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Oliver Norwood



Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,730
Brighton
Reminds me a little of a higher-class Gary Dicker. Lovely technique, fantastic on the ball if he has a lot of time, occasionally gets caught in possession, gives the ball away attempting over-elaborate passes and not the strongest ball winner.

Very happy for him to be our 4th best CM.
 


Whoislloydy

Well-known member
May 2, 2016
2,445
Vancouver, British Columbia
I personally think with him in the team (in the absence of Kayal) we pose more of an attacking threat.

Away to teams like Blackburn we need to line up without two holding midfielders. I think he makes up for this aspect of his game with great passing accuracy and a decent set piece kicker too.
 




Cheeky Monkey

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2003
22,953
Reminds me a little of a higher-class Gary Dicker. Lovely technique, fantastic on the ball if he has a lot of time, occasionally gets caught in possession, gives the ball away attempting over-elaborate passes and not the strongest ball winner.

Very happy for him to be our 4th best CM.

Talk about damned with faint praise!!! :)
 






Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,730
Brighton
Talk about damned with faint praise!!! :)

I do like him. But I do think that people are slightly overlooking the fact he does give the ball away a hell of a lot - in the Leeds game I'm genuinely confident it was more than the rest of our side put together. In a midfield 3 he usually looks fantastic.

I also very much liked/rated Gary Dicker, despite his faults.
 


Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
49,989
Goldstone
I don't think it's necessarily a question of being 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th choice.

Norwood is a very different player to Sidwell, Stephens and Kayal. I imagine Hughton looks at the opposition, decides what skills we need to beat them and plays the best men for the job.
Yep. He uses a statistical model.
 






Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Please list your best central midfielders from the Championship last season, stopping when you get to Norwood.

How often did you see him play last year? I could only pick other teams players on very few games and most of them would have been against the Albion. I suggest you have a downer on Norwood given your criticism of his TWO fine free kiks on Friday.
 


Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,547
Fiveways
The problem with his free kicks on Friday was that no-one (eg Duffy, for it was he they were designed for) got on the end of them.

That's how I viewed those free kicks too. I take the point made by [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] but am of the view that free kicks should be on target when more central (note, not central), and not from out wide as they were on Friday (I'm happy to be persuaded out of this view). Where I sit, I was very close to directly in line with the trajectory of the ball, and they both looked great live. I've had a look at the highlights on Player, and the first one was perhaps just a tad too high, but the second one was brilliantly hit.
 


Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,575
Back in Sussex
How often did you see him play last year? I could only pick other teams players on very few games and most of them would have been against the Albion. I suggest you have a downer on Norwood given your criticism of his TWO fine free kiks on Friday.

But I haven't got a downer on him. As I've said on this thread - I think he's a good addition to the squad.

Others seem less than impressed with him generally whilst I was only making an observation about two free-kicks.
 




perseus

Broad Blue & White stripe
Jul 5, 2003
23,454
Sūþseaxna
Just who, other than Reading supporters, would put Norwood ahead of the likes of Kayal, Stephens, Barton, Clayton, Judge, Bannan and Lansbury from last season?

When I asked some Reading supporters, they said "not bad but don't let him take the free kicks". They were not dismayed he was transferred.

Live: I groaned at the wasted free kick that got a penalty against Leeds, completely missing the foul which looked innocuous at close range.

Disallowed goal looked good from the same close range. I thought it was dead cert!
 
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stss30

Registered User
Apr 24, 2008
9,545
Would you play him ahead of the other three? I suspect not so the only thing this thread confirms is that our squad is stronger.

I said that in my original post. I think it is widely agreed he is probably our '4th Choice CM'. My point is he is still a very solid player and far better than 4th choice CM's we've had in the past like JFC for example. Plus I think your analysis that he hasn't put in a convincing performance is silly at best especially given the teams we have beaten with him in the side
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,370
West west west Sussex
it was just a comment based on my recollections from his contributions on Friday night. His first free-kick was briefly discussed by those around me in the WSU and how Watto would have been hitting the inside of the far post. Then there was what seemed like a carbon copy later in the first half.

I'm very happy to have Norwood as part of our squad - he's been a very decent addition.

2 free-kicks, no connections, no goals, 2 goal kicks. That's all you need to know..
But it's not though is it?

Your basically attaching the same relevance to Norwood's kicks, on Friday, to those of x amount of frankly woeful dead ball 'specialists', through the AMEX era.
All while wearing the rosiest of rose tinted spectacles.

Norwood was probably no more than 3 inches from either target, twice.
Previously we have sat at Falmer and watched kicks from the exact spot go high into the North Stand or unbelievably out for THROW-INS..

