My take ...

[Deadly_D'Jaffo]

Norwood's propensity to receive the ball and instantly whap it out to a marked wingback for his own entertainment is worthy of critique, especially when Heckyball doesn't seem to support that nonsense any more. Norwood's first touch yesterday played us into trouble straight away so I'd say you will have to account for the 'slur'. Fortunately someone has had a word and he's not quite so apt to do this,

I'll cut out the delusional rambling and focus on the above. But what I will say is that if you think I have an agenda to bait you then I'd suggest your ego is misleading you. I'll grant you the brief 'spectator opinions only count' playful jibes that were playful & unfunny but that's as far as I go. I am not one for the futile & toxic nature of keyboard politics

Back to the point though, I think your criticism of Norwoods "hollywooding" is unfounded.

"Whapping it out to marked wingbacks" - I'm sure it's happened for you to criticise it but it's certainly not a feature of ON's game that I've observed. If this is a sweeping statement of ON's style then I'd say it's exaggerated at best.

"Heckyball doesn't support that nonsense" - Well ON has played almost every minute under Heck except for a strategic rest. So if ON 'hollywooding' was such a consistently detrimental effect to Heckyball, I'm sure Heck would've diminished it by now.

"Norwoods first touch yesterday played us into trouble" - Again, if it was a feature of his game I might've noticed it by now but more importantly, Heck would have. If you're on about his actual first touch in the game yesterday then I'd ask why drag a player over the coals for a bad first touch in blustery conditions?


My issue with your criticism of Norwood is that it's overkill. He's a crucial part of how we played under Wilder & play under Heck which would suggest that your contempt for him doesn't add up to people with better football IQ's than you and I.

But what do I know - I only watched him on TV against Fulham, Peterborough & Huddersfield *


(*Again - joke, not bait, no offence, i'm sorry, dont yell at me...)

 

[pommpey]

I'll cut out the delusional rambling and focus on the above. But what I will say is that if you think I have an agenda to bait you then I'd suggest your ego is misleading you. I'll grant you the brief 'spectator opinions only count' playful jibes that were playful & unfunny but that's as far as I go. I am not one for the futile & toxic nature of keyboard politics

Delusional rambling? Pot/kettle moment. If my ego is actually misleading me then maybe you can help by either focussing on football and not trying, and failing, to be all 'clever clogs'. It must take you ages to figure out something to say. Your mates, Silent, Sitwell and the other twerp who's name escapes me do it quite effortlessly, if equally pointlessly it must be said. My ego is flattered to think I have such a fan club as you lot. You don't half spend ... waste ... a lot of time following me around. For what?

Back to the point though, I think your criticism of Norwoods "hollywooding" is unfounded.

Oh good. Here we go. Might see some evidence then ...

"Whapping it out to marked wingbacks" - I'm sure it's happened for you to criticise it but it's certainly not a feature of ON's game that I've observed. If this is a sweeping statement of ON's style then I'd say it's exaggerated at best.

You're not quite following this, are you?

"Heckyball doesn't support that nonsense" - Well ON has played almost every minute under Heck except for a strategic rest. So if ON 'hollywooding' was such a consistently detrimental effect to Heckyball, I'm sure Heck would've diminished it by now.

Again, you're not quite following this, are you?

"Norwoods first touch yesterday played us into trouble" - Again, if it was a feature of his game I might've noticed it by now but more importantly, Heck would have. If you're on about his actual first touch in the game yesterday then I'd ask why drag a player over the coals for a bad first touch in blustery conditions?

So you didn't notice his first touch yesterday? He picked the ball up about five metres short on the centre circle in our half and to the right (because he'd swapped with Berge) and looked up ... and clipped one of his trademark 'pings' across to Furious out wide. Except the Hudds players read it like a motorway sign and cut it straight out. No doubt a yell came from the touchline 'Fuck's sake, Norwood! Stop doing that!' It might have come from the terraces too and from every sofa across the planet where it was being watched. True to form, he stopped it and worked on his close game, linking and pressing and doing the shit we expect CDMs to do, and yes, we started to look a lot more together with him there than when Berge was playing CDM. Hence, my higher marks for him. And if conditions are 'blustery', the past thing you need to be doing is whapping it out to the wingbacks. Every played football in Hedings Park in the winter?

My issue with your criticism of Norwood is that it's overkill. He's a crucial part of how we played under Wilder & play under Heck which would suggest that your contempt for him doesn't add up to people with better football IQ's than you and I.

Overkill? And it's you saying I am 'hauling him over the coals'? Tchya?

Nope. Your issue is that you need to be heard. You have to have a horse to ride and you think I'm the fucking poppo. Whereas Silent, SItwell and the other chimp might do well enough to hold their own, you've simply got nowt to say that hasn't already been said, have you? And Norwood was definitely a crucial part of how we played under Wilder, correct. Last season he was fucking pathetic. Pointing, getting robbed blind, unable to track, tackle, challenge of hold onto the ball. His passing was dismal and he created fuck all in terms of goals and chances, save for one forward pass (hey, well done) to Billy versus Plymouth in the cup. His crossing was pathetic and his link up play was so predictable the PL midfields, even the poorer ones used him as a traffic cone in the middle. I think the penny has dropped now and he's stopped playing for his own pleasure and thinking it's a long-ball coaching session every Saturday. Which is why I have stopped giving him 3 and 4 out of 10.

