ABERDEEN’S front men are ready to match the 30-goal target set for them by manager Jimmy Calderwood.
That’s the verdict of reserve team coach Sandy Clark after spending the last month sharpening up their front-men for the big SPL kick-off.
Calderwood wants his four main strikers to deliver at least 30 goals between them to bolster Aberdeen’s chances of qualifying for Europe.
That’s something that has happened only twice in the last 10 seasons. But Clark is convinced Lee Miller, Darren Mackie, Chris Maguire and new man Tommy Wright have it in them to give Calderwood what he wants.
“It’s a very reasonable target,†said Sandy, who was a top-class striker himself with Hearts, Rangers and West Ham.
“All four are capable of delivering their fair share and will get their chance over the course of the campaign.
“It is very rare nowadays for one strike pairing to get the luxury of playing together all season.
“Injuries and suspensions mean you tend to find the combinations change quite a lot.
“But a target of 30 goals means they will need to get about seven or eight each.
“It’s not really a lot when you look at it that way, so we will all be disappointed if they stay fit and can’t deliver that total.
“Lee was our top scorer last season and I’m sure he will score more than his fair share again.
“Darren is fit again and eager to make up for lost time after only getting four last time.
“Darren always seems to score the important ones though, and I am certain he will continue that.
“Wee Chris is going to be a lot more involved as well and I’m excited by the thought of what he could achieve in the new season.
“Tommy will do his bit as well.
“I was sent to watch him play and was impressed by his aggression and sheer will to get in about defenders and win the ball.
“If we get the ball wide so that it can be delivered into the area the way Tommy likes it, I am certain he will score a good number of goals.â€
In the days when Sandy was a player, most Scottish clubs had one striker who was expected to deliver the bulk of that 30-goal target on his own – but he accepts times have changed.
“Football has become more squad orientated, so you don’t see many teams sticking with the same strikers all of the time,†he said.
“In one of the seasons I played for Hearts, we only used 14 players the whole season.
“When you are playing every week it stands to reason that you will have more chance of scoring goals.
“But strikers now find their playing time restricted because their club may choose to go with one up or make some other tactical change.
“I played with Ally McCoist at Rangers and John Robertson at Hearts, who were among the greatest of what you would class as old fashioned poachers.
“They did very little in games at times, but would then pop up with the goals that mattered.
“Few clubs can afford the luxury of players like those now.
“The strikers have become the first line of defence, so they have to be a lot more mobile and be willing to track back a lot more than some of the great names from the past did.â€
Sandy spent extra hours in Holland supervising special shooting drills at their training ground in Delden.
He was delighted with the way the players improved the quality of their shooting and movement over the course of 10 days.
“They are looking sharp and are now ready to go,†he said.
“Strikers are only as good as the delivery they get and that is something we worked on a lot.
“Most of our drills involve moving the ball about at pace and firing into the area early for the strikers.
“We also incorporate a bit of competition to add a bit more bite to the training.
“They take part in various shooting competitions and you would be amazed at how competitive they get at times.
“The quality of finishing was exceptional at times. But the strikers now have to prove they can do the same when the real action starts.â€
I too agree its a very reasonable target and you could say a higher target should be set as if you dont aim high mediocrity can set in.
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.
Ajja 43 posts
mizer 24 posts
TENEMENTFUNSTER 24 posts
boboisared 22 posts
http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/768290
I too agree its a very reasonable target and you could say a higher target should be set as if you dont aim high mediocrity can set in.