Rumour - Gary Hooper

[72 bus]

IN for the Pog love. McD never gave him the chance because of lumping the ball up top. He needs it to his feet and then he'll be like the Goat when he was fed

The Goat got 12 in 43 games, I would rather we got someone a bit better than that.
In Pog's best ever season for Zenit he got 22, his next best was 15 then 13, the guy is just not a great goal scorer by any standard.
Reputation is one thing, The record books tell the truth though

[LightwaterRoyal]

For me Pog isnt a player I expect to score goals. He frees up space for teammates and does a few fancy flicks to get the faster players in behind. Basically a rich mans more complete version of Emile Heskey, the sort of player that needs wingers and midfielders running past him.

In Adkins style the wingers seem to play much closer to him and Pog looks much more comfortable.

[Snowball]

Pog was hardly prolific with us. When he joined he had a bit of reputation for starting well
at a club and then fading. For example, though his overall figures at Fulham look tidy
(6 goals in 935 minutes) 5 of those goals came in his first 3 games followed by 1 in 9)

His 5 goals for us are also interesting. 3 in 3 (West Brom, Spurs and the gift v West Ham)
(but like at Fulham surrounded by a very quiet time)

If you look at his seasons, they are 2-11-6-5-6-8-7-5

That's very little evidence EVER that he is a "prolific striker"

Of course all those figures at in 3 top leagues v the Championship

The argument MIGHT go that under Adkins, with loads of quick-passing he'd get lots of balls to feet and could score loads.

To counter that he has played almost 500 minutes under Adkins and scored zero goals

OTOH if he's a flat-track bully, he might be absolutely awesome playing against slightly inferior sides in the championship

I wonder about him being ideal for weaker sides because his Prem goals for Fulham were all against relegation-threatened sides
and for us, mid-table sides, whereas he scored for fun in the League Cup (Peterboro, QPR and the mad game v Arsenal reserves)


0,940 Minutes 02 Goals Zenit St Petersburgh
1,709 Minutes 11 Goals Zenit St Petersburgh
1,341 Minutes 06 Goals Zenit St Petersburgh
1,212 Minutes 05 Goals Zenit St Petersburgh

2,043 Minutes 06 Goals Stuttgart
1,654 Minutes 08 Goals Stuttgart

0,567 Minutes 01 Goals Stuttgart
0,235 Minutes 05 Goals Fulham (First 3 Games v Wolves, Stoke, QPR)
0,708 Minutes 01 Goals Fulham (Next 9 Games, started all of them subbed 6 times, scored v Wigan)

2,016 Minutes 05 Goals Reading

12,425 50 Goals = 249 minutes per goal

[Snowball]

In Pog's best ever season for Zenit he got 22, his next best was 15 then 13, the guy is just not a great goal scorer by any standard.

They would be good figures but I only looked at league form because cups etc might be any standard


even so his best season was 19 (6 in the league, 10 in europe)

[Snowball]

I was wondering what the relationship between championship strikers moving up was

28 Championship 07 Prem Goater

27-21 Andy Johnson
27-07 Nathan Ellington
21-04 Marlon King
25-02 Sylvan Ebanks Blake
27-13 Danny Graham
18-13 Kevin Doyle (First Season)
18-07 Kevin Doyle (Average prem Season)
21-08 Shane Long A goal every 180 minutes in Champ, final season, 270 minutes in the Prem over two seasons)


166-62

OTH Grant Holt scored a goal every 180 minues in the Championship
but in is firs season up scored one very 150 minutes, but one every 321 second season, average 230

With more games 46/38 and easier defences it's not unreasonable to expect a Premiership
moderate scorer to score 2-3 times as many in the Championship but that would still only
mean 10-15 for the Pog and they would be very expensive goals.

The other question about him (and I kinda quite like him) is does he have the temperament for the
long slog that is the Championship? I don't see it, personally, and given his wages, I would have no
hesitation in trying to off-load him. A solid striker who can do the biz in the championship (10-15)
- Pog's likely tally - would cost, what 2 million and be on 9-13K? No brainer

[GSY-Royal]

Pog's goalscoring record reminds me of Peter Lovenkrands' who was excellent for Newcastle when they won the Championship (not just in terms of goals), and was aided greatly by the set pieces of none other than Danny Guthrie. Bearing in mind that Pog is most likely a better player than Lovenkrands I think he will be prolific for us next season if we keep him.

[Handsome Man]

Pog was rubbish last year. He didn't score enough and didn't look like scoring.

[URZZZZZ]

To score goals he needs decent service, which he never got. Far more likely to score under Adkins style of play

[72 bus]

To score goals he needs decent service, which he never got. Far more likely to score under Adkins style of play

Under Adkins, 500 mins 0 goals.

