Norwood.

I’m confident he’s been brought in as a goalscorer & more a player to get goals off the bench when we need them.

Like many goal scorers he’s not as technically good as some of his team mates, you can see that from the passing drills pre-game but you can also see the types of goals he scores on you tube & we need a forward like that.

I don’t think he looks that slow either. I watched him chase the keeper & defender down & he was motoring. It’s more his stamina I’d be concerned about.

 

Norwood's played the sum total of 181 minutes for us so far, similar to a lot of the other new signings. Far too early to judge, particularly as he's still getting up to fitness. Even if he doesn't work out it was a pretty low risk signing (on a one year contract if I recall correctly?) given his goals record and the experience he can bring to a dressing room of youngsters.

The main issue for me is that for the 4 guys we've used up front so far, Cole, Norwood, Aitchison and Marsh, none of them are the ideal partner for each other, emphasising again the pressing need for further recruits which I hope we are well on the way with.

At the end of the day you can never have enough good forwards, particularly in a 5 subs world.

 

I'm convinced I watched a different Ronnie Glavin to other folk (Conor Hourihane, too, actually). There's no doubt God had a slow start to his Barnsley career. So much so, that he was dropped for our away game at Sheffield United in September, which we lost 2-0. However, he came back into the team the following Wednesday at Blackburn Rovers. We won 1-0, Ronnie scored the goal and was MOTM by a country mile. He retained his place for the 2-1 home win over Millwall on the Saturday and never looked back. He was outstanding for the rest of the season and an absolute joy to watch. Easily the best player I've ever seen for Barnsley from that September game at Blackburn onwards.

 

If memory serves me right Glavin was pretty average for his first 3 or 4 games but had been asked to play a role that involved tracking back to defend. He explained to Clarkie that he was wasted that way and convinced him to give him a more attacking free role. The rest is history. Agree that he's easily the best player I've ever seen in a red shirt and probably always will be.

 

Your memory serves you right, old mate.

 

I remember Glavin coming on the pitch at Lincoln and a bloke near me said who's that fat b.The game where Glavin was told to stop going forward was at Chesterfield where Clarky and Glavin didn't see eye to eye on what role he was playing.After that like most have said Ronnie Glavin went on to be the greatest reds player I've ever seen.The younger fans who saw Redfearn and Hignett may disagree but I can assure you Sir Ronnie in full flow was a joy to behold.

 

Get him oiled up.

 

Yes , exactly this

23 goals in his first season

 

No

 

Yeah I know, it was Thomas.....

 

He also had no idea how to play as a complete central midfielder and made us weak as piss through the middle. He was scoring but we were losing. He wasn’t playing as a ‘10’, he was playing central midfield.

An example: He scored two goals in a home game against mk dons, and created a third for Devante Cole from a corner. Two goals and an assist? Worldy…

The only issue was we were already 5-0 down before any of that happened and until he scored had been a passenger, or actually, more like a liability. (We were shocking that day generally and I’m not singling Hourihane out on his own, but it is a perfect example of why his goalscoring record can be used to hide his early deficiencies).

He needed to learn, become more effective all round. He was scoring a lot but this was probably because he was reckless in his play at times, committing forward too often. He probably cost as many as he scored. But he was coached on, he learned, and improved a hell of a lot.

Nobody would argue the player we sold wasn’t a heck of a lot better than the one we bought - though his goal scoring record was statistically best in his first season.

 

I also recall Conor being the only worthwhile creative player in that 2014/15 season. We had players in midfield not creating chances nor scoring goals in that team, yet Conor was the one receiving criticism, not them. The Conor we sold to Aston Villa was a much better player than the one we signed from Plymouth. But to accuse him of not contributing, or being a poor player, being personally at fault for more goals we conceded than he scored or created for others in our team is simply wrong, in my opinion.

 

He was let down by Luke Berry, Keith Treacy and James Bailey. Luke Berry was too young (nothing more than a rabbit in the headlights at times). However, James Bailey had been there and done it as had Keith Treacy. I thought Jennings started well but he had is fitness issues.

In any case. The team badly under performed that year given the signings we made.

 

And mine. He wasn't the complete player when we signed him, but it was a hell of a base to build from and he performed very well from the off. That others around him weren't nearly as good wasn't his fault.

 

He could take a few cues off the last couple of No. 9s we've played. Both were niggly little buggers, constantly moaning at the Ref.

 

Like Norwood. looks off the pace at moment bt getting better. most important is the experience and sh*tehouse tactics that he's starting to show..left most of the defenders on the floor Tuesday and forced them to use 2/3 players to keep him out...

 

a bit premature with the judgement methinks

 

He's also laid a few perfectly weighted passes off which tends to go unnoticed.
I'd say Norwood will be the least of our worries once he's settled in the team.

 

I remember walking out after one home game and this bloke said I don't know why we've signed that Glavin, he's rubbish....

 

Now might be a good time to remember Ray McHale. What a player IMO. Got dogs abuse.