Different roles for no-hoper (5)
I believe the answer is:
loser
'no-hoper' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'different roles' is the wordplay.
'different' indicates an anagram.
'roles' is an anagram of 'LOSER'.
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for loser that I've seen before include "Defeated competitor" , "Person who's a failure" , "One not winning" , "Non-achiever" , "One failing regularly" .)