Nick Blackman

[janesdaddy]

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day." If Blackman gets the ball often enough and has a go from 35 yards out often enough, he's bound to be lucky once or twice (or three times this pre-season).

The problem, in my mind, is that he doesn't seem to be aware of those around him. He seems to be exclusively focused on how HE can score. If he got the ball 50 times in a season and converted 50% of those chances into goals, he'd be scoring 25 goals and no-one would care that he appears greedy or selfish. Sadly, his conversion rate is nowhere near 50%.

[Lacoste]

There was a thread on a sheff utd forum at the start of the summer. Someone mentioned him as a potential summer target and the response was categorically no.

They didn't rate him when he was there and couldn't believe we spent so much on him.

Says all ypu need to know. Needs to prove himself? Definitely

He is your typical glory boy modern footballer, he thinks he can just strut about trying to look good and trying to take the glory when better players and team mates are in a better position. O could guarantee that if he was a half decent prem player he would be insufferable, I suspect he is already.

Luckily Doyle, kitson, Long, shorey etc knew they had to put in the graft for the rewards their undoubted talents deserved, came.

Sell if any half decent bid comes in.

[CountryRoyal]

He really is an atrocious footballer.

[Ian Royal]

Nobody has mentioned the 'sssh finger' to our fans at Bolton on the first day a couple of years back...

I think he might chip in with a few this season. Seems to be linking up with Fosu well. (No I'm not just basing that on the two goals he's scored in pre-season).

What else is there, unless you have a pass to watch training?

Could it be how they're actually playing and linking up together and not just on the two occasions that Blackman scored?

Yeah, that would be a good answer.

[marcusopp]

i like him, tbh i think he is the most talented footballer at the club, he just hasn't been used properly, build the team around him

I'd agree. For some reason he keeps getting played out wide when he's better central, or at least that what he thinks/ wants.
The problem with being asked to play wide is that you can be out of the game a lot, which most (stupid) fans consider ineffective. A proper winger knows where to position themselves when they're out of the game, Kebe was great at this. I can't remember the game, but McAnuff collected a loose ball in our half and knew exactly where to play it, putting Kebe in (can't remember if he scored or not). The point i'm trying to make is that Kebe was on his toes as soon as McAnuff got the ball whereas Blackman is often on his heels as there's no real understanding among our squad and he doesn't play enough.

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

Some people wanting to see him given a chance after two tap ins and a fluke in pre-season. What's the verdict? I think he's shite. Not only that, he's arrogant, with absolutely nothing to back it up. Could maybe forgive him he put in any kind of effort, but he just seems to wonder around looking disinterested. Might as well sew some pockets into his shorts.

I take BF's point about him being an absolute waste of money, but, you know what, I rather like him.
He takes chances and, for parts of last year, when everybody was playing percentage ball after percentage ball because they were too scared to do anything else; he was the only one brave enough to run 20 yards before skying it into the South stand.
And, really, isnt that what football is really about?

[Hoop Blah]

Not really Dr H no, what football is about is doing the things that help your team win.

That spell when Blackman was taking risks (I can't bring myself to type taking chances in the same sentence as Blackman) was the one I mentioned earlier in the thread when my said he was looking a threat. All that time he supposedly looked a threat he only ever looked to create something for himself and very rarely did he look like he might actually create a chance for someone else and I imagine he was very frustrating to play with or manage.

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

All that time he supposedly looked a threat he only ever looked to create something for himself and very rarely did he look like he might actually create a chance for someone else and I imagine he was very frustrating to play with or manage.

Ceded.
But, you know what, I still liked him.
if youre going to end up 18th (or wherever it was), Id rather we had at least one player who didnt pass it sideways.

[RoyallyFcuked]

I wrote up a piece on Blackman for The Tilehurst End over the weekend - copy & pasted below / available here - http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/201 ... the-debate

Good piece. The bit about where he might come good like Shane Long is a pretty fair assessment as he does show signs that he could become a decent player but, while he does have pace, a good leap and some skill, he's certainly never shown he's a deadly finisher. That's what he needs to become to be worth having, as Long did in 2010/11. Even before that though, I'd say Long had shown a bit more and done a bit more than Blackman has. However as the article also says, he's never really been given a proper chance with a run of starts in the first team in one position. So is it worth the risk giving him this chance? Based on what we've since so far you'd say no, but I hope he proves us wrong.

