Rationale:

Always difficult to work out the quality of goal-scorers other than goals/game ratio and where the teams they scored against finished in that season. I hope I have come up with something a tad more useful than this.

A team can finish at the bottom of the league for 3 reasons:
1) Cannot defend for toffee
2) Can't score in a brothel
3) Both of the above (not advisable)

What I have done is invented something called strike points. A strike point is the percentage of the opposition's goals-against that your scorer is responsible for this season. Therefore scoring against Swindon in 1993-94 when they let in 100 goals will get you 1 strike point whilst sticking one past Arsenal in 1998-99 when they only conceded 17 will bring you 5.88 strike points. This way you get rewarded for the meanness of the defenders you score against. Pretty nifty, eh?

For added complication I have adjusted the percentages for the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons so that you score the proportional strike points for 38 games rather than the 42 that we actually played.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

Answers

In best military history fighter-ace tradition, seasons reported are those in which players scored 5 league goals or more:

Player	Season	AvgOpp G/A	Scoring Games	Goals	Strike Points	Avg SPs
Allen	1993-94	65.60	5	5	8.93	1.79
Barnes	1997-98	51.60	5	6	11.74	1.96
Beardsley	1993-94	58.07	14	21	42.83	2.04
Beardsley	1994-95	57.00	10	13	26.09	2.01
Beardsley	1995- 96	60.00	7	8	13.50	1.69
Beardsley	1996-97	53.75	4	5	9.16	1.83
Cole	1993-94	52.31	26	34	74.42	2.19
Cole	1994-95	66.57	7	9	15.79	1.75
Cort	2000-01	52.83	6	6	11.68	1.95
Dyer	2000-01	54.00	5	5	9.70	1.94
Elliott R	1996-97	52.14	7	7	13.96	1.99
Ferdinand	1995- 96	49.53	19	25	50.78	2.03
Ferdinand	1996-97	50.33	12	16	33.16	2.07
Ferguson	1999-00	45.40	5	6	13.46	2.24
Fox	1994-95	57.44	9	10	20.01	2.00
Ginola	1995- 96	44.20	5	5	12.14	2.43
Ketsbaia	1998-99	52.20	5	5	9.74	1.95
Kitson	1994-95	59.38	8	8	16.51	2.06
Lee	1993-94	68.40	5	7	11.47	1.64
Lee	1994-95	51.63	8	9	19.42	2.16
Lee	1995- 96	55.00	7	8	14.86	1.86
Lee	1996-97	55.50	4	5	9.19	1.84
Shearer	1996-97	47.55	20	25	53.91	2.16
Shearer	1998-99	55.60	10	14	25.44	1.82
Shearer	1999-00	51.40	15	23	45.71	1.99
Shearer	2000-01	53.50	4	5	10.16	2.03
Solano	1998-99	47.33	6	6	13.28	2.21
Solano	2000-01	45.33	6	6	13.39	2.23
Speed	1999-00	59.38	8	9	16.21	1.80
Speed	2000-01	55.80	5	5	9.27	1.85

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

you should exclude penalties

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

Have to say that it makes Cole's 93/94 season seem even more impressive - a high strike rate with so many goals.

Having a bath now otherwise I would write more.

Good stats, once again.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

And those seasons in order of average quality of opposition scored against:

Player	Season	AvgOpp G/A	Scoring Games	Goals	Strike Points	Avg SPs
Ginola	1995- 96	44.20	5	5	12.14	2.43
Ferguson	1999- 00	45.40	5	6	13.46	2.24
Solano	2000- 01	45.33	6	6	13.39	2.23
Solano	1998- 99	47.33	6	6	13.28	2.21
Cole	1993- 94	52.31	26	34	74.42	2.19
Lee	1994- 95	51.63	8	9	19.42	2.16
Shearer	1996- 97	47.55	20	25	53.91	2.16
Ferdinand	1996- 97	50.33	12	16	33.16	2.07
Kitson	1994- 95	59.38	8	8	16.51	2.06
Beardsley	1993- 94	58.07	14	21	42.83	2.04
Shearer	2000- 01	53.50	4	5	10.16	2.03
Ferdinand	1995- 96	49.53	19	25	50.78	2.03
Beardsley	1994- 95	57.00	10	13	26.09	2.01
Fox	1994- 95	57.44	9	10	20.01	2.00
Elliott R	1996- 97	52.14	7	7	13.96	1.99
Shearer	1999- 00	51.40	15	23	45.71	1.99
Barnes	1997- 98	51.60	5	6	11.74	1.96
Ketsbaia	1998- 99	52.20	5	5	9.74	1.95
Cort	2000- 01	52.83	6	6	11.68	1.95
Dyer	2000- 01	54.00	5	5	9.70	1.94
Lee	1995- 96	55.00	7	8	14.86	1.86
Speed	2000- 01	55.80	5	5	9.27	1.85
Lee	1996- 97	55.50	4	5	9.19	1.84
Beardsley	1996- 97	53.75	4	5	9.16	1.83
Shearer	1998- 99	55.60	10	14	25.44	1.82
Speed	1999- 00	59.38	8	9	16.21	1.80
Allen	1993- 94	65.60	5	5	8.93	1.79
Cole	1994- 95	66.57	7	9	15.79	1.75
Beardsley	1995- 96	60.00	7	8	13.50	1.69
Lee	1993- 94	68.40	5	7	11.47	1.64

