Just thought, as nobody else seems to have, I would start the usual Saturday evening Chris Wood thread to allow all the regular suspects an opportunity to post their usual comments .......as in ........"he's always offside", "he is a Championship player", "couldn't trap a bag of cement", "he cant be ars*d" etc etc ? Immense performance again today along with the whole team .... maybe somebody could post his goals per time on pitch/goals in last appearances to show just what what a good signing he actually is? Meanwhile ..............over to the usual suspects...............come on you know you are desperate!! Well done Woody & the lads.... UTC.

Hes scoring because we are playing in a way that suits his ability.
Not your typical out and out tsrget man. Runs the channels.

Great result to day and fantastic defensive performance. Chris Hughton doesnt know how his team lost
I do. We scored three they scored one!!!

Come on lads....100 post views and no criticism of Chris Wood today ... what ???!!!!??

I can't believe he didn't get his hat trick missing a open goal after Barnes got brought down.

Moorite wrote:I can't believe he didn't get his hat trick missing a open goal after Barnes got brought down.

That's moor(rite) like it ....come on .....!!!!

Can be frustrating at times but when the team play to his strengths he's our best centre forward. Runs the channels very well and puts difficult chances away (today's second, the header at Old Trafford). He had a great goals/game ratio last season and he's replicating that in the second half of this season. Bear in mind that the entire team was bobbins in the first half of the season I think it's fair to say that he's turned into a very good signing.

Westwood and Barnes now know when they get the ball that they can whip it into the channel and Wood will be there. They don't even need to luck up. It's paying dividends as it's a lot easier to hold the ball out wide than when you're isolated in the middle of the pitch.

I had chris wood 1 nil today thought for a long time thats how it would finish . Took both his goals well today looks bang in form . A bit suprised even thou we got a penalty for the foul on barnes he never stuck it away with the goal gaping also suprised barnes didnt let him take it so he could get his hatrick . Anyway fantastic win another huge step to were we want to be come the end of the season UTC

Ok ...I give in ..............only one insult at all for our top striker ....after 500 post reads ................ one negative from Moorite "I can't believe he didn't get his hat trick missing a open goal after Barnes got brought down" (oh dear!!!!) ..... and a liked this post from ...... summitclaret (likewise....Oh dear!!!!)
So who do we turn to next to abuse????!! Tell me urgently please ????!!!

I've said on here many times Chris Wood is our best striker. But no doubt there will still be "fans" on here, who think he is a plank. Good luck to them and their opinions.

Moorite wrote:I can't believe he didn't get his hat trick missing a open goal after Barnes got brought down.

Did well to miss it. Would have been the first in the top division since 1975...

thatdberight wrote:Did well to miss it. Would have been the first in the top division since 1975...

Who’s???

Bordeauxclaret wrote:Who’s???

Ours, apart from Andre Gray's, which doesn't count for reasons I can't tell you about.

Playing with Barnes enables him to run into balls and play the channels: two massive strengths of his. He’s a good player and he shines when used properly.

thatdberight wrote:Ours, apart from Andre Gray's, which doesn't count for reasons I can't tell you about.

No worries. We know it’s tough counting to three sometimes.

He’s in amazing physical shape

Now we have worked out he is not a target man as Sam Vokes was we are seeing the best of Chris Wood.

Got to say I’ve not been his biggest fan and still need to be convinced. Good 2 goals today. However watching the first one back he literally had the keeper to beat and managed to hit it at he keepers head - there was a full goal to aim at, could easily of been saved.

My frustration recently (seems to be better with off sides) is attacking the ball. There have been about 5 whipped balls into the box, that an Austin/ Payton type player would throw themselves at. Wood just doesn’t attack them.

I hope to be proved wrong.

Perhaps we should give him a goal bonus?

Burnleyareback2 wrote:Got to say I’ve not been his biggest fan and still need to be convinced. Good 2 goals today. However watching the first one back he literally had the keeper to beat and managed to hit it at he keepers head - there was a full goal to aim at, could easily of been saved.

My frustration recently (seems to be better with off sides) is attacking the ball. There have been about 5 whipped balls into the box, that an Austin/ Payton type player would throw themselves at. Wood just doesn’t attack them.

I hope to be proved wrong.

Perhaps we should give him a goal bonus?

Perhaps you’re trying to find faults in him.

Rileybobs wrote:Perhaps you’re trying to find faults in him.

No, I don’t think so, I desperately want him to do well. Just wish he would throw his body on the line and attack the ball. We need a predator in the box.

amazing what has happened since we brought McNeil into the team, played 2 up top and stopped hoofing it

Vegas Claret wrote:amazing what has happened since we brought McNeil into the team, played 2 up top and stopped hoofing it

Love your positivity.

tim_noone wrote:Love your positivity.

more of a hallelujah moment !!

He hardly ever looks happy .

Ask him to hold the ball up and battle against International and World class defenders with his back to goal and you will see him struggle all day long.

Similar to Andre Gray, play the ball into areas for him to exploit and he will score goals.

Long may the later continue!

