The point was simply to acknowledge, while broadly disagreeing that Browne is a ready-made alternative to Kabamba, that less-than-stellar goal numbers in the past don’t necessarily mean a player can’t start scoring prolifically. Strange to call the off-hand comparison ‘astonishing’ when, according to Soccerbase, Kabamaba scored a total of 29 league goals in 172 games across five seasons prior to joining us.Jimbokav1971 wrote: ↑18 Aug 2024, 16:29A reasonable scoring rate for a striker is generally thought to be a goal every 3 games.Tuesds wrote: ↑18 Aug 2024, 14:31I think Browne can play as a number 9, but he’s played the vast majority of his career as a winger or number 10 playing off a main striker(s), and based on the friendlies it doesn’t look as though we’ve signed him as an alternative to Kabamba. Last season he got 2 goals in 19 league games, and he’s only ever got double figures once in his 9-year senior career. Not striker numbers, although to be fair neither were Kabamba’s previously!moortownbee wrote: ↑18 Aug 2024, 09:20WhetstoneBee wrote: ↑18 Aug 2024, 08:38If he plays like he did yesterday then I’d agree, but thankfully he doesn’t usually and is generally much more clinical. The problem is that we have no one to bring on when he’s having a poor game, which is one of the main reasons I don’t think this squad is currently good enough to win the league. Our only back-up “centre forward” is an attacking midfielder who was playing for Hitchin Town last year, which is a ridiculous situation. In fact this is the third season in a row that we’ve started without any back-up for Kabamba, which is even more daft. If Nile Ranger has been training with us for months then surely he’s still good enough to do a job until we find something better?WestHampsteadBee wrote: ↑17 Aug 2024, 23:32 I’ll put this out there. Don’t mind if people disagree. We need a more clinical striker if we’re going to win the league.
Just putting it out there, I'd argue we do have Rhys Browne
Before joining us, Nicke had only ever played 30 games in a season 5 times at any level.
In these 5 seasons he scored 20, 19, 21, 12 & 5 goals.
the only season he hasn't hit double-figure goals, (when playing 30+ games), is 2020/21 for Kilmarnock in the SPL. Although he scored 5 goals, 11 of his 32 appearances were as a sub.
Just to clarify then, when Nicke has been played consistently throughout the season he scores pretty well, and it could also be argued that he's been misused, (as a Target Man), for much or even most of his career).
It's pretty hard to compare that to Browne, who has only ever hit double-figures once, despite making 30+ appearances in at least 4 seasons. I appreciate that Browne isn't a #9, but there is absolutely no comparison in their scoring records. Astonished that someone is trying to suggest otherwise. Kabamba has scored approaching 200 career goals.
Whatever Kabamba managed in the Isthmian league early in his career, it’s indisputable that he wasn’t achieving a prolific striker’s goal ratio prior to joining us, and indeed never had at our level or above (other than perhaps one short purple patch at Hartlepool). Obviously the 100+ other goals you are referring to must have come mostly at lower levels early in his career, but in terms of the years prior to joining us, I’d say it’s pretty clear that Kabamba wasn’t achieving a striker’s rate of scoring goals!
There’s no bigger fan of Kabamba than me, as another post above shows, and meanwhile I’d also say Brennan is due a huge amount of credit for picking up a player who hadn’t scored prolifically for many years and helping him to achieve what he has over the last 2 years.