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Difficult question because it depends on whether you think "how much he is worth" is the same as "how much would we get for him". Whether the rumours of the size of a buy-out clause are true or not, I would consider it very likely that Greeno''s agent only agreed to signing the new contract if one was put in place. It would work for both parties. A lower buy-out clause would make other teams more willing to buy him rather than someone else, and obviously from our end, if they would only agree to signing a new contract if the clause was in place, that''s a hell of a lot better than Greeno not signing and allowing him to show what he can do this season then walk out for nothing in May. The rumour going around is £2.5m, rising to £3.5m if capped by England. Judging by the negotiating position the club would have been in thats probably somewhere near the truth even if it does appear low when people start guessing about sums of £6m. But then again maybe there is no buy-out clause, maybe just an agreement that we wouldn''t stand in his way (and would be reasonable in our valuation-eg not pricing him out of a move) if he wants to move on? Who knows!

I completely agree that the desire for a target man is a bit of a myth. Hucks and Leon were tried in the Bradford game which ultimately didn''t work out well, but I don''t agree that they should scrap the idea forever on the back of one result. As far as I''m concerned playing two smaller strikers was not the problem in itself, it was the way in which the rest of the team continued to play as if we had a big man upfront. Dare I say that a key reason why the Bradford game was a disaster was due to a certain Scotsman''s tendency to "hoof!" it anywhere which was completely unsuited to the two strikers and meant we were unable to keep hold of possession, thus putting ourselves under pressure. We have enough quality players in our squad now to get the ball on the deck and to either pass it through the opposition or to work the channels. Even long balls (as all teams have to simply clear the lines at points in the game) are not necessarily a problem if they are diagonal balls and if they are long enough to at least make the defence back-peddle, let alone turn them completely allowing Leon or Hucks to chase behind them. Let''s face it, 7 times out of 10 when we play it long we are launching something for Hucks to chase onto anyway, not aiming at the current target man. I''m also in agreement with Leon, that he is far from the worst striker in terms of winning balls in the air and using his strength. Playing a rigid 4-4-2 with Hucks alongside a target man just might not gain us enough goals with the likelihood that the targetman would probably be Doherty or Svenny, and the fact that for all Hucks does for us, he would admit himself that he isn''t going to score the goals we need on his own. If so, then it''s up to Worthy, Dougie and Steve to find a way to change it. There''s no point in us sitting here for four months and saying "well if we had been able to get another targetman etc" if we are not scoring goals. I am completely convinced that there is more than enough creativity in our squad to create plenty of chances in all our games, particularly when you watch a lot of the defences in this league. We need a striker in our team capable of taking the chances, particularly those Hucks creates. He is so quick and direct that it is often difficult for the midfield to get there in time to support him. I think Leon has as good a chance as anyone to do so. Trouble is, that would involve taking a bit of a risk in trying it out (and in a run of games, not just as a one-of), and with every point being precious, it is a difficult decision to make. But if we are sitting here at the end of December wanting a striker because we haven''t scored enough goals, and Leon''s only been making subs appearances for four months, it would be a massive shame. Leon just has the look of a natural goalscorer about him. You can never really tell if a striker can make the step up to scoring regularly at Prem level, but at the same time you will never know if he isn''t given a proper run of games to find out. Perhaps it''s now over to Worthy to find a way to incorporate Hucks and Leon in the same team. Worthy showed on Sunday that he isn''t obsessed with playing a rigid 4-4-2 so maybe, with a lot of work at Colney, a plan can be formed. It''s certainly worth a go in my book.

I suppose it''s hard for any of us to say really. But I''m sure that the experienced players like Flem and Hucks all say their piece anyway without needing to be captain. At the top level I think the role of captain is marginalised a touch because the players are good enough to know their jobs. At times you need someone to act as a leader of course, but just because Drury seems a quiet lad, that doesn''t mean that he doesn''t command the respect of his team mates and that''s the most important aspect of being captain at the top level. Just because some people can shout and get worked up, doesn''t make them better leaders of a team. Drury seems more the type to lead by example, encourage his team mates and to bring a calmness to the situation which is often not a bad thing, particularly with the amount of pressure playing in the Prem brings. When you need someone to stoke the fires then I''m sure Flem would be the first to act, especially as Club captain and that doesn''t undermine Adam in any way, it''s just a different approach from another respected player which can work every now and then. If you have a captain who''s constantly thumping the drum, it loses it''s impact, whereas having other players do it every now and then makes it more effective. I think having someone like Drury as captain and then having people like Flem to pipe up when needed makes for the best combination. Players don''t need to be bawled at and talked down to at this level. Maybe this is me showing my naiveity, but I doubt the lads need much encouragment to go out all guns blazing this season. Lets face it, Drury didn''t do a bad job as captain last year did he?! People like Iwan and Malky were key parts of it as well and they will be missed. But Flem is still here and Charlton comes across as the sort of person who will lead from the front. People like Hucks and Edworthy have a lot of experience to pass on, and I wouldn''t be surprised if Doherty is the sort of person who has his say and gees up the team. Drury is consistantly playing well (THAT tackle on Kanoute would have done more to inspire his team mates than any rant) and that counts for a lot as a captain. It''s hard to have much authority if you are in and out of the team, or drop below par performance wise every couple of games. As far as I''m conerned he is doing a good job along with his team mates.

