magic_eyes

NCFC Board Meeting TranscriptNeil Doncaster: "Well tried all them and they''re not interested.  Delia, have you still got Dave Stringers number? And does anyone know if John Bond is still alive?"Unbelievable that we are even considering going back to a former manager - I suppose it could be 3rd time luck for Mike Walker.SACK THE BOARD NOW!!!!

What the hell is the board doing to our club - we are a joke and a laughing stock.  The best they could come up with is to turn the clock back 2 years and pretend nothing has happened.Come on sort it out or get out and let someone in who knows how to run a football club.MUPPETS THE LOT OF THEM!!!!

I was at the game and I cannot agree with Roeders comments.  We did not make lots of chances, in fact we were clueless in the last 3rd of the pitch, no movement, no ideas, and in defenence we looked really shaky, everytime MK attacked they cut through us like a knife - the goal was a joke, the whole defence went AWOL!Lots of work to be done I''m afraid.

On the official site too.

Can anyone explain the first substitution last night? Why would you take off a specialist right back in Colin, who has having a decent game, and replace him with Hughes, who was having a shocker (as usual) and continued to do so after? I am slightly mystified by this one.   Colin was clearly not injured as he jogged up and down the line for about 10 mins after being subbed. OTBC 

So you think the fans that want Sutton back are a moaning minority?   I think you are wrong, I think the majority of fans would approve him coming back and it would fill an obvious gap in the squad, i.e. a big target man, one that Worthy has openly admitted that he is looking for.  The fact remains that this would appear to be a win/win situation, you have to admit that. Will be interesting to see if there are any Sutton chants at the match tomorrow night.

Worthington''s popularity is probably still at an all time low. As far as I can tell 99% of City fans would love to see Chris Sutton signed on a pay as you play deal, which it appears he is happy to accept. What I don''t understand is this.   It doesn''t take a genius to work out that if Worthy did sign Sutton his popularity would rise immediately, I would even go as far as saying that last season would all be forgotton and even forgiven.  City fans would be delighted, Sutton get''s his final swansong at a club we know he cares dearly about, Worthy get''s a much needed PR boost - everyone is happy. everyone wins. So what does Worthy do when presented with this get out of jail free card? He tears it up and throws in our face.  He doesn''t even do this with any skill or grace, he actually publicly discredits the guy, arguably the best player we''ve ever had.  That really is going to help you rebuild your relationship with the fans isn''t it? This leads me to conclude that Mr W is one of two things, possibly both.  A) a complete idiot and/or B) has an over inflated ego that won''t let a player of Sutton''s undoubted quality and status into the squad. OTBC

Given the make up of our current squad and the fact that we now have at least 7 central midfielders - Safri, Robinson, Etuhu, Hughes, Jarrett, Rossi Jarvis, Charlton, Spillane - what do you think Worthy has in mind as his preferred formation when everyone is fit?  I just can''t see how it all fits together.  Can any of these players be used elsewhere, e.g.  I think Hughes / Robinson would make decent right backs.

"We''ve got to keep plugging away" - loosely translated as "Let''s bury our heads in the sand and hope things get better".   So while Worthy is relying on hope to get us out of this crisis, new and progressive managers like Mike Newell and Adrian Boothroyd are doing twice the job with half the resources. Last year Worthy was a failure, regardless of the last 5 or 6 games.  His tactics were poor, and his signings were a disaster (Ashton aside) - Doherty, Charlton, Helveg, Jonson. The championship year, he was lucky - remember all those last minute winners in the first few home games, and for the last 10 games the team picked itself. This season he is showing his ineptness to make a team out of a good squad of players.  He won''t know what his best team is until after Christmas and by then it will be too late. There is no room for sentiment in football, and as a club and supporters we cannot be sentimental about the championship season if we are to move forward.   I think Worthy should be given another 5 games to turn it round or he''s out. OTBC

We are not going to get out of this division unless we keep clean sheets, especially at home. Last season we had the worst defence by miles and yet I find it hard to understand why 4 out of 5 of the players from last season started yesterday. Dropping down a division doesn''t turn a bad defence into a good one. Obviously, you can''t blame Green and Louis-Jean looks promising. However, with Fleming and Drury we''ve got two players that just don''t do the business anymore, they just don''t have the physical presence to compete effectively. Doc I think will be OK, but Worthy needs to tell him to stay on his feet and stop giving away unecessary free kicks. With the players we have I would go for: Green, Louis-Jean, Doherty, Shackell, Charlton. The other thing Worthy has to sort out is the off sides. I think we were caught off side over 10 times yesterday, which means we gave up possession cheaply and disrupted our rhythym time and time again. Personally I think more than 2 or 3 off sides in a game is unacceptable and easily avoidable if your strikers are using their brains. OTBC

