It seems that the answer to that particular question is “nobody.”
I’m sure you’ve all seen the truly awful statistic, dug up by the BBC that Ricky van Wolfsinkel has managed just one goal in 19 hours and 19 minutes or 1,159 minutes if you prefer.
They also dug up another which shows that Ricky has one shot on average every 250 odd minutes, but is he a waste of money?
My literary colleague over at Myfootballwriter, Ed Couzens-Lake wrote a very good piece on Ricky a couple of weeks ago in which he suggested that the lad was a victim of being too much of a footballer (other examples he used were Wes Hoolahan, David Fox and Andrew Surman) to immediately fit into the Premier League and that he is having to adapt his game to the blood and thunder of a league filled with giant athletic specimens of the human form.
I think that anyone who watches him regularly can see that he is not a shirker. He puts in the effort and isn’t scared of a tackle either, so what is the problem with our £8.5m record signing?
I don’t think that he himself is the problem – he has a very good goal scoring record, albeit at a perceived lower level in the Dutch and Portuguese Leagues respectively.
But a total of 28 goals in 55 games for Sporting suggests he knows where the goal is. And while doubters can point at the so called “lesser teams” that occupy that League, it’s worth noting that Benfica and Porto are regular European competitors. Indeed, I bet Spurs won’t relish facing Benfica in the Europa League.Benfica were Chelsea’s opponents in last year’s Europa League Final and ran the Blues very close.
Talking of Chelsea, I must tell you about a bet that I made before the season started, with my boss, Nigel. Nigel is a Chelsea fan and bet me £10 that Torres would score more goals than RvW this season.
The bet is based upon games in competitions that both teams are eligible for, so Europe doesn’t count. Now, Torres cost Roman Abramovich £50m and only the most ardent Chelsea supporter could try to tell you that he has been a success there. He used to be the best striker in Europe, when he wore a red shirt – but not anymore, he is a shadow of his former self.
This season, he has scored 5 goals that qualify for our bet. Yes, that’s right only five. But Ricky cannot get off that single, solitary goal that he scored on a warm day last August – he has played 20 times since.
Clearly I should’ve picked Gary Hooper as my Champion, Hooper has seven goals but it’s hardly going right for him either, is it?
It’s also worth pointing out that we didn’t have this problem in our first season back in the Premier League while under Paul Lambert’s stewardship.
Lambert had Holt, Morison, Jackson and a couple of times, James Vaughan at his disposal and yet, goal scoring wasn’t a problem for us. But would any of you knowledgeable City fans say that our strike force now is not better than what we had then?
I wouldn’t. On the odd occasion that Gary Hooper is given a chance by his team mates, we have seen that he is a finisher. I am a great believer that if you score a load of goals at a lower level (Scotland for example) and are presented with a chance in the Premier League then you can still stick the ball in the net. Grant Holt proved this three seasons in a row as he rocketed up the leagues, dragging us with him.
Steve Morison scored ten goals in that first season back and I bet none of us would swap him for Hooper or Ricky. You can say that Johan Elmander is never ever a goal threat and I would agree with you but on the other hand, you don’t get to play as Zlatan’s strike partner over 70 times for Sweden and be totally rubbish.
Something else is amiss here.
It has to be the tactics, formations etc, doesn’t it?
I don’t think that it’s any coincidence that goals have dried up since Lambert left and Chris Hughton arrived. Hughton has certainly shored up our defence and overall the team is definitely stronger than when Lambert left, but you would expect that two years on. However, goal scoring remains a problem and the bottom line is that if you can’t score regularly then you will struggle.
Ricky has joined a defensively minded Premier League side in a World Cup year with hopes of going to Brazil and watched as those hopes have been eroded week in, week out. I would be so bold as to suggest that unless there is a major injury crisis within the Dutch squad, then Louis van Gaal will not be making a phone call to Ricky asking him to bring his passport and some sunglasses come June.
It’s the same for Hooper. A good season for City could’ve seen him on the plane to Rio. Look at what Lambert and Rodriquez have done at Southampton, both have England caps now.
It must be bitterly disappointing for the lads. It’s disappointing for all of us.
Ricky is an eighteen yard box player. He has scored virtually all his goals from there, Youtube tells us this. So why can’t we get him to score?
I’m not going to be able to tell you definitively I’m afraid. If I could do that I’d be Jose Mourinho. I bet if he played with Eden Hazard though he’d score some goals.
However, I’ll have a stab at it. Our wingers always play on the wrong side for their best feet. Snodgrass (left footed) on the right and Redmond (right footed) on the left. Hughton likes his wingers to cut in and shoot but it does mean that they are often unable to put a ball in immediately if they get to the bye line and have to check back, by which time often a chance is lost as the opposition defence get back. Or, as we saw at the weekend, the ball is spooned out of play.
Now that Anthony Pilkington is fit, I think he should be playing from the start. Pilks is genuinely two footed and able to get shots on target. Redmond is still learning his trade and offers a terrific option from the bench later on in a game while Snodgrass, despite a patchy season still offers our best set piece delivery and a lot of our goals have come from his assists, but I’d like to see him on the left for a change, whipping balls in early.
Through the middle is also a problem Our two defensive midfielders, Tettey and Johnson are both good at destruction but not so good creatively. Look at Chelsea as an example – they play Ramires and Matic there, both can pick a pass.
Now I know that we don’t have Chelsea’s riches but it’s the principle I’m getting at. Passing midfielders with a bit of steel. Johnny Howson would be better playing alongside one of those two, I feel.
The answer to this lies with with our manager and coaching staff. But the way thinks look at the moment, I reckon Luis Suarez would struggle in our team.
I just hope that something can click, something can change and pretty soon. There are nine games left and Torres is only on five goals – he’s a shadow of his former self and isn’t going to score many more in the League, but will Ricky? Only time will tell. If City stay up and a new manager comes on board in the summer, I think we will see the best of a player that clearly has the ability and perhaps I can win that bet next year…
OTBC
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