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Football fans and pundits alike with their eyes on England's Premier League are always ranting on about one type of player; and that is a goal-scorer.
Whether he's playing for a club at the top of the league, or down the bottom, and even if he is - or isn't - English, just as long as he can put the ball in the back of the net, he'll have people talking about him 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week!
At the moment in English Football's top-flight, Thierry Henry of Arsenal and Ruud van Nistelrooy of Man United are currently regarded and highly talked-about as the 2 best striker in the league, mainly for their impressive goal-scoring records and how much they've really done for their respective clubs to get them where they are today.
Michael Owen and Alan Shearer are 2 other names of striker who can score goals, and Chelsea's 'Franco Zola along with Southampton's James Beattie have been sitting high above the rest in the scoring charts. Yet despite the fact that they each have the abillity to score goals, because they're not scoring now they become over-looked and critisized against the likes of Henry and van Nistelrooy.
But it's not just these players either. Look-around at around 9 of the Premiership's top-half teams and you'll see international goal-scorers like Tomasz Radzinski of Everton, and Teddy Sheringham of Spurs, who just aren't getting the praise they were once flooded with, just because they're scoring goals. And when you see them play, you know they are fantastic players - even if they're not regularly scoring at the moment... But a good performance seems to count for nothing if you wear the No.9 shirt today...
There is one Premiership player in his second spell in England's top-division, from abroad, who stands-out against all-others as a striker - including both Monsieur Henry and United's `Flying Dutchman`, no matter how man goals they can score...
He is a player he knows all-about goal-scoring, even if he hasn't topped the scoring charts since his time a few years ago at Elland Road with Leeds... With a real eye-for-goal from any angle and a shot so powerfull that even Police Speed Cameras must struggle to record the balls' speed... along with many other things, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink of Holland and now Chelsea is the Premierships' No.1, to me!
You may have watched the Worthington Cup Quarter-Final match between Hasselbaink's Chelsea and on-form Manchester United on Tuesday night in a game that finished 1-0 to the home team, thanks to a Diego Forlan's goal (and he's a player who has been VASTLY-critisized due to a lack of goal-scoring!). If you did see that match, and you're judging Mr. Jimmy-Floyd on a performance like that then you really haven't seen the `true` Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink when nothing can stop him.
It's true that he didn't play too-well last-night, in one of thos `big matches` where he usually does so-well. And therefore, he was substituted later-on in during the match.
But did you see that free-kick he hit from what must have been at-least 40 yards??
Okay, so it didn't go in... But just look-again at how viciously it swerved through the air like an aeroplane on red-alert after the pilot passes-out in the middle of a flight...!
Fabien Barthez did very-well to stop that one from going in without losing a limb in the process, but to just thump the ball from a stand-still position like Jimmy did, AND to get it on-course for the top-corner like that... That only goes to show you that Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink is `something-else` when it comes to long-range shooting with his eye for goal and superhero-like strikes on-goal!
And he ain't half-bad from close-range `van Nistelrooy territory` either!
When he gets the ball at his feet it'll usually only take him a fraction of a second for him to position himself correctly and then thump the ball at 50mph+ right into the bottom corner of the net. And we've seen him do that so-many-times before - just like he did at Old Trafford for Chelsea last year, in a game that didn't go so-wrong.
Getting into the box for those one-on-one oppurtunities with the 'keeper seems to be no problem for "Jerrel" Hasselbaink, either. If Zola's on the ball 25-yards from goal then you can bet he'll be looking for Jimmy-Floyd who'll be lingering around the penalty-spot somewhere, looking for space to get that ball. But scoring simple `tap-ins` like any-other-striker isn't perhaps the greatest aspect of Hasselbaink's goal-scoring game as it's his out-of-the-box efforts that really impress me, and set him far-aside from the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Henry who more-than-often score with simple, `predictable` shots-on-goal.
Chelsea's £15m Dutch international striker may not have the pace of Henry for running with the ball, but with his strong upper-body and a head that's always up, you can be sure he'll be hitting the target from anywhere within a matter of seconds after recieving and controlling the ball.
Obviously, Cheslea don't rely on Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink solely when they're looking for goals (otherwise they'd probably be top-of-the-league by now! ;D ). And Hasselbaink is a player who knows he cannot do everything on-his-own, like a true proffesional. When he doesn't know where to go, or can't see a chance to strike, he'll be looking for one of his team-mates - like Gianfranco Zola, or Eidur Gudjonson; the player he formed an almost unbeatable partnership with for `The Blues` last season.
