John

[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="kick it off"][quote user="morty"] He has had to cut his cloth accordingly. I fully support him, but if he has his chance to spend in the summer and things don''t improve pretty quickly next season, then I will be asking questions.[/quote]That about summarises my point of view too.[/quote] Me too.  People were on Hughton''s back even before the season started and haven''t got off it since.  Talk about giving the bloke a chance. One season to consolidate, second season to develop, third season to see the best.     [/quote]I partly agree, but this is far from being a ubiquitous rule-of-thumb for management. Additionally it seems to be a rule that''s dependent on circumstance more than anything.Applying it to Lambert for example wouldn''t work since, quite obviously, consolidation was never on the agenda, and any long term plans for development were only in place as a result of his own success, as he scaled the English leagues. Not because he was trying to create his ''own'' team (or if he was it was merely incidental), but that he was trying to reach the standards of quality demanded by our league position.No one on here was likely to bring up this particular rule during his tenure.In the case of Roeder, this either wasn''t the case, or was fundamentally wrong if it was, seeing as our stature as a club deteriorated season upon season as he got closer and closer to developing his ''own'' team. If he was granted any such generous space to continue working by the club it was undoubtedly critically harmful to us.Again, i wouldn''t think many would have brought this rule up during his reign, and if any did, it was (in hindsight) plain wrong to do so.I think the moral of this story goes along the lines that every situation is in one way or another unique, and we can only hope such codes, (that are far from being objective truths) achieve the most appropriate balance of patience and intolerance for our own success in the long run.Having said all that, providing we stay up, i''d also give Hughton at least a further season, though if we reach Christmas without any notable evidence of improvement i''d think it best we try our luck with someone else.

Considering his age i would have thought he''d be appearing for our U18''s, or at least for the U18 games wherein i''m more familiar with the line-ups (i.e. FA Cup, or the few league games i read reports and watch highlights of) by now. I don''t profess to have any profuse knowledge of the players attatched to our club beyond the senior team, but i can''t recall his name being mentioned. Is it perhaps due to some technicality, or even injury, that i''m unaware of that he''s eluded my, and dare i say others, attention? One would have thought that, after years of average/below performers at academy level (perhaps with exception to this years group), the presence of a ''startlet'' at this level would have had more whispers uttering his name.From what i can gather, for a lad with such a reputation and admiring following he''s been surprisingly anonymous.

At the risk of sounding out of touch, i was hoping someone could clarify the reason for Whittaker''s absense today? For the most part, his performance against Arsenal added a much needed steel and verve to the defence that has been missing since his injury, and the end of our 10 game unbeaten run. I''d be surprised to hear that it was a performance related question, and as such would be inclined to think i''ve missed some of the details on his latest fitness.

[quote user="AJ"]Worked hard, and played some phenomenal stuff for us. A bit off the boil at the moment, but how massive is he in the squad? How big a presence is he in the dressing room? He''s captain for a reason. Even if he isn''t playing much, I''m sure he''s a vital member of the squad in terms of morale and leadership. I wouldn''t get rid too quickly[/quote]+1

I but only stake a claim to being right, my intelligence is merely incidental.

[quote user="nutty nigel"][quote user="John"][quote user="nutty nigel"] Sorry Dippity. I misread stage for state. But my feelings about much of the rest remains the same.   Why is our club not something for us to take pride in?     [/quote]Nor do i reckon dpit would disagree with the sentiment as well.Likewise, i fail to recall anyone on this thread noting that they take anything less than full pride in a club they hold close to their hearts; moreover i can only see 3 fans, with as many ways shown in trying to embody the spirit to which they hold the club to affection.Reading through the comments on this article again Nutty your post seems somewhat out of place and unnecessary. I don''t see why you feel the need to ask that question in this crowd for one?[/quote]   No John. My real comment was that this thread has been left to fall down the board while the threads showing no pride in our club prosper at the top. By the same token my post would be deemed out of place if I''d drawn attention to this opening post on one of the many threads about how poor our players are, how none of our youth are good enough or how we are going to be relegated.   I apologised to dippity for misreading his post.     [/quote]Forgive me for my interpretation was then similarly off, on who i assumed that question was directed at.

