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211203

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Everything posted by 211203

  1. Some useful comments here - it sounds like Napoli were able to play to their natural strengths in taking advantages of Man C''s weaknesses.  I''m not suggesting Lambert should just show the players a vid of the Napoli games and say "off you go lads - just play like that.  Job done."   But we are going to be under sustained pressure for large parts of the game on Saturday.  Against Man U we conceded a lot of possession to their back line and did an excellent job closing them down in our half and protecting our back 4 against through balls.   We were a lot tighter at Old Trafford than we were against Arsenal and I really hope we can recapture the approach we had against Man U.   And at Man U we didn''t just sit back and soak up the pressure, we tried - with a lot of success - to play our own game throughout and created plenty of chances, enough to have drawn or won with slightly better finishing and decision making in the box. I''m hoping we do the same on Saturday.   Another concern I have is weakness on our flanks - against Villa and Arsenal we left our fullbacks too exposed and we need to be set up to give them more support.   Yes it''s just speculation, but I figure that highlighting some of Man City''s weaknesses before Saturday can''t do any harm !
  2. Last year we were often behind, or drawing at home, with 20 mins to go and went on to retrieve a draw or get a win.  It''s like we have a playbook that the players are very comfortable with.  20 mins to go - we need a goal - bring on a couple of subs and go for it.  E.g. against Forest at home we conceded a daft goal at the start, but I''m sure we were all confident that we''d plug away and get something from the game.   But this year we seem to have had plenty of occasions where we''ve gone ahead and it does feel like we''re not sure how to play it.  E.g. against Villa and Arsenal.  I wish we could master the art of scoring and keeping on playing just the same, pushing forward to get a 2nd but keeping it tight.
  3. Anyone know what the parking is like at Eastlands ? 
  4. Thought people might be interested in the analysis in the paper yesterday from the 2 Napoli games.  As Napoli got a win and a draw they must be doing something right.   1.   Napoli were happy to concede possession to the Man C centrebacks and De Jong who they viewed as their weakest passing players.  All 11 Napoli players were expected to cover back and close down all the rest.  The idea being to force their weaker passers to play penetrating balls rather than have an easy outlet to one of the creative players.   2.   Man C play very aggressively down the flanks with their fullbacks getting well forward.  When they lose possession, the space left open on the flanks needs to be exploited at speed with high balls into it.   3.   Also they tend to let space open up between their midfield and centrebacks.   4.   The Napoli manager emphasised, as you''d expect, that all his players needed to be right on top of their game and not to let their concentration slip.   The article also pointed out that Man C are obviously taking the "we''ll score more than you" approach.  Against Fulham they were 2-0 up but failed to close out the game and ended up drawing.  Against Bolton they were 2-0 and then 3-1 up, both times they let Bolton get back to within a goal and apparently Bolton came close to an equalizer near the end before losing 3-2.   It''s hardly rocket science, and as I''ve said on another thread, we''ll never be favourites even to get a point on Saturday.  But I really hope we don''t give them too much respect, keep tight and close them down, and make sure we keep playing our own game going forward - like we did at Old Trafford - and we could get something out of the game (still disappointed we didn''t come away with at least a point from that one).    
  5. [quote user="cornish_canary"][quote user="Twitchy"]No tellybox at the mo, any update on how MOTD painted us tonight? [/quote] Very well I thought.......showed plenty of City''s chances and possession with very little of QPR, Warnock''s post match interview and QPR forums seem to tell a different picture however![/quote]   Yes, zero analysis on the game, just a general comment from both Lawro and Shearer that they felt both Norwich and QPR are looking comfortably good enough to stay up.  I don''t expect great insight from either of them frankly, they mainly go with the herd, so it''s just a little bit reassuring that this is the view of many neutrals.   On Colin''s post-match interview, given his past track record I wouldn''t see his comments as inconsistent with us being marginally the better team, which seems the general view.
  6. [quote user="Jacko"]You can interpret this game in many ways. Will they rest a couple? Will they lose some confidence? Or are we going to witness the mother of all backlashes? There is never a good time to play them. They have won every game this season with a bit to spare (Fulham apart which they should have). All we can do is try to remain in the game for as long as possible and hope an opportunity on the counter presents itself like we did against Arsenal. Its a very wide pitch at the Etihad so I would definitely give Bennett and Pilkington the nod in a 4231 system, with Morison as the lone striker.[/quote] I really hope we don''t give them too much respect - which I think we were guilty of against Arsenal to an extent.  There''s never going to be a time when we''ll be favourites even to get a point here but I think if you had to pick the time to go to them, now is a good time.   Also I think in some recent games they''ve been winning without playing that much better than the other side (which of course is key to winning the league!). Against Newcastle they were lucky that they didn''t concede in the first half at least twice and the scoreline flattered them.  QPR could certainly feel they could easily have come away with a point.  And the 6-1 scoreline massively flattered them thanks to some kamikaze attacking by Man U with 10 men.   Certainly not underestimating the task but I hope we go for it as we did against Man U in the knowledge that we should have come away with at least a point there. 
