Once upon a time when children played football in the streets and you could stand at a big game; there would be a striker on each team whose job it was, simply, to score goals!
These days, Britain's premier poacher must be Rangers' Kris Boyd.
The Scot has been one of the most prolific goal scorers in Europe in recent seasons. This year, he started a third of all Rangers matches and amazingly amassed 25 goals, including four in cup finals!
Boyd, who has seven goals in 14 caps, is also the Scottish Premier League's all-time number two scorer at just 24 years old.
I have a fondness for Boyd, not just because he is a Rangers player but because he was born in Irvine, probably in the same hospital I was born in 18 months later.
He has also played for my two favorite Scottish clubs, where he has contributed 114 league goals. Boyd made his debut for Kilmarnock in the same game the legendary Ally McCoist was bidding a fond farewell to professional football against Celtic in 2001.
After earning a reputation as a prolific goal scorer, he signed for Rangers in January 2006. That season, he became the first player to be top goal scorer for two clubs in the same season.
He scored 17 goals for Kilmarnock, then an amazing 20 in 17 starts for Rangers!
His Rangers league record reads 77 appearances, 51 goals and many of those appearances have been off the bench.
So why is he sitting on the bench?
Kris Boyd is a goal scorer, nothing less, nothing more!
He doesn't track back much, get out wide, or get many crosses in. He doesn't link up play very well or set up many goals but really, who cares?
The lad scores goals!
This year's European Golden Boot Winner was Christiano Ronaldo, a midfielder!
Football really has changed a lot.
In January 2008, Kris Boyd was offered to many English Premier League clubs only for nearly every manager to turn around and say the same thing... I just don't fancy him as a player.
So my question is what do managers really want? If every team had a Ronaldo then fair enough, but they don't. Three EPL sides were relegated this season because they didn't score enough goals.
I wonder if any of them had a phone call about a certain Mr. Boyd?
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4 months ago
Interesting one, Andrew. The finest finisher I can remember in recent years would be van Nistelrooy - as Eusebio put it, "when he receives the ball inside the box, it's almost a foregone conclusion he will score".
As United have found out, these natural-born frontline goalscorers are hard to come across. However, there's definitely still a place for them in the game, despite seeing what the likes of Torres and Tevez can do tracking back.
from 4 months ago
For me it was growing up watching Ally McCoist! You just new he was going to score!
4 months ago
The problem with the "true finishers" is that they need good service in every game. This can be top games, like Man Utd vs Arsenal or Barca vs Real Madrid. So, when the opponents block out the service to these players, they become a liability. So, that's probably why coaches now focus on an all round game.. there are still players who you can say are instinctive finishers - Eduardo of Arsenal is one who comes alive in the six yard box but, you're right when you say that teams don't really go for the true finishers anymore.
from 4 months ago
Very good point Shyam but they also pick up scraps and they are the true poachers.
4 months ago
I think the last of them retires this year. Pipo Inzaghi!
Arsenal were crying out for a poacher the last couple of seasons and they now seem to have two. Eduardo and Bendtner.
The only English Premier League poacher worth the name is Kevin Davies... and that's scraping the barrel (although Defoe and Owen are pretty adept at it but their general qualities lie elsewhere)
from 4 months ago
Yip Inzaghi is prob the worlds best poacher...players like Luca Toni also don't do much but put themselves about and score either.
As for Bendtner and Davies, they aren't poachers for me but men to lead the line...Players like Chopra, Healey...not great players but goal scorers.
from 4 months ago
Actually that's a fair point that Andrew. There is definitely a difference between leading the line and being a poacher.
