Since Alan Shearer hung up his boots in 2006 it’s fair to say Newcastle have been missing a proven Premier League goal scorer. In the wake of Shearer’s departure, the likes of Obafemi Martins, Shola Ameobi, Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Andy Carroll have all attempted to fill the void. These forwards have only shown glimpses of what Shearer did week in, week out. Although, having said this Carroll may have gone on to be a revelation had he not been sold to Liverpool. Newcastle are still searching for a forward to fill Shearer’s boots and the latest name attempting to make a name for himself in the North East is Nile Ranger. Whether Ranger has the qualities in his locker to go on to be a mainstay in the Newcastle team still remains to be seen though.
I have doubts whether Ranger has all the attributes required to be a consistent goal getter for the Toon Army on a regular basis. I would suggest he is more likely to follow in the footsteps of Shola Ameobi, with small flurries of goals from time to time. I appreciate this statement could well be premature as Ranger has only made 20 appearances for Newcastle in the Premier League. He is still searching for his first Premiership goal, and his lively performances are still missing the most important contribution of all – goals. From what I have seen of the young Londoner in the black and white shirt thus far, he clearly has some potential. Whether he can convert his potential into goals is the key question though. His composure in front of goal hasn’t been particularly impressive and it’s something that he needs to work on if he is going to make a name for himself. The leggy 19 year old would be better suited as a foil for a more clinical front man rather than being the man the fans are reliant upon to regularly to find the back of the net. Taking this into consideration, is Ranger a player who is going to provide the fans with what they expect from a front man?
Shola Ameobi’s Newcastle career started out in much the same way as that of Ranger, in that he to broke into the first team at a young age and showed signs of early promise. The Nigerian born Ameobi has not been a clinical goal scorer in his eleven years on Tyneside, his record of 69 goals in 236 appearances reeks of mediocrity. Ameobi’s most successful goals return was in The Championship where he only found the net 10 times, albeit in 18 appearances. I can see Ranger following a similar path to Ameobi, and yes, he does have a creative streak and he may produce the odd moment of tricky foot work that gets people off their seats, but I don’t see an end product within Ranger’s game. Only time will tell if my assessment of Ranger is accurate, or way off the mark, although, I feel my hunch was further enhanced yesterday. Ranger was selected to start for Newcastle in the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa and aside from the odd flash, his performance was largely lacklustre. He did get a sniff in front of goal but his finishing left a lot to be desired when the responsibility was on his shoulders.
Newcastle are clearly not going to be relying on Ranger to be their main man next season or indeed the season after that. So it begs the question, is he a player Newcastle need? It may seem like I have just spent my time in this article criticising a young forward who has barely had a chance to apply himself as a goal scorer. This was not my intention whatsoever. I have just tried to point out how I feel Nile Ranger will not be a seasoned goal scorer at Premiership level, which is something Newcastle fans are crying out for. I remember the promise Michael Own showed when he emerged from the bench against Wimbledon in 1996 and scored on his debut. That night Owen introduced himself to English football and he went on to be an illustrious goal scorer, you could instantly tell from his instinctive finish he was going to be special. Daniel Sturridge is another example of someone who has shown his qualities from the start and it’s evident he will be a successful goal scorer. So while Ranger could easily prove me wrong, and I hope he does, unfortunately all I see is another Ameobi and not a Shearer or Owen.
Written by Tom MacGregor
