westcoastcanary

From the clip I saw the trajectory was a slight curve, starting rightwards then curving leftwards into the net. That would add a bit extra to the distance travelled.What we can say for certain is that Bialkowski travelled nowhere at 0 mph :-)

Out for 4 weeks with a hamstring injury according to the BBC. Chris Martin still out too.

Alex Neil spoke last night on R5L''s Monday Night Club. A very low key question and answer few minutes during which Chapman, Motson, Claridge and Barton appeared at a loss as to what to say to him. The most interesting comment from AN was that, usually when a new manager is appointed it is because there are some serious legacy issues and problems he is required to sort out. This is what he expected to find, but when he actually arrived he found nothing of the sort. He found a strong, well-balanced, receptive squad, in good shape and with a good spirit. Even allowing for a bit of not washing any linen in public, it amounted to a quiet tribute to his predecessor (and the board). You only have to look at Cardiff, Fulham and the likes of Wigan and others, to realise how true that is.

[quote user="TCCANARY"][quote user="Lessingham Canary"]should have been relaid last summer and wasn''t, not sure reason for not doing it, once players had warmed up it looked very poor.[/quote]  It''s because "We got no cash" - (Newton 2014/15) [/quote] Even a stopped clock tells the correct time twice a day........... Given that the club''s income has roughly halved from last season, I''d say spending a bit less on the pitch (if that is the reason) has been a sound decision. I doubt if anyone seriously thinks our promotion prospects have suffered.

[quote user="Branston Pickle"]We just need to concentrate on our own game - after winning the three big games last week it would be ''classic'' for us to underperform on Wednesday, but ought to win well. I can''t believe AN will let the standards drop, but wigan are a potential banana skin, and we''ve all seen it happen before[/quote]Exactly.(BP''s quote is from the Midweek Games thread)

The players won''t need reminding of the importance of every game. The question is how they (maybe unconsciously) view playing e.g. Wigan as opposed to Derby.

The next two games will tell us the true extent of AN''s effect on the mentality of the team. Winners don''t drop points to bottom of the table strugglers.

[quote user="shefcanary"]Just read Mick''s observations on us. I think he tried hard not big us up, focussing on the league position rather than us, but he couldn''t stop himself from referring to out "better" squad. So he might not have been playing mind games, but clearly he is rattled by our "better" position. Initial advantage to Alex.[/quote]"Rattled"? No, hoping to inject an element of complacency into City minds.

When I saw the title I thought it must be a thread about Jerome, Grabban and Hooper all putting balls in the Ipswich net.

[quote user="unique"]The evidence so far suggests that Alex Neil would relish the opportunity to pit his considerable wits against the so-called ''big boys''. For all the reputation of the PL, there is now only Chelsea and Man City that could be deemed ''streets ahead''. All the other teams can be vulnerable on any given day, and the ease with which Southampton and Swansea have established themselves in recent times gives optimism to any promoted side.[/quote]Ease? You''re joking of course. What I''d like to see is introduction of a two-division Premier League with 18 teams in each division. This would distribute the PL wealth more widely, and accelerate the improvement of teams in the lower of the two divisions. It would also stop such a big proportion of TV money simply going to continuously boost player wages in the top clubs.

[quote user="NCFCgardener"]Its the games between the top 7/8 clubs between now and the end of the season that are going to make or break us. Its so tight at the top at the moment, one defeat and results go against us elsewhere and we drop out of the top 6 again. Just look at Bournemouth, they were looking unstoppable not long ago and a couple of defeats and they are sitting on the same pts as city. So, while Im feeling positive, there is still a long way to go. 1 game as a time. Slap the Scum.[/quote]Outside the top 7/8, the New Forest, are unbeaten so far under Dougie F; only Derby and B''mouth among the promotion contenders don''t still have to play them. Then there are traditional banana skins lying in each club''s path, such as, for us, Fulham.

I can''t believe how many people on here seem to have forgotten the misery that is the Premier League. I''m depressed by the idea that we might have to face all that again next season. The Championship has been such a breath of fresh air, a real competition in which, as a City fan, you can head for a match filled with excitement and anticipation rather than resignation and dread. Bringing Alex Neil in has been a huge mistake. I blame Delia for everything, including appointing McNally of all people. Sack McNally and bring back Doomcaster for God''s sake, even if the compensation payments mean we have to take on external debt.

