Barclay hero

[quote user="Indy"]I might be wrong but I always thought that it had to be a direct free kick to be a penalty. If someone crosses the ball and it hits the defender on the arm by his side, how is that a direct free kick? Surely it can only apply if the defenders arm is stopping a ball going into the net? There are so many variables in interpretation nowadays, I believe if a penalty is awarded than the player gets a maximum of a yellow card and not a red, the penalty has given the attacking team back the chance to score. As for the Scots now wanting video replay for these match changing moments than surely they would have been 1-0 down early as the Baros penalty was a cert in todays guidelines.[/quote]Youre right, Indy.  That always has been the case - hence the reason why the backpass (punishable by an Indirect free kick) doesn’t result in a PenLike most of the laws in football, the players will seek to gain an advantage through any means - be it running 10 yards up the line for throws, moving free kicks forward or more centrally or trying to win penalties.  30 years ago the gamesmanship was the other way round - I can remember Willie Young from Arsenal hacking down Paul Allen from West Ham in the 1980 cup final when Allen was clean through.  Nowadays it would be a straight red, but at the time the only sanction was a yellow card and a free kick - which the Hammers missed.  It was incidents such as this ''Professional Foul'' that led ultimately to the introduction of the denial of goal scoring opportunity sanction.Ultimately any solution is flawed - whilst forcing the fouled player to take the kick may deny some it wont others (Rooney, Tevez) - whilst video evidence in mid-game may partially work (it would have at least have commuted the incident v Stoke to a free kick outside the area at most), as the game has stopped anyway, most incidents such as was it a foul, was it a goal scoring opportunity are all in the opinion of the referee - in which case VT wont add anything.  Remember that FIFA also try and keep any major changes to things that can be implemented at all levels - I don’t think we''ll be seeing ref cams at Eaton Park for a while yet….

Possibly EB, but there would be an almighty scramble for those top places – a scramble that would be comparatively equal.  The performance of newly promoted sides in the other divisions is also worth noting – if the Prem was an even ground then a similar situation would possibly prevail

[quote user="NCFC4LIFE"]I would support Norwich in any league!! What a stupid thread. [/quote] So would I although some on here wouldn’t.  Where I disagree with you is that this isnt a stupid thread   Like most late-30s early 40s supporters Im fortunate that Norwich City''s best ever times have come in my lifetime.  Ive never known us having a one-off season in Division 2 before relegation back to Division 3 South in the 30s - nor the hassle of re-election.  Ive been to 2 cup semifinals and although didnt go to Wembley for the Milk Cup (couldnt afford it) I did watch it on telly.  The European run, finishing 5th 4th and then 3rd in the top flight.  Great days   Whats not so good now is the lack of competition in the top division.  The days when almost anyone could get there (Carlisle did in the70s) or even finish near the top (QPR, Swansea – even the binners) are gone, with a sadly predictable look to the table most seasons – Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal near the top, the three newly promoted clubs near the bottom and the same faces in the middle, usually with some variation to their order.  The league cup is also seen as an inconvenience (although with the exception of a few years in the 70s and 80s its always been so – when we won it in 62 there was very little top flight involvement) and as for the FA cup – the odds of anyone outside the big 6 winning it are almost as bad as anyone winning the league.   At the end of the day every division has its plusses and minuses – League 1 had crap refs and no media exposure but ‘real’ fans and terracing, as well as no international breaks;  The Championship had soulless concrete grounds and crap refs but was ultra competitive and the Ultimate Prize of a place in the Prem;  and the Prem has crap refs, the media refers to us as ‘Little Norwich’ but we’re pitching against some of the best players in Europe, if not the world.  Is the Prem worth it?  Yes it is, but I love watching my Norwich whichever division theyre in    

Wes'' main problem isnt lack of pace but the fact he''s small and in a strong challenge for the ball is likely to lose out   To be honest Id say central midfield pace is not particularly vital most of the time - if you look at some of the better midfielders theyre fast but not especially so.  Even the quickest players in the world cant run fast if theyre blocked off by 3 or 4 people in front of them   Where pace does help is on the break - but thats often the forwards.  Its quickness of thought - looking for space and running into it - that probably more effective.  Likewise being able to spot - and hit with passes - team mates 60 or 70 yards away   Bennett in the centre is probably worth a go, but to be honest I think he''d be far better off out wide.  Thats his strength, and thats why we bought him