[quote user="nutty nigel"]Sorry Dippity. I misread stage for state. But my feelings about much of the rest remains the same.   Why is our club not something for us to take pride in?     [/quote]Nor do i reckon dpit would disagree with the sentiment as well.Likewise, i fail to recall anyone on this thread noting that they take anything less than full pride in a club they hold close to their hearts; moreover i can only see 3 fans, with as many ways shown in trying to embody the spirit to which they hold the club to affection.Reading through the comments on this article again Nutty your post seems somewhat out of place and unnecessary. I don''t see why you feel the need to ask that question in this crowd for one?

[quote user="John"]I think uninspiring is a fair summary. This club, for all the scepticism that surrounds it (not as often misplaced as some would have you believe, in my opinion), is performing well.I think what is prompting a slight hint of a nervous tick amongst the fans is that we are travelling close to danger, and we''re fully aware that any lapse in concentration would be enough to push us over the precipice, and bring about relegation. On some level, i suspect an underlying concern amongst some of the contigent is that, while this would certainly deal no terminal blow to the club nor its hopes, that it may quell the confident mood that has coursed through its the vein during the past 3 years, and many have up until now taken for granted. That we are a ''club on the up''. Relegation would undeniably cause somewhat of a shift in our frame of mind, that many, including myself, would struggle to accept. Our current standing is not one we''ve been too familiar with over the past 20 years after all; it''s no surprise that when leaks start appearing in the ship at such a time, that fans are up in arms.Of course there''s no reason to be upset at the club or anything, none at all. The tangent we travel on as of this moment implies that any failures we experience are only failures by virtue of our earlier success. Therefore it almost goes without saying that, because of what we are accustomed to, no one can legitimately cry or be angry with any unfortunate fate we meet under present circumstances.Things ARE going wrong in one way or another, no matter how big or small, that much is true; 1 win in 8 at home, 1 win in 15 overall, points dropped at crucial moments, the seemly complacent tone of the players and staff, and the manner in which each performance has responded to the previous performance. Each, and there are more, represent factors open to question. These may, or may not, represent cracks or holes in the Canary vessel.And for as long as we travel close to the precipice (afterall a loss against Arsenal and we could be only but a single point from the relegation zone) hasty conclusions concerning each aspect of the club will continue to surface. These may be wrong, they may be right, but sure as eggs,  they''ll be there. And as one that perhaps naively dreads the thought that the club might lose this ''upward turn'', and also lose this opportunity to assert itelf on the highest stage, and realise what i have long dreamt for, and as i have come to appreciate the light so much during this blissful time in the spotlight that the darkness that awaits behind the stage curtains brings a chill to the bone, i will most certainly be a nervous wreck among these sceptical lot, inspecting, scrutinising, analysing, scanning, and criticising, every aspect of this club for as long as i have faith we can reach our dreams.Because fantastically unreal Hollywood plotlines are so much better than art house realities for the deluded among us (again, me included - as much as that analogy fails miserably at reflecting my movie tastes).[/quote]Wow, long sentence guy... Started by an ''And'' of all things as well.

