Silver Canary

I don''t see much changing in the bottom 10 clubs - positions may flip up and down a bit but on current performances it seem likely that they will all remain pretty close on points. All these clubs are much of a muchness and it could all come down to a bit of luck (referee''s decisions, injuries at critical times etc) to make the final difference. However any team that puts a decent series of results together can pull away quite quickly. Which is why I hope we will dip into the transfer market (even if its only a couple of loans possibly with a view to buy) to freshen the squad up and give us opportunities to change the style a bit and rest the weary / injured.

Cannot see much chance of getting more than 37 points at present - but it may be enough. While the stats indicate we may pick up the right number of points in the second half of the season, more worrying is that our performances have been poor too often and show little grounds for optimism. There doesn''t seem to be much coherency or consistency about our play and when we go forward we are usually too slow and seem to lack a clear idea of what we are doing. Injuries have played a big part and many of the regulars are looking exhausted. Its worrying that we seem to be getting down to bare bones and could be without key players for some time to come, but also not able to rest some players that clearly need it. That may be critical over the next 6 weeks.Still hopeful but I hope that we can get some fresh blood in "to give the lads a hand" (no sign of that yet) and possibly a little refreshing of the backroom team.

I know its dangerous to read too much into pre-season friendlies but overall it looked a tidy performance - definitely better in the first half. We still seem a little slow and hesitant going forward and Real Sociedad showed the quick one touch penetrating passes in the second half that we could do well to try.Olsson looked strong and pacey. He gave a really committed performance and tried hard to stake his place in the starting XI.Fer is a big unit!!  He seems to be athletic and techically good and to have that languid style which is quite deceptive. He obviously has a good all round game as he looked useful both in the advanced and more deep positions, showing different skills. Him and BJ would be a physically awesome pair in midfield.Howson worked really hard (particularly in the first half), always trying to find space to receieve a pass. He looks more confident on the ball than most of last season.Redmond showed some blistering pace and clearly has loads of potential. He tried to take on too many players at time but he will learn when to release the ball and be more aware of what is going on around him. I can see why some may be a little diappointed with RVW on this showing but I thought he had a decent game. I was very impressed with his movement off the ball. As soon as we regained possession he was busy making runs and losing his marker but we must be able to release the ball quicker to him if we are going to make best use of his talents. The 2 wingers were particularly poor at this. Redmond will learn from experience but on at least half a dozen time when I saw RVW make a serious amount of space with a run but Snoddy had his head down and was charging towards a couple of defenders, focussed on taking them on, or turning back to hold the ball,  when the easier option was to slip the ball through to RVW. RVW is different to what we have had up front recently. We have a new strike force with different styles and skill to what we have had, but we will need to be smarter and quicker with the service to make best use of RVW (and Hooper).Russ Martin deserves a honourable mention. He was composed and organised and I thought had a really good game - especially as he was playing on the left side of the 2 CBs. He does the job calmly and reads the game well so he makes it look easier that it is - and the performance can be  easily overlooked.Overall, I''m still not sure what our best line-up is or where some players best fit in. We may have some more clues on Saturday. The pre-season injury list has been a bit worrying as missing some or all preseason training can be difficult to recover. My main concern is at Centre back - Bassong has been a star in that position and I''m not sure how long it will take before he is back fit enough to come back into the team. Turner looked a little rusty (fair play he been injured) but I think we look a little short of quality in depth there. Someone to compete with Wessi for the creative spark would be really nice too.

I''ll be delighted if they improve the PA system at Carra. I go to quite a lot of matches in Europe and frankly I can often understand what they are saying better than at carrow Road. Now all we have to do is get some competent announcers to replace the gabbling clowns we normally have - and, please, if we are going to have goal music, could they start it up straight away after a goal (sometimes last season it seemed to be coming on just in time for the teams lining up to restart -  perhaps they were not expecting us to score but thats no excuse)

Foggy - I have also heard various rumours about what is possible from people who are supposedly in the know, including the scenario you quoted. I guess that my point is - wouldn''t it be nice if the club gave us just a little info (as hard fact) about what the practical options were (and what was not possible). It isnt going to be commercially sensitive info but would be nice to know. Looking at the club''s finances I would be happier with relatively smaller increments to increase capacity - if that were possible. But we dont know if it is possible or not. Is demolishing the main stand and a complete rebuild the only option. If so it may be quite a time before we could comfortably manage that without putting team development at risk.In the meantime we shall be like mushrooms.

