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Yellow Rider

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Everything posted by Yellow Rider

  1. The boy Holt has had a great season - of that there is no doubt but the moment he resorts back to the old ways of ''backing in'', trying to ''con'' refs into giving him free kicks, then his influence on the game and his goal threat drastically falls away. He had a poor game today - no harm in that against the best team in the league but he did''nt do himself any favours by the way he played. Point is that IF this has been a ''one season wonder'' from him (as it might have been) then we have very serious problems considering the various issues we have with the other five strikers. In any event, we have no right to expect another top season from him next time round. Opponents will be much more aware of him and all his tricks. Sure he''ll still bag a few next season but I expect his tally to drop. Wilbraham provides a good foil and target man attributes - not a Premiership striker though. Jacko will run his heart out but ditto Wilbraham.  Morison - which way will this one go? Has the ability but unless he gets crosses into the box for him he has zero impact. Vaughan - we have no idea about him but his terrible injury record is likely to prevent any meaningful return from him in the goals scored tally. Martin - will be sold / released anyway.         Absolute top priority is at least one (preferably two) quality strikers. If we can''t land them then next season could be a ''bump down to earth''.
  2. [quote user="ron obvious"]"...Of course PL will move on, ..." Nope. Don''t think he will, for a few years yet anyway. He has a huge opportunity to take this team, HIS team, as far as it goes. You may not have noticed, but the team ethic in this squad is like no other I''ve ever seen. Can you see Chelsea, Spurs, Man City, Manure, Liverpool players etc. etc. achieving that level of commitment to each other? If he went somewhere else he''d have to start from scratch, with no guaranteeing the same magical result. He thinks he''s as lucky to be here as we do to have him. His job here is way unfinished, & it''ll be a long time before he considers it worth the risk of moving on. He might eventually succeed Sir Alex Rednose. But it''ll be a few years yet.[/quote] You make some v good points Ron. But he started from scratch here did''nt he (more or less). PL won''t walk out easily or to just ''anyone''. However, if he considers it a natural ''step up'' (which Spurs would be) he ''ll be gone. Remember what happened when City came calling!  
  3. Sorry - but YR is always a ''glass half empty'' fellow, that''s just the way I am I suppose. Today''s result and performance was awesome, I really didn''t expect that at all. Problem is I wish it hadn''t been at Spurs!  Why - simple, I have said ever since old man Redcap somehow convinced a court to let him off that IF he eventually trudged off to Wembley then PL was the lined up replacement. I was ridiculed at the time with posters queuing up to say which expensive, hyped up foreign manager Tottenham would go for. Fact is that Levy had his fingers burnt with Ramos and won''t make the same mistake. He has kept a damn close check on PL and today Levy has seen (on his own patch) just how good our team is and, by extension, how good PL is.   Today could be one of those historic moments that are (with the ultimate benefit of hindsight) pivotal in our clubs story. You can look back at the fabulous FCR night v Bayern Munich when we reached a pinnacle. Almost immediately the wheels started to loosen and then fall off. Another pivotal moment was the loan signing of Crouch and Huckerby - from then on we took off. That spell came to a stunning and embarrassing halt in the Craven Cottage humiliation. It was clear then that with the Board having their heads so far stuck in the sand that a long period of bleakness followed for some four years. Last pivotal moment was of course the 7-1 thrashing. Perversely I was''nt totally depressed with that as I knew there was only one way from there and that was up! So it''s proved.     Of course PL will move on, we just hope it won''t be in a few weeks time. If that does happen in May / June, the NCFC job will be one of the most sought after in British football - fact. He would inherit a damn good squad and great fan base. Problem is the new guy would be on a loser from day one following PL''s footsteps and might well struggle to mantain the momentum and togetherness that PL has developed. I hope I''m wrong of course but today just might be the pinnacle of this period of our history. Looking down from here it''s damn long way to fall!        
