I WAS in the new football boot room last week, no not at Anfield, but the legendary Mr Ian McGarry's office at Tilmac Builders Yard in Darwen chewing the fat about football with Mr McGarry and the portly football journeyman Russell Whalley and the subject arose about strikers.

I put strikers into four categories and here's my opinion on the best I've played with and against.

Category One: The penalty box predator who scores loads of goals in and around the box but does not do much else.

Undoubtedly the best predator I've seen is Keith Blackburn who played for Burnley Bank Hall.

Category Two: The tall target striker who is deadly in the air and plays other people in and scores a few himself.

Two of the best I've seen are both good friends of mine -- Steve Parry, ex-Stanley and Clitheroe manager and Stuart Thompson, ex-Rochdale and Bacup.

Category Three: The strong fairly pacey and robust strikers who can score from five yards and crack them in from 20 yards.

I have four players who fit the ball here -- Geoff Tyson, ex-Darwen and Gibraltar, Kiko Ridriguez, Nelson's current striker, Rob Haworth, ex-Stanley striker and in my opinion the best in the category, Jimmy McCluskie, current Rossendale boss who I played with at Morecambe.

Lastly Category Four: The ultimate strikers who combine all the previous categories into their game. I have three names. Firstly, Ian Macrea, ex-Stanley and Witton striker who I played against many times.

Secondly John Coleman, Stanley's current manager. I played with him at Morecambe and he was devastating.

Lastly, in my opinion the best local centre forward I have played with and against is Haggis (Dave Hargreaves), a brilliant talent who scored loads of goals locally, mostly for Accrington Stanley.