Looks like Hooper is on his way !

[jed exodous 0]

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]

[quote user="jed exodous"]Kenwyne Jones, now there''s someone who''s lazy.  Only scored once in the last year or so hasn''t he?  No thanks.[/quote]

 

yet he is the one rumoured to replace danny graham when he leaves...

 

perhaps we should sign kenwyne

[/quote]

Perhaps they see him as a better fit for Michu. 

[Surfbird 1]

Indy is right on that one - Chris Hughton is highly articulate and chooses his words with care. He has not said ''we are not going to bid'' and I guess he would quite rightly stonewall if he was asked that question.

[jed exodous 0]

[quote user="jed exodous"][quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]

[quote user="jed exodous"]Kenwyne Jones, now there''s someone who''s lazy.  Only scored once in the last year or so hasn''t he?  No thanks.[/quote]

 

yet he is the one rumoured to replace danny graham when he leaves...

 

perhaps we should sign kenwyne

[/quote]

Perhaps they see him as a better fit for Michu. 

[/quote]

Just to clarify, I wouldn''t be swapping Graham for Jones...

[gorlestongirl 0]

The one concrete fact from all this is that Hughton was at the Celtic match 10 (?) days ago, and it''s long way to go for an afternoon out. I suspect he is doing what he always does, (and other more mouthy and less principled managers could learn from him), and that is not to talk about other clubs'' players until there is something concrete to say. So we are left with that one fact.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="shefcanary"]Jim, the local press ("Archant") are represented on the NCFC board.[/quote]I don''t think they are Shef. Unless you know something I don''t.

[pete_norw 0]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="shefcanary"]Jim, the local press ("Archant") are represented on the NCFC board.[/quote]

I don''t think they are Shef. Unless you know something I don''t.
[/quote]

I have said before now how brilliant our manager is, when it comes to talking to the media, he can talk all day and say nothing,

[Google Bot 3,298]

It''s in the clubs interest to keep this as quiet as possible as to not alert other clubs as i''m sure Hooper would be on many radars.

The fact the media have got of hold it so easily suggests that his agent may be wanting to do the opposite.... For obvious reasons.

If we don''t get him, i do at least hope that we''re after a playing of his ilk, it shows some real ambition, taking a player who is so adored from a club like Celtic would be a massive scalp.

[Barbie 10,000]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="shefcanary"]Jim, the local press ("Archant") are represented on the NCFC board.[/quote]I don''t think they are Shef. Unless you know something I don''t.[/quote]Who from Archant is on the board?

[PurpleCanary 5,579]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="shefcanary"]Jim, the local press ("Archant") are represented on the NCFC board.[/quote]

I don''t think they are Shef. Unless you know something I don''t.
[/quote]

 

And I don''t think Stephan Phillips represented Archant on the board in any sense even when he did work for them, which he hasn''t for some time. I think it is an open secret that relations between Rouen Road and Carrow Road deteriorated rather than improved under the new board, which included Bowkett, McNally and Phillips. They may have improved more recently, of course.

[Canarylad 0]

Ive seenalot people complain about the prospect of Hooper joining mainly becuase of his height and other factors saying he may not be upto the premiership standard but that could be said for any player joining the premier league youo just have to look at the example of  Juan Sebastien Veron joining Man Utd for £16.5million  great player one the worst ever to play in the epl another is Torres great at liverpool £50 mill to Chelsea and looks like a pub team player

With Hooper he is young certainly knows where the back of the net is which is what we are crying out for has a winning mentality and has played in big european games and dealt the those types of atmospheres last season he was being touted for an england place but from what it seems cant get into it becuase of playing in the SPL this is probably his main and only reason in wanting to join an EPL team to give it a shot at getting international recognition

As for playing the lone man he has done that too good effect in Scotland with either Commons or Samaras sitting in the Hoolahan role so he is no stranger to it he may be if comes too us be used as Holts strike partner so we revert to 4-4-2 for home games with Holts hustle and bustle and ability for knockdowns and Hoopers finishing could be a good combination would also take a huge wait of Holts shoulders thinking he has to score all the goals

I just firmly believe no player should be written off before he has kicked a ball

 

Ps This is my first post nice to meet you all

[starly 0]

Well said canary lad,there are so many negative dicks on this site.They seem to think just because Mitchu was such a bargain,we need to buy a foreinger how will take the rest of the season to settle in.

[Michael Starr 520]

Latest Updates from my Gary Hooper net feed:-Looks like Hooper link has serious legs.JUVENTUS LINKTWITTER 08/01: Juventus originally targetting Hooper have now switched their attention to Drogba.WEB 09/01: http://uk.soccerway.com/news/2013/January/09/drogba-a-juventus-target/Seems Juventus may have moved on from Gary Hooper, they were at one point favourites to sign him.NORWICH LINKSWEB 09/01: Various Celtic & Norwich forums flooded with Hooper > Norwich links / discussionsLOCAL PAPER 10/01: Contract talks stall between Celtic and Hooper!JOURNO LINK 11/01: Sky Sports & Talksport both report that Hooper is in early stages of negotiations with Norwich.OFFICIAL QUOTE 11/01: Hoopers agent Lawwell - "successful conclusion to negotiations on contract extension offers a priority. "I''ve had a call for one player, but it wasn''t an offer, just a ''what''s the story'' call."LOCAL PAPER 11/01: Celtic Evening Times reporting Norwich are close to agreeing deal with Hooper despite plee from manager to stay.OFFICIAL QUOTE 11/01: Chris Hughton rejects Hooper link, quoting it as "unfounded"

[thenorthstand 0]

A little bit of fuel for the fire?

