Tumbleweed

His best chance is on the left, England''s so-called "problem position". As a creator for Rooney/Owen/Defoe/Smith he would be a livewire, but the big problem is that in the international world he will need to defend. That''s why Bridge did so well in the eyes of many against Poland, primarily a left back who can get forward to support the midfield and strikers. Also Beckham who until recently has been pretty good at closing down and tackling on the right. Its also why Sven will probably consider Hargreaves ahead of Darren in that position. Hux doesn''t do defending so unless Sven changes his approach and attitudes I think, sadly, that Darren will need to concentrate on the league.

Well, some mixed reaction here and some good points too- an interesting debate! Since I can''t see any names next to the posts I can''t associate posts with names but I did see teh Wizard popping up (its worrying when even the great Wiz thinks I am being brave in broaching this subject!!). First point: this is not moaning, its a simple observation and I agree with "Senior member with 625 posts" who stresses the need to get away from the thought that unless a thread states that all is well in the garden of eden its a moan. I like the lad- he comes cross well in interview and its a great credit that we have him, but looking at it objectively as we must is he actually an improvement on what we have- that is the question. Second: yes I forgot his goal against Newcastle but that did owe a lot to Given rather than brilliance but they all count and he still had to get into position. Third: do we have to train up someone else''s talent? We are a big enough club to train our own prodigious teenagers and I hate to see our own good people squeezed out unless for cause. Finally: yes, others'' passing has also been poor. But we (or at least I) had high expectations of Bents and haven''t really seen the evidence. But I also had high hopes of Jonson and Helveg- they got dropped when not really delivering and it just seems a bit strange that when we need to keep the ball and create danger in teh box the man who is supposed to be the next Bergkamp looks as dangerous as Clint Easton at times. I really hope it works out- there is genuine talent there- but in patches. We need our chaps firing more regularly and consistently for 90 mins- goodness knows its going to be hard enough to stay up. But I am loving every minute of our return so far and its nice to have such small and petty concerns to raise rather than really serious issues. Roll on Villa and a double from young David!

So we have a highly rated product of the Arsenal youth system on loan, the next Dennis Bergkamp apparently. Now the lad has produced a few nice touches and had that near wonder shot at Old Trafford. But I am afraid that I just do not see what all the publicity and fuss is about. Yesterday he showed no understanding whatsoever with Doherty and Hux, balls kept going astray and far too ofetn he was in good positions and could not deliver the final pass.  On the positive side he harried OK and closed down reasonably well. However I do not believe on current evidence that he is any better than either Paul McVeigh (who did score at Old Trafford) or good old Mullers who at least can deliver a telling pass. In the first half he was just invisible behind the front two. It got a bit better in teh second half but teh team collectively upped their game. Some will say that it will take time. Time we do not have until we need to pick up some chunky points. And time has not been afforded to any of Svensson, Jonson or Helveg. So Nigel can make diffficult decisions, I just wonder if we are obliged to play him a minimum number of times under the Loan Agreement. Now I''ll get my tin hat for all the flack to bounce off.............

Nigel needs to work on the first halves we are putting in. Yesterday in the first half we were poor. Second half much better and I thought we shaded it from Spurs and they could not have complained had we nicked it 1-0. We can''t allow teams to dominate us so much straight from the off. It was only some last gasp defending and Greeno that stopped us being 2 down which we could probably not have complained about. Passing was poor, movement poor, second to 50/50 balls in midfield, no threat up front, poor calling between defenders giving away needless corners. Its frustrating- those second halves prove we can match almost anyone but we need to seize the initiative ourselves. We know we can do it. Sort that out and the future looks rosy (if not Orange; or yellow)

You''re right banaman, I am afraid that I wanted to be hysterical but the keyboard just spat out different words. Now I bought a new one at lunchtime so I am pleased to say that the club is a shambles, Nigel a disgrace and we will be in freefall by Christmas. Seriously though, good luck to Malks- he deserves a good club and a fine end to the career.