Thanks Cornish - interesting. There must be several avenues to generate funds to offset some of the costs of the Academy as well as the obvious. Of course, when we are more established with a stronger all round team in all positions it will be easier to integrate the young up and coming products of the Academy into the first team squad without putting too much pressure on them - or the rest of the team. I am on balance optimistic about the youth set-up but not going to put too high expectations on them too soon. And after all - Crewe did a decent job of producing decent players which helped them along for many years.

An interesting summary, Purple.On the youth set-up, I have often wondered about what is the true value and cost-effectiveness of the top grade Academy status. There are substantial costs and the benefits are not certain. This has some link with our Premier League status. Some posters have suggested that some recent graduates from the youth set-up (like Korey Smith and Tom Adeyemi) might well have been in our squad at Champs level but probably too big a step for the Prem. The academy may produce some good players but will it generate the gems that can compete at this level. A friend suggested to me that Academies were a bit of a vanity project for some clubs. I see where he is coming from but I wouldnt agree as a generality - and not for NCFC. There is a requirement for including a certain number of "home grown" players in the squad and the cost of such players even from the lower leagues is astronomical in some cases - especially compared to comparable players from overseas (at least in the short term). So I guess that trying to uncover some gems is worth while - if risky. If we do I hope the fans will have patience with them. So, overall I''m in favour but cautious re cost.Increasing the capacity is a perennial debate. Perhaps the club can help to clear up some basic queries that do the rounds each time the subject comes up. Fortress Carrow Road probably applies more than anything to the amount of information that can get out to fans these days. I appreciate that some information is commercially sensitive and we would not want information public which gives our competitors an advantage but surely there are areas where the club could be more engaged with supporters. Could the club not simply tell us, for example, whether the foundations and structure for Jarrold stand can (or cannot) support another tier or other expansion. Ditto the City Stand - can a "fulham style" cantilever tier over the existing structure be achieved etc. (I believe what Mr Bowkett actually said was that knocking down and replacing the whole Cty Stand was the preferred option - not the only one). It would be a little bit of positive PR for the club to engage with the fans without any commercial harm on a matter which is an important issue and oft debated.Your summary says it all. I think we are in a decent place right now. We have a good base and can move forward with reasonable confidence. Staying in the Premier League is always going to be a challenge - the margins are so fine that only a few clubs will not even contemplate the risk of relegation as a possibility. But there are many clubs who will be no better than us and several who are worse. Each year we get stronger.

We could argue about the influence of the fixture list until the cows come home. What about those fixtures where a team has a big cup game (even a final) as the next game - does that affect the team selection and / or the motivation of the players. Or what about a team that has just played a game in the far reaches of Eastern Europe mid-week and then has to go away to play in the Prem - are they more likely to get beaten (Mr Wenger seems to think so, for one). There are lots of accidental factors which affect results - injury to key players at crucial times, a ''flu bug decimating the team etc - and in a league where the margins are so slim between success and failure, especially in that mid/lower end of the table, that these can have a significant effect on the position short and long-term. The end of season games are just one element in the lottery. They rarely turn out how they look at the beginning of the season. Most teams - and certainly most players - will have something to play for right up to the end (if only to influence what happens next season). There are exceptions but the majority will not be on any beach - and if they are, it''s only one random element in a season full of random influences on games. To succeed you need to be good - and lucky.

