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Gary Hooper


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Anyone else not really keen on the idea of signing him?

Me! I'm quite immature about this sort of thing, but once he's turned us down I kind of think **** that guy. Let him enjoy playing in the SPL for a bit and find someone else.

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Me! I'm quite immature about this sort of thing, but once he's turned us down I kind of think **** that guy. Let him enjoy playing in the SPL for a bit and find someone else.

 

Well we are led to believe Sharp turned us down earlier in the season and without his goals at the moment we could well have fallen out of the top two.

 

Besides, Hooper didn't turn us down, Celtic wouldn't agree to any fee until the end of the season.

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Can you provide any evidence that he didnt?

 

I'm not one to defend MLG but the reports (based on Lennon being pretty free and easy with info) all suggested we never got anywhere near making an official approach because they turned all our bids down.

 

The fact that we made multiple bids, and that Adkins knows the kid, suggest that Hooper was not completely cold on the idea.

 

The simple fact is Celtic never accepted a bid, therefore Hooper could never have been officially approached so therefore could never officially turn us down. I am not saying he is desperate to join us, by the way.

 

But if you want evidence, that's pretty decent evidence.

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I'm not one to defend MLG but the reports (based on Lennon being pretty free and easy with info) all suggested we never got anywhere near making an official approach because they turned all our bids down.

 

The fact that we made multiple bids, and that Adkins knows the kid, suggest that Hooper was not completely cold on the idea.

 

The simple fact is Celtic never accepted a bid, therefore Hooper could never have been officially approached so therefore could never officially turn us down. I am not saying he is desperate to join us, by the way.

 

But if you want evidence, that's pretty decent evidence.

 

Thank you! Case closed

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Can you provide any evidence that he didnt?

 

The onus isn't on me, I wasn't the one saying Hooper turned Saints down. As CB Fry says above, there is no evidence Celtic accepted a bid for Hooper to turn down. There was definitely interest and bids from Saints, Adkins confirmed it publicly, as did Neil Lennon.

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Well we are led to believe Sharp turned us down earlier in the season and without his goals at the moment we could well have fallen out of the top two.

 

Besides, Hooper didn't turn us down, Celtic wouldn't agree to any fee until the end of the season.

 

I don't believe that Billy Sharp rejected the idea of coming last summer, BUT he was quoted as saying " the timing wasn't right".

..we know that his wife was advanced in the pregnancy which ended so tragically in the Autumn.

I don't recall reading - anywhere - that he DIDN'T WANT to come. (hence his comment above).

 

Likewise..I'm not sure that Hooper didn't want to come, but had he asked for a transfer..he would have forfeited a chunk of the resulting transfer fee, and must have thought that the clubs would eventually agree a fee.

As it was Celtic said they didn't want to sell and set an unreasonably high value in the player, which Cortese (sensibly) refused to pay.

 

As it was ..they would have won the SPC anyway because of Rangers points Bankruptcy / 10 pts.deduction, and Celtic haven't played that well since, and so they won - by default. Last I read Celtic were still strapped for cash, and we may yet see Hooper sign , but at a considerably lower fee.

 

As soon as he gets " Saints fit ", he will be another addition to our strike force next season.

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I also noticed that at the weekend he was captain of Celtic in their game. Little sweetener to persuade him to stay on maybe? He's never struck me as the sort of player who is captain material. Other players have even been quoted before he is pretty quiet and keeps himself to himself.

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I think Hooper wants to come South - but only in the summer - he was on track for the treble in Scotland during the January transfer window.

 

I also think he'll only move to a Premiership team - he's already proved himself in the Championship

 

Now if we do make it up the Adkins connection should seal the deal - if we're still interested.

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No doubting he could do it in the Prem, he is a better striker than Jelavic was in spl and look how well he is doing at Everton. To think West ham and Leicester wanted to sign Jelavic aswell!!

 

Jelavic works for the ball, Hooper doesn't he's lazy and thats coming from Celtic fans. We could get better infact we have better in Lee.

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I'm sure he would turn down playing at Old Traffird, Anfield, Emirates, Etihad, Stamford Bridge etc to instead turn out at St Johnstone, Dunfermline, St Mirren & Ross County, just in case Celtic get through two qualifying rounds and make it through to the stage where they again have their pants pulled down.

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For £6-£7m you could probably sign a striker from Europe with twice the ability of Hooper.
If you look at some of Newcastle and Fulham's recent signings, you'd really have to question the value on spending big money on Hooper.
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If you look at some of Newcastle and Fulham's recent signings, you'd really have to question the value on spending big money on Hooper.

 

This...from what i've heard from celtic fans he isnt that good til the ball is given to him inside the box, do we need someone like that? will he fit in the style of football we play? will he pull defenders away like lambo and lee does? If you ask me id spend money else where and probably get at least 2 better players.

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  • 2 weeks later...

