unique

The previous three seasons'' success has been built as much on team spirit as it has on scoring goals for fun. Both these attributes are currently under threat. The goals have dried up, and the strong team spirit has to start coming under question. The Holt issue hasn''t helped, and I can''t see the non-stop enthusiasm of the likes of Tierney and Martin being sustained as their pitch time becomes greatly diminished. The fast influx of a number players is very much new ground for NCFC, and I must say I share the concerns of Ricardo and Scooby.

I posted at the time of Vaughan''s signing that it would be a waste of money as he is an accident just waiting to happen. I was pilloried by many posters who got more than excited at the prospect of a player signing for Norwich, who gained some distorted reputation on the back of such a paucity of matches completed. It is a lesson to be learnt for all signings, imho. The hype often turns out to be far greater than the substance. A lesson learnt from the ridiculous enthusiasm that greeted the signing of Le Brellier, and even, dare I say it, the signing of Muzinic, who never really matched the expectations all those many years ago.

Hughton would seem to have the team set up more defensively than Lambert, to account for our defensive frailties.....alhough quite how a 5-0 defeat is a result of this, I fail to explain. If the team as a whole are going to play deeper, then we will need more pace than last year, in order to pose a threat. Having watched all the other games in the Premiership this weekend, I don''t see Howson, Snodgrass, Hoolahan, Johnson, Fox and Surman providing it. I suppose the best answer would be for the team as a whole to play much higher up the pitch whenever possible.

There was a moment today in the second half at the Etihad when City took a corner. The corner was cleared, and what must have been less than 15 seconds later, three Man City defenders were defending their own penalty are with five Southampton players bearing down on them. Factor in Holt, Morison and the entire Norwich City midfield (except perhaps Bennett), and this scenario would be impossible to imagine. The purchases of Snodgrass and Turner have merely added to the problem. Southampton''s effort and work-rate today almost earned them a point, but it is Swansea who I think it is fairer to compare with this weekend. Norwich and Swansea were promoted together and shared a superb first season back in the Premier League. Both clubs lost their inspirational manager, but Swansea''s squad was decimated with the loss of Caulker, Sigurdsson and Allen, with Sinclair unsettled. So how could the two clubs'' opening result be so contrasting? Most Norwich fans were happy with Hughton''s appointment, and hopefully he doesn''t find Lambert''s shoes far too big to fill. Swansea delayed their appointment somewhat, but their final choice seems to have been inspired, if early indications are to go by. Pre-season gave a strong indication of the direction the two clubs were taking. Norwich couldn''t score a goal for ''love no money'', whereas Swansea were scoring for fun. "Don''t take any notice of pre-season results", they say, "it''s only to build fitness levels......". Well Norwich still aren''t scoring goals.......showed a worrying lack of fitness......and have a long hard season ahead of them if pace isn''t added to the squad as a matter of urgency....

A brilliant shout , Rob.....it looks like fantastic reward for Swansea for what initially appears to be an inspired managerial appointment. Laudrup clearly has excellent contacts in Europe and has put them to great effect already!

Despite winning plenty of plaudits last season, I was interested to discover recently that Vorm only made one more save than John Ruddy, and the only keeper that made more than the pair of them was Hennessey. Ruddy can only get better, he is an integral part of Norwich City''s continued success.

[quote user="GJP"]Last night England would have been better with Welbeck and Carroll upfront. Both lively and both match sharp - something Rooney has not been. But that''s not to say Rooney isn''t a fantastic player because he really is. And I can understand why Roy picked him - because if you want to do anything you have to have your best players out there. Go back to our 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool. We''re playing Liverpool at home and we left our captain and top goalscorer on the bench. Playing against Liverpool is the kind of thing you dream about, even if it isn''t one of their great sides. But what message does it send out if you''ve left Holt on the bench? If Rooney is match fit then it''s hard to overlook him because he can do so much for you. Hopefully England will continue to improve over the next couple of years and when the next World Cup comes around Rooney will come up a big performance for his country. [/quote] I wouldn''t hold your breath......... Check where the next World Cup is being hosted.....possession will be key, therefore England have absolutely NO chance of making a mark in the next major tournament. Bring back the Home Internationals....and only then might we scrape into the last four of a minor competition....

Norwich and Swansea fans putting on brave faces after this week''s shenanigans, but there''s still the pain to endure of Lambert''s first press conference as the Villa manager, and the problem of all fans backing the man chosen to fill Lambert''s boots. Many of the names being bandied about would undoubtedly elicit mixed reactions. Bruce, Mackay, Curbishley and the like, may earn supporters'' full support initially, but many supporters would find the appointment of any of these names as just plain wrong. Many are expressing thanks to PL for the past three years at the club, but let''s not dismiss the possibility that Lambert''s actions and timing may well affect the morale and performance of the Norwich players...and relegation next season will negate two out of the last three years, thereby in effect, reducing Lambert''s tenure to one successful season. Of all the managers that have resigned from their clubs to move to another club, I would love to know how many have actually moved to a club that have finished lower in the league. I guess Lambert did it when moving from Colchester to Norwich, but I wouldn''t think it was the norm. In Lambert''s case, this is what grates most of all. He is basically implying that the Norwich City players aren''t good enough and can''t push on for bigger and better things. If Norwich had been relegated, then fans would have accepted any fallout. Even if Norwich had finished 17th, then there would have been an argument for Lambert to jump ship. But everything that has gone on this week just feels plain wrong. It is one helluva snub to the Board, the squad and the fans. Yes, everyone just has to move on, but the appointment of the right managerial replacement is absolutely crucial to restoring morale at Carrow Road for both fans and players alike.

