Patches OHoolahan

Dubai Mark, I think you''ve hit the nail on the head with regards to the problem of having a coherent club philosophy- what if there is no success to go with it? For example, assuming we are relegated, do we prioritise a style of play above returning to the so-called promised land? If we want to return ASAP then Malky Mackay would be the best candidate in my eyes, regardless of his connections with the club. But if we want to move to a style of play similar to that articulated by many fans, then we would be better advised to look elsewhere in my opinion.

I''ve quoted this profile piece before on discussions of Norwich''s culture/philosophy/style of play: http://www.canaries.co.uk/news/article/20140409-paul-nevin-norwich-city-profile-1478759.aspx The relevant quote from Mr Nevin (who oversees the consistency of our youth teams'' playing style) here is the following: “It’s about giving the opportunity to the technical players. Players who can play well under pressure and who will look to get on the ball, even in tight situations. That begins right form our foundation phase. That being said – we don’t want to maintain possession just for the sake of it. We want there to be a purpose to our play." I personally would like to see us following the style of play outlined by Mr Nevin, and couple it with a high-tempo pressing game. If we truly follow that style throughout all levels of the club it will ease the transition of youth players to senior level, which I believe to be imperative to our future. So in summation I would like to see us playing incisive, passing football, pressing the opposition high up the pitch, with our academy products complementing a core squad of technically adept professionals.

This was the line-up from the Stoke away victory: Ruddy Martin Bennett Turner Olsson Fer Tettey Snodgrass Howson Pilkington RvW I think a team similar to this is our best chance of success against Chelsea. Tettey brings a touch more composure with his short passing than Johnson for me, although I''d probably switch RvW for Hooper, as there''s more of chance that Hoops has a goal in him. Also unlikely for Pilks to be involved for whatever reasons there are behind the scenes, so Redmond more likely to start.

The media love-in over Liverpool''s title challenge has often noted the "make us dream" banners displayed at Anfield, an indication of the romance surrounding Liverpool''s tilt for the championship. So my question is in the unlikely event that we stay up this season, what would be your very ambitious but achievable dream for Norwich next season?

Thinking on this a little more, at Championship level Fox and Surman could provide the sort of service to strikers like RvW and Hooper that we have been missing for much of the season i.e. slide rule passes and through balls for them to run onto rather than a barrage of crosses and long balls when the striker has their back to goal. If the new manager were to institute a high tempo pressing game, that might mask some of the pair''s defensive frailties, assuming they have the fitness to participate in such a strategy.

For the little its worth, I''d like to see RvW stay if we go down. The optimist in me thinks he''d score a hatful in the Championship, and we''d have a confident, quality player on our hands. Mind you I thought he was going to be superb this season so what do I know! At least there is some consolation in the thought of our potential strikeforce should we be relegated. Becchio, Hooper, maybe RvW and a big experienced striker alongside as Jimmy and MC suggest sounds fairly potent to me. Mind you there is plenty left to happen before the start of next season...

Good point about our attack MC. Hoolahan is the only one to remain from that era, and I don''t expect him to be here at he start of next season. Hooper can do the business in the Championship, we know that from his time at Scunthorpe, as can Becchio, but again we run into issues of whether they would remain with us in the division below. I can''t see a Premier League team taking either of them off our hands, so I suppose we are stuck with each other to some degree. I imagine RvW will leave for a European team, and Elmander will return to Turkey. Hopefully the new manager can forge a successful attack from those that remain, and perhaps bring in a new striker or two to supplement things.

I''m not sure that the football "business" can be seen as completely analogous to business as a whole. I do however take your point that McNally should be sanctioned in some manner, although I imagine a performance related pay clause is already in his contract, thus he will take a financial hit if we go down.To my mind this would be sufficient- he knows he has failed in his handling of Chris Hughton''s dismissal, he will feel it in wallet and hopefully he will learn lessons from it in a footballing sense as well. I''m not sure some supporters appreciate quite how radical the transformation has been under McNally''s watch, but it doesn''t take much to recall the ineptitude of our previous board with regards managerial appointments, and myriad other matters (Doomcaster''s infamous "deadline day diary" anyone?). I still trust McNally to get the right manager in to revive our fortunes next season, which is more than I could have said for our previous CEO and board, so for me, he should remain our Chief Exec for the time-being.

