The Return of the 'Number 9'?

"The centre forward is often a tall player, typically known as a target man, whose main function is to score the majority of goals for his team. His classic number is 9."

"The striker is rather different from the centre forward. Strikers are more known for their ability to peel off defenders and to run into space via the blind side of the defender and to receive the ball in a good goalscoring position."   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_(association_football)

         Alan Shearer, Niall Quinn, Dion Dublin, Mark Hughes, Les Ferdinand and even Emile Heskey. Once upon a time, there was an abundance of centre forwards terrorising defences week in week out. And then for a time there seemed to be none. Extinct, put away in the attic to collect dust, whilst the 21st century striker took his place on billboards across the country. Robin Van Persie scored a hat trick last Sunday at St. Mary's which included all the qualities one desires in a forward. First, a display of supreme technique, to volley home across the keeper, then the instincts of a poacher to tap in on the rebound and lastly a superb glancing header from a difficult angle. So why have a so called 'Number 9' spearheading your attack when you could have Van Persie, Ageuro or Torres. Well the simple matter is that the majority of teams in the Premier League don't have the money to buy such players.

Grant Holt, leading by example.

Alternatively, it seems a number of sides in the division are once more building teams around a centre forward. One who will pose a threat aerially while laying on chances for others. The trend appears to favour a 4-4-2 formation and although the shape in midfield may vary from team to team, a big centre forward accompanied by a small, often pacy striker, is the norm upfront. At Norwich, Grant Holt has been lining up alongside Simeon Jackson, Andy Johnson and Zamora for QPR and Andy Caroll, making his debut for West Ham, with Vaz Te, to feed up off the knock downs. The signing of Michael Owen at Stoke will, I expect, see a similar scenario involving Crouch.

Sam still can't quite believe he got Caroll on a season long loan.

Certain teams are placing even more faith in a forward of the 'Number 9' mould. Steven Fletcher led the line for Sunderland last Saturday, with McClean and Johnson as advanced wingers to provide, and it worked brilliantly. Rickie Lambert, playing on his own upfront, was supported in a similar fashion against Man United and caused a number of problems for Ferdinand and Vidic. Bar Van Persie and a revived Tevez, the weekend was dominated by the big men upfront. Of course, you have to play to a 'Number 9's' strengths. Sam Allardyce will have made it crystal clear to his team on Saturday that everything goes through Caroll. A rousing plan of action that he would have perfected from his days at Bolton and Blackburn. On the other hand, what Andre Villas Boas was thinking, playing Jermain Defoe on his own upfront, at home, is any ones guess. If you play a 4-5-1 formation, you have to use a player like Lambert or Holt. That is in less you are a striker of the highest quality such as Van Persie.   I'm surprised Liverpool let Andy Caroll leave. I know that Rodgers expected to bring fresh faces in, but even so, the beauty of a 'Number 9' is that you can form so many different formations around him. Maybe managers are beginning to recognise this again. It doesn't seem unreasonable to believe Caroll could have played alongside Suarez and Borini in a 4-3-3 formation. Liverpool's loss is definitely West Ham's gain and could be the difference between a relegation battle and Top 10 finish.

Elsewhere, the £12 million pounds payed for Steven Fletcher by Sunderland appeared steep, but O'Neill is a shrewd  manager, and knows exactly what he is buying into. The fact is that centre forwards are evolving. To compete with the more technically gifted players it is a necessity. Fletcher is comfortable on the ball, but more so then, say, Niall Quinn ever was. Where Quinn was happy to bring a ball down from high and lay it on before moving to the back post, Fletcher will be just as happy to try a through ball, or have the confidence to go it alone in the right circumstance. His first goal against Swansea was a goal normally associated with a striker. Curled in with exquisite finesse. And yet he still has all the qualities needed in the box. Fantastic in the air and a nightmare to mark, he often giving his man the slip (peeling off like a striker would).

A Number 9 in every sense.

Grant Holt, who I had the pleasure of seeing live a couple of times last season, has adapted his game too. The aggression and work rate that was influential in his rise from League 2 to the Premier League is already clear to see. But his technical ability is better then it was five years ago also. Some of his goals in the previous campaign were top drawer, in particular a lob over Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey, which having watched live reminded me immediately of Messi's dink against Arsenal in the Champions League. Caroll is at ease on the ball, considering his size, and Crouch attempts the magnificent nearly as often as Ronaldo. The breed of centre forwards nowadays, are far more technically gifted, and will score you all sorts of goals, and at a consistent rate throughout the season. The Southampton's and Reading's will know that when they are scrapping for points come Christmas time, Jason Roberts and Rickie Lambert wont shy away like some of the foreign legion often do. A strong willed 'Number 9' is reliable in times of need and very often a success story for newly promoted sides. It is no surprise that all three promoted teams have such a player at their disposal.

In truth many of the bigger strikers are having to work there way up from the lower leagues, before getting their shot at the big time. Rickie Lambert was making a name for himself at the likes of Rochdale and Bristol Rovers before convincing Southampton to shell out £1 million for him (a lot for a team that were in League 1 at the time). His arrival has positively correlated with Southampton's surge back to the Premier League and has allowed Nigel Atkins to built a team around Lambert confident of scoring goals week in week out. A similar success story is Grant Holt, languishing in the lower leagues until he found his feet at Norwich. Exactly how the scouting system works these days as well as that of club academies, I am not sure. However I would bet good money that many teams are encouraging the development of strikers more to the mould of the Torres's and Tevez's. This leaves players like Holt and Lambert resigned to lower league football, but they have shown it is an error of judgement for England to turn its back altogether on the 'Number 9'. With the arrival of St Georges Park and the desire to play to the style of Spain, young centre forwards of such a nature are going to struggle to get a look in. It is a shame, because I for one really enjoy watching a player as talented as Vidic given a torrid time by Lambert. It is part of the Premier League, and will continue to be.

Fernando Llorente, his nickname, El Rey De Leon
 translates as the  Lion King.

The reality may just be that the traditional 'Number 9's' of this world will have to work their way up. It's been twelve years since a true 'Number 9' finished joined top scorer in the Premier League, Dion Dublin in 1998. This season, I don't have any reason to believe we will see a change. For as long as Van Persie has Scholes and Valencia creating ten plus chances for him a game, and likewise Hazard and Oscar for Torres, you cannot expect Lambert or Crouch to come top of the pile. Regardless of this, I sense somewhat of a return for the 'Number 9' this season, and there will be a number of such forwards getting their sides at least 10-15 goals this campaign. Goals which will decide clubs futures. If you want the benchmark for a player in the 'Number 9' mould, look no further then Fernando Llorente. A rare commodity in a League dominated by pace and flair, he scores the sublime as well as the simple. Llorente can do everything the 'Number 9's' over here can do, and more. St Georges Park should not turn its back on big centre forwards, it should embrace them, and involve them in the Spanish Revolution we all hope can take place.

What are your thoughts on the 'Number 9' and the strikers I have mentioned? Do you think centre forwards are outdated or still highly valuable to a team? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.