senseless abuse of George Long

[seanbeenstattoo]

We are in agreement on all that you stated except the fans bit. We all know he's nge. It is up to CW to sort it. It is not George's fault he's not up to standard - he gets picked - he has to play.

It is the fans fault for booing and jeering. It's not helping GL or the rest of the team who will think.... 'shit, don't pass to me, I don't want that dogs abuse aimed at me!'

It's counter productive and simply uncalled for.

Save your discontent for half time and full time, but hey, haters are gonna hate and all that.

Agree with all that. Save it till FT I`d say,or better still a football forum where hopefully the discontent with a player(s) can be expressed more intelligently than "Fuck off you shit wanker",or similar.

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

but hey, haters are gonna hate and all that.

NB,can we leave Taylor Swift out of this please. (Or whoever she plagiarised with this lyric)

 

[diplomat]

I'm 40 and can categorically say I've not seen top flight football "most of the time"

DLFT,

Explain to him that SUFC have spent most of their history in the top flight (Premier League)
.

 

[Revolution]

Frankly, I am amazed when people say "I never boo the players". I find this to be so against human nature that I often doubt that it's true.

Well, I have booed United. I booed them off the field on 2 January 1988 when they gave the worst display I've ever seen in losing 5-0 at home to Oldham. I booed Glyn Hodges and Dean Windass on separate occasions for lazy, uninterested performances. And I yelled at Jonathon Forte after that pitiful performance he gave against Carlisle in April 2013 - a performance which was repeated a few days later against Crawley and which cost Danny Wilson his job. I'm sure there have been other occasions.

I draw the line at personal abuse. But I will not tolerate lack of effort. And my patience with repeated unforced errors, of the type that George Long has been making now for five years, is wearing thin.

If you don't like it, try harder, play better, train more. These people are played a lot of money to do something many people would love to do. If after all this time and 100+ professional appearances Long has not eliminated these technical flaws (pushing the ball back in front of him instead of wide) or conquered his fears of a ball into the box, he should expect criticism. It is not good enough.

 

[FinBlade]

This is senseless abuse
http://www.fotbollskanalen.se/allsvenskan/tv-skandal---askadare-slog-ner-ostersunds-malvakt/

 

[Jacobsenthecrab]

According to James Shield Keith Hill has said part of Rochdale"s plan on Saturday was to 'drive a wedge between United and their fans' - I bet the abuse of Long was music to his ears.
I'm as frustrated as anyone, trying to get my 7 year old interested in football is proving tough with the rubbish we've been served up over the past few years but I think Hill's comments prove beyond doubt that the booing is detrimental to the team.
Let's not fall into that trap as I'm sure no Blade wants to help the opposition get a result on a Saturday, Support the team through the. 90 minutes and if they are sh**e then make your feelings clear at the end.

 

[1973Blade]

If Long is playing today, I will be cheering his name when it is announced (in a non sarcastic way). We should be encouraging our players before and during the game. If the team does badly boo them collectively off the pitch, don't target one player. The only time fans should do that is if they aren't putting in the effort.

 

[Bladesince59]

Wasn't at the game so can't comment on the mistake in question, but how many games has Long played with two non-shit centre backs in front of him? Can't be too many.

And how many games since he didn't do a total fuck up?

 

[Balham]

And how many games since he didn't do a total fuck up?

One. I don't think he made any errors against Crewe?

Long is a good goalkeeper but he's completely devoid of confidence. That's behind these mistakes - nothing more, nothing less. He remains an excellent shot stopper but that's only half the goalkeeper's job.

It's got to the point where it feels like he'd be better off moving away. A new start at another club would probably do him the world of good: he'll be a decent Championship keeper at least in 4-5 years' time. You can quote me on that.

 

[shrubbery]

It is all good and well making reasoned arguments after the game when everybody has settled down but it is a different matter when you are physically sat in the middle of it with your emotions / frustrations running high. The reaction to Long is as much a result of people's general frustrations with the club and the ongoing situation of shitness than it is related directly to him and his goalkeeping blunders.

Pretty much the entire team performed in such a frustratingly ineffective fashion on Saturday that for many people made the deficiencies of George even harder to swallow. Therefore he took the brunt of the fans frustration until the end of the half and then the game when the rest of the team were also jeered.