If the suggestion that the players stood up to the manager and took matters into their own hands and that "they don''t have faith in the manager" then I would expect the Board to sack CH without delay and I will be looking out for that announcement shortly. However, if it''s not true then it''s a really malicious bit of muck stirring and does no credit to those peddling it.  Inevitably, some players will be less happy playing for one manager or in one system rather than another - but that''s true at most clubs. If they are truly unhappy and see no chance it will get better they will put in a transfer request. Time will tell - we should see some evidence very soon.Good points by Jim Smith. I would have expected that Hughton and McNally would have regular meetings and McN would have made it very clear (at points throughout the season) what he and the Board felt about progress, performance etc. I expect Hughton would listen. Ditto Hughton would listen to players - but ultimately come to his own decisions based on all the info and experience / knowledge that he has. He will have learned a lot this year - most managers are constantly learning - and the last few games will have given him an insight into some different sides to his players. Of course we should be proud of our players. It''s a very tough league and they have given their all - and been successful. Performances overall have been mixed but they have given us some great moments again. The fact is that they have taken us to nearly halfway up the top league in England (and supposedly the top league in Europe). Not bad. Next season will be another tough battle but we should be in a better position to go forward.

Completely agree with Rudi on this one. Many of the first choice players look very tired - we have had an intense,  tough programme over Christmas / New year and they need some time to catch up and regroup. A break away would be a good idea but even if we dont they should be given a breather - and allow some other squad players a chance to shine (including giving the amazing Mr Fox to demonstrate what some think we have been missing).I''ll be there against Luton and I wont feel short-changed if we field the second string. ore important will be to have a refreshed first team out against Spurs.

I think freefall is putting it a bit too strong right now - but the recent performances do give reasonable cause for concern. Some of our players were looking a bit tired mentally and physically towards the end of the Christmas period. Those signs were even clearer against Newcastle and to me it looked like several players were pacing themselves carefully in the first half to make sure they had enough in the second half. I saw the game against Liverpool and frankly we looked knackered as well as inept - probably the 2 are connected. Our poor passing lately looks tired and lacking the concentration and energy of earlier in the season alongside a didtict lack of movement off the ball to give decent targets to pass to. Some players look as if they need resting. The trouble is we actually have a pretty thin squad in terms of genuine quality. Our best 11 + subs is good enough when they are on their game but there is little depth to draw on to rotate the squad, give some a rest and change tactics significantly. If we go on as we are we will be drawn close to trouble. We do need some new players - decent quality - to give the lads a hand (Ha).   This transfer window is important to reinforce the strikers (so we can rest Holt or play 2 up front who are complementary and effective) and in midfield (again to rest and rotate the lineup and offer a different setup where necessary).  Then we have a good chance of getting over the line comfortably and building again towards next season.But it''s easy to see how we might miss out on Hooper and Graham (who may not move or go somewhere else - there is plenty of competition). We may be limited to plan A on the pitch because of the players available now but I hope we have Plan B and Plan C for the transfer window. Am I worried - yes. I can see the transfer sagas going to the wire and us ending up empty handed in that last mad lottery. The existing squad is good enough to see us through but need a decent break and a lot of luck with injuries etc - which isnt going to happen. If we get some quality reinforcements we are OK - if not it will be close and I dont want to go to Man City on the last day needing 3 points!!

It might be the right time for Morison to move on anyway. Clearly nothing he could do now would satisfy some fans that he''s worth a place in the squad. a fresh start somewhere else may be good for him and release a space for us to get someone new in - hopefully an upgrade!!. If he went to Villa I hope there would be a clause to prevent him playing against us for the rest of this season - it probably irrational but its just typical if he suddenly had a brilliant game against us a scored.Good luck to him if he goes.If he stays - even better luck to him.

I thought that the comp for Culverhouse and Karsa had been agreed earlier - ie before they were released, so I expected that this agreement related only to Lambert''s contract. However SDP may have more accurate info.Overall I''m not bothered now. So long as we didnt end up losing a significant sum of money its probably neither here nor there in the big financial picture for us. However, it seems clear that much of the bluster from Villa / Lambert was just that - just talking it up. Apparently we didnt have major flaws in his contract as some thought possible.We have moved on - well, I have anyway.

damn! Fulham (away)!!

