WestMidlandCanary

GJD, yes Pompey got home alright. I got a text from on Wednesday from him saying he got home after 1.00 If nothing else, the level of humour within our three rows was almost worth the entry itself.....see you at Stoke OTBC

We were sitting in Y5 and were appalled at the abuse from some quarters, especially in front of the exit stairs. In particular, Andy Hughes was made a special target even before we started and then fans wonder why players react in those circumstances. I know he''s had his criticism, and in fairness at times it has been justified because he hasn''t played well. But yesterday of all days, it should have been a clean sheet for everyone, and his play and contribution yesterday was an example to some of the team who need a wake up call. He both made Dion''s goal and also stepped in to show not one, but two defenders how to dispossess an opposing player and clear it in one hard, but easy move. I was pleased the majority stood and applauded him off. Now I''m not defending him because I think he''s wonderful etc, just trying to make a point that people deserve better than the abuse that man gets at nearly every game from some fans. Something these people need to ask themselves is this.... If a video was to be made of your behaviour at a football match, would you be happy for your Friends, Family, Mum, Dad, Kids etc to sit back and watch it?

Thanks Nigel, for giving me the very best 40th Birthday present any self respecting Man could hope for:  December 21st 2003 and going Top of the League at Portman Road. I wish you every success in your future managerial career, just not when you come to Carrow Road! OTBC  

I have to agree on the evidence of last night that both need to move on. Hendo has never really lived up to the hype in my opinion, and worse, seems to believe it himself. Jarvis has bright patches, but bringing him on last night wasn''t perhaps a good idea. He lacked the invention of  McVeigh who just wanted to get it to a corner and hold it up. Jarvis seemed a bit lost near the middle of the pitch for those two minutes.  

Criticise him if you must for winding up the home fans a touch, but one thing needs to be said about Lee Croft last night. He was without doubt one of the hardest working people on the pitch bar none, and his tackles had all the hallmarks of someone who has trained at Man City (Ben Thatcher excepted). I was most impressed with his passion for getting the ball.  

But playing a 4-5-1 when we don''t have the ball, splitting to 4-3-3 on attack is the best way we play football. I have no problem putting Dickson on the teamsheet alongside Saffri. Playing a 4-4-2 then means you need two out and out strikers and at present, we don''t have anyone to play alongside Earnie for 90 minutes.

For the most part, I didn''t notice Leon acknowledge the fans either after scoring whereas Dickson made a concious effort to turn and applaud us once he''d finshed being mobbed by all the team bar Leon... As for Leon''s comments in the press about a 3 year deal, I hope he was trying to be ironic because I wasn''t convinced on wednesday night.

We took him off because he looked spent. 10 minutes earlier I thought he deserved to stay, but he''d work SO hard all game, he could give no more. A fantastic effort i felt.

Agreed. Last year, I couldn''t rate Colin at all, and I''ve been very pleasantly surprised. Lets hope that Andy Hughes also gets to impress. After all, quite a few players in the past have had torrid first seasons...eh Iwan?

Personally, I''d have awarded the following on what I saw yesterday. Gallacher 7: Looked good and so nearly got a hand to the penalty; controlled his area well. Colin 7: For me, an outstanding display from someone I just didn''t rate last year. Shackell 6: A good performance. Doherty 5: Played hoofball whenever he got it and looked panicky. Drury 7: looked composed. Hucks 7: Looked menacing first half, suffered from Croft going off. Etuhu 8: my MOM. Croft 7: In my mind an excellent start, and I thought he got the ball in the challenge that resulted in the Pen. Robinson 6: Again, a solid display from a player who struggled against Northampton. Saffri 7: Solid in midfield, as usual really. Earnshaw 7: A lower score than he should have got simply because he didn''t. I thought him unlucky. Subs: Leon 6: Looked out of sorts to be honest. McVeigh 5: A shocking performance from him especially after last weekend. Nothing went right for him. Thorne 5: Despite him not being Chris Sutton (please can we give THAT subject a break?), was unlucky not to score in the last minute, but still has yet to impress me.  All in all, yes ok we lost, but to my mind this was a return to the passing football we know we can do and I thought it was so much better than last season. OTBC  

To be honest, I hardly post on here or any of the boards that I frequent simply because I get fed up of constant and unacceptable whinging from certain quarters. By all means criticise players who aren''t pulling their weight (no pun intended), but to have a go at someone before they even pull a shirt on is taking it too far. If you want to conduct such childish mud slinging, please go and watch matches at Portman Road or the Molineux. At this moment in time, the slate is clean for the whole team in my eyes, and when they step out at 3.00 on Saturday, they will have 100% of my support because thats what being a City supporter means to me. OTBC

I think City will nick it 0-1. I''ll be there so it will be good to start the away trips with a good result for once!

His positional play was dire at left back? I''m afraid that was a point I would make about Colin wherever he plays. I can''t help but feel that despite his best intentions, he''s just not really gelled at Norwich.

I was talking to my friend last night about this. He''s a Villa season ticket holder who''s just cancelled it for this year because like lots of other Villains, he''s getting disenchanted with never having better than 11th or 12th place. We both agreed that even if we (NCFC) spent £30m on transfers instead of the usual approx £3m, we''d still only finish mid table at best simply because the high spenders just keep moving the top of the prem further away from the everyday teams. When you look at the teams that have fell away from the top since the Prem started, Us, Villa, Blackburn, Leeds etc, you begin to wonder whether the time has come for a breakaway Prem top 10 league anyway with the bottom Prem teams merging into the top of the championship.

I''ll be staying after the final whistle whatever (well, unless we get absolutely battered). I have to be honest and say that I really don''t know whether he should go because I don''t have a great deal of faith in the board appointing anyone much better at the moment. With that in mind, and the low numbers of home games I get to, I will be there early to see the players awards and will stop after the game to see what happens. That said, I won''t be going to the away season ticket holders party this year simply because I can''t see what there is to go for. Having sat through nearly all of our away perfromances this year, I''d imagine there will be some disgruntled fans wanting a word with the board members that attend. OTBC

I''d just like to ask: Assuming that we had a change of management, if we then went out and got battered at the next home game, would you still boo? In which case it''s hardly aimed at the manager is it? More to the point, a boo that can be heard halfway up Rouen road isn''t exactly directional is it? If you''re a player who is struggling with confidence or whatever, how do you determine the target of the abuse?  Do you really think the players deliberately set out to disappoint?