Anfield Likes a Good Striker

Sturridge can become the Reds next goalscoring hero if he steps up following Suarez’s departure

Such is the history of Liverpool Football Club, its great success on the pitch has come from a myriad of incredible players demonstrating two key qualities – exceptional ability and hard work.

It is these players who are adored by the fans at Anfield, who have songs written about them and cheers that resonate the famous old ground whenever they are on the ball.

Because of the continued success enjoyed by the club, the list of Anfield greats is long. However, there is a special place reserved for the ones who put the ball in the back of net. Those that win the games are lauded higher than anyone else, because scoring is the most difficult aspect of football.

Liverpool have never been short of world-class frontmen, hence their status as one of the biggest and most trophy-laden clubs not just in England, but in world football. Even before the club really took off under Bill Shankly, the Reds had already seen some incredible forwards grace Anfield’s walls.

The likes of Harry Chambers, Gordon Hodgson and Billy Liddell are all in the top 10 of the club’s all-time goalscorers and were immense influences in Liverpool’s triumphs during the first half of the 20th century.

However, once Shankly became manager, the top strikers would never stop emerging at Anfield, almost as if they were coming off a conveyor belt. Sometimes there were more than one world-class forward at the club, giving the Liverpool managers a good headache to have, but there has always been at least one for the last 55 years.

Shankly’s era began with Roger Hunt and Ian St John who, before a certain Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, were the last pair to each score over 20 league goals in the same season (when they won the 1964 title). Together they scored a combined 404 goals (286 for Hunt, 118 for St John) in all competitions for the club, and Hunt is second only to Ian Rush in the all-time goalscorers charts.

The 1970s saw a new pairing arrive in John Toshack and Kevin Keegan, after Bobby Graham had held the fort for a couple of years. Neither are in the top 10 all-time scorers for Liverpool, but they were one of the fiercest striking partnerships ever witnessed at the club, helping secure three league titles and two UEFA Cups, as well as the 1974 FA Cup.

Such was their supremacy, commentator David Coleman famously stated ‘Toshack, Keegan, one nil!’

Yet, incredibly, Liverpool were about to go up another notch, into their peak years, showcasing the finest football and success ever seen at Anfield. It was a dominance few teams in world football have matched in their respective peak periods.

Shankly gave way to Bob Paisley, while Toshack and Keegan also gave way to Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush. Dalglish is seen by many as the greatest Liverpool player of all time, while Rush is the all-time top goalscorer with 346 goals. Therefore it is no surprise that together they formed a partnership that has never been replicated and arguably never will, bordering on the telepathic and magical.

David Fairclough and David Johnson helped provide the supporting cast during the late 70s and early 80s, while Ian Rush’s departure allowed then manager Kenny Dalglish to construct a dizzying attacking trio, continuing the sublime football being played at Anfield. Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge took up the mantle alongside winger John Barnes for the 1987/88 side, seen as the greatest Liverpool side in their history.

Rush returned a year later and remained a top class striker but short of that legendary peak, yet it remained a powerful quartet.

Torres could have become a Liverpool legend had he not made the unthinkable move to Chelsea

The 1990s saw the decline of the dominant Liverpool, picking up trophies here and there instead of collecting several on a yearly basis. Nevertheless, with the departures of Beardsley and Aldridge and Rush ageing, the Reds were fortunate to have a talented youth product ready to make his mark – Robbie Fowler.

At the tender age of 20, he scored 31 goals in 1994/95 and continued his prolificacy with 36 goals in the 1995/96 season, earning the nickname ‘God’ among his adoring fans. Fowler fell out with Gerard Houllier after the treble season of 2001 and left for Leeds United.

But by then, he had already been replaced.

Michael Owen had a similar start to Fowler by scoring in abundance from a very young age. Also from Liverpool’s youth system, Owen scored 36 goals in his first two full seasons between 1997 and 1999, before winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001 after the treble season. However, his status among the Liverpool faithful soured after his stint at Manchester United.

The likes of Stan Collymore, Emile Heskey and Milan Baros all competed alongside Fowler and Owen, but once Owen left for Real Madrid there were a couple of years where Liverpool lacked a world-class striker for the first time since before Shankly.

Peter Crouch filled in admirably, as did Baros, Djibril Cisse and Dirk Kuyt, but it was not until 2007 that the heir was found in Fernando Torres.

The Spanish superstar burst onto the scene in his first season, scoring 33 goals in the 2007/08 season and became the fastest Liverpool player in history to score 50 league goals. The following two seasons saw Torres score 39 goals in just 70 appearances, as he was plagued with hamstring problems.

However, it was a knee injury sustained prior to the 2010 World Cup that prematurely ended Torres’ peak, with Liverpool fortunate to secure a monumental £50 million fee from Chelsea in January 2011.

After the loss of Torres, Luis Suarez became the next darling of the Kop, arriving on the same day that Torres left. Suarez instantly became a key figure with performances such as the win over Manchester United in March 2011, even if his finishing stats were inconsistent. They soon improved though, as he hit 30 goals in the 2012/13 season before adding 31 last season.

With Suarez now at Barcelona, the onus is on the likes of Daniel Sturridge and new £16m signing Mario Balotelli to become the next star strikers for Liverpool Football Club.

Robbie Fowler will always be God to Liverpool fans

Sturridge has already impressed hugely since his arrival from Chelsea 18 months ago. With 36 goals in 52 appearances, Sturridge has the potential to join the pantheon of Anfield greats. Furthermore, with SAS finished, he is ready to become the main man.

Moreover, Balotelli is another who has an immense amount of potential, yet has only showcased it sporadically for Inter Milan, Manchester City and AC Milan. Now seemingly on his last chance at a big club, hopefully Balotelli will mature given he is now 24. If he does, then there could be two world-class forwards once again at Anfield. After all, the Italian already has a song from the fans!

Under Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool like to score goals. Therefore the Liverpool fans will probably witness a multitude of top quality forwards in the future, just like in the days of Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish. However, for a club as big as Liverpool, there will always be at least one.

Good luck Daniel and Mario.

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