[quote]I''m sorry if this may upset you Hucks Fizz, but if you truely believe that a player being on a contract is security in keep that player, then you live in a very shelted and cosy little world. Just loo...[/quote] Malky''s situation is completely different in my eyes as his contract was running out and he is 32 years old (33 in February). Part of the reason why Malky is going is because he only had 10 months left on his contract and it doesn''t look as though we were keen to give him another, therefore we are off-loading him and getting a bit of money now. Even keeping him until January, sitting on the bench or worse throughout no doubt, would have further devalued any potential transfer fee. A large reason behind the deal I believe is the fact that the club thinks a lot of Shackell (as do I) and really see him as developing into a top player for us over the next year (as shown by Worthy''s comments on the official site). Malky would have wanted a 2-3 year deal at the end of this one and I doubt we would have agreed to that with Shack coming through, Doherty only being 24, and Flem and Charlton ahead of him in the pecking order. It is sad to see Malky go without being given a chance in the Prem, but everyone just has to move on, and Malky''s joined a good club in West Ham, so hopefully both parties will benefit in the long run even if that just means Shack getting some Prem experience this season rather than Malky playing. I have to admit I would have wanted this anyway. What Shack lacks in experience compared to Malky, Malky lacks (in all honestly badly) in pace and distribution so on balance I would sooner the younger player with lots of potential got the chance. The fact that we have signed a new deal with Damo certainly doesn''t guarantee him staying here till 2008, but as has been said, even if he does move on some time then we will get a good price, just like with Greeno and Drury who signed new deals this summer. It''s still another great piece of business and shows how the club are using the Prem money for the future of our club and not just the present (eg compare the way Worthy, Dougie and Steve got new deals, to what is happening at West Brom).

I seem to remember hearing that the music played whilst the players are warming up before the game is actually chosen by them, but that might not be true.Personally I do get annoyed with the volume of the music sometimes in say the 15 minutes before the kick-off as the atmosphere should be building up by fans chanting songs, rather than having (generally rubbish) pop music blaring out.

Sorry, but this is the most ridiculous post I have ever read. The in-fill is being built on the back of unprecedented demand for tickets, a demand which will still be there if we are a team challenging at the top end of the Championship after our profile has been raised so highly this season. The in-fill is being built purely on the basis that the additional revenue it will bring will be guaranteed to pay it off over the course of 5 or 6 years. The money could not have just been spent on a striker instead as a result. Buying another striker would not guarantee us anything. I simply cannot comprehend how twisted some people are. We''ve come so far in the past few years and you want to throw it all away on the back of not being able to sign a ninth player (the news incidently now strongly states that we thought Johansson was all but signed but Curbishley-who himself is being cautious knowing how a few injuries could lead his side to relegation and devastation- wouldn''t sell when they couldn''t buy another striker to replace him). Just because you convinced yourself we were going to sign Harewood (when there was probably nothing in that anyway, even perhaps just based on Worthy not being keen on Harewood''s famed bad attitude, and nothing to do with money) you are going well over the top. Oh, and I could spend 1500 words explaining why "Doomcaster" initially said we couldn''t sign Hucks (eg that the fans support, whilst a massive factor in Hucks wanting to come here, actually made it harder to sign him as Man City could keep their initial asking price out of our reach in the hope that the board would be forced into overspending- an asking price which was eventually greatly reduced after we didn''t buckle once his loan deal was up therefore making the signing possible) but you will be too determined not to accept facts for me to bother.

