Ark

After reading Huckerby''s comments on Saff and Earnie being central to the side, I had a think about the best 11 available (without injuries), and could only think of two positions where we''re in real need of reinforcement... Tell me if I''m wrong, but this is AT LEAST the basis of a top six side:                            Earnie                HucksChadwick       ?       Saff       CroftDrury       Shacks       Dublin       ?                    Gallacher

Realistically, I think Earnie will leave at the end of the season if we don''t get promoted... He made it clear that he wants Premiership football.However, he is also clearly committed to the club at this time and is playing great football, and his comments should provide a a major lift to the whole club. PG can build a team in January with Earnie in place, rather than having to spend all his efforts on finding a replacement in case he buggers off at the eleventh hour as Ashton did last year.

I can''t stand the way that Jose Mourinho got away with his recent attempts to victimise Graham Poll... Not to mention the numerous other referees of good standing that he''s defamated in European competition... So if his captain is starting to do the same, then all respect to the FA for nipping this in the bud. Next time I just hope his boss sees the same stick.As much as Poll, like many other refs, is guilty of blunders, this simply isn''t the way for players and managers to deal with the situation and will just end up undermining the authority of referees in doing their jobs. One of the things that has distinguished Poll as a top ref in this country is that he has always been the first to hold his hands up when mistakes are made, but with this constant barrage of attacks I can''t honestly see why he should bother when it''ll probably just fan the flames of the witch hunt..

[quote user="komakino"]Don''t expect a massive profit though, because there won''t be one.[/quote]I kind of agree with that... And it''s the main reason why I think the club may end up hanging on to him (in January at least). I''ve got a niggling feeling that Earnie, rightly or wrongly, has a stigma attached that he''s tried and failed to make the breakthrough at Premiership level at West Brom and would therefore represent a "gamble" for any club that came in for him. IMO he''s worth more than 5 million to Norwich, and at that price I''d hope the board would have the guts to keep him...  We certainly couldn''t replace him for that kind of money, and I''d say he''s a lot more valuable to us in this division than Ashton ever was, so why accept less money for him?The only reason I''d excuse the club for letting him go is if Earnie himself wants the transfer... But right now I can''t see him wanting to leave so desperately in January. Another thing to be remembered is that the guy just loves to play every week so, even if the likes of Blackburn, Middlesbrough, Villa, Newcastle came in with a bid, I still see him asking serious questions given his negative experience warming the bench every week at West Brom.

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"][quote user="Ark"]I thought I should just post a message to pay respect to the legend that is Robert Earnshaw...LEGEND!thank you.[/quote] Not yet. If his goals get us up and keep us up - then I will agree. OTBC. [/quote]I meant it in a looser sense. I didn''t say he''s a City Legend, although I''m sure he has the potential to become one if he stays a while longer... I just meant that he deserves a lot of respect for performing week in, week out whilst surrounded by such a lacklustre team, manager, fans etc.

[quote user="1st Wizard"][quote user="Marty"]I''ll second that, strange how you don''t find many of the perennial moaners posting on threads like this![/quote] Isn''t it strange Marty, how none of you ''hindsight brigade'' point out that I was one of the few pro Earnshaw supporters on here when we first signed him!!!. The guy, as I said at the time, will become a huge City legend if we can keep hold of him in January. [/quote] I have to say I thought that the Ashton-out/Earnshaw-in deals were a great piece of business at the time (I think I said on here that Earnie had the potential to be as good as Bellamy for us). Earnie''s always been a proven banker in the Championship, and I think most of the negative posts at the time had more to do with the manager than the transfer.

I thought I should just post a message to pay respect to the legend that is Robert Earnshaw... for keeping his head while all others have been losing theirs. Under-performing team struggling in mid-table mediocrity, sacked manager, fans already on the back of the new boss and his team just a few matches into his reign... Robert Earnshaw, firing on all cylinders, top scorer in the division. LEGEND!thank you.

I was at the ground... My gut instinct says it was a dislocated shoulder, the way he just sat there loosely holding it rather than doing rotations or anything. I just hope it wasn''t something worse like a broken collar bone. Either way, on the basis of that, I''d guess he may well be out for a couple of games minimum. Sad, as his performance was one of the few positives on the day. Still, great signing in my view.

[quote user="Shack Attack"]I like the bit about how "we''ve created a ''buyback'' scheme''. That''s right, the scheme wher you make me feel like a criminal for trying to sell my season ticket to a mate for one game for £10 rather than accepting your pathetic offer of £5 off a season ticket that I might not even want next year![/quote] They should change it to something like 50% of price IF your ticket is sold... I can understand why they don''t want people selling their own tickets on... It''s something very hard to police... I seem to remember issues at a match where a few season ticket holders decided to sell their tickets to away fans, and they went on to make trouble during the game (I think it was against West Ham). With so many sell-outs, there''s also the potential issue of people serially touting season ticket seats at inflated prices.

