sgncfc

[quote user="GJP"][quote user="Andy Larkin"][quote user="GJP"] Well for me Lee Croft was a better player for us and is a better player than a lot of us on here seem to give him credit for. It seems to be the case that if you rate the guy it''s only because he was a hard worker and that this has pulled the wool over your eyes because he''s not much of a player. I have to disagree. After a bit of an up and down start to his Norwich career I think he really started to show what he is capable of last season. Yes he worked very hard for us (something that is far too easily underestimated in itself) but he always played football the right way. He would always aim to drive the team forward, he didn''t play the ball for the sake of it but instead he always tried to do something positive with it. Ok, not every cross was perfect but who could Norwich City realistically get who can give as much to the team as he did and cross like David Beckham? It''s ok sitting in the stands or listening on the radio and saying "oh, his crossing is rubbish, no end product" etc etc but I would suggest that out on the pitch (particularly playing in a struggling side with some inferior players) it isn''t quite as easy and straightforward as people would like to think. [/quote] Sorry GJP, but thats so wrong I can''t let that go. As already stated, he is a footballer. He is also a winger. Crossing the ball is very much part of his job description. Part of my job is photography… if I continually post out of focus and over exposed photographs I won''t be in business very long. He very simply failed at his job description - running around with a barrel chest does not make you a winger!!! Mistake effort for skill and you quickly understand why he was awarded player of the season. [/quote] See I never saw him as being as bad a crosser as everyone likes to think. I know that he hit a few that weren''t so good but also you could see a lot of the time he was flippin'' the ball into the right area. And another thing about Croft was that you could tell he tried to feel the weight of the ball.   He got player of the season because he: Played some good football. Played for Norwich City like it meant something to him. It was that combination that got him the award. Surely you can see that , can''t you? For the record, he didn''t get my vote.     [/quote]Nor mine. He won it because he tried hard in a season where we had zero quality. I know a few Derby fans and to a man they think he is useless. I have told them that his performances and his fitness will pick up as he gets towards the end of his contract, as it did for us, but at the moment he is getting his £9k a week and having a nice time. Still haven''t quite forgiven him for missing a tap in at QPR a few years back......!

[quote user="onebobbyrobson"] The fact is your a division 3 side we are a championship club We still be a championship club next season, you will be a division 3 club Oh by the enjoy the fa cup draw today Enjoy the first round of the cup as that the furtherest you''re gonna get  ha ha [/quote] You didn''t quite manage a whole sentence without any mistakes but a good try for a retard. Don''t they have schools in Ipswich? Or were you too busy with your sister to go?

[quote user="C.T reborn"]Care to venture another guess [:P] [/quote] Ron Saunders?

[quote user="CanaryPurple"]I think Bob Franklin has to be congratulated for getting a thread ostensibly on Martin O''Neill back on message! Given that, a simple, fact-based comparison: Championship football club A (in relegation zone) sacks manager. Bad results. Team confidence shot to hell. Poisonous inheritance. Etc etc etc. The usual story. New manager takes over in January, with team now just above relegation zone. Has 20 matches in which to ensure safety. Does a bit of transfer business. Brings in two hotshot strikers in March who play total of only 10 games between them. But mainly he works with what he has inherited. Results: 8 wins 5 draws 7 defeats 29 points from 20 games. Average of 1.45 points per game. Team finishes safely in 19th place. Championship football club B (not in relegation zone) sacks manager. Bad results. Team confidence shot to hell. Poisonous inheritance. Etc etc etc. The usual story. New manager takes over in January, with team still above relegation zone. Has 18 matches in which to ensure safety. Does lots of transfer business in late January and very early February. Brings in nine players (plus a tenth already brought back). So a whole new outfield, including four hotshot strikers. Results: 4 wins 5 draws 9 defeats 17 points from 18 games. Average of 0.9 points per game. Team gets relegated. Club A is Nottingham Forest, with Billy Davies. Club B isn''t.   [/quote] Excellent post, and perhaps Bob Franklin will read it and stop going on about Gunn. Yes, he brought in some decent players BUT he got us relegated and clearly showed that he couldn''t manage them in the Colchester defeat. The right decison to sack him was made. Now for heaven''s sake, MOVE ON!!

