Absent Friend

Was FD for an SME in Cheshire, retired early, got bored, found a less stressful accounting role in Salford, planning to retire properly next year if I can afford it, improperly if I can''t.    

Who says neither set of fans want it?  See what happens if/when tickets go on sale....

Why do people assume that just because certain fans want to get at each others throats the players will want to do the same?  Will either side really want to get stuck in and risk injuries? Will McCarthy seriously instruct one of his defenders to break RvW''s leg - and incur a 3-match ban for the start of the season (and yes, for a violent offence in a friendly the ban would very likely be imposed)?  No, of course not.  In fact I can''t remember when there was last a red card for a violent offence even in a competitive game between us. Reality is that the boys in blue will be closer to full fitness than we will, so they should give us a good game. 

[quote user="Gingerpele"] Its odd really.[/quote] Some might even say sinister...  

Why do people (not just here but in the media genearally) only ever comment about left footed players'' limitations?  Nobody ever comments how much more Gerard or Beckham and many others might have achieved if they could use their swinger more effectively. (At least I can personally claim to have been genuinely 2-footed in my playing days -  c**p with both).

[quote user="Aggy"] Personally, I don''t even see it as a major issue; if players want to mouth off at the ref, so what? The ref can book them if it''s particularly bad, or just ignore them if not. I never really have understood why dissent to refs is seen as such a bad thing. Yeah it would be lovely for refs if we didn''t have it, but I can think of far more pressing concerns than players running round a ref and saying that decision was s***.[/quote] I agree that the 10-yard rule doesn''t work so well for football - rugby is a territorial game and being able to gain extra ground by taking a penalty shot (either for touch or goal) 10 yards forwards makes a difference. If football wants to learn from rugby it should introduce sin bins - dissent automatically triggering a 10 minute penalty. As for Hartley he wasn''t saying a particular decision was s***, but he had already been warned about making remarks that appeared to be directed at the ref and then seemed to call him a cheat - whilst claiming he was directing that remark at an opponent.  How stupid can you be? Personally I do not think a football or rugby referee who is biased will be able to hide that for long enough to reach even the national leagues, in either sport.  They are in charge of lot of games long before we see them on our screens.  So to question the integrity of these guys is crossing the line and it ought to attract a serious ban (and in rugby clearly does). And frankly if someone really does believe a particular official is a cheat then that''s easy - just refuse to play in games they are in charge of.  Because if there''s any justification for that view there will be a lot of people thinking the same, not just the odd one.

[quote user="Nicko"]Thomas Vermaelen.  Do you think think the club is at a stage where we could attract a player like this?[/quote] I doubt it these days.  With so many clubs involved in either Champions or Europa Leagues if his agent has anything about him he should be able to get him a better deal than we can offer, though not necessarily in the UK. Hope I''m wrong though.    

Sorry to see him go but in my view Vaughan is the greater talent and seems to have benefited from being able to get a good run of games this season. If he has - at last- put his injury problems behind him then I think he is far more capable than Jackson of making an impact in the Premiership. Jackson came to us to make an impact in the Championship, which he did.   Trouble was he did it so successfully he moved his own goalposts.

[quote user="Yellow Messiah"] I feel for Korey Smith, Adeyemi and Francomb as they looked promising players but maybe are casualties of our rise to the Premier League. I''m sure they would make solid Championship or League 1 players. Hopefully Lee Camp''s departure reinforces the point that Ruddy is staying [/quote]   Exactly so - it happened much the same for Ryan Jarvis who just as he looked capable of earning a place in our Championship team (or "1st Division" as it still was) suddenly found himself competing with Huckerby, Ashton and co for a place in the Premiership.  He was never up to that and went downhill from thereon in. Adeyemi had already said he''d like to stay at Brentford I think; Korey won''t be short of offers but not sure where Francomb will go.  League One or Scottish Premier also-rans maybe. Camp''s departure is more likely to indicate Rudd staying than Ruddy surely?

