With Didsy, I feel it is because he at least has been consistent. When he was failing to score, he at least was evidently doing his level best to stop that stigma and we knew that with his persistence it would only be a matter of time until he hit form. He is also amongst a ruinously expensive strikeforce, one which a lot of fans got tumescent about and who have either been pub, breadsticks or GCSE. This season, they've got fuck all. He's carved out chances more or less single handedly, and none of his goals have been easy. His contribution this season has been massive, and we are bottom of the league with five points. Think where we'd be if he was long term injured.
Norwood came to us with a point to prove, namely that Brighton and Fulham were wrong. They were actually right on the whole package in fact. He's a decent Championship-level midfielder, providing your like balls stylishly cracked to the flanks and the play spread across the centre of the park to no real benefit. If it comes to the other 95% of what is required - especially at PL level, he's not got it and firstly he's yitten we've finally realised that, and oppositions midfields, when they sit in their tactical briefs of a Thursday before the Satdi match get one brief, and that is to simply take the ball off him. Was he 'better' last season? Not really. He was amongst a team functionally playing better together, with a more cohesive defence behind him and a decent keeper keeping the score down. Now the chickens have come home to roost and his critical limitations are exposed, it is evident he is no better than any number of woeful midfielders we have ranted at in the past. His predecessor, Coutts, was just starting to build that understanding with Fleck and Duffy and we looked purposeful. Not saying Coutts would have been any better, but on promotion, I think Wilder chose the ping over the gamble on Coutts and ignored the example set by Norwood's former clubs. We didn't score many goals last season to give us our flattering ninth position and Norwood, if he was any better than people go on about, would have an impressive assist rate and not just one Premier League spot kick as a goal for the thirty odd outings he had. The question people need to ask themselves is this: If he isn't attacking and scoring and he isn't defending and breaking up play, what the fuck is he doing? This season it is evident, and it's shit-on-toast. He needs benching and not playing again this season and putting on the transfer list, if not releasing on a free.
Ramsdale was a liability from the second minute against Wolves. As soon as he dived for that first goal, I had a baaaad feeling about him. He didn't impress me much last season but I think his incapability was masked effectively by some woeful defensive performances by Bournemouth and some vicarious sympathy they were doomed. This season he has gotten worse, and okay, some small percentage can be ranged at the broken back three effect, but individually his bravery, his capability and his judgement has been severely Sunday League. We've all played on muddy parks with a dodgy keeper behind us who makes one or other absolutely astonishing howlers which cost you that afternoon of graft. We've all seen that goalkeeper come for the cross with the call 'KEEPER!' and inside you're confident their hands will be on it and the opposition's attack is abruptly ended, only to see the daft cunt get a weak fist on it and it drop to the opposition winger at the back stick to poke home. We've seen ... as we did on Saturday ... the keeper comes for a loose ball on the deck in the box and instead of using his presence and physicality to collect the ball and make it safe, have the fucker rebound out of his grasp and roll free. And we've all seen attempts on goal that when it hits the back of the net and your head drops, in your mind you are replaying how shit the dive for it was and really, what the fuck was he playing at? The team can give out the message they are supporting Ramsdale all they want, but in their minds, as it is with ours, they must be thinking one thing:
"Deano would have had that."
The problem is that without Deano we wouldn't have been promoted and without Deano we wouldn't have had half the results we had last season. Even when we were losing, Deano makes a save against Salah at Anfield which was nothing short of fucking breathtaking. Deano is why Ramsdale is getting shit because his shadow is fucking long and fucking dark. It weighs on Ramsdale's mind and only he can fix that, and get back to being a well-paid, professional Premier League goalkeeper. I don't expect him to save every shot or be as good as Deano. But I do expect him to get over his incapability and stop making mistakes. As I said in 'My take ... ' for £18.5m, we have got a goalkeeper no better than Simonsen or Howard. They would have saved those shots he saved on Saturday and I would wager at least one of their goals.
Ramsdale has got a massive price tag to justify and the spectre of the notion that being relegated twice (consecutively) from the PL as the man between the sticks for two different teams, there's a justifiable denominator there which will not make him an attractive option for any transfer. And if he doesn't improve next season in the Championship, he'd end up with the stigma of being a woeful mistake for this club and having that stigma hanging over those dropped, narrow shoulders for the rest of his career.
And finally, while we are on him, he needs to stop looking like a mardy arsed bastard when things go wrong out there. An expressionless face in the face of adversity always is the better demeanour. Start looking like you're gonna start rooering make you, and the club, look like cunts. We're all upset, lad.
pommpey