Matt Morriss

Right..Im getting increasingly edgy about the prospect of Saf leavin. In my opinion he is as equally important to our success this season as Huckerby and Dion..Last season the difference in performance when Safri was there and not was extreme. Without him we were devoid of any passing creativity whatsoever and failed to utilise our attacking players at all. Safri''s strengths are enormous and i cant beleive the opinions of some of the posters on here, i think there based solely on his injuries and african duty and ramadan stuff.Granted, theses issue''s are negative but thats why we have a squad, to cover when your best players arent available. Saf''s contribution to the cause is immense, it was so noticeable last season when he wasnt playing, especially at home, and when he came back i noticed it even more. He breaks up play like no one else at the club, if you watch him closely, almost like Sky Player Cam, his movement is brilliant and will often break up play without actually needing to tackle as such, rather just reading the player with the balls movement and nicking it away. He does this so often during a match and it really breaks down the oppositions attacks. On top of this excellent reading of the game and ''spoiler'' ability, his passing his top notch and keeps the ball moving, in an attacking fashion for us. Matches without him have been devoid of any passing game whatsoever and used to rely solely on a ball out to Hucks to run at the defence. Remember the 1st half of the season with Robinson and Etuhu? shockingly bad creativity, and no attacking tactical game of any real note.Safri provides the passing that our natural attacking tactic requires. Without his passing ability and spoiler tactics we looked decididly below average last season and never used our great attackers to the best of there ability. Unless there is a ready made replacement for Saf (and the jury''s still out on Fotheringam) we should not be letting him go at all costs. I think a Brellier/Safri midfeild two would run things in this division. From what ive seen from the youtube video of Brellier that he is a box to box worker rather than just back four protector, this will allow Safri to play his natural game, just sit in midfield, win the ball back and start attacks again. This is his game and he does it very well.One last point is that there is no point bringing anyone in if players of the quality of Safri are allowed to leave. We should be building a SQUAD to win the league. The African cup, injuires and Ramadan are non issues as far as im concerned. Dion wont play 46 games, does that mean we shouldnt have kept him? No, not in the slightest, as with Saf, both are quality players who will contribute so much to the season as a whole if they are here, whether they play 46 games or not.OTBC

What the hell is this garbage? oh yes, your opinion, which your fully entitled to. To counter act it and give a hardcore fans real opinion on Earnie...He can @$%& right off, the short ar%& little motherflipper....if you dont wanna play for NCFC, bye bye and hello Mr Cureton...welcome back lad.I hope Derby get stuffed week in week out the bunch of cheating bar stools, and Earnie finds himself back in the Championship season after next, waving to us as we pass them on the way up....

I am now virtually overflowing with optimism for next season, and am predicting now a top two finish. Last season I thought that we were 2 or 3 players short of the final jigsaw needed to win the league, along with the obvious consistency, and i now think we have those players in Marshall, Semmy and Brellier.There''s no doubt we have the attacking quality in Hucks, Cureton, Martin, Croft, Dion etc..and now weve added the defensive strength in Brellier and Semmy, area''s where we severely lacked last season (midfield strength and bite and right back) as well as finally a solid goalkeeper in Marshall, I really believe we have the squad and first 11 to beat anyone. Providing we sign Czech Dave and Etuhu and Safri stay we will have the players and the squad to compete. I expect Fotheringham to really come on this season, as he clearly has the quality, and im confident in Peter Grants ability to get whats needed out of him to be a hit in this league. We now have a very strong midfield, where for the past few seasons, since the Holt/Mulryne/Francis days, we have fallen way short of whats required. This is the key area and where matches are won. We now have Brellier, Etuhu, Safri and Fozzy. This gives us not only the competetion needed but the diversity required to tackle each game as it comes. We now have the flexibility for each game, and in a 4-3-3, Brellier, Etuhu and Safri looks very strong to me. With the exception of central defence, we also have 2 quality players for every position.....Semmy/Hughes, Drury/Lappin, Croft/Chadwick, Etuhu/Brellier, Saf/Fozzy, Cureton/Martin, CzechDave/Dublin, Huckerby...well almost 2, but Hucks doesnt need competetion does he. We do need one more CB, but Dublin, Shackell, Doherty should be good enough, along with Spillane who can play there, as can Semmy.The key area and key signing for me has been Brellier. Since Holt and Francis left we have not had that strong defensive presence in centre mid that is needed to battle and win games in this league. Now we have, and i really think its gonna make us tick. Of course it could go all horribly wrong but im only thinking in the positive at the mo...OTBC..

