Stockholm Canary

Even if we had 10 million (and aside from Bellars most of those players could be targets should we stay up) you have to think about how much a contrcat would cost. Sure, you can bring in 10 players for 1 million each, but if they are all on 20k a week the it costs you another 10 million per season in wages. Thus we''d need a budget of 20 million...

It''s on Canal + Sport here in Scandinavia. www.canalplus.se (sport > kommande matcher). Sadly I don''t have it (i''m skint) and my mate that I usually watch games with might be away... gonne be annoyed if he''s not in!

I have a feeling that Helveg will be one of those players who keeps going a long, long time. Like Nigel Winterburm or Stuart Pearec, both were going strong into their late 30s. The key is that Helveg comes good for us. I do think he will. Otherwise though I''m sure that Charlton, eddy and Flem can do a job for us next season but I''d rather see us building for the future next season whatever happens. I also think that Svensson may be lured by the delights of his home town club here in Sweden who''re just moving into a new ground etc. etc. Though should we go down Ashton, Hucks, McKenzie plus Hendo, Crow and Jarvis is good enough to fire us back up - if we have the defensive solidity to back them up. 

What I meant was that we''d be in the Prem in 06/07 having gone up during the 05/06 deason

We''ll be ok "if" we go down. We''ll be stronger than when we won the league last season and have a lethal attack in Hucks & Ashton. The key will be to replace Francis (who will leave for devent money) and bring in a few players for the future, ideally in defence. I think that we really miss the settled defence from last year. We''d need to build a back 4 for a new assault on the Prem in 06/07. 

I was thinking about this over the weekend as it seems like both Doc and Flem need resting and I agree that Malky is badly missed for his organisation at the back. I honestly think that we would be better off had we have played Malky & Flem at centre back this year. But what ifs don''t help. I''ve heard so many different stories about the centre backs vs WBA. From what I heard on the radio it seemed like Flem went missing and Doc was a rock vs both Everton and WBA, if only that he hoofed the ball clear. Yet he cost us two goals. Flem is the captain and a club stalwart. The Guardian today says that Flem was good and Doc was poor... hmmn.   Right now Helveg won''t be fit for Blackburn, guess he might make the bench but I can''t see him being thrust straight in. So that rules him out as a cb and/or captain. Stuart is getting fitter I guess and could be a captain though he is new to the club and possibly still can only manage 80% of a game. I would let Francis get omn whith his game, no point risking a Drury style drop in form. Charlton might also make a good captain though we donät know how long he will be out. So I would leave Flem in as captain and bring in Shackell for Doc vs Blackburn. I also think that Saturday was further proof that Mackenzie is better coming off the bench than starting. I truly belive that Hucks & Ashton can form a lethal partnership as both are clever players, had Hucks scored vs. Everton from one of Ashton''s flick ons we''d all be saying what a team the two make. I still trust Hucks to finish more than McKenzie. My team for Blackburn Green Edworthy Fleming Shackell Drury/Brennan Jonson Francis Safri Stuart Ashton Huckerby Later on I would like to Helveg back in the team (not sure where though) and Svensson up front with Ashton and Hucks on left when playing at home. Hucks up front when away.

McKenzie is great when chasing a game, comingoff the bench to liven up the crowd. He''ll also bag 10-15 goals in the championship. Sadly his lack of first touch and finishing means he isn''t up to Prem standard. I really wish he was, but he isn''t. And I will bang on about this for the rest of the time he is at the club: Huckerby leaves our left back stranded if played on the wing. It works when chasing the game abd the opposition are sitting back, it works at a lower level as the players are not as good. But at this level we would need a world class central midfield and a world class left back to play him there.

There might be some info about our two Swede''s tonight. On the wekly football show on Kanal 5 here "Liga Europa" there will an "at home with" feature on Jonson & Svensson. Will report back tomorrow if none of the other Swedish contingent beat me to it  

Very good move. We need this kind of experince and on a short term deal too. Smart. A good friend of mine who is an Evertonian and season ticket holder until he moved to Stockholm a year or two back says he''s a great player. Good dressing room player (ie. typical Worthy signing), hard worker and very consistent. He will get a massive reception on Wednesday as he is a hero at Goodison still. Would like to see a young loan player later on today too and ideally a centre half. Bet that''s it though... and I bet that I stay up till midnight waiting...