I don''t think the players have a problem with footballing criticism. But some of the stuff did go too far, and if that was me being the target I''d be upset at the personal stuff. If they said I was rubbish at football or had a bad game then that goes with the territory, but delving into private lives and vilification to the extent that some received is too much. The papers disgustingly exploit the fact that individuals just cannot hit back. Having said that I do feel that although the players may not have wanted to speak, their captain should have done. He should have come out and said "This is why we are not going to give any interviews.." To hide away in the manner they did was cowardly. Beckham as their representative should have had the decency to explain and I think most would have respected that. People have a go at Sven but he is not petulent or petty like the players and he at least stays calm and retains his dignity when all the flack comes his way. His team should think about that.

We have no idea what has been happening behind teh scenes and football is notorious for being full of spin. At the end of the day we all probably knew that the defence needed strengthening largely because of lack of pace which is a must these days at the highest levels. Malky was the most obvious casualty. Iwan didn''t cause any problems when he went even though he had to endure far more c**p than Malky over a longer period and was also deprived of the chance to play in the Prem. I felt that Malky would be lucky to get a start but I had thought he would make a good squad player and back up to the first choices. Paul McVeigh was in a similar position last season when Cooper arrived- Paul didn''t sulk he upped his game and got on with the job. If the reason for dressing room discontent was that Malky was unhappy about not being in the starting line up than the chance to sell him for £300K with only 9 months contract left is a good deal to me. Iwan was the model pro when his deal was not renewed and I don''t remember him having a problem when usurped by Sven, Hux, Leon and temporarily Crouch. Remember that this money might go towards the striker fund, the lack of signing of which many have been moaning about.

Looks to me like some seats will get a restricted view because the River End stanchions are in the way- having one of those right in the view of the goal won''t be great. I''m on the wait list and the numbers look like I''ll be upper tier- better but I don''t want a restricted view after being unable to buy many casual tickets this season and last.

A poor decision by Nigel. The man''s been a rock over the past few seasons and I felt would be a great squad man. OK his chances may be limited but there are others in the squad in that position too. His understanding with Flem was phenomenal and I will never forget his two goals against Wolves in the play off semi final which brought pure unadulterated joy to the whole ground. Its a strange decision if Nige continues to play Doc up front as it leaves us really short (in height and in depth) at the back.

I think KG''s suggestion of limited standing areas at the front of a couple of stands is a good idea and worthy of serious consideration. Remember that Hillsborough happened because too many supporters flocked into an overcrowded stand at one time with no access control. If you solved that problem by limiting numbers through turnstiles (which themselves slow up the rate of access) and having proper escape routes then it should not be a major problem. I am not saying that Taylor was wrong but it did recommend the extreme option rather than something a bit more measured. Personally I would probably still get a seat as I have just become used to it now (or is it old age?), but terracing would increase the capacity of FCR a bit more and, as it always used to be cheaper, open the game up to the less well off. I am not totally convinced that the atmospehere was much better when you had the terrace, this year with the new stand in place the noise has been terrific. It was largely the fact that in the Barclay you had a low roof which amplified the noise plus the home and away fans together in one place. I think other grounds (especially Spurs and Arsenal) suffered more by having all seaters. To get back to KG''s point I would certainly support the reintroduction of limited controlled terracing.

The music from Doctor Who (the original one, not the jazzed up later rubbish)- Doc looks like a Siliurian, Greeno a Sea Devil and Matt with his spiky hair looks as if he just saw a Dalek..........

I can''t see the names on the left box above where the pictures, status, number of posts etc appears. So I have no idea who is writing the messages (which may be a benefit!!). I have Windows 98 and IE5 so maybe my machine is getting too old............... PS The efforts you have made in getting this Board so classy is definitely appreciated- well done and thanks to all concerned.

