andyc24_uk

I just know there will be certain minority sections of the fanbase questioning Knapper and calling for Thorup's head by October if we haven't signed 12 new players and aren't in the top 2...

I think what some of these backroom moves really show is that the structure is being firmly put in place for us to emulate the likes of Brentford and Brighton in using data driven analysis to identify undervalued talent. It's a very different way of recruiting that we've used in the past, and we seem to be rapidly replacing those whose scouting methods are different with people who specialize in the skillsets data-driven recruiting requires. I think these appointments are probably just as important as the on-pitch signings this summer - We might not bring in that many players right away and it might take until January or this time next season before we really start to see the benefits of the new system. Best of luck to Scirpoli and Hughes wherever they go next, but I think these are the foundations of us building something really impressive here for the long term - I just hope fans can accept things take time and this season may not necessarily deliver instant results in terms of new signings and an immediate title challenge.

Had a little play around with the kit editor... I'd love to see something like this next year. Lots of yellow, but also a little bit different. What do people think?

Betting rules are so inconsistent and don't really seem aimed at protecting the integrity of the sport, more at 'being seen to do something'. I'm still not sure why betting on matches you have nothing to do with isn't allowed - It's not like an EPL player is going to have any effect on a game in the Swedish third division or whatever, any more so than anybody else with too much money to spend. Instead of policing people for stuff like that, I'd far rather they massively tightened up on anything like this Paqueta case - If you bet on anything involving your own team or even your own league, that should be an immediate 18-month ban, implemented right away with a lifetime ban for a second offence IMHO. No messing about. Yes, if people are struggling with addiction they should be offered full support to overcome it - It's not like the top clubs can't afford to pay into a health fund to support them - but protecting competition needs to come first, and that means zero tolerance of match fixing.

Rosenior I like a lot but he does like to play quite defensive football and I'm not sure that's the 'Norwich DNA' that we're trying to build here. If the long term plan from Attanasio involves investing in young talents, polishing them up and selling on for a massive profit, then that's easier to do with attacking players than defensive ones because rightly or wrongly goals are what catches the eye in this sport and add the most value to a player, not strong defensive performances. Having said that, defensive issues have been our achilles heel for probably a decade at this point so it could be that Knapper has identified that as the one area where changes would make the most impact, in which case Rosenior might be a sensible appointment. Thorup looks interesting for sure, and Still I'm not certain about - A year ago I'd have been incredibly excited to land him, but things did seem to be going south for him in the back half of this season. Was that due to him not getting the backing he needed from the board, or did he start to find the outer limits of his managerial ability? Not sure I'd want to take the risk of finding out TBH, but I trust Knapper to make the right decision and I'll not be disappointed if that's the way we ultimately decide to go.

Remember on deadline day : - Sargent was just back from a potentially nasty injury - Barnes is old and moves like a carthorse - Hwang had been let go - We'd just let Idah go to Celtic Only a few hours left of the window and our only striking options were Sargent to suffer a recurrence of his injury would be Barnes further forward, move Rowe out of his best position to play up top, or an untested Aboh. Seems pretty clear Van Hooijdonk was a last-minute somewhat desperate signing to provide cover up front. Definitely looks like we went shopping for literally anyone from a half decent league who could play up front, wouldn't cost much to loan, and would be OK with being backup. Very obvious that Wagner never wanted him. I wish we'd kept Hwang for the whole season, he was starting to look decent and chipped in with a few goals. One goal in the right match might have made the difference in getting us into 5th in the league.

