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With, Thierry Henry gone to Barcelona, Didier Drogba is left as the bookies clear favourite to repeat his top scoring performance from last season. Such skinny odds though don�t appeal when injuries, possible suspensions, squad rotations, and African Nations Cup appearances are considered.
Many of the other strikers from the top clubs also hold little appeal based on the number of quality strikers who will be used throughout the season, especially the weaker opposition. For the purposes of this preview we shall be focusing our energies on players who if fit will play the majority of games.
As a Crystal Palace player, Andrew Johnson finished a creditable second in the Premiership goals chart to Thierry Henry. Palace were of course relegated that year, which made the feat achieved by the current Everton player all the more creditable.
Since then AJ hasn�t been quite so prolific, although to be fair injuries did prevent the striker from finding the back of the net more than ten times last term.Having dismissed rumours that he may leave Merseyside, Johnson has revealed he is anxious to put last season's injury woes behind him and improve his goals return.
We know from the past a fully fit Johnson will have an outstanding chance to finish near the top of the charts, especially when considering Everton are a far superior unit compared to the relegated Eagles a few seasons back.
Unlike many of the strikers in the top flight, Andrew Johnson is one of the few who can be assured of his starting place if fully fit week in, week out. A decent each way slice of the 28/1 at VC Bet is simply too good to ignore � with � odds paid for the top four places.
Another player bound to play the majority of games if healthy is Michael Owen. The Newcastle striker hasn�t played a full season though for sometime, and even now is picking up pre-season injuries. Nevertheless, a fit Owen would be considerably shorter than 16/1 to be top scorer. A small investment in the former Real Madrid and Liverpool player could pay handsome dividends.
The final player to make it into our verdict is a massive long shot, despite having one of the most impressive International scoring records. Northern Ireland international David Healy has reunited with his former manager, Lawrie Sanchez. During their time together on the European and World Scene, Healy scored an impressive 18 times, including a very fine hat trick against Spain.
In total Healy has 29 goals in 59 appearances for his country, which does make his recent club form tough to understand. Perhaps at Leeds it was very tough for the players with all the off field activity, and now he is with a manager who clearly understands his strengths, the goals might well flow on the domestic scene. At a whooping 150/1 it surely is worth an each-way dabble.
A slight negative is the fact he will be playing his trade with Fulham, hardly one of the Premiership glamour clubs. That said Northern Ireland aren�t exactly a fashionable team, and his record for them isn�t too shabby. If Healy hits the same one in two ratio in the Premiership, an each-way payout will be virtually guaranteed. A little luck and we could be onto a very sizeable windfall.
James Millman
Article created on 0-/-1/2007 15: 1Send this article ( PREMIERSHIP TOP GOALSCORER BETTING PREVIEW ) to a friend