Well, what a distance this board has come since the first version appeared- well done all at the Pink Un. Since we have a break from City footie for a bit, what does the "community" here think of moving the TV cameras over to the City Stand. Watching the last game live on TV I thought that from the Jarrold stand the City stand just looks pathetically small and gives the impression we are a small town club taking on the big boys in some David v Goliath cup tie. The new stand is vey impressive and even more so when the corner is done. The view from the City stand with all that yellow and green in the Jarrold would make a much more positive impression. Incidentally, are they going to do the corner between the Barclay and the Jarrold to finish things off?

The Premier League have banned Andy D''Urso after he failed to send off Ferguson when he got a second yellow card. If the club make a complaint about Poll then the PL may do something about him too- perhaps not banning as it was not as balatant an error but still take some form of disciplinary action. I doubt that fans'' messages will make a difference though. We should urge Delia, Donkeycaster etc to do that. Personally I think it would have made a difference. They were 1-0 up and may not have scored those other two goals so quickly. Their defence was already a second string and with Hux and later Leon running at them I think we could have put more pressure on earlier. Hard enough to get a point out of Arsenal at the best of times let alone when your forwards do not get the benefit of the rules. I''m not sure what the away equivalent of a homer is, but Poll was one that day.

I really don''t know why you''ve become so negative Wiz, maybe its the onset of Autumn as your balls drop with the leaves........or perhaps your toy Palantir has run out of batteries? What you are underestimating is team spirit. Don''t recall those dark days of Chase, but this Third Age echoes that of the time of Mike Walker the younger version. Did anybody really think that a converted centre half would score 28 majestic goals in one season ably supported by some good solid but unheralded and unheard of fellow travellers? Its remarkably similar to what''s happening now. Now for some maths: Corner Infill=more spectators=revenue=players What would you get for the cost of the Corner Infill? Wayne Rooney''s boots? A League One striker from Nowheresville United? We have more striking talent here now than for many a year and if people got off their backs because they only scored 4 goals against two of the best teams in Europe and one which finished fifth. Arguably its the defence which still needs a look. Birmingham have scored just two goals but are in healthy mid table. Had we not conceded 9 then we wouldn''t be where we are. So why don''t you start blaming Green, Drury or Fleming (no, that would risk eternal opprobrium and the return for you of the dark age) I know this Board is great for debate and freedom of speech, but some of the negativity emanating herefrom recently has been astonishing. In case anybody didn''t notice we are back in the Premierhsip (read that again if necessary), why can''t we just enjoy it? We all knew we would probably drop or at best struggle to lower midtable, if we go down we go down stronger wiser and better. Oh, and by the way this must be a record series of summer signings for City (Hamilton loan glut apart): Jonson Helveg Doherty Safri Bentley Charlton some of these need time to gel plus there''s Mullers still to come back and we still don''t know how Zema will return (another Efan Ekoku would be rather nice). We are in danger of being like supporters of Wolves, Spurs, Boro, Everton, Man City, West Ham and so on: never happy and not appreciating what we have. Spoilt children all of them who demand more more more. Please come back the dear old positive Wiz from last season................

Well said Mr Carra. At the moment seems to me we either spend no more or we spend £10million. Anything in between will be nibbling round the edges and may not be any better than what we have already.

I thought the chap wearing the shoes was Michael Owen, maybe not. I have also seen this a few times and my first reaction was that it was a pi**take i.e. I''m not in New York where I would rather be and I''m in Norwich instead: thus even a humble place like Norwich could be like New York (a proper City). Maybe I was being too sensitive.

I saw the interview and I thought he handled it very diplomatically. If he commits himself he has stuffed himself with the supporters of the team he didn''t pick. He''s on loan and we cannot expect him to regard us as his true home as he''s going back in May. Until then Nige will make sure he gets the most out of him.

