If you ask Boro fans who their favourite striker is, odds are they will not choose anyone currently in the squad.
Assuming they go for a Boro player at all, they will wilfully misunderstand the question and plump for Ravanelli, John Hendrie, Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink, or heaven forbid, Mark Viduka.
For the record, I loved Mark Viduka, despite his tendency to only play when he was in the mood. But that's my point, even for the best Boro strikers, inconsistency is the key.
If you look at the ten years we spent in the Premier League you will struggle to come up with a striker who did their job, played week in week out and scored goals until they moved on.
Yakubu, Viduka et al scored in spells.
I know half of you will be saying "But hang on Elle, most strikers don't perform consistently!" and, of course that argument can be made, but goals win games, and more often than not, Boro don't.
I'm not expecting a Wayne Rooney or a Darren Bent at Boro, but neither is it acceptable to produce/introduce a series of strikers who are lacking in confidence, ideas and ability.
Yes we are in the Championship now, but we are talking about a decade of the same models of Boro striker, and Boro were a Premier League club.
If you look at the list of 'Boro Heroes' on the official site, there are many strikers there, but not so many in the last ten years, and not many who could reasonably be described as consistent.
We have either had the talented but lazy/temperamental foreigner or the less talented lazy foreigner!
The best of them were flash in the pans.
Those who contributed more to general play are, deservedly, remembered more fondly.
Tuncay, on his day, is awesome to watch, but during his time at the Boro he scored 16 goals in all competitions, in over 70 appearances.
Like so many to pass through the Boro doors, his return was just not good enough. Good job he arrived on a free transfer!
Readers will now be pointing out that strikers such as Alves blamed a lack of service, particularly last season, for their poor records. But we all watched Tuncay, Aliadiere and Alves miss a plethora of chances.
And the 'service' excuse doesn't hold water when you consider that Bent has scored 20 league goals this season in a staggeringly average Sunderland side.
Im not asking for twenty goals a season from a Boro striker, but ten should not be too much to ask.
Even players have expressed the opinion, while still at the club, that it is very difficult for a young striker to develop under a coach who used to be a defender!
Currently our 'strikers' are Scott McDonald, Chris Killen, Lee Miller, Marvin Emnes, Jeremie Aliadiere, Leroy Lita, Jonathan Franks and Luke Williams.
Sixteen year old Williams recently became the youngest player to play for us in 105 years. Gordon Strachan clearly rates him, but is there anything at our club to suggest we have any idea how to develop a young striker and bring out their potential?
Ditto Jonathan Franks, who plays well on the wing and does know where the goal is but does not really look like a striker at this point.
I, like may Boro fans cannot understand why on earth there is not an attacking coach on the MFC staff, and why, knowing this, Strachan did not bring one with him!
Scott McDonald looks (in flashes) like the striker we all want. When fit (ish) he has a great first touch, excellent control and rarely wastes possession, but can he stay fit long enough to become our new hero? time will tell.
Chris Killen has started to find his feet, and the net, for us, but he needs a mobile partner to get the best out of him, and regardless of who he is playing with, he is not going to get you ten goals a season.
Lee Miller has yet to impress, and if he continues not to do so, there will be questions asked as to why, of all the players Strachan brought in, Miller got a permanent deal alongside McDonald.
I have written about Jeremie Aliadiere's ability and various failings, and he will not be at the club come May.
Leroy Lita is our top scorer this season (minus Jonno), he has made a difference as an impact sub a couple of times and he is approaching double figures in his goal tally.
Strachan insists he plays him as a sub because he scores most of his goals as a sub, but surely that is a vicious cycle? If he only plays as a sub he can only score as a sub.
But I doubt Lita is anyone's favourite striker.
There is a question of likeability as well. To really be a hero, the fans have to love you. Anyone want to kiss Mido's feet? or shake Alves' hand? Didn't think so.
Lita, besides getting his wrists slapped for fisticuffs on a night out, has also cost us two matches this season, he is not inclined to sing the club's (or anyone's) praises, he is easily annoyed, lashes out at opponents and moans at refs and, in general, he's rather surly.
But at the end of the day if you score enough goals, no-one cares. Just ask Andy Carroll.
The Chris Killen/Lee Miller partnership does not work. If McDonald is fit for the Palace game on Saturday then for God's sake Gordon, play him! Killen and McDonald have the potential to become a very good strike partnership but it is Lita who has found the net most often for the Boro this season, he deserves to start and, McDonald aside, he's the best we've got.
If McDonald is not fit, Lita must start.
It may be too late for the play-offs, we may in fact have our strongest side available for the only games of the season where it doesn't really matter! but all a striker needs to focus on is finding the net and whoever starts needs to do that.
First published on www.ComeOnBoro.com on 1/4/2010
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