Sam McCallum - Did we use him correctly?

[spencer 1970 214]

Games for Norwich 50 + Goals 1 

Games for Sheff UTD 2 (*both as Sub) + Goals 1

*(he'd played 40 minutes to get his 1st goal. 

Still a bit gutted to see him leave, especially for nothing.

[Duncan Edwards 2,424]

I always wondered if he could have done a job at CDM. 

[vlad666 207]

38 minutes ago, Duncan Edwards said:

I always wondered if he could have done a job at CDM. 

That role is reserved for steven whittaker

[TheGoogler 604]

As said in the match thread, I like him. I think there's a decent player. There is some suggestion he turned us down, but I also think he's a player who does have his weaknesses. I'm also generally impressed with Ben (is it Ben? I forget!) Chrisene, who seems a more rounded player from the first impressions formed. 

So - like many things - positives and negatives. 

[Iwans Big Toe 382]

1 hour ago, Duncan Edwards said:

I always wondered if he could have done a job at CDM. 

TBF (and I know it's only 45 minutes) Ben Slimane looks like he could be the midfield enforcer we have been missing since Tettey retired.

 

 

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 4,627]

1 hour ago, spencer 1970 said:

Games for Norwich 50 + Goals 1 

Games for Sheff UTD 2 (*both as Sub) + Goals 1

*(he'd played 40 minutes to get his 1st goal. 

Still a bit gutted to see him leave, especially for nothing.

I think that's what's known as a small sample size.

I mean, he's scoring goals at a rate of one every 53 minutes. If he maintains this rate, he'll be rivalling Dixie Dean's record of 60 goals in a season. 

For what it's worth though, he's defensively suspect but a threat going forwards. I think he'd make a good wing back, but we never used a three-at-the-back system when he was here, although Wagner's use of full backs was basically using wing backs in a back four.

[DraytonBoy 251]

McCallum always offered something going forward but was suspect as a defender, it will be interesting to see how he's used by Wilder as you'd think Burrows who they bought from Peterborough will be first choice LB.

[Mr.Carrow 394]

I'm always suspicious of players who start looking really good as their contract runs down. McCallum is in that category. 

[Branston Pickle 4,150]

Afaik we offered him a contract and he left, so it’s not about us releasing him.  He was ok, nothing much more, and isn’t first choice there so I guess we will see how he fares.

[A Load of Squit 6,260]

What left side we've would've had, Sam & Bali Mumba. 

I expect every manager in the Championship would have to spend weeks drilling their team to stop the threat they'd pose.

[BobLoz3 610]

I liked McCallum but when he did push up he often left gaping holes in his position which were regularly exploited. 

He wasn't particularly quick getting back and that used to be a frustration for me. 

Probs the same for the manager too, who didn't play him regularly at all. 

Also, I note, he's not starting at Sheff either. 

[Capt. Pants 5,014]

One assumes McCallum was instructed to pushup. The fact he wasn't particularly quick, or fit enough to do double sprints to cover himself was not necessarily his fault.

He does look quicker than Doyle though, and Chrisene is not exactly rapid either. 

Still too early to decide if we solved our defensive frailty.

[Paul101 191]

12 hours ago, vlad666 said:

That role is reserved for steven whittaker

stats wise still better than his partner in crime on the left at the time 

[Paul101 191]

1 hour ago, Capt. Pants said:

One assumes McCallum was instructed to pushup. The fact he wasn't particularly quick, or fit enough to do double sprints to cover himself was not necessarily his fault.

He does look quicker than Doyle though, and Chrisene is not exactly rapid either. 

Still too early to decide if we solved our defensive frailty.

he was good going forward but really back at tracking back under every manager 

you could guarantee he would lose his man badly at least once per game  

[Worthy Nigelton 1,306]

Bog standard championship left back in my book.

He's no Bowen/Drury/Lewis that's for sure.

[Robert N. LiM 6,301]

1 hour ago, Worthy Nigelton said:

He's no Bowen/Drury/Lewis that's for sure.

Miles behind Dimi for me. Will be very surprised if we regret him leaving.

[BobLoz3 610]

On 14/09/2024 at 09:22, Capt. Pants said:

One assumes McCallum was instructed to pushup. The fact he wasn't particularly quick, or fit enough to do double sprints to cover himself was not necessarily his fault.

He does look quicker than Doyle though, and Chrisene is not exactly rapid either. 

Still too early to decide if we solved our defensive frailty.

Doyle is a CB for me who just so happened to play at LB for Leicester last year. He's much more comfortable at CB

[JonnyJonnyRowe 975]

On 14/09/2024 at 10:58, Worthy Nigelton said:

Bog standard championship left back in my book.

He's no Bowen/Drury/Lewis that's for sure.

Bowen was quite possibly one of our best ever players, I can remember one of his teammates saying he was so good that he could have played any position on the pitch and looked like a natural. Can't remember who said that now.

But Lewis is quite possibly most over rated player I think I can remember at Norwich.

Lost his place in our side for a substantial period of time in our Prem season under Farke, and then we turned him into £15m. Was a remarkable price. Newcastle fans don't rate him, Watford fans don't rate him, last season on loan at Watford (where he also lost his place in the side for a period) he showed that he was nothing more than a bog standard Championship left back either.