  4. With the season now rapidly drawing to a close it will be intriguing to see how PL shuffles the pack during the summer.  I would pretty much leave the midfield well alone as we have some good competition and quality players when all fit. Defence probably doesn''t require the major surgery that many think as Ryan Bennett looks a quality addition. Ward and Whitbread are better players than given credit for. The left back area is the most concern though. If we can get to a settled back four (none of this three at the back fantasy) then I think we can cut down the number of soft goals conceded. It''s up front where the major decisions are to be made. Last night there were a couple of journalists on Talk Sport (Ian Ridley was one) and the boy Holt was pretty much dismissed as .....''a cart horse'' and likley to be a .......''one season wonder'' (Marcus Stewart was offered up as an example). To be fair they did  acknowledge that Holt ...''knows where the goal is''.  Whilst not totally taking their side, Holty is a better player than that, I can see their point. IF he is still No 1 striker for us next term and has a long term injury we will have very serious problems. Of the others, you could make a decent case for moving them all on although I doubt that will (or even should) happen. Morison - an enigma. If we can get the boy from August - January back then fine. The Morison of February onwards is a real worry though. I''m sure PL won''t want to get rid but I wouldn''t be surprised if he was released. A decent fee could still be obtained. Martin - will be gone. Wilbraham - until very recently was bracketed with Martin but he''s a great club man (allegedly) and gives defenders real problems when he comes on. Hold up play and target man role is better than Morison although the latter is a better footballer and potential goal scorer. Will PL retain him in a purely ''bit part'' role though? My guess is he will provided Wilbraham accepts the lack of action. Jackson - not a premiership stiker, pace and work rate are effective but his first touch is poor as is decision making. Could get c£0.5M from a Championship club and the money reinvested. Vaughan - real problem here. No-one has the remotest idea what he''s like in a yellow shirt as he''s lost the entire season to injuries. He may make some kind of 20 mins. v Arsenal and / or Villa and that''s it. It was a hell of a gamble in the first place and has misfired badly so far. Not his fault and we all have great sympathy for him but................. PL either writes it off and lets him go or bites the bullet (as with Whitbread) and we hope against hope that the boy comes back in the summer with all the injuries firmly behind him. Problem is when Vaughan gets injured it''s a matter of ''months'' out not just the odd game or so. I think PL will persevere with him. We need to get in at least one decent striker, possibly two. Without that can anyone see the necessary goals coming from the 5 forwards I ''ve mentioned? Sorry but I can''t.         
  5. I agree with most of what has been said - yesterday not only was it 3 at the back with two so called ''wing backs'' (who end doing neither job properly - not their fault) but we also laboured throughout the first half with only one striker.  You may be able to play 3 at the back at European and International level (where the game is invariably played at a slower pace) but not in the English football league where 100mph stuff pretty much rules. Fact is for decades in this country the game has a flat, conventional back four ingrained throughout and for damn good reason. Get a good solid center back partnership and that will go down in the clubs history and be the cornerstone of a successful side. Charlton and Moore for England, McFarland and Todd at Derby, Burns and Lloyd at Forest, Hunter and Beattie followed by Butcher and Osman at Ipswich, Adams and Keown, Bruce and Pallister, the list is endless. At City we''ve had Forbes and Stringer, Bruce and Watson,  Butterworth and Linighan, Malky and Fleming. How many established and famous ''back three'' partnerships have there been? Yeah - exactly!     With no proper centre back partnership, the back three can get exposed and cut open. The wing backs are either wide sided midfielders (who can''t do the full back role properly) or full backs (who can''t do the winger role properly)!!  Take yesterday, Russell Martin is a model professional with a great attitude and a damn good athlete. Yes - he can ''get forward'' but he has not got the tricky of an actual winger. PL also saw fit to hand the left wing back role to a very much right footed player! Result of all that was that there was no ''poper width'' until Bennett was introduced and that was not until 83 minutes! Not PL''s fault, of course, that he has had to try different centre back partnerships due to injury but a conventional back four is a MUST. Within that should also be a right footed player at right back and a left footed player at left back. With a conventional back four the players work as a defensive unit and all four know their own jobs and roles and responsibilities.    As far as the lone striker is concerned, we did have some success with this early on but generally it doesn''t work for us. That''s because we do not have wide men or midfielders who we can absolutely rely on to get into the box with the striker and score 8-10 goals (at least) over a season. Without that the lone guy upfront is isolated, lost and the attacking threat impotent. For me 442 is an essential. I''m not too fussed about how the midfield unit is contsructed but the fundamentals of the side must be a back four and a front two. PL has tried this ''back three'' formation before - it hasn''t worked. You would have thought he would have learned his lesson. I fear he hasn''t though.   