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11787/8390695/Celtic-are-closing-in-on-the-signing-of-United-States-international-Juan-Agudelo-from-Chivas-USA

[Viva Marc Libbra 0]

[quote user="thenorthstand"]A little bit of fuel for the fire?

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11787/8390695/Celtic-are-closing-in-on-the-signing-of-United-States-international-Juan-Agudelo-from-Chivas-USA[/quote]

I just read that and thought the same. Certainly does add a bit to the rumours.

[Morisons Prozac 0]

Getting quietly excited with this link now, would be a signing of real intent

[Jonzey 0]

[quote user="thenorthstand"]A little bit of fuel for the fire?

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11787/8390695/Celtic-are-closing-in-on-the-signing-of-United-States-international-Juan-Agudelo-from-Chivas-USA[/quote]

 Ah beat me to it! Everything is pointing towards Hooper.

[Canary Kid 0]

[quote user="Jersey Canary"]I hope not.  A waste of money.Even if he turns out to be a Robert Fleck (Mark 1) in the way he performs I still don''t see him being able to play up top on his own and I cannot see us sacraficing Hoolahan or changing the formation.  So a large sum of money for a bench warmer or an impact sub is not good value IMO.[/quote]

So there isn''t a small guy who plays up front for Barcelona and recently won some award huh?  :)

[judderman 0]

Speaking of Barcelona, it''s worth remembering that Norwich City would only ever be a stepping stone for him, should we sign him...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1078489/celtic''s-gary-hooper-reveals-barcelona-dream?cc=5739#

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

I don''t think Hooper is good enough for the EPL. I really hope we are not about to break the bank for his signature. I dislike the January transfer window, valuations are massively inflated. I''d rather we take a punt on a cheap foreigner and save our real business till the summer. Hughton droped a huge clanger by not signing a striker last summer.  

[Alan_Grey 0]

[quote user="lincoln canary"]I don''t think Hooper is good enough for the EPL. I really hope we are not about to break the bank for his signature. I dislike the January transfer window, valuations are massively inflated. I''d rather we take a punt on a cheap foreigner and save our real business till the summer. Hughton droped a huge clanger by not signing a striker last summer.  [/quote]

Can I ask how many times you''ve seen him play?

And which striker (s) did Hughton make the mistake of not signing?

[Baracouda 47]

The signing of a whole new back 4 and Tettey/Snoddy was his priority.

whether the speculation is true or not, that we had agreed a multi-million fee for a forward, only for the player to back out on the last day and CH was pretty much left with Kane.

So whether it was CH ''clanger'', or the negotiation team, we did go into the season maybe 1 striker light.

It also doesn''t help that Holts best performances imo, come from a front two, and Morison/Jackson are also best suited in this position.

But, we also need a sense of reality, a significant change of tactics has meant large parts of the squad are not suited to a 451 and we still remain very much a work in progress.

So while we missed the boat in the summer (with signing a striker), that boat hasn''t sunk and we hopefully can catch it this time round.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

You''re a happy little chappy aren''t you.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

That was for Lincoln

[Gingerpele 0]

People are getting way way way too carried away with this cheap foreigner stuff...

How often does it really work out? Swansea found Michu (Although he was previously offered to Premiership sides, on a free as well amazingly) we found Tettey. But what about Valesco? Mattias Jonson? Even Helveg?

Its a risk. The really talented players abroad are known about by many clubs, if not the fans, its not the solution to all our problems. And anyway, don''t you think after Michu all the clubs will be looking for these little gems? We started a trend of buying lower league players, we proved it can work, from my perspective it seemed many clubs started looking a lot harder at lower league players.

And lincoln canary, Hughton did not drop a huge clanger by not signing a striker last summer, we went on a 10 game unbeaten run, we have been doing fine. Its only the past 2/3 weeks its been an issue really. Ok the first few games weren''t great either but that wasn''t down to not signing a striker, it was down to many things. It wasn''t the best thing Hughton has done, but he probably had some targets and none of them were available, he found Kane and signed him as a last minute addition just to help out. I''m much happier he did that then went out and blew the rest of the budget on a player he didn''t really want just because he wanted a striker.

If we sign Hooper, its because we want Hooper. If we sign no one, its because none of Hughton''s targets are available. I don''t think we will sign no one, I think if we haven''t signed anyone in a couple of weeks Hughton might have to panic buy, as Moro hasn''t delivered the goods, Holt has shown he isn''t made of steel and he doesn''t like Jackson, and we don''t know wether Kane will be able to do it or not yet.

