nycanary

consider your prayers answered. now back to the prayer about a top quality striker coming to carrow road.....

VERY SIMPLY EXAMPLE OF BIAS:Edworthy sent off for foul at Portsmouth.Arsenal''s Lauren not sent off for identical foul on Hux at Carrow Road

i do agree that jonson is looking better but forgive me for thinking that it''s not enough. he shows effort -- yes. as does leon. it shows and we fans love seeing effort. but many times, i feel like his efforts result in little reward. when i watch him, i feel like i''m watching someone who is like train. takes a long time to accelerate. once at top speed, little ability to turn or slow down quickly. jonson is very predictable and rarely produces that piece of innovation that can break down defences and score goals. only bentley and huckerby have shown the ability to do that this season on any almost regular basis. i think helveg is looking great. i like what he''s doing now. he''s still getting used to the pace but he''s getting there. the pick of the bunch for me against liverpool was francis. he acted like a PREMIERSHIP player..and not just a player showing guts and effort and trying his best to compete. he CAN compete. and he shows it. he tackled well. he held the midfield well. and he ran forward at the right times very well supporting leon when needed. the truth is that is what he is SUPPOSED to do and frankly, we don''t have nearly enough players who are playing at the level that is needed to survive in the Premiership.

the hole is the wages we have to pay him. i think it''s more of a broader negotation problem where demand for his services far outstrips supply. we could buy him for 3 million. that works. but we may have to pay him 25,000+ per week to keep him. we would make the claim that if we got relegated, he goes down to 10,000 per week but if we stayed up, he would get 40,000 per week or something like that. but why would he do that when he can go to someone else who will pay him 40,000 per week in all circumstances? maybe he loves the atmosphere at the club; loves the fact that he would be THE GUY and not fighting for his place; that rivers and gradi have told him norwich is a great place; point to hux''s experience etc etc. even THEN, he will say "ok fine...but if you get relegated, i need a release clause in the contract". and THAT, i think, is where the problem lies. even if get crewe to buy off on our bid, the problem is that we might spend 3 million, still get relegated AND lose him. ok...so we can recoup some of the money by selling him then but everyone would know he wanted out and the price would come down. as the best paid player on the team; plus a potential loss of 1 million pounds on the transfer fee (if we get relegated, it most likely means he didn''t set the world alight so his value goes down more) AND we lose him at the end of the season. this is one path. the other path is spend 1.5 on an OK to good player and be confident he agrees to the variable wage contract as well as sticking around for a difficult championship battle next year, should that situation arise. i think that''s where the dilemma lies for the board. from my point of view, it''s a pure business person''s approach...this current thinking that they seem to have. what is missing is a stark reality-check that unless we make a big change, it''s better than 50% odds that we WILL get relegated. i think that they believe the odds are better than they actually are. SOMEONE should be making this stark point clear as day to the board. and that person should be Nigel. he may be doing that already and giving us the silver tongue in public which is fine. but if he''s not, then he''s not doing his job. someone needs to change the board''s analysis of the risk/reward profile of making a significant investment in a player like ashton. my two cents.

in the past, i''ve always rated the passing abilities of mullers. but today, during the liverpool, i was simply floored by his total inability to do ANY of the jobs required of a midfielder: passing forward; holding; tackling; creating; shooting; defending. he was just awful. an absolute waste of a spot. he never even bothered looking up to see who he could pass to -- he just passed backwards at all times like he was some really special player who thought passing back was some bloody insightful approach to setting up the next norwich attack. balderdash. gobbledygook. i understand that we are short-handed at the moment but surely, mcveigh or even jarvis in midfield would have been better! i''m very frustrated. watching today on the telly was (we don''t get many games over here in the states -- i''ve seen the opening flurry then chelsea and now liverpool....our MOTD doesn''t show much beyond the goals) an eye-opening experience. liverpool were THERE for the taking. and we couldn''t do it. we''re slow; we''re not confident; we don''t get stuck in; we don''t run well off the ball and we consistently wait to go behind before acting as if we belong. it''s basically a mental state that says that once we are behind, we''re not expected to come back and so we can go for it without any repercussions. it''s a problem. it''s very reminiscient of what i used to hear from micky adams last season at leicester "we''ve lost a lot of really close matches but we''re getting there...we get better and some day the luck will turn". well, sometimes you have to create your OWN luck. i am happy to see francis back. he, bents and hux look like they think they belong. leon, for all his industry, looks like a jack russell without a sense of direction. the board MUST spend and spend aggressively. the numbers simply do not add up for them to stick with what we''ve got. ashton sounds good. but he''s a longshot. but nigel and the board must do something NOW. i''ve seen enough this season to know i love this club, i want to see them stay up, i''m proud of their effort and gutsy courage but now i want to see some NEW BLOOD. dialysis please.