He'll do it in open play, but he's also got a good eye from set-pieces too. We saw him strike that free-kick against United on Tuesday, and we've seen him score from similar dead-ball situations like this before. But while he can also strike a decent penalty aswell-as free-kicks, he can whip in some deadly near- and back -post corners for the heads of people better-suited to that kind of situation in people like fomer-World Cup Winner Marcel Desailly, and his French team-mate William Gallas. Hasselbaink himself is not the greatest when it comes to heading on-goal, but that doesn't mean to say he won't show the determination in getting their first, before the defender and the goalkeeper. And so every-manager with J-FH in their team has decided to give Jimmy control over the set-pieces. I bet that even Sir Alex Ferguson would consider giving Hasselbaink first-option over whether he wants them or not - even with both David Beckham and Juan Veron in that same United side (providing Hasselbaink was actually AT Old Trafford mind... And do I ever wish he was!!)!
He can score goals, he can create chances, he can make space for himself and others, but like all players, he does have his down-sides that stop him from achieving certain goals. I've already mentioned about his lack of consistency and heading in the Premiership with Chelsea, but if you've ever seen Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink play football then you've seen him go over-the-top.
Just like Roy Keane, Dennis Wise, and Patrick Vieira, Holland's former Atletico Madrid and Leeds United goal-scorer with a brother called Carlos tends to have a short-fuse that can go-off after something that was really... nothing!
Again, we saw a classic example oh Hasselbaink the footballer on Tuesday when he and Fabien Barthez seemed to suddenly go for each others throats after laughing and joking over a fight for the ball. Neither-one seemed to strike or even offend the other in any way, yet both players seemed to have something to settle only moments later.
It was a bit of stupidicy, and it's a side of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink that you can expect to see from him on a regular basis. It could've even got him sent-off if he'd have gone too-far with a goalkeeper! Yet that is something that obviously does come into his mind, time, after-time, and again.
I'm sure that Chelsea fans today can understand why Leeds fans were so distraught after losing his services over `money issues` a few years back. But can you blame them?? This is the same player who went on to finish as La Liga's top-scorer for that season (his first in Spain), when his club Atletico Madrid also suffered relegation to the lower leagues of Spannish Football! We've seen him score in the Premiership alone, and we know what he can do!
Yet for-one-reason-or-another he never seems to get the credit or recognition he deserves. I believe this is mainly down to the fact that he isn't as-consistent-as-others in his goal-scoring, and like James Beattie and Marian Pahars, his performances - no matter how great they are - don't give him the recognition of Henry, van Nistelrooy, or Owen, simply because Chelsea aren't considered as real `title contenders`.
But in my view, he is simply the most talented striker we fans of English Football have on-show in our Premier Legaue, thanks to the wide-array of things he can do, and how he never seizes to impress and entertain us - especially in his facial-expressions! If only he could get back his consistency, and sign for a big club (like United - *COUGH COUGH* Fergie...!!), then I'm sure he'd get everything he deserves.
But even without all that, he's still No.1 in my football-shaped eyes.
How could you choose Thierry Henry over him??
Whether he's playing for a club at the top of the league, or down the bottom, and even if he is - or isn't - English, just as long as he can put the ball in the back of the net, he'll have people talking about him 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week!
At the moment in English Football's top-flight, Thierry Henry of Arsenal and Ruud van Nistelrooy of Man United are currently regarded and highly talked-about as the 2 best striker in the league, mainly for their impressive goal-scoring records and how much they've really done for their respective clubs to get them where they are today.
Michael Owen and Alan Shearer are 2 other names of striker who can score goals, and Chelsea's 'Franco Zola along with Southampton's James Beattie have been sitting high above the rest in the scoring charts. Yet despite the fact that they each have the abillity to score goals, because they're not scoring now they become over-looked and critisized against the likes of Henry and van Nistelrooy.
But it's not just these players either. Look-around at around 9 of the Premiership's top-half teams and you'll see international goal-scorers like Tomasz Radzinski of Everton, and Teddy Sheringham of Spurs, who just aren't getting the praise they were once flooded with, just because they're scoring goals. And when you see them play, you know they are fantastic players - even if they're not regularly scoring at the moment... But a good performance seems to count for nothing if you wear the No.9 shirt today...
There is one Premiership player in his second spell in England's top-division, from abroad, who stands-out against all-others as a striker - including both Monsieur Henry and United's `Flying Dutchman`, no matter how man goals they can score...
He is a player he knows all-about goal-scoring, even if he hasn't topped the scoring charts since his time a few years ago at Elland Road with Leeds... With a real eye-for-goal from any angle and a shot so powerfull that even Police Speed Cameras must struggle to record the balls' speed... along with many other things, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink of Holland and now Chelsea is the Premierships' No.1, to me!
