Rustys 1st Touch

Smudger your timing is impeccable, you suddenly appear after our first defeat in 6 games. Bit of a coincidence.[;)]If the game had ended 1-1 no one would have questioned Lambert and you would not have appeared. Lets hope we beat Swindon on Saturday, eh?

Here are some stats based on Norwich''s results when Wes starts games and when he doesn''t start or play at all. I''ve focussed solely on our league gamesSeason 2008/2009             Started  27                                               Not Started/Played    19               Won  10                                                                      Won      2                Lost  11                                                                      Lost     14               Draws  6                                                                      Draws    3                                                                 Win Ratio -  37%                                                  Win Ratio - 10.5%  Loss Ratio - 40.7%                                               Loss Ratio - 73.6%----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Overall Total           Started  35                                                  Not Started/Played   23              Won  13                                                                         Won      4               Lost  13                                                                         Lost     15             Draws  9                                                                        Draws     4Win Ratio -  37.1%                                                      Win Ratio - 17.4%Loss Ratio - 37.1%                                                       Loss Ratio - 65.2%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Basically with Wes in the team we win more games, lose less and draw more. If he had played more last season we may have stayed up but I guess we also needed a manager to get the best out of him which we now have.Also interesting to note the amount of times he was subbed off early during games compared with Lamberts decision to keep him on for the full game.Thoughts?

[quote user="AVFC-NCFC"]I thought that but are the people that run are club so stupid that they ban are own players from playing? Especially a very talented one. [/quote]Judging by some of the decisions they''ve made in the last few years it''s not beyond the realms of possibility.

Too one footed for my liking. Oh and he thinks he''s bigger than the club[;)]

Stop trying to find fault with one of our better players and just accept that Hoolahan''s strengths outweigh his weaknesses. End of.

[quote user="West Ham Canary"]McVeigh - 8[/quote]Someone''s in a generous mood [;)]

[quote user="Tim Allman"]Oh dear. I saw this opening line,  "Forster 5 - Thought the sending off was a bit harsh but thought it probably was a peno as Forster didn''t touch ball", and all you lost credibility after that.   [/quote]Take off the rose-tinted spectacles. If Grant Holt went down in the same incident you''d be saying it was a stonewall penalty.

[quote user="Big Bad John"]So that applies even if he didn''t bring the player down?Bearing in mind also that ''if'' it were to be a penalty anyway he is effectively given a red card for preventing a clear scoring oppertunity, as the rules state.[/quote]I still think its a grey area and I''ve seen similar incidents where the keepers stay on if it wasn''t a blatant attempt to take down the player which I thought was the case yesterday.Take a look at the Cardiff penalty against Sheff Wed on Saturday. Very similar.

Heres my ratings on yesterdays game:Forster 5 - Thought the sending off was a bit harsh but thought it probably was a peno as Forster didn''t touch ball.Drury 6 - Solid enough at the back but think he''s lacking in pace these days to get forward effectively.Askou  4 - Thought he was poor enough and his distribution was appalling, worried how easily Jackson & Barcham got in behind him.Spillane 5 - Struggled to get distance in his headers and headed it straight to Gillingham players too often. Better second half, still think he is our best option at right back.Otsemobor 3 - Went off injured but he was too reluctant to get forward when he had space. Wayward passing again.Lappin 3 - Poor game from Lappin, sloppy in possession and poor delivery from set piece in the second half.Russell 6 - Worked and battled hard particularly in the second half. Passing and touch does let him down at times but got a deserved equaliser at the end.Smith 6 - Moved around alot after the sending off and injuries but worked hard and managed to win the ball back at vital moments. Looks very promising.Daley 5 - Only played 30 mins but he had their defence worried with his pace and directness.Hoolahan 6 -  Worked his socks off and created a few chances in the first half. Once we were down to ten men he didn''t get the ball as much and when he did he was often outnumbered. Still think he is better than Lappin and could play wide left if we want to play another striker with Holt.Holt 6 - Didn''t receive much quality once down to ten men but he made the goal we his header off the bar. Would like to see a new loan striker to play up front with him to help him.Subs:Rudd 6 - Looked a bit nervy early on but made some vital saves second half to keep us in the game.Hughes 5 - Quiet enough when he came on, didn''t look fully fit tbh.McDonald 5 - His pace should have caused their slow defence more problems but his touch lets him down at times. Still not sure he''s good enough. 

                                              ForsterOtsemobor              Askou                   Spillane                DruryDaley                     Russell                    Smith                   Lappin                                           Hoolahan                                              Holt Why change a team that performed well?

Got to be Wes for me. Always trying to be creative and positive.

According to the offy site he has played 38 times since he signed.Could a clause be triggered after 40 games.

[quote user="motley7"]It is sad to see everyone so pleased with this situation. I can''t believe anyone truely thinks that Michael Nelson is a better player than Doherty, just as i am sure no-one really thinks that WLY or Lappin are any better than Wes Hoolahan. This is about cost cutting- not getting rid of poor players and shows the dire financial situation we are in and an acceptance that we will probably be in the lower leagues for some time. This is not something to be happy about in my opinion, quite apart from the fact that we are pushing out a loyal (but unpopular) servant to the club. Best of luck for the future gary :-)  [/quote]Excellent post. This is quite simply cost-cutting and is something to be very worried about.What I can''t understand is why the board sanctioned the signing of more than ten new players in the summer before getting higher earners off our books first. Mismanagement from all levels at the club.

Here''s a match report from Posh.http://www.theposh.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10427~1799106,00.html

Rudd''s in goal according to the offy site.