[quote user="AVFC-NCFC"] The division consists of very few teams that are good in anyway. So even a team that is good in the slightest way stands a chance at promotion and at the moment we are playing like the best team in the division so promotion is always going to be talked about. Look how poor Leeds were the other night. They are supposed to be the best team in the division and we walked all over them. [/quote]I think this is the whole point of the post in a nutshell. As long as there are people out there who seriously believe that we walked all over Leeds whilst losing 2-1, there will be something of a problem in managing expectation. Let me tell you now that there may not be many good football teams in this league but there are an awful lot of very hard-working ones and if we just think we have to turn up to win by 4 or 5 we will get a very rude awakening. Tomorrow''s game against Swindon is a dangerous one - they are good enough to come away with a 1-0 win if we start thinking that we walked all over Leeds - which we didn''t by the way. Perhaps you didn''t notice that in the last 20 minutes we barely got a kick and Leeds could have scored 4?

[quote user="bluemike"][quote user="sgncfc"][quote user="Wings of a sparrow"] No wins after 10 games, Keane is sacked, Marcus Evans pulls the sponsorship plug in January, relegated by end of March, fans fight among themselves, attendances drop to 12,000. Replaced in the Championship by...........Norwich!  SOME of this is pure fantasy! [/quote] Anyone who pays £1.2m for the complete and total donkey that Tamas Priskin is has no place in football management. Malky must have thought it was Christmas. I can see the first bit coming true, though he''ll be given more than 10 games - but I genuinely think he won''t last the season. He has bought some bad players - I think our squad is now stronger than theirs by some distance. [/quote]quote of the century, your squad is stronger than ours by some distance, 7-1 pmsl you sad nomark. [/quote] How are you enjoying the last minute equalisers and the massive impact Priskin has had on your season to date? £7m and 7 points. If Keano spends another £30m you have a chance of staying up!

You have GOT to be joking! You are though aren''t you? I live near Watford and have seen Ellington play on many occasions. To say that he is a donkey is an insult to donkeys. Actually a donkey would have better ball control and be more aware of where the goal is. Ask a Watford fan what they think of him - he is considered a joke here. My God, if we sign Nathan bloody Ellington the world really will be coming to an end.

Leeds 3-1, whether Holt plays or not.

Now you''ve gone and done it! You should know by now that if anyone talks any sense on here, especially if it''s a view against the accepted "Delia Out", you can prepare to be vilified by all the 14 year olds with nothing else to do. Best not to look......

[quote user="Norwich"]Dronny Canary - Am I not allowed my own opinion. Christ almighty.[/quote] Yes you are and your opinion is spot on. When PL signs his new CB, Docherty will be the one on his way, not Nelson or Askou. As for the topic, I think we are starting to look hard to beat which is the first requirement for a play-off chasing team. We are still a way away from automatic promotion in my opinion but if we acquire well in January we might have a shout. What is particularly pleasing is the performances of the youngsters which have been absolutely astounding. I think Smith and Adeyemi will be stars (unfortunately, probably not for us) and Martin is becoming a cracking player. Credit too to Russell for keeping his head down and grafting for the team and doing a dirty job. Looking good, but not getting carried away.  If we keep improving, who knows? I think Leeds will beat us, but they will have to play well to do it.