You may have watched the Worthington Cup Quarter-Final match between Hasselbaink's Chelsea and on-form Manchester United on Tuesday night in a game that finished 1-0 to the home team, thanks to a Diego Forlan's goal (and he's a player who has been VASTLY-critisized due to a lack of goal-scoring!). If you did see that match, and you're judging Mr. Jimmy-Floyd on a performance like that then you really haven't seen the `true` Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink when nothing can stop him.
It's true that he didn't play too-well last-night, in one of thos `big matches` where he usually does so-well. And therefore, he was substituted later-on in during the match.
But did you see that free-kick he hit from what must have been at-least 40 yards??
Okay, so it didn't go in... But just look-again at how viciously it swerved through the air like an aeroplane on red-alert after the pilot passes-out in the middle of a flight...!
Fabien Barthez did very-well to stop that one from going in without losing a limb in the process, but to just thump the ball from a stand-still position like Jimmy did, AND to get it on-course for the top-corner like that... That only goes to show you that Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink is `something-else` when it comes to long-range shooting with his eye for goal and superhero-like strikes on-goal!
And he ain't half-bad from close-range `van Nistelrooy territory` either!
When he gets the ball at his feet it'll usually only take him a fraction of a second for him to position himself correctly and then thump the ball at 50mph+ right into the bottom corner of the net. And we've seen him do that so-many-times before - just like he did at Old Trafford for Chelsea last year, in a game that didn't go so-wrong.
Getting into the box for those one-on-one oppurtunities with the 'keeper seems to be no problem for "Jerrel" Hasselbaink, either. If Zola's on the ball 25-yards from goal then you can bet he'll be looking for Jimmy-Floyd who'll be lingering around the penalty-spot somewhere, looking for space to get that ball. But scoring simple `tap-ins` like any-other-striker isn't perhaps the greatest aspect of Hasselbaink's goal-scoring game as it's his out-of-the-box efforts that really impress me, and set him far-aside from the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Henry who more-than-often score with simple, `predictable` shots-on-goal.
Chelsea's £15m Dutch international striker may not have the pace of Henry for running with the ball, but with his strong upper-body and a head that's always up, you can be sure he'll be hitting the target from anywhere within a matter of seconds after recieving and controlling the ball.
Obviously, Cheslea don't rely on Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink solely when they're looking for goals (otherwise they'd probably be top-of-the-league by now! ;D ). And Hasselbaink is a player who knows he cannot do everything on-his-own, like a true proffesional. When he doesn't know where to go, or can't see a chance to strike, he'll be looking for one of his team-mates - like Gianfranco Zola, or Eidur Gudjonson; the player he formed an almost unbeatable partnership with for `The Blues` last season.
He'll do it in open play, but he's also got a good eye from set-pieces too. We saw him strike that free-kick against United on Tuesday, and we've seen him score from similar dead-ball situations like this before. But while he can also strike a decent penalty aswell-as free-kicks, he can whip in some deadly near- and back -post corners for the heads of people better-suited to that kind of situation in people like fomer-World Cup Winner Marcel Desailly, and his French team-mate William Gallas. Hasselbaink himself is not the greatest when it comes to heading on-goal, but that doesn't mean to say he won't show the determination in getting their first, before the defender and the goalkeeper. And so every-manager with J-FH in their team has decided to give Jimmy control over the set-pieces. I bet that even Sir Alex Ferguson would consider giving Hasselbaink first-option over whether he wants them or not - even with both David Beckham and Juan Veron in that same United side (providing Hasselbaink was actually AT Old Trafford mind... And do I ever wish he was!!)!
He can score goals, he can create chances, he can make space for himself and others, but like all players, he does have his down-sides that stop him from achieving certain goals. I've already mentioned about his lack of consistency and heading in the Premiership with Chelsea, but if you've ever seen Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink play football then you've seen him go over-the-top.
Just like Roy Keane, Dennis Wise, and Patrick Vieira, Holland's former Atletico Madrid and Leeds United goal-scorer with a brother called Carlos tends to have a short-fuse that can go-off after something that was really... nothing!
Again, we saw a classic example oh Hasselbaink the footballer on Tuesday when he and Fabien Barthez seemed to suddenly go for each others throats after laughing and joking over a fight for the ball. Neither-one seemed to strike or even offend the other in any way, yet both players seemed to have something to settle only moments later.
It was a bit of stupidicy, and it's a side of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink that you can expect to see from him on a regular basis. It could've even got him sent-off if he'd have gone too-far with a goalkeeper! Yet that is something that obviously does come into his mind, time, after-time, and again.
