The
centre forward: The leader from the front, the No 9, the provider, the
talisman, the goalscorer. Since 1992, the Premier League has been
blessed with the best, from homegrown talents Alan Shearer and Andy
Cole, to foreign imports Tony Yeboah and Thierry Henry, but
unfortunately there have also been some major disappointments.
Whether
failing to justify their huge price tag, or just incapable of hitting a
barn door, there have been some dreadful forwards in England's top
flight. As we build-up to the return of the Premier League following the
international break, Sportsmail runs you through Nos 40-31 of the worst strikers to have ever played in the division... do you agree?
40) Jon Dahl Tomasson (Newcastle United)
Tomasson
went on to win the Champions League and Serie A with AC Milan, the UEFA
Cup and Eredivisie with Feyenoord and the Bundesliga with Stuttgart -
yet the Dane was utterly hopeless during his season at Newcastle United.
Arriving
as a fresh-faced 21-year-old in 1997 for £2.2million from Heerenveen,
Tomasson simply was not strong enough to cope with the Premier League
and found himself bullied by opposition defenders.
He
was shifted forward to the striker position from his preferred
attacking midfield role due to an injury to Alan Shearer and managed
just three goals in 23 league appearances for the Magpies. Newcastle
fans are still to this day bemused as to how Tomasson scored 52 goals in
112 games for Denmark - because his talent certainly went missing when
he was on Tyneside.
Jon Dahl Tomasson signed for Newcastle United in 1997 but struggled to adapt to the pace and power of the Premier League
The Danish striker, pictured against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League in October 1997, lasted just one year on Tyneside
39) Erik Meijer (Liverpool)
Remembered
fondly for singing and drinking with Liverpool fans in Dortmund before
the 2001 UEFA Cup final, Meijer's actual footballing ability is not
reminisced about in quite such a positive manner.
The
Dutchman moved to Liverpool in 1999 on a free transfer having torn
Bundesliga defences to shreds in partnership with Ulf Kirsten at Bayer
Leverkusen. Though Meijer himself physically upped sticks and moved to
England, his form remained firmly in Germany.
No
goals arrived during in 24 Premier League games during his two-year
stay on Merseyside and he was loaned out to Preston North End (where he
also failed to score...) before leaving for Hamburg. Well, at least he
knew how to enjoy a pint anyway...
Erik Meijer (centre) signed for
Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer in 1999 but failed to
score a single Premier League goal
The
Dutchman, holding his arms aloft against Sunderland (left) and Hull
City, did enjoy a drink with Liverpool fans in Dortmund though
Darko Kovacevic signed for Sheffield
Wednesday from Red Star Belgrade in 1996 but scored just four goals in
16 Premier League games
38) Darko Kovacevic (Sheffield Wednesday)
When
you sign a striker who has just scored an incredible 37 goals in 47
games for Red Star Belgrade in a £2m deal, you expect to be getting a
bit of a bargain.
But
Serbian Kovacevic's spell in the Steel City in 1996 was not one he will
want to remember in a hurry. Four goals did arrive in 16 Premier League
appearances, including two on his debut against Bolton Wanderers, but
he departed less than six months after his arrival to head to Spain with
Real Sociedad.
Kovacevic
was criticised for his poor heading ability, his poor first touch and
lack of movement - but apart from that, Owls fans thought he was
incredible...
37) Jozy Altidore (Hull City and Sunderland)
The American has 74 caps for his country - just let that sink in for a second.
Incredibly,
Altidore has scored everywhere he has been - except in England. He
netted 15 league goals for New York Red Bulls and 39 for AZ Alkmaar - as
well as bagging 24 international goals to date for the USA - but has
managed just two strikes in the Premier League.
A
season-long loan move to Hull City in 2009 from Villarreal yielded just
a solitary goal in 28 games during his first spell in England, but his
second stint in the Premier League was supposed to be the making of him.
Having recovered his form in Holland in blistering style, Altidore was
signed by Sunderland in 2013 for £6.5m but has netted just once in 33
league games since. Sometimes Jozy, things just aren't meant to be...
Jozy Altidore was signed by Sunderland for £6.5m from AZ Alkmaar in 2013 but has struggled in the Premier League
Despite being a prolific scorer for the USA national team, Altidore's record with Hull City and Sunderland is appalling
36) Konstantinos Mitroglou (Fulham)
Steve Marlet was considered a waste of money at Loftus Road, but Mitroglou arguably tops that.
During
their ill-fated relegation campaign last season, Fulham splashed £12m
on the Greece international in January in a bid to stave off the drop -
but their investment proved to be a disastrous one.
Mitroglou
had scored 41 league goals in 92 appearances for Olympiacos but
injuries plagued him during his time in west London and he managed just
three Premier League games for Fulham. Instead of being their saviour,
he turned in to their benchwarmer instead. He returned to the Greek
champions on loan in August but it is safe to say Fulham fans will not
be worried if he doesn't return.