  6. [quote user="baldyboy"]but people can get on Morisons back as soon as he runs out!!! its pathetic how our so called fans turn on our own players at times!! [/quote] No-one was getting on any players back Baldy mate. I was in the neutral area and the fans who booed Ward were in the Johnny Haynes stand. It was NOT Norwich fans. End of.
  7. There is absolutely zero chance of the boy Holt playing for England. A massive injury crisis would be his only likelihood. If Pearce was even remotely considering him he would have been in the squad v Holland.
  8. the boy Ward has been a bit of an enigma ever since arriving here - top notch defensive blocks and tackles, resolute in the air yet often and inexpicably will pass the ball straight to an opponent often when under little or no pressure. When we signed him this is pretty much what the Coventry fans were saying we would see. Ultimately though I think Ward (and particularly Zak) should remain next season. Fact is that we should support players who want to get the ball down and play. Yes, sometimes it can go long when a forward makes a run down the channel but if centre backs just lump it up front as a regular feature of play then that only means one thing - LOST POSSESSION - every time. You can''t do that at any level of the game and particularly not in the Premiership. I agree that Barney could probably be moved on out of the current crop of centre halves. As for those assuming that Ayala and Bennett will be the new centre back partnership that, for me, would be decidedly dangerous given their lack of experience. In another couple of years possibly. No-one has seen Bennett play (not for us anyway) so how anyone can form any valid opinion is baffling whilst Ayala is raw. Potential certainly but you have to wonder why Liverpool let go if he''s that good. Can''t recall any other club willing to pay big money to sign him either. At the moment his decision making must be improved. He made a shocking ''tackle'' (more like a full blooded assault) on Shane Long to concede a penalty at Albion and then v Bolton he got himself injured with a needless sliding stretching tackle when the ball was running out, the forward could have done little and Ayala should have kept goal side and ''stood him up''. That said, there is talent there to work on and develop. With a full pre-season under his belt it will be intersting to see how he shapes up early next season.  
  9. [quote user="GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary"] does anyone really think it''ll be any better under Redknapp?. If anything it will be even more of the old pals act. Expect his squad to comprise of the likes of nephew Lampard,King,Walker,Parker,Lennon,Huddlestone,Defoe,Dawson,Carrick,Rio Ferdinand,Crouch,Carrick,Joe Cole etc etc.....basically anyone who he''s worked with before at Spurs,West Ham,Portsmouth.   Say want we like about foreign managers but they are the most likely to pick squads with a fresh eye and without club bias. [/quote] Quite agree! You only have to listen to old man Redknapp drole on and on about .......''Frank, Rio, Michael, Joe'' etc. to realise that. He will also re-instate that other ''crafty'' cockney ''Jay Tee'' (probably as Captain if he can get away with it). There has been far too much hype about ''Arry whipped up by the London obsessed media who fall hook line and sink for his dry cockney wit. I have no doubt he''s a decent man manager (and that is probably 80% of the requirement) - my worry would be in his team selection. Build for the future? Forget it, not with the old ''wheeler, dealer'' in charge. Sorry but he''ll be found out as England manager.      
  10. [quote user="Jonnyboy"] I heard that on my way home! Nice one. The started with suggestions like Ricky Lambert and Hesky?! I honestly couldn''t believe that nobody was gonig to mention Holt until you came on the airwaves! Good on ya OTBC Holt for England Captain :O) [/quote] Fair enough comment about Heskey who is washed up and finished but why bracket Lambert with him? RL''s goalscoring record is there for all to see. Will he cut it in the Premier? Well we''ll see next season but my bet is he will do (just like the boy Holt).