We''re only allowed 2 loans at any one time and 4 in total over the course of the season.  So unless we send either Naughton or DeLaet back to their parent clubs then the answer is no we wont get one on loan.   I think we''ll go with Rudd on Sunday week, possibly with either Steer recalled or possibly even one of the academy kids as backup

[quote user="Lambert is god"] We were very up and down that season, Barclaybred.   Think that was the season that our very own supermac(dougall) finished top scorer in Div. 1.   3-1 away win at Liverpool came, I think, after we had not won away for ages, and Liverpol had not been beaten at home for ages. [/quote] ....and we lost at home to them too.  Liverpool actually lost 5 times in 42 league games - 0-2 away to QPR, 0-2 away to the binners, 0-1 away to an Arsenal team that only finished 6 points and 3 places above the bottom 3 (only 2 points per win in those days).  Home defeats were 0-2 to Middlesborough and 1-3 to us. 

[quote user="Barclaybred"][quote user="Harry"]Nexus you really are an @rsehole, what gives you the right to call people who bothered to get off their rear ends and support the team/club on Tuesday idiots, muppets and fickle? Yes we would all praise the team for a good performance against Chelsea just as we would have against MK Dons, that is the nature of football fans, we comment on what we see. As for screaming for our money back that is a total exaggeration by you, yes it was said we should get our money back but no one has set up a petition or been banging on McNallys door to get it. When you bother to go to a cup game and see a no show like Tuesday I will take notice of your comments, until then you can shove them up your rear end with a cactus.[/quote]Thats twice now ive noticed you want people to shove things where only things should come out! As nigel and the the poster stated,my point was people seem to be happier to moan when things go wrong than praise when things go right! I was there on tuesday and like the thread earlier about expecting players not to over commit in tackles etc,i didnt expect it as this was a side distraction to what we want to achieve! And most managers of clubs agreed on that newsbeat etc,. It was bradford and reading the results in the prog,we had beaten Liverpool away 3.1/leeds away 3 0(the table shows these along with derby were man utds and chelseas of the day..so WOW that bond was good...Will find a later prog to find out were we finished..[/quote]   We finished 10th.  For old stats, this site is pretty good....   http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/division-one-old/1975-1976/table   In those days there wasnt really a big 4 - other than Liverpool (who were pretty much all-conquering in the 70s and 80s) anyone could (and did) beat anyone and finish anywhere.  The season before, Manchester United had been in Division 2 - whilst CARLISLE had been above them, in Division 1.  Totally incomprehensible to most modern fans, especially those from the Sky era...  

[quote user="Canaries Utd"][quote user="Barclay hero"]And me....corporate entertainment as well - although it does mean I cant wear colours :-([/quote] Who is entertaining you Barclay Hero? I''m also in corporate. [/quote] Im being taken by an insurance company who (for the purposes of our own company compliance) have to remain nameless [;)]   Snakepit Lass - its basically sitting in the home end ( [:(] ) but having a meal, drinks etc etc.  (basically a bit of a ''jolly'')   Incidentally - I guess most people have organised transport but if anyones still thinking about the train, the best best now is to get a day return from Norwich to Cambridge (£14.50) and a day return from Cambridge to London (£16) - cheaper than the 1p5wich line, no buses and unlikely to see any binners

And me....corporate entertainment as well - although it does mean I cant wear colours :-(

[quote user="Billabong"]Out of interest - is there any law which says you can''t buy a season ticket for a cat? I don''t have a cat but I do have a dog and I was thinking of buying him a season ticket next year. He''s not interested in football in the slightest but I''m a rich, pompous person and wish to deny a true human supporter a seat[/quote] Ah but remember that there are 7 dog years for every human year. So if your dog is older than 3 then you''ll have to buy him a full price adult ticket   Incidentally do assistance dogs get in free?  What about getting an assistance cat?  Would that be legit?