I too remember him from the official message board where he was always passionate, friendly and well-informed.  This was back in the dark days when we had so much more to moan about than negative tactics from Hughton.   But as far as I recall Ben was someone who was always reasonable and considerate and unlike many didn''t make his criticism personal. I think he was nominated for fan of the season once - I''m sure he came on at a final home game one year, possibly the League One Season, but lost out on that occasion.   I think the winner had been around for many years longer and I thought then "Your day will come". So sad to hear that it won''t and many commiserations to his family who must rightly be very proud of him. 

And he reckons we''ve only been attacking in the last couple of weeks because the Board have given Hughton a rollicking.  Jeff knows this for a fact as he knows a sports psychologist at the club.  Yawn.  And he''d like di Matteo as manager with Phelan as assistant.  He doesn''t seem to quite understand that even if he got his wish and di Matteo  were appointed Roberto might just want to pick his own assistant. 

... then returned to come on in the 70th minute to replace his brother against Wroxham on Thursday night (according to the Pink''un report)? Possible, but doesn''t seem likely.  Would he have joined up as early as the day after winning the Youth Cup?  I''d like to see him on the bench today but think it''s unlikely. With Turner injured and Barnett not looking as though he has a long-term future here maybe Toffolo could be there though.

From McFadden''s brilliant tackle in the first minute to McGeehan''s superb penalty in the last that was surely the best Canaries performance at Carrow Rd this season.  Not the Man U and Arsenal games?  No, because the opponents didn''t really turn up in those games.  The Chelsea lads can''t be accused of that - they were very impressive and gave it their all. And we still beat them.  Fantastic.

Actually even if we don''t stay up we could still be relegated by Easter next season, but I guess that''s taking negativity a bit too far.... The OP seems to imply keepers don''t have to be "match fit" as if it''s a stamina thing. It''s not.  It''s more about mental sharpness, reacting to situations, and so on.  It''s why when Bunn came in it took him 2 or 3 games to get up to speed because he hadn''t played a competitive game for months.  And it will be the same for Ruddy; in fact it was when he joined us.  We are not yet safe so just now playing Bunn (and Camp, who at least has some game time under his belt) makes more sense than normally it would.

Strangely enough I''m almost more in favour of keeping Hughton if we go down than if we stay up.  He has proved he can be successful in the Championship and most of his current squad are good Championship players, not much more than that.  So why waste money paying off exactly the sort of manager you need?  If we went down Ruddy would move on providing us with some funds and leaving Bunn, Rudd and Steer to stake their claims.  Snodgrass and one or two others might try to stay in the Prem but I''m not convinced there would be many takers. And our youth players would be more able to fight for the places rather than have to go out on loan.  So unless, possibly, Martin O''Neill wanted to come back and finish what he started so many years ago I''d stick with him. But if we stay up I can''t see things being much different next year or the year after.  But then would it be whoever is in charge?  Wigan have never progressed beyond the bottom 6.  Bolton, Middlesborough, Fulham, Newcastle and Stoke all found their way into Europe for a year but two of those are back in the Championship and the other 3 have never broken through to sit comfortably with the established top 6 or 7 fixtures.  So in truth we are very likely to be looking over our shoulder every year until one day we drop down again.  That''s the way it is nowadays. In reality the Board aren''t going to get rid of him if he keeps us up.  So personally I just hope their mesage to him would be that the entertainment value has to improve.  If we are set for several years of anxiously scratching around the middle or bottom third of the division then we should at least be able to enjoy the football, something that bar one or two games we haven''t been able to do this season.  I''m not convinced Hughton can bring us that, but we''ll see.  If RVW lives up to expectations, if he can bring us (say) Nathan Redmond - and that must be a possibility - if James Vaughan returns fit and a different option from the Holt/Becchio mould and if he can find a creative midfieldr who really is Premiership quality then maybe he could do it.  We''ll see.  

