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Which striker has come closest to David Hirst...


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For me personally.........

 

I cant see anyone - other's have their unique pull...Warhurst in that spell he went on in 92/93 was amazing ( would of been interesting to see him against Owen on the pace side when at their peaks ). Di Canio again was amazing but never would match Hirst physically in scaring defenders - but never the less some ridiculous finishes & combining them with pisstakes ( Southampton away goal for instance ). Look at Hirsty's goals for what I have coming to mind at the min whilst writing..opening goal against the Mancs in 91 winning 3-2 ( jemson game ) boom taking the wee wee out of Pallister & Bruce ( always scared the pair of them two ) how good was that free kick at Old Trafford, plus numerous long range efforts, skinning Vonk from Man City. Diving header at Kaiserslautern. Also brilliant in the box aswell as out of it. Right Foot, Left Hoot & brilliant in the air was the boy wonder. I hope mark 2 is a chip off the old block and becomes a 1 club man to have an amazing career with us.

 

Others worth a mention...

 

Brighty - complimented Hirst very well so did Paul Williams worked very well together the pair with him. 

 

Tudgay was good for what we had at the time, so was Steve Mclean ( pretty complete ), Andy Booth worked hard and so has Nuhiu. Live in Australia now so not getting to games as I would being back home TV doesnt give the insights I had on the boy wonder. But Fletcher/Hooper wouldnt be at the standard.

 

Some others here mentioned a modern day value when on firing all cylinders... I would confidently go between £70-90m.

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50 minutes ago, ashamanic said:

Shearer, Wright and Cole were all around the same time and none as good as Hirst.

Rooney for sure and probably Owen, though he was mostly pace. Fowler probably deserves to be in the same class.

You must be having a laugh. Shearer is one of the finest strikers who has ever played the game, never mind being British. Rooney and Owen without a doubt were better than Hirst. Fowler was way beyond Hirst. He played for a good Liverpool side who challenged for the title year after year. Hirst played for an average Sheffield Wednesday side, who had a few good years around 93 and 94. Again, with Wright. He was a  phenomenal striker and a part of those great Arsenal sides, that yet again were going for the title season after season. He was a far better striker than Hirst. Andy Cole in his prime was a goal scoring maxhine. Hirst only played for England once and his best goals tally was in the second tier under Big Ron, when he got 30 goals. The season after he got injured with the Bould tackle and was never the same. Hirst was a good player and ranks alongside some great Wednesday players, but jeez, take off the rose tine specs when comparing him to the likes if Shearer, Wright, Fowler, Owen and Rooney at al.

Edited by Mick De Lyons
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In terms of ability since Hirst perhaps Di Canio and Carbone are the closest to how good Hirst was but they were different types of player and not out and out strikers. Dalian Atkinson and Paul Warhurst were close briefly in terms of pace and excitement, as was Bannister back in the 80's. No-one even comes close since Hirst's day although Bright was more of a target man type and scored plenty in the top flight. In my time watching Wednesday since 89/90 we haven't had a all round exciting striker on a par with Hirst.

 

To find a Wednesday striker as good as Hirst or better, you'd have to go way back in time to the likes of Fantham; Layne, Dooley and Andrew Wilson, etc but without seeing them play as they were long before my time, it's hard and unfair in a way to compare players from different era's that played in tougher times with different rules, harder balls and old fashioned boots, etc. But in all my time as a Wednesday fan, Hirst is the best Wednesday striker I've seen in a Wednesday shirt and among my favourite Wednesday players I've seen during my time, along with the likes of Sheridan; Nilsson, Harkes, Waddle, Walker, Di Canio and Carbone.

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5 minutes ago, Blue and white said:

And I would honestly take a fully fit David Hirst in his prime over any of them.

You're welcome to that opinion, but its deluded. You have to deal in reality, not fantasy. There never was such a thing as a " fully fit " David Hirst. He carried injuries fir years. Besides, the other top strikers also had injury set backs. Shearer had three serious injuries in his career. Just look at who they played for. The games to goals tally, England caps etc. They were better than David Hirst. That doesn't make Hirsty not a very good player, but you're stretching things a little when you say you'd pick him ahead of the some of the biggest names ever, in the English game.

