Harry Kane MBE | Performances

balaks

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Why? He's got brilliant movement and finishing
Well, partially because I'm unconvinced you would play him as a centre forward but also because it is always a risk with a player moving to a new league that it could take time to adapt. If he was to come in and immediately be your main attacker then I'd say yeah I could see him scoring a lot but I don't think he will be.
 

Jaybomb

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Decent player will never be World Class though.
This. He lacks the technical ability in my opinion but he gets the best out of what he does have and thats a good thing to have. The way hes going, he'll be one of the top scorers in PL history.

I personally wouldn't want us to sign him though. Hes not my type of player.
 

Dobbs

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You do of course realise that when defenders have one striker to mark rather than two that makes it much more difficult for that striker to get space without a striking partner making runs and creating space?

Your argument is flimsy at best tbh. Even if you had a point, where are all these No. 9's scoring 20+ goals regularly if it's that much easier?
Yes you could argue having a strike partner distracts other defenders but I think that's dwarfed by the advantages I've already mentioned. If you're the only bloke in the box when the balls cut back its easier to get goals.

There aren't many No.9's scoring 20 plus and I think that's a marker of their ability. The current bunch (in the EPL at least) just aren't as good.

Defoe is on 14 for Sunderland. The top scorer is a winger whose only just started playing as a centre forward.


Given that can you imagine how many Shearer, Cole and Wright would be getting today without having to share their chances with another striker.
 

Stacks

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Griezmann is a good player but I agree that his likely transfer fee will be much higher than he is actually worth. The problem is that there just are not that many top level strikers available at the moment. I'm not convinced he even is a top level striker either tbh. Will he score 20+ goals per season if he goes to Utd? It's not a certainty.
Falcao
 

balaks

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Yes you could argue having a strike partner distracts other defenders but I think that's dwarfed by the advantages I've already mentioned. If you're the only bloke in the box when the balls cut back its easier to get goals.

There aren't many No.9's scoring 20 plus and I think that's a marker of their ability. The current bunch (in the EPL at least) just aren't as good.

Defoe is on 14 for Sunderland. The top scorer is a winger whose only just started playing as a centre forward.


Given that can you imagine how many Shearer, Cole and Wright would be getting today without having to share their chances with another striker.
Out of Shearer, Cole and Wright I honestly think that only Shearer would have been capable of playing up front on his own. Neither Cole nor Wright I believe would have had the ability to hold up the ball and bring other players into the attack which are vital skills for a lone striker to have, as well as goal scoring ability of course. Shearer, Cole and Wright all relied heavily on a striking partner. Mind you having said that, are there many strikers around right now that would be as good as Shearer, Cole or Wright? Not many.
 

notcool

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Out of Shearer, Cole and Wright I honestly think that only Shearer would have been capable of playing up front on his own. Neither Cole nor Wright I believe would have had the ability to hold up the ball and bring other players into the attack which are vital skills for a lone striker to have, as well as goal scoring ability of course. Shearer, Cole and Wright all relied heavily on a striking partner. Mind you having said that, are there many strikers around right now that would be as good as Shearer, Cole or Wright? Not many.
Perhaps players like Ian Wright would play in the No. 10 position and be goalscorers like Dele Alli is for Spurs. Having said that, you have Aguero up front for City and he's not particularly good at holding the ball up or bringing others into play.
 

Dobbs

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Out of Shearer, Cole and Wright I honestly think that only Shearer would have been capable of playing up front on his own. Neither Cole nor Wright I believe would have had the ability to hold up the ball and bring other players into the attack which are vital skills for a lone striker to have, as well as goal scoring ability of course. Shearer, Cole and Wright all relied heavily on a striking partner. Mind you having said that, are there many strikers around right now that would be as good as Shearer, Cole or Wright? Not many.
Same was said of Defoe upto about 18 months ago. If he can play up top on his own Cole and Wright could.

In 96/97 Shearer got 25 league goals. Ferdinand playing next to him got 16. If Ferdinand is swapped for another midfielder I'm sure Shearer would have hoovered up some of his goals. Don't see how anybody could think differently.

Kane's a good example. He could be one of the most prolific scorers the EPL'S had but aside from Spurs fans not many think he's truly top class. There's a disconnect there. The reason for me is what we've been discussing here. You get more opportunities playing up top on your own.
 

balaks

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Same was said of Defoe upto about 18 months ago. If he can play up top on his own Cole and Wright could.

In 96/97 Shearer got 25 league goals. Ferdinand playing next to him got 16. If Ferdinand is swapped for another midfielder I'm sure Shearer would have hoovered up some of his goals. Don't see how anybody could think differently.

