Ollie Watkins

[AlexAlexCropley]

Sid ?

[Villan For Life]

Sid ?

I was referring to the list of strikers that had been posted a few posts above.

[PeterWithesShin]

We're not talking about how they would do in this team though, just who are the best you've seen for us. Ollie is comfortably in the top 10 for me and I go back to the mid 70s. Dalian and JPA had more natural talent but had nowhere near the consistency of Ollie as examples.

[LeonW]

Best in my time watching are Saunders, Yorke, Angel, Carew, Benteke. Watkins.

Sliding doors moment definitely Duran’s sending off against Newcastle. He was so close then to becoming our starting striker. Perhaps the most naturally talent striker I’ve seen at Villa in a long time. I think if he hadn’t got sent off, it wouldn’t have been beyond the realms that we sold Watkins to Arsenal for the £50m or whatever they offered.

[RamboandBruno]

Yes for me I’d have Withe and Shaw, although only saw them as a very young lad, so this is influenced by sentimentality. Other than that I’d have Yorke and Benteke (forgot about him earlier).

Thats probably it. To be fair Ollie’s form over a long period until this season puts him ahead for me, of players like McInally and Atkinson, who burned brightly but for too short a time.

[Ian.]

Yorke for me, best I’ve ever seen.

[john e]

I think He’s defo better than Holt, Gestede, Hogan, Samatta, Olney, Geddis, Mcrmormac, Bowery, Harewood, Cascarino, Helenius, Balaban maybe Bent

so I’m not being to negative about the fella

[adrenachrome]

Little, Shaw, Withe, Yorke, Benteke were better. The likes of JPA, Saunders, Gray etc were not as consistently good as Ollie has been.

Holt?

Paul Lambert said that Grant Holt was a real man.

[RamboandBruno]

I think He’s defo better than Holt, Gestede, Hogan, Samatta, Olney, Geddis, Mcrmormac, Bowery, Harewood, Cascarino, Helenius, Balaban maybe Bent

so I’m not being to negative about the fella

If your serious here, thats pretty scathing.

[PaulWinch again]

He’s top 5 in my time. He’s been consistently very good for us. It’s a shame he’s struggling a bit now.

[john e]

I think He’s defo better than Holt, Gestede, Hogan, Samatta, Olney, Geddis, Mcrmormac, Bowery, Harewood, Cascarino, Helenius, Balaban maybe Bent

so I’m not being to negative about the fella

If your serious here, thats pretty scathing.

I’m Channeling my inner Smirker

[RamboandBruno]

I think He’s defo better than Holt, Gestede, Hogan, Samatta, Olney, Geddis, Mcrmormac, Bowery, Harewood, Cascarino, Helenius, Balaban maybe Bent

so I’m not being to negative about the fella

If your serious here, thats pretty scathing.

I’m Channeling my inner Smirker

Fair dues. I take it then that Simon Stainrod and Warren Aspinall are on the better than list

[MalcolmP]

Stan Collymore assessment of Ollie, absolutely bang on.

Oliver George Watkins.

Has took a lot of stick this season and for him, yes, it's an "average" return so far.

But...

If you have a goalscorer and hyper mobile and clever mover, you use them, and we aren't.

Goalie driving straight balls down his throat 10 times a game does nothing for a striker's confidence. What can he do? Flick it on to nobody? Control it with his neck? At least drop it into his chest ( body mass) or into a channel to run onto.

Secondly, his short ( 10-15 yard) runs are clever and dynamic, but last 15 mins he's making runs with creators on the pitch with nobody finding him. Eventually as a striker you stop making the runs, to be fair he hasn't.

Hardest role in the sport is scoring goals and line leading. He can do it but right now he needs his goalie and forwards around him to help him a little. If Leeds can utilise Calvert Lewin properly, Villa can with Ollie.