writeronthestorm

Given the time of year, this suggests he may be up there to complete a signing or give a final seal of approval on a player before an offer is made...makes it a bit more exciting than a scouting mission!! Not sure why any Celtic player would go whilst they have a crack at Champions League footy (even if that potentially only means 2 more games)...although the Premier League is a massive attraction for players (so nice to say that and be referring to us)

I would definitely have Rudd starting in goal - he hasn''t gone on loan like we''d anticipated                        Rudd Francomb R.Bennett R.Martin Tierney E.Bennett   Fox    Howson    Smith                     Snodgrass                       Jackson It''d definitely mean we have to play it on the deck and I''d like to see Pongo Snodgrass get a chance in the Hooly role                    

Paul Warhurst springs to mind...he had a very decent spell up front for Sheff Wed way back when...not sure R. Martin would have the same impact tho

Is it realistic to add Charlie Austin to that list? And Cameron Jerome often gets linked to us. If we do sign CMS it''ll surely be the longest courtship in our history?

Perhaps Wilson - Celtic CB? I was going to also say Murphy at Motherwell, but he may be on his way to Sheff Utd who, with all due respect, we shouldn''t be competing with for signings

Supposedly checking out Hooper...according to bbc

One of the telling things for me about Roeder is the story about him telling Hucks he can only use the gym at certain times: the whole being men about it thing is pure manipulation.  By putting it like that to Hucks it puts Hucks under pressure so that if he did leak it to the press he would be deemed un-manly/weak/etc.  It also suggests that Roeder knew if word got out he had treated Hucks that way the fans and possibly press would dislike him for it hence him putting the pressure on not to tell. Hucks comes across as very honest from his match reports and interviews on DH6 (has Hucks met Dave Stringer yet BTW?!) and now excerpts from his autobiography.  Think we all had an idea that perhaps Roeder was a decent football analyst/coach, but not a great people person and this just confirms it. I''m looking forward to getting/reading the book...

Excellent post: I can see why some were disappointed with the WBA game (myself included) - as far as I am concerned my frustration came from the lack of clear cut chances not our overall gameplay and in light of that frustration I was more critical of individual players than I have been for a very long time.  Having had time to reflect, we put in a good performance against WBA and but for a mistake and a missed penalty decision we could have had a better result. Likewise, although we only got a point against Stoke, we played really well and were heartbreakingly close to getting a deserved victory. Putting everything in perspective, I still see many reasons to be optimistic and nothing is won or lost in August/September (Carling cup aside!).

[quote user="CanaryJames"]I disagree with the notion that McNamee was a ''bad'' signing. He played a part in getting us promoted to the Championship, and then played a part (admittedly, lesser) in getting us promoted to the Premiership. If nothing else, his performance against Watford completely turned the match. If we''d lost that game (which seemed likely before his introduction, and having previously lost 3-0 to Swansea), then it could have all started to slip away. Suddenly the Forest and Ipswich games would have even more significance, Holt''s injury wouldn''t heal so quickly, and things would - potentially at least - start to go against us. McNamee was a good signing, As were the likes of Oli Johnson, whose cameo against Southend was equally vital to getting us to this stage if you look at the bigger picture. The truth is we''ve simply outgrown these players, but without their contribution there''s no guarantee we''d have made it this far.[/quote] I totally agree with this post. Our rise through the leagues has been so meteoric that we have ended up with some players not being able to keep up.  Seems to me that Lambert recognises this and buys/sells accordingly - very astute IMO.

Just ordered mine on the phone - was in the queue for about 10 mins tops. Very happy I will be part of it!!  

Agree with all of the posts on this so far: A RB to cover for / compete with R.Martin would be top of my list. A GK to cover for / compete with Ruddy. The possibly a CB and maybe an LM (this is based upon Johnson & Bennett being in the bag). As for who those people should be, I am not sure - I like Clyne at Palace as a RB, but he might be a bit costly for an initial 2nd choice player. But, Lambert knows it is a squad game and given his record so far, I''ll be happy with whatever he chooses

has Norwich down as: Norwich City Manager''s position After winning a second successive automatic-promotion, Paul Lambert''s job is safe. For the first half of the season, at least Money to spend Not a great deal. Lambert has so far operated on a shoestring budget and he is likely to have around £5m to £10m to prepare for Norwich''s return to the top-flight Areas of change Norwich have a handful of players with minimal Premier League experience so last week''s signing of James Vaughan (Everton) for £2.5m points the way for future summer purchases Possible targets The Canaries have had two offers for the Millwall striker Steve Morison refused but are also interested in Robert Snodgrass and Bradley Johnson (Leeds United), and Fraser Forster (Newcastle) JJ Did we really pay £2.5 mill for Vaughan? Don''t think we would sack Lambert especially half way through the season...unless they mean he may go elsewhere Isn''t it great to already be part of the Premiership?!!

