Ian

Which was obviously the sensible decision - it made absolutely no strategic sense for Knapper to rip things up at that stage. I never had any doubt Wagner would be given some time. That said, I think things have changed very quickly since Knapper has been in the door and would not be surprised to see the situation reappraised extremely soon.

As a professional organisation aware of the vital nature of 3 points, I would really hope this isn't the case. That said, the way Farke's sacking was handled did set alarm bells ringing. I can't really remember the club taking ownership and responsibility when things aren't going well previously. Wagner definitely a fall guy, but he and Smith didn't hire themselves.

You've got to admit it's bizarre that Onel and Fassnacht were kept on as long as they were today though, and really difficult to justify from a sporting perspective. It isn't unusual for someone who has lost the dressing room to play those who show loyalty and "buy-in" as opposed to those who could do the best job for the squad.

I can't see how Wagner turns things around after tonight. Too many indefensible tactical decisions imply this is a man who has run out of ideas. Honestly, the performance tonight was worse than anything under Smith, and I don't think Knapper has any choice other than to act. There is quite literally no point in the club employing Knapper if he doesn't have autonomy - to all the conspiracy theorists suggesting he is in the pocket of other employees, why bother? Adams could just have been promoted internally if that was the case.

Very interesting. It is very difficult to find another logical argument as to why Fassnacht was kept on tonight. The guy has good quality, but the game was crying out for someone capable of pressing and breaking fast tonight, particularly after we went 2-0 up. The fact he stayed on the pitch despite looking totally shot and providing zero cover (and I mean absolutely zero) down our right, when we did have options off the bench, is very very odd. Wagner is clearly not an idiot so there has to be a strategic reason he kept Fassnacht on despite Watford having an absolute pile-on on Stacey 2v1 for the majority of the first half. I don't consider myself a football tactician but this was so glaringly obvious things must be less than harmonious behind the scenes.

I think you're wrong. End product is no doubt a well-discussed weakness, but in general Hernandez has been very good at holding the ball up and keeping possession. A strong player capable of turning his man at this level. Definitely hasn't looked good since he came back from injury, but other than that you're wider of the mark than one of his shots.

I don't think it's scapegoating, but there was a good chance we won that game tonight if we could hold out until at least half time. We have seen numerous times this season the debilitating effect conceding a goal has on our mentally weak squad, so it was disappointing to see us gift this one up so easily. That said, our defence were so unbelievably bad at stopping shots and crosses coming into the box it really wasn't a surprise we shipped 3 goals again tonight. I wouldn't blame Long, but he did have the opportunity to win us the game tonight.

Yeah, that's a great point when all other 10 players tonight were so wonderful at keeping possession.

Pacy, direct, physical, dedicated, probably on reasonable wages? If you want someone to come on and stretch play against a tiring defence I have seen far worse options over the last couple of decades.

Fair to say Krul and Gunn to Gunn and Long is a bigger downgrade than we might have realised. Genuinely believe we wouldn't be shipping the ****e we are shipping right now if someone with Krul's personality was between the sticks.

Absolutely not, a good option off the bench. Can't understand why he's starting, looks absolutely bereft of any sort of belief.

I was quite positive we might turn the corner tonight, given previous wins and perhaps a little momentum. I don't think anybody can justify how bad that actually was. There was a huge sense of inevitability even before Watford's first goal, and it was clear to literally everyone watching except our coaching staff that we were getting obliterated. It is really, really very concerning we kept things the same for so long even though we had so many warning shots. The fact that Fassnacht stayed on despite contributing nothing defensively makes me wonder if Wagner has actually lost the dressing room and is playing those who show a sense of loyalty, because I cannot for the life of me work out why he and Hernandez stayed on as long as they did otherwise. We really looked like we had no idea or game plan despite being 2-0 up after 20 minutes.

So you're saying the tactics were wrong then?

That was a really worrying defeat. The goal was coming for a very long time yet no changes were made to our style and patterns of play.

Four absolutely abysmal goals defensively

Has fassnacht been told not to defend or something? Unreal how we are 2-0 up and the wingers are sauntering around letting Watford have the ball with ease.

It's going to be a clinical display.

I reckon this is going to be a staggering 1-3 away win, corner turned. 🙂

Look, first rule of supporting NCFC: When we get 3 points but play badly, performances are all that matter. When we put in a good performance but lose, points are all that matter. Second rule of supporting NCFC: When we play young players and play badly, we need more experience. When (through injury or otherwise) we play more experienced players, even if we win, it's very concerning that our starting line-up consists of mostly a bunch of old cloggers. Pretty dire match to watch, but I can't think of many examples in the past where teams have been so low on confidence and form that they have overnight been able to turn in the whole package of performances and results. Big week for the squad now - away from the pressure of Carrow Road, if the team can keep the results going but provide some of the high-octane football we saw towards the start of the season more people may believe we are turning a corner.

Don't agree with the OP. It was a dreadful game to watch, but QPR certainly didn't play through our midfield in the way many teams have done this season. Not to say they weren't threatening from wide areas (Chair), and perhaps it was down to QPR's impotence more than anything else, but I feel we did look more solid than we have done.

Unhinged comment.

Kenny himself is not the problem when compared to other players around him, but the fact he is first name of the team sheet speaks volumes.

Yeah they've been unbelievably productive this match. Definitely head and shoulders above McLean

Not actually noticed Nunez or Sara make a tackle this half. At least Kenny actually puts a shift in.

That's not the Norwich fans.