Hooper and Kightley

[Leicester Shrimper]

Didn't manage to get to the game yesterday so did the old trick of watching the scores on Soccer Saturday. First scorer of the day none other than Gary Hooper against promotion favorites Leeds. Bit later on and Kightley gets the equaliser for Wolves with the commentator saying that Kightley is running the show and is by far the best player on the pitch. Surely Kights is the one player that Tilson regrets letting leave - and on a free at that. I'm just hoping that he doesn't regret letting Hooper go, especially as all the lad wanted was first team experience.

Saying all that though, Paynter scored for Swindon yesterday, don't think anyone will regret letting him go.

 

[DTS]

Think Hooper had more than enough chances to prove himself and for whatever reason it didnt happen sadly. Sorry for him but thats they way it goes sometimes.

We got him for free and sold him for a profit so no complaints from me.

Kightly was a shame and maybe with our new focus on youth we might have kept him longer but I dont think we as a club knew what to do with young players a few years ago.

 

[Desert Shrimper]

Kightly was a shame and maybe with our new focus on youth we might have kept him longer but I dont think we as a club knew what to do with young players a few years ago.

Graham Rix had a few ideas apparently but Ron Martin turned him down - yet another example of his mis-management of the club :thumbdown:

 

[Alex]

Hooper never really did well for us in the 2 season he was with us. Tilly believed that playing a player that didnt score or contribute enough was a waste and therefor sold him for a good fee and got him off the payroll.

Kightly was the same really only alot more lightweight. When he was released for me it was a good call. Whats the point in playing all the youths in that arnt good enough at that stage in hope that they might improve enough whilst we lose week in week out and face relegation. At the time he was released we had James Lawson who could play on the wing or upfront. He was physically stronger and taller and had alot more about him. So he was seen to have the most pottential. He started off really well when we won the playoffs and played really well with Goater when we started off our league winning campaign. However we had more senior strikers and wingers at the club that was always going to start ahead of him. In our chapionship season he started off and looked out of place for the division. Fair play to Tilly he was sent out on loan to 3 lower league clubs and Lawson was more intrested in staying home with his mates than focus on getting experience. The loan clubs didnt play him and he didnt progress and was rightly released at the end of our championship season.

What im trying to say is you never know with the younger players as they develop at different stages. Kightly didnt develop with us so he was released however developed at Grays when he needed to toughen up and made the starting 11 week out, He would have made our bench at best if we had injuries etc. Lawson developed earlier that kightly and was seen to have more potential. However whilst Kightly was getting better at Grays and then Wolves Lawson stopped developing and stayed at the same level but was not good enough.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Hooper never really did well for us in the 2 season he was with us. Tilly believed that playing a player that didnt score or contribute enough was a waste and therefor sold him for a good fee and got him off the payroll.

Kightly was the same really only alot more lightweight. When he was released for me it was a good call. Whats the point in playing all the youths in that arnt good enough at that stage in hope that they might improve enough whilst we lose week in week out and face relegation. At the time he was released we had James Lawson who could play on the wing or upfront. He was physically stronger and taller and had alot more about him. So he was seen to have the most pottential. He started off really well when we won the playoffs and played really well with Goater when we started off our league winning campaign. However we had more senior strikers and wingers at the club that was always going to start ahead of him. In our chapionship season he started off and looked out of place for the division. Fair play to Tilly he was sent out on loan to 3 lower league clubs and Lawson was more intrested in staying home with his mates than focus on getting experience. The loan clubs didnt play him and he didnt progress and was rightly released at the end of our championship season.

What im trying to say is you never know with the younger players as they develop at different stages. Kightly didnt develop with us so he was released however developed at Grays when he needed to toughen up and made the starting 11 week out, He would have made our bench at best if we had injuries etc. Lawson developed earlier that kightly and was seen to have more potential. However whilst Kightly was getting better at Grays and then Wolves Lawson stopped developing and stayed at the same level but was not good enough.

That's a very good summary of the pair of them, you tend to forget that Lawson and Kightly were around at the same time, and that at that time, Lawson looked the better prospect.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

That's a very good summary of the pair of them, you tend to forget that Lawson and Kightly were around at the same time, and that at that time, Lawson looked the better prospect.

Apparently very immature though.

 

[maninasuitcase]

There is nothing wrong with keeping tabs on a player you've let go, especially when a player starts doing really well, as Kightly did at Grays.

 

[fredheim_holm]

Tilson & Brush did really well selling Hooper for that fee. Especially if theres a % involved. I think I'm right in my thinking that he only had one year left, and he wanted first team football. So if we wanted to keep him we'd have to have promised him first team football which I wouldn't want to have happened, he's not ready yet. Selling him with a % sell on at 150k would be a great deal if true.

 

[stevie_G_G_G]

One of Tilly's best moves was to send Hooper out on loan last season. Without the goals he scored for Hereford, we wouldn't have got a fraction of the £150k that we managed to get in the end.

 

[Irate Ian]

One of Tilly's best moves was to send Hooper out on loan last season. Without the goals he scored for Hereford, we wouldn't have got a fraction of the £150k that we managed to get in the end.

Good business that but you will still be down a tenner at season end when he fails to score 15+ league goals [even with a + 1 start yesterday]