| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke 01:29 - Oct 25 with 3768 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Not starting either. They seem to rate Ben Johnson though. Find it relatively interesting to check in and how some of these lot are getting on. Not many players that were here a while under McKenna have been too successful after leaving really! [Post edited 25 Oct 1:29]
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:24 - Oct 25 with 3132 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
Hirst has 1 goal in 11. Stoke fans seem to be falling into the trap that some of our own fans fell into about him in assuming he is an out and out striker and measuring him by the number of goals he scores.
Where as his 'game' is holding the ball up and providing chances for the three players behind him. |  |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:31 - Oct 25 with 3094 views | Dubtractor |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:24 - Oct 25 by Cheltenham_Blue |
Hirst has 1 goal in 11. Stoke fans seem to be falling into the trap that some of our own fans fell into about him in assuming he is an out and out striker and measuring him by the number of goals he scores.
Where as his 'game' is holding the ball up and providing chances for the three players behind him. |
Tbh, when I saw him playing for Stoke earlier in the season, Hirst was just flat our poor all round. Wasn't holding the ball up, linking play, effectively running channels.
Hard to explain what happened to the Hirst we saw here at his best. |  |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:35 - Oct 25 with 3079 views | Dubtractor |
It is really notable how little impact most of the double promotion heroes have made elsewhere. Mckenna and the squad really did achieve something far greater than the sum of it's parts over those two seasons. | |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:01 - Oct 25 with 2893 views | backwaywhen |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:35 - Oct 25 by Dubtractor |
It is really notable how little impact most of the double promotion heroes have made elsewhere. Mckenna and the squad really did achieve something far greater than the sum of it's parts over those two seasons. |
I think the key word here is McKenna…….end of conversation really . |  | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:08 - Oct 25 with 2853 views | Coastalblue |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:01 - Oct 25 by backwaywhen |
I think the key word here is McKenna…….end of conversation really . |
I get the point, but it also does a disservice to some of those players who bonded as a team and fought and won as a team, a manager can put them together, it's down to the individuals to buy in and actually make that happen.
McKenna was the conductor but we had some incredible parts being played in the orchestra. |  |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:14 - Oct 25 with 2828 views | djgooder |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:01 - Oct 25 by backwaywhen |
I think the key word here is McKenna…….end of conversation really . |
I am great fan of McKenna but there was criticism, I think after he left, that maybe some
Players were over coached.
Could it be that some players were so drilled in McKenna ball that they will take longer to adjust to the part they need to play in a different system? |  | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:15 - Oct 25 with 2827 views | jonny1964 |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:01 - Oct 25 by backwaywhen |
I think the key word here is McKenna…….end of conversation really . |
Delap also? | | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:19 - Oct 25 with 2801 views | backwaywhen |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:14 - Oct 25 by djgooder |
I am great fan of McKenna but there was criticism, I think after he left, that maybe some
Players were over coached.
Could it be that some players were so drilled in McKenna ball that they will take longer to adjust to the part they need to play in a different system? |
He may well have done but 3 promotions in 4 seasons tells me he was also very canny in his philosophy. | | | |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:39 - Oct 25 with 2751 views | Axeldalai_lama |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:35 - Oct 25 by Dubtractor |
It is really notable how little impact most of the double promotion heroes have made elsewhere. Mckenna and the squad really did achieve something far greater than the sum of it's parts over those two seasons. |
Not sure of the formation, but I think this is an eleven that has peaked under McKenna and then went downhill/ failed to recapture the form, some far more rapidly than others and for various reasons, but still, it's definitely a thing and some big players for us.
Hladky
H Clarke
Woolf
Donacien
Tuanzebe
Burns
Chappers
Broadhead
Ladapo
Hurst
Delap |  | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:42 - Oct 25 with 2718 views | Wallingford_Boy |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:24 - Oct 25 by Cheltenham_Blue |
Hirst has 1 goal in 11. Stoke fans seem to be falling into the trap that some of our own fans fell into about him in assuming he is an out and out striker and measuring him by the number of goals he scores.
Where as his 'game' is holding the ball up and providing chances for the three players behind him. |
Nah, he’s just a league one player playing at a level too high.
Stoke fans are correct in their assessments. |  |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 11:04 - Oct 25 with 2671 views | TripSwitch |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:42 - Oct 25 by Wallingford_Boy |
Nah, he’s just a league one player playing at a level too high.
Stoke fans are correct in their assessments. |
This is harsh but based on last seasons evidence im struggling to disagree.