In a spare moment, I thought I''d compare the points gained so far with the points from the same fixtures last season. We have lost against Fulham (h) Newcastle (a) and Liverpool (h) so far. We also lost the same fixtures last season.We have draws against QPR (h) and Spurs (a). Last season we won both games.We drew with West Ham (h) Sustitute one of the relegated teams - Blackburn is the first to spring to mind  which was also a draw. Overall the difference is  that we have drawn 2 games that we won last season - one of those being away at Spurs.You could add in that we have got through 2 rounds of the Cap One cup but last season we had been dumped out by MK Dons first time out.Don''t get me wrong, I''m disappointed with  this season so far but having looked at it another way I''m not quite so disappointed. If nothing else it does highlight that were difficult fixtures and we didnt get much from them last time around. However our haul from the next 4 fixtures (Chelsea (a) Arsenal (h) Villa (a) and Stoke (h) was a grand 1 point last season. So comparing the same fixtures for the 2 seasons - the first 10 games scheduled this year gave us 8 points in last season. We have played 6 of the 10 so far getting 3 points. What chance of getting 5 points from the next 4 games ??This all might mean nothing and its all from memory. Just a thought .

Spot on Nutty. I can remember many times over the last 3 seasons when the team sheet appeared and hearing comments of amazement and disbelief at Lamberts selections - and I think there may have even been a few comments on here querying whether Lambo knew what his best line up was. He was brilliant for us and it worked most of the time but selections and tactics were not always to everyone''s liking. Truth is that managers see the players in training and have information about injuries that we dont have but that info would make some of those decisions make more sense to us. Also Managers may have a preferred line up in mind but not be able to play that one because some players are not fit etc. Also managers may rotate the squad for other reasons.Lambert worked with most of those players for a while and was well aware what they could - and could not - do well, which combinations work best etc . I suspect Hughton is still on that journey. Some key players havent played yet this season - I hope that when they are available we may be able to see a more consistent pattern - though I''m sure there will still be the usual routine changes for injury, form and tactics.Still we all know what the best line up is don''t we !!!

I thnk they both share some responsibility. It was a silly pass from Garrido (when he had other options) but it wasnt a suicidal pass and Turner should still have had time to deal with it comfortably. Unfortunately Turner seems that he doesnt concentrate all the time as much as he should and it looked like one of those time so he didnt control the ball well and didnt seem to be aware of where Suarez was. Both garrido and turner should have been aware of Suarez and where he was. Between them they gave liverpool a chance at a crucial time when I felt that we were just starting to get at them a bit. I still think that if we had scored to level at 1-1 Liverpool''s confidence may have been seriously rocked.  It was bad enough giving them an early lead but gifting the second goal did wonders for Liverpools fragile confidence and they didnt look back from there.  Garrido and Turner both contributed to put us under pressure and concede unnecessarily. (However they wont be the only Prem defenders to make a Horlicks of a simple situation this season)

Generally agree with this Salopian. Surman is much as last year and can be very good at times in a game. Wes has the capacity to be brilliant at time - his close control and ability to go past / through players is great but he does sometimes want to do everything himself when the better choice is to move the ball on quickly (which we dont do enough) and does sometimes give the ball away needlessly in dangerous places. Both are very creative but I dont think we can accommodate both in the team at the same time. Howson definitely looks better when he is on the front foot and when he starts looking for the ball from our defenders and moving it forward he looks real quality.  With other players getting fit and ready to come in, getting the right balance in midfield and playing to the strengths of the individaula players as well as getting a solid structure for the team will be a tricky balancing act I have been impressed by Garrido and Bassong. I really hope Bassong''s injury is not bad because we need him. If he isnt fit I would like to see Russ martin back in CB as he showed last year that he can perform well there and (importantly) has the ability to organise the defence. Turner has been disappointing but he was regularly selected by MoN last season and didnt appear to be that bad. Sadly its going to be difficult for him (or any player) to recover ground after this nightmare start. Snodgrass has been really disappointing. He is good in patches but he just doesnt look too fit at present and fades in and out of the game - hopefully more to come. Tetty has a part to play but I thought on saturday that he looked as if he still needs to adjust to the pace of the rem. A very good prospect but I''m not sure where he fits in yet.Looking forward to seeing Pilks and Benno back in contention. Both are very capable and would add something better to what we have now. I dont think we saw the best of either of them last year - I got the impression that they were told that only one could go forward at a time and that in the first half at least they rarely strayed beyong the halfway line. perhaps thats an exaggeration but they didnt make too many marauding attacks - though when they did they looked very good. I agree that they would offer a good - better - option than Surman and Snoddy at this stage. I hope that when some of the injured players come back into contention we might see a more balanced and settled lineup.