If we go down what do people think will happen with the likes of Surman and Fox? Surman has had rave reviews for his performances at Bournemouth this season, and I believe still has another year on his contract. We know Fox can perform at Championship level with the right players around him in midfield, and we have an option to keep him for another year. Another question on Fox, given his lack of first-team opportunities this season and last, would be does he want to stay with us? Also if they do help us return to the Prem, would they fear being immediately cast aside in favour of the next Leroy Fer? In essence would they be appreciated more at another club? An obvious point but what role these two and other fringe players will have will be determined by who we keep hold of, and what style/system the new manager wants to adopt. Both fitted nicely into our diamond formation under Lambert, but might struggle in other systems. I like both players and feel they could have a role to play but nostalgia may be clouding my judgement on that.

Really Herman? Compare this squad to last seasons, or the season before and in terms of quality throughout the team, the current team are miles ahead. What has unfortunately happened, is that the team has been gutted of the heart and spirit that inspired us during the Lambert era.

Also Tim Sherwood, really? Spurs supporting friends of mine, who are season ticket holders, have said that his tactics are simple and his formations are imbalanced. Why anyone would play Eriksen on the left when Spurs are crying out for a creative presence in the hole is beyond me. I would be deeply unhappy with him as manager. Ditto, Lennon. He could be a superb manager but I for one do not want to take a punt on someone who wins a mickey-mouse league each year, with a budget which dwarfs that of every other club. That for me is not a track record that inspires me.

Why are some people basing their choices purely on passion? Look how well Peter Grant worked out- he was passionate but just not good enough as a manager. We need to look at managers who have quality, and preferably a proven track record in the Prem or Championship. Factor in a desire to see us play exciting football, then Steve Clarke is the outstanding candidate for me. That said I wouldn''t be unhappy if we had a punt on Karl Robinson- his MK Dons team play some good football, and I think he''ll go far in the game, whether its with us or someone else.

I''ve seen several posters state that our squad lacks quality and that is why we''re going down. I completely reject that. This is the strongest squad we have had since the early 90s, the problem has been that Hughton et al have failed to carve a successful team out of the squad. This has meant that good players have gradually deteriorated in quality, because of the morale sapping exercise that we and they have endured for most of the season. Think back to the start of the season, we were all excited by the acquisitions of RvW, Fer, Hooper and Redmond, but the way in which they have been deployed has stifled their natural game. I understand why Hughton set up as he did, but his style did not make the most of our assets. What I hope for next season, whichever league we are in and whoever our manager is, is that we play in a style suited to our players and to our club.

I really hope you''re right Spartacus. I''ve been waiting, and hoping all season that he could just nick one goal, as I''m sure that would trigger a rush of goals in the games to follow. Think today might actually be a good game for him- his movement will hopefully outwit what is undeniably an ageing defence.

Can we learn anything from Mr Adams'' team selections? No Bassong or Pilkington in the squad and Tettey left on the bench. Conversely, Murphy has had more opportunity under Adams, and Johnson has started games, presumably at Tettey''s expense. The team is also more British than it has been. From yesterday''s starting eleven only Olsson and Fer came from outside the UK. Is it simply a case of Neil seeing more desire from certain players or is there something more to it than that? I don''t think anyone can deny that an on form Bassong is our best centre-back, while Pilkington can be one of our most potent match-winners. I for one would be extremely disappointed in these players if it was a lack of desire keeping them out of the team.

Firmly expecting a first half Ricky van Wolfswinkel hat-trick against Liverpool on Saturday, feed the Wolf...

