Bergen Blade
Well-Known Member
If there are going to be numerous threads, let's at least be precise when it comes to the title, no "How about this", etc.
Some have said it's strange that we're looking at a league one striker who's scored just 7 goals to boost our attack for next season's return to the Championship. We know he scored loads before he went to jail, but he hasn't showed anywhere near that kind of scoring form for Chesterfield.
There aren't many similar scenarios. Of course there are players that have been out of the game, through injuries and long bans. But Ched Evans was out of the game for four years. Has there ever been a player that have made a come back after such a long time out?
It is natural to expect that it will take some time to get back to his best.
One player who was out of the game for 3 years was Lee Hughes. Let's not draw any more comparisons than that they are/were both:
Lee Hughes was a decent 2nd tier striker for a number of years before he went to prison, scoring double figures every season, although the numbers seemed to be declining slightly.
He was 31 years old when he was released, signing for 3rd tier Oldham in 2007 and this was his record the following seasons:
Looking at Ched Evans' comeback season:
Judging by their comeback seasons they are not too different. They both struggled with injuries, probably expected as the body gets used to the intensity of training and matches. Scoring 7 and 8 goals surely weren't the numbers they aimed for as their seasons started.
But Lee Hughes showed that he was capable of better, with another pre season under his belt, he got close to 20 goals. Although he then dropped down to League Two, 33 goals for Notts County was impressive. And he did alright back in League One the following season, despite being 34 years old when the season started.
Hughes' period out of the game was a year less than Evans'. But Evans returned aged 27, four years younger than Hughes.
There are many more factors that can influence things for Ched, but what I think we can learn from the above is that we should not use last season's meagre goal tally as proof that he can't do well again. It may be that it just takes time to get going again after such a long time out.
Personally I have only seen him when we played Chesterfield in November. I thought he looked very good in that game, strong and determined. I trust that Wilder and his team will have seen him a lot and feel confident that he's capable of getting back to his best. In that case we may have found ourselves a very good goal scorer who should be at his peak in the next couple of seasons for a bargain price.
Some have said it's strange that we're looking at a league one striker who's scored just 7 goals to boost our attack for next season's return to the Championship. We know he scored loads before he went to jail, but he hasn't showed anywhere near that kind of scoring form for Chesterfield.
There aren't many similar scenarios. Of course there are players that have been out of the game, through injuries and long bans. But Ched Evans was out of the game for four years. Has there ever been a player that have made a come back after such a long time out?
It is natural to expect that it will take some time to get back to his best.
One player who was out of the game for 3 years was Lee Hughes. Let's not draw any more comparisons than that they are/were both:
- goalgetters
- out of the game for 3-4 years
- surrounded by a lot of controversy
Lee Hughes was a decent 2nd tier striker for a number of years before he went to prison, scoring double figures every season, although the numbers seemed to be declining slightly.
He was 31 years old when he was released, signing for 3rd tier Oldham in 2007 and this was his record the following seasons:
- 2007/08: 21 matches, 8 goals. Struggled with injuries, only scored 1 goal outside a strong 30 day period in the middle of the season.
- 2008/09: 43 matches, 19 goals. A solid season in League One.
- 2009/10: 45 matches, 33 goals, winning promotion for Notts County in League Two.
- 2010/11: 37 matches, 16 goals for Notts County back in League One.
Looking at Ched Evans' comeback season:
- 2016/17: 29 matches, 7 goals. Struggled with injuries.
Judging by their comeback seasons they are not too different. They both struggled with injuries, probably expected as the body gets used to the intensity of training and matches. Scoring 7 and 8 goals surely weren't the numbers they aimed for as their seasons started.
But Lee Hughes showed that he was capable of better, with another pre season under his belt, he got close to 20 goals. Although he then dropped down to League Two, 33 goals for Notts County was impressive. And he did alright back in League One the following season, despite being 34 years old when the season started.
Hughes' period out of the game was a year less than Evans'. But Evans returned aged 27, four years younger than Hughes.
There are many more factors that can influence things for Ched, but what I think we can learn from the above is that we should not use last season's meagre goal tally as proof that he can't do well again. It may be that it just takes time to get going again after such a long time out.
Personally I have only seen him when we played Chesterfield in November. I thought he looked very good in that game, strong and determined. I trust that Wilder and his team will have seen him a lot and feel confident that he's capable of getting back to his best. In that case we may have found ourselves a very good goal scorer who should be at his peak in the next couple of seasons for a bargain price.
