nycanary

3-0 to the Gunners at halftime. It''s effortless. But we have been hard done by --- a definite red card against Lauren is ruled a yellow with Hux clear on goal; a possible penalty not given. Another foul not given leading directly to a goal. We do miss some of Bentley''s creativity. I would like to see NW shake it up in the 2nd half with some substitutes and to be more aggressive when Arsenal first get the ball. You can''t contain them. You have to jolt them out of their rhythm. Second half coming up....

i am quite amazed at the amount of money being thrown about by wba. this transfer will begin to take them close to the 10 million pound mark! did they manage their finances THAT well during the drop? does this mean the impact of 1 years survival in the prem for us means that we can expect a big influx of high priced players next season if we survive this go round?

I think it''s wise to have Helveg and Edworthy along the right hand side to provide some defensive cover against Reyes and Henry who do run rampant down the left. That means McVeigh on the left. Holt and Francis to start in the middle -- unlikely that Safri has enough matchfitness to start. Hux and Doc up front again. Nigel doesn''t tinker too much at the beginning of a match. That''s what I think will happen....but who knows! very exciting stuff.

Bellamy is right to say what he said. I didn''t take it as a problem. Truth is, if Newcastle signs Rooney, then what? They have Shearer, Kluivert, Bellamy, Ameobi, Chopra AND Rooney. That''s simply too much striking talent. Someone will have to go. I think Rooney is a great signing given that he would be heir-apparent to Shearer next season but then either Kluivert was a mistake or Ameobi needs to go (we''ll take him!)

GREAT PERFORMANCE!!! 2-2 coming back from 2-0 down at st james park! YES!!!! And could have won at the death when Leon was through but his first touch went awry.... No matter -- Top performance!

1-0 to newcastle. bellamy the scorer. the irony. we are playing so much better than we did at od trafford but find ourselves behind again. but we are playing well and hux had a glorious chance -- the type of chance that we must take advantage of this season. and we had a great spell of pressure until bellamy scored. so, united ahead 1-0 after a fairly even first half.

after the united match, it''s occuring to me that bents could be a real game-winner for us, but i''m not sure we will be able to use him in the way that makes most sense. he''s a playmaker. a classy player. perfectly in the arsenal mould. like a bergkamp or even a reyes (who, by the way, could be one of the top 5 players in the prem this season judging by his early performances). but playing bents on the left does his skills a disservice. his best position is behind the front two. arsenal supporters say so and after watching the united game, i agree. he had a couple of great moments yesterday -- two stand out. "The Shot" and his through ball to Huckerby early in the 2nd half. in both situations, he was playing in that role behind the front two. it''s tailor made for him. but NW now has a problem situation. if he wants to try out bents in this role, how would he do it? there are a few options -- maybe only 3 viable ones....but each of them has significant drawbacks. 1. 4-3-1-2 Green; Helveg, Charlton, Flem, Drury; Safri, Holt, Francis; Bentley; Hux, Sven Problem: No width. We would not have width going forward and not enough support to the fullback in defence. Hux could possibly swing wide as he tends to do and Bents can slot in a la Scholes but this formation may be perfect for Bents, if imperfect for Norwich. 2. 4-1-2-1-2 (diamond) Green; Helveg, Charlton, Flem, Drury; Holt; Safri, Francis; Bentley; Hux, Sven Problem: Same as the first one but it does cement Holt as the holding player and gives Francis and Safri license to mvoe forward 3. 4-4-2 (a la England in Euros) Green; Helveg, Charlton, Flem, Drury; Jonson, Holt, Francis, McVeigh; Bentley; Hux Problem: Having Hux be the lone out and out striker would be a problem. Bents could play right off him like Scholes for United when they have one striker or Rooney with England. But this one might actually be the best option on the whole....the lesser of all evils. I would really like to see Bents in one of these roles. At least, let''s try it out. It would be very interesting to see what happens. He''s an exceptional talent and we need to put it to good use but every time he got possession of the ball out there on the left I kept thinking that it was like Scholes or Gerrard out on England''s left flank -- a top talent but looks out of place in that role. Thoughts?

i dont htink NW will put any new signing straight in. always off the bench i think the potential only change he will make for newcastle is mcveigh in for jonson. apart from that, unchanged.

i think leon is at his best coming off the bench. he''s a little sparkplug and gives us some energy. i would have serious doubts about his ability as a starter. sometimes, there are players who are just magic off the bench. he may be that person for us. but an alternative to sven must be found. either that or sven needs to prove us wrong.

I agree wholeheartedly!! My girlfriend was listening to the match on TV and at one point she said "who are all those people singing?" and i replied with pride -- "that''s 3,000 norwich fans out-singing 65,000 united fans" Well done everyone who was there. You were brilliant.

