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Hooper love


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2 hours ago, Holmowl said:

What is it about Gary that makes some on here dislike him, and constantly put forward team selections with him on the bench?

 

We have begged for a 20 a year man since the last millennium, yet now we have him he is less popular than you would expect. How many pages on here have been dedicated to buying McCormack or Rhodes, to "guarantee" those precious twenty goals? Figures of 10 mil and 12 mil are bandied around, because promotion would make it money well spent, yet we have a player who's goals per game is right up with theirs yet some want him played sparingly at best.

 

Is it boxgate?

 

Is it the fact that he came to us late and clearly unfit?

 

Dont like his demeanour?

 

He doesn't spell Sheffield Wednesday correctly on his personal website (true- check it out)

 

Is it the fact that he has a personal website?

 

 

His 13 in 29 league games would equate to 21 goals over a full season. That was achieved despite coming in unfit, and despite playing half of his matches in a system that clearly didn't suit him.

 

His minutes to goals ratio was better than any other striker in the division, including Gray, McC and Rhodes.

 

I love him. He is what he is, an absolute goal machine and not much else. Ok at link play, less than ok at mid field ball retention, poor at tracking back.....but one of the first couple of names on my team sheet week in week out. If he plays 40 matches alongside mainly Fletcher and occasionally Joao or Nuhiu this season, he will top the league goal chart and we will get promoted on a wave of high scoring attacking football like we haven't seen at Hillsborough since days of old.

 

 

 

 

Not that I agree with it but I think it had a lot to do with if he isn't scoring he isn't really doing anything most of the time.

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1 hour ago, EcclesallOwl said:


Big difference between lazy and not running around like a headless chicken 

 

This. Second goal against Cardiff last season perfectly sums this up for me.

 

 

Clearly isn't lazy just knows when he's best off making a run or chasing the ball down to get a goal. 

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35 minutes ago, oldishowl said:

 

I think you are wrong.

If we  start FF out wide teams, especially good teams, will target him and make him spend his time defending. Pudil ain't the best defensively and will be exposed.

 

You have very limited evidence to say starting FF wide against a top side works . We basically have not done it.

 

FF has said he wants to play up front. He performed fantastically in pre season to make his point and has done enough to make that position his own.

He got shunted out at Watford in exactly this way , lost his appetite and his place in the team and eventually moved on. I think his skill, work rate and relationship with the fans completely reflects our club at the moment and don't want that to happen

 

Has FF ever said he wants to play up front? I have not seen it, but I may have missed it.

 

Bannan has said twice since OITP he wants to play central. Abdi has said already he wants to play central.

 

Football is not like that once you get beyond the playground. You play where and how your manager tells you.

 

I could go on to compare FF's record as a striker and as a wide player last season, but the thread is about Hooper.

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Firstly, nobody dislikes Hooper. It's ridiculous to even imply that. 

 

Secondly, nobody is doubting his ability to score a shed load if you play to his strengths. 

 

The issue that the likes of holmowl can't seem to grasp, is that individual goal tallys are irrelevant. We're trying to get promoted. Points are the be all and end all and there will be a large number of games where "playing to Hooper's strengths" will hinder us, ultimately leaving us short of our goal. 

 

Thankfully Carlos isn't naive and stupid enough to think that one system conquers all and "oh we need to get Hooper 20 goals, that's how we'll get promoted".

 

He knows that playing without FF up top means we won't be winning the ball high up the pitch anywhere near as often. He knows that being without your most explosive and creative forward will prevent us pinching points in tight games. He knows we'll sometimes be overrun in midfield with 2 out and out forwards not known for their work rate on the pitch.

 

He'll set the team up with one goal in mind - WIN. Not - get the best out of Hooper. Of course there'll be times it's necessary but doesn't mean it's our "best" set up. That's how teams get promoted. Rhodes is deadly at this level, but Boro didn't set up to get the best out of him, they used him intelligently when required. Norwich did the same with Hooper when they were promoted.

 

 

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my name is themaskedowl and I love Hooper.

 

Natural finisher and knows how to pounce on a half chance. We haven't had someone like him as a striker for flipping ages (?decades?) and he's awesome at this level. Now that doesn't mean he's the answer to everything, but he's certainly a very big and very important part of it. 

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Guest BULGARIA

Good question...  i personally dont think he fits in with the team camaraderie. Whenever i see all the players celebrating he never seems to be involved and always seems on the periphery of things. I would bet he is not the most popular team member.

 

Just my opinion of course.

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5 minutes ago, IstillhateSteveBould said:

Firstly, nobody dislikes Hooper. It's ridiculous to even imply that. 

