We must sign another one striker at least this summer. If we do get the ideal four strikers with which to rotate things, will it be Shearer and AN Other every Saturday or will Robson leave Shearer out every now and then?

If Shearer is fully fit I can't see him being rested. If Robson is planning to rest him this obviously brings into question Shearer's position as FIRST team captain.

He should be CLUB captain.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Answers

Captaincy should just be a club thing, not guarantee an on field slot.

Shearer, Speed, barton and Lee have done it this season which proves nothing except if you hang around long enough every one will get a go.

This longed for commanding centre-half should be captain, if it means leading on the field. Otherwise I'd rotate it through the whole team just so they get some practice at shaking hands

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Most notably not one of the players could face the press on Saturday evening. That is not right.

Gareth Southgate still crops up as the main possible man.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Al's position is pretty much finished. His career ended down in the corner at Goodison and there's bugger all evidence to the contrary. Admire his mental strength, but is he really any better than Ashley Ward or Deon Burton? Depression talking for sure, but someone reply and tell me what he's done since the ankle injury.

I think feelings about Carl Cort are somewhat negative on this board. I always quite liked him. Hopefully a good run will see him score some goals. Bridges excites me as a signing: quality player. Shola needs a break and some one-to-one coaching. Have we got the personnel to give it to him? Shame we're even weaker in midfield and defence.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Has Beardsley's appointment been finalised?

Crt when fit has scored 3 goals in 6 games. If he can maintain that form for the next 60 games he'll be in the England Team!!

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Dan2,

How about his scoring ca.30 goals last season which kept us in the PL?

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

23 league goals - 5 pens, 9 against teams in the top half, 14 against bottom half, nothing special, our best but nothing out of the ordinary in comparison to say a munchkin

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Christ I wish someone had scored 23 league goals this year for us.

Couple that with Speed, Nobby and Dyer's 5 apiece (or thereabouts) and we'd be a damn sight better of than we are.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

So how many strikers in the PL actually scored more than AS then Macbeth? I reckon scoring 23 goals when playing in that team is pretty damned special, but maybe I'm just too easy to please.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Totally agree Clarky. See other threads.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

That's the trouble with some of the fans today, they have really short memories. It doesn't matter whether you score them against teams in the bottom or top half, if you win against all the lower teams you're going to do pretty well.

This season, we've been beaten by TWO of the promoted teams plus most of the bottom 6, which is something which wasn't a regular occurance last season.

Saying that, if we can recover a bit this term, we could easily end up above last season's 11th position. That's IF we recover by the way. Carl Cort could be the man to get our goals for the rest of the season IMHO.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

I've seen CC's goal about six times now, and it looks better every time I see it. The ball came to him at a really awkward height, and he got over it and hit it real venom. It was pretty well past Schwarzer before he could react to it.

He's a gangly, awkward looking sod, and at times his ball control is dreadful, but hey if he scores goals like that with any regularity who cares?

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Anybody got a link to Cort's goal? I haven't seen it.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

00-01 5 goals, no pens, 19 games, .26 open play goals/game 99-2000 23, 5 pens, 36 games, .50/game 98-99 14, 6 pens, 29 games, .27/game 97-98 2 in 15 games after being broken 96-97 25, 3 pens, 31 games, .71/game 95-96 31, 3 pens, 35 games, .80/game 94-95 34, 10 pens, 42 games, .57/game 93-94 31, 3 pens, 34 games, .82/game 92-93 16, 3 pens, 21 games, .62/game

since Everton injury he has 31 goals from open play in 84 games, I've ignored the 15 at the end of the comeback season. This would average out at 14 per 38 games.

A superb footballer, the best of his generation, but it looks like it all ended August 97.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001