GJP

[quote user="chicken"] James will be 38 in August, I would keep him in the squad for his experience but I would be looking to try and find a keeper for the next tournament. That is two and a half years away after qualifying. James will not be playing then - at least not at international level. [/quote] Really? We have an Italian manager and the Italians have never been worried about playing the "older" players. I would expect, as far as Fabio is concerned, if David James is still the best English keeper in the game when he''s 40 then he''ll still be in the frame to be number 1.  

My 4 main contenders would be Rusty, Dion, Marshall and the Doc. The one I''d most like to win it is the Doc. He''d endured far too much and mostly inaccurate criticism from lots of the fans and despite that he always gives his best on the pitch and always speaks well of the club. But not only that he''s defended consistently well and has been key to us becoming a more solid team under Roeder. Dion Dublin is a class act and he''s played well more or less all season but people will cheer Dion whether he does right or wrong. And considering he''s finished at the end of the season maybe it''d be wiser to give Gary Doherty a boost to let him know that he''s valued here. (well he''s valued by anyone with the sense to realise what an important player he is for us).   As for my other two contenders... Rusty never stops running, never stops putting in the hard work and we all saw in the Leicester match he''ll chuck himself into and infront of anything for Norwich. And David Marshall has pulled off some brilliant saves this season and I think is proving to be a very good signing.

[quote user="Adam_Newcastle_Fan"][quote user="GJP"] [quote user="Fellas"] Doherty - 8 - Very good. Not a fan of the docs, but he played very well today [/quote] In my opinion he''s as good as any centreback in this league at the moment. [/quote] slight exaggeration he has improved greatly but is nowhere near as good as shawcross, cort amongst others [/quote] "Nowhere near as good as Shawcross, Cort..." is what you''d call an exaggeration If Shawcross was anything special how come Man Utd weren''t too fussed about letting him go? And although I''ve always liked Leon Cort the fact he can only get a move sideways rather than up suggests he''s at the right level for him. Gary Doherty has played more games at a higher level than both of those two put together. That should tell you something.

I think all 4 players have good qualities. Fozzy is a real battler and he tries to move the ball well. Got some nice touches and good awareness and probably the midfielder in our squad most likely to play a telling pass. Rusty is also a battler, as we saw agains Leicester the guy will chuck himself into anything for Norwich. Sometimes lacks a bit of finesse and lacks a little bit of pace to get away from people, as does Fozzy, but never hides and never stops working. Etuhu has obviously got a very athletic build and has the ability/potential to be an excellent box to box midfielder. When he wants to he can be immense in this league. Can score a goal or two as well. Horribly inconsistent though. As for Safri his ability to pick a pass hasn''t been replaced, in my opinion. Maybe isn''t everyones cup of tea because he doesn''t have a great motor but to be fair to him he wasn''t scared of putting his foot into his tackle and he the class to produce a quality ball. If I was an attacking player and I had to pick 1 of those 4 to play me in with a ball it''d be Safri who I would trust most to get it right. But then he''s the least likely to put in the hard yards.

[quote user="Fellas"] Doherty - 8 - Very good. Not a fan of the docs, but he played very well today [/quote] In my opinion he''s as good as any centreback in this league at the moment.

Can see your point a bit there. Hucks hasn''t played well this season but it would be foolish to write off and discard a player of his calibre.

[quote user="Thetford Dave"] I can''t help but think that people are going way overboard about Mark Fotheringham ! Last season he was woeful. Now i fully accept that he got himself fit pre season, and has been much better this year,but if he''s our saviour, heaven help us. He came on against Southampton, and was widely acclaimed as having changed the match single handedly.From my memory, it was the back pass that  picked up by the keeper that changed the game. He had a good second half against Barnsley, after an awful first half, and he was playing in the dreadful performance against Bury. He still has work to do to convince me he''s a really good player, let alone a saviour. [/quote] I agree to an extent. I wouldn''t say he was "woeful" last season but I thought he only looked good enough to be a backup player. As for the Southampton game, in my opinion he did turn it. When he came on his hunger for the game shone through, he wanted the ball and he used it really well. He gave us a bit of omph. Since he has come into the side as a permanent fixture I think his performances have been a bit of a mixed bag. In some games he''s been a real driving force and in others he''s been pretty ineffective. For me I think Fozzy is best at battling away in the middle of the park, wining the ball and playing it simple. However, he does sometimes hit a bit of a Hollywood ball which aren''t anywhere near finding their marks. We still need a midfielder who can pick a pass, has that cutting edge.

