Breaking Down the Myth of Tottenham's 'Misfiring' Striker Harry Kane

When the summer transfer window closed, Tottenham were left with just one specialist centre-forward. 

One thing seemed clear, Harry Kane would need to score plenty of goals. 

Despite that pressure, or perhaps because of it, it took until his ninth appearance of the season and his fifth game since the end of the summer window for Kane to get off the mark. 

Before that goal, and since, Kane had been labelled as a one-season-wonder, according to the PA. 

For many footballers, such a tag might be worn as a badge of honour but Kane is set for higher things. 

Game after game, the monkey on Kane's back grew and, in truth, it had begun to affect his decision-making. 

The pressure was clearly building on the 22-year-old and his lovely half-volley against Manchester City will have been welcome respite. 

Kane himself admitted that the criticism had taken its toll. "A few people said: ‘One-season wonder.’ People will big you up when you do well and when you are not doing so well, they are the ones who talk you down."

FA chief executive Martin Glenn agreed that Kane had been struggling but chose to blame his club, rather than the player. 

Glenn bafflingly took aim at Spurs' short post-season tour of Asia but his criticism, like the majority of the commentary on Kane's so-called goal drought, was misplaced. 

The fact that Kane has scored twice in two games for England should have enlightened Glenn to the fact that 

Kane has not been a striker out of form but an excellent player suffering from a conspiracy of luck and a reversion to the mean. 

WhoScored.com's statistical rating puts Kane's season so far at a 7.01. By comparison, the Premier League's leading goal-scorer Jamie Vardy is rated as a 7.8.

687 minutes is a long stretch for a player of Kane's quality to endure without a goal; there is no doubt. 

Last season Kane went only 384 minutes at his longest stretch. 

He benefited from a great deal of fortune despite his brilliance last season. 

His conversion rate in 2014-15 was astonishing and unsustainable. 

"

Harry Kane in the Premier League this season: 19 goals 3 assists 82 shots 61% shot accuracy 31% conversion rate pic.twitter.com/DdYeNSTB5f

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 5, 2015"

His accuracy has fallen to 44% this season while his conversion rate is just 6%. 

This collapse is seemingly a calamitous collapse that only confirms the charge of his being a flash in the pan, a one-season wonder. 

In reality, these statistics reflect the obvious implications of Kane's remarkable first full season in Tottenham's first-team. 

The numbers are well-known but bear repeating. 

In 2014-15 Kane scored 21 Premier League goals and reached 30 in all competitions. 

By comparison, Wayne Rooney has reached that total once in 14 seasons. 

Expecting Kane, now the central focus of defensive preparation for every opposition that Tottenham face, to repeat the feat was simply unrealistic. 

This is not a matter of a player falling away from an implausible height. 

Spurs began the season playing well but failing to convert their chances and get the results they deserved. 

In early games, Kane did look isolated but he still shone as he ploughed a lone furrow. 

Frustration eventually became evident but he was still creating chances for himself and others. 

Tottenham were beaten 2-1 against their eternal rivals Arsenal in midweek but Kane was inches away from a brilliant strike with scores level. 

His scissor-kick was cleared off the line but would have been a deserved winner. 

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

That chance was emblematic of Kane's season so far. He's continued to be a highly-effective player but without the fortune that marked out his last season. 

Having flourished as a central striker after Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor failed in the same role, Kane seemed set to star as Tottenham's main forward. 

Milan and Holland legend Ruud Gullit added his own analysis after Kane finally broke his duck against City.

Gullit suggested that Kane's best position is behind the striker, not leading the line. "He’s not a natural striker, but he’s a good football player. I want to see him with a great striker alongside him." 

Certainly, that was Kane's role in the youth team and during his successful loan spell at Leyton Orient in 2011. 

Kane excels in a deeper role, his creative skills allow him to bring others into the game while not blunting his own direct approach. 

Playing in this role allows another attacking player to move beyond his deeper position and demand the attention of the opposition defence. 

Heung-Min Son's rapid start and the bright glimpses of Clinton Njie's potential suggest that Kane will get more opportunities to play with a strike partner but he remains Spurs' most effective goal-scorer. 

In the long-term, Kane will move further back and assume a permanent place behind a more single-minded striker. 

He will continue to score goals, probably a great many, but he will make many more for his teammates as his career continues.

Rumours of his demise have been greatly exaggerated and demonstrate a failure to observe Kane in action.

After a decade at the club, Kane is its beating heart. 

Beloved of the fans and their embodiment on the pitch, Kane is vital to the club's present and future. 

Brilliant last season, Kane has been very good in this one. 

He has wanted for luck more than form he has helped his team even without scoring as often as he and the supporters might like. 

The notion that Kane has been struggling under the pressure of being Spurs' only striker has been pervasive because it seemed to confirm expectations. 

Of course Kane would stumble in year two. 

Of course Spurs would be unable to succeed after failing to strengthen their strike force in the summer. 

Unfortunately for the media and crowing supporters, is is simply a myth.