Goals win games

As we start the run in to the end of the season, which will determine when we remain in the Premier League thoughts are turning as to who will get the goals needed to keep us up.

This season with the exception of Sunderland and Blackburn at home has seen the Latics less than successful in front of goal with only three current players having scored three or more league goals this season.

The statistics make interesting reading

Sibs

744 minutes goal every 186mins goal every 2 games

last goal 12/01/2008

Bent

1828 mins goal every 261 mins goal every 2.9 games last goal 22/12/2007

Scharner

2326 mins goal every 775 mins every 8.6 games last league goal 15/12/2007

Heskey

1264 = goal goal every 1264 mins 14 full games last goal 18/08/2007

Based on the above it shows that our best chances of scoring a goal are when Sibs and Bent are on the pitch although interestingly only one of Sibs goals came when Bent was on the pitch and four of Bents goals came when Sibs was on the pitch.

It is worrying however that Bent hasn`t scored since December 22nd and Heskey`s sole goal this season was way back in the middle of August.

Agahowa hasn`t scored all season and very rarely looked like scoring his glaring miss at home to Liverpool being the most memorable.

Much of the responsibility will be placed on new signing Marlon Kings shoulders but as yet he hasn`t shown the goal scoring touch that we hoped to see.

Another worrying fact is that the midfield have contributed very few goals this season other than the departed Landzaat and Taylor`s set pieces.

Brown and Palacios are industrious but don`t look like scoring and Valencia seems to have gone off the boil.

With only one forward in Bent who could be described as being fully fit it remains to be seen what effects the pitch will have on both our run in and the availability of our forwards.

What is certain is that the next few months won`t be dull