[quote user="cluckaduck"][quote user="Ark"][quote user="cluckaduck"] [quote user="ManchesterCanary"]Watching NCFC (when i can) continues to be a frustrating experience. However, watching the style of pure football that Arsenal have played recently, particularly the games at Reading (0-4) and against CSKA Moscow (mayebe the most amazing 0-0 ever) restores my faith in the beautiful game. I am not a Gooners fan as such, but their style is a joy to watch. Has anybody witnessed such fast, skillful, flowing football before?...(maybe Brasil in 1970?).[/quote] I have a serious issue with the foreign stars at Arsenal, just as at Chelsea etc. When I see them touted as an English club in the Champions League it want to cringe. Just what is English about them? Theo Walcott....Terry and Lampard at best. I prefer the honest game of a few years ago. I think it is because I have seen that great Norwich side play, including Crooky and Co that I am in so much gloom at what is going on on the pitch now. They weren''t world beaters, but they played great football and did Norwich City proud. They didn''t cost the Earth to put together either! [/quote] How on EARTH did you manage to turn this discussion into an excuse to for a xenophobic tirade??? [/quote] Who rattled your cage then mate? Exclusive threads now is it? Don''t expect everyone to agree with your point of view.....The header related to Arsenal. I answered it. [/quote]I just think it''s sad to hijack a post about watching great football and try to turn it into some excuse to lay into foreigners. Have your say by all means... But why not post a new topic or add your reply somewhere that it''s RELEVANT.And, NO, the header said "Arsenal - a question?", and you DID NOT answer the question.On the topic in hand... In my view Thierry Henry is a better and more complete footballer than Ronaldinho, and is pretty much in a class of his own. What scares me about Arsenal is how much youth they have in their team... and how much potential there is for the team to get better and better over the next three or four years as they mature as individuals and as a team. I really think that Abramovich''s wallet  will have its work cut out to stay on top.

[quote user="cluckaduck"] [quote user="ManchesterCanary"]Watching NCFC (when i can) continues to be a frustrating experience. However, watching the style of pure football that Arsenal have played recently, particularly the games at Reading (0-4) and against CSKA Moscow (mayebe the most amazing 0-0 ever) restores my faith in the beautiful game. I am not a Gooners fan as such, but their style is a joy to watch. Has anybody witnessed such fast, skillful, flowing football before?...(maybe Brasil in 1970?).[/quote] I have a serious issue with the foreign stars at Arsenal, just as at Chelsea etc. When I see them touted as an English club in the Champions League it want to cringe. Just what is English about them? Theo Walcott....Terry and Lampard at best. I prefer the honest game of a few years ago. I think it is because I have seen that great Norwich side play, including Crooky and Co that I am in so much gloom at what is going on on the pitch now. They weren''t world beaters, but they played great football and did Norwich City proud. They didn''t cost the Earth to put together either! [/quote] How on EARTH did you manage to turn this discussion into an excuse to for a xenophobic tirade???

Bruce''s Header: Did Pardew really say ''if it was anyone but Norwich I wouldn''t have let him go''?I think he did... But it''s completely out of context as he was referring to the fact that Grant had personal links with Norwich.This is pure speculation, and if you do the maths it doesn''t actually make sense anyway... WHU would be in the same position whoever paid out Grant''s contract... Setting it off against the Ashton fee is irrelevant.

[quote user="cluckin"][quote user="Ark"]Call me a KTF''er but I can''t help but think that, having interviewed a shortlist of 7 likely canditates, perhaps the board have actually got a much better idea than us who''s best for the job.On the face of it Grant doesn''t sound like the most ambitious choice maybe, but wtf do we REALLY know?? If anything, I''d say it''s a brave choice, and a much better one than going for a tried-and-tested-proven-mediocre boss of the likes of Robson et al... So the least he deserves is a few months to get settled in without the fans on his back.[/quote] There is a middle ground between Robson and Grant......and do you really have such faith in the Board that you think they know best?  Rioch, Hamilton, Worthington.......now Grant? This was no occasion for ''taking a chance'' and we all know that Grant will be here for a long time come what may......... [/quote]1. Worthington got us to the Premiership when most fans thought he''d most likely finish off Hamilton''s job of getting us relegated, so I''ve got more faith in the board to choose us a new manager than the rest of us.2. Grant hasn''t had a single game in charge yet, so we''re in no position  to comment on his abilities.

Call me a KTF''er but I can''t help but think that, having interviewed a shortlist of 7 likely canditates, perhaps the board have actually got a much better idea than us who''s best for the job.On the face of it Grant doesn''t sound like the most ambitious choice maybe, but wtf do we REALLY know?? If anything, I''d say it''s a brave choice, and a much better one than going for a tried-and-tested-proven-mediocre boss of the likes of Robson et al... So the least he deserves is a few months to get settled in without the fans on his back.