Which board? this one, or are you a club official sending out a feeler! I''m just trying to inject a bit of realism into proceedings. Yes I want to see the club going forwards, I don''t want to see us resting on our laurels. But as a fans I''ve had to endure nine years of mostly rubbish and I''m not about to spend this season moaning about "could have beens". The simple truth is that through no fault of Norwich City Football Club, the gulf between the "Championship" and the Premeriship is huge. Indeed you could call it insurmountable without having someone of great wealth involved in the club who can put significant money (in football terms) into the club time and time again. The difference in terms of revenue is absolutely staggering as everyone knows. What sort of viable, well-run business can completely shift between the two seamlessly? One year you are getting about £1m from TV, the next you are getting about £14m (over the course of the season). You cannot adjust yourself completely to the second sum because whatever money you spend there is always a chance that you will go down again (3 clubs have to!) and you are then left with a host of contracts and commitments you cannot fulfil. Yes you get parachute payments. But their effect depends on how you approach the season in the Prem. If you put people on large contracts and spend large sums on transfers then all your parachute does is stop your club falling apart financially (whilst you have to accept small fees to get players of the wage bill, leading to a mass changeover in squad personel which is why teams like Sunderland and West Ham were not quite strong enough over the course of the season-and why Leicester, Wolves and Leeds are struggling at the moment). If you are sensible with your spending then you can use your parachute to attempt to get back to the Prem. To "show ambition" and to keep the club moving forward without potentially fatal risk you have to set your targets high, but then work out a way to get there in manageable steps so that your position (eg as an established Prem club) is a real, substantial one, not a flash in the pan move that''s built on sand. Moving straight from Div One to the Prem does not really constitute a step at the moment. With a lot of luck you can stay up and then work your way from there, but getting relegated whilst being sensible with the money will still be a big step in the right direction in the long term. That''s not to say as supporters we shouldn''t keep completely behind the team and remain positive that we can defy the odds and stay in this league. But at the same time we shouldn''t see relegation as the greatest tragedy known to man. I can''t see how anyone who kept paying their hard earned money week in week out to watch the Blarneymeister''s team perform so badly only four years ago can be so doom and gloom today. Perhaps the answer is that many complaining today were not following the team with as much dedication as they are now. I do feel we are moving in the right direction the way we are going. Overspending is more likely to mess us up rather than building sensibly. It''s easy to sit here and say spending another £2m (plus wages) on a striker wouldn''t be overspending, but how do we know that''s not the case? Anyway, I''m happy with my life as a NCFC fan at the moment, so that''s good enough for me!

The way people try to trot out the old "ambition" excuse every time is painful. Lets face it, for many people whatever the club does it is never going to be enough. If we had signed a striker the same people would be moaning about not spending money on someone else as soon as we lose a game. The way some people keep saying "we''ve only spent just over £2m" shows how little they know about the finances of a football club. Have you any idea how much our wage bill has increased this season? The wages of the new players in the Prem will be relatively high to encourage them to sign for us, particularly if they then have agreed to a divisional related contract which would drop their earnings if the team gets relegated (especially Doherty and Helveg, and Bentley''s probably costing a fair bit this season in wages). Every squad member''s wages increase as part of their divisional related pay. How much is Hucks on this season? £20k say some (I''m not saying he isn''t worth it by the way!). How much did we give Greeno to stop his agent leading him away from the club at the end of a season in the Prem for nothing? He''s probably on a five figure sum per week. Then you have the fact that the only way we could gain promotion with people like Hucks is by agreeing to transfer fees which require additional payments, specifically in the event of promotion. Another £250k here, another £250k there all adds up in the outgoings of a football club spending it''s Sky money, even though it doesn''t appear on the Transfers In column and therefore some fans can conveniently forget about it. Worthy was given his budget, and he knows as well as anyone at the club what we can and cannot afford. Frankly, it''s the cowards way out for supporters to turn around all the time and say "well we could have spent more money if we had wanted to but we didn''t show ambition" rather than accept that we''ve spent what we can afford (and surely no true fan wants to see us spend more than we can afford). Transfers are always affected by other deals like a ripple effect (Rooney wouldn''t be holding a Man Utd shirt this summer had Real Madrid not bought Woodgate resulting in Newcastle trying to get him and forcing Man Utd''s hand at least four months earlier than they wanted, if not a year) . Johansson probably would have signed had Di Canio not left Chalrton and they had been able to buy someone else. But what is the alternative other than acepting it? Overspending on what you think the player is worth to try and get your man? Panic buying someone else for the sake of it? Proper management is about getting the right player for your squad, at the right price and whether you are succesful or not in the deal doesn''t just come down to money. Would we be better off with Harewood upfront with Hucks? Of course. But then if he is out of our price range (and in truth no fan can claim that he isn''t-because how do you know what we can afford and what West Ham want?) you might as well say, we would be better off with Ronaldo upfront! The cup is still half full to me. As has been stated, we have lots of attacking options to create chances and to take them (seeing Fulham play Pompey showed that a lot of defences aren''t so great in this league either). Maybe the key now is to find a way of harnassing it away from a rigid 4-4-2 with Hucks alongside a target man.

