Ha ya got a loight boy?

The simple answer is for the players to be flexible, crossing wings sometimes during matches to give the opposition something different to look at.

[quote user="QHcanary"][quote user="Herman "]I don''t know if your simply on a wind-up or really believe they are in a safer situation than us.[/quote] I wouldn''t bother trying to reason with him. Highland Canary simply can''t accept that it''s quite unlikely we''ll be relegated. Now he claims QPR will be fine. He''s either a troll or a moron.[/quote] A bit harsh, I think.   Negative attitude he may have, some people do, but Villa and QPR are showing signs of life.  I wouldn''t write them off either.  We have to start showing a bit more signs of life too if we want to stay above the pack.   

Never say never.   Going out on loan covers all bases.   He could find a team that would want to buy him,. or he could make himself match fit and ready to slot back into a role at Norwich.   The fact there are so many going out on loans, short and long term is a testament to the quality of the players in that other clubs want them to play for them.     As others have said Barnett has done nothing wrong and did look good when partnering Bassong early in the season.   We have plenty of good central defenders on the books and they have all looked more secure when playing with Bassong.  I would be happy to see him again in the first team alongside Bassong if needed and think its ill advised to write off our  players, just because they aren''t in the first team.  However, that said, if he does well for Cardiff and they or anyone else want to buy him, he would attract a good fee as a result.Its a win win situation.

quote user="Javier''s Deaf Translator"   "yes, because all he does is fall, like when last weekend he cut through 2 defenders, cut past the keeper, and was unlucky to have a final defender run though him. it is a horrid idea to put a player who has consistently won player of the month for our club to a side he is less effective on." That''s putting a very glossy picture on it.   What actually happened was he tried to take on too many and then simply lost control of the ball.  The opportunity to shoot had been there beforehand, he just didn''t go for it.    Perhaps he''s been taking lessons off  Wes................

I suspect Villa will be ok now.     Lambert is talking the talk and has something to latch on to, now he''s out of the relegation zone.   He will always be competitive, wherever he goes.  

[quote user="Highland Canary"]This weekend... Villa to beat QPR Liverpool to beat Soton Utd to beat Reading Wigan and Newcastle to draw. There a 12 page thread on our match...[/quote] Yes, and hardly any of it about the actual match.

I don''t think we will, really.  0-0 for me. I''m just fed up with seeing the "we will lose" thread    [:)]

This is a really interesting thread.   I am sure a large proportion of people that support Norwich had no choice in the matter, if you were born in and around Norwich there wasn''t much option, especially if your family were long term supporters.  To actually choose the club, or fall in love with it from a distance, is slightly different.    For one thing it shows what an attractive club we are (at our best) to bring in people from such a wide area.   It also shows that Norwich is not just a "club for local people" as some would have you believe.   that view is so parochial its pathetic and fails to embrace people that are just as passionate about the club as those that had no choice through an accident of birth.  I always thought I was lucky to have been born in Norwich because it meant I had a great club to follow.   Looking at this thread shows it is not necessary to have been born here to be a passionate City fan.  It confirms NCFC is a club of worldwide interest and we have a fanbase that covers the  world.    Brilliant.

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]We could always play Snod on the left and Benno on the right on Sunday. By all accounts Snodgrass is equally effective on the left as the right.[/quote] That would be interesting.   Its not really any gamble, either, because they could swap sides at any time, but  I suspect Hughton will want to keep things tight, as usual and not experiment anymore until we are 100% safe.     But it would be better than putting Wes on the left.  

Eliot Bennett scored a terrific goal against Spurs last year.   It was something we had all been waiting for, as we knew he had it in him.    Since then though he hasn''t really had many chances to shine.     The one time I remember he took on his man and beat him, he got pulled down (qpr, I think) but it just showed he does have the pace to trouble defences.    He just needs to do it more often.   I''m not convinced Snodgrass is everything he''s made out to be - his final ball is often poor and his decision making is sometimes less than good - Holt tends to stay out of the way when Snodgrass has the ball, waiting for a cross or getting in a good position - but he rarely gets given the ball because Snodgrass hangs on to it  too long, or puts in a poor cross.  Not really knocking Snodgrass because he has put in some good performances, its just  I would like to see Bennett given a run in the side as I feel he has a special ability that some of the others don''t possess - pace and a terrific shot.  Its just that we don''t see it enough from him.    

[quote user="SYG"]Not with Holt in the team we won''t[/quote] Rubbish.     Holt is not the problem.    The supply from midfield is the problem.   Haven''t you been watching the matches?    Holt is a goal scorer and give him the chances and he will put them away.   There simply hasn''t been enough quality in midfield to give him those opportunities.  Any striker will struggle if they don''t get the service.