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NbbuVRu1wLs

Probably the 1-0 home win over Birmingham. Best performance of the season by far. Complete, every player gave 100%, even Docherty was outstanding in defence, with some miraculous late blocks to deny equalisers. Real adrenaline stuff.

  Hughes cant shoot for $h##....and his passing is poor. I cant think of a worse position than up front. I actually fancy him alongside Shackell in central defence as he''s good in the air he''s pretty quick, very tough and for all his on the ball non prowess he does tackle very well and is hard to get by...I think he would make an excellent centre back, no nonsense, bruiser to get stuck in and scare opposing centre forwards.

Sweet jesus....these pretend Norwich fans keep cropping up on here dont they... I suppose to a certain degree it does depend on what kind of fan you are as to what level your passion goes upto when it comes to the derby rivalry and support in general. I for one am the type who queued for 9 hours for playoff final tickets, for 1.5 hours in -3 degree''s for Chelsea home FA Cup tickets, the type who now that ive finally got a season ticket would sell his cat to a sex offender to keep hold of it and the type who just has always had this undescribable hatred for all things Ipswich. I have often deliberated with my fellow fan the reasons why, and i think its pyschological. I simply have an in built affinity for all things Norwich City, i love the club, i love the colours yellow and green, i love the players, the ground and even the mere words ''Norwich'' and ''City'' have an aesthetically pleasing look that fills me with joy whenever i see them in print. Im sure others can associate with this level if obsession with City...i hope so at least. It is for these reasons, the level of passion ''for'' Norwich City that replicates itself ''against'' anything the opposite of ''City'' ie Ipswich Town. God as per my love of the words Norwich City, even typing the words Ips...no i cant do it twice....even typing the scums name releases strange feelings of hatred in my brain. It is strange as after all, scum fans are no different to you and me, they love their club, just like Man Utd fans and Liverpool fans.....but its the scum, if your a die hard City fan the hatred for all things blue is just in built, and there from birth.      

Well its nearly upon us, and im still trying to recover from the prospect of no Hucks 2moro, but here''s my pick for the team with all the injuries we have...                             Warner Colin           Dublin         Shackell         Drury                 Hughes         Etuhu         Fozzy              Renton            Earnshaw         Martin I heard that Renton did well agaisnt Burnley, good movement and pace and the two worked the ball well, and with Hughes, well you dont get much but i think his workrate, bite and defense in midfield will release Etuhu and Fozzy to be a bit more attack minded. Not a fan of Eagle, no pace and too lightweight so he misses out for me, and from what i hear theres not much left to pick from.. Thoughts???

Jermaine Beckford definitely, good prospect for the future....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh_NMlr20kI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAtdPAENJwg&NR - OTBC.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FMpK26edV8 - Tribute to the Derby Ref.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AuKKMqGVzQ - Hucks wonder goal..

[quote user="jas the barclay king"]   I hate to say this Barclay boy but your the idiot....Phatcanary doesnt mention the Cardiff season.. he mentions THIS Season.... jas :) [/quote] He mentioned that WLY and class arent to be used in the same sentence, this is what i was referring to as I agree''d with the CRa@ this season bit. You idiots.......

[quote user="nutty nigel"] This is my opinion on Billy Davies and Derby County. http://new.pinkun.com/cs/forums/894754/ShowPost.aspx You my friend have just wound me up beyond belief. Who are you to make comments about whether I am a Norwich Fan. Seems in truth that you are the part-time Barclay BOY!   [/quote] Ha ha...nuff said then, got better things to do than argue....not sure about the part time Barclay Boy statement tho....at 30 yrs of age i think ive earned the right to call myself a man.... and part time? Season Ticket Holder...again, nuff said. Right, time for bed, enough of this bull$&*!

