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Silver Canary

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Everything posted by Silver Canary

  1. I miss Samba de Janeiro - proper football music. I’ve heard it in stadiums all over Europe. But mostly is associated for me with some great memories following Norwich ( ok .. and some rubbish ones) and when I hear it I always think of Carrow Road rocking. No logic to it - just an association that has stuck.
  2. Seems to be getting a little late to complete any significant incoming now. I would be seriously surprised if we brought anyone in that was worth a first team place. The underlying pattern of the activity and messages from Carra does seem to emphasise how tight the finances are, right now - certainly more than I thought / hoped. Still, probably shouldn’t be a surprise if some of the rumours about our wage bill last season were true. I guess we go with what we’ve got. Not a bad team really but probably needs an adjustment in the system of play to fit a reshuffle until Sarge returns. ps wasn’t there a young striker coming in from Man City for the Development Squad? Did that happen.?
  3. Looking very unlikely to be any incoming players now. Must admit to being a bit surprised - it’s a big risk in terms of the defence (and defensive midfield). We seem to be effectively having to assume Hayden and Byram are going to be fully fit very soon and we don’t get any further injuries. It’s a long way in terms of the number of games before Dimi, McCullen, Gibbs and Lungi are fully match fit again. Big gamble I think.
  4. He may be a really good player, but he doesn’t seem to fit in the team here and now. If we get £5-6m plus a really good sell on percentage I would let him go and use the money elsewhere (rather than being tied up and wasted on a player sitting on the bench or not even in the squad).
  5. Just starting to have doubts about whether we will bring in a new left back. When this was mentioned at the presser this morning, DS comments seemed quite relaxed and unconcerned about it. (Neil Adams in the Insight piece seemed similarly off hand about it). The impression is far from the sort of “we have a number of irons in the fire” or “working hard on this” that might be expected. of course they are going to play their cards close to their chests or they may have decided that Byram is nearly there now and/or Kenny has now found his niche. Just somehow the impression seems closer to “we go with what we’ve got”.
  6. Or maybe it’s as simple as … the ref restarts the game after 30 seconds and if the switch isn’t completed the game goes on.
  7. Blimey. I had forgotten that one ( or erased it from my memory). Now it’s going to be an ear worm all day.
  8. While we are at it, perhaps we could bring back the samba band before games ( more venerable supporters may remember this from way back). Give the place a bit of bounce and swagger and, who knows, might make Sara feel more at home at least.
  9. Happened right in front of us. If the reaction of the physios and medicos is anything to go by, it’s not good. Hopefully they were just being ultra careful and it’s not as serious as it could be. Hoping he’s ok now and that he’s back playing again soon. Didn’t get a clear sight of how it happened. Looked as if his leg / ankle was caught underneath him as the Wigan player landed on top of him.
  10. I miss the wall of flags too. Surely that gives the players a lift when they see that as they come onto the pitch. Perhaps if we get a run of good results they may return.
  11. Can’t say either Sargeant or Hugill are anything like good enough for what we need and choosing between then is just a lottery. Hugill has scored in preseason (but really simple ones that aren’t going to come round too often at this level) or Sargeant who brings the unpredictable chaos that can create chances for others but shows no sign of being able to score. The Devils choice with no right answer. We need something better if we are going to be up in the top 6.
  12. Great report as always Ricardo. I thought Aaron’s had an outstanding game and really tigerish in his tackling. Linked up well with Nunez - initially Nunez was making runs and Max was a little hesitant to make the early pass but that improved and there’s the making of a really useful partnership down that side as the understanding develops. Overall some encouraging signs. But where was Kenny most of the time because he certainly wasn’t in midfield when the back four were looking for someone to pass out to. From where I was sitting it looked as if Sorenson has been told to stay close to Keane which he did pretty faithfully. For all the criticism of Sorenson at least he is one player who is prepared to stay on station in the central midfield and do the simple necessary stuff while others go AWOL. He put in some hard tackles but is a little too casual at times and needs to up his performance or be replaced (as he will be by Hayden idc anyway). How we didn’t get at least one penalty I don’t know - the attack on Aaron’s was a pen + red card any day and Sargeant could have got a penalty in the wresting contest near the end. Sparing a thought for Dimi - clearly in a lot of pain and hope it looks worse that it is and he’s back soon. Felt a little more optimistic after the game - there’s a decent side in there if it comes together.