I'd rather have David Hasselhoff (Sorry, had to get in there before anyone else does)

Fair enough @HazzaJet - You make some good points. I think if we get a good offer for Gunn then cashing in makes sense, but if it's any less than say £7-10m the benefit of having a good 'keeper this season probably outweighs the financial loss of him potentially leaving on a free (and if we got promoted which is more likely with him than without, he'd hopefully be happy to stay) I'd somehow missed Sorensen having an extension clause - 100% agree, trigger that then and reassess next summer. Can't agree with you on Duffy - I think Hanley is much better player when fit and a much better human being all round. Just depends on if he's ever going to make a full recovery from a nasty injury, I guess. Tzolis - Fair point, I'm more interested in seeing Kamara develop than Tzolis and if we can get decent £££ for him then yes let him go. I still think there's a player there though if he's coached right. Barnes - Has had games where he's looked OK, and yes seems to have a good relationship with Sargent, but also has looked like a donkey on too many occasions IMHO. I won't be overly upset if he's still here next season, but would still rather get his wages off the bill if there's any possibility of doing that. Idah - Yeah, I agree about finding a homegrown replacement. Maybe the best solution is to let him go to Celtic and then throw a chunk of that money Aboh's way to convince him to stay?

In my opinion: (*=first team squad for next season) GOALKEEPERS *Gunn - Top Championship goalkeeper, Keep him as we'll struggle to find better without spending huge money Long - No idea why we ever bought him in the first place. Release on a free *Barden - Good enough to be 3rd choice or backup in the Championship Reyes - Needs a season out on loan at a decent level if he's going to develop Rose - Loan out for one more season but probably not good enough Mair - Not good enough, move on McCracken - Not good enough, move on DEFENDERS *Hanley - Not going to be able to shift him and if he can recover from injury, can still do a job as backup. Gibson - Not good enough, won't be missed. Duffy - Hopefully we can terminate his contract if/when he's convicted. If we can't, honestly I'd pay up his contract and get rid. Giannoulis - Good player but probably time for him to move on, both for his career and our wage bill. *McCallum - Really hope we keep him, I've been impressed over the second half of the season and I think there's a good player there. *Stacey - Best defender we have. Batth - Why on earth did we sign him?! Release on a free. Fisher - Probably needs a loan to L1 or bottom end Champs team. *Montoia - Seems highly rated, if McCallum stays loan him out, if not then keep him and give him games as backup. *Warner - Looked good on loan; get him in and around the squad as a backup/rotation option *Hills - Same as Warner Tomkinson - Not really shone on loan, give him one more loan season to see if he can make it Shipley - Loan out MIDFIELDERS *McLean - Still not a big fan but we need some continuity and leadership so keep him on *Hernandez - Like with Kenny, we need a couple of players who've been here a while to be leaders in the locker room even if only bench options on the field. Keep for another year. *Sorensen - Useful option in multiple positions. Keep him (and wrap in cotton wool for pre-season) *Gibbs - Needs to step up and prove he's got what it takes, hopefully new manager's style lets him do that. *Nunez - Capable of a lot more in the right system - hopefully will get the chance to shine next season. *Sara - Obviously want to keep him but realistically can't see it happening. Hope we play hardball and get good money for him. Springett - Hasn't shown anything in the matches he's played to suggest he's anywhere near Championship standard. Loan out or let go. *Sainz - One of the brightest spots of this past season. Key player next campaign. Riley - Loan out again. Clarke - Loan out again. Fassnacht - Decent enough bench option if he stays but Wagner's boy and wouldn't be a big loss if someone wanted him. Lima - Seems pretty average for the U23s; yet to see anything worth spending big money on but worth the gamble if he's cheap. Welch - Loan out FORWARDS *Sargent - Keep at all costs, unless medical results show something long-term serious. Barnes - If anyone will take him on a free, let him go. Nobody will pay money for him and he doesn't offer much. *Rowe - Would love to keep him and I think if he goes to the Premier League he could end up getting lost in someone's reserve team and never really hit the levels he looks capable of. Probably out of our hands though honestly. Idah - Has had multiple chances here and it's just never worked out for whatever reason. Seems to be working for him at Celtic, so a permanent move there seems like a no-brainer where everyone's a winner. *Tzolis - Controversial but if Dusseldorf don't want to/can't afford to sign him I'd actually bring him back in and see what he can do under a new manager. Clearly has skills and goals in him, but needs motivating and pushing in the right direction. *Kamara - Hopefully a regular player for us next season. We need to get back to trusting in youth and he's looked excellent out on loan. Aboh - Would love him to stay and I could see him having a breakout season next year but looks like his head has been turned. Van Hooijdonk - Clearly going back to Bologna, unless the new manager takes a shine to him. Weird one as Knapper presumably saw something in him to bring him in, but Wagner very obviously didn't want him. Shopping list: 3xCB; 1xLB; 2xDM; 1xAM; maybe a striker.