  7. [quote user="Eric Pickles Pie Supplier"] Yep, every chance of this happening, ,Shack, though it will still be a tough ask. My heart bleeds for them if they have to "make do" with Dzeko, Lescott , Johnson and co as a second string......   On a wider point, do the sort of results seen last night and earlier in the CL not suggest that the Prem is perhaps not quite as good as it pretends to be ? The two Manc clubs are, by some distance, the best in England, but even they have struggled when they come up against well organised, fast  Italian , Spanish, German and Portuguese sides. [/quote]   Good point.  There was a time recently when you could realistically expect 2 or even 3 Prem teams in the CL semi-finals, but not now.   On the trip to ManC, this looks like being our toughest away fixture.  On that basis, it''s probably a good time to play them.  It will never be easy and the odds are against us, but we are quite capable of getting a result.   Also has anyone else noticed that after ManC we''ll have played them plus Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and Villa away ?  So most of the "top" away fixtures with only 1/3rd of the season gone.  I guess the flip side is we have them all to come to CR.  But plenty of away games against the lower sides is not a bad thing IMO as it suits us when they have to attack us.
  8. [quote user="Legend Iwan"]http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/nov/21/premier-league-chalkboard-analysis Unsurprising to see that without Hoolahan we lose possession and our attacking impetus. I am impressed with out first-half passing stat.[/quote]   Thanks for the link - this analysis (and the Holtmania site) - to me are a good explanation of the game as I saw it on Sky.  I particularly like the fact that the Guardian article points out that we were never out of it and their 2-1 lead didn''t look comfortable (unlike some of the more extreme reactions in the press and on here).   Concerns for me are that despite having Crofts, Fox and Johnson all with protecting the back 4 as a key mission, Arsenal were repeatedly able to open us up through the middle with fairly simple balls.   Also both fullbacks were left one on one against their wingers most of the game.  Tierney actually didn''t do that badly against Walcott over the 90 minutes, but was completely done a few times including the goal.  Naughton was I think caught out a lot more often, but Gervinho failed to capitalise.   Looking back at Old Trafford we were a lot tighter, and denied a set of equally good players until very late in the game.  Against Arsenal I never felt we were comfortable defensively at any point (although going forward I always felt they were vulnerable too).  What I want to know is how we get back to playing more like we did a month or so back ?  
  9. Me too.  I''ve always felt he has a lot of potential and might be good enough for the Prem, but it has been so long since he has played regularly that when he was in the team at the start of the season he looked well off the pace.   A loan would give him a chance to get going again.  Meantime it isn''t long until the January window and really it would be a surprise if Lambert isn''t thinking about who might come in up front.
  10. Thanks, I remember this game fondly and in a lot of ways it sums up our League 1 Champions season.    Wycombe were a solid and well-disciplined team and made it hard for us.  We were on top throughout but their keeper was outstanding and you began to feel it would be one of those days.  For past Norwich teams it probably would have been and around 75 minutes the players would''ve begun to stop believing, but instead we kept on plugging away.   Wycombe had few chances although there were a few scares on the break, but their strikers always looked most likely to put anything into row Z (if indeed the stand went back as far as Z).  Finally our pressure paid off and we had a more-than-deserved 1-0 win.    Exactly the sort of performance you need to put in to win things.   My next away trip is ManC and remembering this one makes me appreciate it all the more.
  11. Came across the Wikipedia entry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pink%27un   It says this : "This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (March 2010)"   Anyone care to take up this challenge ?
  12. All 3 are games we''re capable of winning.  If I had to bet I''d go for 4-5 points.  If we come away with 5 I''ll be satisfied, and to get a couple of wins  would, realistically, be a good outcome.   Yes if we did get 7-9 points I''d be delighted - but not particularly surprised.  Which shows how far we''ve come so far.
  13. [sorry have tried to quote Ken Foggo but "non matching quote blocks in post"]   True.  I remember when we won at Man City a few years back and it was the first time in living memory for lots of us, so we''ve never had a great record against them away even when they were in the lower leagues.   Having said that, a month or so before the Old Trafford game Man U were looking outstanding, so let''s hope we really go for it.  Can''t wait !
  14. I see that Lawro says about us "They have gone to Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool this season and not been outplayed at all, apart from maybe the first 25 minutes at Anfield."   But he then predicts 1-1.  Let''s just hope he''s wrong like he was with his prediction last week !   I think with the advantage of a full week off (no idea about the sort of team Blackburn put out in mid-week though) that Lambert will avoid any complacency and we''ll get a win.  But I''ll be a nervous wreck until 5pm Saturday - this one''s got potential banana skin written all over it...
  15. I was living in Leeds when he was their keeper and Leeds fans I knew felt he was weak with long range shots (they tended to be ultra-conscious of any weaknesses of their players - mind you, they had good reason in many cases).   Since then I''ve noticed he does tend to concede to long range shots that look saveable (especially when he was in the frame to play for England - which I always found alarming).  So I hope Fox, Pilks etc have a go from distance.   Anyone else noticed this ?