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="The Great Mass Debater"]Anyone got any insight into how the club gets round this problem?[/quote]Where''s Tom when you need him? [H][/quote] Tom does indeed flock to any discussion with the word "scout" involved. Just the other day on the non-football section, a thread on Robert Baden-Powell turned into how to spot a gem in the Ryman League. In respect of the OP its a good question and one I don''t know the answer to. You''d hope we would plan for a variety of situations, but then who knows how many scouting resources we have...

I''d go for a central trio of Tettey, Fer and Howson, with RvW up front and Snodgrass and Redmond on the wings. I think the main way we can hurt Liverpool will be on the counter, so we need players who can carry the ball at pace, so I''d particularly highlight, Howson, Redmond and Fer as key players with that in mind. I know Snodders can slow the attack down at times, but I don''t think we should drop him at the moment, because he is providing the bulk of our goal threat from his set-pieces and runs into the box. In defence I would be tempted to restore Bassong, alongside Turner, or maybe Yobo with Turner, the replace Whittaker at RB with Martin for more defensive solidity. Does anyone recall Whittaker getting ripped to shreds for pace at Man City last year?

Still have a bad feeling about this game in spite of the changes, so I''ll go 4-1 to Fulham, with us taking the lead and the Cottagers hitting back. Really hope I''m proven wrong though!

Profile on Nevin here: http://www.canaries.co.uk/news/article/20140409-paul-nevin-norwich-city-profile-1478759.aspx Posted this on another thread, but sounds like he''s had a diverse footballing education. His main role is to oversee the implementation of the "Norwich Way" through the youth teams. The Norwich Way is loosely defined as passing football throughout the team with incisive attacking- so not just possession for possession''s sake. Sounds ideal for the role he''s been fulfilling in the academy, whether he works well with the first team remains to be seen.

I think your expectations are fair Yankee, but whether we will see them matched on the pitch is another matter. I can''t help but feel that the players are not overly impressed with the situation they have found themselves in vis-a-vis the coaching staff, albeit a situation of their own making. Of course I am basing this entirely on Martin''s interviews, hearsay, and a gut reading of things, all of which could mean I am completely wrong. Nonetheless I feel the initial wave of optimism we have experienced in the wake of Hughton''s departure is likely to come to a shuddering halt by 5pm on Saturday afternoon. Here''s hoping that I am completely wrong, and Neill Adams makes a late play for manager of the season by winning our last 5 games comfortably.

Haha cheers Hampstead! Frazer, I was afraid that might be the case, but I''m thankful it isn''t! Hopefully they also teach the youth teams something about pressing high up the pitch as a team- seems to be becoming an increasingly important tactic in the modern era, and one I''d like to see utilised more often by Norwich. Anyway if this is the club''s philosophy at youth level, hopefully that will be borne in mind with the appointment of the next permanent manager.

Just read the profile on Mr Nevin on the official site (http://www.canaries.co.uk/news/article/20140409-paul-nevin-norwich-city-profile-1478759.aspx) Have to say he seems like the ideal man to be overseeing our academy, having had a truly diverse footballing education in addition to being a social worker for children in some of London''s poorer boroughs. It will be interesting to see how he deals with the first team, which will undoubtedly differ from his experiences with the youth teams. What interested me most about the profile was the brief comments about the "Norwich Way". I''ve been banging on about our club philosophy for a while now, and its heartening to know what the club is trying to do with our younger players. Nevin summarised the Norwich Way as follows: "It’s about giving the opportunity to the technical players. Players who can play well under pressure and who will look to get on the ball, even in tight situations. That begins right from our foundation phase. That being said – we don’t want to maintain possession just for the sake of it. We want there to be a purpose to our play" For me that is precisely how I want to see Norwich play at all levels of the club. Passing football, but with incisive attacking.

Cheers for that Nutty. Most telling comment for me was Russ saying the players "lacked belief and confidence" in the game against WBA. A bit of a revision to what he said in the presser, and in his post-match interview.

Also meant to say that Adams was very coy at the press conference, he didn''t give anything away as to how we will play. Didn''t rule out a negative approach either, but I for one would imagine he will concentrate on counter-attacking a lot this week- that was one of the hallmarks of the u-18s last year.