Sheffield United: Oliver Norwood on Manchester United, Paul Scholes, Stuart McCall and being a midfielder
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Despite the fashion for powerhouses, players who could run for miles and bludgeon past opponents, football remains a game for artists rather than athletes.
“I used to study Paul all the time,” Norwood tells The Star, reflecting upon his days as a trainee and young professional at Carrington; his former club’s training complex. “I’ve never been able to run fast and I’ve never been that physical, because let’s face it, I’m not the biggest bloke out there. So the big thing for me, growing up as I came through the ranks, was watching Scholesy. His positioning, his technique and his awareness were second to none. For me, he was the perfect role model.”
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Norwood never quite made it with the 20-time English champions. But Sir Alex Ferguson’s hunch he would make a name for himself elsewhere proved to be correct, to no one’s great surprise given the great man’s knowledge and insight. Now in his fifth season with Sheffield United, the club he joined following spells with Huddersfield Town, Reading, Fulham and most recently Brighton and Hove Albion, Norwood enters tomorrow’s game against Swansea City chasing a fourth career promotion.
Slight of build and small in stature, despite supposedly measuring five feet 11 inches tall, the Burnley born midfielder’s technique and passing repertoire have led to him being described as ‘the conductor’ of a squad which travels to south Wales a point clear at the top of the Championship table after winning five of its eight outings so far this term. Scholes’ influence, it quickly becomes apparent as he describes how his playing style developed, still looms large.
“Listen, I’m not saying I’m on his level or anywhere near it because I’m not,” Norwood continues. “But all those mornings standing there at the side of the pitch watching Scholsey do what he did, that really made it obvious for me that you didn’t just have to use brute force. That there was another way available as well.
“You learn to use your attributes don’t you. I’ve got a streak in me, because of where I’m from. But I’m never going to power someone like Sander (Berge) here off the ball am I. So, the minute you recognise that, it becomes about doing other things. How can I get to the ball first? How can I make myself available to receive it? Where do I move it on to? Those were all things Scholsey was brilliant at and I spoke to him a lot about it back then. He was great with all the youngsters, giving us those little bits of advice.”
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Hide AdNorwood recognises there are still times when he needs to put the boot in. “I’ll never shy away from a tackle. It’s a Northern thing. And my old youth team coach at Old Trafford, Warren Joyce, well, he’d hook you if you ever pulled out of one.” But, for the most part, he relies on intelligence. Something, with manager Paul Heckingbottom handing Stuart McCall special responsibility for tutoring Bramall Lane’s midfielders, he continues to have almost unparalleled access to. The 44-year-old’s assistant amassed nearly 1000 appearances for the likes of Scotland, Rangers, Everton and of course United before returning to South Yorkshire in November following Heckingbottom’s appointment.
“He’s brilliant Macca. You can tell he played more than 900 games with the way he walks. But seriously, we’re fortunate to have him.
“He was a top drawer player and had a great career as a coach too. Look at the titles he won with Rangers. He got to an FA Cup final with Everton. Why would you not listen to him? He’s always talking to me and he told me, in his older days, that he ended up being a holding midfielder. I’m still learning and I’m learning so much from him. He’s teaching me so many things.”
The subjects on McCall’s curriculum, Norwood explains, include areas of maximum opportunity on the pitch.
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Hide Ad“It’s all about positioning really. Where to be and when to be then. Then, where to go next. When we play, we commit a lot of bodies forward. So he shows us the good bits of our games and also the bad bits. Plus, having been here before, he knows what the fans of this club want to see inside out. Better than most. He’s a brilliant mentor for us. We’re fortunate to have him.”
Out of contract this summer, Norwood, aged 31, is relaxed about what the long term future holds. “The club will tell me if they want me. I’ve been around long enough to know that and they’re aware of what I’d like to do.” Instead, for the next eight months or so, he plans to focus on trying to help United regain the top-flight status they surrendered before Heckingbottom took charge on a permanent basis. A member of the team his predecessor Chris Wilder took up in 2019, having also achieved promotions at both Craven Cottage and the AMEX Stadium, Norwood insists the side Heckingbottom has constructed possesses many of the same traits.
“Honesty and hard work, they’re the biggest things in football, no matter what anyone else will tell you or thinks. Players who have been there, seen it and done it. Players who are robust and available to perform. It’s still early days and you learn never to take anything for granted. But what I’m seeing now, well, it’s really encouraging.”