[quote user="Joanna Grey"]Let us hope that he finds a new club quickly so he can move on and take the little (alleged) thug with him.[/quote] Hear hear.....

Agreed, Morty.  As soon as TF said that he would only ever buy into his beloved West Ham I didn’t want him to come here.  At the end of the day there is potentially a conflict of interest – if we were in for a player along with West Ham, would he back us?  Likewise if West Ham wanted one of our players would he sell them over the head of our manager?     Im sure people will point to Scott Parker possibly going to QPR but even that is potentially doing the hammers a big favour – OK he’s a good player but was part of a relegated side and TBH likely to be a bit of a luxury in the Championship – one they cant afford.  So by buying Parker, it gets him of WH’s books

[quote user="First Jedi"]I''m need a new car... it costs £30k... so I need 15,000 of you to put £2 each. Or two of you to put in £15k each... don''t mind, really. Either that or I might just buy it for myself as it''s for myself...[/quote] ...ah but will you give lifts to those that contribute.....?  And have you approached the club for a complimentary carpark pass?    

[quote user="InLambertWeTrust"]Try searching the internet you tool: [/quote] To be fair to Wiz he''s not the tool "City are pleased to announce that Spanish defender Daniel Ayala is poised to sign from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee, subject to the relevant paperwork being finalised" and "Daniel Ayala has finalised his move to Norwich City, subject to the relevant paperwork being completed.   The defender leaves Liverpool after four years at Anfield, during which time he made five first-team appearances." So is he signing?  Yes.  Has he actually signed?  No.  Will he be a Norwich player in time for Sundays game?  Have to wait and see but he isnt yet

[quote user="Methane"]Could the old codgers and part-timers who usually leave early on a saturday please note that the following excuses will be null and void:- 1) having to catch a train (you''ll be lucky on a sunday) 2) gotta get home for tea (match will be over by 3.30pm so that sunday roast won''t be going dry until at least 6pm) 3) to avoid traffic ( see 1 above) This is our first premier game for years so lets try and last the 90 (+5) minutes if humanly possible.[/quote]   Methane! a few pedantic points; 1) Fair enough - but surely it will be rail replacement buses people will have to catch due to engineering works? 2) Youve obviously never had one of my mother in laws roasts which is dry as soon as its served let alone by 6pm 3) Since when has ''traffic'' ever had anything to do with trains?  Unless you mean rail traffic in which case when has Norwich station ever been that busy anyway? 4) Actually it will be our 1st premier league game for 8 days..... Also - dont expect 5 minutes of injury time in the Prem unless the established prem side we''re playing isnt winning.....

For the benefit of those that have never tried officiating in a football match its probably best to explain why this one was the lino’s call (OK I know they’re now Referees Assistants but I prefer to call them their traditional name)   When officiating, the pitch is effectively divided into quarters – the linesman will look after one side of half of the pitch, the ref takes the other side.  Whilst the lino’s patrol area stops at halfway, he can (and does) assist with decisions over the far side (usually for offside) or out of play calls at the other end.  The ref patrols the other two quarters, on a diagonal.  Which way the diagonal runs is entirely down to the ref – most seem to opt for the lino to take the left back area (although a few opt for the rightback area) and that is the way Stuart Attwell opted for at the weekend.  Hence why he was close to the Martin incident, but not the DeLaet one – that was in the Linesmans quarter   With regards to the two incidents, you have to remember that the ref & Lino have to call this in real time – most discussion on here has been after micro analysis in slow motion   Martins incident was a definite pen, but not given.  Possibly because the angle of the ref in relation to the players didn’t give him a full view, possibly because Di Santo went down very easily or possibly because Attwell wasn’t totally sure the previous decision was correct.  I don’t think he was totally sure on this one – hence why no yellow card for simulation – but he couldn’t reasonably give a penalty either   For the DeLaet case I was over the other side of the pitch, but my initial thought was it was stonewall.  There was a clear ‘coming together’ – and the law counts this as a foul punishable by a direct free kick.  A direct free kick awarded for an infringement in the penalty area – and this includes the line – results in the award of a penalty  Intent doesn’t have to be there for the free kick/pen to be awarded – although that will have  a bearing on whether a card is shown and also its colour.  The other issue is whether the incident denies a clear goal scoring opportunity (often referred to incorrectly as ‘Last Man’) in which case the ONLY sanction applicable is a straight red card – Attwell clearly didn’t think it was the case nor did the linesman.  Its only on slowing the action down that the contact appears to be minimal – although it was there – and questionable as to whether it was before the penalty area line or afterwards

