Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 12:49 pm

i was listening to a radio football phone in last night. as it happens, living in the north east it was a local call in with malcolm macdonald, eric gates and bernie slaven. i'm pretty sure they have these "legends" programmes as part of the national century fm network if i'm not mistaken.

anyway the subject got on to alan shearer, as he scored his 400th goal at the weekend. macdonald was saying how exceptional shearer was in the air against southampton on saturday and it got me thinking?

how many strikers can you think of in the modern day who are what you would call "exceptional" in the air? i for one, would struggle to think of more than five.

yes i know that the game has moved on and that the majority of centre forwards these days are exceptional on the deck. but as some of the older members will know, the sixties and seventies produced endless strikers who were superb in the air, rising at the far post above defenders.

shearer is the benchmark. add morientes who is decent in the air, duncan ferguson and juan pablo angel and i'm struggling. the likes of van nistelrooy, drogba, beattie and even crouch, as big as they are, are not renowned headers of the ball.

a dying breed. just an observation like. can you think of any more modern strikers who are top class in the air?

by **dawson99** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 4:21 pm

for his height fowler is good in the air.
karl heinz reidle was good in teh air as well...lol
but u r right, its a different kind of footballer nowadays

by **JBG** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:22 am

Angell of Villa and Benni McCarthy are both technically fantastic in the air.

Another thing is that you never see diving headers anymore.

by **A.B.** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:30 am

Funny how Angel couldn't head a ball into the net with no goalkeeper in sight. Hit the crossbar and went over.

by **Ciggy** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:32 am

Angels been very poor for Villa 10 mill he cost I think what a waste.

by **A.B.** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:34 am

Angel has only scored once or twice this season, poor considering how good a player he is.

by **Dom1** » Sun Jan 23, 2005 3:15 am

Tim Cahill is a strange breed of a midfielder, only 5ft 10 or sumthin and he is a monster in the air!!

i cud name a few more strikers like dion dublin and les ferdinand but both are old players and as u sed a dying breed!!

u wud think that meat head rooney wud be good in the air but he is pants aswell

by **LFC #1** » Sun Jan 23, 2005 7:03 am

Kevin Phillips is great in the air for his size.

by **the great one** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:42 am

Kanoute we are fortunate to be in the Carling cup final thankz to him

by **007** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 10:57 am

Inzaghi and Vieri. Bierhoff too....

by **The Canadian Red Army** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 8:48 pm

friend in my history class, a chelsea fan, has kept on saying that drogba is the best forward in the air at the moment

I keep questioning him on it, but all he says is hes the best.

by **chiggz_likes_owen** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 2:28 pm

Nandooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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Strikers good in the air - Where have they gone?

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