But I expect Hooper to sign, wouldn''t be surprised if he was announced before the game tomorrow.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

[quote user="Gingerpele"]People are getting way way way too carried away with this cheap foreigner stuff...

How often does it really work out? Swansea found Michu (Although he was previously offered to Premiership sides, on a free as well amazingly) we found Tettey. But what about Valesco? Mattias Jonson? Even Helveg?

Its a risk. The really talented players abroad are known about by many clubs, if not the fans, its not the solution to all our problems. And anyway, don''t you think after Michu all the clubs will be looking for these little gems? We started a trend of buying lower league players, we proved it can work, from my perspective it seemed many clubs started looking a lot harder at lower league players.

And lincoln canary, Hughton did not drop a huge clanger by not signing a striker last summer, we went on a 10 game unbeaten run, we have been doing fine. Its only the past 2/3 weeks its been an issue really. Ok the first few games weren''t great either but that wasn''t down to not signing a striker, it was down to many things. It wasn''t the best thing Hughton has done, but he probably had some targets and none of them were available, he found Kane and signed him as a last minute addition just to help out. I''m much happier he did that then went out and blew the rest of the budget on a player he didn''t really want just because he wanted a striker.

If we sign Hooper, its because we want Hooper. If we sign no one, its because none of Hughton''s targets are available. I don''t think we will sign no one, I think if we haven''t signed anyone in a couple of weeks Hughton might have to panic buy, as Moro hasn''t delivered the goods, Holt has shown he isn''t made of steel and he doesn''t like Jackson, and we don''t know wether Kane will be able to do it or not yet.

But I expect Hooper to sign, wouldn''t be surprised if he was announced before the game tomorrow.[/quote]

Beg to differ, I decent striker would have buried chances against west ham and QPR at home. We''ve been a striker short all season, it was pretty obvious that our current attack were going to struggle and so it has proved. Bar Swansea away we''ve struggled to score goals, despite creating plenty of chances.

[Gingerpele 0]

Where exactly would this wonder striker play?

Holt and Hoolahan are a big big reason as to why we went 10 games unbeaten, so which one would you drop? Without those two, how do you know half the chances we have had would have been created? Would have been a lot more reliant on the two wingers who have been very inconsistent.

It wasn''t pretty obvious our attack was going to struggle, how on earth was that obvious? We lost Wilbraham, thats all, how does losing Wilbrahamovic, as wonderful as he is, and signing Harry Kane who AVB was ready to use as back up before they signed Adebayor make you think our attack was going to struggle? Don''t understand that at all...

Suppose you''re one of those people who every season thinks Holt won''t be any good this year.

I''ve been going on all season about not taking our chances, but we have the players who should be able to take those chances, we have been getting results, and we are in a position we should have expected to be in. The disappointment was a slow start, not because we lacked a striker, but because Hughton was new to the job (can work either way, either fantastic start or slow start), was trying to fit in a large number of new signings, tried out a couple of formations, tried to fit Howson in, Surman in, has given Morison a few chances, had issues with Holt fitness, Bennett and Snodgrass injuries, Bassong injury, Whittaker injury, Tettey injury. Its actually no surprise at all we didn''t do well to start with.

Hughton has sacrificed a few goals for not conceding a few goals. Essentially we are at the same stage we were at last season, because we''ve got a different manager, a host of new players and a new way of playing. Yes I want a new striker to compete with Holt, but thats all whoever we could have singed in the summer would have done, and how many strikers do you know of that have the effect Holt has, the effect Holt has that has helped us out a lot?

[norfolkbroadslim 223]

Don''t forget Leeds got Cantona really cheap so that proves it, in fact Man U also got Cantona cheap so he counts as a double!

 

I am pleased that nobody was hoping that we spunkled the bank on an expensive striker in the summer and that is why people are complaining now!!! Hooper is under 6ft and he is playing in Mickey Mouse Scotland and his goals in the Champions League were flukey tap ins, which proves he will be a rubbish waste of money panic buy.

 

Save the money for the summer and lets hope we stay up with Morison and Kane!

 

OTBC

 

[King Klose 0]

I''d be very suprised if we get Hooper.

[Baracouda 47]

GP, I agree with your comments, but I would go further than saying we are at the same stage as last season.

Everyone last season was concerned about our defense and that we needed 3 or 4 new defenders, along with a forward.

Now everyone just says we need a forward.

Under Lambert it worked last year, but gung ho football has a limited life expectancy, and this season the team structure and play is more ''premiership quality/style''. We are going into the top4, expecting to give them a good game.

Like you say, CH has been fighting injuries all season, and Lambert seemed to have the rub of the green in that sense.

All in all, The 12th place under Lambert was tentative and unsustainable, now we are talking about being on an upward curve, and been unlucky with injuries, not being able to score needing a new CF. (The way we are talking with all the excuses - is like we are in Reading''s position, and favoritism for the drop).

Whilst the position of the two are very similar at this stage, the look and feel are completely different. There is so much more scope to develop and progress.

[Twitchy 0]

[quote user="Yellows"]I''d be very suprised if we get Hooper.[/quote]Yeah same here Yellows, can''t see it tbh.