Sorry, but I don''t agree with your comparrison at all! Leicester have lost most of their better players for virtually nothing. People like Izzet, Dickov, Thatcher and Schimeca, went for either nothing or as good as nothing, and Leicester also approached their Prem season by bringing in a lot of different people on short term contracts (Ferdinand, Bent, Guppy, etc) which meant they spent their Prem money for no long term benefit to the club. Only Bentley fits into that category for us (and is worth it) and we are in a position whereby if a few players did want to stay in the Prem, we would command a decent fee for them to rebuild the squad. The same sort of massive rebuilding happened at West Ham, Sunderland and is now happening at Leeds, largely because in these cases the clubs would not normally expect to get relegated. Therefore they had a lot of players on long contracts they could no longer honour meaning a large turn over of players, generally to fill holes in the crippled overall finances of the clubs, not money to be reinvested in the team. We on the other hand have approached the season with optimism but also with the knowledge that there is a fair possibility we won''t be able to stay in it so we have planned accordingly, both in financial terms and in terms of signing players who could have a longer term benefit to the club, if we stay up or not. Wolves, after years of wasting money to try and go up, made a complete and utter mess of it by spending money on players who a) were not good enough (eg Jorge Manuel Silas, the Portuguese midfielder they paid a million quid for, and who only started twice in the Prem all season-despite being fit- and was sent out on loan for a year this summer), and/or b) were not really committed to the team. The Camara situation typifies how badly they handled their year in the Prem- panic buying on a foreign striker (note that despite paying around £3m combined for Camara and Silas, they sent both out on loan this season, which gets the wages off their books but means they get little money to reinvest in their squad to replace them). Even losing someone like Alex Rae for nothing was a big blow to their chances this season (as well as Irwin retiring, who played a lot of games for them last season). And of course Wolves always have the pressure of their fans to contend with. I''m not saying if we go down we will just breeze back up because the league is still tough. But the considered approach we are taking to our squad building now will hold us in a lot better stead than any of those other teams. Our current squad is considerably better than the one that got us promotion (eg Safri competing for a central midfield role, Helveg for Briggs, Jonson for Rivers, Ward and Gallacher for Crichton etc) , and like I said, if one or two players decide to leave then we will get proper compensation to replace them. Simple truth is that we don''t know what Worthy has left in his budget (eg what he wants to keep behind for January) and we don''t know who he really wants to buy. There is no point whatsoever in spending money today if we cannot get the right player for our squad, for the right price. And indeed panic buying the wrong player (in terms of attitude) could prove suicidal, which is why Worthy wouldn''t do it. The very fact that Worthy will only strengthen again today if everything falls into place is a key reason why we will be a lot better placed to get promoted again than all the clubs you mentioned if we do go down this season. We''ve just had a wonderful season, and are now mixing it with the big boys in a way which will leave the whole club (including our potential squad next season) in a much better state even if we do just miss out on survival this time around. Yes I would love us to buy another striker today, but I''m not going to be too down if we don''t (and buying one wouldn''t guarantee us survival either).

He looked lively coming off the bench against West Ham last week, and he seems to have been consistantly scoring for the Academy side over the past year. I feel sure I read a comment from someone at the club (could have been ex-academy boss Sammy Morgan) about how Danny''s performances had been putting Jarvis in the shade last season. Of course we''ve had other players who can score at lower levels but cannot then make the step-up (eg Coote) so you can never really tell how they will develop. But it looks as though he has the potential to make it as a NCFC pro and so hopefully he will have a good enough season to earn a full contract.

