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Patches OHoolahan

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Everything posted by Patches OHoolahan

  1. I think its harsh to refer to Bennett as a championship player, he''s demonstrated previously what an impact he can make when he has a decent run in the side. As to who I''d have between Bennett and Howson in that role, Howson is much more likely to be played there this season, but in the longer term, I really think Bennett has something to offer. He''s not so combative as Howson, but to my mind he''s more creative. I''m sure he could also make a decent full-back, but I think that would be a waste of his talents.
  2. Cast your minds back a couple of years to the halcyon days of our first season back in the premier league with Paul Lambert at the helm, and that away match against Swansea. Do you remember that we switched formation at the half to translate our dominance into goals? Elliot Bennett was moved to play in behind our strike pairing, and was superb, posing a constant threat with his direct running, and setting up Holt for his second goal. With Bennett''s return from injury approaching imminently, could he be the solution to our issues at number 10? Admittedly this is more of a long term perspective as he may not be match-fit in time to make a difference this season but he undoubtedly has quality in that sort of a role, and with confidence, he can be a real asset to the club.
  3. I hopefully suggested this before Man City game, so here''s hoping (again) that Ricky can find the back of the net, and that the tune "Feed the Wolf and he will score" becomes a regular spiritual on those spring Saturday afternoons at Carrow Road.... A man can dream.
  4. That is a fantastic point! Great resilience and battling qualities from the lads!
  5. Ricky on for Hoops, hope Hoops is ok, but cometh the hour cometh the man RVW! Your time is now!
  6. We are playing well, but I think we''ll need to grab the first goal if we''re to have a chance of winning. Ominously it also seemed like Citeh were working there way back into the game towards the end of the half.
  7. Just to point out, Libbra scored his goal fairly quickly after coming on in the second half against Citeh. I agree with those of you who have said he won''t start, but I am hopeful he can make a mark if he does come on. I should clarify I''m hopeful, not expectant, as we need to give him the right service to make an impact.
  8. When RVW comes good? Just reminiscing about THAT Marc Libbra goal against Man City, and hoping that our beloved Ricky could emulate Libbra, and finally get his Norwich career up and running. If he does start scoring, I think we''ll be safe.
  9. Putting to side the Hughton debate, if the worst were to happen and we did get relegated, what do people think our squad would look like next season? I for one would be excited to see more of our youngsters, and could imagine the likes of Martin staying on, but I could also see us being raided by clubs for a lot of our players who, when looked at individually, have Premier League quality. In particular I''m talking about Ruddy, Bassong, Fer, Howson, Snodgrass and Pilkington and I''m sure others.
  10. Looking at the candidates for the managerial post at Swansea (Bergkamp/ Graeme Jones etc) Huw Jenkins looks to be continuing his record of appointing managers who adhere to a very particular footballing philosophy- passing football. Similarly Southampton have instituted a club-wide playing style, so that their youth teams, as well as the first team, adopt that high-tempo pressing game that Pochettino has brought to Southampton. So my first question is do we have a philosophy of our own? In the past we have been known for playing good football, but more recently it seems to me our teams have purely reflected the style of whatever manager is in charge at the time. Obviously this worked out very well under Lambert, but then the players were introduced to a very different style of play under Hughton. Managers need to be able to control team affairs independently of the board, but I believe that we as supporters would appreciate it if managerial appointments showed some consistency in terms of style of play. That said there is a balance to be struck between finding the best manager and finding one who fits a certain mould. So do we need our own footballing philosophy as a club? If we do should we emulate the much-maligned (on here anyway) Swanselona or does another playing style embody us as a club?
  11. Does he make appearances at children''s birthday parties?
  12. Just for poops and giggles why don''t we revert to that 4-3-3 formation that served us relatively well earlier in the season when the Tett-meister-general was fit along with Fer and Howson. Obviously Howson''s injured at the moment and the prospect of playing Johnson and Tettey together doesn''t scream creativity so why not throw the Norfolk Pirlo into the mix? Cue arguments about Fox not being good enough, because he can''t tackle, has no pace and can only pick a good pass...
