Steve Mortlock

    Fair enough post but would like to add my 2 pence worth.  IMO Lappin was man of the match yesterday.  He has tgood left foot.  I thought him and russel in the middle yesterday were very good and he passed and broke up play very well.  Wasnt afraid to get himself in on the challenge either and sunk into the midfield battle.  Add his work rate.  You also mention Dublin hoofing the ball up too much.  I have no problem with this as it clears the ball from our defensive third and could lead to a crafty flick on or a half chance.  Just takes sting out of attack and lets the defence re-group, nothing wrong with that.  If only Brown had the intelligence to anticipate where the ball might drop. Sthrikava came on and did things with more ease and purpose for 20 minutes tan Brown could do all game.  Dave is more of a physical presence and looks a tidy player at feet and with head.  Brown huffed and puffed and looked out of his depth.  thats all folks

 He cannot fight his way out of a wet paper bag.  Dreadful control, distribution and tackling.  Flat footed and unassured, just the kind of backbone we need.  I really hope grant signs 2 or 3 to ensure reserve team football or an exit for Doc. 

   Id go with the logic that players ask how much and will they play every week.  I dont believe for one minute that Grant would repel possible signings as he has had an excellent impact on the club already, and is little by little trying to get rid of our nice guy image.  Perhaps it is the vigour and determination he has, which upsets some of the lazier players.  Grant has been a winner and perhaps there are some guys in the club who do not share his mentality, just happy for their pay cheque. (which granty would not have for one second) Perhaps there is an atmosphere because Grant has come in and shaken a few players out of their comfort zone and wants them to earn their crust.  all questions we can merely speculate upon, as we do not have access to the hallowed turf of Colney or the halls of power at Carrow Road.

    Neither a judas or a tosserr.  He played well for us and certainly gave us one of the best moments at Carrow road, with his bullet aginst Newcastle.  Granted he has not always been a full season player, but in my opinion he was scapegoated for representing his country in ALN Cup and for Ramadan (both of which did not prevent club from signing him)Perhaps he did not get on well with grant but he has now gone to play elsewhere.  Safs never pulled out of a challenge and always put in a good shift when he played. Look at our stats without him last season.  Good luck Saf in your future but dont score on Saturday. 

   The only board I seem to be losing faith in is this one.  T*****s like Cluck and smudge who attack everybody who does not share their views and they are poisoning this forum with their constant crap. 

    "Your ultimate aim is usually to play for your favourite team and then get picked to play for your country. But it''s disappointing in that you always want your best players around you. "But you understand this is part of the game and that''s why you see managers like Jose Mourinho saying they don''t want to buy any more African players because you could lose four or five players for a month. "We haven''t got four or five African players, but we still have a very important player and it''s difficult if you end up losing him." But Grant said he was also personally pleased for Safri, well aware of how much success with his country meant to him. "I''m pleased for him and his country that they''ve qualified because it''s a big thing for him and I hope that when he does go he is successful," he added.I DO NOT LIKE THE WAY SAFRI IS BEING VILIFIED ALREADY.  THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY AND TWO SIDES TO EVERY COIN.  HE HAS BEEN A BRILLIANT PLAYER FOR US AND HOPE HE IS STILL HERE NEXT SEASON!!!

       Welcome to the Jungle by Guns and Roses.  Bit of an adreneline swiller.

    Of course if you dont want to attend, nnobody is forcing you to.  Get behind the team.

1. Sheffield United2. Charlton 3. Sheffield Wednesdayid love to say norwich but playoffs might be out of reach .

    I would be the first to admit that the past two seasons have been complete drivel in terms of the players we have been signing and the performances on the pitch etc, but I must say I am quite optimistic about the coming season.  Looking at the players we signed under worhington and you will see has beens and journeymen who could not get a game at prem or championship level.  With this what I saw from these players was a total lack of application and effort (a la Etuhu) complete lack of any footballing brain (Docherty) and players who knew this club would be a stepping stone for Premiership and their heart was not particularly in it (Earnshaw, Ashton).  Quite a disjointed team with no real unity.  The opinion I am taking is that we now have players here who have unfinished business and with alot to prove (ie Russell, Cureton) and players who might actually give a stuff about wearing the yellow and green.  Not only that but we have an exciting new Shrihtavka, last seasons top scorer in Czech and compared to Jurgen Kohler.  We now have what I consider an immense midfield talent/hardnut Julien Brellier (check out his vid on youtube, he gets a glasgow kiss and gets straight back up) and permanent goalkeeper in Marshall.  I personally will be fully behind grant this season, as he has made some good signings and is at last trying to shake of the nice little norwich tag.  We just need someone in at number 5 to stir up competition in the defensive ranks and we can look for top eight next season.  Grant obviously had to work with the S**t , Worthless has assembled, but this is the team that Granty built and I am in full support of it.  

