View From The Moon

Thanks for your reply ''and Smith must score'', Maybe I worded it a bit wrong but it was mainly my thinking that the system that we play at the moment does not play to Earnie strengths which is not his fault in any way.  Some of the players we have at the present time are not good enough to give him good enough service/through balls where nine times out of ten I would think he would score.  On Tuesday it was evident that Earnie was playing on the shoulder of the last defender as any good striker would look to do and was looking for the ball to run on to, instead the play was slowed down and played into his feet and then he was trying to make a half chance at best.  In fact one of the few times in recent memory I can remember Earnie running onto a throughball and scoring was the Leicester game last season from Safri''s pass.  If we''re not looking to do this and play to his strengths then as I said he is being wasted by us.  It is to his credit that he has scored 9 goals this season playing up front on his own trying to suit his game to our needs but its not good enough from a team perspective.  Many people have slagged Dion Dublin off but when he came on as a sub on Tuesday everyone could see the difference not just in the team but in Earnie who was trying to play off the knockdowns rather than being the one who had to try to compete for everything.  However he''s not the answer every game for 90 minutes.  Bit out of context but seeing Shevchenko at Chelsea is a similar scenario where they are not playing to his strengths and at times it shows but he is doing a job for the team but there comes a time when a decison has to be made for the benefit of the team.  We''ll see in January.  

This is not meant to be a criticism but his has been on my mind since Tuesday.  I know Earnie is our top scorer and everything but watching the game I was thinking that from a team perspective he can be very frustrating.  At a time when our defence is under pressure and the ball is cleared, very rarely does it stick up top and he never seems to be willing to run after lost causes - aka the Everton diver - who busts his chops for the good of the team.  Earnie is our finisher but he needs decent service to score so maybe at this moment in time he is a luxury that we can''t afford when the chips are down and we are under pressure and need a free-kick or something on the half way line so we can push the defence up.  If he were to go surely we could get any two from Eastwood/Sharp/Hayter etc and have two players who would not only contribute in terms of goals but provide an outlet for the team when we need to clear our lines.  I know this may not be a priority but I like to think it would show a sign of our intent and what we''re looking to achieve by bringing in younger, hungry players and then hopefully build from there. Any thoughts?

I agree we should keep our options open regarding Bowen.  As someone else said he''s hardly going to come out and say he wants the job.  What would happen if the board appointed someone else after he declared an interest in the job?  He''d be in limbo, not trusted by the players he''s previously worked with etc.  If we made an official approach to speak to him I believe there''s every chance he would come provided we could agree a package with Blackburn.

The reason I would like Mark Bowen is similarly to his coaching record.  Assisted Birmingham and led them to victory in the playoffs (don''t we know it) and to their highest finish in the Prem before being released, assisted Wales to a Euro/World Cup playoff their first for about 10 years and likely to be their last for years to come.  Took over a very poor Blackburn side bottom of the league and within 18 months helped lead them into Europe.  I have also heard and this is may be dismissed as I have no ''link'' but towards the end of last season when we went to Cardiff and won 1-0 (yes we won an away game!) Bellers was there and he was asked how things were going and how he''s being coached and he said that Bowen was the best coach he''d ever worked with.  Take that as it is. I also see a desire there, he''s learnt his trade and is ready for a step up.  This is not a dig at Hunter but if he was so ambitious and wanted to manage a side on a day to day basis, would he not have tried before now?

I''ll try to do this as best I can as a ''sensible'' argument. (I can''t believe I''m saying this) In the year we won the league he argubly had more talented players particularly up front (Bent, who has scored regularly in the Prem for Charlton, Kuqi who rightly or wrongly moved for £2.5m a month or so ago) I think scored 50 or so goals a season and yet he could not get them promoted.  Their defence was a shambles as proved by the 3-1 at our place (Wilnis -please, and I forget what that other lump was called who got sent off also I think I remember they beat Crewe 6-4 memory may be a bit distant on that one but I think it was them.   Whilst he did a job with their kids in the first team towards the end of his time, I felt he had nothing to lose.  "We''ve got an inexperienced team so we''ll try and all this" so very little pressure whereas there is a lot of expectation around our team at the moment.  Could he shake things up? Yes.  Would he give the kids a chance? going on past history, Yes.  Is he is the man for us? In my opinion, No. Oh and by the way with the stick that some of the board have been getting from some supporters, there''s more chance of pigs flying than them appointing Royle anyway.  Bring back Bowen/Crook