1. Notts County (2.8 m) Meadow Lane 2. Nottingham Forest (2.9 m) City Ground 3. Derby County (14.9 m) Pride Park Stadium 4. Chesterfield (22.7 m) Recreation Ground 5. Burton Albion (24.3 m) Pirelli Stadium 6. Leicester City (24.8 m) Walkers Stadium 7. Lincoln City (28.7 m) Sincil Bank 8. Sheffield United (31.0 m) Bramall Lane 9. Rotherham United (31.8 m) Don Valley Stadium 10. Sheffield Wednesday (34.1 m) Hillsborough  

As much as I rate him as a player, I''m not sure I''d want him in our squad...doesn''t necessarily fit into what I think PL would go for, i.e. is he young and hungry with something to prove?  Perhaps...

Well deserved - glad that he, PL, the staff and the team persevered and he came good at such a crucial time

"A new goalkeeper is probably a must as club insiders fear Ruddy will not be up to the job." Wonder where he got that info from - I know Ruddy has had his doubters, but do we really need a new keeper?

Sign players to do a specific job and do not play them out of position - I think Worthington went for versatility as part of his plans for having a small squad.  The players only really started to perform when given regular and specific roles within the team.  And let''s remember, we almost did stay up! I don''t think you can go wrong with 2 players for every position as a basis for a squad. One thing I am sure of is that if there is one manager that I will trust to sign and release/sell the right players it is Lambert.

Fantastic thread... Player of the season – R. Martin Favourite match - Leicester away (we played them off the pitch – the final result flattered Leics) or possibly Coventry away purely because of all the fans that braved that treacherous journey to get there.  Also the end to the Bristol City game was quite amazing! Best goal – Crofts V Barnsley (although I missed it returning to my seat following a lucky p!ss, it was great to see on the highlights) Best opponents – Swansea in that game – they looked like a better version of us on the day Best opposing fans - Leicester Moment you thought we are good enough to do it – the 95th minute winner against Derby brought it home to me that we could actually do this! Lowest point – Lincoln pre-season followed by Watford on Sky – I thought we were in for a tough season  Best opposing player – James Coppinger (Doncaster Away) – we was unplayable that night and scored a worldy  Unsung hero - Ruddy Sum up Paul Lambert in 3 words – I trust him

I know that R.Martin has been immense this season, but I think we could do with a right back as cover for him.  We have Francomb, who I rate highly, but to put him in a premier league game following appearances on loan at Barnet might be asking too much. I actually though De Laet looked ok for Portsmouth, but the likelihood of someone allowing a young player to join us as cover when they could be on loan to a championship club seems remote. Nathaniel Clyne at Palace is the first name that springs to mind: he is young and was highly rated (not sure if he still is). I also thougth Rhys Williams looked good for Boro against Cardiff the other day...but then so many Boro players did look good against that lot! Otherwise, I agree with strengthening the spine of the team with some experience (Centre back, Midfield and striker) - to enhance the squad and "help our current players out" as Lambert so often puts it. I''m assuming that Drury and Tierney are seen as ideal left-backs.  And here''s one from left field - or rather centre midfield...would anyone have Clingan back?  He''s hardly set Coventry alight, but then who has?    

Stick with a winning team, but be wary of anyone carrying knocks as already mentioned: Zak and Fox We want to go out on a high and we can''t expect Coventry to be happy being part of an exhibition match and roll over for us... Loving the idea of the promotion party down by the riverside from 9am - almost makes me want to book my train down there from Nottingham!  

Blimey, can''t people just enjoy the moment?! I saw Darel''s tweet about us last night and I thought fair play to him.  Plenty of other ex-players were tweeting about us too (Gary Holt and Paul McVeigh) to name 2 - all were very complimentary...even Michael Owen said we looked good. Just enjoy the fact that the players we have had this season have helped to get us into the Premiership. eieieio!

Whoops! Should have also mentioned my twiiter: @DavePhillips75

Just followed everyone listed on here - phew! Now I feel like if Holt somuch as snaps a bootlace in training, I''ll be one of the first to hear about it! OTBC

...she is one of the best fussball supporters in the world...hic

I was at the Scunthorpe v Forest game last night and Nelson was immense. He dealt with everything Forest threw at him.  Mostly, it meant him sticking a head on everything, but he also chased back and put in a lunging tackle in the penalty area when a Forest player looked clean through.  It was no surprise when he was awarded Man of the Match.