Whether you agree with it or not, Worthy feels he already has the good midfielders necessarry in Safri and Mullers who were not available. Personally from what I''ve seen of Safri, he is exactly the player we needed yesterday to play alongside Damo. Someone who is tough tackling, but can also put his foot on the ball and link the defence to the strikers (Damo''s strength is getting from box-to-box and making runs rather than spraying passes around). I know his signing has provoked a mixed response but he has always looked a class player to me. The fact that he doesn''t score many goals means he never got the headlines for his consistantly very good displays for Coventry unlike someone like Reid at Forest for example (not saying he is quite in Reid''s league, but he is still a good player). But he is a quality player, I don''t doubt that for a second. Time and time again last season, the arrival of Mullers from the bench completely changed our fortunes for the better (Derby home, Stoke away, Reading away come to mind without even thinking!). Foley''s squad assessment at the end of the season sounded accurate to me. Mullers has a lot of talent, but not quite the natural fitness, and if he worked a bit harder on that, he would be a top player for us. A lot of people noted that Mullers came back to pre-season training looking fitter than he ever has and it''s a shame he picked up a slight injury. He is another player who divides opinion (some think he is class, some think he is over rated, I''m firmly in the first group!). Talk that Mullers will be better in the Prem because you get more time on the ball was rightfully instantly dismissed by Mullers himself as being inaccurate as the game is played at such a high tempo (it''s just that the top players always look like they have longer on the ball). But I strongly believe that he does possess that extra touch of quality that makes all the difference in the Prem and if he can get fit and find some consistency, he could be a big player for us this season. I don''t know this for sure, but I believe that Worthy thinks this as well (and that is why he was desperate for the club to offer him such a good contract to stay a couple of years ago). As I''ve posted elsehwere, I also am sure that Jonson will prove a hit but he''s not had much time to settle with his new team and a new league just yet. So personally I think we have good options in midfield when everyone is fit. I would say with 100% confidence that we will not be buying or loaning any more midfielders this summer. One more striker and I will be very happy with our squad.

Thats a fair point. I thought Macca had a very good game against Mallorca right after Jonson signed. I suppose if fit and ready, having Jonson on the right would be our best team and Worthy wanted to give him a go. Whether he plays on Newcastle will be an interesting decision. Perhaps the fact that Bentley won''t be available for the Arsenal game (therefore surely Jonson and Macca will start) might play a part in his decision. Jonson definitely needs some games to help him along, but you obviously have to weigh that against what''s best for the team right now. Perhaps starting with Macca and then bringing Jonson on as a sub (when the oppo players are a bit tired etc) might be the way to go? We''ll just have to wait and see. Like I said, I can certainly see why Worthy showed faith in Jonson as he is potentially a very good player for us, as his international performances have showed. The good thing about having a decent squad (even if its not the biggest) is that there are other players to call on. Perhaps Jonson has had a chance, and now Macca will get his? I''m sure Jonson will become a good player for us though, and if he is being picked when he is not quite ready then that''s not his fault. The buck stops with Worthy. He makes the decisions and you cannot get it right every time.

Apologies to those of you reading my above message who have been supportive of the players. I''ve been reading a lot of adverse comments about Jonson this weekend and when I saw this thread I wanted to vent my splean! Having read through the above comments more carefully here I realise that most are more sympathetic than the others I have read on differene websites which have got me worked up over the issue. Everyone on here wants the best for the club I''m sure. OTBC

Words fail me! I can''t believe how some "supportes" are so quick to jump on our own players backs. Jonson only had 4, possibly 5 training sessions with us before the Palace game. Ideally we would then have spent the week working with him. But that didn''t happen. He had to go and join up with the Sweden squad (probably on Sunday) before playing on Wednesay night (playing upfront, scoring a great goal and playing VERY well by all accounts, his pace constantly leaving the Holland defence in trouble). He then returned to Norwich on Thursday, probably not able to do much training due to playing the night before (and travelling back of course). Friday morning he would have been involved in the training before setting off for Manchester later that day. How can you expect him to be at the top of his game against one of the best teams in the country after that? It takes a lot of players (however good they are) a bit of time to get used to the Prem. When you then consider that we as a team are getting used to the Prem at the same time (eg not just 1-2 players coming in and able to be helped along) it is a steep learning curve. Helveg has been involved for longer but he has spent most of his career in Serie A and the Prem will take a bit of adjustment. Helveg of course was also absent from training most of the week, being away with the Danish side, for whom he played in central defence and was captain. Maybe I''m being optimistic but those credentials suggest to me that he is a half-decent player! But of course 2 average games at the start of his Prem career means he isn''t good enough doesn''t it?! I swear some "supporters" actually want to see our players fail. Both Jonson and Helveg are players of genuine quality, anyone with any sense knows that. Also anyone with any sense would know that it will take a bit of time for them to come into their own. It''s not the lack of ability of the players, its the lack of sense of some supporters as far as I''m concerned. A bit of early season realism combined with a lot of support and we will have two very good players on our hands. Llike I said, Jonson''s pace cut Hollland to pieces. When have we seen that yet? The answer is that we haven''t. Thats quite clearly a reflection on him finding his feet in the Prem and as part of our squad, not a reflection on his ability to play in the Prem. Only 2 games in. Svenny can''t do anything right, Jonson''s a waste of money, Helveg can only play in Serie A, etc. They must be very grateful for your "support"! Thankfully the majority are behind them.

