The Jonathan Jackson Column

Friday 5 September, 2003

Lost the plot

Nicky Summerbee. Has the bald one finally lost the plot?

He quite openly states that we can't score goals yet leaves the so called goal machine Luke Cornwall either on the bench or on the bus.

He says we don't get crosses over, but allows our right winger to move inside at his own whim and plays left sided players who get nose bleeds when they cross halfway.

Nicky Summerbee.

We'd have more chance of getting the round thing in the onion bag if we signed Nicky Platt. Even Gail Platt would have more of a chance by frightening defenders out of the way.

So we sign Nicky Summerbee.

Diving, cheating, injury feigning. The modern day Eric Gates. Hated at Valley Parade. A man so desperate that he played for free at Leicester, and then still couldn't quite hold down a spot.

Until last week I was a staunch Lawman, but the occasion of me leaving a match early for only the fifth time ever (after Barnsley 3.0 away in 1980 something, Stoke 4.1 at home at Odslum, Grimsby 4.3 at home in 1997 and Man City 2.0 away in the cup - the last one only to get to the car before some gun totting, drug dealing, Moss Side b*st*rd took a fancy to it) I am now inclined to agree that Mr Law may have burnt his contract extension chances.

So he goes out and signs Nicky Summerbee.

We need goals. Nicky Summerbee won't score them. He might get a few crosses in, but whose going to get on the end of them ? Andy Gray isn't the world best header and I don't think he can play Gray and Windass upfront for lack of pace.

Summerbee's theatrics might win free kicks and penalties elsewhere, but wake up and smell the coffee Mr Law. This is Valley Parade. Referees don't give us free kicks. They are more likely to send him off for diving that give us a free kick.

I don't like sacking manager's, but if I paid my employer's money out to someone like Nicky Summerbee in the hope that I would get a full day's work out of them I would probably get sacked for gross misconduct.

Nicky Law needs an experienced and tactically aware assistant if he is going to make something of himself at this club. A coach who can send a team out, at home, to pummel the visitors and win a match rather than sit back and hit them on the break.

He doesn't need another ex Premier League never really has been who is only here for the money.

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