I agree with much of PC''s comments. The time under Lambert was brilliant - the right manager at the right time. It was always going to be difficult to maintain that sort of momentum and meet the raised expectations (which I suspect was the conclusion Lambert reached). Choosing a manager is always difficult - and always has a big element of risk.  If you have oodles of money you can afford to shop at the level of the market where there are proven and consistent successful managers and the risk is less -  but even the big clubs with megabucks get it wrong often enough. Our choice came from a riskier area and all of the other candidates touted then or now had significant downsides as well as positives. For me there is a bit of a mythology problem that affects some of the discussions on here. Lambert was not perfect - he did get his tactics wrong on occasions, he left out players that many thought should be first on the team sheet and persevered with others that some thought were useless (or worse) and we did turn in some pretty aweful performances last season alongside the great ones. Don''t get me wrong - I thought Lambert and his management team were brilliant for us but I don''t buy the myth that he could not make a mistake. However the myth makes the new managers job a lot more difficult (just like for a long time Ruddy was "never as good" as Forster whatever he did). Likewise some seem to believe that the "ruthless and streetwise" duo of Bowkett and McNally can also never make a mistake. Its an illusion but if you believe it, (or perhaps base decisions on it blindly) someday it may come back to bite you on the backside. Overall I think the the club is being run well  - but I want the decisions and the future development of the club to be based on practical and realistic decisions and not on myth or wild assumptions.We did spend a fair bit on transfers (and no doubt inceased wages) . How well that was spent remains to be seen. However Bassong and Garrido look like good investments so far but the jury is out on others so far for me. I would have liked to see a better / different striker of quality (I heard we were very close to signing someone up to very late on and that was where some big money was going but it didnt work out at the latest stage , hence CMS etc). Whether Hughton didnt rate Vaughan or whether Vaughan hadnt settled and wanted away (as rumoured) we dont know - but it seems strange to me that CH played him so much in pre-season if he didnt rate him.I expect we still have a significant pot to spend in January and overall it looks to me that the Board have made available significant more than last year.There have been money problems of one sort or another at NCFC for most of the near 50 years that I have been supporting the club - and it has often had a big impact on the team and the level we have played at. Recently the significant hard debt had been a millstone round our neck and I dont blame those who think it''s a priority to get rid of that burden so we have a better platform for the future. (I know we are contractually bound to pay it back by May 2013 but it makes sense in many ways in any case). Perhaps that''s because I have been through the frustrations of seeing my team suffer because of financial problems too often in the past.  I agree with PC that splashing out money we dont have on the chance we might get it back (or NOT) is madness. I dont see an obvious replacement for Hughton (even if the Board decided to bite that bullet). Other candidates are few and carry equal risks. Can Hughton keep us up? Probably yes. There are a number of good players  who have been out injured and yet to be in regular contention - and are better than some of those who have been playing this season. There are several teams who look as if they will struggle this season  - I dont disagree with PC''s list and I am unconvinced by Sunderland and WBA but they both may have a bit more than the others. However it will be a tough season. It was always going to be whoever was in charge. 

I saw some a few real positives against Ajax. Vaughan looked very impressive - mobile, quick and strong. He caused the Ajax defence some real problems and several times they had to resort to fouling to stop him. Good to see Tierney back and looked in good shape. Nice to see Morison come on with a smile on his face and looked a lot more mobile than last half of last season - hopefully over any injury problems. Bennets (E &R) both had good games. Holty was still carrying a few extra pounds but looked fitter and sharper than this time last year. On the whole our defence coped well against a very good team who are some weeks ahead in preparation. Ajax pressed and closed us down quickly. We defended deep and found it difficult to work the ball out easily. The 2 DMs were also very deep (at times almost on the CBs toes) so didnt really offer much to the back four as an outlet. There were some nice passing from the FBs to wide midfielders but otherwise there was a lot of long balls out because there wasnt much else on. When  Russell Martin and Tierney went off and Lappin came on and R. Bennet moved to RB we seemed to struggle a bit more - Lapps got mugged a few times and Bennet kept moving in to nearer his normal CB position. To me it looks like we need anothe FB as cover / competition. In the end it was just a pre-season friendly. It''s work-in-progress and I''m confident we will do well again this season. The game against BM on the 11th will be a better indication of where we are going.