[URZZZZZ]

To score goals he needs decent service, which he never got. Far more likely to score under Adkins style of play

Under Adkins, 500 mins 0 goals.

Yes that's cuz the team was trying to change to Adkins style, after a dew months training and a few ore seasons, he will get more aervice

[Ian Royal]

To score goals he needs decent service, which he never got. Far more likely to score under Adkins style of play

Under Adkins, 500 mins 0 goals.

He'd lost form by then and was having a bit of a 'mare at that point. He missed about 5 or 6 sitters he'd have buried at the start of the season. He's not quite athletic enough and could do with being better at winning and directing headers, plus not looking to buy freekicks by falling over under the slightest pressure from behind all the time. But he's definitely good enough to tear up the Championship. Especially with the sort of service he'd get from three of McAnuff, Kebe, McCleary, Drenthe, Robson-Kanu and Obita. Or two of them and ALF poaching a gazillion goals next to him.

[URZZZZZ]

This ^^^

[Snowball]

The stats say in the Championship he ought to score 10-15. To get 20 he's going
to have to be a record-breaker, and let's not forget he's very expensive.

There's absolutely nothing in his career to date to suggest he'e the kind of
player to grind out 23-30 league goals.

He MIGHT (of course) but it's not very likely based on every precedent

for the money we can do much better

[TheLawnMowerMan]

The stats say in the Championship he ought to score 10-15. To get 20 he's going
to have to be a record-breaker, and let's not forget he's very expensive.

There's absolutely nothing in his career to date to suggest he'e the kind of
player to grind out 23-30 league goals.

He MIGHT (of course) but it's not very likely based on every precedent

for the money we can do much better

If stats were what mattered you'd be a top flight manager.
But you're not, and they are just stats and nothing more.

[Judge Drenthe]

Apparently Celtic are looking for £5m plus add-ons, not £6m +. Hull offered £4m and wouldn't budge.

[CholseyRoyal]

The stats say in the Championship he ought to score 10-15. To get 20 he's going
to have to be a record-breaker, and let's not forget he's very expensive.

There's absolutely nothing in his career to date to suggest he'e the kind of
player to grind out 23-30 league goals.

He MIGHT (of course) but it's not very likely based on every precedent

for the money we can do much better

If stats were what mattered you'd be a top flight manager.
But you're not, and they are just stats and nothing more.

A bit harsh LawnMowerMan, stats are a useful guide to a person's ability as long as they are kept in context.

[Judge Drenthe]

The stats say in the Championship he ought to score 10-15. To get 20 he's going
to have to be a record-breaker, and let's not forget he's very expensive.

There's absolutely nothing in his career to date to suggest he'e the kind of
player to grind out 23-30 league goals.

He MIGHT (of course) but it's not very likely based on every precedent

for the money we can do much better

If stats were what mattered you'd be a top flight manager.
But you're not, and they are just stats and nothing more.

A bit harsh LawnMowerMan, stats are a useful guide to a person's ability as long as they are kept in context.

Exactly, but snowball has history for cooking them to suit his own agenda.

[FridaysGhost]

The stats say in the Championship he ought to score 10-15. To get 20 he's going
to have to be a record-breaker, and let's not forget he's very expensive.

There's absolutely nothing in his career to date to suggest he'e the kind of
player to grind out 23-30 league goals.

He MIGHT (of course) but it's not very likely based on every precedent

for the money we can do much better

As usual, a sensible post amongst the dross. The Pog costs too much and isn't good enough. If we could get rid of him and bring in a better player at a lower salary, we are quids in. AND, a better player at a lower salary could be Rhodes, Hooper, Austin etc.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

The stats say in the Championship he ought to score 10-15. To get 20 he's going
to have to be a record-breaker, and let's not forget he's very expensive.

There's absolutely nothing in his career to date to suggest he'e the kind of
player to grind out 23-30 league goals.

He MIGHT (of course) but it's not very likely based on every precedent

for the money we can do much better

As usual, a sensible post amongst the dross. The Pog costs too much and isn't good enough. If we could get rid of him and bring in a better player at a lower salary, we are quids in. AND, a better player at a lower salary could be Rhodes, Hooper, Austin etc.

I doubt Rhodes and Hooper are on that lower salaries, maybe 10k less p/w. Then you have the >£5m transfer fee of the players. So getting a player like the three you have mentioned above simply will not work out cheaper than Pogrebnyak

[LightwaterRoyal]

Im sorry but how is forking out twice our record transfer fee on someone and giving them wages which arent that much less than Pog's ''quids in''. You silly sausage.