CanaryFrom1979

How many matches?... Too many I just find the continuing negativity and whingeing falls somewhere between unintentionally funny and irritating. On one occasion whilst in the Rived End some 15 or so years ago (not my usual area but the ticket was going spare) I overheard an American attempting to explain the rules of football and failing (this was better entertainment than a forgettable match). Doubtless as supporters at some time or another many of us will have overheard such numbskulls. As for my second point I just dislike the cowardice or small mindedness of a smaller club not putting up much of a fight against vultures circling for our international players. The balance between the haves and have-nots will never be closed by the PL or FA, smaller well run clubs have to fight back and send a clear two fingered salute to parasitic agents and disloyal players. btw Branston Pickle, I clearly was referring to ours players as the international players capable of adapting to different types of opposition. I would add that there teams in the lower leagues who attempt to play football and don''t just rely on antiquated English kick and rush hoofball.

Success at this level can be determined by the extra 5 or 10% marginal gain that can be derived from quality. Journeymen can only get you so far, plus in that situation if NCFC are promoted then next summer we face having to rebuild again. Players like Fer, Olsson, Ruddy and RVW would provide the difference. As for the "physicality of the 2nd division" that is precisely the point I made in the op, we do not have to regress to a "nasty" hoofball side just as much as we did not have to defend deep for 90mins in the 1st division. (Surely international players have played against a variety of styles in their careers). To suggest that quality players are unintelligent enough to differentiate between a Brazil circa1982 style and a Wimbledon circa1988 style and then adjusting accordingly is parochial and narrow-minded.

Fair Point Without inside knowledge no one can say for sure who is in or out (only who''s agents are) or what is in a contract. What I would say is that if we can retain the squad and start well, players may change minds and see the value in staying in a promotion winning side. This depends on the management team to convey this. As for a wider point, wealthy clubs can afford to flout fair play and cherry pick from smaller clubs (Southampton) as long as they believe the smaller club will back off - no smaller club does the sport any good by reinforcing the gap between the haves and the have-nots. If the PL, FL, FA, UEFA, FIFA et al wont stand up for the like of our clubs then we should do it ourselves and damn what agents think (perhaps they have too much power, derived from the wealth creamed off the top of a lucrative transfer to a "better club").

Thought I''d post about the match (not the result which was ok) but the low-level grumbling and whingeing I overheard. Perhaps these armchair pundits and computer game savants are incapable of observing football, how strategies play out, players making space, drawing markers out of position, the opposition attempting to intercept passes etc etc. Too often positive play was met with shouts of "shoot" (from positions where swerving a ball would have needed new laws of physics) or an attitude that centre-backs and full backs should at no time attempt to pass or in other way play football. This was exemplified by a conversation I heard exiting the stadium that what was needed was someone "Nasty" to knock the opposition out (of course what we need is a barrage of fines and a player missing most of the season through suspension!). (2) RVW was clearly in the plans for the season, he was not frozen out like others and when injured was put on intensive rehab (if he was frozen out why bother, let St Etienne deal with his fitness). RVW would not be the first (Iwan Roberts) to make a slow start, in the bigger picture a modest return now as opposed to the potential gain from promotion either won or lost (6m as opposed to a gain of ?millions or even worse some cash today but lose ?millions 12mths down the line. The club has stated we do not need to sell, I am dismayed that a "but" is creeping in to this. An unequivocal "No" to every QPR, Southampton or St Etienne would make the position clear. What I would concede is clear from Friday is that we need a right sided full-back (if Russ, Bennett, Turner, Gaifaiti and Macfadden play central) or a technically sound centre-back (ideally with a turn of pace) if Russ starts on the right. As for the rest (excluding Bassong and Becchio who clearly are frozen out), this squad is an improvement on the last two seasons so stick with them.

Opened this up on another post, but putting it top billing here. WHICH YOUNG CANARY HERO WILL EMERGE IN 2014/15.... NOMINATIONS PLEASE (I''ve said Carlton Morris)

December international break was the time to act, vitriol and infighting solve zero (if the CEO issued warnings to the manager it is upon the manager to listen to them and act accordingly, if unable to then resign, certainly in hindsight it has probably stung the CEOs pride) Onto cheerier thoughts, this is the grand opening of the 2014/15 ''He''ll be the hero'' thread. WHICH YOUNG CANARY WILL BE THE NEXT HERO..... nominations please (I''m saying Carlton Morris)

Not so Adams would not have any jurisdiction with regards to the first team, it would be unconnected to his role which would be about longer term strategy rather than first team coaching and recruitment. It would be good if they had a shared vision, but if not and in the possibility that Malky or whoever was Head Coach failed the continuity of coaching and the development of players would continue. The role of Head Coach would be solely concentrated on the First Team and he would be accountable to the CEO and board (much as it is today). The title Director of Football is used here to describe the function (it could just as easily be called Director of Strategy), what Dirs of F have done at other clubs is not a set model to be copied.