[quote user="Alex Harvey-Jones"]One of my close Asian friends is fasting at the moment and therefore I guess Safri is also fasting?? We have seen before that he seldom plays well while fasting and I believe this could also help to explain his fight with Dixon. I went to uni with a chap from Pakistan and he claimed that during the day while the fast is occurring, people are much more short tempered (understandably) with each other due to hunger causing lots of irritation, especially on the roads! I should imagine this exacerbated the situation when Dixon put in a heavy tackle! Perhaps it would be wise therefore to leave out Safri for sunday?? I would struggle to get through a day without eating, let alone play a professional football match as well![/quote]Wow, you''re good at reading a lot into things... Last year Safri was injured for the whole of ramadan so yes, in a sense, he didn''t play very well! To be honest, I''ve had pretty much the opposite experience with people during ramadan... it''s seen as a peaceful month by muslims and, among other things, part of observing the fast is to refrain from agressive behaviour and cursing.

[quote user="Marty"]I agree with you sentiment, I hope he will be remembered for the success, but in a way this may have lead to his downfall, once people had a taste of success they want more. I can understand people wanting a new manager but some of the things said about him by some posters here were not acceptible as far as I am concerned. [/quote]Cheers Marty.... Just noticed I joined this forum on exactly the same day as you (2 and a half years ago)... Great minds and all!

Okay... I''m pre-empting his departure a bit here... But as much as I think it''s probably time for him to move on (I just pray he quits rather than dragging this out), Nigel Worthington has been by far our most successful manager of the past decade (and there have been a few, Rioch, Hamilton, Megson, Walker mark2 etc etc), and if and when he does go he still deserves our respect for what he achieved here (much like Walker did when he left for the second time).I don''t know how long people''s memories go back... but, without any real investment in the squad, Worthy brought us to the playoff final in his first _full_ season. For me, that was arguably his greatest moment and, as a long-suffering fan of the previous seasons (under Hamilton and Rioch in particular), that achievement gave me a renewed belief in the club... So for that, and for the Division 1 Championship (and the Premiership) and the 2-0 win over Man U, I would like to say thank you Nigel Worthington!!And now... PLEASE just quit while you''re still ahead (for your own sake!).

Oops... Just posted a new topic on this before reading the board properly!On the face of it, it seems that West Brom have made a very hasty decision... especially seeing as their results haven''t even been THAT bad (they''re certainly above where we were 12 months ago)... My guess is that they already have a new manager up their sleeves.Worthington... I''ve never been in the WO camp, but I start to feel that maybe last Xmas would have been an opportune time for him to leave for his own sake. We''ve been blessed at Norwich in the last 10 years that our managers have all jumped ship before they needed to be forced out. I can see another season similar to last, and then Worthy leaving by "mutual consent" come May.

Sacked for poor results.... compare and contrast with Worthy''s position of 12 months ago.

I think that there''s probably a way back... But Honest Joe, you are a bona fide wind-up merchant. I read a lot of your posts last summer and it was all baseless drivel... no evidence of knowing the team, the players, having watched any games... and full of stupid/unnecessary superlatives to describe the manager. (people! he refers to the Suff**k team as Ipswich... he''s clearly a binner!!!)

[quote user="Maverick"] [quote user="canary cherub"]I know I''m new around here and don''t wanna appear rude, but, is your opinion sooooo important to everybody that you need to take out posts from a current thread just to have a thread of your own???[/quote] You''re clearly new round here,love.If you had used this board for more than a few months you''d realise that he is an attention seeker of the highest order.Learn to ignore anything he says-he''ll change his mind by next week... [/quote] True, but (as blahblahblah points out) Wiz''s constant (and dramatic) changes of mind are one of the most reliable sources of entertainment on this board... Especially when the fans are at each other''s throats over Worthy''s latest "failure". You can always rely on Wiz to lighten the mood 2 or 3 times a day by coming up with a ridiculous/offensive/hypocritical side-topic.

[quote user="FilletTheFishWife ."]A season ban maybe but a lifetime ban definitely not. I''m not condoning racism at all but to ban him for life is a far too excessive punishment. [/quote]I tend to agree that a lifetime ban is a harsh knee-jerk reaction to someone who - apparently - has seen the error of their ways. However, even if this is an isolated comment and completely out of character from the person concerned, it is important not to send a message to the REAL biggots and troublemakers that no kind of rascism is tolerated at Carrow Road. So a limited ban (eg. one season) is probably the right way to go.

Somebody correct me if I''m wrong here... The transfer window relates only to the signing of players currently under contract with other clubs... My understanding was that signing free-agents (like, dare I say it, Chris Sutton) is actually allowed at any time in the season.(in the same way as handing pro contracts to youth team players)One last option still on the table?

On the plus side, without new buys coming through the door, maybe we''ll see more opportunities for the youngsters in the side... Even if they fail to make their mark it''s better than seeing another failure with a 500k+ price tag!

[quote user="Yellow Rages"]I think it shows a lack of respect for those trying to read what is written when it is put down in text speak. [/quote]I think we''re going a bit OTT here...  But I''d make the point that, if someone uses txt talk or poor grammar, many people are either likely to ignore their post or to value their opinion less... So, it''s worth trying to use good English if you want your contributions to be read and valued by other posters.