If his wages cost, say, 500,000 for the rest of the season (compromise with newcastle) then surely this is a better deal than buying a good to average prem player for a the same fee AND being stuck with wages over a long 2 to 3 year contract should we go down? Having Bellers & Hucks plus Ashton you would have a fast. mobile and dangerous attack playing either 442 or 433. The defnce would get respite as team would be scared of or attacking threat, not from one player (hence the three players on Hucks = stops Norwich''s creativity strategy).   However I seriously doubt that this loan will even be looked at by the club or that Newcastle would be into it (he''s injury prone but someone will most likely stump up 6 million, sending him on loan here to possiblt get crocked would not be a sensible way to look after a valuable player). 

His goal record is good, especially as he was mainly used on the wing last season. He''s been part of the average Forest team of the past few years and an ok West Ham team. Thing is, he is fast, powerful and has no little skill. He''s looked a threat in every game (bar the play off final last year) I have seen him in. Most West Ham fans I know say if he had been treated better by Pardew and they had gone up he would be in the England reckoning now. Him and Hucks pulled us apart for Forest a year or two you might recall.  I feel we could get him as him and Pardew seem not to see eye to eye and Pardew would rather play other types of player in that position. He''s also probably about all we can realistically afford - and will most likley stick around should we go down (c''mon we gotta be realists).   

I may be wrong but I think that Jonson wasn''t quite that prolific for Brondy... but for Sweden he plays both a winger and as a striker, though it''s more been as an emergency striker if I recall correctly. Having said that I think that our best strikeforce would be Bentley and McKenzie, with Jonson and Hucks on the wings. Hucks will always pull out to the left and cut in, while we might get the best out of Bentley in the "hole".  He might make up for the lack of creativity coming from our willing, but limited passing wise midfield duo. And Shackell must get a chance a centre back now!  Thoughts?

Gotta say I was shocked. Also seems weird that we are selling a "reserve" player to West Ham. That wasn''t something I expected a few years back. But would we have offered a new contract to a 33 year old Malky? Doubt it. Would he have played much? Doubt it, seems like Doherty and Charlton are ahead of him. Druy and Helveg can play there AND Worthy obviously rates Shackell, who has to get given some games at some point it he''s going to make it. Why did we not fix this prior to the deadline? Injury perhaps? Oh well, another hero moves on. It''s the price of playing in the Prem. 

I''d also rather watch the ODIs right now, but here in Sweden I''m stuck with Hockey. There have been two World Cup''s this year... can''t get into the sport at all...

Can you do something to keep the signatures in control? It winds me up when there are 20pt typefaces and huge animated delia''s all over the place. Otherwise this ace!

Yep - if there was no one who was subtantially better than Zema available then there was not point wasting cash, was there. Perhaps he can come in and surprise us all and prove his worth. Can''t see it happening though, sadly. 

Ok, last week I suggested that Safri would replace him in the team. From watching the game on tv on saturday I can only say how wrong I was. I thought he had a very good game, even his passing was far more impressive than I can recal from previous games. His work in front of the defence was outstanding. My sincere appologies are offered!

2 relatively small errors which are forgiveable. It''s the best preview I''ve read yet. If I was an Everton or Man City fan and they had my club to go down with one of the promoted teams staying I would be livid. Sure, both clubs look shaky but they have proven capable (just about) of staying up. As the season starts us, West Brom and Palace ARE most likely to go down. What I would like to see is a little bit of qualification in these previews, noting that the excessive wages of underperforming, average players leave some clubs in trouble and should one or more of the newly promoted teams play well there is every chance of survival. There is no 100% clear cut relegation certainty this season.