James Forrest would be a better signing great little player but may be abit to young for a big move that far from home.Hooper their has to be big ? Mark against him doing it in the Prem,wouldn't want us wasting £7 or £8 mill on him.

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This...from what i've heard from celtic fans he isnt that good til the ball is given to him inside the box, do we need someone like that? will he fit in the style of football we play? will he pull defenders away like lambo and lee does? If you ask me id spend money else where and probably get at least 2 better players.

 

If that's the case, we have Sharp to fulfil that role. Sharp is an excellent poacher as well as having other qualities, so it's not an area we're lacking. Instead, we should concentrate on actually getting the ball into the box in the first place, as well as keeping it out of our own box! Quality wingers with pace and an improved defensive lineup would be a better investment, IMO.

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He wants to stay at Celtic so he can play Champions League football. With Celtic he'll almost certainly only have the opprtunity to play in 6 Champions League games in the group stages (if they actually qualify). If he signed for us he would get the chance to play against (good) Champions League opposition on 8 occasions, guarenteed - as well as 3 other clubs who have played in the competition fairly recently (Chesea/Spurs, Liverpool and Newcastle), and a few teams who have done well in the Europa/UEFA cup recently. Oh, and there's also a good chance of drawing one or 2 big teams in cup compeitions too.

 

But who would blame him if he'd rather stay in Scotland with very little compeition, playing the likes of Ross County, St. Mirren, BATE Borisov and FC Cluj.

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As long as we don't pay more than 7M i think it's good business, simply because NA knows him, knows his potential, and knows his flaws, which probably counts for at least 50% of the risk when buying a new player, meaning he's really "worth" 14M, IMO anyway.

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I said during the promotion run in, that my hunch was that we would go back for Hooper, as he appeared our priority in January, and if this happens then I think Sharp might move on. Hope this is not the case as Sharp contributed to the promotion and I'd like to see him succeed at the top level.

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I said during the promotion run in, that my hunch was that we would go back for Hooper, as he appeared our priority in January, and if this happens then I think Sharp might move on. Hope this is not the case as Sharp contributed to the promotion and I'd like to see him succeed at the top level.

 

I'd imagine it's Barnard who'd move on...

 

We'd then have Sharp, Lee, Lambert and Hooper.

 

I don't think Adkins has ever seen Guly as an 'out and out' forward.

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I'd imagine it's Barnard who'd move on...

 

We'd then have Sharp, Lee, Lambert and Hooper.

 

I don't think Adkins has ever seen Guly as an 'out and out' forward.

 

I don't doubt that Barnard is likely to move on.

 

But I just think Hooper & Sharp are possibly too similar, and unlikely to compliment each other's style to play together. May of course be totally wrong on that, but thats my perception.On top of which I can't see either Sharp or a £7m Hooper being happy on the bench to be impact players.

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Alan Nixon was asked about Hooper and Saints and he said

You're pretty good re: #saintsfc and striker targets… whats the chances do you think? http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7766094/Saints-eye-new-Hooper-move

 

His reply was

Funnily enough checked that yesterday and told it is not right. I know who planted that ... Wanted before, but not sure it's right

and then when asked whether it was to hide another deal he said

No, but of agent intrigue.

 

Hooper's agent is Simon Dent I believe and imo he has been trying to get a new deal at Celtic for a while.

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The fact this one keeps appearing over and over is proof where Cortese is concerned, what he wants he gets and never gives up trying. I'd lay odds that Hooper has been Atkins number one target for a long time and Nicola knows this. This must be high on the agenda otherwise Cortese would have killed the story a long time ago.

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Who is Atkins?

 

We'd be linked with Hooper repeatedly whether we'd bid or not. That much is clear.

 

Honestly not sure who'd I'd prefer of Hooper or Rodriguez.

 

I quite like Jay Rodriguez, simply because he seems to have a bit more to his game. I haven't seen a great deal in Hooper, so I may be talking tosh, but he seems to be a ''6 yard box'' finisher and comes alive in there....and we have Sharp in that mold.

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Who is Atkins?

 

We'd be linked with Hooper repeatedly whether we'd bid or not. That much is clear.

 

Honestly not sure who'd I'd prefer of Hooper or Rodriguez.

 

 

Does it have to be either/or? Maybe we could get both. Connolly's gone, and in my view we should let Barnard go too (along with Forte, Forecast, Dickson, and Seaborne: not good enough for the Prem, any of them). If we do let Barnard go, that'll be two strikers out and room for two in. And I'd say that Lambert, Sharp, Lee, Hooper, and Rodriguez would make a terrific 5 man strike force for next season (counting Guly as a midfielder, which is his best role).

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The fact this one keeps appearing over and over is proof where Cortese is concerned, what he wants he gets and never gives up trying. .

 

 

you may be right. Maybe he'll make them an offer they can't refuse.'¨

 

Do you know .... .if the Celtic chairman ....happens to own any racehorses?

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