[quote user="TomMoore"]There still seems to be a failure to grasp the implications of teams having to play each other. It is not about teams having to drop points. It is about the absolute certainty that they will drop pointsDerby v M''boroWolves v DerbyDerby vWatford Derby v BrentfordM''Boro v IpswichB''mouth v M''BoroWatford v M''BoroM''Boro v WolvesIpswich v BrentfordWatford v IpswichIpswich v  BournemouthWolves v IpswichWatford v WolvesWe only have the two games, against Derby and M''Boro. On how we are currently playing I cannot see us not being able to beat them. The focus now is not on other clubs having to drop points. They cannot stop that happening as the above fixtures show. It is about whether we have the drive and determination to consistently grind out results. It is in our hands now.Begin to believe.[/quote]OK, let''s say Derby and Boro LOSE all five of those crunch games (including against us). They still have 24 points available to them which would take them to 89 and 87 respectively. To match that we have to garner at least 28 points from our remaining matches, averaging over 2 points per game. That''s 9 wins and a draw out of 13 games. Yes, we are capable of that, but if Derby and Boro DON''T lose ALL those crunch games, we have to garner correspondingly more points. Rather than us failing to grasp the implications of teams having to play each other, I''d say you are over-estimating them.

[quote user="Jim Smith"]I think we have a good chance of the top 2 now if we can beat Derby and Forest at home. That said it must not be forgotten that our iffy spell in the middle of the season has basically given us very little margin for error over the remaining fixtures, especially if the others up the top keep winning as they have been. March is a big, big month. I think all concerned have 7 or 8 games and several of our rivals play each other whilst after this Saturday we are through what looked like a very tricky run and (Derby aside) have some winnable looking fixtures with 4 of the next 6 at home. This is when we really need to make (or continue) our move because there are not many clashes between the top 6 in the last month or so of the season and the polarised nature of the league this season means that there are going to be quite a few teams with nothing to play for so its quite probably that the top 6 will all continue to win a high proportion of their games.[/quote]What''s "a good chance" Jim? We have a chance of a top two finish certainly, but a GOOD chance? Looking at OddsChecker, we are only fourth favourites for promotion as such, never mind automatic and we are still below evens money, though only just. On that basis we have a better chance than Ipswich, Watford, Brentford and Wolves, but a less good chance than Derby, Boro or Bournemouth. I''d say that was about right. I think those who say we are now odds on for a top two finish are over-egging it.

Here is an illustration of the current situation (with 13 games or 39 points to go)Two assumptions:1. 85 points minimum will be needed this season to secure automatic promotion (see Ian Clarke''s recent Pink Un blog)2. Bournemouth will beat Forest tonight (if they draw they will be level with Ipswich, if they lose level with us and Watford) Teams     Points needed   Can afford to drop       IE. to lose AND drawDerby           20                           19                                6               1Midd''bro      22                            17                               5               2Bournem       23                           16                                5               1Ipswich         25                           14                                4               2                             Norwich       26                            13                               4               1Watford        26                           13                               4                1Brentford      27                            12                              4                0In other words, the current top two have quite a cushion. They can afford to drop points against others in this group, including ourselves, and still finish ahead of us.

[quote user="CANARYKING"][quote user="daz"][quote user="Jarders"]Hoping Johnson can keep a cool head today and not make any rash challenges as id like to see him start against Ipswich and one more yellow will prevent that.[/quote] johnsons fine... :O) Michael Bailey @michaeljbailey · 2 hrs 2 hours ago For those asking, Tettey is one yellow from a ban (9); Johnson has 8 ahead of tonight''s game so will be available Sunday unless he sees red.[/quote] Official NCFC stats have them both on nine yellows, just checked[/quote]I''ve checked on the official FA web page and Michael Bailey is correct. Only Tettey is listed as one caution away from suspension.

[quote user="TomMoore"]It was not aimed as an insult. LDC chose to see it as such. My comment was in reply to this rather absurd over reaction to my suggest of what my view of the team''s progress might be.[/quote]Personally I don''t see what interest there is in being told what this or that poster expects, or hopes for, or how ambitious he/she is for the club. Posts like that put an irrelevant personal slant on a topic and provoke similarly personal responses. You could have formulated your original post simply as a prediction that we would win the title. That would have focused attention on your reasons and given rise to a more sensible debate. And as regards reasons, the only one you give is that we have a strong, motivated squad. Are you suggesting Derby and Middlesbrough don''t have similarly strong and motivated squads?

