McCarthy: Chopra Lives for Goals
Tuesday, 19th Feb 2013 06:05

Boss Mick McCarthy says nothing means more to goalscorers like Michael Chopra than hitting the net. The Blues frontman came off the bench to score Town’s winner against Blackpool on Saturday and may have won himself a start in tonight’s home game against his former loan club Watford.

Asked what the goal will have meant to Chopra, McCarthy said: “It means he might get another game!

“I think he’s a goalscorer and it means everything to them, that’s what they want to do. I don’t think anything else other than scoring matters to goalscorers like him. If they don’t play well but score they’ll be all right.

“I often think sometimes even when the team don’t win but the goalscorer scores they’re kind of sad they’ve lost but still have that inner glow because they’ve scored themselves. That’s what makes them such predators, and that’s what he is. So, he’s delighted with it, of course he is.”

Chopra’s off-field issues have been well-documented but McCarthy says they haven’t hit his form and that he doesn't speak to him about them: “I don’t ask him, I don’t get involved in that.

"If he trains OK and he gets on with it, fine. Of course, I’m aware of it and if it affects his football that’s different, but it hasn’t.”

A number of Championship clubs, including, we understand, Hull City, were interested in taking Chopra on loan and McCarthy is glad he made it clear the 29-year-old wouldn’t be allowed to move on: “It was me that made the decision that he wasn’t going to go out on loan because with the players we had fit at the time we only had about 15.

Chopra on loan at Watford in 2002/03

“So, I’m not going to let any of my own players go out because I can’t take any more loans really. Well, I can, but I’d have to leave one of the loans I’ve got off the bench.

“I need my own contracted players, and I know Chops has got a goal in him. That was why I put him on on Saturday and he repaid me with it. It was good.

“It was my decision, it wasn’t that he could have gone and he turned it down, I turned it down, I wouldn’t let him go.”

Chopra, who scored the last-minute winner when Town beat the Hornets 1-0 at Vicarage Road (see top photo), has started only two games for McCarthy since he took over as manager but the Blues boss says he could be more involved if he continues his form from Saturday: “There’s every chance if you go on and play like that.

“It wasn’t just his goal, it was his performance. I thought he worked really hard, he defended from the front, I thought his all-round performance was good on Saturday.”

Photo: Action Images

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R_LAMB3 added 11:37 - Feb 19 One of the Town players said Chopra is scoring goals like the one he scored against Blackpool in training all the time. If he has put some of his demons behind then maybe Mick should give him a run in the team. A fit and hungry Chopra is equal to town signing a new top striker and he could help to score the goals to get Town into the top half of the table.
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Garv added 11:44 - Feb 19 Chopra lives for goals, we need goals, Chopra sits on the bench. Makes sense.
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MVBlue added 12:15 - Feb 19 Looking closely at the expression he is making in the picture above, he is going absolutely nuts. It means a lot, despite all his troubles his natural ability comes through, even with his mind shafted with troubles. Could still be useful for us, just we don't need to hear the words of the man, especially not on Twittwot.
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SamWhiteUK added 15:00 - Feb 19 Didn't Watford have a shirt in his size?
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sheepdags added 16:39 - Feb 19 Glad to see Mick is backing Chops as he's still our best option for goals. Get him to put a bet on himself to get a goal a game to the end of the season.
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