Watching the match today on the telly was a unique treat. I listen to all NCFC matches online but to watch one was a real treat and it''s probably the first time in a decade that I''ve had the pleasure of watching a full Norwich 90 minutes. I must tell you, it provided me with unique perspective on this given the jump from radio to TV. Some thoughts if you care to read: 1. This is the first of 3 matches I''ll be able to watch in a week. This is thrilling stuff. I''m sure my views will change after watching the other two. 2. Three things stood out for me as we compete with the best of the best. First touch; passing; movement off the ball. In all three, we were sub-standard. Countless times we gave away the ball when we didn''t need to. Countless times our first touch let United marksmen come in and put pressure on us immediately. And countless times we just didn''t have the off the ball movement that allows the passes and first touches to be easier to execute. It doesn''t matter whether we are fitter, stronger, faster, more experience or whatever. If we can improve these three things, I think we''re going to be absolutely fine. In terms of player ratings: Green (8) -- very impressed. goals were not his fault. other saves and box forays were top drawer. Helveg (5) -- thoroughly unimpressed. looked slow; lethargic; lackadaisical. basically -- he looked like he was still playing in serie A. needs to improve considerably otherwise he''s not going to be the representative of how we can attract good talent -- but rather a liability. Fleming (7) -- solid. nothing too spectacular. organized. disciplined. like it. Charlton (7) -- also solid. very assertive on the ball. also organized and shows his experience. Drury (8) -- i thought our best defender on the night. he really stuck with bellion and i believe he would have succeeded in containing ronaldo if challenged. premiership quality. Jonson (5) -- the right side was terrible for us. all the way. jonson looked completely out of sorts. he simply hasn''t adjusted to english football yet. i would put him on the bench and get him some reserve action plus minutes off the bench before giving him the starting nod. it''s not working right now. Francis (7) -- got better as the game went on. but i did feel that holt and francis were anxious and nervous and resistant to getting stuck in throughout the match but less so in the 2nd half. they need to believe that they belong in the premiership and then the commanding performances will come. damien played well. Holt (6) -- decidedly average. possibly tired from the midweek match. possibly reaching the limits of his talents. holt is going to need some watching. i''m concerned about cementing him as one of our midfielders...i think it may serve us well to see how a safri/francis combination does. Bentley (6) -- with the exception of "The Shot", i thought he wasn''t impressive. when you watch him, you can tell he''s all class...he just moves in that certain way. but he tried too hard. tried defense splitting passes that missed every time. i really thought he played like he was portrayed in the Guardian. a cocky performance without delivering the goods. but the margin here is slim -- if he scored that goal, then we''d be raving. i have no doubt he will come good and i can see him and hux forming a good partnership but NW needs to work this one properly. Huckerby (7) -- a satisfactory performance. i think he needs to add some variety to his game. his ''head-down and run at them'' approach worked great in div 1 but the prem defenders are far savvier. he needs to develop more of a playmakers attitude or, at the very least, create some chances (not by running to the byline and crossing it in but rather by looking up, finding space and creating an opening) so that defenders

32 new york

i wholeheartedly agree with LinkNR9. i''ve supported norwich since 1979. i''ve never left them for ANYONE. and i''ve NEVER lived in england. i''ve probably watched a full norwich match on TV a total of 10 times in 25 years because wherever i''ve lived, we are not covered. i listen to EVERY game on the internet (thank god for the web) and i''ve been called a nutcase, obsessed, a lunatic -- every possible name for someone who is obsessed with a football team. you have NO idea how hard it is to be devoted to a club that''s not covered in the media in a sport where, in most cases, it hasn''t been the #1 sport in the country where i have lived. i think that earns me the right to express my point of view. and after 25 years of support since the age of 7, i find it a little incredulous that people on this board can complain when there are dissenting views from supporters who are die-hards! we LOVE the club! we WANT it to succeed! we want EVERY player signed by the club to be fantastic for us! but sometimes, we think that NW can make a mistake. i believe he has done so in Doherty and i hope i am wrong. but to stop the dialogue with repeated calls of "stop the moaning! give the guy a chance" etc etc is insulting to the level of passion and intellect we all put into watching the sport and making opinions about every team and every player.

I''ve got spurs fans here in new york saying "how much did we pay you to take him off our hands! hahahahahah!" This is a sad day. I just hope NW works some miracles on this one....it''s very upsetting.

i have thought of him as a potential solution for the problem left side of midfield. why not, indeed.

watching very happily on my sofa in new york city. i live across the street from nevada smith''s which, i believe, is the most well-known man u pub this side of the atlantic. every time united score, i hear it. i can either go down there wearing my vintage canaries yellow jersey and get massacred....or i can stay at home and watch it......

no way. his wages alone would be crippling. wiltord would not succeed if it were not for his arsenal/france teammates. i dont think leon is ready for the prem yet but i think he''s a better alternative (cost vs talent profile) than wiltord. does anyone have charisteas'' club record? games played/scored etc. career stuff. i thought he looked very handy in the euros but technically he was a right sided midfielder in their lineup....not their upfront man. he just seemed to pop up in the 2nd half up front a whole lot. i really really really want svensson to prove me wrong...then we can all stop this discussion! i simply CANNOT wait for old trafford.

the players DO have our support, WIN or DIE. we''re not HOPING the players we think need upgrading wont play well...we just think for the sake of the club and the prospects of survival...some things need to be changed. complain about this if we dont wish our lads success. but dont complain because there are viewpoints that are not blindly driven by our love for the club.

