GeeBee

Agreed, Clint… Was at CR yesterday and saw enough (yellow and) green shoots to remain reasonably positive about the season ahead, although it will of course be a tough one. My sense of it is that Farke and his team see the first two games as an extension of preseason as we bed in players and work towards completing the window. It was a good run out with some solid individual performances. Critically no one was injured. Tactically, a couple of things still missing - most notably the ability to press as a team at critical moments. That said, Rashica, Sargent, Cantwell, Gilmour, Giannoulis and Aarons all showed the required level of quality at times. Something to build on. And that look from Van Dijk when Idah rinsed him suggested the latter could indeed have an impact this season. If we can take 4 points from the first four games than we’ll all be happy, and I think it’s possible. Of the current starting XI I Rupp’s position is the only one most in need of an urgent upgrade.

no, sadly we can''t claim credit for drury. and cody mac? didn''t come through the youth set up at colney so i think we should stick to the 8 that we know and love.

---------------Forster----------------- semmy---micky------askou-----drury --hughes---smith/russell------lappin-- -------hoolahan--------martin-------- -----------------holt----------------- got to admit that it has balance, skill and goals. martin off the left and wes coming in off the right should create quite a few shooting opportunities. as i keep on saying, we''ve got no quality wingers at the moment and only holt can take advantage of crosses from open play, so let''s work it down the middle.

yeah, i think this kind of works, although i would change it slightly to 4-3-3, or even 4-3-2-1: ---------------forster------------- semmy---micky----askou---drury smith--------russell---------lappin -----hoolahan-------martin------- ---------------holt---------------- this would make us quite threatening up front, with wes cutting in from the right onto his left foot and martin coming in off the left to use his right. we don''t have anyone that can regularly cross the ball well from open play, so why not move the ball down the middle of the pitch. think we''ve got the players to make it work, but do we think that we''ve got a management team willing to adopt such a formation?

"No wait she stills owes me a tenner" she''ll happily pay you in full. she suggests putting it towards getting a penis extension.

i stopped off in colchester once to do a turd. don''t think that i''m the only one on this message board to consider the city as east anglia''s toilet.

got to say that city-till-i-die is speaking the most sense for me. i''d just make a couple of swaps: otj for adeyemi and askou for spillane. the only other set up i thought might work was: -----------------alnwick------------------ spill------doc------------jens--------whiggins ----hughes------otj----------lappin--------- ---------mcveigh--------hoolahan---------- -----------------holt---------------------- this way we''ve got balance and guile and the ability to stretch people when we need to. however, doesn''t look like we''re going to score many from out and out wing play this season so might as well play it more down the middle. also, in hughes and lappin we have the two best dead ball specialists at the club on the pitch for corners etc. subs would be: theoklitis, dumic, drury, adeyemi, whalley, maric, cody mac

i''ve got to say that i like this character, up-the-u''s. i think that we should welcome poor people like him to our notice board. it is only through interacting with us norwich fans that he can appreciate what it is to be part of a group of people respected and applauded throughout the land. we may have a poor team at the moment, but we''re a nice bunch, there are lots of us and we''re more than happy to take on another (paul lambert, ian culverhouse, gary karsa) lost and lonely soul from down the road...

but am i wrong in wanting a left back who plays left back, leaving the filling in at right back to the reserve right back? i don''t think so. but for some reason the reporters feel that we''ll be more impressed with a player the more positions he can (allegedly) play in. in my case, they are wrong...

From the PinkUn today: "One of the men who could have helped Gunn strengthen his squad was former Chelsea trainee Woodards. The right-back, who can also play left-back, centre-back and as a defensive midfielder, had been linked with a move to Carrow Road after his contract expired at Gresty Road following two years with the Railwaymen." I was simply wondering whether anyone else was tired of reading that each and every player that we look at can play in 42 different positions. Are we to be excited by these little known jacks of all trades, who also happen to be masters of none. Surely we don''t need students of the footballing kama sutra; we need dedicated right backs, central midfielders etc who know exactly what to do when they play there. Just as an aside, can anyone name any other right-backs, who can also play left-back, centre-back and as a defensive midfielder? Would be good to know what type of player we''ve missed out on, given that I know so little about this swiss army penknife of lower league football.

football gone wrong

better than lynn

Disappointed to see no mention of Glorious Glenn in amongst all this japery. Surely the perfect day to bring him back into the spotlight. On a lighter note, received an amusing one from my cousin this morning. Formatted as a text update from Canaries World it read: STRIKER TO RETURN. Ex City striker Dion Dublin is set to return to cover Carl Cort''s absence until the end of the season. See http://norwichcity.wap.com. Worrying thing was that it didn''t surprise me at first. Yes I laughed, but then I laughed when I heard that we were going to appoint Gunny & Co. as management.

Again, I''m not sure you''re right, lBA. Arsene thinks Groeder is a decent scout but nothing more. And I''d be inclined to agree. He is a decent scout, as well as a chuff coach and substandard manager.

Groeder, a "great manager". Please don''t be gross. In fact go to school, boy, wash your mouth out with soapy water and stand in the naughty corner, because that is just a barefaced lie.Looking at the stats behind the statements, you''ll find that Groeder''s managerial record boasts a rather uninspiring 1.35 points per game, which is boosted by a healthy average of 1.7 when he was at Newcastle. Otherwise you''ll find he was nearer 1.15 with us and Watford etc. But let''s take 1.35 and then have a look at when he won most of them. Almost always in the first season at each club is the answer. He''s always had a second season slump which tends to lose him his job, and you''d expect that this is due to the squad and fans getting fed up with his abrasive and irritating ways. Ask West Ham fans, they don''t exactly hold Groeder close to their collective heart.So where would we be (taking this average) if Groeder had not been fired. We''d be on 54 points, in 12th position in the Championship. Sound good? Well, it is at least safe. However, we are overlooking the fact that we were suffering his normal second season slump and so that average (of 1.34) should no longer be used; indeed nor should his overall Canary average of 1.15. But we''re using this average to keep the message simple: Groeder is not a great manager. Great managers average more than 1.35 points game - a return that reaks of midtable at best. Or are we saying that Gunny''s average of 1.31 points per game makes him almost great? If so, we can look forward to midtable security next season. Hurrah!