Hold on... this player's former club was Newmarket Town? The same Newmarket Town Thetford were supposed to face in the final? And this admin error, which only Newmarket knew about, has just so happened to come to light after the game? When they knew the identity of their opponents and the likely consequences of this error being revealed? Not making any accusations but this whole thing has got to raise some awkward questions surely?!

I think it's probably a case of keeping our options open for next season as we don't know whether we'll go up or not... If we're in the Premier League then Gunn with a new signing veteran as backup (bring Krul back maybe?) makes sense, probably keep Barden as 3rd choice and Reyes out on loan to gain experience/exposure and then make a decision at the end of the year. If we're in the Championship, Barden is probably good enough to be backup to Gunn if he stays - Certainly would be as good as if not better than Long who I imagine will be let go on a free this summer given how far below this level he looked when he played for us. Reyes I'd be very surprised if he's not loaned out for experience next season, maybe abroad somewhere.

Hwang was starting to click and look decent, really a shame that we let him go TBH. I think he would have had 8-10 goals if he'd stayed. The off-field stuff is really messy - it's still under investigation whether he was making private videos with consent or illegally, but he was the victim in terms of those videos being leaked and being blackmailed, so if that's genuinely the reason we got rid of him then the club may have jumped the gun a bit there. SvH just hasn't gotten any chances really so I don't think anyone can really make a judgment. Wagner doesn't seem to like him and is generally averse to making substitutions before the last few minutes anyhow for whatever reason - I think given more time on the field he might have come good and scored a few but given results you can't really argue too much with the gaffer's decisions.

Really been impressed by McCallum since Christmas, he's definitely made a step forward when I and a lot of others had pretty much written him off. I very much hope he gets a new deal as I think if he stays injury-free and gets game time he could make the step up and end up being a really good player for us.

Here's an alternative thought: What if the rules were just changed so that red cards could be appealed, reviewed and overturned in real time by the Fourth Official, without significant delay to the match? - A player gets sent off. They leave the pitch, likely faster with less protest as they know that the Referee's decision isn't going to change and their appeal/argument/frustration will be heard off the field - The quicker this happens, the sooner they might be back in play. The game continues with minimal disruption. - The 4th Official immediately reviews any footage available - every match at this level is filmed and broadcast in some form, so making that footage available shouldn't be a problem. - They either confirm or overturn the Referee's decision, with the bias being assumed in the ref's favour to protect their authority - It's only in clear cut cases like Sainz where a red card should be overturned. - If the 4th Official determines a clear error was made by the referee, he can signal to the Ref that the card is overturned and the player can rejoin the game at the next break in play, as they would if receiving treatment for an injury. An innocent player in Sainz's situation is off the field for maybe 5 minutes at the most. The game is not delayed for VAR nonsense. The referee is somewhat protected from the immediate scramble of protest (which often delays the game as much, if not more so, than a VAR check would, if we're being honest). Perfect solution? No - There will still be situations where the opposition score while a club is unfairly reduced to 10 men, and a player wrongly red carded after about the 85th minute may not get back on the pitch at all. Fairer than the current situation? Surely. Better than full-blown VAR delays? Without a doubt!

Please tell me Sargeant and Colback are going to swap shirts at the end of the game? Although would we even know if they did?