  11. On a slightly different note I was very annoyed with the jeers that Wes got from some fans (certainly a number in the Jarrold) towards the end of the game. Those fans were typical numbskulls and a disgrace. I am a great fan of Hoolahan, when he''s gone and the DVD''s are dusted down, fair minded fans will acknowledge that they were fortunate enough to watch one of the most skilful and entertaining players ever to pull on the yelow shirt. Having said that I share the sometimes intense frustration that his performances can bring. The failure to play the quick and obvious pass to a team mate in space, the annoying habit to dribble into a blind alley of opposition shirts when a clearer path often lies ahead, the obsessive reliance on that damn left leg of his........the list goes on!  And yet those seemingly glaring flaws often fade into irrelevance when the boy is in full flow. The wonderful balance and close control. The almost unbelievable ability at times to wriggle away from one, two sometimes three defenders. The rapier flighted balls he can play into the box and, above  all, his courage. Yes, his sheer bottle and tenacity to NEVER shirk, never hide no matter how things may be going against him. Wes ALWAYS wants the ball, when others hide (like second half Saturday) he keeps going, working back, making himself available and trying, trying and trying again to be positive and creative until the bitter end.    Second half Saturday saw Wes as the ONLY midfielder to KEEP getting forward, keep dribbling at opponents and keep shooting. Yes, the target was often missed and  he could and should have set up others once or twice but the harder he tried the louder the jeers got. Fact is what support did the other three give him? Exactly - pretty much a big fat zilch! Fox never got over the half way line, Pilks might as well not have been on the pitch whilst Bennett had great difficulty actually passing to a yellow shirt. How many times did those three show a real positive or creative streak, how many shots did they conjure up even between the three of them? Yeah - exactly! Yet those dimwits in The Jarrold howled in derision whenever Wes showed the courage to TRY and score! Of course he didn''t deserve MoM but then who did? Never mind, you Wes haters, I assume you''d rather watch four Gary Holts line up for us in midfield with the frantic arm waving and lung bursting ''headless chicken'' type chasing after the ball wherever it went!!   ''Norwich fans best in the World'' - yeah right!!    
  12. [quote user="Billabong"]Yes I agree, let''s give Morrison the benefit of the doubt, perhaps it wasn''t that he couldn''t give a f*** yesterday, instead perhaps he had been out to an all night party and smoked a giant spliff before the game. Perhaps when PL offered to shake his hand as he came off, it wasn''t noticed by Morrison because he just wanted to get his head down. Which is fair enough really[/quote] Ha, ha that''s really funny as that was NOT what happened. PL gave him the customary pat on the back as Moro trudged past and before he sat down he turned and started waving his arms about and giving someone a mouthful. It is that behaviour that most of you lot who support him have totally glossed over. It was not acceptable - end of. As for his effort, in most respects it was similar to how he always plays - the boy is a totally different character and player to Holt and I''m the first to acknowledge some quality goals and performances earlier in the season. Theres no disputing though that fans have every right to feel irate when a ball is played on the ground to him, was about a yard, maybe two in front of him and he made NO attempt whatsoever to go for it. Sorry but that is bang out of order - I pay £40+ every month for my season ticket and £25 yesterday. I couldn''t give a damn about losing to a better side or even with some players who were misplacing passes. What I do expect, nay ''demand'' actually is for every player to come off the pitch and the fans can say that the team .......''gave it everything''.  In that respect Norwich fans are no different to any others. Moro needs to sort out his attitude or the fans will drive him out. If he fails to step up to this quite reasonable requirement then he can have no complaints at all when the knives really come out.  
