Celtic striker Kasper Hogh has been backed to end his goal drought by former Hoops hitman Gary Hooper, who insists one strike will be enough to spark a hot streak.
The Danish frontman started his Celtic career with a bang, scoring a hat-trick in his second appearance during the 5-1 win over Kilmarnock. However, after returning from a thigh injury, he has now gone seven games without a goal, including blanks in damaging defeats to Rangers, LASK and Ferencvaros.
Hooper backs Hogh to come good
Hooper, who knows the pressure of leading the line at Parkhead, believes Hogh has the ability to rediscover his scoring touch. He said: "You have to take it game by game. Kasper has come in and he doesn't know the league or the players and it does take time to get used to it. Scoring a hat trick early on, people then expect you to score goal after goal. It's not always that easy. His next goal is the most important one. I'm sure once he gets the next one he can go on a run."
Hooper added: "He's a goal scorer. He showed that with his hat trick against Kilmarnock but he's proved it at a high level, with plenty of goals in Europe. I'm sure it will come for him."
Hooper's own Celtic start
Hooper arrived at Celtic in the summer of 2010 as a £2.4m signing from Scunthorpe. He hit the ground running, scoring on his debut at home to Braga and then netting 11 goals in his first 11 games. However, he also picked up a knock early on, similar to Hogh's injury, and had a short spell on the sidelines.
He said: "I was only 22 when I arrived at Celtic, so I was quite young. I remember when I signed, I flew straight out to Braga for the European game. I didn't play in that one but it was just to get the experience and be around the boys. I made my debut in the home leg and managed to score, which was great."
"But I picked up a little injury and it kept me out for a few weeks, which was frustrating after getting off to a good start. Fortunately I got back pretty quickly and managed to score a few goals to get up and running. You realise now how big the club is, but back then you don't think about at the time. Maybe it's because you are young but scoring goals definitely helps you settle."
Advice for the Dane
Hooper's key advice to Hogh is to stay focused and trust his ability. He said: "The key thing is not letting anything affect you. Just play your game, don't change. The chances will come at Celtic, because they create so much. It doesn't matter if you miss 10 of them – as long as you score when it matters."
"You just have to trust yourself. Obviously everyone is on him because it's been a few games since he scored but I'm sure Kasper trusts himself and it will be fine."
Celtic could do with Hogh returning to form, but he is not alone in going off the boil. Martin O'Neill's men have suffered three damaging defeats in a row, with two Old Firm losses either side of a Europa League defeat to LASK.
Hooper knows derby pain but also the perfect medicine. He said: "I watched the Old Firm game the other week and I've kept my eye on them. It's just different playing in Glasgow. You have to take the highs but then also deal with the lows. The recent results will have hurt but the great thing in this city is there's always the next one. It's good they have O'Neill in there at times like these. He seems like he is very calm in there."
He added: "We had the experience of Neil Lennon – but I wouldn't say he was calm after defeats! But these guys know what it is all about. I'd think Martin won't have had to say too much to them but it'll be about how they bounce back. It's not nice losing to Rangers. But there is always a chance to hit back in the next one."
Hooper was back in action for Celtic at the weekend, playing in the Tennents Sixes tournament, and admitted pulling on the Hoops brought back happy memories. He said: "It's always great pulling on the Celtic strip again and seeing the boys again. Scoring and winning helps as well! I really enjoyed it, it was just like the old times. Celtic was my happiest and not just the big games, it was all the games because of how massive the club is."
He recalled: "There were so many great memories. The derby games obviously are something special but the European nights were incredible. I remember Spartak Moscow at home in the Champions League and I couldn't hear myself think. We won 2-1 to get to the last 16, I got a goal and then Kris Commons stuck a penalty in off the underside of the bar. The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. It's something you never forget."
