Hooper

[RUMBELOWS91]

I sometimes question the part of his attitude that makes his head go down too easily when his sporadic bursts of energy don't result in getting the ball back at his feet within scoring range (which for him is 15 yards max, 90% of the time, although granted we've seen him score or go close from slightly further out a couple of times this season). I don't question him for not being a mad dog chasing traffic for 90min, that's not his game and was never meant to be.

Maybe I do t watch him that closely, but I don't think he's that big a moaner. Mark Bright used to be a right one for whinging!

[Swiss Toni]

This thread is stuck on repeat.

For Carlos to play FF wide and let somebody else partner Hooper he needed to think two things were going to happen.

1 That the two strikers have to be capable of causing the opposition defence a lot of problems

2 That this change to team shape with FF playing as a wide midfielder was not going to make us weaker defensively

Against the top teams he didn't think Joao or Nuhiu would have an impact and he thought FF wide would leave us exposed

Against Cardiff he knew they were not very good , especially up front so played Joao.

Against Brighton and Hull he decided they had the quality to hurt us so played more of a counter attacking style.

The impact on Hooper is that he has to play more as a target man when he is really a second striker so he suffers the most

I am sure Carlos understands this and is simply playing the cards he has got when what he would really like is a big striker who he knows is going to influence the game against the top sides

 

Counter attack didn't work against Hull though because especially in the first half they sat back heavily and if anything tried to play on the counter attack themselves. We struggled to play through them and our lack of pace out wide meant we couldn't get around them either. The only time we did Dawson got booked early on and we never ran at him again after that which was disappointing. 

I'm one of the first to admit we don't appear to play to the strengths of Hooper which brings me to ask - why sign him?!

Edited May 30, 2016 by Babushka1867

[McRightSide]

Since Nuhiu has been playing less (but also well) the slitters clearly feel the need to focus their hate somewhere else

Edited May 30, 2016 by McRightSide

[trevdi9]

most strikers get peed off if through on goal and the ball doesent come it's the nature of the beast and makes them what they are ,I would say pound for pound Hooper is the best finisher at the club closely followed by Fessy ,And used correctly the 20 goals will go in ,

Edited May 30, 2016 by trevdi9

[Mr. Tom]

Maybe I do t watch him that closely, but I don't think he's that big a moaner. Mark Bright used to be a right one for whinging!

 

True!

most strikers get peed off if through on goal and the ball doesent come it's the nature of the beast and makes them what they are ,I would say pound for pound Hooper is the best finisher at the club closely followed by Fessy ,And used correctly the 20 goals will go in ,

 

Agree, very much so.

[debram]

carlos got it wrong, we played in fear at half pace in our own half, hooper feeds off defences under pressure, we never got there, great season but need major changes to succeed next year

[Lord Snooty]

It's opinions gentlemen isn't it. We can all spot different things.

Carlos has got it right more times than he's got it wrong.

 

Personally , I like Fernando on the left and Bannan central in a 3.

But Carlos clearly felt that Bannan would be better suited to helping out Pudil with the right full back, who is a real beast. (how much did he cost them by the way?)

I respect his decision.

 

We've gone with two up front to try and get the best out of Hooper.

I think everyone is agreed he works better in tandem with another forward.

Playing two up front has to be seen as trying to be positive going into a big game like that ...

 

It's one of the ironies of football though isn't it - By trying to be positive with two up front and trying to support our best goalscorer we actually looked short in midfield and the positive action of playing two up was negated by the fact that we were out numbered in the midfield battle ground where when we are playing well we dominate. As such we didn't have the quality of possession that we know we're capable of. 

 

Being part of a midfield four shackled Bannan and Wallace to an extent. Players who in that system we'd be expecting to deliver into the box. 

 

We can say he got it wrong playing two up and surrendering possession of the ball.

But there is no way of knowing that us matching them with one up top would have worked any better. It's all conjuncture. It may have worked it may not. We'll never know. Indeed we might have looked at it as being negative playing one up. 

 

One thing is for certain. Though we all have our favourite systems. Though we all have positions that we would like to see players in, we have to trust the managers decisions. They've been right more than they've been wrong. 

 

For all we talk it has still taken a wonder-strike to defeat us. 

