--- title: "Is Naismith being undervalued at Norwich?" canonical: "https://readnorwich.com/2016/09/04/is-naismith-being-undervalued-at-norwich/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Daniel Emery" section: "Articles" published: "2016-09-04T13:46:39Z" modified: "2016-09-04T13:46:39Z" --- # Is Naismith being undervalued at Norwich? Over the last two weeks or so I have been seeing so much hate for Steven Naismith from Norwich fans. It started after an anonymous performance against Ipswich and then a poor showing against Birmingham. Most of the hate began to surface after his role in the 3-0 loss to Birmingham last week, which is where I want to start. Not only was Naismith forced to play in an unfamiliar position and against two centre backs who were always going to out strength him in the air, but he was also given no service from the midfield whatsoever. I’d like to see fans berate Wes Hoolahan if Alex Neil put him up front against two 6ft + plus central defenders. I doubt they would, because he’s been at the club for so long. However, Naismith is an easy target. It’s safe to say he under-performed at times last season, which virtually every other player in the squad will admit they did as well. The fact Naismith joined for a joint-club record (at the time) £8.5m fee has just made it easier for fans to get on his back. I’ve genuinely seen fans comparing him to being as big a flop as Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, which is frankly embarrassing to say the least. ![Nathan Stirk/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readnorwich.com/readnorwich/2016/09/586425222.jpg) People who know me well will attest to this – I’m not afraid to point the finger at a player if I don’t think they’re good enough or if I think they are playing well below the standard required. Yet, I like Naismith. He has all the attributes to be a class player, if used correctly. Unfortunately, Alex Neil hasn’t been able to play to his strengths as of yet. One thing that really hit me when Naismith first joined Norwich was his intelligence – his movement on and off the ball really set him apart from the rest of the team. The amount of times last season, and this, where he has made a run and not been picked out is unbelievable. Norwich just don’t seem to have players who can play intelligent passes, other than Wes on his day. With Alex Pritchard still to come into the fold after injury, I am hoping that the ex-Spurs man can be the player to unlock defences and pick out Naismith’s runs (If they play together). Hopefully he can come back into the fray against Cardiff next week. Another part of Naismith’s game I like is his simplicity. Just watch his goal against Liverpool, including the build-up, and admire how simple it is. Graham Dorrans plays the ball into his feet and he lays-off a perfect, yet easy, return pass to continue his plight down the right. Naismith then makes the most simple diagonal run into the box you’ll ever see to race onto a Wes through ball and smash a sublime finish past Simon Mignolet into the far corner. It was beautiful to watch, and so easy on the eye – it all came from simplicity and intelligence. ![Clive Mason/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readnorwich.com/readnorwich/2016/09/506386742.jpg) Unfortunately, we have only been able to see this in full effect once more since – against Blackburn – and this comes down to a lack of intelligence from other players. I feel as though Naismith is missing the perfect foil, as is Wes really. The way they both play is very similar in that they like to pass and move and interchange with other players. However this becomes very hard when you have a forward who doesn’t suit that style of play. So many times last season Wes or Naismith would try to play off Cameron Jerome but it just wouldn’t work. A common theme last season in the Premier League, and this season at time, was that the ball never stuck up front. The ball went up to Jerome and he was easily tackled or it just bounced off his foot. This was because he’s not good with the ball at his feet, his strength is his pace and work-rate. You could see a clear difference when Dieumerci Mbokani played, as the ball stuck far better and the likes of Hoolahan and Naismith became far more involved in the game. In fact, there is a fantastic stat to highlight this – in the two games where Naismith, Hoolahan, Mbokani and Nathan Redmond started (Watford and Liverpool at home) Norwich scored eight goals. Why Neil didn’t start the four of them more often, I’m not sure. Although, it may be worth mentioning that we conceded seven goals in those two games as well. ![Clive Mason/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readnorwich.com/readnorwich/2016/09/506386838.jpg) But back to Naismith. I have seen a lot of abuse for Naismith from fans for misplaced passes and giving the ball away too much, which is odd for a start because he has the joint-second best pass completion of the regular starters. Out of the main starters in the side, Jacob Murphy (90%) is the only player to have a better pass completion % than Naismith (86%). So this delusion that he gives the ball away far too much is based on precious little. In case you’re interested, Cameron Jerome and Robbie Brady have the least %, with 68% and 67% respectively. Stats provided by Squawka. I noticed fans moaning at him for this against Ipswich and Bristol City, but it’s easy to moan when you don’t look at the bigger picture and just focus on the individual pass. So many times Naismith played a clever lay-off or flick-on anticipating a run or clever movement from our striker, but Jerome was never on the same wavelength. We need a striker who has footballing intelligence and can join in with the build-up play and anticipate Naismith and Wes’ movement and passes. I am praying that Nelson Oliveira is just the man for this. Oliveira has been schooled in the Benfica academy, so he should be well versed in modern-day footballing movement and build-up play – rather than just running aimlessly around the pitch hoping for the best. So, wait until Naismith begins to play with Oliveira and notice the difference when he plays alongside a forward who can appreciate his intelligence and ability before calling him rubbish. When this happens, we will see the best out of Naismith and he will rock this league – mark my words! In conclusion, is Naismith being undervalued at Norwich? Yes. We need to give him the support he needs, in the form of a good striker (hopefully Oliveira is), and he will perform. On The Ball City!