Can Hayter play the Sharp role next season?

[MrFrost]

Barring some kind of miracle, Sharp wont be here next season. With our limited funds, I wonder how people think Hayter could perform if played in Sharp's position next season?

[Superspy]

i think he could from a striking/poaching/in-and-around-the-box viewpoint...but i dont think he'll ever be as good at holding the ball up and creating due to his lack of physical strength.

[DonnyNoel]

Doesn't have Sharp's (or Heffs') head down ruthlessness and maybe not their instincts either. Better in the air than both of them, but not as quick as Sharp. Technically as a finisher he's up there with Sharp but doesn't quite seem to have the same cool nerve as him. Can't create as much for himself as Sharp seems to either. I think if he played as an out-and-out CF all season and wasn't asked to work back as much he'd get double figures.

[phil o sophical]

Unless something unexpected happens i think we are going to have to hope that Steve Brooker can get himself fit and stay fit but whoever it is they need more support than Hayter got today especially in the second half

[MrFrost]

I don't think we can rely on Brooker. I'm just a tad worried what the answer will be next season.

[Boomstick]

DEFINATELY NOT. Hayter is a League one player at best, who reached the peak of his career before he joined the rovers.
No pace and just runs around like a headless chicken.

[ptaylor-red]

I dont know if this will be popular or not but hayter has been one of our best players this season.There isnt a game he has played when he hasnt put in 100% and he has scored a few important goals. He is the unsung player of our team IMO and in our promotion seasonfrom league 1 he was top scorer. I think if he played up front week in week out he would score us goals and I think the reason he hasnt scored many is because he plays wide when sharp is in the side.

Obviously though if we had a choice of who could play as the main striker it would be billy every time

[Jonathan]

Boomstick wrote:

DEFINATELY NOT. Hayter is a League one player at best, who reached the peak of his career before he joined the rovers.
No pace and just runs around like a headless chicken.

Very harsh, infact complete rubbish. Most, if not all of our players have proved to be Championship players which is why, after nearly two seasons at this level, we're currently sitting 8th, it's no fluke. Hayter is no Billy Sharp but it would be folly to say he doesn't bring anything to the team. That 'headless chicken' running you refer to got him into goalscoring positions on four occasions today, sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't - that's the same for all strikers but it's a skill in itself to get into the positions. Hayter's workrate, intelligent movement and allround contribution to the team make him an important player in our Championship squad.

[Boomstick]

Workrate, agree he gives 100%. But his intelligent movement ammounts to nothing because an overweight darren moore could lap him 3 times in a 400m race. You need pace and drive to make it in the championship, which sadly he doesnt have.
As for that chance he skied at the end WTF!!! . We should be sitting on 3 points now.

[SkellowRover]

Can Hayts play the Sharp role as lone striker? No. We tried that last season and struggled. Then hayts got injured and Heffs wen't on his purple patch after Xmas.

Can Hayts play the role he has done behind the striker? yes. Hayts has had a fantastic season playing the deeper role and it seems to suit him better.

[DonnyNoel]

Boomstick wrote:

Workrate, agree he gives 100%. But his intelligent movement ammounts to nothing because an overweight darren moore could lap him 3 times in a 400m race. You need pace and drive to make it in the championship, which sadly he doesnt have.
As for that chance he skied at the end WTF!!! . We should be sitting on 3 points now.

With the exception of Chambers and Sharp I wouldnt say anyone has pace so its odd to level that just at Hayter. Especially as 2 of our last 3 20 goal a season strikers (Barnes and Cramb) never had it either. He makes up for it in other ways. I'd love a big pacey powerhouse up front, but there aren't too many of them about for our current wage structure.

[mushRTID]

Next season when we have no Sharp, Heffs, JET and Guy we could find ourselves in a bit of trouble. I dont think Hayter is good enough to be our 1st choice striker for a full season despite been an important player to us. SOD must have his eye on someone if Heffs and Guy look like they are finished here.

Maybe another underachieving striker will be joining us for a bit of SODs magic?

[Biggles]

Really? , i think in intelligence and movement off the ball is what Hayters is best at. He isn't though an out and out forward so the comparison with Billy is possibly a little harsh.

[bobjimwilly]

Boomstick, I'm afraid you sound like you don't know what you're talking about old luv - you say without Hayter we have dropped 2 points? Well with him we have gained 1! Yes, he missed a couple of good chances, but they weren't easy ones by any stretch of the imagination, and it was he off the ball movement that got him in those positions in the first place?

I don't think we can compare him to BS - yes they are both strikers, but that is where the similarities end. And no-one on the field can head a ball like Hayter - any1 remember the L1 play-off final?

[Stu The Tickhill Red]

A few points to mention.

Hayter had a great game today. The reason some are praising him to day is because he played as out nad out striker, something that dosn't get askedto do that often. The critisisum he is getting is total tosh. He never puts less than 100% in his shift. He may not be the biggest but he not only wins more headers than he should, he gets in there where it hurts and gets kicked from pillar to post and gets up for more!

Some players just never get the praise they deserve from some people. Well done JH, there are plenty around me in the West Stand that appreciate you.