As I said earlier in the thread he hasn't even justified a £1.2m transfer fee, but its shocking to think that he is our most expensive ever striker, and although we have definitely spent more on Pog overall, unlike with Pog this signing can't entirely be blamed on Zingarevich. At the time AZ was probably holding back and seeing whether we got relegated before he put any money in, so I'd say the signing of Blackman was more of a poor move by McDermott & Co.

What people forget is that we actually played Blackman's Sheff Utd team in the FA Cup 4th Round just before we signed him, (also did the same with Akpan after we played Crawley in the 3rd Round.) I went to the 4th Round game and although Blackman was probably their best player, this was hardly an achievement as he was far from outstanding and Sheff Utd were woeful, they made us look good.

I just found it strange that just off the back of that we thought the best thing to do is buy him? What a way to strengthen a relegation threatened Premier League outfit while sending a message out at the same time. Limited funds yes, but surely we could have spent £1.2m on somone else with potential who had proved a bit more than Blackman

[WAZZOCK]

Whilst I agree his performances in an RFC shirt have flattered to deceive, it does make me laugh when he is given the label of 'arrogant', as he is far from it.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Whilst I agree his performances in an RFC shirt have flattered to deceive, it does make me laugh when he is given the label of 'arrogant', as he is far from it.

Maybe he should stop acting like it then. His goal celebrations and comments in the press suggest he is. If he was a bit more humble and showed a willingness to get stuck in and prove himself, then our fans might have more time for him.

[sandman]

Surely the fact he's in a blue and white shirt should mean our fans have at least a bit of time for him. I think your m8 Gunts is a complete c[u]nt but at 15:00 on a Saturday I support him and his team mates.

[Haag Royal]

Surely the fact he's in a blue and white shirt should mean our fans have at least a bit of time for him. I think your m8 Gunts is a complete c[u]nt but at 15:00 on a Saturday I support him and his team mates.

I agree. But it goes both ways then doesn't it and his attitude to the fans at Derby when he scored that goal showed he didn't give a stuff about the fans. What goes round comes round I'm afraid.

[Ian Royal]

No matter what you think about Gunter or his ability, he's prrformed far better than blackman and clearly works for the team.

Blackmans had chances. He doesn't get indefinite support.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Just feels like every opportunity he has had to engage with the fans, he has said or done something disrespectful or arrogant.

If I knocked some goals in during pre-season following a rather weak season prior, I probably would have gone with

Hopefully I can continue to score once the league is under way, I know I can do it, I just need to prove that to the fans and manager and start paying them back for their support

Not

Fcuk you, yeah? Suck my fcuking dick, yeah? See those goals? That's your mum that is. She can fcuk off and all

Not sure that's going to win too many over. Especially not my mum.

[Z175]

He has got a bit of everything but a lot of players who are like that early in their careers end up with not a lot of anything.

Personally I think his best position is as a striker but is distain for passing to his teammates is terrible. You could accept it from Nicky Forster with his goalscoring record (although he normally preferred to dribble it out of play that pass it to a teammate) but from a player with no goalscoring record like Blackman in a struggling side it looks very contemptous. If I was Clarke I would hold a half way line shooting session in the stadium and put Blackman in the South stand on ball boy duty and make him collect everyone's undoubtably wayward attempts.

[sandman]

On a matchday of course he should get indefinite support.

You want to bitch about him on the net then go ahead, I'm the last person to lecture about that. But at matches, when you're supposed to be supporting him and the whole team, imo you shouldn't be surprised if he gives a bit back if he gets abuse.

Not saying he's right to do it but that I understand why he might feel that way.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Has he actually had that much stick at games though? Never really noticed it myself. But maybe I just can't hear it over my booing.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Has he actually had that much stick at games though? Never really noticed it myself. But maybe I just can't hear it over my booing.

I've only given him stick once and that was because he ducked my coin

[Simon's Church]

SMH @ all you anti-Semitic fcucks

He's a decent player