Kane's a good example. He could be one of the most prolific scorers the EPL'S had but aside from Spurs fans not many think he's truly top class. There's a disconnect there. The reason for me is what we've been discussing here. You get more opportunities playing up top on your own.
I think the disconnect is purely down to his playing style rather than a lack of talent - he doesn't move with grace, he looks a bit clunky, not very quick, etc. I get it - he doesn't 'look' like a top class player when you watch him but he definitely is a top class player and he will continue to prove it for many years to come fingers crossed.

If he scores +20 goals every season he will go down as an all-time Premiership legend and a legend at Spurs (provided he stays with us) - that's good enough for me. People can argue if he is world class or not but it is a pretty irrelevant discussion if he continues scoring goals.
 

Dobbs

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I think the disconnect is purely down to his playing style rather than a lack of talent - he doesn't move with grace, he looks a bit clunky, not very quick, etc. I get it - he doesn't 'look' like a top class player when you watch him but he definitely is a top class player and he will continue to prove it for many years to come fingers crossed.

If he scores +20 goals every season he will go down as an all-time Premiership legend and a legend at Spurs (provided he stays with us) - that's good enough for me. People can argue if he is world class or not but it is a pretty irrelevant discussion if he continues scoring goals.
I agree with that I just don't think 20 league goals is that big an achievement these days.

If you're a top striker playing for a good team that should be your minimum target.
 

balaks

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I agree with that I just don't think 20 league goals is that big an achievement these days.

If you're a top striker playing for a good team that should be your minimum target.
We are going around in circles a bit here I think - like I said, you are underestimating just how difficult it is for a striker in a top European league to score +20 league goals. If you don't think I'm right please go and look at how many have managed to do it more than 3 times in their careers. It is a much smaller list than you would think. Even less have managed to do it in consecutive seasons.
 

Dobbs

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We are going around in circles a bit here I think - like I said, you are underestimating just how difficult it is for a striker in a top European league to score +20 league goals. If you don't think I'm right please go and look at how many have managed to do it more than 3 times in their careers. It is a much smaller list than you would think. Even less have managed to do it in consecutive seasons.
You're referencing the past again as proof when this whole discussion is about the modern day switch to a lone striker and the impact that should have on goals scored.

He's got four pens I think so needs 16 goals from open play to hit that target. When he's the only striker the wingers and midfielders are looking to play in that should be achievable. I'm saying this of all the top strikers not just Kane.
 

balaks

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You're referencing the past again as proof when this whole discussion is about the modern day switch to a lone striker and the impact that should have on goals scored.

He's got four pens I think so needs 16 goals from open play to hit that target. When he's the only striker the wingers and midfielders are looking to play in that should be achievable. I'm saying this of all the top strikers not just Kane.
If you tell me what else I should use to prove my point other than what has happened in the past please let me know because sadly i'm not able to use future statistics at the moment.

So far your argument is that 20 league goals should be a minimum for a good striker to get every season if they play up front on their own and the fact this has been proven to be an extremely difficult target to hit with any regularity in the past is of no relevance because most of the strikers in the 'past' had a strike partner up front.

Now you are further downplaying Kane's (or another strikers) goal scoring by suggesting that a penalty goal might as well not count towards a final total.
 
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Dobbs

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If you tell me what else I should use to prove my point other than what has happened in the past please let me know because sadly i'm not able to use future statistics at the moment.

So far your argument is that 20 league goals should be a minimum for a good striker to get every season if they play up front on their own and the fact this has been proven to be an extremely difficult target to hit with any regularity in the past is of no relevance because most of the strikers in the 'past' had a strike partner up front.

Now you are further downplaying Kane's (or another strikers) goal scoring by suggesting that a penalty goal might as well not count towards a final total.
Well it's only my theory but I'm talking about goalscoring for a lone striker so I don't see the point in referencing guys who played as a two.

I'm not playing down pens at all. I'm only pointing out that getting 16 goals from open play shouldn't be that difficult for a lone striker in a good team. Defoe will get close to that playing for Sunderland so Kane, Costa etc should definitely be doing it.
 

balaks

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Well it's only my theory but I'm talking about goalscoring for a lone striker so I don't see the point in referencing guys who played as a two.

I'm not playing down pens at all. I'm only pointing out that getting 16 goals from open play shouldn't be that difficult for a lone striker in a good team. Defoe will get close to that playing for Sunderland so Kane, Costa etc should definitely be doing it.
You didnt say 16 goals though, you said minimum 20 league goals every season. Big difference.
 

Dobbs

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You didnt say 16 goals though, you said minimum 20 league goals every season. Big difference.
16 from open play is what's needed to hit that 20 mark given pens.