[quote user="baldyboy"]if we cant beat bury can you honestly see us beating many more teams in the league? .[/quote] Yes. While I believe we should have won tonight and won without much difficulty I don''t see this being much of a problem when it comes to our league form. We''ll win some, we''ll draw some and we''ll definitely lose some before the end of the season. But we''ll finish above the drop zone, no worries.

[quote user="WeAreYellows49"]Well Im glad we are losing, sorry.  Maybe now we can concentrate on keeping the club in this league and not getting relegated.[/quote] I''m not. Losing a game of football is never something to be glad about. We won''t get relegated. We should have gone out strong tonight and finished the chances we didn''t in the first game against Bury.

Good for him. He never looked like a natural goalscorer when he played for us (and that might never change) but at least he always worked hard for the cause. You always have a bit of respect for a player who puts in a shift for the team whether things are going well or not. Not a bad player, just not a natural goalscorer.

I think he''s a good player. Think as far as being a striker goes he''s got a bit of everything to his game. I think the thing I like most about him is if he was played through for a one on one with the keeper you''d expect the ball to end up in the back of the net. Unfortunately at Norwich there isn''t really anyone in midfield who can play that killer pass so we haven''t seen enough of it. Still a bit of a way to go for Ched but I''d be surprised if he didn''t make a career out of playing football at a good level.

[quote user="UEA Canary"] As for whether he is cr*p or not, is debatable, most people seem to label him cr*p without really stating some good reasoning. IMHO whenever I''ve seen him play (on the rare occasion he does get a start) he''s put in a good effort and done reasonably well with his distribution and holding the ball up. I think alot of it is judged on that he doesn''t score, but I think he could become a good partner for Cureton. [/quote] I don''t know if I could think of a worse patnership than Cureton and Martin. No height and no real pace. Chris Martin has a bit of ability, no doubt. But at the moment he''s a very long way off being good enough to play and score regularly at this level. His fitness and work rate don''t seem particularly good either.

Problem with Ryan Jarvis is that he''s not just dangerous. He''s not big, he''s not strong, he''s not quick and his movement isn''t sharp. Sometimes you can just be a lucky striker, you''ll score regularly just because you always find yourself in the right place at the right time. He''s not even one of them. The only thing left to save him would be an extremely high work rate because people always appreciate seeing and playing alongside someone who breaks their neck for the cause. But he''s not got that in his locker either. When you''re a young player trying to break into the team, especially as a striker, you''ve really got to show that you can make things happen. Get right into things and show people you mean business. Even if you don''t score you''ve at least got to show you''re giving the opposition something to worry about. At this level of football (at any level for that matter) you can''t afford to give people game after game after game in the hope that eventually they will turn good because if you''ve got weak links and you''re carrying people who aren''t up to it you''ll get punished.

Yup, we are badly in need of at least one striker. Chris Martin and Ryan Jarvis both lack pace and strength and don''t bring enough to the game. Martin has a few nice touches to be fair to him but he''s not enough of a threat. Jamie Cureton is a decent little player who will grab you a few goals but he''s not good enough if Norwich want to start making a genuine attempt to be nearer top than bottom. He''s been guilty of too many dreadful misses this season. Brown and Strihavka aren''t good enough and look like they''re both out of the picture. Wouldn''t be surprised if Brown was sorting out his move today. The only one with genuine quality is Dion Dublin and he''s not exactly one for the future...   Although he had gone a few games without a goal I think Ched Evans would have scored 2 or 3 today, no problem.

