James Hanson

Noticed in the SH welcome video interview that James Hanson is out there training and looking good.

Would be good to have him back as that target player. He’d go well of Morais crosses and it would also give us someone that can make the ball stick in the attacking third.

Okay he’s not been prolific, but he brings strength and something that’s missing at the moment. Would be lovely if he could go on a bit of a goal scoring streak hey

Fingers crossed

Agreed. Think Moráis is what a fit Hanson has been missing.

PS I just noticed that my phone has chucked in that acute accent on the a. Don’t know if it’s right or not.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Agreed. Think Moráis is what a fit Hanson has been missing.

PS I just noticed that my phone has chucked in that acute accent on the a. Don’t know if it’s right or not.

And a Hanson type player is what Morais has been missing too!

I have no doubt whatsoever that if Hanson gets himself fit and is able to play most of the games between now and the end of the season we'll finish well clear of the bottom two.

Mind you, he hasn’t played much for 10 months remember.

Quoted from NorthseaMariner

Mind you, he hasn’t played much for 10 months remember.

A very valid point and I think a lot of people are building him up far too much while he's been out injured. I don't rate him that much, not nowadays or many of his performances after signing for us anyway. 15 goals from 93 appearances since 2017 and a one goal in four record, 77 goals from 283 games in his prime at Bradford from 2009 to 2017. Being pragmatic, he's probably the type of striker we need, but maybe we need someone else to fill that role and not him..

A lot is made of scoring records but Hanson makes the ball stick in the final third and creates chances. I wouldn't care if he didn't score again all season — I'm confident that if he gets himself fit and playing, we'll be far more productive up front with him in the team.

He's a dream for any other striker to play alongside at this level, and a goal threat at set pieces (which, as we know, count for a lot at this level).

Totally acknowledge his injury record. I think we saw the best of him in August 2019 after he signed. Unfortunately it's been the usual injury nightmare ever since.

Morais and Hanson have previous at Bradford together aswell, both part of that famous demolishing of Chelsea.

Quoted from RichMariner

A lot is made of scoring records but Hanson makes the ball stick in the final third and creates chances. I wouldn't care if he didn't score again all season — I'm confident that if he gets himself fit and playing, we'll be far more productive up front with him in the team.

He's a dream for any other striker to play alongside at this level, and a goal threat at set pieces (which, as we know, count for a lot at this level).

Totally acknowledge his injury record. I think we saw the best of him in August 2019 after he signed. Unfortunately it's been the usual injury nightmare ever since.

For once I have to disagree with you Rich. We need to score at least 30/35 goals this season to stay up. If one of our strikers scores none, it's a tall order for the rest of the team to get to that total. And again, the games I've seen him play, his touch hasn't been that great and he lacks that burst of five yard pace to retain possession when it often bobbles off him under pressure. Wins his fair share of headers but that doesn't mean those headers have been that accurate either. Massive gamble to rely on him even if fit and his fitness record as a whole is more than a massive concern in our position. My guess and preference is that Hurst will sign another striker whose hold up play is good and is also more mobile than Hanson, someone in the mould of Vaughan at Tranmere..

Quoted from Bigdog

For once I have to disagree with you Rich. We need to score 30/35 goals this season to stay up. If one of your strikers scores none, it's a tall order for the rest of the team to get to that total. And again, the games I've seen him play, his touch hasn't been that great and he lacks that burst of five yard pace to retain possession when it often bobbles off him. Wins his fair share of headers but that doesn't mean those headers have been accurate either. Massive gamble to rely on him even if fit and his fitness as a whole is more than a massive concern in our position. My guess is that Hurst will sign another striker whose hold up play is good and also a little more mobile..

This.  Useful sub to hold up play and target for free kicks/corners and Hewitt throws. Also good as extra defence in our box. Start the young fresh guys.

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

Morais and Hanson have previous at Bradford together aswell, both part of that famous demolishing of Chelsea.

Five years and thirty seven injuries ago. We have to deal with the present rather than dreaming of what Hanson was in the past..

Quoted from Croxton

This.  Useful sub to hold up play and target for free kicks/corners and Hewitt throws. Also good as extra defence in our box. Start the young fresh guys.

Double this. Hanson as super-sub to throw his weight about amongst tiring defenders is all we can expect. We need two front players on the books who are to get 15 goals between them. Then we need a box to box midfielder, or a player sitting behind the front two who can chip-in, Pollock / Waterfall from set-pieces and Wright / Scannell coming in from wide, maybe 7 or 8 in total and then another 7 or 8 spread around the rest of the team - there is our 30...

Quoted from Bigdog

Five years and thirty seven injuries ago. We have to deal with the present rather than dreaming of what Hanson was in the past..

I'm not living in the past, i'm living in the present. A fit James Hanson starts in this side every day of the week, all good playing these young fit guys but when half our goals come from not being able to make the ball stick up front, he starts every day of the week. The only way he doesn't start if he's fit is if we bring in two new strikers because he's twice the player of every striker at the club. A big IF for him to be fit but after coming across some concerning information of how he was treated by IH it wouldn't shock me to see him back ' fit ' and ready to go every week.

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

I'm not living in the past, i'm living in the present. A fit James Hanson starts in this side every day of the week, all good playing these young fit guys but when half our goals come from not being able to make the ball stick up front, he starts every day of the week. The only way he doesn't start if he's fit is if we bring in two new strikers because he's twice the player of every striker at the club. A big IF for him to be fit but after coming across some concerning information of how he was treated by IH it wouldn't shock me to see him back ' fit ' and ready to go every week.

What's this concerning information?

Quoted from Davec

What's this concerning information?

Him and Holloway weren't exactly best friends let's put it that way. He's a player that needs to be micro managed and feels he was over worked by IH.

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

Him and Holloway weren't exactly best friends let's put it that way. He's a player that needs to be micro managed and feels he was over worked by IH.

Micro managed? How?

Though I’m not convinced he’ll come back for any length of time if he could play a part for 10 games ideally on a run of appearances who know?

Still think we need 2 strikers though.

Quoted from smokey111

Micro managed? How?

Well ask PH because that's exactly what's happening now. Not asked to complete some mad flipping fitness test every time he's nearing return and setting him back 2-3 weeks every time.

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

Him and Holloway weren't exactly best friends let's put it that way. He's a player that needs to be micro managed and feels he was over worked by IH.

Do you mean managed rather than micro managed?

If your 6 feet 4 inches and PH is your boss perhaps micro-management is the correct term 😎😎

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

Well ask PH because that's exactly what's happening now. Not asked to complete some mad flipping fitness test every time he's nearing return and setting him back 2-3 weeks every time.

Interesting. Wasn't having a pop. Hopefully, we might see him involved in the next couple of weeks.

Can't see it myself, don't think we'll see much of him again as he just couldn't stay fit for Jolley or Ollie so don't see a change in manager making any difference whatsoever to that. Runway got a lot of things  wrong but I don't see Hanson issues as one of them.

Two new strikers required, if Hanson manages to get himself fit then that's a bonus.

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

Him and Holloway weren't exactly best friends let's put it that way. He's a player that needs to be micro managed and feels he was over worked by IH.

Players that stop playing for certain managers wee me off. He plays for Grimsby Town!