Yelloow Since 72

I''m confident of a top 6 finish with as good a chance of automatic promotion as anybody else except probably Newcastle.

Or even ''can''t'' Stan?

Neither Bruce nor Lambert for me. I''d stick with AN. Interestingly, our price has come right down after the window closed. We''re now as short as 7-2 to win the league, whereas a couple of weeks ago we were around 5-1 and a couple of months ago about 9-1. Top 6: Newcastle 7-4 Norwich 7-2 Brighton 5-1 Huddersfield 14-1 Villa 18-1 Wolves 20-1 So, the doom and gloom amongst the majority on here is not shared by the bookies. I agree with them.

I agree. Marouane Chamakh as a 3rd striker on a free seems reasonable to me. His strength is in link-up play, which, with the range of AMs we now have, would give us another option, both as a starter and as an impact sub.

IMO, Maddison was signed as a potential successor to Wes, who is now 34. At 19, however, with Wes, Naismith and Pritchard ahead of him, his prospects over the next 4 months would be limited to EFL Trophy games. As has been said, he will get top-flight experience at Aberdeen. That makes sense to me, both for the player and the club.

More likely than those listed is Dame N''Doye, who AN said was on his list of possible strikers. Not saying it should happen, but it''s possible.

Not being a ''happy clapper'' or a ''pants wetter'', I have mixed feelings about this window. My main concern at the start was to hang on to our best players. We lost Redmond, but to my surprise we kept Klose, Brady, Olsson and Naismith. Perhaps that limited our budget for new players and while I like the signing of Pritchard, Canos, McGovern and Oliveira, I had also hoped we''d sign another quality striker. I do feel that the Murphys have been brought into the squad and got more playing time than I would have expected by now, and, as such, could be considered like new signings along with Canos. I always felt that it''d be more difficult for Maddison as at 19, he''s playing in probably the most technically demanding position behind Wes, Naismith and Pritchard. Hopefully he''ll get game time with Aberdeen and return to us in January with more experience at a higher level and confidence that brings. Some good, some disappointment for me but I still think we''re in with a good chance of promotion

It seems that some people see Naismith as a striker and then fault him for not scoring more goals, while others see him as an AM who doesn''t get enough assists. IMO, he is a mix of the two. Last season, he developed a good understanding with Mbokani that worked well when they played together. He hasn''t managed that as much with Jerome, but it remains to be seen if he will with Oliveira.

So we have apparently f...ed up another transfer window. Some were willing for Naismith to leave on a free transfer, ''just to get rid''. Others assert that AN ''said'' Maddison wouldn''t go out on loan. Could it be that was before we switched from McCormack (the ''goal machine'' who so far has scored once in six games for Villa) to Pritchard. Maddison has performed well against League One opposition, but the Championship is a big step up from that. The reality is that Maddison at 19 has Wes, Naismith and Pritchard ahead of him for that number 10 spot. His chances of games other than the EFL Cup or EFL trophy are limited, so perhaps it makes sense for him to go out on loan to the SPL to develop his skills. At the beginning of the window all the emphasis was on keeping Klose after Redmond moved on for a respectable £11m. That allowed us to bring in Canos, Pritchard, McGovern and Jones, which pleased most of us at the time. Most, like myself, thought Brady would move on but the club played hardball and it seems to have worked. Instead of having to replace Klose and Brady, we''ve had unexpected continuity going into this season. Compare that to Villa, whose manager is pleading for time for the new players to gel (McCormack included). Is it worth pointing out that they are 3 points behind us? So, while it hasn''t been an exciting window, we have added Canos, Pritchard, McGovern, Jones and Oliveira against the loss of Redmond, Mbokani, O''Neil, Kean, RvW and Odjidja-Ofoe. My feeling is that the squad is stronger for that, but time will tell.

It was Godfrey who conceded the penalty by ''leaning on his man'' according to Chris Goreham. Morris played well as a facilitator for the goal scorers, much in the way AN wants our strikers to play. Great night for all the youffs!

My preference would be Valencia on loan from West Ham, as he would provide a different pacey option up front.

Valencia would make sense in that he''s a shorter, pacey striker with tricks and as such would complement Jerome and Oliveira as another option. A loan deal with an option to buy would make good sense, IMO.

Oliveira''s goal scoring record is better than most people think. At Rennes he scored 4 in 8 games, and at Swansea he scored 1 goal in 4 starts and 6 sub appearances in the PL. At Forest he scored 9 in 24 starts and 4 sub appearances, having not joined until September (ie. no pre-season). If McCormack is the epitome of goalscorers, why does he only have 1 goal in 5 appearances, including failing to score in 75 minutes against lower league opposition? Jerome has 2 goals in 4 games.

I''d agree with that Alex. IMO, McCormack is more of a striker/AM rather than a player capable of the lone striker role. The fact that we then moved quickly for Pritchard suggests that as well. Oliveira is much more the lone striker type with the physicality and goal-scoring ablity to go along with that.

It''s a fair point that the past does not predict the future, but the past in this case is in the league we''re now playing in, with a team that was struggling and playing very defensively. People were bigging up McCormack because he''d scored 21 goals in this same league, but in spite of that Fulham struggled and were almost relegated. It isn''t just about individual statistics, but rather about what that player brought to the team as a whole. This, IMO, is what AN is also stressing with Oliveira. The proof, as always, will only be revealed once he starts playing, but I think he will deliver.

Re Rogue Baboon, I suspect that this is a case of glass half empty or half full. Doubt our manager if you like, but he''s the one who will manage our push for promotion. Personally, I respect the professional opinion.

I''ll be well pleased if we complete the signing of Oliveira, which AN says is 75% done and will be a permannent. Of the player, he also says: “He is technically very, very good. He scored nine goals in 24 starts for Forest, he has played for Benfica and the Portugal national side and as a number nine he is pretty much an all-rounder. He can take it in, run in behind, he can score goals and create them and at 25 he is a great age and we hope these next few years at Norwich will be his best and his most important which is normally the case. “He has all the scope that would improve us. He is one of many we have looked at. Numerous strikers have been put to us but we have certain criteria we deem helps us and how we play. His attributes are what I look for in a number nine. His strength is not a big targetman who will knock things on but he has really good technique. He is strong physically.”

Very pleased if this comes off.

Agree with all of that ZLF, and he also has the advantage of last season in the Champs with Forest, scoring 9 goals in 24 starts and 4 sub appearances. Makes sense to me.

Naismith is a cultured player who will be an important part of our promotion push. He''s different from Wes in that he is part AM part striker and that suits the side we have now and the way AN wants to play. IMO, he and Wes work well together, but that doesn''t suit those who want old style 4-4-2 wingers putting killer crosses into the penalty area. Against packed defences, that''s a very low percentage tactic.

Back to the OP, the booing was childish in the extreme, whatever reasons are offered afterwards. Yes, it was a disappointing performance but SW made it very difficult through well organisied stiffling tactics. Yes we need more strikers, but everybody knows that. Just plain stupid, IMO.

2-1 for me as well. Jerome and Naismith to score.

At least it shows tghat City are working hard on a new striker.

Naismith will be a key player for us this year and if he were to leave, our chances of promotion would be hugely reduced, IMO

Having watched the SW vs Villa game on Sunday, Forestieri does seem to be their danger man. From what AN has said, there''s a good chance Olsson will be fit and Dorrans as well.