Harry Kane is a beast!

[Canaryboy]

16 goals for Spurs in half a season, 7 in the Premier League (5 Premier League goals in less than a month).

Do we think that with 3 starts and 2 sub appearances we perhaps didn't give him enough of a shot here  h34r:

Or was it just a little too early? 

He suddenly looks like England's best prospect up front, 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

I think he was just too young and a bit of a marquee signing for Hughton from a proper club in his beloved Spurs. Spurs probably put it out that they wanted some Premier League experience for their young lad but didnt want to weaken their own line-up so Chris bent over forwards to accomodate them.

Whether or not Kane was a talent isnt the issue, he wasnt what we needed. It was too early for both him and us. Hope he carries on doing the business though - the English striking pot has rarely been emptier

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Radio (well Gary Mabbutt) said he 'bossed' Terry and Cahill. Does he mean in a physical sense? Has he been on the wieghts?

 

[crabbycanary]

Cahill certainly couldn't handle him, to the point, that in frustration, as Kane was lying on the ground, and Cahill was trying to kick the ball, he 'misjudged' the situation, and kicked Kane in the back

 

[GJP]

I actually thought he looked ok when he was here but clearly needed a run of games.

Not sure I saw him doing this well but thought he could have dive a job for us.

 

[Din]

I think we made him to be honest

 

[ZLF]

I agree with the comment that he was simply  too young and suffered under the weight of expectation that season.

While I thought he was better than the criticism he got (eg he was pilloried for his performance against Luton,  only to be replaced by WFLGH who put in a near identical inept display and also missed a clear chance without the same vitriole) I confess I did not expect to see him perform this well this season - well played Kane,  and the most likely of the talented young strikers bursting through this season that could make it for england methinks (berahino second) 

Yes he did boss Cahill and Terry;   but then again so did RvW at home last season...

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Yes he did boss Cahill and Terry;   but then again so did RvW at home last season...

Did he??  In what way? Totally dont remember that. To be honest not a lot to remember Ricky for really

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Does any of the Harry Kane praise rankle a bit? Not for a second blaming the lad as his loan with us was too soon for him I think - but if we'd got the player he is emerging into we might not be in the mess we're in now. Nobodies fault of course, but just our luck that he wasnt able to play like he is playing for us. I know of course that if he'd have been this player we wouldnt have been given him. But that doesnt make it grind any less! Anyone else a bit bitter about it??!!

 

[It's Character Forming]

Does any of the Harry Kane praise rankle a bit? Not for a second blaming the lad as his loan with us was too soon for him I think - but if we'd got the player he is emerging into we might not be in the mess we're in now. Nobodies fault of course, but just our luck that he wasnt able to play like he is playing for us. I know of course that if he'd have been this player we wouldnt have been given him. But that doesnt make it grind any less! Anyone else a bit bitter about it??!!

Definitely it's a bit irritating - for us the guy was in my honest opinion a waste of a place, we'd have done as well without him on the pitch. It was simply too early and he looked like he had no confidence at all and wasn't ready for the Prem.  You could see a few touches of potential but I never had any confidence that when the ball came to him, he'd have any chance of scoring or doing anything useful.

I think it didn't help that Hughton had no idea about the attacking end of the field IMO, so I imagine he got zero support while he was here.

But you can't deny it is annoying to have a player who flopped for us and is now a definite England prospect, especially given how close the margins for relegation were last season.

 

[Canaryboy]

Does any of the Harry Kane praise rankle a bit? Not for a second blaming the lad as his loan with us was too soon for him I think - but if we'd got the player he is emerging into we might not be in the mess we're in now. Nobodies fault of course, but just our luck that he wasnt able to play like he is playing for us. I know of course that if he'd have been this player we wouldnt have been given him. But that doesnt make it grind any less! Anyone else a bit bitter about it??!!

Another way to look at it would be that if he'd stayed here for the season he'd probably be playing in League One for Swindon or similar trying to overcome a serious confidence crisis, and England wouldn't have discovered what could be their first world class striker since Alan Shearer. 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Another way to look at it would be that if he'd stayed here for the season he'd probably be playing in League One for Swindon or similar trying to overcome a serious confidence crisis, and England wouldn't have discovered what could be their first world class striker since Alan Shearer. 

Now who else do we know who was considered the next big thing but failed to flourish under Chris Hughton and is suffering a serious confidence crisis? Surprised the Harry Kane example isnt used more often as another stick to hit Hughton with and possibly as an example that perhaps RvW wasnt simply sh*te...