[quote user="Fellas"][quote user="sgncfc"][quote user="NCFC_Shaun"] [quote user="Fellas"]This is why I can''t wait for the band-wagon fans to get bored and find a new play thing. You go to Carrow Road these days and half of the fans there don''t have a clue about anything. They think Daydream believer is a nice pick-me-up before the game, that Wes Hoolahan (or insert other name here) is the most talented player to ever play for the club and that Iwan Roberts was a player who scored a few goals a long time ago. McVeigh is the most talented player (maybe minus Dean Ashton, Thomas Helveg and maybe maybe Huckerby) to have played at this club in the past decade. He''s an old bor now, not so quick (he never was a fast player) but he has more skill and talent in one pinky than Hoolahan does in that left peg of his. I like Hoolahan I think he''s a good player, one for the future and a good talent but I''m under no illusions he''s never going to be as good as McVeigh. He''ll never be able to play completely out of position (like McVeigh), play with his weaker foot, be the top goal-scorer for this club, be a great corner kick taker or acheive the same heights at the club that McVeigh has. So in answer to this thread, anybody who dare say McVeigh is a waste of space not only insults him as a player, Paul Lambert as a manager who can actually assess good talent, but also the fine pleasure it was to be a city supporter watching Iwan, WLY, Holt, Francis, Huckerby and Crouch put teams to the sword those seasons ago. McVeigh aint the quickest, the fittest or in his prime but nobody at the club now, or in the foreseeable future will be able to pick out the perfect pass time and time again like this lad. [/quote] Very true. McVeigh was a class act back then when we reached the playoff final and won the league two years later. But I wouldn''t say that he still posseses more ability than Hoolahan. However, I agree that he''s far from a ''waste of space'' - and if only for his achievements for us in the past, he doesn''t deserved to be called one. As for Daydream believer, I actually like that being played again. Reminds me of the days that we were a decent championship side [;)] [/quote] What a load of utter tosh. I can only assume your mention of Thomas Helveg in the same sentence as Ashton and Huckerby is the clue that this is a wind up. I too loved WLY way back, as I did Fox, Sutton, Paddon, Peters, Eadie etc but to say he has more talent than Hoolahan is simply nonsense. Huckerby was twice the player McVeigh ever was and I can''t believe you are serious. McVeigh is no longer good enough for League One - he was released by a relegated Luton, not because he cost too much money but because they thought he couldn''t cut it, yet Mr Gunn, solely for sentimental reasons saw fit to give him a contract because he impressed in training. You are right that Lambert is no fool and McVeigh will not feature in the first team squad once he has put together his own. I love him for what he did but he is now, unfortunately, a waste of space. Why not give Mulryne a contract too? - he was also a decent player for us once.[/quote] So Hoolahan has played in the premiership? He''s played for a successful team in the championship? Hmmm... He is 27 and has yet to get anywhere near the a mid-championship team, I feel that speaks volumes about his ceiling. Hoolahan has skill, but if you can''t even the touch the ball with your weak foot then not only are you gonna struggle to achieve a good level but you simply are a bit of a lazy professional footballer. Why does he beat his man over and over again? Because he''s waiting to be able to play the ball with his left foot and unwilling to play the ball with his right foot. As to your attack on McVeigh, well I feel for you because you can''t enjoy watching football that much. Pre-season and in his recall to the team McVeigh rolled back the years to a good extent. He has a superb touch, great vision, and a fantastic set-piece and cross, all of this after being out of the game for a while, playing out of position and well past his prime and playing in a completely new team. So a few laboured performances were on the cards. Quite frankly I love watching good football, and McVeigh provides that in a league of hoofers, hackers and bodge players we see in league 1. Whilst Daley is still not quite there yet, Whaley seemingly un-settled here and a lack of real other options out right except an out-of-position Martin (or Smith), a lot to ask of young fragile players (see Jarvis etc), then I can see us relying on McVeigh for some hefty minutes. So less of the boo-boys, scape-goat dirt. [/quote] Wow! You have some issues, Fellas! "Boo-boys, scape-goat dirt?" What the hell is that about?