[quote user="Indy_Bones"] Smith would be an excellent signing, and has already proved in his time at QPR that he is more than good enough at this level. The fact that Mourinho also highly rated him says a lot to me. He''s been played out of his usual position, in a very different type of role, which clearly shows why his form has not been as good as previously demonstrated. With the right development, Smith could progress to being a full international, and Roeder is someone with a great track record in making this happen. I certainly hope we do get him on a permanent deal. [/quote] Did you think Mourinho was likely to say he thinks the lad is rubbish? The Special One saying he''s a good lad doesn''t really say a lot to me, if Jimmy Smith wasn''t a Chelsea player and he had said it then that would be a bit different - that would be worth taking note of. I think Jimmy Smith is a decent enough player with the ball at his feet, his use of the ball can be quite tidy and he seems to be fairly composed. But he''s not outstanding and I can''t see him ever playing regularly at a higher level than this.

Neither of the Jarvis brothers are anywhere near this level of football. Both were probably good for their age group when they were younger but they just haven''t got enough to make it at this level.

[quote user="ricardo"] Today showed just how far we are from being a top six side. I thought Wolves dominated from the first minute and we did extremely well to come in second today. Midfield still not creative enough. Russell was the best of the bunch but his game is based more on energy and grit rather than creative passing. Pattison just seems unable to play a forward pass. Today was a reality check for all those who were thinking we would challenge for a playoff spot. Anything above 20th will do for me. [/quote] I like Pattison though, he gets stuck in and he''s a player who badly needs someone with quality to compliment his style of play. You''d never have to worry about him not doing his fair of the work and it''s good to have players like that in your team. Once again I thought the first half showed why Jimmy Smith is a waste of time for us in that position. He''s supposed to make us look more solid in the middle of the park but Wolves dominated it and they played a standard 442 really. As soon as Crofty came on we had a few more options and gave them something to think about, should have started the game like that. And unsurprisingly Shackell couldn''t handle Bothroyd.

[quote user="JC"] Please people get this into your heads - he is only useless there compared to Croft if you want someone to run up the line like a headless chicken.  If you want someone with more natural skill who can tuck in and keep a tight midfield bank of four then Croft is NEVER GOING TO PLAY.  These are probably the same people who said Bentley was crap.  I rest my case.     [quote user="GJP"] I don''t see the point of keeping him if he''s going to play right wing because he''s useless there. I''m guessing Glenn thinks that he''ll make things a bit more solid in the middle of the park but to be honest he doesn''t contribute much to anything. And starting with him on the right wing is like starting the game with 10 men. The thing that worries me most about him is that he has a clear lack of pace and even though he''s being played out of position he''s quite often too far away from the action/too far away from where he needs to be. I can''t help but think that if Glenn thought he was good enough to play in central midfield then he''d play him there anyway...   [/quote][/quote] Was that directed at me? I understand what you''re saying about what Jimmy Smith is meant to bring to the team - I just don''t think he does it. Ffor the record, I thought David Bentley was a class act as soon as I saw him in the friendly against Mallorca and I''ve not changed my opinion on that since.

I don''t see the point of keeping him if he''s going to play right wing because he''s useless there. I''m guessing Glenn thinks that he''ll make things a bit more solid in the middle of the park but to be honest he doesn''t contribute much to anything. And starting with him on the right wing is like starting the game with 10 men. The thing that worries me most about him is that he has a clear lack of pace and even though he''s being played out of position he''s quite often too far away from the action/too far away from where he needs to be. I can''t help but think that if Glenn thought he was good enough to play in central midfield then he''d play him there anyway...  

I thought Cureton did well in the first half but wasn''t in the game in the second half. Dion should have got on sooner, definitely. He gives us something to hit, something to work off. If we got both Taylor and Ameobi I would be absolutely over the moon.