Not sure what happened to him, the drop off in his game from the end of the 24-25 season to the start of 25-26 was drastic |  |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 11:15 - Oct 25 with 2611 views | FoghornGleghorn |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:42 - Oct 25 by Wallingford_Boy |
Nah, he’s just a league one player playing at a level too high.
Stoke fans are correct in their assessments. |
Yet he scored 19 goals at that "level too high" in the last three years. And three in the Premiership.
You're not alone in this weird recent obsession with being very specific about what division players are supposed to be playing in even when none of the data fit it, but you are the most consistently wrong and unnecessarily scornful. Thank goodness we have fans who appreciate what players like George did for us. | | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 11:58 - Oct 25 with 2489 views | Churchman |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 11:15 - Oct 25 by FoghornGleghorn |
Yet he scored 19 goals at that "level too high" in the last three years. And three in the Premiership.
You're not alone in this weird recent obsession with being very specific about what division players are supposed to be playing in even when none of the data fit it, but you are the most consistently wrong and unnecessarily scornful. Thank goodness we have fans who appreciate what players like George did for us. |
GH was a good player for us. Wholehearted team player with a decent level of skill for a 6ft 3 bloke. Good character he was able to bring others into the game and visa versa. There’s reasons why Broadhead Chaplin and Burns did well in the Championship. He was one of them.
His goals ratio wasn’t as bad as some like to paint, especially as he was very much a team player. I thought he looked alright in the Premier League too. Downside? He always appeared a little injury prone as of course his dad was. Not prolific either which is why, if he has to be placed, he’s a good Championship player.
If people want to see what a poor return is like, take a look at Burnley’s Broja who many on here were beside themselves with rage when his transfer fell through. In 42 appearances in two and a bit seasons, one (1) goal banged in. I’m sure it was worth every penny of the £20m plus £45k a week for five years Burnley paid for him. He was carried off again yesterday.
Hirst was a good player for us and a key part of more than one promotion.
Edit: had a look at Stoke’s forum. Like Wes on Leicester’s he’s getting a right pasting. Still they did pay £6m plus add ons. He cost us £1.8m so not a bad bit of business by us. [Post edited 25 Oct 12:21]
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 14:32 - Oct 25 with 2206 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:24 - Oct 25 by Cheltenham_Blue |
Hirst has 1 goal in 11. Stoke fans seem to be falling into the trap that some of our own fans fell into about him in assuming he is an out and out striker and measuring him by the number of goals he scores.
Where as his 'game' is holding the ball up and providing chances for the three players behind him. |
No, they just think he’s been playing really poorly and having no impact g, struggling to hold it up etc and for 6M you’d want him to be a nailed on starter at that level. | |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 19:37 - Oct 25 with 1927 views | RobTheMonk |
I think we saw both the Jekyll and Hyde of GH's performances with us. I'll be brutally honest with my opinion, but I thought he was very poor at times towards the backend of his time with us. Couldn't even do the simple stuff reliably. |  | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 19:52 - Oct 25 with 1871 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 19:37 - Oct 25 by RobTheMonk |
I think we saw both the Jekyll and Hyde of GH's performances with us. I'll be brutally honest with my opinion, but I thought he was very poor at times towards the backend of his time with us. Couldn't even do the simple stuff reliably. |
Hirst was never prolific but we loved him because of what he did when not scoring
But injury related or not the Hirst of 2025 was not the hirst of before and appears its continued at stoke.
Like many players injuries time out of the side too (2024) can change the fortunes of a player. I did also feel that 2025 hirst appeared to try and play like delap. Looking to turn defenders when receiving the ball.. that wasnt his game.
I hope he turns it around but i do sense 2027/28 maybe a league 1 move for him. |  |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 09:26 - Oct 26 with 1383 views | ITFC_Essex |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:31 - Oct 25 by Dubtractor |
Tbh, when I saw him playing for Stoke earlier in the season, Hirst was just flat our poor all round. Wasn't holding the ball up, linking play, effectively running channels.
Hard to explain what happened to the Hirst we saw here at his best. |
He's gone from being coached by McKenna as an aspiring Premier League/International footballer, who had his best season in terms of goals for us, to playing for a mid-Stoke side in the Championship. He's been dropped by Scotland too, and missed an entire World Cup while they fielded a couple of donkeys up front.
I suspect he's mentally checked out a bit.
He was written off before he came here, we gave him a big chance and to be totally balanced he wasn't perfect but he did deliver for us, and then he was binned off during what should have been a crucial summer for his career moving up, rather than down.