i can''t wait till saturday. the suspense is killing me. i''m dead excited but also really scared. united do not lose twice in a row very often...and certainly not when the 2nd game is at home. we would be doing well to reach half-time with no goals scored at either end. i just dont want the headline to be "canaries humbled" or the like. it just makes each game seem that little bit more desperate and then with arsenal coming after newcastle.....that''s just daunting. the combination of henry, reyes and bergkamp is scintillating stuff to watch but i cant imagine what it''s like to be the supporter of a team playing against that! not to mention pires, gilberto, vieira etc etc......

i wholeheartedly agree. for a number of reasons: a. he''s playing for gillingham. his salary demands cant have been that high b. he was 1 of only 2 big strikers. why not keep him c. any young players would continue learning from him d. he could have joined the coaching staff at teh end of this season e. a reward for his service to play in the premiership f. sense of continuity. additional team spirit in the locker room i''m sure there are more reasons but i think we should have kept him. definitely. i''m not sure he would do any better than sven....actually i''m pretty certain that he wouldn''t...but that doesn''t mean we shouldn''t have kept him.

It is POSSIBLE to have opinions about this w/o getting hit with the "give the guy a chance" routine from everyone on the board! In my opinion (aka THE FACTS): a. Matt Svensson did well last season. But all in all, given what we know now, he is a good Div 1 striker and probably not up to scratch as far as Prem standards go. Outside of the promoted teams, it is very likely that Sven would not make the starting lineup for ANY of the other premiership sides. This fact alone is indication enough that we need a new striker. b. Our midfield plays deep. Holt and Francis play holding roles. Bents and Jonson are finding their legs but do need to play wide. Hux is not an out-and-out striker so he''s not up there all the time in a traditional striker role alongside Sven. What does this mean? It means that someone needs to play as the link-man. This role is mostly falling to Hux. Which pulls him even further away from Sven as a strike partner. It also means that most of the pressure falls on to Sven to be the target man; the hold-up-the-play person; the poacher; the top goalscorer. This is an incredibly difficult role....one that very few strikers in the premiership are actually very good at. Van Nistelrooy is excellent at it; as was Saha while at Fulham. You saw Pauleta struggle wildly in this role in Portugal. And even England, with a similar situation were fine when Rooney was spectacular when he played the link-up man but the team struggles w/o a top person in that role and Owen was on an island. So, you HAVE to have a very good target man to make this type of system work. c. Even if Sven is doing fine, we still need another big target man. We have NO BACKUP. We have to sign another player. d. Crouch was NOT the answer. He may be better than Sven but still not good enough for the role we need. He needs a couple of years more of first team football before he is really worth 2 million pounds. Southampton are gambling on the fact that they still have Beattie and a few other players but they know they will lose him at some point and get good money for him -- therefore, they have a built-in backup in Crouch who may need to start playing in the first team a year from now. That''s why they paid what they did for him (it will pay for itself with the Beattie sale) and that''s why they don''t need him to start now since Beattie is locked in long-term and Soton dont have to sell him. e. This reliance upon the solo man upfront is potentially very troublesome for us, especially with our tendency for the midfield to stay far back. We may need to consider an alternate formation. One that springs to mind is to lose some of our width but play either a diamond formation or a 4-3-2-1 formation. Both of these will provide potentially better support to the strikers: diamond: Green Helveg Charlton Fleming Drury Holt Francis Safri/Jonson Bentley/Hux Bentlex/Hux Svensson 4-3-2-1 Green Helveg Charlton Fleming Drury Francis Holt Safri Hux Bentley Svensson In both situations, it does seem that Jonson might be the odd man out and I don''t believe that NW signed him for him to sit on the bench so the formations laid out above may not happen anytime soon. My two cents.

because kirkland is back from injury.

i''ve said it many times already and got slammed for it -- we need another striker to partner hux. i want to see how sven does in the next few games but if substantial improvement isn''t seen, this should convince everyone we need a good striker.

The team I put up there is definitely one that is when the team is settled. Jonson will take a little time but we''ve certainly not paid a record fee to have him sitting on the bench. Once he''s up and running, he must be a starter. The only other real options I can see (barring any signings) is: a. Holt and Safri fighting for the midfield spot b. Edworthy moving in to right back; Helveg in right midfield. Jonson moves to left and Bents and Hux up front. Sven to the bench. Unlikely but possible. I just don''t see Brennan, McVeigh and Mulryne as starters this season altho Mullers could make a real push if he''s up for it....I keep feeling like he can be MUCH better.

It looks like NW is set with his side. At full strength, without additional signings it probably looks like this: Green Helveg Fleming Charlton Drury Jonson Holt Francis Bentley Huckerby Svensson Subs (5 chosen from core group of these players based on opposition and injuries): Gallacher/Ward Mackay McVeigh Safri McKenzie Mulryne Jarvis Brennan I''LL TAKE THAT! One more central defender and a centre forward and we''re set! I still believe that NW''s largest splash in the transfer market is yet to come and it will happen when the transfer window reopens in the winter.