not sure if anyone else has said this yet but the twin statements of green saying he would be a ''sacrificial lamb'' if needed combined with worthy''s open appeal to sign ashton is the final nail in the green-transfer-saga coffin. those were some fairly direct statements about intent and inevitability and the timing of them was also an indication that a deal may be complete. i really don''t know if it''s the right move or not. i just hope, whatever happens, that it was the right choice.

i think this notion of strikers not getting the chances is two-fold. firstly, i do believe that our strikers don''t take enough of the chances that they create or are given to them. they miss far too many. you just don''t get that many chances in the prem and you have to take them. secondly, i feel that bentley and mullers are our best passing midfielders. it''s not really part of francis'' or holt''s game but any team doesn''t need more than 1 or at most 2 great passers. liverpool have alonso and gerrard. it''s not like there are 4 passing midfielders on any prem team. i think the BIGGEST problem for our strikers and frankly, our team as a whole, is movement off the ball. we don''t move well when in possession. we dont create spaces to receive the ball. the strikers don''t do a good job managing the offside trap and in fact they far too often run along the line in very predictable ways. the genius of arsenal when on form is their movement off the ball. try watching an arsenal match and don''t watch the man on the ball -- watch everyone else. then watch us. the difference is mindboggling. while we don''t need to be arsenal, i think we lack this aspect a great deal and for a squad like ours, within supreme individual talents, it''s even more important we create space for our team-mates to pass into.

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.the smallest player on the pitch paul dickov; playing on the side with one man down; after losing every single away match this season; scoring only 2 and letting in 14 in the process -- has EQUALISED with a header 2 minutes from the end.it''s just miserable. what a horrible week. first the re-election of that idiot Bush. now this ridiculousness.2 mins injury time to go....

jay bothroyd has just been sent off for blackburn. we''re not at half time yet and we''re up against the bottom team in the league who are reduced to 10 men. and we''re at home.if this isn''t our opportunity to get a win, i don''t know what is.

i mostly agree with DD but have got to say that NW is faced with a major problem down our left. That problem is Shaun Wright-Phillips. We need defensive help to contain him -- he''s their most dangerous player (I think we can contain Anelka).Drury missing hurts badly but I think NW might have to revert to Hux up front with Sven with Jonson coming in on the left side of midfield. I would put Bents on the right and then consider Charlton at left back with Shackell or Doc in the middle with Flem.So, conservatively:GreenEdworthyFlemingShackellCharltonBentleyHoltFrancisJonsonSvenssonHuckerbyWhat would I like to see tho is:GreenEdworthyFlemingShackellCharltonBentleyHoltFrancisHuckerbySvenssonJonson

what are we actually debating here?facts about all of us fans:1. we are loving the fact that we are in premiership after all this time. no doubt.2. we do not want to get relegated this year3. we do not think that the position we are currently in is vastly different from where most of us expected to be at this point.4. we want norwich to be better; more ruthless; less prone to error etc etc.5. we need to strengthen the squad, particularly up front, if we want to increase our chances of survival.each match that comes and goes gives us an opportunity to see what''s working and what isn''t. it allows us to speculate about who should be in the team and who isn''t. it provides us with raw material to talk about scenarios about which players we would add to the squad and debate the likelihood of our acquiring such players. it gives us material to discuss whether the club should spend 5 million on 1 player or 1 million on 5 players.at the end of all that, we each have an opinion and we look forward to the next match to discuss it all yet again in the following week. isn''t that what we DO?people can complain -- it''s their right. people can fight against the moaners -- it''s their right. but we basically ALL agree on the core issues that bind us all in our support of the club.so what are we debating here?