  13. [quote user="nutty nigel"] Yellow Rider- Do you sit near the dug outs? From my vantage point a long way away in the lower Barclay it seemed that Morison berated a team mate for a bad pass, right in front of the dug outs, and shortly afterwards was subbed. I wondered at the time if the two things were linked? Morison certainly seemed to have the sulks today.     [/quote] No - I''m directly opposite in the middle of The Jarrold so I get a pretty good view of the dugout but those sitting in the City stand close by should have seen what happened. Fact is this has happened before when the boy has been sub''d, he grudgingly shakes hand or accepts the pat on the back, walks past PL then turns round and gives someone (might not be PL of course) a mouthful. It''s out of order and can''t be allowed to continue. If PL does not sort him out and Morison continues like this the fans will turn on him and drive him out (and that''s not the scenario anyone wants to see unfold). 
  14. Whilst the OP is slightly OTT in the ....''worst player for 15 years'',  the main thrust of the post is 100% correct. There is something seriously wrong with Morison''s attitude which needs urgent attention before it de-stabilises all this club has developed over three years now. It was not just his abject lack of effort that was the problem. The whole thing crystallised when he was sub''d. Firstly he trudged off when he should have trotted or ran off. Secondly, after the customary pat on the back by PL he then turned round and shouted and waved his arms about in a totally petulant manner. That kind of behaviour in any organisation cannot be allowed to continue. The manager has two choices: 1. He discusses things with Morison 1:1 and tells him straight that this behaviour must stop and tries to find out what the problems are and how the boy can knuckle down and work and contribute like the rest. 2. Failing that the employee must be moved on - no ''ifs'', no ''but''s, there is no third way here. In this scenario I could''nt give a damn about wanting ...''to get our money back'', if necessary give him a free. Wilbraham might be viewed as a music hall joke by some City fans but right now  there is no way that I would have Morison in the team ahead of Wilbraham. His contribution when he came on compared with Morisons was first class. Over to you PL to show that you''re this wonderful man manager that most City fans think you are. Go on then - sort out Morison!!          
  15. Just had another check online and the nunber of seats left is now down to a few hundred (if that) I''d say. Hope we create a good atmosphere - would be great to reach the last eight (long time since that happened!). Will be a very tricky game though with Nugent and Beckford. We know how damn good Nugent can be from that sizzling last 20 minute spell last year v Pompey.
  16. [quote user="TIL 1010"] [quote user="Excited Canary"][quote user="1964FOX"]Just to let you all know our allocation is sold after one hour into day 3 of sales and I guess it only took this long because day 1 and 2 are restricted to those who attended a lot of away games last year. Lots of our fans are unhappy they have missed out but thankfully not blaming your fans on the whole. Hoping for a decent atmosphere and hopefully a few protest banners if we can get them in.[/quote] What will make you more annoyed is the fact that we seem to have sold barely any tickets at the moment and it would take a good effort to sell out for Saturday in my opinion...[8] We couldn''t sell all your tickets, sell all your tickets! [8] Haha, just kidding, must be really annoying for you guys. Enjoy the game! [/quote] Somebody on Facebook has just posted that he queued for just over an hour this morning to get tickets so were did this "we seem to have sold barely any tickets" come from? [/quote] Agreed John - if we got fractionally under 23,000 v Burnley in third round we will sure as hell sell out for Leicester in the dizzy heights of the fifth round! It will be the usual 26,000+. OK ticket prices are a bit more but with the real opportunity of a Quarter Final and a diffcult opponent in Leicester (Beckford and Nugent are a damn good strike pair) + their 2,400 following we will have a full house. 