  13. Are we saying in terms of his performance that this is it - this is as good as it gets … or is he a work in progress that with a bit ( or quite a lot) of personal coaching could turn out to be a decent player. I dunno. Each time I see him play I change my mind about him several times in the course of a game. Incidentally, is there much individual coaching and skills practice time these days. Team mates and coaches of some of the top players have often commented that eg x often stayed behind after training to practice and perfect a particular skill - but I wonder how much of that goes on now.
  14. At the time when Buendia was sold it felt to me like a seismic change. The reasons, the rationale behind it were important because it flows from the ambitions and direction of the club but those were not clear. So maybe the replacements could give a clue - but maybe they have not so far. So we are where we are. Do we persist with those signings - is it worth trying to find a system that maximises their skill sets ( or would this compromise other players performance) can we / should we spend a lot of effort to improve those skills to fit our preferred system (whatever that is) or do we try to move them on, take the hit ( look at it as sunk costs) and use the proceeds on other new “projects”. At the moment it feels like drifting. We have been used to a clear style and direction with Daniel. I don’t feel that right now right from the SD down to the individual players. Maybe it’s there but I can’t see it. On signing I’ve had a growing feeling over the last few years that there’s an element of opportunism in some signings - not what we really need but we can turn a profit on this one etc.
  15. Of course Daley. I was thinking that after a long flight and the period of relative inactivity, plus jet lag etc the club would be very cautious about pushing him to hard too soon both before the medical and then into training. I don’t know this - he may be ready to go with no risk but with our injury record it may be best to be safe than sorry.
  16. If there’s anything in the Akouokou rumour then that could make Sorenson more likely to drop back into the back 4 (or3 on occasion). Otherwise, with injuries etc, there’s always a danger that you end up with a utility player like Sorenson suddenly being needed in 2 or 3 positions for the same game. Somehow the Akouokou rumour doesn’t ring very likely, but it would be reassuring to start hearing some rumours on other targets - the squad definitely needs a bit of reinforcing, and equally important, some refreshing.
  17. I think the flight from Quito to London is about 15 hours. Allowing time to settle in and adjust I would think it would be at least Thursday before anything significant happens. Surely very unlikely that he would be even on the bench on Saturday.
  18. My first thought is that any team in the EPL going to take on Chelsea at home will see that fixture as a serious challenge. They may be without 2 of their first choice strikers, but they have some pretty outstanding players to step in. Recently we have established an improved defence but not to the extent that we are likely to keep a clean sheet and our scoring record so far doesn’t encourage a lot of confidence. On the face of it we could get a right tonking, but my heart still hopes that we can keep the score down or even scrape a draw. Happy to be wrong but 2 - 0 to Chelsea.
  19. We need to play our physically strongest team. Hope that Sargent and Norman are fit and start. Not a game for Gilmour to start. Even thenBurnley have out muscled and bullied us in the recent encounters and, while my heart wants to believe we can pull off a win, my head says it will go the same way as previous encounters and they will hump high long balls in and they will just physically bundle it in. Maybe 3 at the back might be the best order of the day. I really hope I’m wrong but this was always going to be difficult. Burnley are exactly the sort of team we do badly against. But I shall still be supporting our team however bleak it gets. It’s what we do.
  20. Centre Back is such a key position and the Premier League is a harsh place for learning on the job where you are exposed to a very high quality of opposition players. Both Tettey and Amadou have given their best shot and made a decent effort but it clearly doesnt suit their natural strengths and weaknesses are quickly exposed at this level. It is what it is. On balance Amadou looked more comfortable at CB than Tettey but its a big ask to expect he would be as reliable and consistent in that position as (say) Zimmerman. Unfortunately I fear we are still several weeks away from seeing Zimmerman back and up to speed.