 

Yes. I've got my clapping hat on!

[daveyboy66]

I do love a good scapegoating...it's a pity the seasons ending no one to scapegoat...i'm sure there will be some signing that can fill the role though

[Holmowl]

Sherlock Holmowl is talking Spanish Armadas in another thread.

Hope you liked the analogy.

My wife is french and pronounces ships as sheeps.

She once told the kids that the spanish came over on their big sheeps. Bless her.

[Guest wilyfox]

Hope you liked the analogy.

My wife is french and pronounces ships as sheeps.

She once told the kids that the spanish came over on their big sheeps. Bless her.

The Welsh do it all the time.

[Holmowl]

Extremely , mainly because one poster has been banging the same drum for three weeks.Started numerous threads about it. Won't listen to others points of view but calls them blindfolded and then puts in constant lies to try and convince.

Tbf If you read back you will see I started banging this drum early February. And never wavered since.

[owllincoln]

In amongst all of the positivity there are some pathetic threads still on here. This is one.

Well played Gary Hooper this season. A great striker who will do well again next year with a solid partner up top.

We don't need a scapegoat every time we lose ffs

[Holmowl]

I imagine getting rid of the likely 2016/17 favourite for Div Leading Goalscorer is not one of Carlos's priorities.

Imagine how well we would have done with a full season out of him. Just look at how few minutes but how prolific he was compared to others still in the Div next season:-

McCormack 4036 mins 21 goals 9 assists

Kodja 3499 mins 19 goals. 3 assists

Hemed 3254 mins 17 goals 6 assists

Wells 3428 mins 17 goals 17 goals 4 assists

Martin 3957 mins 15 goals 10 assists

Fessi 3230 mins 15 goals 6 assists

Dembele 3361 mins 15 goals 6 assists

Hooper 2301 mins 13 goals 5 assists

Get rid of the best goals per minute player?

Get rid of the second best assists per minute player?

We should be reading posts entitled "Build a team around Hooper", and have no more nonesense about selling him.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Holmowl

[Holmowl]

Another mindblowing Hooperstat:

McCormack 106 shots

Wells 99 shots

Fessi 95 shots

Hemed 86 shots

Hooper 38 shots !!!!

They used to say Feed the Goat and he will score. If we can create more chances for Hooper he will tear the 16/17 Championship apart.

Think about it. Play a system that gives Hooper the same number of chances as a Hemed or Wells. You sre talking 25/30 goals.

If that same system gives Fessi the freedom to get back to 4 shots per match, I truly believe we are up there as Newcastles main rivals.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Holmowl

[torryowl]

I think you need to accept we had a lot of luck against Brighton, esp at home

what luck did we have against brighton at home? .... there players couldnt cope with the pace we played.feck all to do with luck .

as for the away leg they battered us for 30 mins and we controlled the next 60 as they couldnt maintain that level of performence

for 90 minutes .

[IstillhateSteveBould]

Lewis Mcgugan has scored a goal every 137 minutes this season. If we played to his strengths over a full season he'd score well over 20 right?

The reality is probably no. Plus we'd have to sacrifice in other areas to get the best out of him due to his laid back style and ability to disappear for entire games. A bit like Hooper.

[sonofbert2]

what luck did we have against brighton at home? .... there players couldnt cope with the pace we played.feck all to do with luck .

as for the away leg they battered us for 30 mins and we controlled the next 60 as they couldnt maintain that level of performence

for 90 minutes .

 

They hit the post early on and also had a shot deflected from it's clear path to a goal.

[Holmowl]

what luck did we have against brighton at home? .... there players couldnt cope with the pace we played.feck all to do with luck .as for the away leg they battered us for 30 mins and we controlled the next 60 as they couldnt maintain that level of performencefor 90 minutes .

I think if we had lost four players to injury by 60 minutes, including Fessi and Hooper, we would be classing ourselves as a tad unlucky?

[BRUCE LEE]

He was playing on his own in the space dominated by Dawson, Davies and Livermore

Plus we didn't put any real quality into the box

Bit harsh knocking him, he never got a sniff

[IstillhateSteveBould]

You won't find a win this season that hasn't had an element of luck. The performance was excellent. Up there with Arsenal, Forest away Cardiff at home as one of the best of the season.