It is human nature for many people to react like this and it is more than a little churlish to try and chastise them after the heat of the battle has cooled.

 

[DazBlade88]

It is human nature for many people to react like this and it is more than a little churlish to try and chastise them after the heat of the battle has cooled.

I must have been at a different game on Saturday

 

[DaveBassettsgoneonholiday]

I think there’s a good keeper hiding in there somewhere with George Long, but he’s never really shown any sign of growing in confidence the more matches he has played. Certainly, ironic cheering during games won’t help matters.
The lad is a pretty decent shot stopper but I think his all round game is still lacking.
He looks a big strong fella & should be starting to dominate his area more by now while catching rather than punching, though this appears to be the norm in general nowadays.

Who‘s been coaching him for the last few years ? Surely with our recent record of decent keepers we can get someone in for one day a week to help out.
Maybe we should convince Schmeichel senior he owes us a favour as it was one of our own that helped him on his way.

 

[sheff_blade90]

i was quite unhappy with long on saturday, He shouldve kept hold of the shot as absolutely No excuses for parrying it. It was Hardly a powerful shot but the ironic cheers were wrong. he made the mistake but goading him twice is going to change nothing we'll still be 1-0 down

Who‘s been coaching him for the last few years ? Surely with our recent record of decent keepers we can get someone in for one day a week to help out.
Maybe we should convince Schmeichel senior he owes us a favour as it was one of our own that helped him on his way.

makes a good point, i know alan kelly is unavailable because hes at preston & ireland but would be great if we could get simon tracey to help george long thru either advice, knowledge or coaching

 

[JordoBlade]

I think we should just applaud George tonight if he drops another clanger because it's all good isn't it?

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Agreed.

It's bizarre at the minute - we used to dish out the dogs abuse to opposition players, officials and give out plenty of stick to opposition supporters. Now we're abusing our own players and fellow fans. I preferred the former.

Me too. Growing up watching the blades, I was always proud that even though we were paupers and didn’t have the best side, we had fans who created really special atmospheres. Proper fans who helped to make the lane a fortress and players who fought tooth and nail despite their limitations. We were often the 12th man as our team was often more than the sum of it’s parts.


Now it’s all gone to shit both on the pitch and on the terraces. Our team have for too long been a bunch of (largely) overpaid, wankers who show little fight or passion for the badge. Our fans have become so disconnected from the players on the pitch that there’s now a borderline hatred to the extent that some seem to will them to fail so they can jeer. There’s little differentiation in how we treat those that don’t give a shit from those who try but aren’t good enough (we were often quite respectful towards those sorts of players in the past helping them raise their game to a level where they could contribute).


It’s a chicken and egg type, cyclical situation that we need to try to break. I understand those that are utterly pissed off with the club after the constant stream of shit we’ve had for so many years. But the way I see it is like this. We’ve paid and gone to the trouble to be there. As we’ve gone that far, can we not look to create a positive, noisy atmosphere that provides the team with the best possible chance of succeeding? Does it really cost us anything to do that even if we know deep down that despite our best efforts, the team will probably fall on it’s arse again? At least we can hold our heads up and genuinely say we are some of the best fans about and who knows, it might just help us turn a corner.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Do any of those who think Long is a good keeper and should retain his shirt,(I think we can all agree abusing him during the 90 is way out of order) genuinely think he would get near the shirt for ANY of the other clubs in our league with aspirations for promotion akin to ours?
I would suggest anyone answering yes is either telling porkies or knows fuck all about what a goalkeepers job actually is.

Given that Howard is starting games for Bolton who have won their opening 2 and that we got 90 points with Simmo in goal, it’s not unfeasible. Long has cost us 1 goal so far this season. He’s made 2 saves that I wouldn’t have fancied Howard to save (the 1 on 1 v Rochdale and the header v Bolton). But I agree that most teams aiming for promotion from this league would have a more reliable ‘keeper. I quite like Long and keep willing him to do well and for periods, he does. But the clanger on Saturday was a shocker and I was really hoping that sort of thing was becoming a thing of the past.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I think what folk are getting at is it`s been obvious for quite some time his shortcomings have been ignored by manager after manager. Like the CB position since Harry left.
Unfortunately for Long,his mistakes cost points every time whereas shyte outfield players often get away with equivelant error strewn games.
Sadly,it comes with the lot that is a keepers which is why any manager with a brain invests the absolute most he can for the best possible occupant of his sides most vital position.