  21. DF comes across very well - clear, articulate and calm. He seems to have a clear philosophy which is about controlled, positive and effective football and recognises that the fans have to be entertained. I  suspect he won''t take any nonsense or excuses and any no-shows will be tacked robustly. It sounds like he will want pretty high tempo football - I wonder how many of the existing squad are actually capable of playing with the physical and mental intensity that this approach is likely to require. There may be some clues from that as to who may be on their way (if we can shift them).SW seems to be very measured and professional. His interviews are good - very straightforward and clear - and he sounds like someone who is pretty knowledgeable and does his homework very thoroughly (something we are going to need more and more as the money pit dries up). All in all I''m feeling a lot happier than a few months ago (even a few weeks ago). Of course it may all go horribly wrong in a gloriously Norwich City way, but somehow these recent interviews with SW and now DF suggest we might have found a good way forward (and certainly better than some serial failure from the current pot of losers suggested by Alan Brazil''s cluck-in). I''d be happy if they found a role for Alan Irvine as I think he could be very helpful to the new Head coach and his team, at least in the short term. But if it doesn''t happen (and Irvine may have other plans) I am pretty relaxed about it. Exciting innit.
  22. At least N''Koulou is likely to get regular game time at Norwich. Cover and competition in the CB position must be a top priority for us this window. If we don''t get this I think we may struggle especially if there are injuries or loss of form. I think Alex Neil has had to compromise his team selections and tactics to try to compensate for the back four this season. Hope we can get decent reinforcements over the line in this window. I''m sure the targets have been identified for some time - it''s up to you Mr McNally - show us what you can do!!
  23. There are a lot of rumours which suggest we are trying to strengthen the squad. My main concern is to get real competition and cover for the centre backs. If we can strengthen there it may allow the midfield and attack to play more positively when the opportunity comes. It can be argued that we have some cover at RCB with Martin and Wisdom (though that may not be really a very good option) but we do not seem to have someone who is able to play on the left side as decent cover for Bassong. It worries me if either or both CBs pick up a long term injury or red card. I''m sure Alex Neil will have identified defensive reinforcements but it is McNally that will do the negotiations re price, wages etc. I''m still confident we shall do business in this transfer window but I hope we dont start playing games with the negotiations and lose out on our primary targets. I hope we can do better than the summer poker playing and get the required players early enough to be able to make a real difference while there are still plenty of games to play - particularly in defence.  I trust AN and hope that the recruitment team can support him and give the lads a hand with the right reinforcements. here''s hoping! 
  24. Good report, as always, Ricardo. I thought we looked well organised and compact all through and we counter attacked with real speed and purpose - something I haven''t seen a lot of this season. All the players gave everything and it would be difficult to pick anyone out - good or bad. There were a few mistakes - but more than balanced by the good things.  They gave us what we hope for - real effort, good football and we looked like a side that deserves to be in the Premier League. Yobo fitted in like he had been there all season and was a real revelation. The midfield looked really good, defensively and offensively and we switched the play across the field and from defence to attack very well. The return of Tetty seems to add some stability and confidence for the other players around him.The referee was awful. I thought at half time that they could have shot one of our players and not get booked. Credit to the players that they did not let it get to them. The atmosphere in the ground was back to its best and it was good to hear the crowd really getting behind the team from all areas. I just hope we can maintain that degree of effort and concentration for the rest of the season. If so - no worries!!
  25. Its a useful opportunity to give Hoops a break and give RVW some game time on his way back to full fitness. I would rest a fair number of the team from the Palace game - there was a lot of the regulars looking like they were running on empty over the Christmas fixtures. If there was ever an opportunity for some fringe players and our young players coming through surely this must be the time.
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