thinks Kane is the best of the lot... Anyway it was interesting to see how we rated some of the others so wondered what a more general consensus would be

I went for

1. Lineker
2. Shearer
3. Rooney
4. Owen
5. Keegan
6. Kane
7. Beardsley
8. Wright
9. Fowler
10. Cole

It may be that keegan was past his best when we saw him that we place him that low... Obvs he had Kane a lot higher and Wright as 10th

Owen was a tricky one but pre injury he was very good at such a young age

Again Rooney is a bit tricky as he didn't necessarily play up top and was a player who had big up and downs in form... But would be interested to see how others rated those 10 and particularly where they would put Kane in the list
My list and why

1) Shearer - the best English striker in the P.L - maybe only Henry has been better.
2) Rooney - not brilliant as a goalscorer, but Everything else he offered was World-class. Longer career at the top than the others
3) Keegan - a bit like Beardsley, a provider rather than a goalscorer - but at his best he was superb.
4) Kane - only Shearer at Blackburn has outscored Kane. And if he keeps up his scoring form for 3-4 seasons more, he will be nr 1
5) Lineker - very good for Leicester. One super season at Everton, Before returning with Spurs and doing great. 48 goals in 80 for England
6) Wright - was brilliant at Arsenal - and he scored a ton of goals for a team that wasn't that good going forward
7) Fowler - a better player than Owen, but his career was also practically over at the age of 26
8) Cole - he had a good record at United, but never great. Only truly brilliant for a short while with Yorke.
9) Owen - a bit limited and to be quite honest, his career as a class-striker was over once he left Liverpool.
10) Beardsley - a bit wrong to add him on this list as he was a supplier - rather than goalscorer. But must be the weakest on the list
 

a_devil_inside

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Hard to rate them in any order.
A controversial name not mentioned is Collymore, he had a decent goals ratio, as a person I didn't like him though.
Shearer has to be no.1, it's hard to think he's still so far ahead of the other strikers despite playing for some wee club in the North East. Great finisher.
He's had some good partnerships in his time too, like Sutton, Ferdinand, Sheringham.

Owen was good but got burnt out way too early. Same for Rooney.
Cole I still feel was under-rated slightly, he had more to him than just scoring goals. Should have had more England games.
Kane's definitely on the right track to get close to or beat some records, seems to be getting hattricks all the time.
Wright is another who should have got more England caps
 

AndyJ1985

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Can't take any list seriously that doesn't have Shearer at #1. Best striker the league has ever seen.
 

Scarecrow

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Kane would've won the 2001 best player in Europe award, or whatever was it that Owen got. He was a fantastic talent but he scored as much goals in his two best, prime seasons combined, as Kane got in 2017. I know that doesn't paint a full picture but it makes for a tough argument to go against, I think.
 

vadimivich

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Shearer, Fowler, Rooney, Owen and Kane on peak form were the best of that group. Fowler and Owen were injured young and had very short careers at their peaks, Rooney started so young and couldn't keep himself in shape and Shearer kept scoring into his mid-30s.

Kind of have to see what track Kane's career takes from here before putting him into lists like this. We don't know if he'll get an Owen or Fowler career ending injury (or at least one that ends his peak form), if he'll go on the booze and random pub girls ala Rooney or if he'll pull a Shearer and play until he has no hair left.

Right now I'd rate them:

#1: Shearer
#2: Rooney
#3: Fowler
#4: Owen

Waiting: Kane
 

The Outsider

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Kane is the best all round striker as he can score from so many different situations and positions, only Rooney compares in this way though was never as prolific.

So many of the other strikers like Lineker and Shearer were great finishers yet were more orthodox strikers in a 4-4-2.

I agree that Kane historically might not be recognised if he does not win silverware which makes me think after a couple of seasons he might move on.
 

Gio

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Comparing slightly different types of striker there - Keegan had a stronger all-round and back-to-goal game, Beardsley was a more creative second striker, and maybe pre-2009 Rooney - take those three out and you're left with a set of pure no9s.

Kane's credentials outside the Premier League are almost non-existent. He was honking at Euro 2016 and is still to put his mark in a major tournament in the way that Lineker (twice - 86 and 90), Shearer (96) and Owen (98 and 02) have done. Until he does something outside of domestic football, I don't think he can justify a spot ahead of that trio. Looking at the rest of the list though, Wright and Cole have a more sustained track record and have a solid European portfolio as well. But a case can be made that Kane is a more imposing, ruthless and rounded centre-forward than those two based on what we've seen to date. However, if he doesn't maintain his current form, his legacy wouldn't be any better than Robbie Fowler's for instance, who was similarly efficient in front of goal and burned brightly tearing up English football in his early 20s. Plenty of scope to move up that list because he has the potential for a Shearer-esque career, but at the moment he has to be down the bottom half until he proves himself at a higher level.
 

Hullyback

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Top 10 of the ones I've seen personally play a few times at least, I can't put Jimmy Greaves etc in or else he'd probably be #1 easily.

1. Shearer - clinical AND consistent.
2. Linekar - Underrated by so many, but had everything a striker needs in abundance.
3. Fowler - at peak would be #1, just lacked consistency.
4. Owen - again, consistency/injuries stop him being further up.
5. Sheringham - with pace he'd have been true world class level.
6. Keegan - his talent transcended his diminutive stature, probably Englands answer to Best as world renowned "superstar" when footballers weren't so fashionable.
7. Kane - has everything, time will tell if he keeps it up and if so, he'll be a threat to Shearer.
8. Wright - Like Fowler, never really did it for England or he'd be higher. Top class player though.
9. Rooney - should be higher, despite his goal records. His woeful England record in tournaments puts him down here for me. That and I don't like the dude :D any place at all is a compliment.
10. Cole - another in the Wright/Fowler basket that never converted league form into internationals but lethal nonetheless.

A pair that could have got in possibly, Beardsley and Barnes, two of my all time favourite players but I think of them more as playmakers/winger/Ss - they'd both be in a all time England 11 for me though.

Leftfield addition. Peter Crouch. Was brilliant for England and I remember him fondly at Liverpool.

One that could have and should have been up there, Matt Le Tiss. Most gifted English forward I've ever seen, just didn't get the opportunity internationally he might have done had he played for a top side. I still watch his goal compilations every month or so now and can't think of any other player past or present that has such a portfolio of goal of the season contenders, not even Messi, Maradona, Ronaldinho or Ronaldo Lima.