I'm sure that Chelsea fans today can understand why Leeds fans were so distraught after losing his services over `money issues` a few years back. But can you blame them?? This is the same player who went on to finish as La Liga's top-scorer for that season (his first in Spain), when his club Atletico Madrid also suffered relegation to the lower leagues of Spannish Football! We've seen him score in the Premiership alone, and we know what he can do!
Yet for-one-reason-or-another he never seems to get the credit or recognition he deserves. I believe this is mainly down to the fact that he isn't as-consistent-as-others in his goal-scoring, and like James Beattie and Marian Pahars, his performances - no matter how great they are - don't give him the recognition of Henry, van Nistelrooy, or Owen, simply because Chelsea aren't considered as real `title contenders`.
But in my view, he is simply the most talented striker we fans of English Football have on-show in our Premier Legaue, thanks to the wide-array of things he can do, and how he never seizes to impress and entertain us - especially in his facial-expressions! If only he could get back his consistency, and sign for a big club (like United - *COUGH COUGH* Fergie...!!), then I'm sure he'd get everything he deserves.
But even without all that, he's still No.1 in my football-shaped eyes.
How could you choose Thierry Henry over him??
Its because chelsea haven't won the league, he always seems to score but cos he isn't at United or Arsenal he doesn't get the praise he deserves. Forlan has got more praise than him this season despite the fact that hasselbaink has more goals than him. If you are at Man utd or Arsenal and aren't Keane or Veron, you will get sucked upto constantly. I bet you if Chelsea win the league, everything chelsea will be in the papers like "Gallas watches TV" or "Gudjohnsen given expensive bottle of aftershave for christmas" or "Buy your Desailly action figures". The mediaq love United and arsenal but only so long as they are successful, as soon as another team wins the league and one of them drops of, there will be a shift in media attention.
On top of this, if chelsea win the league I think we will see a dramatic infux to the league, Chelsea are very popular in Europe and especially so in Italy were many view them as the next big thing (after united). Many people on the Continent know little about arsenal (except the french!)but Chelsea are viewed as the fashionable club of england in Italy and Holland, and to a lesser extent spain. Chelsea's reputation in Europe is admittedly disproportionate to their success but it is the European Flair and the (over)use of foreign stars which has made them famous on the continent. A major trophy such as the premiership and a reasonable champions league run could change the face of the premiership as I believe it would bring a larger influx of world class players to Britain.
On top of this, if chelsea win the league I think we will see a dramatic infux to the league, Chelsea are very popular in Europe and especially so in Italy were many view them as the next big thing (after united). Many people on the Continent know little about arsenal (except the french!)but Chelsea are viewed as the fashionable club of england in Italy and Holland, and to a lesser extent spain. Chelsea's reputation in Europe is admittedly disproportionate to their success but it is the European Flair and the (over)use of foreign stars which has made them famous on the continent. A major trophy such as the premiership and a reasonable champions league run could change the face of the premiership as I believe it would bring a larger influx of world class players to Britain.
That's true, with his goals-scored-per-season in the Premiership he has been one of the most consistant players, ahead of players like Henry who failed to score that-many in their very-first seasons here in England.
But it's because he doesn't always seem to score match, after-match, after-match, like Henry or van Nistelrooy that he doesn't always get the recognition he deserves. Those 2 - and many others - may go on goal droughts from time-to-time, but they get it back soon-after, and therefore get what they deserve - and what Jimmy doesn't.
Still, he manages to get the goals in by the end of the season though.
But that's only because in the games where he does score, he very-rarely only gets just one.
But it's because he doesn't always seem to score match, after-match, after-match, like Henry or van Nistelrooy that he doesn't always get the recognition he deserves. Those 2 - and many others - may go on goal droughts from time-to-time, but they get it back soon-after, and therefore get what they deserve - and what Jimmy doesn't.
Still, he manages to get the goals in by the end of the season though.
But that's only because in the games where he does score, he very-rarely only gets just one.
personally i think he is the only striker who has shown consitency (although the other two are on the way). Two seasons running he has got 30+ and has 7 or so this season even though he was unsettled and injured for the first 4 to 6 weeks.
Primal wrote:
"Ever heard of paragraphs? It'd much easier to read if you put proper punctuation in....."
Well, I don't know about you, but I managed to count 9 there, along with that little bit added on at the end.
What? Is that not enough for you or something??
And yes, I do believe that he is potentially the greatest striker on-show in the Premiership, but he just isn't showing it in his form at Chelsea, as he isn't scoring goals regularly like van Nistelrooy or Henry who are rated as better players than him because they ARE scoring loads.