    Okay, I am not always the pillar of positivity, but reading smudge posts recently is getting a bit boring.  Although i am not totally excited about the new season, I can see sgns of positivity from within the club.Bit I find most interesting is Otsemeboor looking like another louis jean.  MLJonly played two games, so how can you draw this conclusion at such an early stage.  Knee jerk reaction from the comfort of an armchair. Players are not going to give it their all, this close into pre season.  Fear of injury or burnout all play key factors.  Just nice to see wole squad get a run out and do a good proffesional job.  I am most pleased that players like Spillane , Eagle, Rossi, Martin and Renton are getting the opportunity to showcase thir abilities at last (after the fruitless years of the worthington era) Nice to see a centr half get on the score sheet (spillane) Nice to see your so called dance troop member get a goal, as well as Martin and Renton getting 6 between them.  with fans like smudge the club are damned if they do and damned if they dont.  I could carry on picking your cincical rantings apart, but there are only 24 hours in a day.  Our team willbe complimented by a good balance of youth andd experience.  How else do you young players learn  Oh and gooddbye Etuhu, £1.5 million thank you very mch

Exeter went ahead on 11 minutes when Jamie Mackie took advantage of some sloppy defending to fire the ball into the net. A minute later it was 2-0 with Adam Stansfield giving the Conference side a surprise early advantage. i know it is a pre season friendly, but lets get some non sloppy defenders in.  dont  stop spending, use it wisely to get  defender of real quality into the ranks.

    if you dont mind a bit of a walk along the inner ring road, there is a car park where you can park all day for £1. If you are familiar with .  sainsburys on queens road this is how you get thereinstead of taking left into sainsburys car park, keep going under the bridge and there you will see it on your right.  Nice old man in the hut, pop him a pound and bob is your mothers brother.  i think it shuts at six or so.  Not for midweek games though i hasten to add\

    I defintely thin we whould keep him.  His contribution is immense and he is by far the best passer and user of the ball we seem to have at the club.  His vision and calmness under pressure would be a real blow to lose.  I hear people slating him about Ramadan and African nations etc, but find this out of order.  HE has every right to follow the beliefs of his religion and the club knew of his religion when he came in to the club.  Also it is not Safri''s fault he goes on African Nations duty and wants to represent his country, again this was known when he came to the club.  I think Safri is being hounded out be be honest and being made a scapegoat.  If these issues were apparent when he signed, why sign him in the first place (although we all know what a proactive forward thinking club we are)  Safri to me is by far the best passer of the ball we have had for over a decade.  Like Brellier, he appears to bust things up and get things moving.  What would be so wrong in keeping the pair of them.  when Saf is away on Af Nat Duty, Brellier comes in.  Its all about strength in depth and this would not be achieved by culling him.  If the worst does happen and we do get rid, who else will slide in when injuries set in (fotheringham, Hughes) leaving us with a depleted light weight midfield.Use your head here NCFC and keep him on board.  Even if he does not play every game, you need a fighter and an excellent passer in your weaponry.  He may be one of the highest earners at the club and I feel they will cull him purely because of this.  Disgusting if the case. KEEP SAF AT ALL COSTS

Just got an email from club saying about having a picture taken with the first team squad for £500.  I was feeling a bit bored and cynical so I thought I would reply   "£500 to have a picture taken.  Im sorry but this seems a complete rip off.  You would be better off selecting the 18 people randomly from your season ticket data base as way of an apology for the dreadful season we had to ensure last year.  But I guess the ten grand or so is of more importance!  Perhaps the lure of having a picture taken next to Rob Earnshaw may have persuaded some people to part with their cash, but we all know what happened there."Quite negative and cynical I know but could not help it.