[quote user="nutty nigel"][quote user="BarclayMan "][quote user="nutty nigel"] But could it be the better balance in the squad since January has helped made the difference. Everybody was so against selling Earnshaw before the Jan window. What has happened to change your minds? Earnshaw is a proven goalscorer at all levels. Is this a case of short memories? Out of sight is out of mind? I would hate to see this club sell Earnshaw while he still wants to play for us.   [/quote] Chris Martin happened...... [/quote] So how does that make Eastwood better than Earnshaw?   [/quote] It doesnt Eastwood would be an adequate replacement at half the price, leaving plenty to strengthen the rest of the team. Personally id like to see Jermaine Beckford here as well as Eastwood, or Billy Sharp. Then we would have Dublin, Martin, Beckford and Eastwood/Sharp. Thats a good enough strike quartet, and hopefully £2-3m left over for another CB and CM

[quote user="nutty nigel"][quote user="BarclayMan "][quote user="nutty nigel"] It''s a Billy Davies thing. I noticed this with Preston last season. Our game at Deepdale was probably the worst I have ever seen in this league. You can''t argue about the effectiveness of his tactics though and he seems to be quite a hero on these boards. Of course it''s only the results that matter when you watch on the wireless! I am torn about whether I want them to miss out. Personally I would love to see Preston beat them in the play off final but I would also look forward to not playing a Davies team next season.   [/quote]What??? Nutty are you actually a NCFC fan or just a fan of football in general, if you were at the game tuesday night the entire Barclay were baying for Davies, the Derby players and the Ref''s blood.....i lost my voice with the amount of expletives levelled at that cheatin B!£$%&D, and the group of Robben''s and Ronaldo''s he''s put together. I hope they miss out, which is unlikely so I hope they get stuffed every week and get treated to some professional cheating from Robben, Ronaldo, Johnson and the like.....[/quote] BarclayMan... I was referring to the praise he was getting on this messageboard yesterday. I am torn about whether they miss out for the reason I gave. I would love to see them miss out, I would love it to be Davies''s old club Preston who deny them, but if they miss out it means we have to suffer more of the same next season. Am I a Norwich fan? How do you identify a Norwich fan? Nobody ever questioned it before.   [/quote]Errr....somebody who supports Norwich and doesnt post comments singing the praises of a cheating B$%@£&$ manager of a bunch of time wasting unprofessional thieves who stole 3 points off us last tuesday night.Somebody who attends matches on a regular basis....and someone who after a game like tuesday doesnt post on here claiming they love Billy Davies and hope Derby get promoted.You dont sound like either of these..Just a regular football fan in general....

[quote user="nutty nigel"]But could it be the better balance in the squad since January has helped made the difference. Everybody was so against selling Earnshaw before the Jan window. What has happened to change your minds? Earnshaw is a proven goalscorer at all levels. Is this a case of short memories? Out of sight is out of mind? I would hate to see this club sell Earnshaw while he still wants to play for us.   [/quote]Chris Martin happened......

[quote user="Phatcanary9"]Sorry but McVeigh and class can''t be used in the same sentence, he has been totally c**p this season, all he''s shown is that he uses lots of shampoo on his lovely hair!![/quote]You idiot...did you go to Cardiff I wonder? McVeigh single handedly got us there that season, scoring vital goals in the run in and providing several more for Nielsen, do you remember a certain goal at Old Trafford a couple of years back too? Obviously not...WLY has been poor the last couple of seasons, but his ability has never been in doubt. He''s the most skilful player at the club, just hasnt been putting the effort in, and I can totally understand why. When he played under Worthy no matter how well he played he''d be on the bench the next game given a fully fit squad. This repeated treatment has shattered his confidence, he needs a run in the team just behind the striker, sadly with Earnie on the way back and Brown I dont think we''ll see it...Every fan can question his workrate, effort and impact on the game, and ill agree.....but no fan can question the guys natural ability.....he is class.

[quote user="BedsCanary"]I always thought it had more to do with irony than his "40 yard passes to Hucks".I can''t ever recall him making a 40 yard pass to Hucks :|[/quote]Obviously not a season ticket holder then, as if youda seen Doc enough you would have remembered a few, during his better days...

[quote user="Chris Meadows"]Beckford is talented but my mate who is a scunny fan says he is far too raw[/quote]so he''s perfect for the future then, to learn off Dublin.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh_NMlr20kI&mode=related&search=currently on loan at Scunthorpe til the end of the season. Leeds obviously dont want him, or think he''s not ready, whatever, there going down so he''ll be a snip in the summer.Sell Earnie, buy Beckford and a GK, CB and a CM and we will top the league....

Cause he''s ginger, and there was a time when he was playing so well, spraying 40 yard passes out to hucks that we called him Pele. You wont hear that chant much anymore...nuff said.