[Boomstick]

not sure what your getting at dopey, I think you typed that wrong. But the point of this thread was to ask can Hayter play the sharp role?  so to compare the players is a must. My conclusion was, no, not by a long way can he play the sharp role.
The sharp role being, 'being a good striker'.
That is my opinion, and if you dont like it you can toddle off to uncle sean and tell on me.

[Norfolk N Chance]

Hayter has a better all round game than Sharp and are totally different players......
In terms of being clinical you are not going to replace Billy in terms of goals but who ever is up front with Hayter next year can weight in with 10/15 goals then we will be fine!
What we need to high ST sales and if this happens we could bag Sharp!?!?!

[RoversAlias]

ptaylor-red wrote:

I dont know if this will be popular or not but hayter has been one of our best players this season.There isnt a game he has played when he hasnt put in 100% and he has scored a few important goals. He is the unsung player of our team IMO and in our promotion seasonfrom league 1 he was top scorer. I think if he played up front week in week out he would score us goals and I think the reason he hasnt scored many is because he plays wide when sharp is in the side.

Obviously though if we had a choice of who could play as the main striker it would be billy every time

Great post, Hayter works so hard, he's my favourite player at the club for this reason combined with the fact that he's an excellent goalscorer.

For me, Hayter would be in the team every week, but if we don't sign Sharp we do need somebody else. Maybe a 'big guy' that SOD is after would work well alongside him...although that didn't play out greatly with JET today.

Then again JET is the worst use of a 'big' frame I've ever seen, he plays like he's half a foot shorter!

[Lesonthewest]

Today Hayter played a role he doesn't normally play & played it very well for the team, scoring a goal that almost won us the game. He knows aswell as we all do he won't fill Sharps boots in that role but did his best for the cause. He hasn't played or try to play 'the Sharp role' since he came here, what he does do is give his all for the team whatever role he plays. As for him being a league 1 player? well his record, & ours, shows he is better than that.

[VikingJames]

To answer the question, I don't think he can play the Billy Sharp role as the main striker, purely due to the fact that he can't give us that outlet to get in behind like Billy does.

But, Hayter still has alot to offer and has had a great season for us. He is one of my favourite players. He is clever, brave, and often takes a kicking from defenders, but he still carries on with his job and works his socks off for the team. He hasn't scored as many goals as he might have liked as he has often been played deep/out wide, and I feel that if he were to be played upfront alongside somebody who complements him (possibly BS), then he would score more goals. Hayter CAN cut it at this level, he has proven that this season, and although some on here have different opinions (which I respect), I can only imagine that they're judgements are being clouded with JH's last minute miss fresh in the memory.

[Lesonthewest]

Thing is with Hayter is he works so hard for the team but when he gets anywhere near that six yard box he comes alive. Remember his bullet header goal at Hartlepool & he has continued them ever since. Top player.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

He can no doubt play up front and score goals.  The problem he has is that he can't play on his own up front.  He needs a partner.  He's best in behind the main striker as he's played most of late.  He needs a partner to hold the ball though, can't do it all on his own.

[Barmby Rover]

Yet again Hayter slips into the role of a midfielder, how often was the ball pushed forward to have him looking at it thirty yards back. Hayter is a good player, I like him, I like the amount of work he will do, but he is no striker and never will be. Without BS next season or somebody who does a similar role we will be lost, but no doubt something is in place to provide, even if it isn't with our favourite Blade!

[DadsleyRover]

James Hayter is not the same as Billy Sharp but he does add to our teams performance and can be a crucial scorer of important goals for us.
I think the the player we should look to is Waide Fairhurst. I hope he is fit next season.

[Padge_DRFC]

With the exception of Chambers and Sharp I wouldnt say anyone has pace so its odd to level that just at Hayter

You forgot Lewis Guy

[Donnyboy]

James Hayter the master of the difficult finish the spurner of easy chances! I'm not great with looking through stats and whatever but i think it would make interesting reading seeing how many points we've taken when he's started compared to when he hasn't?! Our up turn in form has coincided with Shiels being dropped for the much more hard working Hayter, he is infuriating at times but he also comes up with crucial goals and works tirelessly his importance in the second stiker role can't be underestimated.

[i_ateallthepies]

VikingJames wrote:

To answer the question, I don't think he can play the Billy Sharp role as the main striker, purely due to the fact that he can't give us that outlet to get in behind like Billy does.

But, Hayter still has alot to offer and has had a great season for us. He is one of my favourite players. He is clever, brave, and often takes a kicking from defenders, but he still carries on with his job and works his socks off for the team. He hasn't scored as many goals as he might have liked as he has often been played deep/out wide, and I feel that if he were to be played upfront alongside somebody who complements him (possibly BS), then he would score more goals. Hayter CAN cut it at this level, he has proven that this season, and although some on here have different opinions (which I respect), I can only imagine that they're judgements are being clouded with JH's last minute miss fresh in the memory.

Totally agree with this Viking, and other similar contributions to this thread.

For me though, I think the most telling opinion in this debate comes from none other than the great Billy himself.  I can't quote him as haven't tried to find the interview but without any prompting, he spoke about just how important James Hayter's contribution is to Billy's success in the team.  I remember thinking that is was a pretty direct pointer aimed at SO'D, to say what he thinks works best.

Says it all for me.