Nick Blackman

[Bad Prospects]

Great Striker proving some doubters wrong. Probably needed the right management, well done Steve Clarke. Nick is very skillful, quick and a real hard worker.

[Snowball]

8 comments from 80 appearances and not all all gushing with praise either. Describing a miss as not as bad as you originally thought is scraping the barrel somewhat. A "cameo" suggests 5 or 10 minutes off the bench.

Well he WAS getting a lot of cameo appearances.

And, again, the point is I DID praise him and DID say he had promise and DID say he could become a very good player

("while he was shit")

[Snowball]

Good. How many assists did he have before this season?

0.

I think you're a bit out there, Pepe

Assists

5 2015-16
1 2014-15
1 2013-14
8 2012-13
0 2011-12
2 2010-11
1 2009-10

[Woodcote Royal]

Is anyone seriously trying to say that prior to this season Blackman's performance was anything short of overpriced disappointing mediocrity? If so LOL @ rewriting history.

Good performances now don't mean for two and a half years he wasn't poor.

Who is upset he's playing well? No one.

All this shows is that if you're poor you'll get called on it and if you play well you'll make yourself popular. Well dur.

Apart from the fact he never ever did deliver what he was employed to do, all the above applied to Adkins while he was here but with your head firmly up his backside, it all rather washed over you without a "dur" passing your lips............................

[Platypuss]

Try reading ALL the post instead of knee-jerking, desperate to score a point.

[From Despair To Where?]

8 comments from 80 appearances and not all all gushing with praise either. Describing a miss as not as bad as you originally thought is scraping the barrel somewhat. A "cameo" suggests 5 or 10 minutes off the bench.

Well he WAS getting a lot of cameo appearances.

And, again, the point is I DID praise him and DID say he had promise and DID say he could become a very good player

("while he was shit")

I'm sure most posters could trawl their posting history and find similar quotes from themselves about Blackman (yes, even Ian). I'm confident I could and I'm pretty sure they'd be a bit more positive and supportive than "that miss wasn't as bad as I thought".

There are very, very few posters who have been unrelentingly negative towards him. This run of form is long overdue and just because he is now playing well, it doesn't make criticisms of him in the past any less valid.

[From Despair To Where?]

Good. How many assists did he have before this season?

0.

I think you're a bit out there, Pepe

Assists

5 2015-16
1 2014-15
1 2013-14
8 2012-13
0 2011-12
2 2010-11
1 2009-10

He didn't join us until January 2013 so the majority of those are in League 1 or the SPL and you also can't count this season's assists in a discussion of what he's done prior to this season so they are irrelevant to this discussion. I don't have the precise breakdown for season 2012-13 but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's got as many, if not more assists so far this season than he has in the previous 2 two and a half years at the club. That is underachieving.

[Oilroyal]

This debate could go on for as long as some posters will allow. The truth is Nick Blackman has done enough to silence the critics. Also when you consider he's consistently said that he is a striker, not a winger, but a striker he's now backed this up and some!

I would have thought that even the most hardened NB hater would be over the moon in having a 20 goal a year striker and with this shouldn't we be debating or having a poll to ask, "Should we be offering Nick Blackman a new contract".

[Snowball]

He didn't join us until January 2013 so the majority of those are in League 1 or the SPL and you also can't count this season's assists in a discussion of what he's done prior to this season so they are irrelevant to this discussion. I don't have the precise breakdown for season 2012-13 but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's got as many, if not more assists so far this season than he has in the previous 2 two and a half years at the club. That is underachieving.

The question was "How many assists did he have before this season?" NOT "How many assists did he have for Reading before this season?"

The fact he had plenty of goals and assists for other clubs suggests he was poorly used by RFC before this season

[Snowball]

I'm sure most posters could trawl their posting history and find similar quotes from themselves about Blackman (yes, even Ian). I'm confident I could and I'm pretty sure they'd be a bit more positive and supportive than "that miss wasn't as bad as I thought".

There are very, very few posters who have been unrelentingly negative towards him. This run of form is long overdue and just because he is now playing well, it doesn't make criticisms of him in the past any less valid.

You reckon? Go try to find me ever saying he was sh!t.

Of course not every post on him by me is going to say he's Jesus Christ
but I AM on record of saying he will come good as far back as 2013.

Need me to quote you again?