in my 25 years supporting the canaries, i don''t think i''ve ever seen us win at man city. can anyone remember? we always lose. and we lose badly there quite often. let''s hope for a big change.

we''ve been discussing this on another thread. i can''t agree with anyone who is still suggesting to put holt on the bench. he''s been getting stronger and stronger and definitely played better than francis (who i agree has a self-confidence issue) vs everton. the two line ups the other thread seems seemed to like are: Green Green Edworthy Edworthy Charlton Charlton Fleming Fleming Jonson Bentley Holt Holt Francis Francis Huckerby Huckerby Svensson Jonson McKenzie McKenzie

Morph i agree. That''s an interesting idea. Either of the Matt''s upfront alongside Leon with Hux on the left. That way, we could afford to bring back Bentley into the side which I need is also good for us long-term. Green Edworthy Fleming Charlton Drury Bentley Francis Holt Huckerby Jonson McKenzie Could be very interesting.

I have been so depressed today. After getting to watch the lads on TV again (the last few weeks w/o them on the telly have been miserable for those of us located abroad), it was interesting to watch how the team has progressed. Here''s what I took from it: a. I have not been a supporter of Leon. But today, he proved me wrong. He was a persistent thorn in Everton''s defence and has the guts, confidence, speed and strength to take people on. I was really impressed. He does need to improve his finishing but I thought he was great. b. Holt was fabulous today. He has really come on strong -- with marshalling duties and telling people where to go and tackling well as always. It was he, not Francis, who kept the lid on Gravesen. Even tho the Dane was still Everton''s most influential player, it would have been much worse without Holt. c. Huckerby in left midfield. With Svensson up front, Hux was free to roam and have support up front. Many of you have called for him to play the left side of midfield. After today''s 2nd half, I have to agree. d. Svensson. I think he''s not going to score a lot of goals but he does have pretty good vision. He does remind me of Eidur Gudhjohnsen -- but not as good. He may not score many but today he put Leon through; and on opening day, he put Hux through. He does have some much needed cleverness and vision for us -- and he''s a better alternative than Doc. e. Helveg. Awful. Too slow. Tries to be too cute. Back to the bench for you. f. Jonson. Showing much greater promise than earlier in the season. Getting used to the pace and doesn''t seem to be over-awed as much anymore. Like him on the right. g. Francis. Disappointing. Strangely, I agree with the commentators about Francis. He lacks confidence. He is a big strong talented lad but he doesn''t put himself about in that manner. I''d like to see him stride forward on the ball with purpose. Go into the tackle with vigor. Shoot with more assuredness. Damo -- you''re a good player....now ACT it. The first half was horrible. The 2nd half was great and I''m gutted to not get even a deserved point. So....next week: Green Edworthy Fleming Charlton Drury Jonson Holt Francis Huckerby Svensson McKenzie Subs: Bentley McVeigh Helveg Ward Doherty Next in line for the bench: Safri, Mulryne, Jarvis.

How terrible would it be for us to still be in Div 1. Apart from the obvious, we would be competing in a hugely competitive league. Consider the teams who are or should be near the top of the division:WiganReadingIps-omethingWest HamSunderlandMillwallSheff UtdLeedsLeicesterWolvesIt really does look like a stronger league than last year. Phew.

i guess the formatting didn''t work.the formation i wrote about above is:---------------GREEN----------------------FLEMING--CHARLTON--DOHERTY--------HELVEG--------------------DRURY-------------HOLT------FRANCIS-------------------------BENTLEY------------------------McKENZIE----HUCKERBY---------a 5-2-1-2 so to speak.

I''ve historically been a strong advocate of the diamond formation -- mostly because I think we have a player in Bentley who can play the hole position and it''s the best way to utilize his skills. But we''ve seen the formation get punished and we''ve seen Holt and Francis suffer in that formation -- so I need to take back my preference for the diamond. But I still believe in Bents and continue to feel that he is wasted out on the left. So how about this formation (others have suggested it already I think): Green Fleming Charlton Doherty Helveg Drury Holt Francis Bentley McKenzie Huckerby Ignoring whether it shoudl Helveg or Edworthy or Leon or anyone else, I think this formation might protect the flanks more; provide some width without sacrificing the defence; provide Holt and Francis with the roles they are used to and take advantage of Bents in the hole -- where I think he can cause great problems for the other team if given more of a chance to develop in that role. Thoughts?