[quote user="The Ghost of Percy Varco"][quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="The Ghost of Percy Varco"][quote user="TomMoore"]4) The titleThis will be gained as the inevitable consequence of no team breaking clear, and so giving a very highly motivated, strong squad the chance to finish in first place. I would expect us to be in pole position before Easter, then slowly open up a gap.[/quote]This is my expectation.[/quote]I always start to get concerned when fans start to expect things.  The best we can excpect imo is that the team tries their hardest and gives it their best shot.  Variables are how other teams perform over the next few weeks and it is quite possible one or two of those above us will still do well enough to stay above us - even if we win nearly every game.  The only healthy scenario is that we continue to perform well, continue to win games and be competitive. That will ensure we are in and around the top two by the end of the season, but the only time we need to be top or second is after the last game of the season.  Hitting the top and pulling away would be fantastic, but expecting it is something else. [/quote]What nonsense. I just have higher ambitions.[/quote]Thank goodness some of us have high expectations and ambitions. I really don''t know why the Football League don''t just hand us the trophy and prize money now.

[quote user="simmo_2"][quote user="Jimmy Smith"]Like I say though, we only know the rumours and not the true extent of what happened. Weird how he is okay to play with the ''nobody'' Alex Neil though after his alleged comments to Adams.[/quote] I totally agree. This showed Neil Adams up as a totally naïve novice manager not wanting to negotiate a agreement with Bassong. Even last season our best defensive performances were when Bassong was in the team, some fans seem to want him to fail similar to Whitaker.[/quote]Who exactly "seems to want [Bassong] to fail"? Some, quite rightly, are critical of his seeming lack of professionalism (not just at Norwich by the way). It is no surprise that Alex Neil has been able to get him on board again. A clean slate, and no interest from any PL club.

When he first arrived in the PL at Newcastle he was voted Player of the Season but when they were relegated he chose not to stay. His loyalty to Hughton, forged at Newcastle, apparently didn''t extend to playing for him or NUFC in the Championship. In that sense I feel his reported reaction to Hughton being replaced by Adams was a bit hypocritical. Good player for us, but prone to slips in concentration. That said, his is a typical rags to riches African football story; he''s made mistakes career-wise but done pretty well. Shame is I think he could have achieved more.

[quote user="Making Plans"]You pick your strongest team to win the next game.You cannot start picking teams to prevent somebody getting a yellow & a ban, just the same as you cannot pick a team to prevent somebody getting a red and a ban.AN has to play what he believes is the strongest team & best formation to win at Blackburn and worry about the games(s) after that if and when the worst happens.[/quote]That''s certainly one way of looking at it, but as ASMS says, some managers do try to manage potential suspensions rather like managing a minor injury. There have certainly been cases where a player has got himself carded deliberately towards the end of a game so as to be suspended ahead of a less crucial fixture.

[quote user="cityangel"]Johnson and Tettey are both on 9 cards according to the ncfc website so if either gets booked on Tuesday they will miss the Ipswich game. I think he may rest one and play Dorrans ??[/quote]Apologies. I took the figures from the Pink Un discipline stats which claimed to be up to date to 17th February. Maybe Johnson''s red card earlier in the season is included in the Yellow Card count?Re. the punishment for 10 yellow cards, as I understand it, it is 1 match for 5 yellows, 2 matches for 10, and three matches for 15 subject to various cut-off dates. The cut off for 10 yellows is the second week in April, so neither BJ nor AT is likely to have their slate wiped clean.

Yellow cards today for Alex Tettey and Bradley Johnson mean that Tettey is only one card away from a two match ban and BJ only two cards away. I wonder if Alex Neil will try to "manage" the timing of these suspensions. Having them both out at the same time would weaken us defensively. Maybe Tettey will not feature on Tuesday, giving his knee a rest and ensuring a tenth yellow doesn''t keep him out of the game next Sunday.

[quote user="westcoastcanary"]Re. our disallowed goal against Derby, although Jerome doesn''t touch the ball, he clearly tries to divert it; watch the video clip and you can see his leg swings as the ball passes him. So the linesman is absolutely correct to give him off-side. [/quote]Just taken a closer look and I was wrong to say Jerome tries to divert the ball. He actually lifts his left leg smartly out of the way to ensure the ball doesn''t hit him. Either way though, he is interfering with play and the decision is correct. There was another similar case in a PL match (can''t remember which) when the offside player open his legs to let the ball run through them.

Re. our disallowed goal against Derby, although Jerome doesn''t touch the ball, he clearly tries to divert it; watch the video clip and you can see his leg swings as the ball passes him. So the linesman is absolutely correct to give him off-side.