Didnt try the Marquee but I did go in the Red Squirrel which whilst it had mainly away fans also had a few good natured Wigan fans too   Good view even from halfway back, the only criticism for me was their PA system trying to drown out the Norwich fans!  Getting round to the coachpark was also slow going but then traffic anywhere can be a problem

[quote user="SW19Canary"]My heart goes out to them. .[/quote] Do you mean the Northampton fans that had to endure a trip to the Binyard?

Binners have gone.....as have Barnsley, Coventry, Derby, Hull, Portsmouth, with Burnley, Forest and Posh going to Extra Time, all against lower league opposition.  As the draw is seeded for Round 2, theres a fair chance we''ll be up against a side from league 1 or 2 in the next round.....

5 Championship side currently losing - including the Binners, 2-1 at home to Northampton of all teams   Looks like we might not have the chance of thrashing them 6-1 in this competition at least (4-1, 5-1, next in the series...)

I''m going - work have organised a coach, 40 of us travelling at 10 quid each. Bargain!

Its been clear since we got promoted to the Championship that Cody doesn''t figure in his plans. It does feel a little bit like there''s been a fallout between them - and I remember ColUMike saying something similar a year or 2 ago. That said its the same singlemindedness that we often call Lamberts strength. Cody is yesterdays news. It would have been more of an issue if we hadn''t got promoted. Or if he was a raw 20 year old. But he''s not, he''s a raw player with at best probably another 5 or 6 years left of a decent career. He''s not a Prem player but we''re now a Prem club. So its goodbye and good luck Cody and thanks for the time you spent here

Those taking the p1ss out of Proper Charlie obviously haven''t got kids or haven''t got kids who live with exes. Leave him alone - PC I feel for you That said we''re now in the prem where kickoffs get moved for almost any reason. People should be aware of who''s in Europe especially the Europa League as any game afterwards is likely to be put back to the Sunday. English teams rarely lose in qualifying rounds and Stoke were always in with a good chance of progressing. You''ll have to live with it I''m afraid

[quote user="exiled blue"]" I can see Holt getting 15 or so" i`d be amazed if he gets into double figures to be absolutely frank. bear in mind that tevez and berbatov, the joint top scorers last season, got 20 each... as a total neutral, i`d say you do look lightweight, as do the other two promoted teams. but there are some pretty poor sides still hanging on by their fingernails at the bottom of the division, so maybe it`s time for some of them to go.[/quote] Indeed - our progression over the last 2 years has been nothing short of a miracle (as was Man Citys a few years ago) and there are some that just assume that the roll will continue.  Which it may do - indeed many last season were looking at mid-table with the playoffs an optimistic hope - similar comments were made around defence, whether Holt could hack it etc   Where I think we''ll do well is that many people will write us off - we''ve got Norwich at home, that will be 3 points - and we''ll give some of those teams a bloody nose.  Oddly enough we have the same opener as Blackpool last year, and whilst they''ll be looking to ensure lightning doesnt strike twice Im sure some of their fans at least will be looking at us and thinking 2 years ago they were a League 1 club - should be an easy win   Personally I think it will be hard season but we''ve got the last 2 seasons impetus behind us and that may well see us through.  I think we''re more likely to struggle NEXT season assuming we survive this - once we''ve had a couple of consecutive defeats (not had this for over 2 years now) and lost the invincibility.  If we can survive THAT season then I think its onwards and upwards

Get a couple of midweek midwinter games? You''ve obviously not looked at our fixture list we only have 2 - Wolves in December so not a lot in the snood department, and the other is Sunderland, which is fair enough......