 

[Canaryboy]

A bit different though, in that Harry Kane started just one Premier League game for us. I wonder how many goals he'd of scored if he'd featured 27 times?

I just think Kane was here a year or two too early, like Keiran Gibbs who was shocking for us and capped by England two years later!
 

Ryan Bertrand on the other hand was excellent for us when he arrived, but perhaps he'd have been as bad as Gibbs a year earlier.

And both of those players came to us in the Championship. There aren't many 19 year olds who can do the business in the Premier League, it was just a silly signing.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

A bit different though, in that Harry Kane started just one Premier League game for us. I wonder how many goals he'd of scored if he'd featured 27 times?

I just think Kane was here a year or two too early, like Keiran Gibbs who was shocking for us and capped by England two years later!

Ryan Bertrand on the other hand was excellent for us when he arrived, but perhaps he'd have been as bad as Gibbs a year earlier.

And both of those players came to us in the Premier League. There aren't many 19 year olds who can do the business in the Premier League, it was just a silly signing.

Get it right - it was a marquee signing, from Hughtons beloved Spurs. We saw with Peter Grant how managers can mis-judge players when they have starry eyes for the 'gifts' from their former loves.

There's no way Hughton would have signed Kane if there wasnt a Tottenham connection

 

[Canaryboy]

As for the RVW thing, whether he struggled because of Hughton's tactics or struggled because he just wasn't cut out for English football. I think the truth may lie somewhere in between, both factors are probably applicable.

Perhaps he would have scored a few more goals in a front two, or with wingers playing on the outside, but he was still wasteful of the chances that he did get and I think the same factors affected Hooper's goal tally too.

Whilst RVW is excused by many for having to suffer playing in a Hughton team, Hooper doesn't get enough praise for the fact that he managed to score 7 in that same team. He isn't a player who should be played with his back to the goal either.

Hooper should come out of that season with much more credit, regardless of whether some people believe RVW to be the more technically gifted player. Personally I think that Hooper is the far more likely out of the two to ever be able to reach double figures in the league above.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

As for the RVW thing, whether he struggled because of Hughton's tactics or struggled because he just wasn't cut out for English football. I think the truth may lie somewhere in between, both factors are probably applicable.

Perhaps he would have scored a few more goals in a front two, or with wingers playing on the outside, but he was still wasteful of the chances that he did get and I think the same factors affected Hooper's goal tally too.

Whilst RVW is excused by many for having to suffer playing in a Hughton team, Hooper doesn't get enough praise for the fact that he managed to score 7 in that same team. He isn't a player who should be played with his back to the goal either.

Hooper should come out of that season with much more credit, regardless of whether some people believe RVW to be the more technically gifted player. Personally I think that Hooper is the far more likely out of the two to ever be able to reach double figures in the league above.

The goal I always remember Hooper for was (I think against Watford in the cup - think Josh scored as well)  Leroy split the defence, Hooper, clinical as you like dispatches it.

I thought at that point - Hooper is so good.

Quality striker - finishes his dinner. The mark of a good striker is that when it comes to him you expect him to score (contrast with a striker who when it comes to them you're waiting for them to stuff it up). Hooper had a little period at the start of his career when he was like this, then the goals dried up.

I still think thats the striker we have in there, and after his hat-trick Im hoping this is who we'll begin to see a bit more consistently now

 

[It's Character Forming]

I agree.  I remember Hooper scoring away at West Brom - similar through ball from Leroy and he just nailed it.

Not something we've seen often in a City shirt to be fair, even Holt needed plenty of chances to put one away.  The last player I remember that I felt total confidence he'd finish when you expect him to score is Bellamy !

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

I agree.  I remember Hooper scoring away at West Brom - similar through ball from Leroy and he just nailed it.

Not something we've seen often in a City shirt to be fair, even Holt needed plenty of chances to put one away.  The last player I remember that I felt total confidence he'd finish when you expect him to score is Bellamy !

Absolutely. Bellamy used to specialise in one on ones, its why he worked so well with Iwan - he'd win the header, Bellamy would be on it and through on goal, and you'd back him to score. Anelka was also a player you'd always back in that particular situation.

Michael Owen sadly illustrates the point beautifully. When he was still lethal and still at Liverpool, when the ball came to him, you never questioned that he would score, it was always a goal, you knew it was in as soon as he was in that position.

Then he got his injury and was never quite the same again. He'd seemingly do all the right things, shape his body to strike but then miss, and it would be that when he got the ball, you never expected him to score.