Bergen Blade
Well-Known Member
Three goalgetter type strikers who joined us aged 20/21 (Obviously Sharp was returning). None of them were immediate hits.
Sharp:
Sharp had obviously scored loads of goals at Rushden and Diamonds and Scunthorpe, but his return was his first real go at the Championship. 6 goals in his first two seasons was underwhelming and we let him join Doncaster in 2009. There he was the main man again and he showed he'd the ability to score many goals at that level. We know he's gone on to have an excellent career.
Ched Evans
Ched Evans had a decent loan spell at Norwich in the Championship the season before he signed for us. But his Bramall Lane career started slowly with 4 goals the first season, and then 9 as we were relegated the season after. For someone who was able to strike the ball so well, I thought it was remarkable how rarely he looked like scoring. His third season was in League One, but he was phenomenal, scoring 35 goals despite missing the end of that season. If he'd been put in a successful Championship side I think it would have still been his break through season. We know what happened and he never recaptured the kind of form he showed in 2011/12.
Sharp and Evans' stats don't prove anything about Brewster's future. But they do show that it can take time to get going as a goalscorer. You'll get exceptions, wonderkids like Rooney and Owen, but a lot of these poacher types need to mature and adapt a bit before the goals start coming regularly at a high level. At 23-24 many seem to suddenly do better, they'll have learned more about the timing of runs, how to hold off defenders, what it takes to get in front of them, etc.
Let's have some patience with Brewster. Hopefully we'll see a goal or two before the season ends, and more improvement in the years ahead.
Sharp:
Sharp had obviously scored loads of goals at Rushden and Diamonds and Scunthorpe, but his return was his first real go at the Championship. 6 goals in his first two seasons was underwhelming and we let him join Doncaster in 2009. There he was the main man again and he showed he'd the ability to score many goals at that level. We know he's gone on to have an excellent career.
Ched Evans
Ched Evans had a decent loan spell at Norwich in the Championship the season before he signed for us. But his Bramall Lane career started slowly with 4 goals the first season, and then 9 as we were relegated the season after. For someone who was able to strike the ball so well, I thought it was remarkable how rarely he looked like scoring. His third season was in League One, but he was phenomenal, scoring 35 goals despite missing the end of that season. If he'd been put in a successful Championship side I think it would have still been his break through season. We know what happened and he never recaptured the kind of form he showed in 2011/12.
Sharp and Evans' stats don't prove anything about Brewster's future. But they do show that it can take time to get going as a goalscorer. You'll get exceptions, wonderkids like Rooney and Owen, but a lot of these poacher types need to mature and adapt a bit before the goals start coming regularly at a high level. At 23-24 many seem to suddenly do better, they'll have learned more about the timing of runs, how to hold off defenders, what it takes to get in front of them, etc.
Let's have some patience with Brewster. Hopefully we'll see a goal or two before the season ends, and more improvement in the years ahead.