 

Secondly, nobody is doubting his ability to score a shed load if you play to his strengths. 

 

The issue that the likes of holmowl can't seem to grasp, is that individual goal tallys are irrelevant. We're trying to get promoted. Points are the be all and end all and there will be a large number of games where "playing to Hooper's strengths" will hinder us, ultimately leaving us short of our goal. 

 

Thankfully Carlos isn't naive and stupid enough to think that one system conquers all and "oh we need to get Hooper 20 goals, that's how we'll get promoted".

 

He knows that playing without FF up top means we won't be winning the ball high up the pitch anywhere near as often. He knows that being without your most explosive and creative forward will prevent us pinching points in tight games. He knows we'll sometimes be overrun in midfield with 2 out and out forwards not known for their work rate on the pitch.

 

He'll set the team up with one goal in mind - WIN. Not - get the best out of Hooper. Of course there'll be times it's necessary but doesn't mean it's our "best" set up. That's how teams get promoted. Rhodes is deadly at this level, but Boro didn't set up to get the best out of him, they used him intelligently when required. Norwich did the same with Hooper when they were promoted.

 

 

 

 

Excellent post

 

More and more these days teams are wanting all their players to press - if anybody saw Fulham last night they would have seen a team of inferior players beat a better team through their high work rate combined with discipline and willingness to stick to their game plan

 

I'd say their strikers last night won them the game as much by their work when Fulham didn't have possession as they did when scoring the goal

 

I think the thing that has perhaps surprised many people about FF is not just his sublime abaility but his absolutely prodigious work rate

 

Football has changed - teams get promoted from the championship by being extremely hardworking through the team - possibly the best team ever (Pep's Barca) were the hardest working team i have ever seen

 

We have a lot fo very good options for effective formations and i can foresee us playing with 1 striker at times - other times FF will be the 2nd striker to Fletcher or Hooper

 

As your post says - it's about the team and not the individuals within it

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13 minutes ago, Holmowl said:

 

Has FF ever said he wants to play up front? I have not seen it, but I may have missed it.

 

Bannan has said twice since OITP he wants to play central. Abdi has said already he wants to play central.

 

Football is not like that once you get beyond the playground. You play where and how your manager tells you.

 

I could go on to compare FF's record as a striker and as a wide player last season, but the thread is about Hooper.

 

Yes, he said in an interview that he wants to play up front.

 

You are naive if you think players don't have preferred positions and put more into the game when they are played in them .  Bannan showed this last season. Course they play where the manager tells them. Doesn't mean they enjoy it and probably means they don't play as well there.

 

You have no stats for FF starting on the left against top 6 sides. We didn't do it. 

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14 minutes ago, oldishowl said:

 

Yes, he said in an interview that he wants to play up front.

 

You are naive if you think players don't have preferred positions and put more into the game when they are played in them .  Bannan showed this last season. Course they play where the manager tells them. Doesn't mean they enjoy it and probably means they don't play as well there.

 

You have no stats for FF starting on the left against top 6 sides. We didn't do it. 

 

If you insist...

 

FF played left v Burnley at home. 1-1 very decent result.

 

Against all the rest when he played he played up front. We got 6 points from 27 in the other matches. FF scored once v top six.

 

He played left v Cardiff, Brum and Wolves, when they were 7th to 9th.

 

I have absolutely no evidence to prove we would have done better with him left against the top six, but our points tally could hardly have been much worse.

 

My personal opinion, and that is all it is, is that Hooper with Joso or Nuhiu, with FF wide, would have got us more points against the top sides.

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If he's overweight/unfit/off the pace/lazy as some on here believe there will be no place for him in Sunday's starting eleven. 

 

Carlos has stated everyone will have to fight for a place and we now have enough attacking talent for this to happen.

 

Can't wait to see who makes the 11, who will be subs and whether we break away from 4-4-2.

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30 minutes ago, Holmowl said:

 

If you insist...

 

FF played left v Burnley at home. 1-1 very decent result.

 

Against all the rest when he played he played up front. We got 6 points from 27 in the other matches. FF scored once v top six.

 

He played left v Cardiff, Brum and Wolves, when they were 7th to 9th.

 

I have absolutely no evidence to prove we would have done better with him left against the top six, but our points tally could hardly have been much worse.

 

My personal opinion, and that is all it is, is that Hooper with Joso or Nuhiu, with FF wide, would have got us more points against the top sides.

 

It will be interesting to see if starting FF wide against good teams leads to us scoring more or conceding more, or more importantly gaining more points. If Carlos does it . Equally will he give up the running of Lee , the ability of  Abdi or Bannan or the assists and goals of Wallace to do it.

 

I have made my view clear and will leave it at that. 

 

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