. has only seen Brighton’s goal once - was it Wood who lost his man from the free kick? He feels that could chalk up one for the criticism list if it was Wood.

Burnleyareback2 wrote:Got to say I’ve not been his biggest fan and still need to be convinced. Good 2 goals today. However watching the first one back he literally had the keeper to beat and managed to hit it at he keepers head - there was a full goal to aim at, could easily of been saved.

My frustration recently (seems to be better with off sides) is attacking the ball. There have been about 5 whipped balls into the box, that an Austin/ Payton type player would throw themselves at. Wood just doesn’t attack them.

I hope to be proved wrong.

Perhaps we should give him a goal bonus?

Rachel Brown on BT Sport said that was the best place to hit it to make it almost impossible to save, so it was an excellent finish.

Burnleyareback2 wrote:Got to say I’ve not been his biggest fan and still need to be convinced. Good 2 goals today. However watching the first one back he literally had the keeper to beat and managed to hit it at he keepers head - there was a full goal to aim at, could easily of been saved.

My frustration recently (seems to be better with off sides) is attacking the ball. There have been about 5 whipped balls into the box, that an Austin/ Payton type player would throw themselves at. Wood just doesn’t attack them.

I hope to be proved wrong.

Perhaps we should give him a goal bonus?

Sorry but that analysis of the first goal is bs. Great finish...

He is no doubt getting better, just needs to switch on more. Not sure how clever a footballer he is. Top scorer for offsides and he is very reactive, needs to show anticipation
UTC

Hibsclaret wrote:Sorry but that analysis of the first goal is bs. Great finish...

That’s your opinion.

With any player, but particularly a striker, you play to their strengths.
Our pro active, on the front foot football suits him, it is as simple as that.

Give him a sniff at a goal and he will go for it, pleased to see him back in form and enjoying it.

The Enclosure wrote:He hardly ever looks happy .

Aye, he's probably been reading some of the weekly threads about him on here!

Burnleyareback2 wrote:Got to say I’ve not been his biggest fan and still need to be convinced. Good 2 goals today. However watching the first one back he literally had the keeper to beat and managed to hit it at he keepers head - there was a full goal to aim at, could easily of been saved.

My frustration recently (seems to be better with off sides) is attacking the ball. There have been about 5 whipped balls into the box, that an Austin/ Payton type player would throw themselves at. Wood just doesn’t attack them.

I hope to be proved wrong.

Perhaps we should give him a goal bonus?

41 starts, 20 goals. 90% of which are PL starts / goals where he was completely untested / unproven.

Not convinced? Well what I am convinced with is to buy a player with those PL stats (in a low ranked side) would cost us £30/£40m an £100k+ a week.

He is slow of thought. That's why he is not a superb striker.

He's a goal scorer, and more than often than not this type of striker won't offer much to the side IF they aren't scoring. Give him good service though, as we now seem to be, and he'll score goals at this level as he is showing. Been a good signing for me, for a club like us with the finances available. Our most natural goal scorer.

IanMcL wrote:He is slow of thought. That's why he is not a superb striker.

sounds like a school report of the sixties. Are you still teaching?

Burnleyareback2 wrote:That’s your opinion.

And mine.

ClaretShaun wrote:41 starts, 20 goals. 90% of which are PL starts / goals where he was completely untested / unproven.

Not convinced? Well what I am convinced with is to buy a player with those PL stats (in a low ranked side) would cost us £30/£40m an £100k+ a week.

Spot on

I'm surprised nobody suggested we should have signed him..

Burnleyareback2 wrote:Got to say I’ve not been his biggest fan and still need to be convinced. Good 2 goals today. However watching the first one back he literally had the keeper to beat and managed to hit it at he keepers head - there was a full goal to aim at, could easily of been saved.

How could it easily of been saved? By the keeper reacting faster and getting his arms up? By the keeper moving his head a couple of feet to the right before Wood hit the ball? Or by the standard keeper dive where he goes to ground, guessing the direction of the shot, but leaves a leg dangling six feet off the ground?

I think you will all find that his upturn in fortune/form was since my son walked out onto the Brighton (home) game with him. If you include the Watford disallowed goal, that would've been a cool 6 in 6 he'd scored for us.

The first looks like an emphatic finish...until you see it's the slightest of bobbles that gives it the elevation it needed.

UTC!

Rubbish service and he looks rubbish; good service and he looks good.

tim_noone wrote: sounds like a school report of the sixties. Are you still teaching?

Ha. You get the drift. That first yard they talk about...That puts you in the right place.

Wood is usually offside, trying to gain his yard without the attribute of lightening reflexes and speed of thought, or he doesn't make it.

That does not mean he is crap, just normal.

As mentioned not really an out and out target man. He's better when we are counter attacking and receiving the ball in one of the channels. McNeil put him through for his second at Brighton and did last week against Southampton when he turned Stephens but blasted it high and wide. He is alo not as good as Vokes was in defensive duties. Its quite likely Vokes would have denied Duffy for that headaed goal. Its an area we needto address is that.