Dirk Kuyt

[El Jefecito]

What about Solskjaer and Anelka

No way. In the same league as those others. Not even close.

BTW Anelka at Bolton is just embarrasing. He's been useless.

[Red Chilli]

We're not asking if they're as good as the others because they patently are not, but are they natural goalscorers?

I'd say Solskjaer most certainly is.

[paulcooper4]

What about Solskjaer

good shout

and Anelka

never a natural finisher, fast though, and skilful on the rare occasion he can be arsed

[El Jefecito]

As for the main topic, Dirk is in a funk, and I find it just a little bit worrying that he misses a lot. He seems to lack some composure and coolness in front of goal atm.
I hope it is just temporarily.

He'll come good, let's face it he's only underperformed for the last 3-4 games. In six months we will have forgotten about this lull. If he wasn't get the shots off I'd be worried, but he is. I always ask myself, 'on another day would that have gone in?'. If yes, I don't worry. I'm not worrying.

The great thing about Kuyt is that even when he plays crap, he plays well (due to the other parts of his game).

[Rich]

No way is Anelka a natural finisher.

Solskjaer probably is a natural finisher, but he never was really first choice.

Owen isn't a natural finisher - he had all the hallmarks of one, but if he was in a rut, then nothing went in. And he hit the rut too often to be classed as Natural.

[paulcooper4]

No way is Anelka a natural finisher.

Solskjaer probably is a natural finisher, but he never was really first choice.

Owen isn't a natural finisher - he had all the hallmarks of one, but if he was in a rut, then nothing went in. And he hit the rut too often to be classed as Natural.

[tomasjj]

Sheva is another one.

[Los Rojos]

Ian Wright, good call.

Ian Rush wasn't bad either. He was still banging them in the early years of the Premiership (up to 1995 or so).

[paulcooper4]

Sheva is another one.

I think they mean someone who has proven it in the premiership

[Rich]

Sheva hasn't shown any Natural goalscoring instinct in the Premiership, although obviously he had that in spades in the Italian league.

[Shaggy]

Anelka looked to be as natural as goalscorer as it gets when he first emerged at Arsenal. You could put your mortgage on him scoring when he went one-on-one. At the time I thought he was gonna be a total world-beater but it's just not happened for him.

[captainfog]

Apologies if this has been discussed in another thread – I’ve had little or no chance to keep up over the weekend.

Is anyone else worried about Dirk Kuyt’s goalscoring prowess?

He’s clearly a good player. Strong, effervescent and intelligent…but is he a clinical finisher? Based on the evidence presented so far, the answer would have to be no. I think many of us thought we were getting a deadly goalscorer.

It’s too early to make any firm judgements about Kuyt, IMO. He may just be lacking a bit of confidence in front of goal currently, I dunno – I wonder if he ever missed so many chances in Holland? He could have had five on Saturday and there was a time when I feared his spurned opportunities would come back to bite us on the arse.

Personally I’d go with Crouch & Bellamy for the next couple of games and give Dirky boy a rest. I know I’m in a minority here, but I don’t think there’s anything between Crouch & Kuyt. Yes, Dirk is a little more mobile and has a touch more pace, but Crouch offers us just as much. His instant contribution on Saturday should serve as a reminder that Kuyt should not be guaranteed a place.

I don't think he badly needs a goal - he only scored recently against Wigan.

It would be interesting to see what his shot to goal ratio was like in Holland - any stat monkeys out there with this info?

However, I agree he needs a rest - he has been Rafa's first choice for a while and I think its time for some rotation...... Seriously though, it's time for Kuyt to be rested and Crotch to have a run

[Shaggy]

No I'm not worried about his goalscoring. Didn't we all know that we weren't getting a golascorer, that Kuyt is an attacker, a forward whose overall play helps the team to score goals?

How many has he got anyway? We've just scored 11 in the last three games - I don't care who scores them, it's the team that wins, draws or loses, not individuals.

Of course it would be great to have an attacker who is a great goalscorer but as others have said there aren't that many of them. There are even fewer who contribute in the way that Kuyt does as well as score the goals. Didn't Sir Boozehound up the road get rid of that natural goalscorer van Nistelrooy because he didn't contribute enough elsewhere and limited the way Man U were playing?

Nope. I'd hardly seen him play and, although I realised he was also adept at dropping off and linking the play, I rather hoped he was a demon finisher. But he's not.

His missed chances at Chelsea, then Old Trafford proved to be expensive misses. Not so the hatful he blew on Saturday, but all the same I worry that his profligacy in front of goal will cost us.

[Neil Young]

Nope. I'd hardly seen him play and, although I realised he was also adept at dropping off and linking the play, I rather hoped he was a demon finisher. But he's not.

His missed chances at Chelsea, then Old Trafford proved to be expensive misses. Not so the hatful he blew on Saturday, but all the same I worry that his profligacy in front of goal will cost us.

OK, that's completely fair enough of course. I'd seen him a bit and I'd heard that he wasn't a goalscoring machine, just a very good player (which I don't think you'd dispute).

[Shaggy]

OK, that's completely fair enough of course. I'd seen him a bit and I'd heard that he wasn't a goalscoring machine, just a very good player (which I don't think you'd dispute).

Wouldn't dispute that at all, I like him a lot.

A striker with a goalscoring record of 71 goals in 101 games would surely suggest, in anyone's book, a goal machine.