[quote user="canarygirl"]Yes I think when it became evident that we would not get Hooper we took a calculated risk.I have no doubt that we wanted Hooper but when it became clear that Celtic were not going let him go, other than for presumably a stupid figure, we made a judgement. We had to consider what value we could get for our money in the summer, against the risk of going down if we didn''t sign him. I think we made the right decision. With regard the whole window, the fact that we failled to sign someone like Hooper when clearly we wanted this type of player must make our performance during the window an F.[/quote] Its all about intent.   By showing our intentions to spend we are sending out a message that we are out to stay in this division and progress.   It doesn''t matter we didn''t get Hooper or that we may not get him in the future.   It is raising the stakes.   if we stay in the division the message is there - we will want to be buying quality and are prepared to pay for it.  Calling the performance in the window an F is a little harsh imo.    Kamara and Becchio are quality additions to the squad and could well make the difference to the end of the season.  Kamara almost single handedly got us back into the Everton match.  3 points we wouldn''t have otherwise got.   So how does that equate to an F ?  

Stoke have made their style of football their own and have now been doing it year after year for several years.   This is the first season we have tried to be genuine premiership quality with the ability to compete with every club in the league.     By and large we have competed with the big clubs (Liverpool excepted) and this is the future if we are to stay in the league.  We have to be able to compete at all levels of the league.   As it is only our first season doing this (last season was a one off, Lambert''s last stand) we have done what is necessary.  We have tightened up at the back to a large degree.   What has to happen is that in the future we have to build on this defensive strength and have players that are more capable in midfield of holding on to the ball and delivering more quality passes and crosses.   There simply has not been enough quality going forward.  If Hughton cannot provide this, the Norwich fans won''t stand for it and  if we are playing the same way as we have been over the last few games over the next two years, there will be a revolution.I believe he can provide this and develop the team as an attacking force and he will be a manager here for a good long spell.  In that case we could look back at this season and see how important a stage it was in our development as a top flight club.   When we developed in the late 80''s early 90''s, you could see how solid, confident and established we had become - but it took a few years to achieve.   Stoke we are not.  Stoke are stuck in a mentality they cannot get out of, we are merely passing through a stage in our development on to better things.  We have to be, as us fans won''t accept anything less.

Why don''t people get there five minutes earlier and start singing before the twonk on the microphone.  That''s what used to happen.  

[quote user="City1st"]"if we don''t get any points in the next two or three matches then we could be sucked in to a battle?"    and if we do get points in our next two or thre games we could still be in the battle for 9th place, how come we never hear about that, after all we a 9 points from the former and 7 from the latter ? [/quote]   Don''t know.   We are mid table therefore could go up or down.   I simply don''t know why people can''t accept that.   We''re not safe yet and yet if we play well we could end up in the top ten.   Why we have to latch on to things I don''t know.  We could go up the table, we could go down the table. It ain''t rocket science.      

Not sure what your problem is crabby, but it is only natural to be concerned with our league position.  Why we have to think we are safe now  I don''t know.    Are you so insecure that you can''t handle the thought that if we don''t get any points in the next two or three matches then we could be sucked in to a battle?    The onus is on the team to perform and get points,  but like any other team, if they don''t they will go down the table.   A couple of wins and we could be in the top ten by the end of the season.   I don''t blame anyone for being a little concerned, particularly given the lack of attacking ability shown in the last two games.  Maybe it is you that is insecure and needs the nappy........[;)]

[quote user="Wiz"][quote user="Ha ya got a loight boy"]If you''re a supporter, its a life long thing.    I don''t understand those that say they won''t go to  matches anymore or won''t renew their season tickets.   You  might find it difficult to watch at times, but its all part of being a supporter.    You can only really appreciate the good times if you stick with it through the rough times.   [/quote]   Because they''re hard up maybe? [/quote] Maybe, but that''s not my point,  its those who stop going because things aren''t going well on the pitch that I would question.   The support is needed more when things are going badly than when things are going well. 

[quote user="Dicky"]  How on earth are we in the rough times???? We are in the Prem, should comfortably survive another year, have a new, young manager who is building his team, have beaten Man U, Arsenal, Spurs etc, have the likes of Bassong, Turner, Snoddy, Ruddy.... I could go on. Talk about unrealistic expectations. If you can''t enjoy being a Norwich fan at the moment, I would give up - this is as good as it gets. Thankfully, times like this shed some of the plastic fans.[/quote] If you are enjoying the lack of attacking play then good for you.   Its not pretty, and yes its a tough or rough watch at the moment, or whatever you want to call it.   I''m not being unrealistic, just saying that good or bad you stick with it. 