[quote user="NCFC_Shaun"] [quote user="Fellas"]This is why I can''t wait for the band-wagon fans to get bored and find a new play thing. You go to Carrow Road these days and half of the fans there don''t have a clue about anything. They think Daydream believer is a nice pick-me-up before the game, that Wes Hoolahan (or insert other name here) is the most talented player to ever play for the club and that Iwan Roberts was a player who scored a few goals a long time ago. McVeigh is the most talented player (maybe minus Dean Ashton, Thomas Helveg and maybe maybe Huckerby) to have played at this club in the past decade. He''s an old bor now, not so quick (he never was a fast player) but he has more skill and talent in one pinky than Hoolahan does in that left peg of his. I like Hoolahan I think he''s a good player, one for the future and a good talent but I''m under no illusions he''s never going to be as good as McVeigh. He''ll never be able to play completely out of position (like McVeigh), play with his weaker foot, be the top goal-scorer for this club, be a great corner kick taker or acheive the same heights at the club that McVeigh has. So in answer to this thread, anybody who dare say McVeigh is a waste of space not only insults him as a player, Paul Lambert as a manager who can actually assess good talent, but also the fine pleasure it was to be a city supporter watching Iwan, WLY, Holt, Francis, Huckerby and Crouch put teams to the sword those seasons ago. McVeigh aint the quickest, the fittest or in his prime but nobody at the club now, or in the foreseeable future will be able to pick out the perfect pass time and time again like this lad. [/quote]   Very true. McVeigh was a class act back then when we reached the playoff final and won the league two years later. But I wouldn''t say that he still posseses more ability than Hoolahan. However, I agree that he''s far from a ''waste of space'' - and if only for his achievements for us in the past, he doesn''t deserved to be called one. As for Daydream believer, I actually like that being played again. Reminds me of the days that we were a decent championship side [;)] [/quote] What a load of utter tosh. I can only assume your mention of Thomas Helveg in the same sentence as Ashton and Huckerby is the clue that this is a wind up. I too loved WLY way back, as I did Fox, Sutton, Paddon, Peters, Eadie etc but to say he has more talent than Hoolahan is simply nonsense. Huckerby was twice the player McVeigh ever was and I can''t believe you are serious. McVeigh is no longer good enough for League One - he was released by a relegated Luton, not because he cost too much money but because they thought he couldn''t cut it, yet Mr Gunn, solely for sentimental reasons saw fit to give him a contract because he impressed in training. You are right that Lambert is no fool and McVeigh will not feature in the first team squad once he has put together his own. I love him for what he did but he is now, unfortunately, a waste of space. Why not give Mulryne a contract too? - he was also a decent player for us once.

[quote user="Dronny Canary"] [quote user="singing canary"] John Deehan the Norwich chief Scout, has been happy to recommend a few players to Chris Sutton, though the most likely will be the mercurial Jamie Cureton, a man very much in the Jamie Forrester mould. Standing just 5 foot eight he has scored regularly at each of the seven clubs he has been at, most notably Reading and Bristol Rovers. He has also always been prolific whenever he has gone on loan but looks as if he will start and finish his career at Norwich. Anyone doubting his stardom status take note, uniquely whilst at Reading, Jamie had a newly discovered star in the ''Perseus'' constellation named after him. The whispers are that the 34 year old will be here on loan very shortly despite him scoring the fifth goal as the Canaries hammered his old club 5-1 yesterday. Cureton is struggling to get past Cody McDonald, Grant Holt, Goran Marić and Chris Martin this season and joined Barnsley on a 3-month loan deal last term. As we all know Jamie is a name that will always pull the heart chords of Imps and should the loan deal come off it would be a great marriage of convenience for both clubs. [/quote] Seems to be ahead of Cody and Maric in the eyes of Lambert at the moment and actually scoring goals.  Yesterday''s was a class finish like the sort of goal he scored a few of seasons ago.  Can''t see him going anywhere at the moment myself. [/quote]A class finish? Don''t be silly. He leans so far back everyone thought he''d put it over the bar (including him - look at his reaction) and it was only because he actually miskicked it that it went in. Way off the pace, and we don''t need him.

[quote user="Road to Nowhere"] In that hole behind the strikers he is unplayable at this level. What encourages me the most though is his workrate now. His chasing back was first class on Saturday and he is gradually becoming less of a ''luxury'' player. [/quote]Completely agree with this. He is a different player since Lambert took over; more disciplined, more creative and less greedy. Still room for improvement. Imagine how good he would be if he spent two hours a day practising with his right foot?