Anyone else think Greeno was a bit slow to react to the 3 goals Soton scored from long range? I don''t know if its just me or whether he gets beaten too easily from long distance. OTBC

I think there are 4 possible scenarios we could be facing going into the Fulham game: 1) We have already been relegated - we''re proud of the team for putting up a fight, farewell to the prem - end of season party . 2) We need a result to stay up - very exciting, tense game wouldn''t miss it for the world - we stay up - wild celebration . 3) We need a result to stay up - very exciting, tense game wouldn''t miss it for the world - we go down - disappointed but proud of the team - farewell to the prem - slightly muted end of season party . 4) We are already safe - last game of the season - huge end of season party . Whatever happens it will be a great day out.   OTBC

I think for the first time this season we now all know what our best first eleven is. And I think we have a great chance of staying up now if we stay injury and suspension free. Well done Worthy for making the changes, and lets see this line up start against Palace and all the remaining games this season. ------------ Green -------------- Helveg Fleming Shackell Drury Bentley Safri Francis Huckerby ------- Ashton McKenzie -------- Subs: Ward Charlton Jonson Stuart Svennson OTBC

We have 7 games left, we are going down, but there is still a lot to play for. Worthy must try out some new team selections between now and the end of the season so that he knows his best team for the start of next year and equally important he''ll know where he needs to strengthen.With regards to defence - we all know what Eddy, Flem, Shack and Drury can do, so lets see Helveg, Doc, Shack and Charlie for a couple of games, then Helveg, Shack, Charlie and Drury for a few games.In midfield, let''s try Safri alongside Francis, then Stuart. I''d like to see Hucks have a run on the right and up front.Lets see if Hucks and Ashton can make a partnership, then Ashton and Svennson. Come on Worthy act now. We have nothing to lose and everthing to gain. Worse than going down, is going down without really knowing what your best team is for next season.OTBC

We will be relegated because we are not good enough for the Premiership. Why is that? Because we are playing a Championship team. Other than Ashton and Stuart the side in the last few games is based on last years squad. We have spent something like £5-£6m to strengthen the squad, but where are they? Ashton aside, the signings we made are not good enough and you have to blame the manager for that. Can you honestly say that Safri and Helveg have been given a fair chance to prove themselves? Surely Doc is better than Flem. For me Jonson is just poor. Even when Bentley was fit Worthy left him out for one reason or another. We are going down, because our team is not better than last season. I think it could be but Worthy has a set plan and at the end of the day relegation in the eyes of the management team and the board is acceptable. For me, relegation is acceptable, but performances like yesterday are not. Let''s leave this league with some pride and not just limp out of it. OTBC

Which of the following premiership sides would Holt, Fleming or Edworthy get in? Crystal Palace Southampton WBA Portsmouth Fulham Blackburn Answer - none of them and that is why we are bottom of the league and will be going down because and I quote MOTD - we can''t defend. Lets get Safri, Charlton and Helveg back in the team and show the rest of the league that we can be competitive. OTBC

No need for words!http://cache.gettyimages.com/comp/52280698.jpg?x=x&dasite=MS_GINS&ef=2&ev=1&dareq=E2399169AC85D6DE9A21091711E5AD1EEA70ABD5D2BE41557757C85AE85A779B

Take a look at the original corner just before the goal.  You will see that Fleming had the responsibility for marking Sibierski.   The ball came in and was cleared at the near post.  Watch what happens next.   Flem is ball watching and jogs out and leaves his man completely unmarked.  We all know what happens next. The whole situation sums up how we defend at the moment.   1) Flem ball watching loses his man. 2) Cross to the edge of the six yard box should be the keepers. Greeno''s confidence is shot he doesn''t come for crosses anymore. 3) Edworthy loses concentration and ball watches and plays everyone on side. All really basic stuff.   How have we gone from the best defence in a division to the worst?   OTBC