And I also agree; If Hasselbaink did sign for a club like United with support from players like Beckham, Giggs, Veron and Scholes, he would be able to find his true-form and possibly even shatter the scoring records.
He just doesn't always get the right kind of service at Stamford Bridge, and he doesn't always seem to work that well with all players in the Chelsea attack.
But even if he is around 5/6 years from his retirement, he's still got it in him to be No.1 like he was in Spain that one time, and even with Leeds a few years back!
"Ever heard of paragraphs? It'd much easier to read if you put proper punctuation in....."
Well, I don't know about you, but I managed to count 9 there, along with that little bit added on at the end.
What? Is that not enough for you or something??
And yes, I do believe that he is potentially the greatest striker on-show in the Premiership, but he just isn't showing it in his form at Chelsea, as he isn't scoring goals regularly like van Nistelrooy or Henry who are rated as better players than him because they ARE scoring loads.
And I also agree; If Hasselbaink did sign for a club like United with support from players like Beckham, Giggs, Veron and Scholes, he would be able to find his true-form and possibly even shatter the scoring records.
He just doesn't always get the right kind of service at Stamford Bridge, and he doesn't always seem to work that well with all players in the Chelsea attack.
But even if he is around 5/6 years from his retirement, he's still got it in him to be No.1 like he was in Spain that one time, and even with Leeds a few years back!
Ever heard of paragraphs? It'd much easier to read if you put proper punctuation in.....
nobody has done it here but it really annoys me when people say he is not a team player. He is just very passionate and shouts at people and thats his way of getting himself and others motivated, his assist rating and passing quota shows he really is a true team player. I think if Hasselbaink joined United he would break every scoring record ever set with that level of supply. I have to say that was possibly the save of the season from barthez the other night, i couldn't believe he reached it let alone changed its direction!
That free kick against tottenham last season was apparently the fastest travelling goal ever recorded!
That free kick against tottenham last season was apparently the fastest travelling goal ever recorded!
I have to say 1stly its a great post and great read.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has certainly shown the light for the blues last year and they are building on top of it now, I didn't see the match last night (Shame) but however the pair of Zola and Eidur Gudjonson right now are brilliant. And its doubtful that he'll come on instead of Eidur Gudjonson for a while, only if he’s injured or something.
The 'Something' you say he has is a display of brilliance he puts on, but then again at the moment over shadowed by Zola. Its not a bad thing but i still would say Thierry Henry wins though, because of pace and the total control over the ball. They both I think got joint 2nd top scorer last year and both should start showing what they have really got after the winter season is over.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has certainly shown the light for the blues last year and they are building on top of it now, I didn't see the match last night (Shame) but however the pair of Zola and Eidur Gudjonson right now are brilliant. And its doubtful that he'll come on instead of Eidur Gudjonson for a while, only if he’s injured or something.
The 'Something' you say he has is a display of brilliance he puts on, but then again at the moment over shadowed by Zola. Its not a bad thing but i still would say Thierry Henry wins though, because of pace and the total control over the ball. They both I think got joint 2nd top scorer last year and both should start showing what they have really got after the winter season is over.
Yes he is brilliant. He can smash them with both legs and his head alike.
But he needs to watch his temper though. Even when he scores, he gets angry!
But you are kidding yourself though, better then henry and VNR? Surely not that good.....
But he needs to watch his temper though. Even when he scores, he gets angry!
But you are kidding yourself though, better then henry and VNR? Surely not that good.....
Football fans and pundits alike with their eyes on England's Premier League are always ranting on about one type of player; and that is a goal-scorer.
Whether he's playing for a club at the top of the league, or down the bottom, and even if he is - or isn't - English, just as long as he can put the ball in the back of the net, he'll have people talking about him 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week!
At the moment in English Football's top-flight, Thierry Henry of Arsenal and Ruud van Nistelrooy of Man United are currently regarded and highly talked-about as the 2 best striker in the league, mainly for their impressive goal-scoring records and how much they've really done for their respective clubs to get them where they are today.
Michael Owen and Alan Shearer are 2 other names of striker who can score goals, and Chelsea's 'Franco Zola along with Southampton's James Beattie have been sitting high above the rest in the scoring charts. Yet despite the fact that they each have the abillity to score goals, because they're not scoring now they become over-looked and critisized against the likes of Henry and van Nistelrooy.
But it's not just these players either. Look-around at around 9 of the Premiership's top-half teams and you'll see international goal-scorers like Tomasz Radzinski of Everton, and Teddy Sheringham of Spurs, who just aren't getting the praise they were once flooded with, just because they're scoring goals. And when you see them play, you know they are fantastic players - even if they're not regularly scoring at the moment... But a good performance seems to count for nothing if you wear the No.9 shirt today...
