Chris Wood (now playing for Nottingham Forest)

[Guest HTT II]

35 minutes ago, TRon said:

I was switching through the Sky sports channel yesterday and there was a piece showing Ian Wright's goals down the years. Even though we are going back decades, some of the finishing was out of this world.

 

And then I watched Wood against Everton.

Ian Wright’s finishing was of the highest order, an underrated player IMO who was unlucky in that there was so many good forwards around him in that era for England where he didn’t get as many caps as he should of. He’s such a likeable bloke as well and I love his back story, top man is Wrighty!

[TRon]

35 minutes ago, HTT II said:

Ian Wright’s finishing was of the highest order, an underrated player IMO who was unlucky in that there was so many good forwards around him in that era for England where he didn’t get as many caps as he should of. He’s such a likeable bloke as well and I love his back story, top man is Wrighty!

 

Wright gets on my tits tbh, but as a striker I forgot how good he was. I mean I knew he was good, but some of those goals.....wow.

[Sean]

On 18/03/2022 at 09:23, jackyboy said:

The service he gets is non existent. Nothing comes from the right flank and that only leaves Fraser on the left. He showed what he can do with that great ball from Shelvey but I don't recall him receiving any other crosses of that quality

His movement might not be helping this.

[Guest]

On 18/03/2022 at 11:13, ManDoon said:

Carroll would have held the ball up better, 100 percent.

He’s scored 1 in 9 in Championship so not like the goal threat would have been any different, and I doubt he’d have contributed to the same sort of pressing game.

[Ste]

I think we will improve on our wingers in the summer window and Wood will provide a decent option to us next season. For all of our wingers running and pressing, they’re not creative at all, aside ASM who will never be the player to cross with any regularity. I think out of everyone in the squad, Wood has missed Trippier the most. 
 

Yes we overpaid, and he had a bad game at Everton, but he has contributed to our upturn in form and probable survival. 

[STM]

If someone is willing to offer us anything above 12m, we should cash in. Otherwise, he will be a reliable 3rd choice behind Wilson and someone new.

[frankpingel]

Scored for New Zealand against Fiji. 

[joeyt]

Found his level hahahahaha

[Abacus]

Having played almost constantly since signing for us, if Wood plays for all NZ's games, it's a pretty crammed international break.

 

Fiji today (21st), New Caledonia (24th), a probable qualifying semi final (27th), and then final (30th). 

 

Fine, it's not exactly against top level opposition, but it still sounds a bit knackering.

[ponsaelius]

No travelling though tbf - it's all in Doha.

[astraguy]

Since joining #nufc Chris Wood has Most headed duels won. 2nd in tackles made in the opposition half. 11th in pressures applied in oppositions half. Most distance covered by a striker. Also he is only averaging 1.3 chances per game. Its unfair to judge him on goals scored 

[loki679]

And round we go again.....

[Guest]

It’s where the ‘Carroll wouldn’t have been any worse’ talk should end though. My memories of Carroll’s second spell other than winning stuff in the air is literally bumbling along falling over, giving away clumsy fouls.

[astraguy]

Here's a question for ya..take out Wilson's goals (mainly pens I believe ?) Do you think he could do what wood is for us? Be interesting to see if they play together

[PeepShow4life]

32 minutes ago, astraguy said:

Here's a question for ya..take out Wilson's goals (mainly pens I believe ?) Do you think he could do what wood is for us? Be interesting to see if they play together

Wilson is superior to Wood in almost every way.

[HawK]

3 hours ago, astraguy said:

Since joining #nufc Chris Wood has Most headed duels won. 2nd in tackles made in the opposition half. 11th in pressures applied in oppositions half. Most distance covered by a striker. Also he is only averaging 1.3 chances per game. Its unfair to judge him on goals scored 

 

I've been biting my tongue a while on Chris. Here goes, /tinhat.

 

This is why stats without context are dangerous. If you'd watched any of the games he's played since he's joined, you'd not be making that conclusion. At least 90% of those 'headers won' are not directed at anyone other than the oppositions midfield or centre backs. I've never seen a player as tall as him be so weak on the ball physically, or be unable to direct headers to teammates. Whoever told him that he should be trying to win those headers and flick it on to absolutely no-one? I doubt Howe is that stupid, I think he must be trying to win those headers but just doesn't have the strength or aggression to battle with the opponent to get in position to head it back towards a teammate. He's shown maybe twice in all the games since he's joined that he was capable of receiving the ball, holding it up and laying it off or passing it on to a teammate. One of those times we scored.

 

Only knowing his goal-scoring record before he joined, I was happy when we signed him as we had no strikers at all (other than Gayle). Now all I'm happy about is that he gives us 11 people on  the pitch, and takes a defender with him wherever he goes to allow other players more space. Sorry Chris but in this team if you're not good enough off-the-ball you aren't going to get chances, you need to make your own luck in this side. You also need to show a hell of a lot more determination and fight, the shots of you on camera after you f something up or miss a chance look like you don't even want to be on the pitch and you seem really self conscious. Comparing your demeanor to the swagger that Wilson had on day 1 is night and day. One of you is a confident striker who believes he's going to score every time he gets the ball, the other looks think they don't believe they're up to it here. 