I don’t necessarily agree that it’s the most vital position. I would say having a forward who can make and take chances is more important than a fantastic ‘keeper. It’s a position where glaring errors are most costly but not a position where brilliance is most effective in my opinion. As much as I loved Kelly, I would take a young Brian Deane over a young Alan Kelly. Both absolute top class players but one is a more valuable commodity.


I remain more concerned by the stat of only having achieved 1 shot on target in our opening 180 minutes of football than the 2 goals conceded from about 6 shots on target against us.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I do feel for GL if he plays again tomorrow night. He's simply not good enough and to amplify that, he is in terrible form. He will be petrified tomorrow night and it wouldn't surprise me if the knuckle draggers boo him when the team is read out and when he approaches the net.

If George plays and we win the toss I wouldn't be amazed if we kick towards the kop in the first half by our choosing.

Expecting young men to perform to the best of their capabilities while under ridiculous abuse from their own fans is simply not going to happen.

Whether George is good enough or not, this is one of those occasions where it is (some of) the fans fault.
It is CW that needs to sort it and not George Long.

I think there are players who are not as good as we would like who have fragile confidence that our fans then turn into even worse players with the abuse.



Forte

Sammon

Long


Spring immediately to mind. Sammon started quite well then dipped a bit, became the latest boo boy and then became absolute garbage and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but on that pitch.


When we brought Forte back after selling Blackman, he initially did OK despite his limitations. I remember him causing Bury all manner of problems and scoring in a win at their place. But ever since that Tuesday night miss against MK Dons where he suffered disgusting levels of abuse from our fans, he was finished.


Long has had some good runs of form whilst he’s been in our team but is prone to a mistake and can seem a bit timid at times. When he drops one major bollock, the fans turn on him and make his job that much harder instead of giving him the encouragement to bounce back. That means it’s best for him to be dropped instead of trying to play his way into form.


Even Jay McEveley. Last season, as bad as he was for us, I remember having a conversation about the need to drop him if for no other reason that the fans will be on his case even for the slightest mistake.


4 poor players who have all played well on occasion. Perhaps, if we created a better environment for our players to play in, we might see more of those decent performances.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Agree with all that. Save it till FT I`d say,or better still a football forum where hopefully the discontent with a player(s) can be expressed more intelligently than "Fuck off you shit wanker",or similar.

Agree wholeheartedly. Nothing at all wrong with discussion about the shortcomings of the club/team/individual players but as you say, inarticulate hateful screaming of abuse is not the way to do it. It’s more understandable if a player is not pulling their weight and are coasting through a game but when it’s human error despite the best of intentions, such abuse is just moronic and counter-productive.

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

I don’t necessarily agree that it’s the most vital position. I would say having a forward who can make and take chances is more important than a fantastic ‘keeper. It’s a position where glaring errors are most costly but not a position where brilliance is most effective in my opinion. As much as I loved Kelly, I would take a young Brian Deane over a young Alan Kelly. Both absolute top class players but one is a more valuable commodity.


I remain more concerned by the stat of only having achieved 1 shot on target in our opening 180 minutes of football than the 2 goals conceded from about 6 shots on target against us.

Whilst I respect your view that the keeper isn`t the most important position on the pitch,his mistake = 0-1. A strikers = 0-0.
Brian Clough thought it was and broke the bank at Forest to sign Shilton,then assembled a brutally psychotic back 4 to give him any protection he needed. He didn`t do too badly as I recall.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Whilst I respect your view that the keeper isn`t the most important position on the pitch,his mistake = 0-1. A strikers = 0-0.
Brian Clough thought it was and broke the bank at Forest to sign Shilton,then assembled a brutally psychotic back 4 to give him any protection he needed. He didn`t do too badly as I recall.

I think it probably depends on interpretation. GKs are important in the sense that their mistakes are the most costly. But their brilliance is less likely to win games than that of a forward hence forwards being the most costly commodity.