There is one Premiership player in his second spell in England's top-division, from abroad, who stands-out against all-others as a striker - including both Monsieur Henry and United's `Flying Dutchman`, no matter how man goals they can score...
He is a player he knows all-about goal-scoring, even if he hasn't topped the scoring charts since his time a few years ago at Elland Road with Leeds... With a real eye-for-goal from any angle and a shot so powerfull that even Police Speed Cameras must struggle to record the balls' speed... along with many other things, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink of Holland and now Chelsea is the Premierships' No.1, to me!
You may have watched the Worthington Cup Quarter-Final match between Hasselbaink's Chelsea and on-form Manchester United on Tuesday night in a game that finished 1-0 to the home team, thanks to a Diego Forlan's goal (and he's a player who has been VASTLY-critisized due to a lack of goal-scoring!). If you did see that match, and you're judging Mr. Jimmy-Floyd on a performance like that then you really haven't seen the `true` Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink when nothing can stop him.
It's true that he didn't play too-well last-night, in one of thos `big matches` where he usually does so-well. And therefore, he was substituted later-on in during the match.
But did you see that free-kick he hit from what must have been at-least 40 yards??
Okay, so it didn't go in... But just look-again at how viciously it swerved through the air like an aeroplane on red-alert after the pilot passes-out in the middle of a flight...!
Fabien Barthez did very-well to stop that one from going in without losing a limb in the process, but to just thump the ball from a stand-still position like Jimmy did, AND to get it on-course for the top-corner like that... That only goes to show you that Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink is `something-else` when it comes to long-range shooting with his eye for goal and superhero-like strikes on-goal!
And he ain't half-bad from close-range `van Nistelrooy territory` either!
When he gets the ball at his feet it'll usually only take him a fraction of a second for him to position himself correctly and then thump the ball at 50mph+ right into the bottom corner of the net. And we've seen him do that so-many-times before - just like he did at Old Trafford for Chelsea last year, in a game that didn't go so-wrong.
Getting into the box for those one-on-one oppurtunities with the 'keeper seems to be no problem for "Jerrel" Hasselbaink, either. If Zola's on the ball 25-yards from goal then you can bet he'll be looking for Jimmy-Floyd who'll be lingering around the penalty-spot somewhere, looking for space to get that ball. But scoring simple `tap-ins` like any-other-striker isn't perhaps the greatest aspect of Hasselbaink's goal-scoring game as it's his out-of-the-box efforts that really impress me, and set him far-aside from the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Henry who more-than-often score with simple, `predictable` shots-on-goal.
Chelsea's £15m Dutch international striker may not have the pace of Henry for running with the ball, but with his strong upper-body and a head that's always up, you can be sure he'll be hitting the target from anywhere within a matter of seconds after recieving and controlling the ball.
Obviously, Cheslea don't rely on Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink solely when they're looking for goals (otherwise they'd probably be top-of-the-league by now! ;D ). And Hasselbaink is a player who knows he cannot do everything on-his-own, like a true proffesional. When he doesn't know where to go, or can't see a chance to strike, he'll be looking for one of his team-mates - like Gianfranco Zola, or Eidur Gudjonson; the player he formed an almost unbeatable partnership with for `The Blues` last season.
He'll do it in open play, but he's also got a good eye from set-pieces too. We saw him strike that free-kick against United on Tuesday, and we've seen him score from similar dead-ball situations like this before. But while he can also strike a decent penalty aswell-as free-kicks, he can whip in some deadly near- and back -post corners for the heads of people better-suited to that kind of situation in people like fomer-World Cup Winner Marcel Desailly, and his French team-mate William Gallas. Hasselbaink himself is not the greatest when it comes to heading on-goal, but that doesn't mean to say he won't show the determination in getting their first, before the defender and the goalkeeper. And so every-manager with J-FH in their team has decided to give Jimmy control over the set-pieces. I bet that even Sir Alex Ferguson would consider giving Hasselbaink first-option over whether he wants them or not - even with both David Beckham and Juan Veron in that same United side (providing Hasselbaink was actually AT Old Trafford mind... And do I ever wish he was!!)!
He can score goals, he can create chances, he can make space for himself and others, but like all players, he does have his down-sides that stop him from achieving certain goals. I've already mentioned about his lack of consistency and heading in the Premiership with Chelsea, but if you've ever seen Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink play football then you've seen him go over-the-top.
Just like Roy Keane, Dennis Wise, and Patrick Vieira, Holland's former Atletico Madrid and Leeds United goal-scorer with a brother called Carlos tends to have a short-fuse that can go-off after something that was really... nothing!