WLY is still class, but its up to Grant to get it out of him on a regular basis, and its upto to WLY if he wants it enough, which he hasnt shown lately. I think WLY and Martin would be a good partnership 4-4-1-1....McVeigh''s preferred role...just behind the striker...

Eastwood and MartinEarnie''s class in front of goal but I think in his absence with Martin, Dublin, Brown etc up front our attacking play has been more fluent, for all Earnie''s goal prowess he cant hold the ball up and loses it on too many occasions, cause of his size, and undoes too many attacks. Martin seems to hold it up well for a young lad, and if he cant get a shot at goal he''ll keep the ball moving and retain possession. Hucks, Martin and Croft have been more effective than Hucks, Earnie and Croft in my opinion. More fluent and increased pressure on the opposition penaltly area. As good as Earnie is if he cant get a shot at goal he''ll lose it and were on the back foot instead of maintaining the pressure. He''s too selfish like that, watch the matches earlier in the season and he''ll go for goal every time whether the shots on or not. Martin''s a more intelligent player, its clear already that he makes the best attacking decision possible, be that a shot or a pass out wide to attack from a different angle. I think we look better in attack without him personally, would like to see a stat of how long the ball stays around the opposition''s box and in our possession with Martin up front as opposed to Earnie. In a 4-3-3 its Martin every time for me, so where does that leave Earnie? Sell him, get £5m and buy Eastwood and a centre back. I beleive Earnie''s value to the club will be best served next season not with getting 25 goals (Martin can do that) but buy getting us the £5m we desperately need to rebuild for a solid title attack next season. Im sure West Ham will pay it.Saying that we''ll just have to see how Martin and Earnie work together next month, might turn out that if we play 4-4-2 and Earnie stays in the box and Martin is the link forward that it might work well. When Earnie comes out of the box and try''s to link play he loses possession to often. Unless we score 3 or 4 every game in the last few games with Martin and Earnie up front I will voting to sell Earnie and get the £5m we''ll need for a new CB, GK and CM to really challenge next season.

[quote user="nutty nigel"]It''s a Billy Davies thing. I noticed this with Preston last season. Our game at Deepdale was probably the worst I have ever seen in this league. You can''t argue about the effectiveness of his tactics though and he seems to be quite a hero on these boards. Of course it''s only the results that matter when you watch on the wireless! I am torn about whether I want them to miss out. Personally I would love to see Preston beat them in the play off final but I would also look forward to not playing a Davies team next season.   [/quote]What??? Nutty are you actually a NCFC fan or just a fan of football in general, if you were at the game tuesday night the entire Barclay were baying for Davies, the Derby players and the Ref''s blood.....i lost my voice with the amount of expletives levelled at that cheatin B!£$%&D, and the group of Robben''s and Ronaldo''s he''s put together. I hope they miss out, which is unlikely so I hope they get stuffed every week and get treated to some professional cheating from Robben, Ronaldo, Johnson and the like.....

[quote user="Shack Attack"][quote user="BarclayMan"] Also Bywater needs to be reported to the police for crowd incitement. Somebody contact the Club who sat in the N&P and just make an official complaint, or the police for that matter, they have to investigate it. [/quote] Sorry but this sort of stuff really gets on my nerves. If you go around reporting every player who does anything to incite the crowd you''ll end up with a completely soulless game where everybody is frightened to show any emotion. We already have a ridiculous law wherby players get booked for overcelebrating (I found the yellow card that Tevez got on Sunday particularly depressing) keep this up and there will be no emotion left. If you want to report the ref then fair enough (although I tend to think these things even themselves out in the end) but stop with the calls for police action. [/quote] Shark Attack Not sure if your aware or not, but Bywater told a young ball boy to F$%& Off and repeatedly showed V signs to the crowd. Not too mention his incessant time wasting and unprofessional behaviour with the alleged huckerby foul. The Ref should be reported for incompetence and the keeper for crowd incitement. If we do nothing this sort of thing will continue in the game. Billy Davies has a lot to answer for, and I for one cant wait til they get a taste of their own medicine in the Premiership, so will be rooting for a certain Mr Robben and Mr Johnson to start diving and lets see some of the top pro''s time wasting when there 1-0 up at Pride Park. In fact I shall just hope they get hammered in every game and come straight back down.

Excellent email....