I think uninspiring is a fair summary. This club, for all the scepticism that surrounds it (not as often misplaced as some would have you believe, in my opinion), is performing well.I think what is prompting a slight hint of a nervous tick amongst the fans is that we are travelling close to danger, and we''re fully aware that any lapse in concentration would be enough to push us over the precipice, and bring about relegation. On some level, i suspect an underlying concern amongst some of the contigent is that, while this would certainly deal no terminal blow to the club nor its hopes, that it may quell the confident mood that has coursed through its the vein during the past 3 years, and many have up until now taken for granted. That we are a ''club on the up''. Relegation would undeniably cause somewhat of a shift in our frame of mind, that many, including myself, would struggle to accept. Our current standing is not one we''ve been too familiar with over the past 20 years after all; it''s no surprise that when leaks start appearing in the ship at such a time, that fans are up in arms.Of course there''s no reason to be upset at the club or anything, none at all. The tangent we travel on as of this moment implies that any failures we experience are only failures by virtue of our earlier success. Therefore it almost goes without saying that, because of what we are accustomed to, no one can legitimately cry or be angry with any unfortunate fate we meet under present circumstances.Things ARE going wrong in one way or another, no matter how big or small, that much is true; 1 win in 8 at home, 1 win in 15 overall, points dropped at crucial moments, the seemly complacent tone of the players and staff, and the manner in which each performance has responded to the previous performance. Each, and there are more, represent factors open to question. These may, or may not, represent cracks or holes in the Canary vessel.And for as long as we travel close to the precipice (afterall a loss against Arsenal and we could be only but a single point from the relegation zone) hasty conclusions concerning each aspect of the club will continue to surface. These may be wrong, they may be right, but sure as eggs,  they''ll be there. And as one that perhaps naively dreads the thought that the club might lose this ''upward turn'', and also lose this opportunity to assert itelf on the highest stage, and realise what i have long dreamt for, and as i have come to appreciate the light so much during this blissful time in the spotlight that the darkness that awaits behind the stage curtains brings a chill to the bone, i will most certainly be a nervous wreck among these sceptical lot, inspecting, scrutinising, analysing, scanning, and criticising, every aspect of this club for as long as i have faith we can reach our dreams.Because fantastically unreal Hollywood plotlines are so much better than art house realities for the deluded among us (again, me included - as much as that analogy fails miserably at reflecting my movie tastes).

I suspect the Murphy brothers were hoping to make the most of their opportunity in the spotlight so as to make an impression viewers from all corners would remember, which is understandable. It''s quite typical of players that age, whose play consists in that ilk of flair and creativity, to be selfish in play on such an occasion.I''d expect that in an ordinary setting, many of the faults and mistakes that could have been quite easily attributed to their play tonight would in fact be less obvious on another day.I''ve seen enough individual bursts of talent tonight from them to understand the hype, but i''d want to see how they apply themselves in the right frame of mind before judging them on their potential.

[quote user="TIL 1010"][quote user="Vanwink"]Why do you bother posting Tilly[/quote] Could ask you the same question Winky and by the way it is my friends that call me Tilly so don''t get ahead of yourself. [/quote]

[quote user="RUDOLPH HUCKER"]No disrespect Chops. But most of the things I mentioned you only get live at the game as part of personal observation and the bigger picture. Our players are much, much better than they are performing under Hughton. How dare he make comments about the club we are in such a condescending way, he has no idea, and for all the ''he''s a nice guy'' comments I sat there today thinking, he isn''t. He''s a control freak with a deep seated bullying nature. I hear and see how he is with the players and I don''t like it at all. Open your eyes. You are one of my favourite posters, but we will have to totally disagree on Hughton.[/quote]A familiar conundrum somewhat.

I do find it concerning that Hughton is again lauding our home form. It gives the impression of total and utter dependance on it, which is made all the more disturbing when we''ve only won once at home over the last 8 games played at Carrow Road.The away form needs no mention, but one would think victory should be sought in every corner and crevaice it can be found, and in such circumstances, not to excuse oneself in the face of unfavourable odds before having tried.Dare i say i find it hard to believe it''s the stadiums, the fans, or scarcely even the pitches that have brought this poor form upon us, when the tactics and spirit regularly shown on display over these past months seems ridden with a few quite fundamental errors.Diplomatically speaking, i do sincerely sympathise with the realists perspective, but i do still harbour concern that the tone could well be reflective of more than Hughton''s mere media portrayal at times like these. I don''t consider myself one to turn with the currents, and i go so far as to credit myself (perhaps unworthily so to some) with the ability to analyse situations like these in a ''fairly'' level headed manner. But i find myself as exasperated by our play, and seeming disinterestedness, when we''re chasing a game as i do when hearing Hughton''s analysis in his post match interview, and the association maintains this niggling feeling i have of mine.Truly dashingly dressed, and as much as i want to believe Hughton appropriates his conduct correctly for every situation as a most down to earth guy, be he in the press conference, the board, the backroom staff, or the changing room, the impression i''m consistently shown by him, and some of those that work under him, seems questionable... And i''d admit that this disposition would hold no appeal to me if i didn''t find the way he carries himself no less timid than our players performances on the football field as of the moment.