Konstantinos Mitroglou signed for Fulham in January for £12m from Greek side Olympiacos but played just three league games
35) Rolando Bianchi (Manchester City)
Manchester
City can spend £8.8m nowadays and not even bat an eyelid - but when
they parted with that sum to sign Bianchi from Reggina in July 2007,
they were counting on recruiting a top striker.
The
Italian was given the No 10 shirt at the Sky Blues and scored on his
debut against West Ham United but things quickly went downhill from
there.
Bianchi
lambasted English cuisine and was scathing in his views on the British
alcohol culture - insisting he needed to return to Italy in order to
progress as a player and earn international recognition. He scored four
Premier League goals in 19 games before heading on loan to Lazio in
January 2008 and then signing permanently for Torino that summer. He has
enjoyed his pizza and pasta back home ever since.
Rolando Bianchi signed for Manchester City for £8.8m from Reggina in July 2007 but hated English cuisine and the alcohol culture
Bianchi (left) is tackled by Derby County's Claude Davis during a Premier League match in August 2007
34) Andriy Voronin (Liverpool)
The
Ukrainian striker was slow - a snail caught in a trail of treacle could
move around the pitch quicker - and this greatly affected his success
in England.
Having
signed for Liverpool on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in July
2007, he originally impressed on his debut - with Rafa Benitez even
insisting that he was 'clever', had 'great game awareness' and gave
Liverpool 'many more options in attack'. That opinion was to be
short-lived, however...
With
just five league goals in his first season on Merseyside, Voronin was
loaned to Hertha Berlin before returning to Anfield for another year. He
was sold to Dynamo Moscow for £4m in 2010 having netted just five goals
in 27 Premier League appearances. He has not been missed.
Andriy Voronin scored just five Premier League goals in 27 appearances during his three years at Liverpool
Voronin
winces after missing a chance for Liverpool against Birmingham City in
April 2008 (left) and against Everton in October 2007
33) Helder Postiga (Tottenham Hotspur)
Having
just won the Portuguese title with Porto, 20-year-old Postiga was
lauded as a brilliant signing for Tottenham Hotspur when they snapped
him up for what seemed a very reasonable starting price of £6.25m in
2003.
But
the striker struggled to adapt to the Premier League - never coping
with the pace, power and intensity of matches - and Spurs fans soon
became disillusioned with his performances. His rating as one of the
best strikers in Europe was quickly revised as he scored just once in 19
Premier League games.
Incredibly,
Postiga was supposedly wanted by Jose Mourinho while in charge at Real
Madrid but the deal failed to materialise. Chelsea fans beware - if
Mourinho really does rate Postiga, he could find himself at Stamford
Bridge in the not-too-distant future...
Helder Postiga (right) scored just once in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur after arriving for £6.25m
The Portuguese striker (centre) is tackled by Liverpool's Igor Biscan (right) and Dietmar Hamann during a Premier League match
32) Grzegorz Rasiak (Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers)
Polish
forward Rasiak had scored 16 in 35 for Derby County, convincing Spurs
to pay £3m for him in August 2005 due to their desperate need for a
striker.
As
soon as he arrived at White Hart Lane, however, it became clear he was
not a Premier League footballer. Martin Jol had described his as a 'tall
target man; a hard-working, honest player with a good goal-scoring
record.' So, what happened to it at Spurs?
Rasiak
struggled to control a ball, he was slow and just did not look at home
on the pitch in England's top flight, leading Spurs fans to view him as a
laughing stock. He failed to score in any of his eight Premier League
appearances and was loaned to Southampton. The Saints then signed him
permanently before he spent time at Bolton Wanderers, again failing to
score in seven Premier League games. He was just awful unfortunately.
Grzegorz Rasiak played for Tottenham Hotspur (left) and Bolton Wanderers during his time in the Premier League
Unfortunately for Rasiak (left), the majority of his time at White Hart Lane was spent warming the bench
31) Massimo Maccarone (Middlesbrough)
Maccarone
signed for £8.15m from Empoli in 2002 after dazzling at the European
Under 21 Championship and Middlesbrough had been forced to hold off
strong competition from other clubs. The Italian started well on
Teesside but scored just 18 Premier League goals in 81 games during five
years at the Riverside Stadium.
He
was loaned to Parma and Siena before moving to the latter permanently
in 2007 on a free transfer - having spent half a decade failing to light
up the English game.
Although
Middlesbrough fans remember him fondly for his workrate, endeavour and
attitude, his obvious lack of footballing ability ensured they were
tearing their hair out when it came to watching the Italian in front of
goal. His record at most other clubs is fairly solid, but on Teesside it
was woeful.
Massimo Maccarone (right), competing for the ball with Arsenal's Ashley Cole, cost Middlesbrough £8.15m from Empoli in 2002
Maccarone
arrived at Middlesbrough with much prospect and to much fanfare (left)
but left dejected having failed to fulfil his promise
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