KeiranShikari

Like I said, only time will really tell but I do think so. I doubt many non Norwich fans are picking our outs over our ins across the squad. Squad vs team is a valid distinction though as Skipp and Buendia elevated us last season and we haven't signed direct replacements for either, hence why we've needed to change system. That being said the Buendias of this world cost 40m and 80k p/w so should we have been expecting that?

That's the thing. We had 3 years of Premier League money under Lambert/Hughton then more under Neil and we still ended up next to broke a couple of seasons later. No progress - on or off the pitch. I don't know the ins and outs of those other clubs but I remember Palace spending the best part of 100m in a transfer window not long after promoting. The likes of Benteke and Townsend, I doubt that's just Premier League money. A lot of their recent 'success' has been sitting behind the ball and letting 120k p/w Zaha attack on his own. Southampton had 5 or 6 years out of the top division after being in it for decades. They already had the infastructure that we're building now. They're probably something like what we're trying to become. Who want to be Burnley.

Are you not seeing progression here? 17/18 Obviously a Farkenstein's monster of a squad with players from 2 significantly different regimes. The football is a mixed bag but for the most part it doesn't really click and we draw loads of games. We finish 14th and then go and sell our 2 best players, obviously only going 1 way next year, right. 18/19 Everything clicks. We make smart signings, our youngsters are world beaters, we're scoring last minute winners every week and everyhting is amazing. In reality this squad was just a continuation of last year's work. There wasn't any real expectation that it would be in the top 6 let alone winning the league. 19/20 Concious decision is made to not spend on the field but to secure the finances, tie players down long term, pay off the new training ground and hope that momentum carries us through (momentum worked pretty well for us under Lambert). Instead of that happening everything goes wrong, injuries and then just as things are looking like they could improve a global pandemic. 20/21 Unlike 18/19 this season a squad is put together with intent on finishing in the top 2. What did we learn last season? We need to be more physical. A majority of our signings this summer are bigger, faster or stronger than those that are phased out or leave and we play a more defensively secure system. Obviously we then walk the league. 21/22 Only time will tell. Obviously the big talking point at the moment is Emi Buendia. In my opinion Buendia's sale has allowed us to make more dramatic improvements through the squad than we would have been able to if we had kept him. Would Buendia and smaller improvements to the squad have us in a better place now? Maybe as there would be less need for the team to adapt. I'm not sure he'd have us beating a lot of the teams we've played thus far mind - see 19/20. It's obviously not smooth sailing all of the time but it looks to me as if we're trending upwards. For the most part each unit of the squad is improving year on year. Facilities are constantly improving (at the cost of signing us a few world beaters I'm sure) and the youth pipeline is looking impressive. Until a billionaire comes knocking I think this probably is our best shot at being massive.

Small players? Kabak, PLM, Normann, Sargent, Williams and even Tzolils has some decent physicality about him. Rashica is quick and will get stuck in. Unless I'm forgetting somebody Gilmour is the only 'lightweight' signing we made. We're not going to overrun team physically but as we've proven in the last couple of games we can stand up to it much better. Players that are both physically domineering as well as technically superior cost a lot more than we have, I'd suggest we've moved towards a happy medium. We're always going to make signings with one eye on the future because that's the model they're running with. We probably could have improved now by signing the likes of Josh King and Danny Rose but that would have essentially meant giving huge wages and not signing the younger talent. Look at the squad's development year on year since Farke and Webber got here. It's steady progress and a majority of that is down to developing and selling young players. The plan is clearly to get to a stage where there's less need to sell but that's not now. Anyway feel free to keep moanin, honestly don't get the enjoyment you seem to get out of it but I'm not here to judge. You do you and all that.

Then after the game he said Dowel had had a better week in training thus he made the bench. That being said I still think all of this recent stuff is going to be Todd and his agent kicking up fuss about contracts/moves.

Sorensen might be a defensive midfielder (I don't think so at this level) but the 3 playing in the team certainly aren't.

I'm firmly of the belief that we're building this system from the foundations up and we are only sacrificing the attacking aspect of the game momentarily. It's identical to the beginning of last season where we tweaked the system and found ourselves only scoring 1 a game. The more they train and play it the more fluid it will become, the more confident they are playing it the more goals will come. I'm also expecting a Cantwell/Tzolis/Rashica to enter the game in the not too distant future. Stopping the rot is the important thing right now and Farke has responded. I don't know about everyone else but the summer window suggested to me that we were going to be changing shape. The fact Normann isn't a defensive midfielder and the attacking recruits weren't similar to Buendia made me think counter attack.

At least a third of the league are doing this including beloved Brentford and the Champions League holders. It's not free flowing yet but it's also 3 games in to playing a new sytstem. I genuinely don't get why pewople expect instant results.

Doubt Toney would have joined to play second fiddle to Pukki.

None of the 3 midfielders are defensive by nature. 2 wing backs and 2 strikers. 100% not a defensive side if it the game plan was to attack. This side is our most solid and we're still clearly buiding foundations for when the likes or Rashica and Tzolis can be worked in.

That was nothing to do with gambling though.

Krul Kabak - Hanley - Gibson Aarons - Normann - McLean - Giannoulis Rashica - Pukki - Cantwell Cantwell (If he's not having more personal issues) with a free role and Rashica (assuming he's not injured) pushed up alongside Pukki.

Their LBGT fans love the saudis.

I expect our spending would look similar to last season if we were to relegate. We could drop 10m on a single player in the Championship but I doubt that we would. If we do drop and he falls in love with us as much as we fall in love with him then it could make for an interesting scenario. Highly doubt it though.

Based on early signs I'd say there will be demand for him outside of Russia come the end of the season.