[quote user="jas the barclay king"]"Hughton''s got it wrong..""Papering over the cracks..""Take wes off""Swansea are 10 times better than us..."and yet BBC sport has half time stats as thus:Possession 50% eachSwansea shots 7 -on target 3.Norwich shots 5- on target 4.Corners 2 for us.. 3 for them...so... how 1 sided is the game? how much better are swansea? who''s had the most chances on target?Hughtons got it wrong? so has Laudrup got it right based on the above?[/quote]I''ve got a few judgements wrong of late, i''m more than happy to admit that... Maybe this one is too?I''m going to get my eyes tested because what i saw definitely doesn''t compute with those stats listed (... that isn''t even a jibe, i''m genuinely worried).

Contrary to how i often feel once we''ve scored in the first half of a game, i''d consider that a ray of hope, nothing more.There are many problems that need to be remedied before the second half starts.

Something like that.

[quote user="Mister Chops"]Though I suppose we''d be told not to go for the triple word scores as it''s too risky and we might concede points, so best to stick to the singles.[/quote]... I have an unnaturally great love for your mind.

[quote user="Morisons Prozac"]The formation and tactics we deploy are not negative or safe but they don''t work as our midfielders can''t pass for love nor money. Hoolahan gives it away too often, Snodgrass is our best midfielder but often takes to long to make a decision, Howson & Bennett are too anonymous to have any impact on the game and Johnson is actually a pretty decent long range passer but messes up too many at close range. There''s a reason Holt, Kamara, Becchio etc have had an extremely limited number of chances in the last few games.[/quote]Just this. This is about as good an answer you can expect to get on the matter.

http://www.itv.com/sport/football/article/2013-04-04/chris-hughton-confident-norwich-can-arrest-bad-run-and-retain-premier-league-status/Norwich take on League Cup winners Swansea at home on Saturday and asked whether each remaining game would be tantamount to a cup final, Hughton said: "I think so. It doesn''t mean a bad result in any of those games is the end of the world."We have to accept where we are as a club," Hughton said."Look around us and teams that have got less points than us or fractionally more than us are clubs which have been in this division for more years than we have of late and have more experience and bigger budgets. We could take strength from that.""We are very conscious of the stats. We know we need to be creating and scoring more goals. That takes pressure off everybody. (i sincerely hope this one is just a case of misinterpreting it, or a misquote) It''s so important that you keep things in perspective. We expect to lose games. What is important is that you look forward to the next one. No matter how true some, maybe even all of this is, now is not the time nor place to bring these facts to light.For example you''d be unlikely to find any Texan general or commander during the Battle of the Alamo saying:"Well lets face it guys, there''s 100 of us, most of us are conscripts, and we''re up against a well trained army of 1500 Mexicans, and their commander sure knows how to get a job done, just ask the Texan army he annihilated at San Anonio... So let us be humble in their presence, because they''re bigger and stronger than us, and an overall impressive bunch. And please, quit it with these ''expectations'' that we might actually win guys, you shouldn''t need me to tell you how unrealistic you''re being..." Psychologically speaking, it genuinely stinks quite fiercely of a defeatist attitude, regardless of what the probable outcome is.I''m not an anti or pro Hughton fan as such, i just wish for once he would start placing less emphasis on our modest heights and expectations, and more on our stubborness, "not going down with out a fight" attitude, and setting out his stall, declaring that failure is not in fact an option. Just a war cry, of any sort, preferably as cliche ridden as they come, please; it would invigorate such a welcome attitude and spirit about the place that has been sorely missing during most of Hughton''s his tenure.Sure enough, Lambert was just as guilty of doing the former himself, but he never struck me as a man content with anything but success. He never gave an inkling his team would lack any fight - and during the course of his 3 years in charge, i can only think of about 3 occasionsin well over 100 games where the team failed to do the job he expected of them. And during those occasions, you could tell he was far from happy, and that the players responsible were in for one hell of a bashing. Hughton is 30 something games in, and i can instantly think of 9 or 10 times where the effort on display from the players, quite generally, has been more than questionable.One doesn''t need a written manual on leadership to understand this is not how to approach adversity when in charge of a collective group. As such, i seriously hope his media persona, and quite crucially, his choice of words, doesn''t reflect how he conducts himself in the dressing room.I''d be interested to hear if this perception amounts to any sort of consensus amongst you, and if not, why? I''d prefer to better understand the method so that i can see Hughton is managing our best chances for survival competently, than admit that i''m right.