"Might be a bit churlish, but it would it would be nice to see a bit of passion from Neil on the touchline, perhaps Paulo De Canio could give him lessons!" Hmm.  I think with 10 testosterone driven teenage lads already feeling hard done by the thing they most needed was Adams''s calming presence rather than the influence of someone who''s idea of reacting to adversity is to shove the ref to the ground. Actually what I did feel Adams should have done was subbed Norman straight after his first booking (harsh or not) because to be honest that Forest lad was causing him some problems all night, and several of their players were going to ground very easily.  It seemed to me very unlikely he could go through to full time and extra time if needed without committing another foul.  But don''t forget that it was also the biggest game of Adams''s career as a coach/manager so far. I agree with others that Toffolo was immense, as was Gorman at the back for Forest.  In fact Forest were a very competent team and their fans must feel very positive about the future.  They managed to swarm round the Murphys and Morris and make it difficult for them to link up.  Even when the wingers used their tricks to find some space their defence cut down the options very quickly. Morris is only a first year scholar so I doubt if he''ll be out in to league football just yet as someone suggested; Wyatt likewise.  It''s good though that they''ll be around to (hopefully!) defend the trophy.      

Yes I''m behind him.  Even those who say they aren''t need to hold off for now - realistically sacking a manager once the January transfer window''s shut is pretty pointless unless you are virtually guarranteed relegation and looking to the next season.  In fact yesterday proved it - I reckon with Adkins still in charge Saints would have been out of sight long before Holt missed a penalty.  CH will be in charge for the rest of the season whatever happens so however dull the football is we have to grin and bear it for now.  I have some concerns because I think it''s going to be hard to improve the squad without blowing the wage structure wide open - and that''s an issue for the Board as much as CH.  We have a midfield that''s too easily bossed about, so if you want full backs to attack it becomes quite a risk.  We have little flair, and have never found a replacement for Hucks, someone who can carry the ball at speed and give opposition defences a tough time, and relieve the pressure on your own midfield and defence.  Perhaps one of the Murphy twins will provide that threat next season. I understand Hughton''s approach at the moment but just hope that next year he can bring a couple of players in to midfield who can give us a better chance of controlling a game.  Do that and then it will be possible to be more open in the way we play.

As far as I am concerned anybody who persistently stands without considerng that they are blocking the view of others is just plain ignorant and totally selfish.  I have seen this happen a number of times at away games and the stewards have not always stopped it, or not been consistent about it.  They should.  I think it was at Bolton last season that there was a dispute much of the afternoon between a guy with 3 youngsters in tow and a couple of idiots who repeatedly blocked them out.  Fortunately other fans around him helped get these two reasonably under control, but it was ridiculously hard work and totally unnecessary.  I would be very happy to see standing areas re-introduced because I can pick my spot to compensate for being on the short side.    I can not do that in seated areas, especially at away games where you get whatever the ticketing system gives you.  At Stoke last season I think we all stood throughout the game, which was probably a blessing as it was one of the worst games of football I''ve ever attended, but that''s not really the point. Those who feel strongly about standing areas should lobby for it; I think one day it will happen.  Seating does dull the atmosphere and certainly does nothing to encourage chanting and singing.  You rarely see a choir perform seated.  But in the meanwhile anybody who genuinely has the best interests of the club at heart needs to heed the warnings and stop putting themselves first.    

[quote user="spencer 1970"]I''m looking forward to seeing them in a cup game, the Luton match could be a good sub test for them if we are cruising with 20 to go. The same with Loza. It will give me a little wry smile towards all the anti-London/cockney brigade on here too. You know the culprits.[/quote] Sort of agree though the trouble is if we are cruising against Luton then that''s no more a test for them than playing in the U21s. The fact that we are now in the Prem is actually bad luck for the group who should now be stepping up - Korey, Francombe, Adeyemi - they grew up expecting to be able to work their way into a Championship side.  For them the goalposts really have moved.  At least the Murphys, Loza and the rest know what they are aiming for and have the U21 system in place. My hunch is that Josh Murphy will force his way onto the bench at the back end of this season.    

Well I nearly went down to Moss Rose (was my nearest league ground until they got relegated) to see Malky''s lads yesteday but decided to stick with following our game from here.  Wish I had now, it''s years since I went to a game as a neutral.  Would love to get them in the next round though doubt if there''d be tickets left for exiled supermembers, such is our amazing travellling support.     It''s an OK place but their ground is not up to much, not a good one to drive past when someone''s wellying it into touch.  They did well to last as long as they did in the league, one of the smallest towns to have a league team in recent years I think.  Hope they do get a decent draw and not something awful like Milwall away where the home fans won''t turn up, they lose anyway,  and they don''t make much money out of it.