I'd choose McCallum over Lewis. 

Edited September 17 by JonnyJonnyRowe

[Lazza 63]

On 13/09/2024 at 21:44, spencer 1970 said:

Games for Norwich 50 + Goals 1 

Games for Sheff UTD 2 (*both as Sub) + Goals 1

*(he'd played 40 minutes to get his 1st goal. 

Still a bit gutted to see him leave, especially for nothing.

Hard to get anything from such limited stats. 2 games for SU means nothing.

On that basis, Wolfie should have been a worldie for us as after 1 game he had 1 goal. That's a goal per game.

[Barham Blitz 869]

It wasn't so much that McCallum was bad at tracking back as that he seemed genuinely uninterested in doing so.  He seemed to jog back every time, either oblivious to or not bothered by the gaping holes he left.

A cynic might suggest he was more interested in generating a highlights reel of his attacking prowess.  Either that or he was just not fit enough to perform the role as Wagner seemed to require.  Which admittedly was ridiculously demanding.

He is a decent player at this level - but replaceable.

[Commonsense 802]

10 hours ago, JonnyJonnyRowe said:

Bowen was quite possibly one of our best ever players, I can remember one of his teammates saying he was so good that he could have played any position on the pitch and looked like a natural. Can't remember who said that now.

But Lewis is quite possibly most over rated player I think I can remember at Norwich.

Lost his place in our side for a substantial period of time in our Prem season under Farke, and then we turned him into £15m. Was a remarkable price. Newcastle fans don't rate him, Watford fans don't rate him, last season on loan at Watford (where he also lost his place in the side for a period) he showed that he was nothing more than a bog standard Championship left back either.

I'd choose McCallum over Lewis. 

I totally and utterly disagree. Lewis was an integral part of Farke’s really exciting championship winning team and was in the championship team of the season. In the season you are talking about he made 28 appearances for Norwich, out of a total of 92 in 3 years. Before he went to Newcastle, we turned down a bid of £10 million from Liverpool, so presumably you were right and their scouts were wrong. 
McCallum on the other hand was bang average. He had the odd decent game but that was it. Even this post showing he scored a goal for Sheff Utd, glosses over the point that they haven’t actually started him in a game yet!

[JonnyJonnyRowe 975]

1 hour ago, Commonsense said:

I totally and utterly disagree. Lewis was an integral part of Farke’s really exciting championship winning team and was in the championship team of the season. In the season you are talking about he made 28 appearances for Norwich, out of a total of 92 in 3 years. Before he went to Newcastle, we turned down a bid of £10 million from Liverpool, so presumably you were right and their scouts were wrong. 
McCallum on the other hand was bang average. He had the odd decent game but that was it. Even this post showing he scored a goal for Sheff Utd, glosses over the point that they haven’t actually started him in a game yet!

Onel Hernandez was an integral part of Farke's really exciting championship winning team, doesn't mean he's a Premier League player.

When I suggested on here (half seriously) that we could try and sign Jamal Lewis on loan this summer, with a view to a freebie next summer, when we had no left backs at all, that suggestion went down like a lead balloon and nobody wanted him. If he was that good, then why was that?

I always sensed that he was largely appreciated by Norwich fans because his breakthrough enabled us to ditch the utterly inept James Husband. I do take your point about the PFA Championship team of the season, perhaps Newcastle was just a bad move for him. 

As it happens, I wouldn't have been disappointed if we had signed Jamal Lewis, considering the level we are playing at and our current status as a transition team, but I think he'd have remained firmly a player that we'd need to upgrade if we got promoted.

[Worthy Nigelton 1,306]

13 hours ago, JonnyJonnyRowe said:

Bowen was quite possibly one of our best ever players, I can remember one of his teammates saying he was so good that he could have played any position on the pitch and looked like a natural. Can't remember who said that now.

But Lewis is quite possibly most over rated player I think I can remember at Norwich.

Lost his place in our side for a substantial period of time in our Prem season under Farke, and then we turned him into £15m. Was a remarkable price. Newcastle fans don't rate him, Watford fans don't rate him, last season on loan at Watford (where he also lost his place in the side for a period) he showed that he was nothing more than a bog standard Championship left back either.

I'd choose McCallum over Lewis. 

Yes Lewis's time post-us has been underwhelming but for us he was superb. Everything you want from a modern full back. 

[Commonsense 802]

24 minutes ago, JonnyJonnyRowe said:

Onel Hernandez was an integral part of Farke's really exciting championship winning team, doesn't mean he's a Premier League player.

When I suggested on here (half seriously) that we could try and sign Jamal Lewis on loan this summer, with a view to a freebie next summer, when we had no left backs at all, that suggestion went down like a lead balloon and nobody wanted him. If he was that good, then why was that?

I always sensed that he was largely appreciated by Norwich fans because his breakthrough enabled us to ditch the utterly inept James Husband. I do take your point about the PFA Championship team of the season, perhaps Newcastle was just a bad move for him. 

As it happens, I wouldn't have been disappointed if we had signed Jamal Lewis, considering the level we are playing at and our current status as a transition team, but I think he'd have remained firmly a player that we'd need to upgrade if we got promoted.

I don’t recall us receiving £10 million+ bids for Onel!