[Ian Royal]

This debate could go on for as long as some posters will allow. The truth is Nick Blackman has done enough to silence the critics. Also when you consider he's consistently said that he is a striker, not a winger, but a striker he's now backed this up and some!

I would have thought that even the most hardened NB hater would be over the moon in having a 20 goal a year striker and with this shouldn't we be debating or having a poll to ask, "Should we be offering Nick Blackman a new contract".

Everyone is delighted. The poll was created before he started turning on the magic.

The only argument here is whether he was always amazing or whether he was consistently not good enough previously. Which is just as open and shut as whether he's playing well now.

It's just snowball's decided to join in again for another of his mental breakdowns.

[Snowball]

The only argument here is whether he was always amazing or whether he was consistently not good enough previously. Which is just as open and shut as whether he's playing well now.

NO, that's not "the only argument"

The argument could just as easily be he was badly mis-used, played
out of position, didn't get a long-run etc.

It is not a proven case that he failed to get enough goals/assists because HE simply wasn't good enough. That MIGHT be the case (if so, why is he suddenly so brilliant?)...

A perfectly reasonable, reasoned argument is that he was

(a) played out of position.
(b) was not given a good enough run
(c) was playing in a system which totally did not suit him
(d) is a confidence player and suffered because the team suffered
(e) he was still maturing and is now a more rounded player
(f) he's the kind of player that blossoms in a good side (like HRK?)


That is, the problem with so many on this board is that they are too simplistic
and love to scapegoat individuals, rarely looking beyond crude personal attacks.

Long, HRK, Blackman, Rosenior etc etc etc

[Oilroyal]

The poll was created before he started turning on the magic.

We all know the poll was created before and during Clarke's rebuild of the squad. But maybe it would make a better read to discuss things looking forward instead of trawling over the mistakes of the previous owners a that clown Adkins.

[Ian Royal]

The poll was created before he started turning on the magic.

We all know the poll was created before and during Clarke's rebuild of the squad. But maybe it would make a better read to discuss things looking forward instead of trawling over the mistakes of the previous owners a that clown Adkins.

I agree. So lets talk about now.

[wingnut]

I'm sure most posters could trawl their posting history and find similar quotes from themselves about Blackman (yes, even Ian). I'm confident I could and I'm pretty sure they'd be a bit more positive and supportive than "that miss wasn't as bad as I thought".

There are very, very few posters who have been unrelentingly negative towards him. This run of form is long overdue and just because he is now playing well, it doesn't make criticisms of him in the past any less valid.

You reckon? Go try to find me ever saying he was sh!t.

Of course not every post on him by me is going to say he's Jesus Christ
but I AM on record of saying he will come good as far back as 2013.

Need me to quote you again?

Try reading the post you've quoted again.

[Oilroyal]

The poll was created before he started turning on the magic.

We all know the poll was created before and during Clarke's rebuild of the squad. But maybe it would make a better read to discuss things looking forward instead of trawling over the mistakes of the previous owners a that clown Adkins.

I agree. So lets talk about now.

Is there really that much to talk about other than agreeing that Blackman was played out of position in an unmotivated team going through hell due to ownership issues? Adkins playing at being a top flight manager talking the talk without the walk. Clarke coming in and having to play Pog to give us a chance of off loading him from the wage bill before his rebuild could really begin. All the while Blackman frustrated but Clarke confirming he was in his plans. This while Clarke last season had to manage "part of the furniture" players and back room staff having far too much influence over the dressing room. I watched as Clarke spent his time last season looking at the squad, running down contracts, spotting the competition's weaknesses in perpetration for promotion during this season. SC's main objective last season was to keep us in the division while the owners steadied our finances. Nick Blackman is and more than likely always has been very much part of this squad and SC plans.

The two things worth discussing now and going forward is when and who will replace Nick Blackman if his form dips and would you offer Blackman a new contract.

[SCIAG]

If anyone deserves credit for having reasonable faith in Blackman, it is winchester_royal: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=121655

[NewCorkSeth]

Its worth noting that he's played a lot of games for us on the wing.

[genome]

Try reading ALL the post instead of knee-jerking, desperate to score a point.

I didn't know you could measure irony in volume units.

[CountryRoyal]

I remember snowball doing this whole "I was right all along" lark with Long.

It's the same as people who put so much time and energy into convincing people they are ITK.

Literally who oxf*rd cares what you said 2 years ago.