Before anyone starts, I realise that quantity is more important than quality, I'm working on a formula which looks at (quantity/quality) *availability.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

Excellent point, george, here you go (including the 4's as well to pick up the slack):

Player	Season	OppG/A	Scoring Games	Goals from open play	Total SPs	Avg SPs
Hamann	1998- 99	50.50	4	4	10.82	2.70
Ginola	1995- 96	44.20	5	5	12.14	2.43
Solano	2000- 01	44.75	4	4	9.07	2.27
Ferguson	1999- 00	45.40	5	6	13.46	2.24
Solano	1998- 99	47.33	6	6	13.28	2.21
Cole	1993- 94	52.31	26	34	74.42	2.19
Shearer	1996- 97	47.06	17	22	47.86	2.18
Lee	1994- 95	51.63	8	9	19.42	2.16
Asprilla	1996- 97	49.25	4	4	8.39	2.10
Speed	1998- 99	49.00	3	4	8.37	2.09
Shearer	1999- 00	50.50	12	18	37.34	2.07
Ferdinand	1996- 97	50.33	12	16	33.16	2.07
Kitson	1994- 95	59.38	8	8	16.51	2.06
Lee	1997- 98	49.50	4	4	8.20	2.05
Ferdinand	1995- 96	49.53	19	25	50.78	2.03
Fox	1994- 95	57.88	8	9	17.96	2.00
Elliott R	1996- 97	52.14	7	7	13.96	1.99
Dyer	2000- 01	54.00	4	4	7.85	1.96
Beardsley	1994- 95	57.67	9	10	19.62	1.96
Beardsley	1993- 94	61.00	12	14	27.46	1.96
Ketsbaia	1998- 99	52.20	5	5	9.74	1.95
Cort	2000- 01	52.83	6	6	11.68	1.95
Barnes	1997- 98	54.25	4	5	9.30	1.86
Speed	2000- 01	55.80	5	5	9.27	1.85
Lee	1996- 97	55.50	4	5	9.19	1.84
Shearer	1998- 99	57.33	6	8	14.62	1.83
Watson	1994- 95	60.67	3	4	7.23	1.81
Speed	1999- 00	59.38	8	9	16.21	1.80
Lee	1995- 96	56.83	6	7	12.58	1.80
Cole	1994- 95	66.57	7	9	15.79	1.75
Dabizas	1999- 00	60.25	4	4	6.84	1.71
Albert	1995- 96	60.00	3	4	6.80	1.70
Beardsley	1995- 96	60.40	5	6	10.11	1.69
Lee	1993- 94	68.40	5	7	11.47	1.64
Gillespie	1997- 98	60.00	3	4	6.54	1.63

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

show that Ginola really was only up for it against the top teams.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

Harmoan gets in there becuase he managed to put that goal past Arsenal when they only let in 17. The other 3 were against an average Blackburn defence and the seives that were Southampton and Forest in 1998-99. Likewise Big Dunc punished Man Utd, Liverpool and Aston Villa in 1999-00. If you only score a few against quality sides then the average is high. There is an argument that says that you should have mid-range average and a high number of scoring games to be the most useful: good at finishing off crap clubs, constant threat to mid- table sides and frequent enough against top sides to balance the glut against the weaker ones. The ones to avoid are the Huckerbys of this world who can't score against anyone and then score a hattrick against Man Utd. 3 individual strikes against mid table sides you drew against would have been far more beneficial: anyone can have a good day, it's what your average day is like that decides who the Big Boys are.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2001

Shows you how useless Asprilla was in the League as well. And what a great attacking midfielder Rob Lee was then.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2001

It's the "then" which makes the current claims that he is playing the best football of his life so hard to stomach. He's a shadow of the player he once was.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2001