Chris Wood (now playing for Nottingham Forest)

[Pilko]

Most reliable pen taker we've had since Shola is Wood. (although I don't believe Wilson has missed one either?)

 

He did alright-to-decent again generally but he's basically a guaranteed no to score from open play and we could really do with reinforcing the front line in January. Not necessarily another Isak mega buy, but an option of a youngun, an Ekitike or cheaper equivalent would be nice.

[Ronaldo]

Fair play to him. He’s reliable from the spot and does his best but I just don’t rate him at all. He’s yesterday type of striker and his strengths aren’t particularly strong. 

[OverThere]

We beat a team handily that had won 4 out of the last 5 and Wood was playing. I have no issue with him at all. Team player.

[PauloGeordio]

I support Eddies choice with any player in our 11 on the pitch 

[The College Dropout]

Looked really mobile today. But his box movement is for crosses - nothing else. 

[soyt]

54 minutes ago, OverThere said:

We beat a team handily that had won 4 out of the last 5 and Wood was playing. I have no issue with him at all. Team player.

This. How many teams have a better player for a 3rd choice striker? He is  a very decent squad player and if nothing else, a brilliant penalty taker

[Mountain]

He's there when nobody else is, simple as.

 

Sounds like the rest of the group loves him and loves his work off the ball.

[Disco]

Won absolutely everything in the air yesterday. Always really pleased for him, cops an unnecessary amount of abuse which often goes way beyond.

[Yorkie]

6 minutes ago, Disco said:

Won absolutely everything in the air yesterday. Always really pleased for him, cops an unnecessary amount of abuse which often goes way beyond.

 

Agreed; he gets far too much stick. He's made a really significant contribution this calendar year. 31 games, including sub appearances, and a big shift in every one imo. It's a bit of a mystery why his goal return is so poor compared to previous years; don't know what it is he's lost. But he leads the press and wins a lot in the air. 

[Chris_R]

4 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

It's a bit of a mystery why his goal return is so poor compared to previous years; don't know what it is he's lost.

 

I don't think it is a mystery, we just don't play to his goalscoring strengths. Looking at his Burnley career, he thrived off high balls and crosses into the box that he could attack, or else he'd get secondary scraps from a strike partner knocking a high ball down to him in the box.

 

We don't play like that, but he's good enough to contribute in our system and work as a focal point to bring others in to play. Reminds me a lot of Emile Heskey in that regard.

[madras]

10 hours ago, Chris_R said:

 

I don't think it is a mystery, we just don't play to his goalscoring strengths. Looking at his Burnley career, he thrived off high balls and crosses into the box that he could attack, or else he'd get secondary scraps from a strike partner knocking a high ball down to him in the box.

 

We don't play like that, but he's good enough to contribute in our system and work as a focal point to bring others in to play. Reminds me a lot of Emile Heskey in that regard.

I'm not so sure on that (but I'm not going back to check). When he signed I done the YouTube scouting and I'm sure it seemed like many of his goals were headers from set pieces and him timing runs for balls played down the channels from open play, usually teams pushing high cos thinking Burnley are shit and can't hold possession.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by madras

[huss9]

eh? he used to play for leicester??

passed me by, that one.

[Hanshithispantz]

Regarding his goal return he's probably lost some pace/athleticism which stops him being able to attack balls to the same degree at this level. There's been a few times where his reactions to chances in the box have been noticeably poor and given his goal record before now I cannot imagine that was always the case.

 

Howe has used him brilliantly since Leeds (I think) though.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Hanshithispantz

[The Prophet]

I thought yesterday was probably his best game for us.

[Nobody]

He deserves so much credit. We're what, the third best team in 2022, and he's been pretty much out main striker this year. He and everyone else knows it that he's not the future of this club, but he must be loving it. Bet he wasn't thinking that he'd be scoring in a game that took his team to second in the Premier League a year ago. 

[King HTT III]

I think this may be tactical, but I’ve noticed Wood plays between the half-way line and 30 or so yards from the opposition box rather than getting in the box, where he can break to press going forward and retreat to almost give us an extra body in the centre which allows our wide men to break and gives the likes of Trippier more licence. He’s never going to score lots of goals for us when starting, but I honestly feel he gives a lot to the team off the ball. Wilson of course scores goals and is more dangerous and more of a threat, but when Wood plays the dynamic of the team on and off the ball seems to just fit. That was his best game for us yesterday.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by King HTT III

[GeordieDazzler]

54 minutes ago, huss9 said:

eh? he used to play for leicester??

passed me by, that one.

Him and Kane upfront!

 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, GeordieDazzler said:

Him and Kane upfront!

 

 

I wonder if that famous photo of Kane and Vardy together on the Leicester bench, if Chris Wood is the one keeping them out.

[Rich]

It was. Nugent and Wood up top.

[huss9]

3 minutes ago, Rich said:

It was. Nugent and Wood up top.

who both bizarrely have immense international scoring records.

am sure nugent's is a goal a game.

[samptime29]

Happy he scored the pen. The whole team seemed buzzed for him. Was a crucial goal considering before the game we had only conceded 2 goals in 15 first half games. Vital goal.

[Kid Icarus]

The thing is as well, as much criticism as he gets for his lack of goal threat, his record this season is 3 starts 3 goals. 2 pens obviously, but still. I think he's improving as well.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Kid Icarus

[Jaqen]

3 hours ago, Hanshithispantz said:

Regarding his goal return he's probably lost some pace/athleticism which stops him being able to attack balls to the same degree at this level. There's been a few times where his reactions to chances in the box have been noticeably poor and given his goal record before now I cannot imagine that was always the case.

 

Howe has used him brilliantly since Leeds (I think) though.

 

 

 

 

Aye you just need to look at Ronaldo who was probably the best at that type of thing. Think he finished third top scorer last year, this season he looked like he couldn't score on Epstein's Island. You can just lose that edge overnight. 

 

He's a strange one as he's poor at everything I expected him to be somewhat decent at but at the same time I could never have pictured him setting the tone leading from the front in an intense pressing side, which he has done really well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LFEE]

55 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

The thing is as well, as much criticism as he gets for his lack of goal threat, his record this season is 3 starts 3 goals. 2 pens obviously, but still. I think he's improving as well.

 

 

 

I read it was 5 starts 3 goals. Either way he’s doing a good job as a 3rd striker. Pleased for him. Would happily start him against Leeds and keep Wilson for Arsenal and hopefully Isak on the bench with him.

[King HTT III]

8 minutes ago, LFEE said:

I read it was 5 starts 3 goals. Either way he’s doing a good job as a 3rd striker. Pleased for him. Would happily start him against Leeds and keep Wilson for Arsenal and hopefully Isak on the bench with him.

This and hopefully he’ll notch against his former team!