  17. [quote user="1964FOX"] Another Leicester fan here. I thought all along it may have something to do with the SAG as it certainly wasn''t going to be our club not accepting 4000 tickets as Ibelieve we would have sold them easily. They are already selling quickly and probably will not even reach members sale let alone general sale. I think the only thing this will have done is cause bad feeling between certain of our fans and probably encourage those looking for trouble who attend matches. I hope everything goes well on the day and you play badly and we paly well and a there is a good atmosphere in the ground. I have my tickets so will be there but a lot of my friends will miss out and I''m sure you would agree that''s unfair. My biggest issue is that once again all our fans have been stereotyped as thugs and hooligans, I thought things had changed but unfortunately they haven''t. Look forward to seeing you all and finally what''s the best away pub near to the ground to go prematch please.     [/quote] You''re spot on Fox! Unfortunately this decision has the hand of dull old Plod all over it. The so called ''safety group'' took the decision ........''after advice from police'', I''d love to know exactly what that advice was based on!! Too many people outside football just still live in the time warp marked s...''1970''s and 1980''s and refuse to believe that going to a football match is actually now a hell of a lot safer than a night out in Norwich or Leicester. They still truly think that  a full scale riot takes place at every football league ground every Saturday! Even Patrick Collins who writes some truly awesome articles on sport in general and football in particular in the Mail on Sunday, can''t wait to jump in on the remotest hint of any trouble at a match and portray it as like the ruins of Hamburg after the RAF had fire stormed it in the War!      I would be amazed if you encounter any trouble at all in sleepy Norfolk on the 18th. Enjoy the day (but not too much of course!).    
  18. [quote user="Cantiaci Canary"][quote user="Yellow Rider"][quote user="Cantiaci Canary"] Spurs will be looking for a bigger fish.   Lambert off to Villa in the summer when fan protests force out McLeish. Or Everton when Moyes feels he''s done what he can. [/quote] Why would Spurs look for this ......''bigger fish''?? If that was the case why did Levy go for old man Redknapp? Redknapp came from Pompey and had never managed a ''big club''. PL will be right up at the top of their list, mark my words!   [/quote]   I hear what you are saying but Harry was a far bigger name than Lambert when they hired him ... don''t forget he won the FA Cup with Pompey.   Spurs are trying to establish themselves as a Champions League side and will want a man with proven credentials and a large reputation to attract marquee signings.   Lambert to Villa for me. [/quote] Why? Levy is no fool and is not dazzled by ...''big names'' or your so called ''marquee signings''. PL has a champions league medal (as a player), something old man Redknapp was not remotely near. He has secured back to back promotions and NCFC are sitting in 9th place confounding the critics. Why wouldn''t Levy go for PL? If it was City, United or Chelsea I would''nt be concerned as they would go for the ''big name''. Tottenham are different and so is Levy. All I''m saying is if PL does land the job, don''t express surprise. It''s quite possible.     
  19. [quote user="Cantiaci Canary"] Spurs will be looking for a bigger fish.   Lambert off to Villa in the summer when fan protests force out McLeish. Or Everton when Moyes feels he''s done what he can. [/quote] Why would Spurs look for this ......''bigger fish''?? If that was the case why did Levy go for old man Redknapp? Redknapp came from Pompey and had never managed a ''big club''. PL will be right up at the top of their list, mark my words!  
  20. [quote user="Gerry Harrison"][quote user="Yellow Rider"] [quote user="Sing Up The South Stand"]I''m not sure that''s the reason.  I remember when we played West Ham in 2005 in the FA Cup I had to move (I''m in block J usually) because they had the full allocation.[/quote]   Er - that West Ham match was at Upton Park mate!  [/quote] We played West Ham at Carrow Road in the third round in 2005-06 season http://www.canaries.co.uk/page/Fixtures/0,,10355~2005,00.html [/quote]   My apologies to ''Sing up the South Stand''  - you''re absolutely right well, not ''absolutely''as it was January 2006 but near enough! I''d completely forgotten that - believe that was when the rumours of Ashton''s sudden injury surfaced - you know when worthy said.......''I''ve got the scans to prove it''!!
  21. Answer is simple - SPURS (in the summer) when .....''good old''Arry'' answers the call to arms. I spoke to someone a few weeks ago who said Daniel Levy has been very impressed with what PL has done at FCR and was a real admirer. Brace yourself for a summer of upheaval. Maybe the good times (in this particular cycle of the clubs history) have only another two or three months to run? Mind you I also heard a long time ago now that the boy McNally already knows who PL''s replacement will be.  