Palace got up through a great run - the winning games = confidence/team spirit thing applies to them far more than us. We''ve been a tight unit for three seasons now (check out the stuff in Iwan''s book about how Worthy cleared out the deadweight). From what I''ve heard Palace may have some money from their chairman but the set up is nowhere near as well run as ours, in fact few teams are by all accounts. I''m actually surpised that so much as been made of the Dowie effect. They lost their keeper back to Brum who was also a vital part of last season''s run. Who knows how the new keeper will cope. They''re far more of an unknown quantity that we are.

It''s 100% on Canal+ in Sweden. Getting nervous already as I also have MOT on my car today, need it to pass so I can sell it and put the deposit down on a new one. The two thibgs combined don''t make for a very productive day in the office.

I honestly think that Huckerby might make or break our season for us - this will be the first time since Coventry (where he was ace) that he is a first regular in the Prem without the worry than an Anelka, Keane, Fowler etc. is gonna be bought and take his place. If he is on form and proves what we all hope he is capable of then we''ll be deadly on the break and other teams will worry about him. If not then we''ll at worst have a creative attacker who doesn''t score much and whose runs are a touch too obvious for better defences. Ho hum. I think he''s burning to prove people wrong and will be a massive hit this year. Fingers crossed.

So he did come back, with a laughable argument. As stated Keown was not wanted, Worthy noted that he was looking for younger players (and Helveg att 33 is er, younger). Connelly is a class act, but him and Hucks couldn''t play together (too similar) and it was Hucks who was player of the year in D1 last year, not Connelly. I''d take Hucks every time (as would most clubs). I actually liked Leicester under O''Neill - always thought that was where we could have been had it been for Chase. I was proud that our ex manager had established a small club in the Prem. Lost respect when then splashed so much cash on Ade though :-) Let''s face it, Norwich and Leicester are very similar size clubs. We have a similar size fanbase and stature, not unlike Charlton, Southampton, Portsmouth, Bolton, Blackburn (now they haven''t got as much cash), Fulham in the Prem and others like Derby, Cov and, ahem, Ipswich in the championship. We all know that had we not have been relegated when we were we would have had an awful lot of tv money fall in our laps and we could have been where Bolton or Charlton are now. As I said though, I wasn''t bitter. Just proud and pleased with what O''Neill did for small clubs as I am for Curbishly at Charlton now. But now it must be worse to be a Leicester fan with a concience, they had it all and blew it bigger than we did. It must choke to know that they ripped off local businesses when they went into admin and were allowed to reform. Glad the rules seem to be being put right so no one else can cheat their way up like that again. Imagine if we''d done that back in the day - and kept O''Neill and players like Eadie, Keef, Bellars, Newsome (who I rated as highly as Bruce, a future England player at that time) and Ashley Ward (who was good for us). Let''s face it, Leicester and the Prem doesn''t have a good ring to it, just a sour taste. In a rightful world they and another team down the road from would be struggling like Sheff Weds. Rant over.

I wonder if this LCFC has bothered coming back to gloat at all the attention we''re giving him. Probably getting a reality check if he has...

"To change him would be to shift the way we play". I think that is precisely what may have to happen this year. I think that if we are going to create chances in the top flight we are going to need a greater degree of creativity from central midfield. It''s not say that Gary is a bad player, just perhaps a little one dimensional. Though this could be a key factor in certain games where we need extra defensive protection.

I have had a theory about this for a while, along with my dad who thinks the same thing. I think that this is deliberate and has been one of the reasons that Gary Holt has been so vital. The key issue is that our centre half pairing of choice for the past three years - Malky & Flem - are slow. Ok, so Kents played there sometimes, but more often than not he was to be found at right back. This meant that Holt was a very defensive midfielder, lacking creativity but great at breaking up play. Thus we played very deep to counter the lack of pace. This theory leads me to belive that Safri will be ahead of Holt in the pecking order should be sign this pacey centre half we keep hearing about. Safri is also a tough midfielder but with a more creative, passing side to his game. I think that we will need this and more pace in defence, to cope week in week out in the top flight. I do think we might see Holt as a destroyer in a 3 man midfield in some games, with one up front, Hucks to the left and Jonson to the right. Whaddaya think? Good theory or total rubbish?