  13. Compared to those halcyon days under Lambert, I wonder if the biggest difference is a loss of spirit in the team. Obviously we had a core of players who took us up from League One to the Premiership which has now, to a large extent, been dismantled, so have we lost that feeling that we are more than the sum of our parts? Is regaining this unity of purpose the real key to an upturn in our fortunes, regardless of who is in charge? As a side note, does anyone else feel a sense of nostalgia for the atmosphere around the club in those promotion seasons? There seemed to be a closer relationship between fan and player, whereas now there feels to be a marked remoteness, possibly because we are viewing our football team through that glossy, almost artificial lens that is the Premier League.
  14. I believe that Mancienne would be an improvement on Turner. He''s more mobile, as others have pointed out, and he is excellent at playing the ball out from the back, which is something I feel we have lacked in pre-season at times.
  15. Given Hooper''s injury its possible that we will have a shortage of striking options in the short/medium term. Would this make it possible for Carlton Morris to at least grab a spot on the bench occasionally before the anticipated signing of a second striker such as Quagliarella or Toivonen? I''m not suggesting that we should be starting him against Everton or any other matches for the time being- RVW and Becchio are obviously ahead of him in the pecking order- but his performances in the youth cup last year were superb, and given time to develop he seems like the sort who could lead the line very well. It would only help his development to be involved with the first team and the match day squad.
  16. He''s been mentioned before on these boards as a potential target at centre back, and now he''s been excluded from first team training at Hamburg along with a group of other players due to the club''s financial problems, so he should be relatively cheap. Could he be one of the missing pieces of the puzzle? A club from Turkey (can''t remember the name) already had a bid accepted for him but he rejected them as he doesn''t favour a move to the country, but he is likely to be more amenable to a return to the Premier League.
  17. Assuming we stay up (big assumption I know) is there anyone out there who could improve the team come the summer? I quite like Vydra but suspect that Udinese will play hardball with anyone but Watford. I also have a soft spot for Adomah at Bristol City- bags of pace and skill, would be a nice option to have on the wings, and something different to Pilks and Snoddy.
  18. Was just about to post the same thing. Although he did admit that anything can happen on deadline day, we''ll see what that means...
  19. ...at least not yet. Some of the bile spewed in the direction of McNally, Hughton and the board in recent days has been nothing short of astonishing. Save your hysterics for after the transfer deadline when we will know better where we stand. Better yet try and stay sane after the transfer window as well because whether we just sign this Kamara bloke, or bring Hooper, van Wolfwinky and Davies, its likely that a struggle towards a lower mid-table finish beckons.
  20. http://www.thedailywiz.com/2013/1/30/3931442/kei-kamara-leaving-sporting-kc-for-norwich-city Reading this article a couple of things leap out at me. The deal appears to be a loan until the end of the season making it less of a risk than a permanent. The author also states that Kamara''s best position is as a right winger, and his assist statistics are impressive even though he''s playing against a lower standard of defence. Does this mean more competition for Snodgrass/ Pilkington than it does for our strikers? One concern for me though is his lack of match fitness. Its the MLS off season so he won''t have played competitive football for quite a while.
  21. I thought from the title that this was going to be a thread like those on Dion''s ''lightsaber'' or the origin of Holt''s ''horse'' nickname...
  22. If you had to pick 5 players from our squad to play 5 a-side, not including a goalkeeper who would it be? Only other rule is you have to keep it on the deck- no balls over head height. Think I would go for: R.Martin Howson Surman Hoolahan Vaughan
  23. [quote user="Indy"]Sorry but how was Ashton a class above? at 21 when we signed him, the same league and an inferioir goal scored record at 61 goals in 159 appearances! So please elaborate on how Ashton is a class above? [/quote] Indy, Ashton had played his football in the Championship for a few years before we signed him. He was top scorer by a distance in that league before the January transfer window and generally made a much better all round contribution to the team than Rhodes does to Huddersfield. Rhodes is a good predatory striker but Ashton he ain''t...
  24. Whatever happened to the guy who used to shout this regularly in the River end? He used to enliven the largely dead atmosphere of the N&P...
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