Finding that 20 goal a season striker – an alternative way…
The international break came and went. England are comfortably on track to win their group and qualify for the World Cup in Qatar next year.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland kept their respective hopes alive and are still in with a chance to reach the tournament via the playoffs. The Republic of Ireland can use their remaining games to prepare for the Euro 2024 qualifiers. If only they had a goal scorer…
I am originally not from these shores so I do not really follow the performance of the Home Nations. Like most people from my part of the world, I dress up from head to toe in orange for special occasions and cheer on the country of my birth. You guessed it, I am Dutch.
Sports fans from my country had a terrific summer. Never before did we win as many Olympic and Paralympic medals as this year in Tokyo. On top of all that, Max Verstappen won the first Dutch Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1985.
It is a good time to be Dutch. To be honest there never really was a bad time. Dress up in orange, have a few beers and life tends to be pretty good. What is the worst that can happen, right?
Football however is followed in a totally different way in The Netherlands. The easy going attitude goes out of the window. Not only do we expect our team to win, we demand they win in style.
Oranje had a dreadful Euro 2020 and were kicked out in the last 16 by a solid, hard working Czech Republic team. After the tournament Frank de Boer, the national coach, resigned to the great relief of every football fan in the country.
We all know he never should have been appointed in the first place after three consecutive sackings at Inter (after 85 days), Crystal Palace (four league games) and Atlanta United (a record breaking year and half). A CV to be proud of.
My national team is now under new management. Louis van Gaal was pulled off the beach and out of retirement. Two wins and a draw later and we are in a good position to make it to Qatar. The 6-1 win over Turkey was particularly impressive.
The September international break saw The Netherlands scarpe a draw away in Oslo against Norway. I have to admit that I do not follow the Bundesliga and I only watch the Champions League from the semi final stage onwards. Excuses, I know, but that is the reason why I had not previously seen that much of the phenomenon that is Erling Braut Haaland.
What a player. What a monster. I do not remember ever seeing a striker who combines so much speed, physical strength and ruthless finishing as this young Norwegian.
He gave Virgil van Dijk the toughest game he has had in a long long time. Haaland has scored 63 goals from 64 games for Borussia Dortmund and he is only 21 years old. Frightening. His nickname is The Terminator. How appropriate.
Anyway that brings me to the point of this story. I checked Haaland’s wiki. He was born in Leeds. His footballer father Alf-Inge had a respectable career in England, but is probably more famous for being at the wrong end of a Roy Keane tackle whilst playing for Manchester City in the pre-Abu Dhabi days.
Back to his goal scoring son. In February 2017, in an interview with Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, Haaland stated that “The dream is to win the Premier League with Leeds United.” You can’t make it up.
I am not sure if his dreams have changed during the past four years. I would expect these days, his ambition might be to earn £2 million per week representing Manchester City.
Or to play up front for Paris St. Germain together with Lionel Messi and Neymar. Or to win 20 consecutive Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich.
The world is his oyster but if he really does desire years of obscurity with the 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners-up, then fair play to the lad.
So here is the challenge to all you former Albion playing legends out there. Our future goal scoring faith is clearly in your hands. It could well be the reason why Tony Bloom has up to now not sanctioned that record breaking £40 million transfer fee for a new striker.
An easier and cheaper solution is available but we will have to be patient. Glenn Murray, Bruno, Bobby Zamora, Inigo Calderon… you know what you have to do.
Your (future) son(s) could be the answer to all our prayers. Just as Alf-Inge has done with Erling, we need you to raise the next superstar striker and tell the little boy as often as possible that one day he will win the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Tell him it is his destiny. Plant the seed early and one day all our dreams will come true. Mini Murray firing the Seagulls to the Champions League glory and overtaking his dad’s scoring records in the process? Imagine that.
