After hearing Norwich were in pole position to sign Gary Hooper I wanted to pick the brains of some Norwich fans and get their perspective on one of the longest and tedious transfer sagas we have ever had the misfortune of witnessing.
Celtic fans had long resigned themselves to the fact that Hooper would leave this summer after 3 seasons at the Scottish Champions. Celtic has been good for Hooper and vice-versa. He now looks to embark on his Premiership dream…
CeltsAreHere.com spoke to Norwich fans Emily Ward and Andy Head about Hoopers imminent move to The Canaries.
Here’s what they had to say….
What do I expect from Gary Hooper?
Unlike many Norwich fans, I am not on the totally elated bandwagon, and I expect very little from him. On initial thought I wasn’t sure how much we will actually be seeing of him as he will no doubt be playing second fiddle to our record signing Ricky van Wolfwsinkel. This is unless Chris Hughton changes the formation, which in reality is probable because of all the summer signings. Yes he is a proven goal scorer and has a great goal to game ratio (which is what we are in desperate need of.) His 31 goals from 51 appearances for Celtic last season alone, along with being the top scorer in his past 3 seasons is very impressive, but the Scottish Premier League is not, and cannot, be compared to the Premier League. However this slight doubt is counteracted by his age.
In terms of his age, at 25, he is perfect for Norwich; he has experience at different levels and in different styles of play, but there is still some fight, drive and real passion left in him yet and he is still pushing for the chance to play for England, a factor that Hughton no doubt took into consideration. It would be fantastic if Hooper could make it into the England squad and I genuinely believe that his move to the Premier League, to a side like Norwich, will significantly help him in his bid to impress Roy Hodgson and make it onto the international stage. This factor makes his move mutually beneficially as the more he scores for Norwich and the more we continue to improve, the more likely it is that he does get a look in for the England squad, something that has not and would be unlikely to happen if he remained at Celtic.
The excitement around him has been going on for quite a while and initially too I was also excited, especially back at Christmas last year when rumour had it that Liverpool, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers had all registered and interest in Hooper. However, the recent saga of the whole transfer situation put into question some of his morals; why he would even consider QPR when he had a mid-table Premier League team almost begging for him made many people jump to the conclusion that it was all about the money for him. However, we don’t really know the whole truth behind whether he genuinely had considered QPR.
On a slightly different note; on a personal level I believe he will fit in well with the ethos of the club, as Norwich are a tight knit team and club that do not need any huge names or faces dominating both off the pitch and on the pitch. No space for ‘divas’ in this team, just determined and hard working players, which Hooper undoubtedly is as he seems very down to earth!
Having low expectations of someone is actually a better way to start as there is less pressure on Hooper and everything positive he does is a bonus. I would of course like my slight doubts to be proven wrong and would love him to smash in goal after goal for Norwich, but only time will tell. One thing is for certain though and that is that he will get an extremely warm welcome from every fan at Norwich and I do look forward to seeing him in green and yellow!
Emily Ward
(@EmilyWard1990)
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Big Plans for Hooper.
Despite Norwich’s pursuit of Gary Hooper seeming to last longer than a salad in Frank Lampard’s fridge, and exhausting more patience and tabloid column inches than a Royal Birth, I think every party seems to be in collective relief that it now appears to be over. Norwich have the striker they’ve coveted for the whole of 2013, Hooper has his crack at the Premier League, and Celtic can close the door on the protracted mess with £5m to find another Hooper.
Norwich fans have mixed expectations from Hooper. Anyone who’s seen him play for Celtic or even just checked him out on YouTube knows that he’s an old-fashioned Johnny-On-The-Spot finisher with an excellent goalscoring record. For a team that struggled for goals last season this is, on paper at least, a perfect match. The question mark will be how Chris Hughton fits him into his system. Last season he played almost exclusively with one up front, and simple maths will tell you that Ricky van Wolfswinkel at £8.5m trumps Gary Hooper at £5m for first in the pecking order. There is a counter theory to this however which is that Chris Hughton inherited a team that he felt too frail to support two up front but with a season of implementing his defensive mentality and with the likes of Holland’s Leroy Fer bulking up the midfield spine, he could be about to unleash Hooper and van Wolfswinkel as a tandem. That, for Norwich fans, is a mouth-watering thought.
Ironically, whilst van Wolfswinkel may potentially be Hooper’s biggest obstacle to a flying start to a Norwich career, I think he could prove to be a tremendous help. The task of replacing folk hero Grant Holt is firmly down to the young Dutchman in the fans eyes, and the expectation for Hooper is therefore reduced to a more realistic and manageable level. If he does start in tandem with RvW and Norwich can start the season with the same confidence and gusto that saw them put four past WBA and three past Man City to close off the end of last season, then chances will come for Hooper.
The positive thing with Hooper is that there’s no glass ceiling. With his skill set in terms of finishing, work-rate and movement he will score goals at any level, given the chances. That counts not just in the Premiership, but also potentially at international level. In a World Cup year he has every chance of putting himself in the frame for an England berth in a squad that isn’t overly blessed with goalscorers. Grant Holt got close a year ago so why not Hooper? Time will tell, but Hooper joins at an exciting time for Norwich City with the emphasis being firmly on stepping up a level, and given the persistence with which Chris Hughton has pursued him, Gary Hooper is undoubtedly a big part of those plans.
Andy Head
(@AndyHead02)
Some genuine excitement mixed with some caution in the Norwich support. If he’s given the opportunity I’m sure he can be a success.
CeltsAreHere.com would like to wish Gary Hooper all the best for the future.
Celtic’s most successful number 88 😉
