Question What did we not see in Hooper?

SUFC Forever · Mar 27, 2009

maninasuitcase said:
The beeb are reporting that Hooper wants to extend his contract beyond the two years left on it. he's also aiming to break a club record of 33 goals in a season held by Billy Sharp. He is currently on 27.

Who really ever thought that Hooper would succeed as much as he has and Freddy would fail as dismally as he has upon leaving the club?

Truly amazing...:stunned:

Pubey · Mar 27, 2009

Beefy said:
How many of those were in a row? How many as the main striker? How many were with the same strike partner? Hoops was 18 when we signed him and you can't just chuck a player at that age into a team and expect that he'll score goals. But his goal record out on loan showed he had a lot of talent. He just needed to not be the 7th or 8th choice striker in order to show it.

Plus it's a bit harsh to point at the Port Vale game seeing as that was one of the most abject performances of the season from every single one of the starting XI.

I take your point, but at what ever age or experience if you are picked as a forward your main job is to set up and score goals... Hoops didn't really do this for us. I appreciate that he didn't have much of a run, or have much time to build a relationship with a partner... however he looked behind the pace and rarely looked like scoring in all the games I saw him play for Southend. It's a shame we couldn't get the best out of him, but I think T&B did the right thing in getting some money for him, as I think his demeanor on the pitch said just as much as his poor goal scoring record for us.

Pubey · Mar 27, 2009

SUFC Forever said:
Who really ever thought that Hooper would succeed as much as he has and Freddy would fail as dismally as he has upon leaving the club?

Truly amazing...:stunned:

Spinner? didn't he say Hooper was more talented then Freddy?

Beefy · Mar 27, 2009

I never saw any problem with his demeanour, or his attitude in general. Those sorts of accusations are easy to throw at any player.

He didn't set the World alight here because we didn't play to his style and the only time in his entire Southend career in which he wasn't asked to play as a supporting striker were in his final couple of matches before he went to Hereford when he was literally the only fit forward at the Club.

Had he stayed this season I doubt that he would have scored many goals either because Tilly just didn't have the faith in him to build the attack around him, instead preferring to build it around Lee Barnard. It's no slight to Barnie but I felt that was a mistake at the time and still do.

Pubey · Mar 27, 2009

Beefy said:
I never saw any problem with his demeanour, or his attitude in general. Those sorts of accusations are easy to throw at any player.

He didn't set the World alight here because we didn't play to his style and the only time in his entire Southend career in which he wasn't asked to play as a supporting striker were in his final couple of matches before he went to Hereford when he was literally the only fit forward at the Club.

Had he stayed this season I doubt that he would have scored many goals either because Tilly just didn't have the faith in him to build the attack around him, instead preferring to build it around Lee Barnard. It's no slight to Barnie but I felt that was a mistake at the time and still do.

i agree it's subjective (a la ldnfatso calling Gower 'lazy', some of us thinking Hooper came over as disinterested).. there isn't much there I can't disagree with, I agree that perhaps Tilly didn't have the guts to make Hooper the star in our attack, and perhaps it was wrong to try to build it around sick-note Barny... however Hooper is gone, and good luck to him. Even though he did really well at Hereford, I just didn't think he did enough (even if out of position, no real run in the team) to justify him staying.

p.s - you seen much of South park season 13?

Beefy · Mar 27, 2009

Not seen any of the new South Park yet as I've been away. Planning on downloading it all tomorrow. Has it been good?

OldBlueLady · Mar 27, 2009

Pubey said:
Spinner? didn't he say Hooper was more talented then Freddy?

Yep, he did. Still too early to tell just yet though.

Pubey · Mar 27, 2009

Beefy said:
Not seen any of the new South Park yet as I've been away. Planning on downloading it all tomorrow. Has it been good?

absolutely brilliant, massive return to form... 1st episode is maybe a little bit weak, but the last two have been absolute classics!

Rob1920 · Mar 27, 2009

The shame of it with Hooper, which is also the difference between him & the Kightly situation, is that T&B obviously KNEW he had something but accepted they couldn't find the key to unlocking it. There was no off-loading him to the nearest non-league club for free. They got him to sign a new contract to make sure we got some money for him (at least they had the foresight to do that), and negotiated a reasonable fee for him. £150k is not to be sneezed at at our level, & we wouldn't have asked that much nor would Scunny have paid it if all parties didn't know he had something about him. It was is if we said, 'We know its in him but we can't find it. Why don't you have a go..' And whatever people say it must really p*ss T&B off everytime he bangs another one in because Hooper definitely marks one of the very few failures of Tilly's reign.