  16. [quote user="CJ"]As even Colin would agree it is about consistency when you referee (as I do) and personally I always look very carefully at any penalty decision . And I can assure you Colin would have gone ape if Holt had got that decision. The ref got it wrong in my opinion and slo mo proves me right, yes the player got a bump in the back but if you watch carefully you can see he landed normally and then fell like a sack of potatoes. As a ref you have to think like a player and the QPR player knew he was going nowhere and by going down made the ref do something. If you also look carefully the ref was miles away to, which makes it hard to believe he really saw it clearly. Later of course he then missed a clear penalty for Chelsea when a player going for a corner ball was wrestled to the ground. Pesonally I also am getting fed up with all these red cards, the first one is debatable mainly because it is hard to see who is doing pulling pushing, you have to remember it is not only defenders who pull shirts and Terry was back to cover, and on second one Drogba did go in dangerously but clearly got the ball first and with not much velocity either, yellow yes red no that should be reserved for two footed off the ground tackles.[/quote]   I agree Colin would have gone ape to concede that penalty but that''s just him, it doesn''t say anything about whether it was right or wrong.   I think your comments are more about the difference between the approach of refs in the Prem and lower down, as we found out to our cost at the start of the season.  In the Prem, if a player gets a "bump in the back" and goes over, it''s normally a penalty, unlike the lower leagues where it probably wouldn''t have been given.  Chelsea were treated no different from anyone else in the Prem.    Similarly when a forward is through and has a bit of a wrestling match with a defender, Prem refs tend to favour the attacker - I think both De Laet and Barnett were caught out this way in early games.  Personally I thought the replay showed the defender was pulling back more and Terry was behind the play so couldn''t be a covering defender, but that''s just how I saw it.   Ditto with Drogba - in the Prem if you go in two-footed it doesn''t seem to matter whether you win the ball first, if you take out the player it is normally a red, again unlike the lower leagues.   Personally I''m just glad we''ve stopped conceding a penalty in every game !  Suarez is certainly a prime example of a forward who will fall over any chance he get, so our CBs get a lot of credit for conceding so few fouls and no penalties to him !
  17. Personally I thought the ref got some difficult decisions right and gave them against the big team, so he did really well. Annoyed about AVB whinging - Chelsea simply self-destructed.  We now know from experience you can''t get away with those sort of challenges in the PL, and it''s good that a big team got penalised.   For the penalty, the QPR player gave Luiz a shoulder-to-shoulder push on the edge of the area - on balance not a foul for me.  Luiz then gave him a clear push in the back, the attacker goes over as they do now, and it''s a clear pen.   For the Bosingwa sending off, he''s pulled back the player when he was through on the keeper, so the only question was whether Terry was a covering defender, I think the replay showed he was behind the play, so again the ref got it right.  Finally Drogba jumped in two footed so no question about that either.   But in the end Chelsea created enough chances with 9 men that they shouldn''t have lost.
  18. I particularly liked the way Lawrenson was dismissive of the chance of us getting relegated, talk about changing his tune ! 
  19. Yes, and those two chances at the end, one was from a corner after he missed a blatant trip by Suarez on Barnett, the other was from a very dubious free kick to Liverpool.  Just glad Carroll missed the header and TGF a quality save from Ruddy !
  20. Yep, we got a few breaks this time.  We''re always being told that the Prem is all about taking the chances you get !  Don''t think the result flattered us at all over the whole game.    ESPN was laughably biased, I''m just relieved we got the point we deserved otherwise they''d have been insufferable.
  21. [quote user="Morph"]Very solid performance in what turned out to be a very open game. That third goal finally allowed City to see the game out. Ole football![/quote]   Really pleased, especially for Pilks.  I felt he was class against Man U and gave Valencia a torrid time but I was worried the chances he missed might hit his confidence, glad to be proved wrong.  Looks like a real find.   Also did anyone else notice there was no repeat of the 3 substitutions that Lambert made against Sunderland !
  22. Yes one of the guys next to me was asking if the mascot was actually one of our players.   Although we have got quite a tall squad now, Wessi being the exception !
  23. [quote user="lake district canary"]I had to sit with utd supporters at match yesterday, and I have to say that to watch our fans from the other side of the ground was strange but also fantastic - brilliant support. When the 3000 started sing the scarf song the utd supporters around me didn''t get it the first time. After a while though it got through to them, so well done for keeping singing it!!![/quote]   Me too,  it wasn''t audible at the half-way line too many times, and the Man U fans around me did get the joke.  How often do you hear a new chant at a football game ?   The "we support our local team" chant certainly hit home and touched a raw nerve !   It was weird how small the City fans looked as a share of the ground, but then thinking about it with 3,000 out of 75,000 that''s a pretty small percentage. For much of the game the home fans were quiet and the only thing you could hear was from City, so I''d say well done to everyone.
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