....was to ask Lambert today.....''Norwich and Aston Villa are fighting over the last relegation spot next season, who would you want to go down?'' I guess his reply would have to be.......''the squad I''ve worked closely with for three years and the team I''ve spent the last three seasons building.....''   No wonder he never wanted to get close to his players.......    

The thought that to replace Paul Lambert we may well have to shell out more in compensation than we receive, is galling to the extreme.....

He could well form part of a formidable midfield alongside Downing and Jagielka.........

No doubt in the next few days we will be hearing the stock phrases of ''greater potential'' or ''bigger transfer budget''. All bollox at the end of the day - for me it has to be his salary/length of contract. I bet we won''t be hearing anything about a one-year rolling contract from Villa Park.... We all knew PL would move on one day.....but not now........not to Villa...... What could have been more challenging than to see just how far he could take Norwich City and the squad he was building? What message is being sent to the Bennetts, Pilkington and Howson, young players who, in the past 12 months, have been sold the club''s potential by PL? Having additional transfer funds guarantees a manager sweet FA. Torres and Carroll are testament to the fact that money is no substitute for shrewd buying and bundles of team spirit. Norwich City, under PL and his team, could have been comfortably challenging for a top ten spot next season....what more does the Villa job offer? Challenging for top eight ultimately....not next season, maybe the season after, but no more than that. If PL thinks that Villa will be breaking into the top six anytime soon, then I think he is very much deluded. So as far as I can see, there is very little difference in the short term aims of the two clubs, and I think that is the thing that grates with supporters most at this moment in time. Lambert, imho, would have been a better fit for Liverpool than Rodgers, and a move to Anfield would have been far more understandable, if as much unpalatable. Colchester fans will be enjoying the current pantomime at Carrow Road, Lambert will be enjoying the balance of power he is holding over two football clubs. Norwich fans will yet again be split over how Lambert has engineered his own departure....those who thank for the previous three years, and those who feel let down by his decision. When the dust settles, and the cliches have been exhausted, nothing will convince me that PL''s motivation is anything other than salary.......

Is it safe to assume that with the departures of Messrs Rodgers and Lambert that, without knowing who the replacements will be, Swansea and Norwich will currently be odds-on favourites with the bookies for relegation next season?

TalkSport reporting he''s gone.

None whatsoever if Lambert has resigned....and he will only be resigning if he knows he can walk straight into the Villa job. Unless it was all just a smokescreen, Solskjaer and Martinez were ahead of PL on Villa''s radar, and it would seem that PL was not even a consideration for the Liverpool job. His suspected resignation smacks of desperation to get one of the two ''reasonably attractive'' managerial positions that are likely to be up for grabs in the foreseeable future... I would think if Villa get PL, then their fans will be a lot happier than Liverpool fans.

Regardless of the opposition, some of the football produced by ALL the City squad tonight would bring hope that PL would not want to walk away from this ''work in progress''.

If that were the case then GH has got his priorities mixed up. The main purpose of last season was to keep Norwich City in the Premier League, not to secure Grant Holt''s place in the England squad......

Just as you think things couldn''t get any worse this week.....we now have the depressing prospect of Sam Allardyce spouting bubble-gum on the sidelines at Carrow Road........eurgh!

I''m not sure what it says about Norwich City fans then, the fact that he was considered by many for POTS. The concern is that instead of building on three years of unbridled success, we lose the manager and several of our first team players all at once, putting us at one hell of a disadvantage for next season.

Given is 36 and way past his prime. Ruddy is 25 and has just been selected for the England squad. If I was a manager building for the future, I''m not sure I would be that dismissive of Ruddy......

If Holt wanted to stay, then he could have held orderly wage discussions with whoever and tried to come to a realistic agreement. I would have thought some sort of bonus scheme based on City avoiding relagation again would be one way to go. By putting in a transfer request, he has alerted every other club that he is open to a move, which will test the club''s resolve to keep to a strict wage structure. Strikers who score goals are the most valuable commodity in football, and I''m sure there is a club out there who would be prepared to pay him £30k a week, and if so, with a reasonable transfer fee, he''d be out of the door in a shot.

It doesn''t just stop at GH and PL leaving the club though, does it? There''s every chance that PL attempt to buy one or two City players - Howson and Ruddy spring to mind..... So not only would you have GH''s departure, the Club Captain and leading talisman, affecting the morale of the squad, but there is every chance that one or two, given the opportunity, would follow PL to Villa Park. Of course it''s all conjecture, but some of the consequences don''t bare thinking about.

ManU have off-loaded Owen, and I believe Berbatov is to follow. They certainly need back-up to what they''ve got and he certainly fits the bill. The other two clubs that really need a centre-forward are Sunderland and Spurs, but I expect a move back up north may be a deciding factor?

Liverpool''s next managerial appointment will not likely be just based on ability. They have a massive PR rebuilding to do after Dalglish''s tenure. I think it is exactly for that reason that will see PL not considered for the post. Long may his press conferences remain repetitive and occasionally difficult to follow!

Five Liverpool players selected after the season they''ve had? That''s every first team Englishmen from Liverpool except the retired Carragher. Penalties aside, not many goals produced by that set of midfielders this season either. The same old failures offered yet another opportunity to fail miserably. Uninspirational to the extreme.