Is Gordon Davies actually our record goalscorer?

[dannyboi-ffc]

It's obviously a controversial post but it has legs. I put Ronnie Rooke as our greatest ever striker and that seems bizarre when Ivor holds the record.  But imo he isn't.  Obviously I never saw Rooke play, I never saw Ivor either so before anyone questions my logic just remember I could quite easily believe Saha was the best or McBride or Berbatov.

Rooke scored 63 goals in 90 games. That's incredible, add to that the fact he was only 27 when the 2nd World War broke and football was practically suspended until 1946/47 when he scored another 13 in 18 games before moving to Arsenal.

Here comes my reason for the question. Rooke played in 199 unofficial wartime games and scored 212 goals which aren't recorded. That's 288 goals in 307 games if they were included smashing the record by over 100 goals and in 143 less games.

I'm not trying to take anything away from the legend that is Gordon Davies but the efforts of someone like Rooke who most kids will never hear of seems a big shame. No one will ever match those kind of numbers for a club like Fulham

Controversial?

[Forever Fulham]

How do you compare the difficulty and skill needed to score goals in a bygone era with what it takes to do so today?  Is it to be a pure headcount comparison without a nod to degree of difficulty?

[nose]

frank bonzo newton scored the most goals in a single season
i do not think wartime stuff is really applicable
I suppose goals per game is a good indicator providing you play say 50+ games

[cmg]

Always tricky to compare different generations at the best of times.

Although the wartime matches obviously don't count for nothing, I think they are probably best ignored for comparison purposes. Although the Leagues were organised (on a regional basis) registration regulations were totally relaxed so standards differed from week to week. For instance Fulham show 76 different players having represented them during the 30 game season of 1941-2, including Les Compton of Arsenal, Wolves' Stan Cullis and the great Manchester City keeper Frank Swift.
Aldershot, for obvious reasons, fielded some amazingly strong sides during this time.

[Fulham Tup North]

To be fair DB, I think during the war years, even you could have got a game! Not sure if Bus Driver was a 'protected' trade?
Ivor was a machine. Could turn on a sixpence and never gave a ball up.
COYW

[dannyboi-ffc]

I wasn't trying to undermine Ivor. Never seeing either of them play I just found Rooke's goal to game ratio very impressive even without the war games. He played in the top flight for parts of it. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Ivor did for us?

But I totally get you can't compare generations. Just trying to put a different debate out there to the usual McCormack in McCormack out Dembele in Dembele out.

[nose]

I wasn't trying to undermine Ivor. Never seeing either of them play I just found Rooke's goal to game ratio very impressive even without the war games. He played in the top flight for parts of it. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Ivor did for us?

But I totally get you can't compare generations. Just trying to put a different debate out there to the usual McCormack in McCormack out Dembele in Dembele out.

ivor was a genuine goal poacher and worked extremely hard for the team. He put in a proper 90 minute shift and that is what endeared him even though it took a while even for him to get going. But I always liked him.

Ross puts in a poo too but is a different sort of player with far more talent around the whole pitch IMO.

Dembele is too young to say, but I fail to see what other on the MB do, he is lacking in to many basic attributes and is not a har worker by any stretch of the imagination. Ivor was a far better finisher than dembele, he worked hard in the biox to get his chances and had a natural instinct in where to be.

saha was brilliant I always expected him to come good somewhere and was glad it was with us.

Rooke? I am too young for him so bow before those that saw him

[Burt]

Ivor was my childhood hero, I didn't see anyone before him as I was too young and nobody has surpassed him since (although I would put Saha close up there if pushed).

How much of it is "rose tinted specs" as seen by a mini-Burt? There is probably something in that, to be fair, but as others have mentioned Ivor was a real grafter, never gave up, and you could always rely on him to find the net with regularity.

[filham]

It is well established that wartime matches and performances are excluded from all records for the good reasons given above, we should not attempt to change that well used principle.

Ronnie Rooke was snatched from Fulham to do a big job for Arsenal just before I started to go to the Cottage and I never saw him play. However I can assure every one that he was the most talked about player in my school playground for a long time, he was without doubt a legend while still playing.

Dannieboy is absolutely right, just look at the record books, he has to be our greatest ever striker.

[dannyboi-ffc]

It is well established that wartime matches and performances are excluded from all records for the good reasons given above, we should not attempt to change that well used principle.

Ronnie Rooke was snatched from Fulham to do a big job for Arsenal just before I started to go to the Cottage and I never saw him play. However I can assure every one that he was the most talked about player in my school playground for a long time, he was without doubt a legend while still playing.

Dannieboy is absolutely right, just look at the record books, he has to be our greatest ever striker.

Cheers mate i dont really see it as a debate to be honest. He is without doubt the best and if you look at what Dennis Turner had to say or look up any credible countdown of our greatest ever players the 1, 2, 3 is always Haynes, Cohen and Rooke. Obviously i know wartime games dont count but it raises an interesting point.

In exchange I will say that Duff fella is alright lol. Most people I've asked agree with you. He should be in the top 10 and I suppose thinking about it you were right. He'd be no higher than 8th though for me. And for the record Duff and Davies were 11th/12th anyway so it's not like they were ruled out.

[filham]

It is well established that wartime matches and performances are excluded from all records for the good reasons given above, we should not attempt to change that well used principle.

Ronnie Rooke was snatched from Fulham to do a big job for Arsenal just before I started to go to the Cottage and I never saw him play. However I can assure every one that he was the most talked about player in my school playground for a long time, he was without doubt a legend while still playing.

Dannieboy is absolutely right, just look at the record books, he has to be our greatest ever striker.

Cheers mate i dont really see it as a debate to be honest. He is without doubt the best and if you look at what Dennis Turner had to say or look up any credible countdown of our greatest ever players the 1, 2, 3 is always Haynes, Cohen and Rooke. Obviously i know wartime games dont count but it raises an interesting point.

In exchange I will say that Duff fella is alright lol. Most people I've asked agree with you. He should be in the top 10 and I suppose thinking about it you were right. He'd be no higher than 8th though for me. And for the record Duff and Davies were 11th/12th anyway so it's not like they were ruled out.

Thanks Dannyboi, great to have you as a member of the Duff Appreciation Society.