The Gary Hooper Thread

[admin]

Gary Hooper​

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Position: Striker

DOB: 26th January 1988

Signed: 26th July 2013

From: Celtic (£5.2m)

Contract: [SIZE=17.77777862548828px]30th June[/SIZE] 2016 (+ One Year Option) 

 

[bowler]

Should be a good player for us if we can keep him, I would like to see him given real chance this season playing up alongside Lafferty.

 

[Andy]

He seems at his best when lurking around the box looking for rebounds/ keeper fumbles. Rarely had the opportunity to do that last season. We saw a glimpse yesterday when he pounced on a rebound, thankfully he was offside to save his blushes at missing an open goal, but still encouraging.

 

[splutcho]

Someone on Twitter supposedly saw him in Norwich tonight on crutches.

 

[Canaryboy]

Someone on Twitter supposedly saw him in Norwich tonight on crutches.

That's not good news. With RVW and Morris out on loan and Becchio confirmed as unwanted, we suddenly look like we could do with another striker.

 

[The Ghost of Michael Theo]

Anyone else struggle to see how Gary is going to get back into the side when fit?

That injury couldn't have come at a worse time for his NCFC career. The others have really taken their chance.

Great problem to have!

 

[Jimmy smith]

I'd imagine there'll be a place for him on the bench for some games and he'll get his chance next Tuesday I reckon. If he's firing on all cylinders, I'd expect him to have displaced Grabban by November but he's got a hell of a battle on his hands!

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

What is his actual injury? When is he likely to be back?

 

[Din]

Adams said that he began training in the week building up to the Bournemouth game. So he's been training for nearly 3 weeks now. I imagine we'll see him soon.

 

[Canaryboy]

Adams said that he began training in the week building up to the Bournemouth game. So he's been training for nearly 3 weeks now. I imagine we'll see him soon.

Think he now has another injury, a 'dead leg'.

Is still really early days for this season, perceived best first XI will change several times, tactics will change, injuries will happen. You need 4 good strikers when you often play 2 up front and need to score 80+ goals. 

At the moment, if he was fit today, he'd certainly be behind Grabban and Jerome. Based on their recent goalscoring form. But it would only require the goals to dry up or one of those players to get injured for Hooper to get a chance, and if he takes it then he'd soon be the best thing since sliced bread again. 

Personally I think we need a poacher in the squad, he is the only one we have so he'll prove useful. 

 

[Din]

He doesn't have the best of luck does he? He missed the opening couple of months of last season.

As you say, he wouldn't be in the starting 11 right now anyway, but the sooner we get him back the better definitely.

 

[Chris Brown]

Just scored for the U21's.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Throughout the summer there were plenty of rumours that he wanted out. A transfer never happened, he has found himself out of the team and his rivals are on form. Hooper knows he is at the club for the next few months, so surely this will mean he'll want to be at his best? If only to put himself in the shop window, or to re-establish himself in the wake of new competition. Can only be a good thing. Would be great to see an on-form Hooper smashing them in. When he first came into the team you could see how good he was, such clinical composed finishing, the goal against Watford particularly comes to mind. But then, like most of our players he just seemed to lose his way. Woul dbe great to see the best of him. But question is, did he really want out, or was that mischief making?

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Bumped this thread as the Lafferty thread moved on to talking about Hooper.

Could anyone who watched the game where Hooper scoreda hat-trick from 'midfield' comment on that game. Did Hooper play more of a Wes role (ie good link up play as was mentioned a lot on the 'Celtic fans on Hooper thread') or even a Lampard role, arriving late in the box to despatch?

What I remember of the highlights it looked like he was arriving on the scene to tuck away the aftermath of Jerome's hard work.

Whatever happened seemed to be effective for Hooper and wonder if it could be considered again. As has been pointed out we're unlikely to play with two forwards. was Hooper really a 'midfielder' in this game?

 

[Din]

Do you mean the Blackpool game where we won 4-0 and he scored a hat-trick? If so we played a diamond formation that day, with Howson defensive midfield, Redmond and Johnson wide, Hoolahan at the tip and 2 up front in Grabban and Hooper. So no Hooper wasn't a midfielder in that game, he was playing as part of a front 2 and he scored a hat-trick (although it was against Blackpool, so a little bit of perspective is needed)

I remember actually for the first goal when he went 1-on-1 that I was so confident that he would score. It's been said many times that he's our best finisher and I don't think there's any doubt about that. Even though both Jerome and Grabban scored more than him last season, I wouldn't be anywhere near as confident that they could score in that situation. That second goal was one of the goals of our season. Some wonderful link-up play, particularly at the end between Hooper and Wes.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Blackpool? Oh...

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

No after having watched the game I dont think it was this one, the goal I specifically remember isnt amongst them. But if this was the only hat-trick he scored last season then I must be getting all mixed up

 

[Din]

Yeah this is the only hat-trick he's ever scored for us. He scored 2 goals against Millwall at home but apart from that I don't think he's scored more than once in a game.

What was the goal that you specifically remember?

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

I just seem to remember him arriving late in a quite packed box and finishing off the leftovers from the industry of those playing further forward than him. Im probably simply mis-remembering it, but its important in my mind because it shows him being effective in a different way, being there to finish in the way Lampard often was, rather than the goal I usually think of when I think of Hooper (incidentally this is also the example I use to rebuff any talk that Fer wasnt any goos - what a pass!)

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Its not amongst these so I must just be thinking of the Blackpool goal. Good compilaltion nevertheless