But what do I know - I only watched him on TV against Fulham, Peterborough & Huddersfield *

I've watched him on TV every game he has played this season. Again, follow the thread. I think he has got better. Sometimes - the first touch - he reverts to the old ways and we suffer.

And that's it. No 'overkill'. No agenda. But I don't really need to explain that to you, do I? You're all ready to justify your shit slinging without actually reading a word.

pommpey

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Really good post - enjoyed it

George , who we all love , was at best a 5.5 imo- he was the Robinson accident waiting to happen . Really poor going fwd , defending - his approach was heart in mouth stuff and could have cost us dearly. He channeled his energy in the wrong areas i think.

Rest of marks i agree .

We looked tired today , sluggish and bereft of pace and purpose but Hecky is going through the list to find the golden blends, which is understandable and sensible .

What to do about Sander?

We all wish he would perform like Declan Rice but he has no authority - i dont know what to make of him - im pissed off when he's out of theta and worried when he's in it .

Fleck - bless him - has gone well over his peak and shouldn't be anywhere near the fist team - so sad.

Hecky will get it right i think (with fingers crossed behind back ) and we were lucky today . Sort out the best team - and play them .

I keep thinking Fleck is like Keon when it'd finally gone and should have been auctioned off but we are SUFC and can always plead pivert instead of getting rid.

 

[Deadly_D'Jaffo]

Oh good. Here we go. Might see some evidence then ...

There's no way short of a BergenBladesque detailed analysis to provide the evidence that counters your criticisms of ON's game. You can accuse me of being convenient, but it's simply not important enough to spend more then 10 minutes of my life on. This is just a place I come to chew the SUFC fat with other Blades.

You're not quite following this, are you?

Again, you're not quite following this, are you?

...and by those 2 sidesteps, it's clearly not important enough for you to provide evidence neither (even though I think the burden of proof should lay with the accuser) which is fine, we agree about how much time we dedicate to disagreeing on a www forum.

So you didn't notice his first touch yesterday?

No, unfortunately my subscription service went wonky for a few moments when he came on.

He picked the ball up about five metres short on the centre circle in our half and to the right (because he'd swapped with Berge) and looked up ... and clipped one of his trademark 'pings' across to Furious out wide. Except the Hudds players read it like a motorway sign and cut it straight out. No doubt a yell came from the touchline 'Fuck's sake, Norwood! Stop doing that!' It might have come from the terraces too and from every sofa across the planet where it was being watched. True to form, he stopped it and worked on his close game, linking and pressing and doing the shit we expect CDMs to do, and yes, we started to look a lot more together with him there than when Berge was playing CDM.

That's an impressive amount of analysis for a single, failed, long ball. Is a Hollywood ball frustrating when better options are on? Definitely. But again, I've not seen enough of this in ON's game to say he's a consistent source of frustration - more the exception, not the rule of his game imo.

Last season he was fucking pathetic. Pointing, getting robbed blind, unable to track, tackle, challenge of hold onto the ball. His passing was dismal and he created fuck all in terms of goals and chances, save for one forward pass (hey, well done) to Billy versus Plymouth in the cup. His crossing was pathetic and his link up play was so predictable the PL midfields, even the poorer ones used him as a traffic cone in the middle. I think the penny has dropped now and he's stopped playing for his own pleasure and thinking it's a long-ball coaching session every Saturday.

Can't disagree with much of that, except for the extremely bitter tone.

I enjoy your posts Pommps, you write with passion and much of it is hilarious (I plagiarised your "as much use as Ann Franks trumpet" belter on a couple of occasions since) but you've gotten ultra defensive because I disagreed and questioned your critique of a United player? I'll be mindful of that in future.

Anyway, that's my allocation of unproductive time for the day used up now

Goodnight & God bless x

 

[United Aren't Back.]

I keep thinking Fleck is like Leon when it'd finally gone and should have been auctioned off but we are SUFC and can always plead poverty instead of getting rid.

 

[Old Programme seller]

I’m glad that Pommpey noticed Norwood‘s blunder (understatement) everyone seemed to have forgotten or missed it! I did enjoy watching Coutts he was so good at never giving the ball away.

 

[pommpey]

I’m glad that Pommpey noticed Norwood‘s blunder (understatement) everyone seemed to have forgotten or missed it! I did enjoy watching Coutts he was so good at never giving the ball away.

Norwood's blunder was fortunately a one-off in the Hudds game. Thereafter he played safe and did his job.

Last season, and even the season before he was frustratingly profligate in playing to the likes of Jaffo whose todger goes straight-the-fuck out at right angles when he receives the ball from Egan, turns, taps it a little to the right and winds his foot back to thump it with uplift across the pitch to the opposite flank where either Enda or George was being closed down by two players. It's almost as if Gary Sinclair was announcing it over the stadium tannoy. Of course, with two players closing either wingback down there was no forward route, so it came back to either Bash or Bryan or Robinson and was recycled back to him to smack to the other side. Some might call it predictable. Meanwhile Billy is stood, dry-shirted, ready to run off the shoulders of the centrebacks sat playing cards in the opposition penalty area.

Someone has 'had a word' and said 'stop fucking doing that, Oliver' and largely, he has. WIlderball was dead on the day we came back from the first lockdown vs Villa and so was his 'pinging'. We had to endure 18 more months of him doing it, many defeats and a relegation for him to stop doing it. He tried it on Saturday and it fucked up.

Do your fucking job, Norwood.

pommpey