Green Edworthy Charlton Fleming Drury Helveg Holt Francis Bentley McVeigh Huckerby Sven hasn''t worked. Doc hasn''t worked. Leon hasn''t worked. Maybe McVeigh is out best option. And Helveg over Jonson for now. I still don''t see Jonson as a first team player but he is getting better. And I would like to see Safri and Mulryne re-enter the fold in some manner.

i think we need to spend significantly in january. i would like to see the norwich transfer record broken for a top class striker. this is just a must. by the time january rolls around, i think we''ll see that we''re in ok shape but, like with last season''s swoop for hux, we will need a player this season to ensure keeping us up. from a financial standpoint, this makes sense from a risk/return profile view. if we are in ok shape come january, then spending 2-3 million plus the wages is not a HUGE investment when it could mean the difference between going down and styaing up. invest 2-3 million and reap 20+ million with another premiership season. it''s a fair investment to make that may not have been fair to assume at the beginning of the season. during the summer there was probably a sense of "if we find the right striker at the right price, we''ll take him but if not, let''s see how our lads do. and we can always adjust in january." in the financial world (at least in the US), this is called keeping "dry powder" available -- a chunk of money set aside to carry out additional purchases after the results from the initial set of acquisitions is evaluated. now that we''ve seen how the season has started for us, we can now go into jan with some certaintly that we''re in ok shape to accomplish the long-term goal of stability in the premiership and the time is ripe for a more aggressive investment to make it even more certain. i feel certain this will happen in jan. from a investment/merchant banking standpoint (which is coincidentally something i have years of experience in), this is a very logical strategy. of course, i don''t know for sure but i do hope this is right.

it''s almost half time vs wba. 0-0. we''ve had the better chances in the face of what sounds like extraordinarily bad refereeing.but we should be 2-0 up.we must learn to take our chances -- especially away from home.

Realistically, we''re playing in the same league as the following teams:NorwichWBAPalaceSouthamptonFulhamBlackburnWe might as well make this a mini-league and the matches between these 6 teams will decide relegation.The only other potential teams that could be involved are Man City, Portsmouth and Everton but I believe there''s enough class in all three to see them through safely -- as with Birmingham who have a good squad.So, we''ve only played Palace out of that list. Does anyone have time to watch the league table for those 6 sides alone?

what was the score in the england u-19s match. how did jarvis do?

i listened to the portsmouth match on the radio....how i long for our live showings on the telly again. but, in as much as you can discern about the game when being given the commentary by the opinions of the commentators, it seemed to me that i noticed the following: a. bentley had his best game as a canary. he kept possession well, and distributed the ball particularly well. i hope to see his contribution continue to improve b. leon is like a jack russell terrier. he just runs and runs and runs. and while sometimes he doesn''t run or act particularly intelligently, he will at least keep running. good and bad with that. c. jonson had his best match as a canary but he really seems to dislike running at people and trying to go past them. he''s GOT to do that in his position. if he doesn''t, then mcveigh should have this slot for all our matches. d. hux is fast. hux is an enigma. he can dazzle. he can infuriate. he can frustrate with his own demonstrations when things dont go his way. and he can''t take a penalty very well. it also seems that one of two things need to happen -- when hux runs, someone (in addition to leon) needs to keep up otherwise it''s always going to be 1 on 1 and prem defenders will cop on to this quickly; OR hux needs to slow down and understand that him running off doesn''t guarantee success. he''s got to develop more of a playmaker''s mindset if he wants to use his dribbling skills. just look at arsenal -- in henry and reyes, they have two exceptionally quick, fast dribblers (like hux) but both know when to slow down and wait for support and deliver the pass. their sprinting stretches the defense and their waiting allows players to move into the spaces they''ve just created thru their running. hux MUST learn how to do that and if he does, things can really start moving for us. the west brom game is now pivotal for us. as will be the one after that. and the one after that.

It looks like we will be bottom.Palace are up 2-0.What the hell are Fulham playing at? Sent off after SIX minutes?