Although he's paid very well, I totally understand why he might not be doing so well, same with a few that have departed. [Post edited 26 Oct 11:02]
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 09:47 - Oct 26 with 1310 views | Wallingford_Boy |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 11:15 - Oct 25 by FoghornGleghorn |
Yet he scored 19 goals at that "level too high" in the last three years. And three in the Premiership.
You're not alone in this weird recent obsession with being very specific about what division players are supposed to be playing in even when none of the data fit it, but you are the most consistently wrong and unnecessarily scornful. Thank goodness we have fans who appreciate what players like George did for us. |
Oh I appreciate his efforts, he did score some crucial goals for us.
Just saying he is not a championship striker, but a good league one player.
Just my opinion, that's his "level".
Sorry if that upsets you. | |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:22 - Oct 26 with 1232 views | cressi |
When u didn't really want to go there and are sort of pushed out the door what can go wrong. | | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:25 - Oct 26 with 1223 views | cressi |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 10:01 - Oct 25 by backwaywhen |
I think the key word here is McKenna…….end of conversation really . |
McKenna didn't get much out of Akpom and often played round pegs in square holes but that's another debate. | | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 11:04 - Oct 26 with 1098 views | hype313 |
I saw a Stoke fan post a 'Highlights' video of his performance at the weekend, pretty grim viewing, and you can always show the negatives, but it still looks like he's struggling with his first touch, which, as a striker as he is, is a pretty key component of his game.
Looks like he's still having the same issues as he did with us last season.
Love George for those years he was with us, but his game is pretty limited. |  |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 12:23 - Oct 26 with 947 views | Bury_St_Emersonn |
Pre Injury Hirst was a completely different person to post injury Hirst
i legit think it's as simple as that
He wasn't fully fit til we were in the prem, and we signed Delap meaning he had less confidence/game time etc
It's one of those "you never know" and "what if" but if he didn't have that injury in the first championship season... |  | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 12:57 - Oct 26 with 840 views | Radlett_blue |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 11:58 - Oct 25 by Churchman |
GH was a good player for us. Wholehearted team player with a decent level of skill for a 6ft 3 bloke. Good character he was able to bring others into the game and visa versa. There’s reasons why Broadhead Chaplin and Burns did well in the Championship. He was one of them.
His goals ratio wasn’t as bad as some like to paint, especially as he was very much a team player. I thought he looked alright in the Premier League too. Downside? He always appeared a little injury prone as of course his dad was. Not prolific either which is why, if he has to be placed, he’s a good Championship player.
If people want to see what a poor return is like, take a look at Burnley’s Broja who many on here were beside themselves with rage when his transfer fell through. In 42 appearances in two and a bit seasons, one (1) goal banged in. I’m sure it was worth every penny of the £20m plus £45k a week for five years Burnley paid for him. He was carried off again yesterday.
Hirst was a good player for us and a key part of more than one promotion.
Edit: had a look at Stoke’s forum. Like Wes on Leicester’s he’s getting a right pasting. Still they did pay £6m plus add ons. He cost us £1.8m so not a bad bit of business by us. [Post edited 25 Oct 12:21]
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I think the fact Stoke paid £6m (£10m with add ons) for Hirst means that fan expectations were very high & crowds are usually quickest to get on the back of a striker or goalkeeper as their errors are usually obvious. |  |
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| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 13:17 - Oct 26 with 753 views | J2BLUE |
Seen some absolutely disgraceful comments on Facebook from Town fans who seem to care more about sucking up to the Stoke fans than showing some respect to our main striker in two promotion seasons.
One said something like Town fans rate him but only in the way that having a 23 year old Fiesta in the garage is better than getting on the bus.
What the f##k? Some people have short memories. I was about to respond then remembered I only have a Facebook account for work and decided not to waste my time. |  | | |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 14:10 - Oct 26 with 621 views | Billywitch |
| Hirst doesn’t seem to be winning many friends at Stoke on 08:24 - Oct 25 by Cheltenham_Blue |
Hirst has 1 goal in 11. Stoke fans seem to be falling into the trap that some of our own fans fell into about him in assuming he is an out and out striker and measuring him by the number of goals he scores.
Where as his 'game' is holding the ball up and providing chances for the three players behind him. |
Explained this to a work friend, Stoke ST holder.
He then went on the say "ok, well he doesn't do that either, can barely control a ball"
then "he's an expensive flop, I want a striker to look remotely decent and a threat and likely to score"
Which I couldn't argue with in the slightest | | | |
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