I mean this not as some sort of defence of science, or the denouncement of metaphysics with regard to some theological debate, i write this only with concern for you Ricardo.I''ve always felt this (rather large) quote would enable me to have some degree of closure in the face of losing someone, man or animal, as someone who vests his interests in empricism and rationalism; where life once shone so brightly, with such beauty, depart as a star in its final years, a supernova leaving in its wake a gaping hole.You don''t need me to tell you no one will replace Snowy for you, but know that whatever your beliefs, even as a non-religious man, that no one could ever say his presence has ever truly left this world.As trivial as the internet world might feel, and as hollow as every gesture imparted through it might seem, i do sincerely hope the following will bring you some modicum of comfort during this sombre time for you.“You want a physicist to speak at your funeral. You want the physicist to talk to your family about the conservation of energy, so they will understand that your energy has not died. You want the physicist to remind your sobbing mother about the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy gets created in the universe, and that none dies. You want your mother to know that all your energy, every vibration, every Btu of heat, every wave of every particle that was her beloved child remains with her in this world. You want the physicist to tell your weeping father that amid energies of the cosmos, you gave as good as you got. And at one point you’d hope the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your brokenhearted spouse there in the pew and tell him that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you. And as your widow rocks in the arms of a loving family, may the physicist let her know that all the photons that bounced from you were gathered in the particle detectors that are her eyes, that those photons created within her constellations of electromagnetically charged neutrons whose energy will go on forever. You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they’ll be comforted to know your energy’s still around. According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you’re just less orderly." I''m sorry if anything i''ve said sounds in anyway brash or unappreciative of your situation Ricardo; but know that the underlying sentiment is truly from the heart, wherein i feel unreserved sympathy for you losing such a close and beloved companion.Snowy left his mark on the world in so many ways, beyond what we as posters on the pink''un can testify to, and know that his very being and all he was still roams this world.I feel that, more than anything, is something you can believe in.

The slightly comical twist to Grant Holt''s talents is that i''d consider him the best crosser of the ball in open play in the team, the man can defend and retain the ball superbly, and his creative play can be fascinating - i''m sometimes left watching in both awe and total confusion, as our man accredited by pundits everywhere as a "typical number 9", execute defensive, offensive, and inventive play with the highest quality all in one move.I''m not in the mood to engage in argument over the matter, but i''d so far as to say that if we had a team of Grant Holt''s we''d be the better for it.

[quote user="Canaries Utd"]Hope you enjoyed your 5 minutes of fame!?!? Enjoy the rest of your footballing existence in the tin pot leagues and I hope the fans that were so disgraceful after the game at Carrow Road have a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. PS, we are still a Premieship club, who are you???[/quote]Hilariously bitter.

Perhaps this is a reaction to some of the profuse, unadulterated, and sometimes aggressive optimism of some fans on this board, but one can''t help but suspect you think as highly of this club as Jimmy Saville during a visit to a childrens ward for terminal illness.

[quote user="writeronthestorm"]I don''t see Wes as a winger, I actually think the only place he can play is behind the striker(s)...didn''t he play as a winger during the season we gor relegated to league1?[/quote]Yes, but to be fair towards the end of the season we won 3 in 4 with him on the wing before he got injured against Plymouth. With Hoolahan out, we lost 5 of our next 7 - leading many to believe (myself included) had Hoolahan not been ruled for the rest of the season, we would have amassed the points total required to avoid relegation.