Dead right Broadstairs. But again, I suspect that we would only get a decent sum for naming rights if the potential investor was reasonable certain that we would be in the Prem for a while and get the sort of brand exposure they would need to justify putting up a decent sum of money. Which means that there must be a continued stream of decent sums of money, year on year, for the "football department" to keep the team competitive. And round and round it goes.

Bowkett and McNally seem to think that an increased capacity is necessary - presumable to make the club more self-financing. But it involves spending a substantial amount of money on the assumption / hope that it will generate substantial income to repay the cost in a reasonable time and add income to the club. That assumes that you can fill those seats (or most of them most of the time) at a reasonable price - and that the additional capacity doesnt have an adverse effect on the pricing structure. In the ideal world I would like to see additional capacity provided in increments - a little at a time to minimise the risk. It looks as if we are running out of options on that front and the rebuild of the City stand is now the only option. But - and its a big but - we would lose a significant amount of capacity while the old stand is demolished - for what ...say a season and a half at least. That''s another cost as well as risking that some punters that cant get thier regular dose of heaven and hell at Carra will just get out of the habit / not come back. If it were possible to put some additional capacity on the top / back of the Jarrold, use it as additional capacity initially and then use it to decant the survivors of the City Stand when its being done over then that may provide a better continuity (but more expensive overall). I guess thats not possible?However key to all this is maintaining and increasing the numbers turning up to see matches. We can argue to hell and back about whats likely but the scenario which gives us the best chance is if we stay up in the Prem and fans can see a good competive side acheiving good results. So you have also got to find some money (on top of capital and interest payments) to maintain and improve the squad - good transfers, decent wage structure etc. A very difficult balancing act - and as has been said one of the most important (possibly the most important) decision for the Board over the next 2-3 years. I''m all for some additional capacity - but I am very wary of some of the potential consequences if we get this wrong. The timing may be the critical issue. I would not be expecting the bulldozers in at the end of next season - there will be a lot of planning issues etc to be resolved for a start. It would not surprise me to see that this development may be held off for a year or two yet.

Must admit Wiz that I was expecting something more like his predecessor. You know, like laughing and joking, possibly doing the sword dance in the centre circle while singing "Eye of the Tiger" (accompanying himself on accordian and spoons)  and then a comedy monologue slagging off all his previous employers and predicting a top 4 finish next season.Instead we got a calm and professional interview from an experienced manager who made some suitable and sensible comments. Seriously, no-one knows quite how things will work out. I''ve been supporting this club for around 50 years and most managers we have appointed have met with mixed reactions initially. Some worked out - some didnt. Its always a bit of a gamble but Chris Hughton has a decent record. He is our manager now and deserves to have our support.

Blahx3 - agreed, the timing and cost of the new capacity is a really difficult challenge. If not done right it could actually be anothe millstone round our neck that holds us back from developing on the field. At the end of next season - if we stay up we have a bit of breathing space financially. That''s all. With our (relatively) limited finances its likely that we shall have to develop as a club more slowly and carefully than if we had the billions that some of the top clubs have.  I believe we can get there - but its going to require some very clever decisions to make that happen.

As others have said, it looks like the market for lower league hungry and talented players is now attracting seriously inflated price tags. There are probably still some gems there but its going to take an increasing amount of work to find them and get them at the right price. Perhaps CH may have a few in mind from last season. Its more likely that the "gems" can be found in Europe and I hope Ewan Chester may have a few names. They should be no more of a risk that home grown players provided that, as Bethnal said, they are properly assessed before we buy. Anyway we already have Ayala and many on this Board were very keen to sign Pacheco.