Do you think 16 is a big achievement?
 

Billy Blaggs

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Easy to say that but when you look at the records of strikers there are actually very few who have hit +20 goals per season on a regular basis. If Kane manages to get +20 for his third season in a row which looks likely he will already be in a very select (and small) group of strikers who have played in the Premiership who have managed it.
I agree. That's making him a top premier league striker. He's just not world class
 

Peanut Butter

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Sturridge is better.
Hmm. When DS was on fire he was one of the best strikers around. Pace, trickery, good finisher, unpredictable.

But injuries have decimated his form and confidence. He is a few yards slower now too.

Kane is a great finisher but a damn boring player.
 

LilyWhiteSpur

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Pretty much, if he came through the ranks here (United) it'd be great, but £80m is a lot of cash, would you pay £80m for him if he was at say, Everton? Bear inind Suarez went for £60m, I know times are changing but like you say, the teams in the Prem these days are too financially secure to poach players off!

I also think he's going to be a lifer at Spurs, you don't accept 100k a week when you could get at least 150k somewhere else unless you have the affinity he has for you lot, it's actually quite refreshing to see.

Also your question on who is better between Martial, Kane and Rashford, is obvious that Kane is better, he's playing in his natural position and our two are still being shoehorned into a position on the wings! I still prefer the style of Martial, just a personal preference though, hopefully he can start scoring on a regular basis!

@InLevyITrust you wanna make that bet then bro? :devil:
What are your terms my dear fellow?
He has no chance actually. Not technically gifted enough.
What does this mean "technically gifted" his first touch, and finishing and physically are top drawer, to be fair his dribbling isn't that bad either.
Not sure if Kane is any better than Andy Carroll.
Lol
 

TwoSheds

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4 own goals since 13/14. Can he beat Richard Dunne's record? Carragher firmly within his sights already!
 

SwansonsTache

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What does this mean "technically gifted" his first touch...top drawer
Are you having a laugh? Have you ever seen a player with a top drawer first touch? They look a whole lot different to Kane.

RVP had top drawer first touch for a striker, that is the level you are looking at, and 'Arry Kane will never be there.
 

yumtum

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What are your terms my dear fellow
5 years time, Dybala will have come closer to a Ballon D'or than Kane, will also be widely renown as the much better players, £50 bet if this happening?

For what it's worth I don't think Carrol is better than Kane. :lol:
 

LilyWhiteSpur

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5 years time, Dybala will have come closer to a Ballon D'or than Kane, will also be widely renown as the much better players, £50 bet if this happening?

For what it's worth I don't think Carrol is better than Kane. :lol:
Il take you up on that deal!
 

yumtum

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Il take you up on that deal!
Deal! The reason I'm confident of this is because I think Dybala will be moving to one of the elite clubs soon, while Kane I see as a lifer, and no offence to you, but I see spurs struggling to make top four/get knocked out in early rounds of the Champions League considering the new stadium/previous form.

@Penna don't know if this is possible, but is is there a way to make a bookmark of this bet? I'm not sure how you do it/if you can do it?

Thanks.
 

balaks

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Are you having a laugh? Have you ever seen a player with a top drawer first touch? They look a whole lot different to Kane.

RVP had top drawer first touch for a striker, that is the level you are looking at, and 'Arry Kane will never be there.
This is the same RVP who got 20+ league goals just twice in his career? Yeah I think you can keep your great first touch, i'd rather have goals thanks.
 

VorZakone

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This is the same RVP who got 20+ league goals just twice in his career? Yeah I think you can keep your great first touch, i'd rather have goals thanks.
To be fair, RVP was injured a lot and not the main man for Arsenal in his early Arsenal career.
 

PapaPepper

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A great poacher, with a great shot. His overall play is poor though.
How is his overall play poor when his overall play largely dictates the result?

His influence on the Spurs team is extremely understated. It's no coincidence that when Kane's off, the team's off. He drops deep to get the ball and is always looking for one of his teammates to pass to. He's always involved in the build up to a goal or a serious chance.

His lack of pace is overstated. He's not lightning quick but he's not slow. He has great last minute acceleration and a decent sprint (take a look at his hat trick in the FA Cup for the most recent example of this). He doesn't need pace in most cases because his positional awareness and anticipation is top notch. It's hardly luck that he always happens to be in the right place at the right time - it's awareness which is INTELLIGENCE. It always mystifies me when people say Kane isn't an intelligent player when he clearly is.

-He doesn't lose possession often
-He's a better dribbler than people will try and have you believe
-He's not amazing defensively but he's not poor

I actually have a hard time determining a weakness in Kane's game because I largely think he's decent/good/great at everything.
 
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