Again, we saw a classic example oh Hasselbaink the footballer on Tuesday when he and Fabien Barthez seemed to suddenly go for each others throats after laughing and joking over a fight for the ball. Neither-one seemed to strike or even offend the other in any way, yet both players seemed to have something to settle only moments later.
It was a bit of stupidicy, and it's a side of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink that you can expect to see from him on a regular basis. It could've even got him sent-off if he'd have gone too-far with a goalkeeper! Yet that is something that obviously does come into his mind, time, after-time, and again.
I'm sure that Chelsea fans today can understand why Leeds fans were so distraught after losing his services over `money issues` a few years back. But can you blame them?? This is the same player who went on to finish as La Liga's top-scorer for that season (his first in Spain), when his club Atletico Madrid also suffered relegation to the lower leagues of Spannish Football! We've seen him score in the Premiership alone, and we know what he can do!
Yet for-one-reason-or-another he never seems to get the credit or recognition he deserves. I believe this is mainly down to the fact that he isn't as-consistent-as-others in his goal-scoring, and like James Beattie and Marian Pahars, his performances - no matter how great they are - don't give him the recognition of Henry, van Nistelrooy, or Owen, simply because Chelsea aren't considered as real `title contenders`.
But in my view, he is simply the most talented striker we fans of English Football have on-show in our Premier Legaue, thanks to the wide-array of things he can do, and how he never seizes to impress and entertain us - especially in his facial-expressions! If only he could get back his consistency, and sign for a big club (like United - *COUGH COUGH* Fergie...!!), then I'm sure he'd get everything he deserves.
But even without all that, he's still No.1 in my football-shaped eyes.
How could you choose Thierry Henry over him??
Whether he's playing for a club at the top of the league, or down the bottom, and even if he is - or isn't - English, just as long as he can put the ball in the back of the net, he'll have people talking about him 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week!
At the moment in English Football's top-flight, Thierry Henry of Arsenal and Ruud van Nistelrooy of Man United are currently regarded and highly talked-about as the 2 best striker in the league, mainly for their impressive goal-scoring records and how much they've really done for their respective clubs to get them where they are today.
Michael Owen and Alan Shearer are 2 other names of striker who can score goals, and Chelsea's 'Franco Zola along with Southampton's James Beattie have been sitting high above the rest in the scoring charts. Yet despite the fact that they each have the abillity to score goals, because they're not scoring now they become over-looked and critisized against the likes of Henry and van Nistelrooy.
But it's not just these players either. Look-around at around 9 of the Premiership's top-half teams and you'll see international goal-scorers like Tomasz Radzinski of Everton, and Teddy Sheringham of Spurs, who just aren't getting the praise they were once flooded with, just because they're scoring goals. And when you see them play, you know they are fantastic players - even if they're not regularly scoring at the moment... But a good performance seems to count for nothing if you wear the No.9 shirt today...
There is one Premiership player in his second spell in England's top-division, from abroad, who stands-out against all-others as a striker - including both Monsieur Henry and United's `Flying Dutchman`, no matter how man goals they can score...
He is a player he knows all-about goal-scoring, even if he hasn't topped the scoring charts since his time a few years ago at Elland Road with Leeds... With a real eye-for-goal from any angle and a shot so powerfull that even Police Speed Cameras must struggle to record the balls' speed... along with many other things, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink of Holland and now Chelsea is the Premierships' No.1, to me!
You may have watched the Worthington Cup Quarter-Final match between Hasselbaink's Chelsea and on-form Manchester United on Tuesday night in a game that finished 1-0 to the home team, thanks to a Diego Forlan's goal (and he's a player who has been VASTLY-critisized due to a lack of goal-scoring!). If you did see that match, and you're judging Mr. Jimmy-Floyd on a performance like that then you really haven't seen the `true` Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink when nothing can stop him.
It's true that he didn't play too-well last-night, in one of thos `big matches` where he usually does so-well. And therefore, he was substituted later-on in during the match.
But did you see that free-kick he hit from what must have been at-least 40 yards??
Okay, so it didn't go in... But just look-again at how viciously it swerved through the air like an aeroplane on red-alert after the pilot passes-out in the middle of a flight...!
Fabien Barthez did very-well to stop that one from going in without losing a limb in the process, but to just thump the ball from a stand-still position like Jimmy did, AND to get it on-course for the top-corner like that... That only goes to show you that Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink is `something-else` when it comes to long-range shooting with his eye for goal and superhero-like strikes on-goal!
And he ain't half-bad from close-range `van Nistelrooy territory` either!