  22. [quote user="Sing Up The South Stand"]I''m not sure that''s the reason.  I remember when we played West Ham in 2005 in the FA Cup I had to move (I''m in block J usually) because they had the full allocation.[/quote]   Er - that West Ham match was at Upton Park mate! I have had a season ticket in the South Stand / Jarrold since 1992 and the only times I''ve had to move were v Wolves in the 2002 play off semi final and v Chelsea in the FA Cup (either Jan. 2002 or 2003 can''t remember which). I still think the decision is a disgrace though. When the Jarrold was built we were told that one of the main features was the ability to expand and contract the away section as required. Sorry but this decision does us no favours and shows us in a bad light. If we do get through and get a couple of thousand allocation in the Quarter Final you know who to blame! Will serve him right though. Trouble is its'' the genuine fans who will suffer. McNally has done much good at NCFC but his money grabbing instincts are, at times, distasteful. At the moment he thinks he can milk the fans left right and centre. When the good times end I wonder how he will react? Oh sorry, I forgot, he will have flown the nest long before and left some other poor bugger to pick up the pieces!      
  23. [quote user="baldyboy"]we have to go back to 4-5-1 against Bolton surely with Bennett and Pilks wide and Fox in front of the back four!!Dont care who is up top Holt or Morison as both can play well in this formation. Also please put Nayghton back to right back and Drury or Tierney at Left back Lambo!!! thoughts people? [/quote] 4-5-1 is not suitable for us especially at home v Bolton which is a match we need to win to keep them right in the relegation mix. We don''t  have the personnel to play that system in a positive way. We lack midfielders who can get into the box on a regular basis and score. Fox and Johnson are rarely seen in the opposition box and never look like scoring. Crofts can do that role in lower leagues but not in the Premiership. Surman although scoring a couple recently does not have the pace or engine to support the lone striker to any meaningful effect. Wes does get forward but again has found goals very difficult to come by in this league. We have seen precious little of Bennet (unfortunately) so that only leaves Pilkington. Whilst he has scored some goals his wing role restricts the real support he can give a lone striker. When we play 4-5-1 at home we look woefully impotent and it needs the introduction of Holt and or Jackson (home v Fulham) to make any difference.       Another glaring example was against Arsenal when PL paid them far too much respect instead of getting at their defence which as we all know is vunerable. Morrison toiled alone for most of the game and whenever a ball was played into the box there was one (at the most two) yellow shirts v 4 or 5 red!! I also found it very strange that Barnie, Tierney and Drury all failed to make the bench last night leaving only an obviously un matchfit Ward as the only sub defender! Whilst Naughton is a damn good right back, we should play a left footed player at left back! Either Drury or Tierney could have given us some proper width going forward - anyone know if both were injured??     
  24. Must admit I''ve been totally shocked by this especially as (like others have said) we saw Speed on FF yesterday and he seemed as bright as a button. Less than 24 hours later he''s gone. Now I haven''t a great deal of time for Savage and Shearer but both have risen substantially in my judgement by the events of the last few hours. On BBC News there is a truly emotional interview with Savage which had to be ended prematurely as the boy was so upset. He gave a heart rending tribute and fair play to him for coming on the TV as best he could. Probably the most poignant comment though was from Shearer: "he lit up every room he walked into. I am proud to have been his friend and will miss him dreadfully." Can''t top that tribute - well said Shearer.      
  25. [quote user="zak123"]Yesterday they were caught out, however I think that they should still do it, as it works well to keep hold of the ball and mentally wear down the other team. What would you suggest instead?[/quote] Agreed - it''s not the ''pace'' of these so called wonderful premiership players that caught us out yesterday, it was us trying to dummy their way past an opponent and getting done that was the problem. It happened more than once last year with Ward or Zak getting caught and that was against so called ''lesser'' players. That element of the possession football needs to be carefully controlled if not eradicated but if we abandon the basic philosophy that will be a disaster. Hoofing it (which is the basic alternative) will almost always end up in lost possession. That tactic would ensure a one season only place in the current Premier League!!
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