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46 minutes ago, Mick De Lyons said:

You're welcome to that opinion, but its deluded. You have to deal in reality, not fantasy. There never was such a thing as a " fully fit " David Hirst. He carried injuries fir years. Besides, the other top strikers also had injury set backs. Shearer had three serious injuries in his career. Just look at who they played for. The games to goals tally, England caps etc. They were better than David Hirst. That doesn't make Hirsty not a very good player, but you're stretching things a little when you say you'd pick him ahead of the some of the biggest names ever, in the English game.

Biggest names ever tho lol

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1 hour ago, Mick De Lyons said:

You're welcome to that opinion, but its deluded. You have to deal in reality, not fantasy. There never was such a thing as a " fully fit " David Hirst. He carried injuries fir years. Besides, the other top strikers also had injury set backs. Shearer had three serious injuries in his career. Just look at who they played for. The games to goals tally, England caps etc. They were better than David Hirst. That doesn't make Hirsty not a very good player, but you're stretching things a little when you say you'd pick him ahead of the some of the biggest names ever, in the English game.

Had Hirst moved to Man Utd when he had the chance he would have been remembered by the football world as a true legend of the game, people like Shearer, Wright, Fowler and Owen would have lived in his shadow. For whatever reason he stayed at an unfashionable club like Sheffield Wednesday and this is why history will never give him the credit he deserves.

He was head and shoulders above anything of his generation and I would give my right ******** to have him playing for us again.

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5 minutes ago, Blue and white said:

Had Hirst moved to Man Utd when he had the chance he would have been remembered by the football world as a true legend of the game, people like Shearer, Wright, Fowler and Owen would have lived in his shadow. For whatever reason he stayed at an unfashionable club like Sheffield Wednesday and this is why history will never give him the credit he deserves.

He was head and shoulders above anything of his generation and I would give my right ******** to have him playing for us again.

BUT...he didn't move to Man Utd. There was no four million pound move and he did become persistently injured. Like i say, deal in reality, not fantasy. People like Shearer, Owen, Fowler, didn't live in his shadow, they weny on to forfill their potential. He was nevee head and shoulders above his generation. He was a very good player who played at the same time. His best season was in the old second division and he didn't play for a top four side. He's clearly your favourite player, but that's not an excuse to see things as they are. 

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7 minutes ago, Mick De Lyons said:

BUT...he didn't move to Man Utd. There was no four million pound move and he did become persistently injured. Like i say, deal in reality, not fantasy. People like Shearer, Owen, Fowler, didn't live in his shadow, they weny on to forfill their potential. He was nevee head and shoulders above his generation. He was a very good player who played at the same time. His best season was in the old second division and he didn't play for a top four side. He's clearly your favourite player, but that's not an excuse to see things as they are. 

My favourite player of all time believe it or not was Kevin Pressman, however David remains the greatest striker I've seen at Hillsborough and I include Bannister, Chapman, Bright, Williams, Di Canio etc in that.

Edited by Blue and white
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1 minute ago, Blue and white said:

My favourite player of all time believe it or not was Kevin Pressman, however David remains the greatest striker I've seen at Hillsborough and I include Bannister, Chapman, Bright, Williams, Di Canio etc in that.

Well that's a different story, comparing him to other Wednesday players. That is what the thread is about and yes i agree, few run him close to being one of the best strikers seen at Sheffield Wednesday. Now Pressmam WAS in his prime, one if the top goalkeepers of his generation. At his prime i'd put him in the top three.

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2 hours ago, Blue and white said:

And I would honestly take a fully fit David Hirst in his prime over any of them.

Rooney when he first arrived, but not the others and I doubt there were any Wednesday fans back then who would have swapped Hirst for Shearer, Cole or Wright.

Roae tinted glasses indeed.

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Looking at the Wikipedia list of England players with over 25 caps, from the past 20 years

Fowler, Owen, Heskey, Rooney, Defoe, Crouch, Wellbeck

If you think Cole and Wright were better than Hirst, you are merely wrong. If you think Crouch and Heskey were (and according to the stats, they are in the top 7 forwards to make their England debut since 1996, you are deluded.

Of course, there could be great players who just didn't play for the right team so don't make the list (Cole only had 15 caps for example), but with Crouch regularly getting games, it shows there has not be a lot of top quality english talent available anywhere and until Kane, no one who was better than even mediocre than Rooney in 2003. o it's hardly surprising Wednesday haven't come close

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