Rumour - Gary Hooper

[Royal Rother]

Oh, in a straight fight, he'll definitely choose Reading over QPR. It comes down to whether the basket case club are still off with the fairies.

If they offer him £60k a week then I'm sure we'll just let them go ahead and hammer down their own lid.

[(.)Boobies(.)]

Hooper is our main target, no doubt about it, and we've spoken to Sharp as well. If we get neither then it's hard to see where we go next. There doesn't appear to be anyone close to home who we know can perform at this level, so it would have to be something out of the blue like Williams and Drenthe. A striker from abroad, and same for the attacking flair we still need. I still believe we are missing that movement and creativity in the side.

[Unphased Royal]

Hooper is our main target, no doubt about it, and we've spoken to Sharp as well. If we get neither then it's hard to see where we go next. There doesn't appear to be anyone close to home who we know can perform at this level, so it would have to be something out of the blue like Williams and Drenthe. A striker from abroad, and same for the attacking flair we still need. I still believe we are missing that movement and creativity in the side.

Really? How do you know? It doesn't look like we are throwing bids at Celtic which makes me sceptical that we are even genuinely interested. Seems to me that we have a number of options we are looking at, as Hammond(I think) pointed out last week and we are looking for the best deal for the club. Would be delighted with Hooper, but I'm not getting any hopes up

[Barry the bird boggler]

To be honest it seems deathly quiet generally at the moment with nothing but the unreliable crap that appears on twitter generating spurious speculation about various clubs interest in hooper, Austin and sharp. All we know for sure on any of them is that we've spoken to hooper's reps and Austin failed a medical at hull

I expect things are quietly happening behind the scenes in one direction or another and it'll be revealed when whatever move it is, is more or less a done deal.

Just as it all should be really even if it does make all these threads on strikers utterly pointless, dull and irrelevant at the moment.

[TheLawnMowerMan]

I think it is disgraceful that the club aren't spending mi££ions on players to alleviate my close season boredom.
I even checked the cricket score before coming onto HNA?

[Barry the bird boggler]

Thank god they're all back from the land of sherry at the weekend and we can get back to nothing happening with them in the country.

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

According to AZ we have enough forwards...so Pog definitely needs to move on before any movement in ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23377556

[Elm Park Pasty]

According to AZ we have enough forwards...so Pog definitely needs to move on before any movement in ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23377556

Think NH's piece said we may be in the market for a striker given that Noel and Church left on frees. It will probably boil down to what NA says he wants, and then who is available at a suitable price to meet that need.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Roberts isn't fit and no-one seems to know when he will be fit so that's a man down to start with

Pogrebnyak has hinted he wants away if there is an opportunity and if the rumours are to be believed there are opportunities in the pipeline so that's likely to be another one gone

That leaves Le Fondre and HRK as those I'd be playing in that role. So we need one more option to be healthy in that area from the off.

Any other moves are down to how NA thinks its shaping up after the first half of preseason

[paddy20]

a massive mistake if we dont sign at least one more forward. HRK is not a striker weve tried that before and it didnt work. Alf cannot play a whole game, let alone on his own up front. Ig Pog goes I would say we have no strikers! Just a great scorer who can play half a game ( no disrespect to Alf as thats very valuable). We are building a good team but at the moment its like building a dam but not bothering with the plug.

[maffff]

Have we signed Hary Gooper yet?

[Ian Royal]

a massive mistake if we dont sign at least one more forward. HRK is not a striker weve tried that before and it didnt work. Alf cannot play a whole game, let alone on his own up front. Ig Pog goes I would say we have no strikers! Just a great scorer who can play half a game ( no disrespect to Alf as thats very valuable). We are building a good team but at the moment its like building a dam but not bothering with the plug.

Sorry, when did we seriously try HRK as a striker? Didn't he have two games there about three seasons ago?

[LightwaterRoyal]

Last time I remember him playing upfront was against Leicester before we signed Alfie but just after selling Long.

Scored a great goal.

[paddy20]

when he played up front, i think it was 2/3 games but he was poor. Not his fault. Are we seriously going to risk promotion by trying someone up front instead of signing a proven goalscorer? If you look at the statistics * most games are 50% luck and 50% skill. What makes the difference is someone that can consistently score goals. If we had no money and we were looking to survive then the situation would be different. Hammond needs to forget about getting the numbers right ( have you ever heard of a cheap goalscorer?) and go out and spend big for this last piece of the jigsaw. Either that or keep the Pog.

* the numbers game C Anderson & D. Sally

[Unphased Royal]

Hammond needs to forget about getting the numbers right ( have you ever heard of a cheap goalscorer?) and go out and spend big for this last piece of the jigsaw.

Yeah lets just completely ignore the long term security of the club and just go out and sign someone. Rooney is available, would that be enough?
This approach has worked so well for clubs like QPR and Portsmouth, while Leicester have had a great time winning this league by throwing money at it...

[Reading4eva]

Although I agree with the don't throw money about aspect we do need another striker of quality. I can't think of who though. Kevin Phillips would be an ideal to mix in with ALF

[Unphased Royal]

We do need another striker and if we get Hooper I will be oxf*rd delirious but I have no problem with the club walking away if they can't afford it. Its a compromise of what the club wants and what the club can afford

[maffff]

when he played up front, i think it was 2/3 games but he was poor. Not his fault. Are we seriously going to risk promotion by trying someone up front instead of signing a proven goalscorer? If you look at the statistics * most games are 50% luck and 50% skill. What makes the difference is someone that can consistently score goals. If we had no money and we were looking to survive then the situation would be different. Hammond needs to forget about getting the numbers right ( have you ever heard of a cheap goalscorer?) and go out and spend big for this last piece of the jigsaw. Either that or keep the Pog.

* the numbers game C Anderson & D. Sally

Think you'll find this is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will, five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain and a hundred percent reason to remember the name.

* M Shinoda

[ZacNaloen]

Am I allowed to like that song?

I know what people are like with Linkin Park, but the side projects?

[Ian Royal]

when he played up front, i think it was 2/3 games but he was poor. Not his fault. Are we seriously going to risk promotion by trying someone up front instead of signing a proven goalscorer?

We've got two proven goalscorers currently. HRK is also a proven goalscorer, his scoring record is good. If Adkins thinks he's got what it takes, why go out and buy someone on what will also amount to Adkins and the coaching / scouting staffs' opinion?

If you look at the statistics * most games are 50% luck and 50% skill.
* the numbers game C Anderson & D. Sally

What makes the difference is someone that can consistently score goals.

Which HRK has done from limited starts and the wing.

If we had no money and we were looking to survive then the situation would be different. Hammond needs to forget about getting the numbers right and go out and spend big for this last piece of the jigsaw.

No, we absolutely mustn't forget about getting the numbers right. That way leads to QPR / Pompey etc.

( have you ever heard of a cheap goalscorer?)

SERIOUSLY !?
Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle, Shane Long, Adam Le Fondre. And they're just from ONE club over 8 years.

Either that or keep the Pog.

Well he's not gone anywhere yet, and we're hardly going to buy his replacement before he leaves.