Nice to see some "supporters" are writing him off and looking for him to fail before he has even agreed terms! Don''t think there are a set of fans I have less time for than those that support Spurs. Wouldn''t take their opinions of him to mean anything frankly. Its no surprise if he hasn''t impressed at Spurs. White Hart Lane has hardly been the greatest place to be playing your football over the past few seasons in the shambles created by Hoddle and then Pleat. Being in a struggling team at a place where the fans still think they should be in the top 6 every season can''t be good for your confidence, and I''ve no doubt that they have been getting on his back. A regular in the Republic of Ireland set-up is a good player, simple as that. Worthy is exactly the right person to get the best out of him as well. At only 24 he looks a very good buy to me. How about giving the guy a chance before condemming him? No doubt Spurs fans laughed when we took Culverhouse, Crook, Bowen and Polston off their hands, and shrugged with indifference when we picked up Macca for free. If he does as well as those players I will be more than happy. How about waiting until he has been here a few months before judging him? Get behind him and give him the chance to prove himself. He quite clearly has potential, and is known for giving 100% whenever he plays. I swear if we had signed anyone less than Sol Campbell some people would be complaining. Its all about getting the best players available to your club. And thats not just a money issue. You also have to convince the player to join you even though he knows we will be in a relegation fight all season, and there is a possibility we won''t be in the Prem next season. When you take that into consideration , I think signing someone like Doherty would be a very good bit of business. I trust Worthy''s judgement far more than any Spurs fan, or anyone on here for that matter (even myself!).

Unfortunately I had to put up with one of those so-called supporters who was on Svenny''s back all game in the upper Barclay on Saturday. As soon as the ball came in his direction the guy started mouthing off. He didn''t have an exceptional game, but he didn''t get a lot of service as both Jonson and Bentley (to a lesser extent) found it difficult to get the ball in positions from which they could attack defenders and put balls into the box. This was not much of a surprise in our first game, with Jonson finding his feet in England and Bentley trying to get an idea of how to link with Hucks drifting to the left wing. This part of Huck''s game also can cause a few difficulties in some respects for the other striker, whoever it may be. I''m not for a minute suggesting Hucks should change the way he plays, but with him as one of the 2 strikers going out wide, it is imperative for the midfield to get into the box quickly so that there are options available for him. Otherwise you get what happened on Saturday, with Svenny often being in the box alone and therefore finding it hard to get any space as the defence often only have him to worry about marking (notably the chance in the second half, when Svenny''s sole run to the back post was easily marked- Hucks shot was parried only for no other City player to be there to capitalise). I think Bentley will soon come into his own, as it will be his job to come inside and get forward quickly when Hucks moves into his left wing position. Due to Hucks pre-season injury it''s not something that they have been able to develop in game conditions yet, but I''m sure a good understanding will develop very soon. Jonson should also be looking to get forward and to get to the back post when Hucks has the ball, which he did a few times in the first half. Once again, I''m sure Jonson will soon pick up the pattern of play, but he had only had 4 training sessions with the team before hand. With other options in the box (also Francis breaking late from deep) Svenny will have a better chance of getting oppportunities from Hucks'' work on the left, and I''m sure that he will be able to take them when they come his way. Svenny was undoubtedly working very hard for the team, but some supporters don''t see those sort of things (or don''t want to perhaps?). Just like last season when Hendo was being patient, keeping hold of the ball and finding a yellow shirt rather than trying to take on defenders with little other attacking options open to benefit from his play. Some supporters got on his back about it, but it was exactly the right thing to do, something both Worthy, the coaching staff, and his team mates recognised. Some fans got on Svenny''s back last season, and he answered it with his goal at home to Stoke, and then that glorious strike against Wigan. Lets hope the stick he gets off a minority this season will be answered in the same way.

If we are going to buy a Spurs defender I would say almost certainly it would be Doherty. Spurs paid £8m for Dean Richards which a) means he would be out of our price range even if they were preapred to cut their losses and "only" want £2.5m for him and b) suggests he is on a salary we would struggle to match. Doherty is a lot more likely, especially as he can play upfront if needed. I''m not too sure how good a player he would be for us. I really think it is hard to determine how good a player is when they play for Spurs! Looking at his stats, what suprised me the most was that he is only 24, as he looks a lot older than that to me. I was under the impression that he wasn''t very quick, although thats been contradicted by a few reports I''ve seen on the net (Spurs fans claim he is useless and slow, but I''ve never taken a Spurs fan''s word on anything!). He is definitely good in the air, which is a quality we need to add to our defence and he seems to have done well for the Republic of Ireland. The more I think about it, the more likely I think it is that he will be joining. We''ll just have to wait and see whether it is true, and how he gets on if he does sign.