[Hovagod]

I know that video of the players cheering him when he went in at half time after scoring at Southampton was supposed to make us a all squee and blush and ‘this club’ ourselves to death, but is it only me that felt a bit embarrassed for the lad? Just felt a wee bit patronising.

[TRon]

1 hour ago, HawK said:

 

I've been biting my tongue a while on Chris. Here goes, /tinhat.

 

This is why stats without context are dangerous. If you'd watched any of the games he's played since he's joined, you'd not be making that conclusion. At least 90% of those 'headers won' are not directed at anyone other than the oppositions midfield or centre backs. I've never seen a player as tall as him be so weak on the ball physically, or be unable to direct headers to teammates. Whoever told him that he should be trying to win those headers and flick it on to absolutely no-one? I doubt Howe is that stupid, I think he must be trying to win those headers but just doesn't have the strength or aggression to battle with the opponent to get in position to head it back towards a teammate. He's shown maybe twice in all the games since he's joined that he was capable of receiving the ball, holding it up and laying it off or passing it on to a teammate. One of those times we scored.

 

Only knowing his goal-scoring record before he joined, I was happy when we signed him as we had no strikers at all (other than Gayle). Now all I'm happy about is that he gives us 11 people on  the pitch, and takes a defender with him wherever he goes to allow other players more space. Sorry Chris but in this team if you're not good enough off-the-ball you aren't going to get chances, you need to make your own luck in this side. You also need to show a hell of a lot more determination and fight, the shots of you on camera after you f something up or miss a chance look like you don't even want to be on the pitch and you seem really self conscious. Comparing your demeanor to the swagger that Wilson had on day 1 is night and day. One of you is a confident striker who believes he's going to score every time he gets the ball, the other looks think they don't believe they're up to it here. 

 

Wow, I can see why you were biting your tongue, you don't hold back when unload do you? 

 

But yes, I've mentioned a few times about those headers going nowhere, and I agree, he's not that great in the air for a man his size. He does press the defenders well though.

[HawK]

18 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

Wow, I can see why you were biting your tongue, you don't hold back when unload do you? 

 

But yes, I've mentioned a few times about those headers going nowhere, and I agree, he's not that great in the air for a man his size. He does press the defenders well though.

 

Mate I must come across as a walking ball of barely-contained, seething rage

[TRon]

11 minutes ago, HawK said:

 

Mate I must come across as a walking ball of barely-contained, seething rage

 

That's what this game does to you, we've all been there.

[Fantail Breeze]

8 hours ago, astraguy said:

Since joining #nufc Chris Wood has Most headed duels won. 2nd in tackles made in the opposition half. 11th in pressures applied in oppositions half. Most distance covered by a striker. Also he is only averaging 1.3 chances per game. Its unfair to judge him on goals scored 

 

The state of those ‘stats’ 

[The College Dropout]

His headers don’t go anywhere but nobody is ever near him anyway. But the direction is usually poor.  Son’s second the other day, he was close to Kane.  
 

He’s Chris Wood init. Been playing in the bottom half of the PL for a reason. 

[80]

Radically different price tag, but he reminds me of Kevin Gallacher being Bobby Robson's first signing. I seem to recall Robson saying he was one of his best signings, despite being barely remembered and hardly scoring. Wood has served a purpose. I don't think it's worth getting too passionate about the pros and cons of signing him.

 

I will say, of the games I've seen, Everton was the first where his attacking performance directly let down an otherwise winning team. Not so much his finishing, but the lack of movement and unpredictability.

 

Will be interesting to see what Howe tries when Wilson gets back. Partnership?

 

To state the obvious, Wood ought to be preferably 4th choice next year. I expect he'll still be here, and will put in a respectable shift when called upon, as well as being a good training partner for the squad, which shouldn't be ignored as a quality.

[STM]

I just don't see the debate with Wood. We signed exactly what we all knew we had signed, a bottom half PL striker who will put himself about physically.

 

He was never a long term choice and if we stay up he will have done his job. The 25m fee is neither here nor there if we stay up.

 

One thing that has surprised me is his pressing, he actually presses defenders at a higher tempo that I thought he could. He's also smart in how he presses, blocking passing routes and generally making life difficult for sides to play out from the back.

 

The idea of playing Gayle or ASM up front for the last 10 games doesn't bare thinking about. The transfer was desperate, but it worked.

[cubaricho]

2 hours ago, STM said:

I just don't see the debate with Wood. We signed exactly what we all knew we had signed, a bottom half PL striker who will put himself about physically.

 

He was never a long term choice and if we stay up he will have done his job. The 25m fee is neither here nor there if we stay up.

 

One thing that has surprised me is his pressing, he actually presses defenders at a higher tempo that I thought he could. He's also smart in how he presses, blocking passing routes and generally making life difficult for sides to play out from the back.

 

The idea of playing Gayle or ASM up front for the last 10 games doesn't bare thinking about. The transfer was desperate, but it worked.