[quote user="singing canary"] clearly the man felt he did not have a future with the canaries . then he plays out of his skin and puts in a great performance .. keep hold of him or let him go ..? thoughts [/quote] Get rid. Only a matter of time until his next nightmare. Gave away stupid free kicks again on Saturday and was comfortably beaten for pace but covered well by others. I cringe every time the ball goes near him.

[quote user="West Ham Canary"]Some of these ratings are bizarre. Declan Rudd could not have played better yesterday and yet gets a 6 from some people...[/quote] Disagree - he looked shaky on crosses, particularly in the first half when Rovers had 10 minutes on top and could have scored two or three, and didn''t dominate his area at all. 6 is accurate - he made one very sharp save at 0-0 and another at his near post in the second half. Good kicking too.

[quote user="Shack Attack"]Still looks a pen to me. Sorry [:(] [/quote] Definitely a pen for me. Forster doesn''t get the ball, therefore a foul irrespective of where the ball then goes. A goalkeeper can''t just flatten the man and get away with it. Not sure about the red card though - don''t think he deliberately denied a goal scoring chance. A pen and a yellow for me.

[quote user="hogesar"]So that''s what it''s like to have ambition....[:D] [/quote] No, that''s what it''s like to have money

[quote user="lynn canary"]I rememeber when we had Huckerby and Crouch both in on loan and after a few years, people were wondering why we bought Huckerby instead of Crouch who went on to play in Champions League and play for England, but i still believe to this day that we made the right decision to bring Hucks in instead of Crouch. Hucks was a great player and great person. Hope he comes back to help us out somehow in the future.[/quote] Another example of the Board not backing the manager - we could have had Crouch for £2m in the summer after our promotion and instead he went to Southampton

[quote user="Fellas"]If Lambert was giving them rope to hang themselves previous, then they''ve jumped in the coffin and nailed it all up. [/quote] I might be missing something but aren''t we playing away from home against the reserves of a club a division above us? So is a defeat too surprising?

I hope they do - then Sullivan can buy out Delia and bring Karren Brady in as CEO. Good plan.

[quote user="Creative Midfielder"]Spot on Ricardo. Still very early but not looking too good for Lambert. Two successive games of hoofball, and not even good hoofball at that.[/quote] Nonsense. First 20 minutes wasn''t hoofball, we created 3 decent chances from quick, strong, attacking football. The injuries destroyed our shape and they got a couple of lucky breaks from the ref. But if they are close to the best this league has to offer we have nothing to worry about. Neither team had any pace wide - Daley is a waste of time, McVeigh is hopeless - Cody would have been a better substitution and I''m sure would have come on if we hadn''t had 3 injuries. Never a penalty, but a tough call. Forster should have saved the free kick and Martin should have buried the header. Soemtimes games go like that, but they won''t always. I''m still confident we''ll be top 6 come May.

[quote user="Beauseant"] [quote user="Metatron"]..anyone else think so? He was way too far to the right of his goal - it was clear where the ball was going. Shame, as he was did ok for the rest of the game.[/quote]   Not a hope in hell. [/quote] Although he DID get across but then missed the ball which went over his hand

It was of course the Steve Bruce transfer, not the Graham Paddon one, where Mr Ferguson said what he said - forgot to edit.

  Best Gossy''s equaliser against Bayern at Carrow Road - watched it live on telly as I couldn''t get a ticket, launched myself off the sofa and accidentally punched a hole in the ceiling. Pre-game at the Millenium, just feeling so proud of so many. Ashton''s winner against Newcastle, seconds after I thought we had thrown it away. Man Utd 2-0 Final whistle at the Milk Cup Final. Beating Crystal Palace to stay up. Losing 2-1 at Hillsborough but still going up after Leicester could only draw.   Worst Losing 2-1 at home to Bradford City in FA Cup in 1975/76 (?) Mike Walker resigning Chris Sutton, Ruel Fox, Kevin Reeves, Dean Ashton , Steve Bruce, Graham Paddon leaving (and in the last one, Alex Ferguson calling us a "little club" - forever a scumbag) FA Semi''s against Sunderland and Everton Fulham & Charlton Colchester Graham Paddon, my absolute hero, dying too young