4 months ago
You fail to define what a poacher is and in the modern game it is hard to define the "role" of a poacher. Traditionally a poacher was a player who could only score in the penalty box and was more common in the times pre-the introduction of the offside in the mould of Gary Linekar. In the Premiership last year there were few notable "poachers" one may look at Brian Mcbride of Fulham & Kevin Phillips once Premiership Top Scorer. Football has evolved to a much more efficient sport in terms of tactics and strikers play 'total football' play the position where they are needed. You say Cristiano Ronaldo gets the golden boot from midfield - but that is not true. On many occasions he functions in the strike role, sometimes alone when Rooney is picked on the wing.
Kris Boyd plays for one of the two 'figurehead' clubs in a poor European League - he gets service in abundence and yes he may have the tactical know-how but he is playing against lesser professionals than the EPL. The Premiership isn't interested in him because he would not perform well in the Premier League - poachers work well in a certain set-up, look at Andy Cole, he works well in certain tactical set-ups. The "Poacher" hasn't gone but evolved to the total player - plays don't just have awareness in the box, they have awareness outside and there is a need to be able to score in-and-out of the box. Pace is a key in the modern game and the modern poachers seem to lack this in abundence and therefore do not succeed.
from 4 months ago
I do believe I'm writing for a football audience so therefore why must I define anything? Yes Ronaldo played up front a bit but he is a midfielder.....
Kris Boyd scored half his SPL goals for Kilmarnock....as you would say...a poor team in a poor league!
I know the game is changing and I stated that but I was talking about the few players who rely totally on their goal scoring abilities...poachers...
from 4 months ago
I agree with David that Ronaldo is not a midfielder anymore. He started out as a midfielder, but now he is very much an attacker, not a striker in the old fashioned sense, but a modern day attacker, who leads the line, goes wide, comes deep, basically performs any role in the opposition half. Just because he used to be a winger in the old fashioned sense does not mean he should be called a winger/midfielder throughout his career. He is clearly not a winger nor a midfielder anymore, so to call him either is misrepresentative of what he actually does.
As for poachers, I agree that in the modern game managers appear to want more from a striker than just scoring goals. Kevin Phillips is one of the few remaining poachers in the English game, but over the years he has improved his all round game immensely as well. Boyd will only improve through playing regularly, and so If I were a Rangers fan I would want him playing every week. Play him with Darcheville, who can do all the running and the donkey work, and Boyd can just get in the box and score goals. What level Boyd could score regularly at, who knows, until (if ever) he gets a chance at the highest level (ie regular international games and experience in a top league) then we will never know if he can replicate his goal machine status or not.
Steve Bull was about the best goal poacher in my lifetime. A phenomenal instinct for scoring goals, and he deserved to play at the highest level but never really got the chance either by his own choice (ie staying with Wolves) or by England managers not giving him enough chances.
People also seem to have misunderstood 'poacher' in this article (not sure how as Andrew is pretty clear in my opinion). The likes of Kevin Davies and Brian McBride are certaintly not 'poachers', they are target men who only score around 10 a season tops. An oldfashioned poacher is a player who averages a goal every other game in pretty much any circumstance, but who does not offer the team much else apart from his goals. Michael Owen is a modern equivalent.
from 4 months ago
Okay so midfielder isn't the best description but I was trying to signify Ronaldo wasn't even a striker never mind a poacher.
4 months ago
you can't say outright that he couldn't perform in the EPL as he hasn't even had a game there. thats ridiculous, give the guy a chance, you might be eating your words in a couple of years....
4 months ago
Kris Boyd was offered a move to the Championship with Cardiff/Sheffield Wednesday - but instead chose to ply his trade at Rangers. He was even in Cardiff but turned negotiations down. I am talking about the present moment not pre-2005. His stats speak for themselves, that is undoubted, and he has a fair few international goals to his name. Quality penalty taker too - but he lacks the credentials of a premiership striker. My point only.
4 months ago
Great piece that mate! Boyd is a legend, we can't understand why he doesn't play as Cousin is an idiot, though i love 'wee Nacho'! Your right though, he just scores goals!
The greatest poacher of all time though is defo Alistair Murdoch McCoist MBE!
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