Oliver Norwood is joking when he talks about his midfield tussle with Manuel Neuer. Well, he is half-joking anyway.
But Albion’s latest signing hopes the experiences gained over the summer in France can pay off in the Championship.
He would love to have a few more major occasions to tackle as the Seagulls chase a place in the top flight.
Norwood comes from Burnley and attended St Theodore, the school with a strong sporting reputation which produced footballer Chris Casper and England bowler Jimmy Anderson.
But his grandparents come from across the water, which has allowed him to forge an international career with Northern Ireland.*All of which explains his presence in the thick of it as the province tackled Euro 2016.
Norwood played the full 270 minutes of the group games against Poland, Ukraine and Germany.*He started the second round tie with Wales before making way on 79 minutes as the men in green chased an equaliser.
All of that happened as a Reading player. But a whirlwind move on Wednesday and Thursday changed all that.
He said: “The summer was incredible. It was kind of like an out-of-body experience. It was surreal.*It was very exciting, playing in the big games and on big occasions.
“Hopefully with Brighton we will have those big games and big occasions and I can draw on my experience from the summer.”
He joked: “You can tell I’m not from Northern Ireland from my accent!*It’s all through my grandparents, who are from Belfast.
“My grandad is a very proud man after what we achieved in the summer.*The whole thing was on another level.
“The game against Germany was something else – to play against Ozil, Tony Kroos, Kedhira, Gomez, Muller, Gotze.
“Neuer was playing like a central midfielder against us, they kept the ball off us that much!
“But just to go and play and experience something like that was special. I want more of that now.”
Norwood’s Euro adventure lasted a few more days than that of his new team-mate Jiri Skalak, who played about an hour with the Czech Republic as they went out in the group stage.*He has had a good break since then – but not too much of a lay-off.
“It is an opportunity I grab with both hands and I can’t wait to get going now.*I played 65 games last year. I’m fit.
“It all moved very quickly. I heard about it on Wednesday and it was tied up by Thursday evening.”
Norwood revealed in The Argus yesterday that he had taken note of Tony Bloom’s tenacity to keep his best players when he weighed up a move south.
Article continues after...[h=3]More Articles[/h]
That was taken by some sources in Berkshire as a dig at the club he was leaving.
Reading boss Jaap Stam was not amused by recent events.
Stam said yesterday: “Oli wanted to go. I said I didn’t want him to leave, I told the club. It’s a shame.
“He made up his mind and the club decided to sell. As a manager what can you do?*Players, together with their agents, can make things very difficult for a club.”
Norwood, who could face his previous club as early as August 20, cited “the ambition of the football club” as a reason for his move.
He added: “I played 44 games in the league last year.
“I played 65 games altogether including 14 internationals. I only missed two games for Reading last season but it was a disappointing campaign, it really was, from how we started and how we finished.
“I have nothing but really good things to stay about Reading.*I really enjoyed my time there but this opportunity arose.
“I only had a year left there. It’s about stability.*I wasn’t offered a new contract but I was offered the opportunity to join Brighton.”
Original article
But Albion’s latest signing hopes the experiences gained over the summer in France can pay off in the Championship.
He would love to have a few more major occasions to tackle as the Seagulls chase a place in the top flight.
Norwood comes from Burnley and attended St Theodore, the school with a strong sporting reputation which produced footballer Chris Casper and England bowler Jimmy Anderson.
But his grandparents come from across the water, which has allowed him to forge an international career with Northern Ireland.*All of which explains his presence in the thick of it as the province tackled Euro 2016.
Norwood played the full 270 minutes of the group games against Poland, Ukraine and Germany.*He started the second round tie with Wales before making way on 79 minutes as the men in green chased an equaliser.
All of that happened as a Reading player. But a whirlwind move on Wednesday and Thursday changed all that.
He said: “The summer was incredible. It was kind of like an out-of-body experience. It was surreal.*It was very exciting, playing in the big games and on big occasions.
“Hopefully with Brighton we will have those big games and big occasions and I can draw on my experience from the summer.”
He joked: “You can tell I’m not from Northern Ireland from my accent!*It’s all through my grandparents, who are from Belfast.
“My grandad is a very proud man after what we achieved in the summer.*The whole thing was on another level.
“The game against Germany was something else – to play against Ozil, Tony Kroos, Kedhira, Gomez, Muller, Gotze.
“Neuer was playing like a central midfielder against us, they kept the ball off us that much!
“But just to go and play and experience something like that was special. I want more of that now.”
Norwood’s Euro adventure lasted a few more days than that of his new team-mate Jiri Skalak, who played about an hour with the Czech Republic as they went out in the group stage.*He has had a good break since then – but not too much of a lay-off.
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“It is an opportunity I grab with both hands and I can’t wait to get going now.*I played 65 games last year. I’m fit.
“It all moved very quickly. I heard about it on Wednesday and it was tied up by Thursday evening.”
Norwood revealed in The Argus yesterday that he had taken note of Tony Bloom’s tenacity to keep his best players when he weighed up a move south.
Article continues after...[h=3]More Articles[/h]
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[h=5]If anyone knows Albion can recover from heartbreak, it's Derby boss Pearson[/h]
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[h=5]Why starting the new season will be a welcome release for Albion[/h]
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[h=5]Rosenior: Treat every game like a decider[/h]
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[h=5]Comment: Believe - this could be a big season[/h]
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[h=5]Anthony's chance to knock Nigel on opening day of the season[/h]
That was taken by some sources in Berkshire as a dig at the club he was leaving.
Reading boss Jaap Stam was not amused by recent events.
Stam said yesterday: “Oli wanted to go. I said I didn’t want him to leave, I told the club. It’s a shame.
“He made up his mind and the club decided to sell. As a manager what can you do?*Players, together with their agents, can make things very difficult for a club.”
Norwood, who could face his previous club as early as August 20, cited “the ambition of the football club” as a reason for his move.
He added: “I played 44 games in the league last year.
“I played 65 games altogether including 14 internationals. I only missed two games for Reading last season but it was a disappointing campaign, it really was, from how we started and how we finished.
“I have nothing but really good things to stay about Reading.*I really enjoyed my time there but this opportunity arose.
“I only had a year left there. It’s about stability.*I wasn’t offered a new contract but I was offered the opportunity to join Brighton.”
Original article