FOR ME, CHRISTY Fagan is the best all-round striker in the SSE Airtricity League at the moment.
I think the St Patrick’s Athletic man is an excellent player and not just because of the 13 league goals he has got this season.
I mentioned before that his goalscoring was something he needed to work on and he has certainly stepped up to the plate in that regard. This is his third season at St Patrick’s Athletic and it was important for him to embrace the fact that he is the main man now.
Anto Flood left the club but Mark Quigley came in, which will have added some pressure on him. But he has upped his game and added goals to his excellent overall play. He has great awareness, his touch and control are excellent and he is also very comfortable dropping into deep areas and being that link man.
I watched the game against Derry on Friday and it is probably as good a performance from Pat’s as I’ve seen all season. Killian Brennan came into the team and they just looked to have an extra sharpness about them.
Fagan wasn’t as involved in the overall play as you would normally expect but what he did do very well was find the back of the net… three times in fact. It was an out-and-out goalscorers performances more than anything else.
It is great to see he can mix and match his type of performances now and play almost any type of striker’s role. He has 13 goals in the league so far and we’re not even halfway.
Pats’ official account tweeted the other day that it is 50 years since a player last scored 20 league goals for the club in one season but he will definitely break that if he continues the way he is going.
He is a huge asset to the Saints and definitely the best around at the moment.
There does seem to be a generational gap between the likes of established strikers like Jason Byrne, Glen Crowe (who has retired from the LOI) and the next batch of strikers coming through. Those guys went out and did it and Jason isn’t far off breaking the all-time goalscoring record.
You look at Dundalk and they’ve got young players like Paddy Hoban and Kurtis Byrne. It is about learning your craft and developing as a player season on season and Stephen Kenny is a hugely important factor for them.
I could list a whole rake of strikers that everybody talks about in the league but potential counts for nothing. Look at Mark Quigley, who has barely kicked a ball this year. It is a long road ahead for those lads to get anywhere near Jason.
Evolving
I feel the traditional striker has had to evolve over the years. When teams played traditional 4-4-2, with two guys up front – one out-and-out striker and the link up man who would create opportunities.
With the changes in formations, a lot of teams are preferring a 4-3-3 and the frontmen have had to adapt. Centre forwards tend to me be much more involved in the link-up play meaning they drop deeper and deeper and as a result don’t get many chances in games.
There has been a bit of a gap but in the likes of Fagan we’re seeing players who are now able to a number of roles and it makes for better footballers all-round in my opinion.