Thanks for that Blah, I agree that Dion may look hungry and want to do well but the fact is at a time when we were looking for players who would raise the spirits of the fans as well as the club as a whole at a time when the team was struggling, Dion was placed in the unfortunate situation of being signed instead of Sutton who was seemingly discarded for whatever reason.  I wish him luck but as has been seen on other threads, fans are not very patient in terms of players who are not the ideal ''Norwich City'' player

I hate to tread over old ground but I just felt I wanted to say this.  If Worthy didn''t want Sutton that would be fine everyone has their own opinions of players, he wasn''t Strachan''s type of player either, he is O''Neill''s - not a problem.  Where I think Worthy went wrong is the types of quotes he was saying about things.  I may be wrong but when we were linked with Robbie Fowler, I believe the quote was something along the lines of "We''re not in the market of attracting journeymen players coming to the end of their career looking for one last payday".  Again correct me if I''m wrong but I believe that was the jist of it.  However for Worthy to say one thing and then sign Thorne and latterly Dublin just does not add up somewhere.  I personally believed that Chris Sutton would have done a job for us this year but as has already been said, in some ways what did we have to lose by trying.  This would in turn have taken the pressure off Worthy and pass the blame onto ''the money-grabbing Sutton'' who wanted a big fat contract rather than pay as you play.  As someone has said on another post reflecting Curbs, if you don''t buy a ticket you can''t win a raffle.  Anyway its done now, good luck to Sutton at Villa I expect him to do a job there. Now can we move on and look to the future.

Favourites: City of Manchester I thought it was one of the best grounds in the country, Millenium Stadium best atmosphere I''ve ever heard and seen at a football match, and for some reason I always like going to White Hart Lane Least favourites: Kenilworth Road, Luton how this place is still open I''ll never know, Rotherham, had half a stand and old school teaching mobiles in the corner great game though (4-4), I know people have said St. James'' Park as a favourite but I hated it, it was like watching Football Manager with little dots running around plus I think 20 or so flights of stairs to get up there although atmosphere was very good, Coventry''s new one it''s like a UFO has just landed in the middle of a field no pub no nothing crap home fans

Sometimes this forum is bizarre, does anyone really think that the manager and board are pleased with the strength of the squad?  Or pleased to be playing in the Championship?  I think not, people don''t invest their money just for the sake of it they expect some form of return, the longer we stay in this league the more difficult it is going to be to get out (9 years was the last time).  Yes everyone on this board is disappointed at the lack of transfer activity (incomings anyway), myself included but the fact is the window is shut and there''s nothing we can do about it permanent wise until January, just get behind the team and pray that we encounter very few injuries.  Agreed, there is some shortsightedness regarding chasing players at the last minute of the transfer window when there is all summer but its gone, let''s not forget it''s the 11 players who have played on the pitch who''ve got us into a position where realistically we are contenders after the disappointment of last year.  Lets support the players that are here now for the next 4 months, if we get an injury in midfield, Hughes will play end of story, people may not like it but its a fact.  I may get slated but that''s fine I''d just rather support the 11 players that will be on the pitch starting against Coventry rather than moan about players who are not here "due to the board and the manager"

I was just passing the information on if McLeod a League 2 player was supposedly out of our league price wise then in the scheme of things Kuqi was as well, obviously Cotterill was someone different that no-one knew about before a few days ago and you''re hoping that potentially he will prove to be worth more.

According to Sky Sports website he''s moved for £2.5 million that''s probably why

Agree 100% Slim I was thinking that Traore got sent off on Saturday for 2 yellow cards, one where he had a case to say he touched the ball and the second for just putting his leg out to stop a quick free kick, did Traore put someone in hospital by doing this?  Another example last night, Walcott shot after hearing the whistle and gets booked, same punishment. Thatcher is a disgrace

Good question 1) For about 4 years now went to as many games as I could before that but as soon as I left school and didn''t have any school games on a Saturday got my season ticket and have sat in the lower Barclay ever since. 2) I think my first one or the first one I remember was February 1988 or 1989 when we played Man Utd at home and beat them 2-1 Butterworth scored the first but all other memories from that game are lost.

I was just flicking through the Sky Sports website and there was a listing about Jon Macken who''s at Palace now and may be heading on loan to the scum, any thoughts?

I watched a bit of their first game against Southampton and first half they looked fairly decent with the young guy on the wing I think his name was Barnes not too sure but he looked fairly lively so should be a test for new and improved Jurgen, also fat lump Howard should prove to be a handful perhaps with a point to prove (Worthy saying Derby way overpaid).  I think it will be a tough game but the least I expect is something better than last year''s shambles, so I''ll predict 2-1 with Earnie getting both.