When he gets the ball at his feet it'll usually only take him a fraction of a second for him to position himself correctly and then thump the ball at 50mph+ right into the bottom corner of the net. And we've seen him do that so-many-times before - just like he did at Old Trafford for Chelsea last year, in a game that didn't go so-wrong.
Getting into the box for those one-on-one oppurtunities with the 'keeper seems to be no problem for "Jerrel" Hasselbaink, either. If Zola's on the ball 25-yards from goal then you can bet he'll be looking for Jimmy-Floyd who'll be lingering around the penalty-spot somewhere, looking for space to get that ball. But scoring simple `tap-ins` like any-other-striker isn't perhaps the greatest aspect of Hasselbaink's goal-scoring game as it's his out-of-the-box efforts that really impress me, and set him far-aside from the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Henry who more-than-often score with simple, `predictable` shots-on-goal.
Chelsea's £15m Dutch international striker may not have the pace of Henry for running with the ball, but with his strong upper-body and a head that's always up, you can be sure he'll be hitting the target from anywhere within a matter of seconds after recieving and controlling the ball.
Obviously, Cheslea don't rely on Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink solely when they're looking for goals (otherwise they'd probably be top-of-the-league by now! ;D ). And Hasselbaink is a player who knows he cannot do everything on-his-own, like a true proffesional. When he doesn't know where to go, or can't see a chance to strike, he'll be looking for one of his team-mates - like Gianfranco Zola, or Eidur Gudjonson; the player he formed an almost unbeatable partnership with for `The Blues` last season.
He'll do it in open play, but he's also got a good eye from set-pieces too. We saw him strike that free-kick against United on Tuesday, and we've seen him score from similar dead-ball situations like this before. But while he can also strike a decent penalty aswell-as free-kicks, he can whip in some deadly near- and back -post corners for the heads of people better-suited to that kind of situation in people like fomer-World Cup Winner Marcel Desailly, and his French team-mate William Gallas. Hasselbaink himself is not the greatest when it comes to heading on-goal, but that doesn't mean to say he won't show the determination in getting their first, before the defender and the goalkeeper. And so every-manager with J-FH in their team has decided to give Jimmy control over the set-pieces. I bet that even Sir Alex Ferguson would consider giving Hasselbaink first-option over whether he wants them or not - even with both David Beckham and Juan Veron in that same United side (providing Hasselbaink was actually AT Old Trafford mind... And do I ever wish he was!!)!
He can score goals, he can create chances, he can make space for himself and others, but like all players, he does have his down-sides that stop him from achieving certain goals. I've already mentioned about his lack of consistency and heading in the Premiership with Chelsea, but if you've ever seen Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink play football then you've seen him go over-the-top.
Just like Roy Keane, Dennis Wise, and Patrick Vieira, Holland's former Atletico Madrid and Leeds United goal-scorer with a brother called Carlos tends to have a short-fuse that can go-off after something that was really... nothing!
Again, we saw a classic example oh Hasselbaink the footballer on Tuesday when he and Fabien Barthez seemed to suddenly go for each others throats after laughing and joking over a fight for the ball. Neither-one seemed to strike or even offend the other in any way, yet both players seemed to have something to settle only moments later.
It was a bit of stupidicy, and it's a side of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink that you can expect to see from him on a regular basis. It could've even got him sent-off if he'd have gone too-far with a goalkeeper! Yet that is something that obviously does come into his mind, time, after-time, and again.
I'm sure that Chelsea fans today can understand why Leeds fans were so distraught after losing his services over `money issues` a few years back. But can you blame them?? This is the same player who went on to finish as La Liga's top-scorer for that season (his first in Spain), when his club Atletico Madrid also suffered relegation to the lower leagues of Spannish Football! We've seen him score in the Premiership alone, and we know what he can do!
Yet for-one-reason-or-another he never seems to get the credit or recognition he deserves. I believe this is mainly down to the fact that he isn't as-consistent-as-others in his goal-scoring, and like James Beattie and Marian Pahars, his performances - no matter how great they are - don't give him the recognition of Henry, van Nistelrooy, or Owen, simply because Chelsea aren't considered as real `title contenders`.
But in my view, he is simply the most talented striker we fans of English Football have on-show in our Premier Legaue, thanks to the wide-array of things he can do, and how he never seizes to impress and entertain us - especially in his facial-expressions! If only he could get back his consistency, and sign for a big club (like United - *COUGH COUGH* Fergie...!!), then I'm sure he'd get everything he deserves.
But even without all that, he's still No.1 in my football-shaped eyes.
How could you choose Thierry Henry over him??