March 2nd 2005

Michael Chopra is scoring goals for fun at Oakwell, having arrived at Barnsley on a season long loan spell from the Toon. Newcastle-Online.com caught up with two Barnsley fans to get their thoughts on the Gosforth born striker. Asking what impact he has had on Barnsley, how he has settled in and whether he is good enough for the Premiership and indeed Newcastle among other things. Mark Stones & Rob Miles who run Barnsley-Mad.co.uk both had this to say...

Q: What was your initial reaction when Chopra joined on loan? Were you aware of him prior to joining?

Rob - I was very pleased when he signed as I knew of him scoring 4 goals whilst on loan to Watford and if he could score 4 in a game in the Championship who knows what he could do in our Division

Mark - Pleased because we had an average start to the season and Paul Hart had managed him before at Nottingham Forest so he ought to know how good he was. I was vaguely aware of him before as I was working in Burnley when he scored four against them while playing for Watford a couple of years ago. A few Barnsley fans had also seem him playing at England U-20 level and were impressed.

Q: Newcastle fans' biggest worry about Chopra is his physical stature, how has he coped with the demands and does he, in your opinion, have the physical stature to make it in the Premiership?

Rob - He has coped extremely well with the physical demands and he knows how to put it about himself e.g charging into the keeper against Huddersfield making their keeper react and earning us a penalty. I'm not sure if he could cope in the Premiership against players such as Rio Ferdinand or Sol Campbell but he could do a job in the Championship.

Mark - When he arrived I reckon he was only 'reserve team fit' and didn't cope well with the pace of League One and it's physical nature. However, once fully fit, he was able to use his pace to good effect and avoid most of the worst tackles. He regularly gets booked for having a go back or dissent.

Q: What is Chopra's greatest asset?

Rob - His goalscoring! He has a knack of getting goals when the team needs them, something every good striker does. His pace is also a good asset but the fact he can score crucial goals (2 hat-tricks no less) is definitely what he's good at the most.

Mark - His close control and pace over short distances are his best assets because his finishing can be inconsistent. When he's hot, he's hot though as two hat-tricks this season show.

Q: Do you think Chopra can ever make it at Newcastle?

Rob - To be fair to the lad I'm going to have to say no. The strikers Newcastle have are of course far better and I'm not sure whether he can do it in the Premiership. He's definitely good enough for the Championship though.

Mark - To be honest not yet, he still needs to improve his finishing (especially when one on one with the keeper) and his crossing. However, he could certainly do a good job at Championship level and is still improving - maybe he needs to play with better players to move up another level?

Q: Can Chopra lead the line or is he simply a goal poacher? Basically is there more to his game than finishing and if so, what?

Rob - As I said before goalscoring is his major asset but he has bundles of energy and pace and will always give 100%. He was booed when he first came but he has turned the crowd around because he never gives up has scored loads of goals and is a credit to football. He's a wonderful player and person and I'd love it if we could keep him but I doubt that will happen. Good luck Chops.

Mark - He obviously can't lead the line in the traditional big centre-forward sense but is definitely best up front pressuring the centre-backs and beating the offside trap. Most of his goals have come inside the area (including the odd header!) but he has scored a couple of crackers from distance. He has also played on the wing and in the 'hole' for us - surprisingly he was less effective in those positions. His best games have generally come playing with another pacy striker (Michael Boulding) rather than with Big Bazza Conlon.

Mark went onto say this:

After a dodgy start where he probably wasn't match fit (one goal in first 10 games) and struggled to cope with uncompromising League One defending, Chopra has become our best player week in week out. Now our leading scorer with 13 goals (including two hat-tricks), he displays tremendous energy, skill and commitment despite the limitations of our team, Paul Hart's tactics and the racist abuse he has received (some from Barnsley fans).

His displays have been good enough to have scouts from Championship clubs watching him as well as rumours of interest from Norwich. I'll be surprised if he doesn't win our player of the season award but even more surprised if he remains at Oakwell or St. James' Park next season.

It's a shame because he regularly speaks of his desire to get another chance at Newcastle but I don't think he's ready for a top Premiership club yet. Likewise, he's far too good for League One and the better Championship sides will probably be fighting to sign him when he's released. Still improving, he's just the sort of player to come back and haunt you in a few years time maybe...