Given that our forward play hasn''t been that great, how about sticking last year''s midfield and front men on the pitch and see what happens.Bennett Fox Johnson Pilkington           Hoolahan              Holt   . Give Snodgrass a break.     He is good on his day, but is the balance of the team wrong when he is not on his game?We had no problem scoring last season so if you stick this year''s defence with last year''s attack then things should start to happen.   Simplistic, maybe but  it could work.

If you''re a supporter, its a life long thing.    I don''t understand those that say they won''t go to  matches anymore or won''t renew their season tickets.   You  might find it difficult to watch at times, but its all part of being a supporter.    You can only really appreciate the good times if you stick with it through the rough times.  

Family life is family life and should remain private.    Holt is undoubtedly a family man and I think its a bit risky to start going down the route of blaming his family circumstances for whatever he might or might not be doing on the pitch.   People seem to think they can write Holt off in everything that he does and the family moving card is just another stick to beat him with.    I think Butler was right to stop the discussion on family circumstances, which is just gossip.  People seem to want to knock Holt, even though for a lot of us he is still the man that gives everything for the cause.  Just get behind our captain and recognise him for what he does on the pitch.    He might have an off day on the pitch occasionally, but so do all players from time to time.  When Holt has a bad match or makes a mistake, there is a section of our fans who immediately write him off  and  start the "overweight" "doesn''t try hard enough" stuff.    Its embarrassing and you don''t have a clue.

[quote user="Hannibal II"]I have in previous years been to as many away games as i can muster usually about 10 or so but i have decided now i will no longer be wasting my money on away games so long as Hughton is our manager. I am completely at a loss as to why i should be paying £100, or there abouts to go to an away game when our manager does not even set out his team to try and win the game. It is such a contrast to the way we played football last season where we attacked teams and played to a majority of our players strengths. I was proud to be a Norwich fan last year with the way we played, this year i am almost disgusted with the way we play. It seems we are fast becoming the new Stoke and if this is so i shall give up my season ticket too. Norwich have always had a tradition of being a proper footballing side but If we go 1-0 down nowi think to myself "well thats it we are not going to score two goals in a game" where as before i have always felt we had that ability. It is not that i dislike Hughton as a man or even as a manager for another team. I just feel his footballing philosophy is not one i agree with or how i would like my team to play.[/quote] Did you go to Swansea??

Imo he''s an automatic choice because he is recognised as the front man that causes the most problems to the opposition.   No he hasn''t scored as many goals this season,  but his value to the team is much much more than just the goals he scores.   The amount of  flack he gets from a section of our fans is frankly embarrassing given his contribution to the team, which always way more than any of our other strikers.  He roughs defenders up, he is a good link man and his defensive contribution is often undervalued.   He is captain and automatic choice because he is the best man for the job.  The system is different and he has adapted.  Goals are hard to come by this season, but he is not entirely to blame.  The midfield is not yet up to speed and is more worthy of people''s concern.  As for working harder, I don''t think you''ll find a Norwich player who puts more effort for the cause than Holt.   

The most likely result is 0-0.  Another point away from home.  0-0 would actually be a super result.   

[quote user="Zak Burger"]Well BlyBly cast your mind back to the 1978-1979 season in the First Division with John Bond in the managers position. As a club we''d only been in the top tier a handful of years had already been relegated then re-promoted so were relative minnows in amongst the big fish.That year we dug deep in a war of attrition, we didn''t win many seven to be precise but we didn''t lose that many either. We finished the season comfortably safe from the relegation spots on 37 points coming from 7 wins at 2 points each and 23 draws at a point each.Let''s just rewind a minute did I say 23 draws???? Yes I''m sure you''ll remember the year we just didn''t seem to do anything other than draw but do you know what history shows us?That the 78-79 year was possibly the year that consolidated our status as a top flight club for the next decade and a half through the most succesful period in our history. Had we gone back down that year we''d have been a yoyo club at best, we just didn''t have the resources to compete with the big clubs so survival as now was the primary target for the year.  It wasn''t pretty and truth be told much of it wasn''t very entertaining but we came out of it strong enough to survive and bounce straight back when we did next go down. I dread to think what would have been said by Wiz and his acolytes had this message board existed back then but the undeniable fact is that by not losing games we survived in the old first division and established ourselves as a top flight club.We do have the benefit of hindsight with which to measure John Bond, statistically he was our "most negative" manager ever during the 78/79 season with those 23 draws, the long game proved him to be one of our most successful managers ever and a manager who passed a top flight legacy on to his successors.We were away a long time, Lamberts season was a tilt at glory nothing ventured but Hughtons time would appear to mirror the period beginning in August 1978 where relegation would likely have condemned us to flipflopping every few years at best, I like the way history is repeating itself it''s what we needed not a quick year or two then back down the Championship but to dig in and battle for the right to once again be regarded as a genuine top flight club.[/quote] Top post! [Y]