If Norwood could what you expect of him, he wouldn't be playing second division football.
Much the same could be said of the criticism on here that gets leveled at Jiri, Baldock, Tomer, ah who am I kidding, pretty much all of the squad.
 




Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,575
Back in Sussex
But it's not though is it?

Your basically attaching the same relevance to Norwood's kicks, on Friday, to those of x amount of frankly woeful dead ball 'specialists', through the AMEX era.
All while wearing the rosiest of rose tinted spectacles.

Norwood was probably no more than 3 inches from either target, twice.
Previously we have sat at Falmer and watched kicks from the exact spot go high into the North Stand or unbelievably out for THROW-INS..

If Norwood could what you expect of him, he wouldn't be playing second division football.
Much the same could be said of the criticism on here that gets leveled at Jiri, Baldock, Tomer, ah who am I kidding, pretty much all of the squad.

No, no I'm not.

The rest of what you say is irrelevant.
 


Thunder Bolt

Ordinary Supporter
Norwood was probably no more than 3 inches from either target, twice.
Previously we have sat at Falmer and watched kicks from the exact spot go high into the North Stand or unbelievably out for THROW-INS..

If Norwood could what you expect of him, he wouldn't be playing second division football.
Much the same could be said of the criticism on here that gets leveled at Jiri, Baldock, Tomer, ah who am I kidding, pretty much all of the squad.

The first free kick was definitely a lot closer to Duffy's head than three inches. It was more like 1cm above his head. If he hadn't cut his hair, he would've connected with it.
I sit in the north stand and was in line with it.
 


Biscuit Barrel

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2014
2,392
Southwick
It was, I wasn't trying to imply the intention was to curl it to the far post as I and some others were suggesting Norwood should have done. It was a great free kick by Watson but there were plenty of others where he played great balls in for Zamora.

That's right. I think the routine was this:-

1. Paul Watson touches the ball with his hand (this was the signal for Zamora to start his run).
2. Zamora starts his run.
3. Watson curls the ball towards the far post.
4. Zamora buries a header or Zamora misses the ball and it drifts into the far corner of the goal.

So simple, yet so effective. Happy days.
 


perseus

Broad Blue & White stripe
Jul 5, 2003
23,454
Sūþseaxna
I didn't even know who Norwood was until we bought him.

However, how many times were Reading on on live games last season, so we could appreciate him.

It was easy to appreciate Boro, Burnley Us Derby etc midfielders as we were on a bunch of live games and high profile because of the promotion push.

Lowly teams can have very good players that go under our and live tv's radar

I knew because Norwood was getting very good ratings on WhoScored. I paid attention to watching him because of this. I did not see anything that made him stand out from the crowd. Reminded of a non goal scoring midfielder like Bridcutt, not particularly quick, overly right footed but made up for short fallings as an athlete (say compared to Rohan Ince) by being able to read the game. Why I prefer Kayal much better than Bridcutt or Norwood is he has just that little of extra pace which would be needed for the Premier League.

Both Norwood and Pocognoli looked quite good at interceptions at Championship level.

PS: My view is with practice any player worthy of a place can learn to take a half decent free kick, whereas they can't be taught to run that much faster. Or taller to get on the end of free kicks? Norwoods free kicks were not crosses under pressure and nothing special to me.

I'm glad we signed Norwood because insufficient strength in depth cost us in the last two play-offs. If he was as well as Pritchard we are still looking for an attacking midfielder (January?) and then Rohan Ince will go out on loan?

Newcastle might be looking for central midfielders as well. Got Shelvey and Hayden, but then only Colback?
 




drew

Drew
Oct 3, 2006
23,007
Burgess Hill
I said that in my original post. I think it is widely agreed he is probably our '4th Choice CM'. My point is he is still a very solid player and far better than 4th choice CM's we've had in the past like JFC for example. Plus I think your analysis that he hasn't put in a convincing performance is silly at best especially given the teams we have beaten with him in the side

I base it on what I see on the pitch and whenever I've seen him he has misplaced too many passes. He is a good back up but, as you say, he is fourth choice in a midfield of two. We have a stronger squad but I would hate to have to rely on him if those above him got injured.
 


perseus

Broad Blue & White stripe
Jul 5, 2003
23,454
Sūþseaxna
The first free kick was definitely a lot closer to Duffy's head than three inches. It was more like 1cm above his head. If he hadn't cut his hair, he would've connected with it.
I sit in the north stand and was in line with it.

It will still be over eight inches above Baldock, without a ladder.
 



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