Comparing Strikers Since Strachan

Celtic have a history of great strikers. How does the current crop compare to recent incumbents? Data on goals and assists is available from 2005, the start of the Strachan era. This is a useful starting place as it marks the beginning of a more prudent transfer policy post O’Neill and record fees.

Data is available for the SPFL and European matches since 2005. Scottish League and FA Cups matches are included from 2008/09 onwards.

In the last 14 seasons, Celtic used 40 strikers of which 24 have registered 900 minutes or more. I am classifying some players who are wide “attackers” or secondary forwards as strikers e.g. Stokes, Maloney, Commons, Sinclair.

Goals Per 90m

Based purely on goals scored by players who have played at least 900 matches, no one has been able to match Keane’s brief spell in 2009/10 where he scored 0.91 goals per 90m. What is encouraging is that current strikers Griffiths (0.78) and Edouard (0.65) are within the top 7.

Assist Per 90m

The days of the “only scores goals” striker are long over and forwards are expected to create as well as score. Here are the Assists Per 90m rates.

Guidetti is perhaps not remembered fondly but he was the most creative striker of the last 13 seasons and the only one with an assist rate over 0.5 per 90m. He was also a definite number 9. The other players with over 0.4 assists per 90m could be considered second strikers or wide attackers – Stokes, Maloney and Commons.

Of the current crop, there is only 0.02 between Sinclair, Griffiths and Edouard and they are all in the top half of the table.

Scoring Contribution Per 90m

If we put Goals and Assists together, we get Scoring Contribution which is the overall indicator of attacking productivity.

In the top right quadrant are the players heavy in goals and assists. Of the current cadre, Griffiths and Edouard make this sector. Guidetti wasn’t at the club long but I do wonder if this was his most productive spell in football. His career Scoring Contribution is 0.83 per 90m. He is till only 26 and plays for Deportivo Alavés.

In the bottom right are the out and out goal scorers – Hooper, Hartson, McDonald and Keane well out on his own from that brief ultimately unhappy spell.

Top left are the interesting players – more creative attackers than goal scorers. We maybe forget how productive Stokes was in tandem with Hooper and Commons. And Fortune is not fondly remembered either but this shows that perhaps he should have been used as the support striker not the main target man.

The bottom left are those who, for some, had their moments (Vennegoor of Hesselink, Zurawski, Watt had THE moment) and those best forgotten.

Those That Didn’t Make It

In case you are wondering, here are the strikers that didn’t make the cut due to playing less than 900 minutes. See how many you remember.

The top two have hardly played a half of football.

Riordan – what a waste of a career!

Who would have thought Balde would some out above many of the other bit part strikers?

And the dubious honour of biggest waste money – Mo Bangura. I assist in 16 appearances.

Summary

The current strikers are generally better than what we have seen over the last 13 years where data was available. Edouard in particular can be expected to improve.

I am looking forward to plotting Weah and Bayo.

Hopefully they have more bang than Bangura.