 

[David Lee's first touch]

Me too. Growing up watching the blades, I was always proud that even though we were paupers and didn’t have the best side, we had fans who created really special atmospheres. Proper fans who helped to make the lane a fortress and players who fought tooth and nail despite their limitations. We were often the 12th man as our team was often more than the sum of it’s parts.


Now it’s all gone to shit both on the pitch and on the terraces. Our team have for too long been a bunch of (largely) overpaid, wankers who show little fight or passion for the badge. Our fans have become so disconnected from the players on the pitch that there’s now a borderline hatred to the extent that some seem to will them to fail so they can jeer. There’s little differentiation in how we treat those that don’t give a shit from those who try but aren’t good enough (we were often quite respectful towards those sorts of players in the past helping them raise their game to a level where they could contribute).


It’s a chicken and egg type, cyclical situation that we need to try to break. I understand those that are utterly pissed off with the club after the constant stream of shit we’ve had for so many years. But the way I see it is like this. We’ve paid and gone to the trouble to be there. As we’ve gone that far, can we not look to create a positive, noisy atmosphere that provides the team with the best possible chance of succeeding? Does it really cost us anything to do that even if we know deep down that despite our best efforts, the team will probably fall on it’s arse again? At least we can hold our heads up and genuinely say we are some of the best fans about and who knows, it might just help us turn a corner.

Excellent post Dane I fully agree

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

I think it probably depends on interpretation. GKs are important in the sense that their mistakes are the most costly. But their brilliance is less likely to win games than that of a forward hence forwards being the most costly commodity.

Totally agree.
The thing is a GK is less involved usually and his job considered somewhat mundane whereas a striker/AM has the opportunity to bring pace/flair/dribbling/shooting/heading and a pretemtious goal celebration at the end.
No contest is it.

Give me a keeper that keeps clean sheets first and I`ll look for Zlatan Christiano Messi afterwards.

 

[AWetFlannel]

DLFT,

I agree we shouldn't be jerring our own player but it's not as simple as that.

You should have explained to your son that our players are on massive (relatively speaking) wages.
Explain to him that SUFC have spent most of their history in the top flight (Premier League)
So being in the 3rd tier is embarrassing for our club and many fans.

Explain to him that Long has made howlers in the past and many have predicted he'll do it again and again.

Explain that football players are paid massive wages, hardly do any real work, plenty of free time and are put on a pedestal. It's a really privilege position.

However they is a down side..... there's pressure to perform otherwise most players get stick.
If a player can't handle the heat then they need to get out of the kitchen.
Everyone makes mistakes and it's a test of character how they bounce back.

It's not Long's fault footballers get massive wages, it's not Long's fault we use to be in the top flight.

 

[albinonick]

I think we should just applaud George tonight if he drops another clanger because it's all good isn't it?

I guess your tongue is firmly in your cheek!!!!

 

[boo radley]

It is happening tonight. Bet he's glad he's down the other end 2nd half.

 

[Danetheblade]

It's not Long's fault footballers get massive wages, it's not Long's fault we use to be in the top flight.

Granted none of that is longs fault.. but what is his fault is the disgraceful performances he's showing.

 

[Grizzly blade]

It's a disgrace, pure and simple. And his team mates will see for themselves how our fans can be nothing other than scum.
Basically destroying the kid....one of our own players....it's not as if he is doing it on purpose, and in a position to run his balls off to put it right.
I fear that when he really needed the fans to rally for him and encourage him they made it impossible for him to play for the club again.

I hope he goes on to ram it down those fans throats some time in the future.

 

[Sean Thornton]

It's a disgrace, pure and simple. And his team mates will see for themselves how our fans can be nothing other than scum.
Basically destroying the kid....one of our own players....it's not as if he is doing it on purpose, and in a position to run his balls off to put it right.
I fear that when he really needed the fans to rally for him and encourage him they made it impossible for him to play for the club again.

I hope he goes on to ram it down those fans throats some time in the future.

Yep. We have some morons attending BL.

 

[super_pig]

Has anyone used the term "not proper Blades" on this thread? I may have missed it but I don't think they have.

i'm expecting it at some point Sean