If we get him we back him to the hilt, but personally I think CMS would be as effective in the Prem as Jermaine Beckford....  Amusing that the Pink''un online article is accompanied by a picture of him executing a blatant and totally unconvincing Premiership-style dive.  Well, I know we''ve been struggling to win penalties, but if that''s how he goes about things even if he signs for us we still will. 

For the past few weeks Canary fans everywhere have been reminding anyone who''ll listen that Holt is the second highest scoring Englishman in the Premiership.  So it will hardly be a surprise if his agent has been reminding David McNally of the same thing.  The problem is that City have a salary structure and they aren''t yet ready to push that up to higher levels either to keep existing players or recruit better ones.  And McNally knows that as long as he can keep PL we have a good chance of staying in the division without needing to take that step because he is brilliant at spotting good value-for-money players and getting the best out of them. John Ruddy is about to join the England camp, where he won''t necessarily enjoy being the comparative pauper; others such as Howson and the two Bennetts may well feel undervalued if they contine to grow in stature next season. This won''t be the last such story if we continue to succeed in the  next year or two.   

[quote user="TheRock"]...  not the first two disappointing performances we''ve seen in the last few months IMO. [:D] [/quote] True, but they are disappointing mainly because of what we achieved in the first two thirds of the season.  The biggest clubs, Tottenham excepted, have worked us out now, they still have a lot to play for, and at the same time we''ve run out of a bit of steam. It''s not looked very pretty since the White Hart Lane result, but from a distance I can live with it because I don''t think Lambert will let it run on in to next season.  I guess I''d feel slightly different had I shelled out a load of money to see us concede 11 in April''s 3 home games, with only 3 scored.  Compared to Wigan''s 8 straight defeats before Christmas though it''s nothing really. Meanwhile having made ourselves pretty safe 5 or 6 weeks ago Ryan Bennett has been able to start a steep Premiership learning curve without too much pressure; he has two more games before it gets serious again.  Depending on the fixture Gods his 3rd competitive game from now could be up against Suarez or Rooney or Aguero and co again.  (Actually, I wonder if he''s a contender for the Olympics - he could even be playing against Suarez there.)  Howson too is finding his feet. The last 2 games are important though - both opponents have the chance to "double" us.  Frustrate them and that means only the 2 Manchesters will have managed that.

[quote user="GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary"] This will be Johnson''s second consecutive relegation, whilst of course this isn''t solely down to him do we want people associated with failure here? That said I''d bite your arm off if offered a fit Jamie O''Hara ! [/quote] I''ve long believed that signing a player who''s just been relegated from your division is a very good move - but only if your aim is to build a team for relegation.  As Wolves are finding out with Johnson.  Sure, it''s not about one individual and occasionally a real gem (normally a young one at the start of his career) finds himself mixed up in a relegation team.  But look how poorly our own relegated players such as Damian Francis and Sammy Clingan fared after staying up in the league we''d left - neither did anything much to push their new clubs forward. No, wouldn''t want O''Hara - he''s one of these guys who''ll always seem to be called a "young player with masses of potential", but never actually realises it consistently.  Don''t see he''d bring much we haven''t already got.  

On R5 live the guys were suggesting that Man City''s attacking foursome of Tevez, Nasri, Aguero and Silva is as strong as any world club football with the obvious exception of Barcelona''s.  Hard to disagree with that.  Ryan Bennett was playing his 4th (or 5th?) Premiership League game.   All part of the learning curve, as meeting the likes of Carroll, Suarez and Van Persie in the next few weeks will be. Yes, he might have stretched his legs in pursuit of Tevez; but I don''t seriously think he''d have caught him.  More likely he''d have overstretched and picked up a dodgy hamstring injury. There are times when you have to take that risk obviously but I don''t think that was one of them. Lambert might criticise him, but I doubt it.  He''s far more likely to remind him he''s a great young prospect and tell him to forget yesterday entirely and concentrate on learning as much as he can whilst we are at the dead end of the season. Don''t forget it''s entirely feasible that in 5 matches time he''ll be facing Tevez and co again, or someone similar, in the first game of next season.