I''m not convinced there''s too much in this rumour really. I might be wrong but I would think if we were going to sign a player like Harewood then the deal would have been do by now, rather than a week or two into the "Championship" season. Various reports have said he is unhappy at West Ham, particularly as he has been played on the right wing rather than upfront, but he has continuously denied this in interviews. One big thing Worthy looks for in all his potential signings is the character and attitude of the player, and most of the stories I have heard about him (which might be wide of the mark, but seem to follow him around a lot) is that he has a bit of an attitude problem which probably wouldn''t sit well with Worthy. When talking about players like Helveg and Jonson, Worthy made a point of mentioning how the players were more than willing to play in different positions for the good of the team if needed. Harewood seems to be complaining about having to do the same thing at West Ham. So whilst we would all look at his goal scoring record and see him as an attractive signing, perhaps Worthy might not be so keen if the homework he does on the player shows that he might not fit into the squad like all his other signings have done so well. Only Worthy can answer that really. I seem to remember him saying something like: Harewood is a good player but is not what we are looking for, or something like that! Plus of course, Palace offered £1m for him (I think!) and their approach was quite emphatically turned down. I think the key is to look at Worthy''s other signings. If another striker comes in before the transfer deadline (and I''m pretty sure there will be one, plus a centre back) it will probably be someone who we either haven''t considered, or don''t really know anything about. Still, if the quality of these two signings are as good as the ones he has made all ready, I think we will be in with a fighting chance of staying up.

Although Macho seemingly did not impress much during his trial it sounds as though we are close to sorting out a deal fairly soon for someone. According to someone on WotB the Swedish paper "Expressen" states that Rami Shaaban could be joining us soon. He has just been released by Arsenal and his agent is quote as saying: "Norwich is talking to Rami and another goalkeeper, we are hoping to know on wednesday if thay choose Rami". He has recently been having trials with Leeds, and his agent at the time sounded optimistic about him joining them as he would be their first choice ''keeper. But now Leeds are hoping to sign Neil Sullivan so it looks as though any potential deal with them is off. Portsmouth also have shown an interest in him but I know they have just signed another goalie from an Italian club. So it looks as though we are now his best option to stay in England, even if it as third choice. Judging by his agent''s comments we might know more by the end of the week. He can''t be too shoddy if Wenger liked him enough to sign him in the first place, even if he has just been released.

I don''t think the pitch was going to be made any wider. Its just being moved across (therefore the goals have to be moved across accordingly). This is why the Jarrold stand was built quite a long way back from the pitch. The decision was made on the basis that our next development on the stadium would likely be another tier on the City stand, and if the pitch hadn''t been moved out then due to the necessary gradient of the stands you wouldn''t have been able to see the touchline from part of the upper tier apparently.

Just depends on the individual really. His departure from Madrid got wrapped up in the furore of Del Bosque being ousted so unfairly. In truth he had looked a liability in quite a few of the La Liga games I saw him playing in that season on Sky. I would say the majority of Madrid fans accepted his departure as the right decision a year ago. I''m not sure quite what a year in Qatar would do for you (except for swelling your bank account considerably!), whether it will hinder his abliity to adapt to the Prem, or whether taking a year out of top-line football might have done him some good physically. You are certainly right about how experience can help older players who might have lost their legs a bit. Didn''t Bobby Moore once say the first yard was in your head or something like that. I would probably have 2 concerns about him if I were a Bolton fan. Firstly, why has he moved here at the age of 36? Is money his motivation (although you would expect he could have got more by staying in Qatar)? Secondly, will he be able to adapt to the Prem at his age, with the pace of the game being one of the Premierships defining qualities? I''m a bit doubtful about him really. Undoubtedly he was a fantastic centre half, but I''m not convinced he can cope with the demands of the Prem now, especially after looking less than convincing in his final year with Madrid (although defending for Madrid is a bit of a unique experience I''m sure!). In truth, the only way to find out is by playing him though.