So we''ve played three of our toughest matches of the season, we haven''t played any of the "mid tier" teams from whom we need to nick points (the Boltons, Charltons, Evertons etc) and there are folk calling for players to be sacked. 1st Wiz- I have enjoyed many of your posts but this one worried me. Some of the chaps you mention are bit part players up against two of the best teams in Europe. I want to pick up on 3 of the names in particular: Holt looked very poor against Man Utd but had much better games against Ncl and the Arse. I feel that he will be dropped for Safri once the latter is fully fit anyway but still a great man to call on if injuries occur. Malky- yes he''s been rubbish as a poster above pointed out. Not contributed at all this season so he''s just got to go. Hero to zero eh? Leon- so he''s slated for not smashing the ball past Lehman on the volley, the ball coming across him at an awkward height. He only gets 20 mins per game and he''s expected to run rings round the best team in Europe? At least he harries continuously and has the pace to keep up with Hux. Remember Hux missed a glorious chance against Ncl and no one pasted him for that. Lets be a bit realistic. Our season really starts now and many of the above have been at the heart of dominating the opposition towards the end of all the last three matches (strangely with Leon on as sub- mere coincidence???). We need MORE belief not less. Once we know we can take on these outfits we may get some points. Its hard enough at the moment without rubbishing some key squad members after just 4 games.

Despite his portaloo connections I had some respect for Sir Booby because of his achievement in Italia 90 and Barcelona etc and also hauling Newcastle back to the big time. But last night he proved that he really is a blathering idiot if he feels that the only reason they didn''t win because of continual deflections, goalline clearances, saves etc. Fact is his team could have been well and truly hammered had we taken our chances. So if he thought last night was unlucky, just wait for the stories of black cats, broken mirrors and walks under ladders if the Arse put 10 past them...........

Its that arrogance which marked him out- Not many youngsters come out of the youth team like Bellamy did and have an instant impact- even Darren Eadie took a while to settle down. That arrogance/drive/self confidence is just part of why he is as good as he is. On the comments two schools of thought: 1. He has lost a lot of time injured and doesn''t want to lose any more (fair enough) 2. He should just do what his manager tells him. Well, that''s not Craig and Robson is naive to expect him to do that- a good manager would recognise Craig''s "idiosynchrosies" and manage through them rather than expecting him to be what he isn''t, a lapdog. If you were recruiting a Wayne Rooney, surely the first thing you would do is go to your affected players and get them onside. I''m sure he still has a soft spot for his time with us and his comments were not intended to be insulting.

Niall Quinn spoke very well. He made good insightful and measured points. Hansen I respect and he reads a game well but is making his comments based on probably never seeing us. Lawrenson is the worst- deliberately provocative but in a negative and unpleasant way. The bloke even looks like a nasty piece of work.

My concerns are the lack of pace and the poor passing. Nige praised the latter last night and it was a major factor in us being able to compete. The exception unfortunately was Gary (although I think Bentley''s passing needs to be improved too). The lack of pace was as much of an issue. I noticed several loose ball when I thought that Holt was going to get there are one of the NCL players nipped in first. I also think he should have been marking the penalty spot when Bellamy got the first goal- he had acres of space. Strength in depth means you rest players when they are not at peak. sadly that''s true of Hot at the moment but does not mean that he won''t get another chance.

Good call Pyro, though Huckerby must do a little more harrying and tackling on that wing so Adam is not too exposed. Its a 4-4-2 which could easily go to 4-3-3 which against Man Utd and Newcastle looked a good formation for us when we needed a goal.

Well I thought Doherty was excellent last night and fully deserved his goal. Despite all the doubters on this Board he has made a huge contribution already and looked exactly what we need up front. But at the end Niall Quinn said that Doherty wants to be a defender- I just hoep Nige sticks to his guns. Charlton and Flem were great again and there''s no need to break up that partnership. Doc looked so strong he reminded me of our £5m man who is the last player I can remember who looked strong in attack and defence. Time will tell but this looks to have been a great signing (unlike our Scandinavian friends who must have lost their places in record time!!)