Just got back from the game, thought the lads had a pretty good go. Would have deserved all 3 if they''d got them. Thought Mo Camara was awesome today. Think he''s been steady enough since he''s been here but I thought he looked real quality today. Looked to me like Huckerby enjoyed his Christmas a bit too much. Didn''t look like he wanted the ball, didn''t know what to do with it when he got it. I''m a firm Huckerby fan and I''m not about to say I hope he packs in at the end of the season but today he was rubbish. Hopefully he will make up for it against Wolves. Also thought Jimmy Smith was a waste of time, again. He''s got no pace and he''s always 5 yards short of everything. Can''t understand why he keeps Lee Croft out of the team. Bizarre. Other than that I thought everyone else did quite well. Not everything came off for us and sometimes a decent delivery was lacking but (most of) the lads kept going. Pleased that Rusty scored as well, he worked really hard again.  

I''ve stuck by him all the way as I firmly believe he''s the best defender at the club. Glad the guy is getting a bit of praise now. The more encouragement he gets the better he will continue to play.

I quite like Crofty, I think he''s a decent little player. He''s still a young player and still gaining experience, I think people judge him as the finished article. And we all know that things haven''t been great at Norwich since he joined, I can''t imagine Peter Grant did anything for his confidence either. But I like him as a player because he''s nice and positive with the ball at his feet, he twists and turns and takes defenders on. He also plays his position better than Chadwick does. And by that I mean that he''s a more natural right winger, Chadwick likes to drift inside which takes away the width and leaves the fullback exposed. Also I think he works quite hard for team, people say he doesn''t like to track back etc but I don''t find that to be the case. For an attacking minded player I think he does his fair share of the ugly work. I think that''s a judgement/an assumption people make without really watching what he does on the pitch. In conclusion... he''s working with better coaching staff now so if he had a run of games (starts) and decent support from the crowd I still think Lee Croft could be a very good player for Norwich.

[quote user="Fellas"]Shackell is a good defender. He has proved that when he played really well in the prem. He made a huge difference then and I think the key is that he needs a confident defender next to him. Whenever he plays with dublin or taylor he has played well. I''m not going to claim to like doherty, I think he is absolute rubbish. He is the problem. People think doherty''s good, making last ditch tackles and saving interceptions, he only makes them becuase he mucked up earlier to let the player through on goal. This didn''t happen once yesterday it happened 4 or 5 times. I''m not one for slagging players off all the time, but sometimes you are good and sometimes there are players who just do not cut it ever. As long as doherty is at the back there will be errors and mistakes and goals will flood in. How can you expect shax to be confident when he has an idiot next to him at the back and has been stripped off his captancy. We shall see but I hope taylor comes and we can get rid of doc once and for all. [/quote] No, Martin Taylor is what you''d call a "good defender". Jason Shackell is not. He doesn''t read the game particularly well, he''s not the strongest, he''s not great in the air and his distribution is fairly poor. Norwich won''t be going anywhere as long as Jason Shackell is a first choice centreback. If Norwich want to challenge higher up this league then we need two new centrebacks. However, if I had to play against Doherty or Shackell I''d pick Shackell because I think you''d get a tougher game against the Doc.

[quote user="Jim Kent"]The treatment of certain players is unacceptable.  Most notable Jamie Cureton, yes he has missed a few chances this season, but to be fair most of those chances have been little more than half chances.  There is nothing wrong with Jamie''s attutude and again he didn''t score today, but he put the pressure on the defender for our goal.  Personally I think we should support our players and you can see how much this club means to Jamie, shouldn''t we return the favour, by showing how much he means to us rather than getting on his back for missing a couple of chances.[/quote] I can understand where you''re coming from and many times on here I''ve tried to stick up for Gary Doherty when he''s been heavily slated. But with Jamie Cureton I would have to say he''s missed a lot of good chances, several of them sitters infact. I think saying most have been half chances is being very kind on him. He has had some dreadful misses this season. With regard to his attitude.. I struggle to think of many games this season where I''ve seen him graft hard for the team or for himself. He''s been a bit better lately but often throughout the season he''s been switched off and lazy. I think Curo is a decent little footballer but he''s either got to start doing the business or we need to sign someone better.