How Has Fuller Played 180 Minutes ?
By Nick Illingsworth (southampton.rivals.net)
One of the talking points after the Luton match amongst Saints fans was just how did Ricardo Fuller again play 90 minutes! here we look at his goal scoring record and come up with some amazing stats !
Ok technically Redknapp did substitute Fuller on Saturday, but as it was right on the stroke of 90 minutes he had played a full game.
Against Wolves Fuller looked unable to hit a Cows arse with a banjo, yet it was jones who made way for Walcott, leaving a decidely short front line.
Again at Luton when Saints made the first switch in bringing on Walcott, most assumed it would be Fuller who made way, Jones had scored and looked the more likely of the front pair to get another Saints goal and he also added height to the attack, so it was a surprise when Walcott was brought on for Prutton and assigned a role that meant that he would have to defend.
When the second change was made and Blackstock arrived most assumed that Fuller would be the man to depart but once again Jones made way whilst fuller stayed on.
Harry's comments last week with the arrival of Fuller summed up why the Jamaican is going to get the nod over Jones and Blackstock, Redknapp stated that with Fuller he had worked with him and knew what he could do !
Well a look at the statistics show that after signing him from Preston Harry couldnt have worked with him for more than about 3 months and maybe a dozen or so games, in that Fuller managed 1 goal, in his second game against Palace at fratton in a 3-1 win.
Last season Fuller made a total of 13 starts for Pompey with 18 appearances off the bench, yet failed to add to that solitary goal.
A look over his career shows that for preston he wasnt too bad 27 league goals in 57 games, a spell in Scotland saw him hit 8 goals for Hearts in 27 games, hardly legendary stuff.
Indeed for a player who will be 26 in October he has made very few appearances at a debcent level.
However a further look at his stats for Preston make interesting reading, in his last 17 games for them he only managed 3 goals, he was prolific in his first 40 but then went through a drought from January to the end of the season in 03/04,that saw him get 2 goals.
Last term prior to his move to Pompey he played in two games scoring in the last of them, as I have said previously hios Pompey goal came against Palace and that game was played on the 11th September last year, so we have a player that hasnt scored in nearly a Year !!.
Its not as if he hasnt had the games either, since that goal he has had presumable 29 appearances for pompey plus two for us.
So take his stats from January 2004 and in the 20 Months since, he has played in 50 games and managed a grand total of 4 goals !!
So perhaps we shouldnt be too surprised at his lack of fire power, and likewise we shouldnt expect him to be the saviour of Southampton Football Club, the reputation of Ricardo Fuller was made in a year long period two years ago.
So is he any better than what we already have at St Mary's, Ormerod, Blackstock, and Jones certainly have better records in the same 20 month period, Pahars hasnt played much but even he has scored in that period, and Leon Best notched for Sheffield Weds last night on his debut so he may even be a better bet.
I hope that I am proved wrong but I just have the feeling that like last season Harry Redknapp would have been far better concentrating on getting the best out of the players that he already had, instead of looking for change for change's sake !!