We have been letting in goals for fun and so does Worthy do. He drops our best defender - Doc. Unbelievable. Take your pick from Flem, Edworthy or Drury - none of them are good enough, but at least Doc has been winning the aerial battles. To be fair Shackell played well, and Drury did OK tonight. But once again where was Flem when we needed him most? The first goal he got caught ball watching and his man - Siberski - had a free header 6 yards out - schoolboy error. Where was he for the 2nd goal? Not even in sight. We are going down, because we can''t defend, and we can''t defend because our manager does pick the best defenders. We all know Shackell has been good enough for a long time, Doherty has been playing well and Charlton is a quality player. Tonight it should have been Eddy, Doc, Shack and Charlton. Another thing I don''t like about Flem is the way he goes around pointing the finger at his own team mates, is this really what you expect from your captain? Time to start planning for next season - rest Flem and start building a partnership between Doc and Shackell. I think they will do well together. OTBC

From the sky sports web site - looks fairly even on paper, but we must complete more crosses and make more tackles. Come on you yellows. Team Norwich CityMiddlesbroughGames Played2323Goal Attempts  Goals1935Ave Goals per game0.831.52Shots (excl blocked shots)210258% Shots on Target38%47%% Goals to Shots9%12%Passing  Short Passes5,0816,056Long Passes2,3962,725Overall Pass Completion %73% 75%Crossing  Total Crosses508558Cross Completion %21%22%Defending

I was at the game today [Saturday] and I think it was the worst performance from a Norwich side that I have ever seen.  There was a lot of things wrong today, too many to mention.  However, I do want to raise the issue of Hucks playing wide left.  In my oppinion we cannot afford the luxury of having him in midfield.  He doesn''t work back and therefore we end up with a huge amount of space down our left hand side as seen at Villa Park today.  We need to have wide midfielders that work up and down, look at Solano and Barry as good examples of what I mean. Therefore, the only option we have left is to play Hucks up front as a striker.  Lets give him the chance to work off Ashton for a few games.  I''d then play Brennan at left midfield which should help shore up the left hand side a bit, as at the moment we are getting torn apart everytime we get attacked down that side. My other issues from todays game in summary would be: - Drury, absent without leave - Flem, out of his depth - Mullers, way out of his depth - 4-5-1, rubbish - please lets have 4-4-2.   OTBC   

If Deano helps us stay up - then this will be the best deal Norwich have ever made.  If we go done two things could happen - 1) Deano will stay and he is a proven goalscorer at that level or 2) Deano will go and we recoup our money - possibility even make a profit. Its a good deal whichever way you look at it.   OTBC

Not sure if this is the same for the Premier and Football League. http://www.confguide.com/newsArticle.do?id=1385 Here is a summary of the loan rules for the 2004/5 season. The major change is that (as far as I can find) there is no longer a limit of 2 loan players per match. Loan of contract players is permitted from clubs in membership of the Premiership, Football League, Conference (all three divisions), and the three feeders to the Conference, subject also to the rules of those leagues of course. Some limits apply: 2 - the maximum number of loans from one club at a given time 465 - the maximum number of ''loan days'' per season 8 - maximum loan players per season 28 - mimumum number of days for a loan 91 - maximum number of days for a loan (see also ''long term loans'' below). Loans which are made ''permanent'' do not count against a club''s quota. If a player is on loan for the last day of the season, and the club qualifies for the play-offs, the loan shall be automatically extended, subject to the 91-day limit for short-term loans. A loan transfer must be complete 24 hours before the scheduled kick-off if the loanee is to play. If a loan period is extended, only the club for whom the player was originally registered can cancel the loan short of the agreed period. Players may not be recalled within the first 28 days, other than the special case of goalkeepers, where recall clauses are permitted. To count as a single loan under the quota system, a loan must be continuous. If a player returns to his old club before being re-loaned, that counts twice against the quota. long-term loans Players under 23 on June 30th may be taken on loan for the rest of the season if the loan starts before 31st December. Long-term loanees do not count against the 8-player quota, and can only be recalled early if they are goalkeepers, or if they are being recalled for the purpose of a transfer to another club. Note, these rules seem to the the same for the North and South divisions in addition to the National division.

With regards to loan signings you can have 2 players from the same club at the same time, but is limited to a maximum of 2.

I think the FA / FIFA should change the rule on handball in the penalty area so that it states, if the ball makes any contact with a defenders hand within the penalty area, deliberate or not, it should be deemed an offence and therefore a penalty kick awarded. This at least will remove the terrible inconsistency we have seen in the past few weeks, whereby everyone seems to be getting away with handball in the box, except us.  I wouldn''t be so p1ssed off about the Leon and Doc ones, if all the others had been given. What do you think? OTBC