Wes is gonna Wes.
There’s not much left to say really. Football comes easy to Wes Hoolahan and, no matter the standard of opposition, it never affects him because he’s at home with the ball at his feet.
Everyone you play in this game is only human. They sweat and bleed like anybody else and they can be sold for a shortcut like any man could. When Wes Hoolahan has the ball, like he usually does, he has the power and the rest can only react.
Rock up after 80 odd minutes…
Nutmeg Kante ✔
Rabona a Cross ✔
Get a Diving twat dismissed ✔Wes Hoolahan 🛐
— Ian Shurmer (@ishurmer) January 18, 2018
It’s painful, you know, any time you watch Ireland and you call for Wes Hoolahan to be introduced. The reaction is completely divided into two camps who are either equally as angry that the best footballer in the country is constantly sidelined and the other camp who don’t offer much of an argument other than ‘he’s not Zidane’.
In fact, the only bit of vindication that these people provide for Martin O’Neill’s decisions are that Hoolahan doesn’t always start for Norwich. It doesn’t seem to actually matter what they see before them every time they watch him play or who the f**k they see playing in front of him every week, they don’t want proof with their own eyes. They want proof from another cowardly manager afraid to play too much football too often.
Wow what a game. Great mix of youth and Wesley Hoolahan, he should be playing more. #ncfc
— Toby (@tobefair78) January 18, 2018
So Norwich are away at the league champions in a knockout game and their most creative player is kept off for 80 minutes. Unfortunately, most managers in Britain see your best shot of beating Chelsea as throwing everyone at the edge of the box, rather than play boys who can actually compete at that standard and, Jesus, even take the game to them sometimes.
The sad reality is that Hoolahan would probably get more minutes at bloody Man City than he would at Norwich and he isn’t to blame for that. These isles are.
You develop young players so you can reap rewards of finished product. As a finished product, Wes is still the best we have even if he's past his own besthttps://t.co/7ukUaIaib7
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) November 15, 2017
So he comes on anyway, it’s 1-0 to Chelsea and, a couple of minutes later, Norwich are level and they’re headed for extra time.
Hoolahan proceeds to nutmeg Kante, draw a foul from Pedro to get him sent off and perform a rabona cross that drew breathless groans from the football-loving world.
Rabonas at the Bridge 😂😂😂
Love football, love Norwich 🙌🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/Tpp0o5qgNJ
— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) January 17, 2018
His first touch was as deft as always.
Lovely touch from Wes Hoolahan… 👊⚽️ @NorwichCityFC #FACup #CHENOR pic.twitter.com/cG7kbjAwIB
— PH (@PaddyNoWheels) January 17, 2018
And spare a thought for poor N’golo Kante.
Wes Hoolahan strolls on: nutmegs Kante, pulls off a rabona, gets Pedro sent off, goes home. #Wessi
— Tarik Barry (@stevenseagal88) January 17, 2018
This is nothing new though. How many times do we have an opportunity to rave about him?
Every single time Wes Hoolahan gets to run onto a football field, he produces magic and he makes it look so ordinary. Every single time he plays, it’s worth talking about and it’s worth talking about how criminally underrated he’s been throughout his career.
He’s started 11 league games for Norwich this season. That’s not good enough. For what he delivers, it doesn’t add up.