But the point is that Worthy is not moving the goal posts. He is not "saying one thing and then doing the opposite". There was a period where we were linked to a load of OLD players like Keown (37), Sheringham (38), Poyet (36, nearly 37?), Ince (37) etc. Worthy joked that we would have the oldest team in the league and wasn''t looking at building a Dad''s Army! But there is a massive difference between players around 37 and 38, and players around 32 (Charlton) and 33 (Helveg). With todays fitness levels, players can still perform at the highest level up to 35 or 36 if they have the desire. This guy is pure quality, and the only problem I have is trying to keep my hopes down so that I''m not disappointed if it doesn''t happen! A player as good as Helveg around the early to mid-twenty mark would be miles out of our price range. He is still a top player at 33 (as shown by his performance in Euro 2004) and it would be a fantastic signing should it come off. Even if he only gives us 1 years service, he has the quality to help us stay up and would be well worth the wages (which would be high for us I''m sure). With a bit of luck he will be here for more than that though! I respect your opinion that you "would have prefered other players to Helveg", but I''m completely astounded by it all the same! Can''t imagine who you would prefer to buy who would be a realistic target eg being able to afford a transfer fee (or not), wages, and most specifically convincing them to join us.

I think both are very good prospects, but last season it was hard for either to get into the team in their favoured position because the strikers were doing so well. Having said that I would be very surprised if either went out on loan. We just don''t have a big enough squad to justify it. I know you can say that we could call one of them back in an injury crisis but that isn''t ideal for the player (being shifted about a lot). Jarvis seems to have more natural ability, yet Hendo appears to have more desire to make himself a better player (that is only an observation though, might be unfair on Jarvis). But to be fair, both are still very young. Jarvis also had an injury which set him back last season (like his younger brother, Rossi) so that would have affected his progress. The release of todays reserve fixtures is also relevant here. Undoubtedly nothing quite compares to playing competitive games. But we have suffered over the past few years due to being in a pathetic reserves league which was of absolutely no benefit to our players, especially the younger ones. The Southern Premier reserve league is a big step up in quality from that, and this should help the progress of people like Jarvis and younger ones like Adam Smith, Lee Blackburn, etc. But in time I do believe both will be top players for us. Its a balancing act for Worthy. In reality the sole focus is survival so he cannot take chances. But it would be a big benefit to both players (and the club''s future) if they could be involved this season. I think Hendo will. I don''t quite know why some NCFC fans get on his back (read Iwans'' book and the bit from the Bradford home game, Hendo got some stick-basically for keeping the ball- and was almost in tears when subbed at half time). He could do with getting stronger, but you can say that about a lot of youngsters. He certainly has the attitude and that bit of fire in his belly though. He played very well coming off the bench against Everton I remember. And this was Hendo being played out of position. I don''t think the bigger stage would effect either of them actually. Still, I''m sure Worthy will do what''s best.

I had heard that the reason why the Man Utd game is not currently on the list is because they are waiting for the Manchester police to give their approval for the later kick-off. Obvisouly the later kick-off means a few more problems for the cops (afternoon drinking and the rest), and they often have an influence on kick-off times (eg putting the derby matches at 13:00 on a Sunday). Might be true, might not! As for Johansen, I suppose it''s a possiblity given that Charlton have a decent proportion of the Scott Parker transfer fee to spend this summer, plus the money they got for their finishing position last season. Curbishley''s already signed 3 players (I think!) and he said he was looking at around 7-8 to come in (one of which might be Hasselbaink apparently as he would prefer to stay in London than to move to Scotland). So it would make sense to move a few players on, and hopefully for realistic fees. Can''t say I know too much about Johansen but with strikers you always have to consider not only their own game, but how they would fit with our other strikers. If Johansen is the type of player Worthy feels would work well with Hucks or McKenzie (and Svennson as well perhaps, no doubt they played together at some point at Charlton) then he would be a good player to sign, rather than another striker who maybe has a better goalscoring ratio, but wouldn''t complement the strikers we currently have so well. According to Charlton''s website, he is a target man with the ablity to score goals, including some spectacular over head kicks! I always feel that a club idealy wants 4 main strikers, with 2 smaller, quicker players, and two target men. So he sounds the exact sort of player we would want really, particularly as our chances of signing Crouch don''t seem great at the moment (allegedly they want £2m for him, which he simply is not worth). On a related noted, I really believe that Leon will surprise a lot of people this season. He certainly believes in himself as the article about him on here shows!

How much are these games actually worth then. In Rick Waghorn''s piece about the Premiership cash coming our way, he claimed that each live Sky game was worth £597k for each team making an overall sum of about £3m from 5 games. Yet in today''s report it is stated that the fixtures will be worth £1.45m. Was Rick''s original prediction wrong? Is it £597k split between the two clubs rather than given to each of them?