That may well be the case, but if there is any possibility in incentivising or motivating any player to stay then those options should be considered. If Wolf or Fer hit form, I would rather it be with NCFC. I just don''t want to see the financial outlay of this season be in vain. If a manager can give even the slightest reason for a player to stay and fight for the club I want to see it happen.

Well spotted, did mean to include Becchio as a player to get off the wage bill now, rather than as a loan I am still baffled as to how he ended up here though, did L**ds mug us offloading a player they didn''t want on the wage bill?, did the management team have any plans for him? My point in this post was to suggest an alternative to a summer fire sale (more than likely selling at a loss), and possibly incentivising players to stay and lead the fight back. If anyone else has any thoughts I would be interested in hearing them.

Accepting Jonas G, Becchio and Elmander return to sender, Nash is replaced by the returning Rudd then who should or more pertinent could we sell on. Bassong is most likely to leave - he strikes me as typical of a certain type of player, happy to bench warm, but if looking for matches moves down to a lesser club, if the club hits trouble he merely moves on (to QPR or Leceister or any club with a suitable wage bill) As to the rest, can Wolf, Hooper and Fer et al realistically raise enough transfer fee today? Rather than a fire sale, give the players two options, stay and prove their talent (Wolf is far better than we have seen than the either injured or wasted asset), if they hit form NCFC have a better chance of getting a decent resale value and players are incentivised to perform if they want a move (which could be up for discussion in Jan or next summer), the second option is to allow season long loans but not transfers, the reasoning being the same as the first option. I suggest this because I can see noting to be gained from selling at the lower end of achievable transfer values and then having to spend significant amounts (for NCFC) on new players after promotion.

Here''s how Malky is Head Coach, appoints Assistant Coaches and First Team Coaches, is responsible for First Team Scouting, Matches and Recruitment. Adams is Director of Football, responsible for promoting a Norwich Philosophy (which by his track record he already has bought into) for Academy, U21/B Teams, scouting and recruitment of Coaches, Players and Staff (inc Sports Sciences, an area where clubs can make useful performance gains), the Director of Football would be accountable to the CEO and board, this way could ensure a continuity of philosophy at the club. As long as the CEO and board made it contractually clear that the Head Coach was responsible for the First Team and the Dir of Football for everything else I would suggest we have the best of both worlds. This way Norwich City could have a clear identity in coaching and playing football bought into by coaches and players (how better to recruit players than by showing them that at NCFC they have a fair chance of making the first team), alongside this an experience Head Coach and his staff. FFP and the Prem Lg has irrevocably changed football, NCFC should be an early adopter of new ideas and build upon our status as a Cat 1 and debt free club. How about it?

No further explanation needed. We need on the pitch leadership badly, Bassong might cut out the mistakes but Captaincy material he isn''t.

Have noticed a point I need to clarify, I am 60/40 confident of survival, firing today or tomorrow would only bring ridicule and a lot of "We told you so" from the massed armies of pundits and hack journos, The remaining games should be with the current coaching staff. The break should be in the summer. As for any suggestion that talking to any possible replacement now would be destabilising, in truth tapping up and talks before announcements happen anyway, City shouldn''t feel guilty for doing what is best for the club.

Was last week the blip and this week the return to form? The only explanation would be that Hughton only insists upon a more fluent formation, starting with Wes, Johan and Wolf/Hooper up top and the intensity and high pressing when his back is against the wall to such an extent that he thinks he''s finished and may as well gamble on the thinking that if it works it will buy time. This isn''t the first time (probably not the last) and it does just indicate a pattern. The performances of a potentially good squad just can''t improve if the coaching team feel it acceptable to retreat into a default setting every time following a good result and the easing of tension at the club. The antiquated English style of football just does not cut it any more, too static,too many square pegs in round holes, players never coached to have time and space to play the pass, formations picked on the basis that every other team plays it. I personally would walk over hot coals and broken glass to get to the continent and find a coaching staff with genuinely modern ideas. It would be akin to replacing someone from the Flat Earth Society with someone from the Royal Geographical Society. Ronald Koeman will be on the market in the summer, its time NCFC had the b***s and ruthlessness to steal a march and get talking to his people now. Record G W D L GF GA +/- Win % 483 268 103 112 877 490 +387 55.49 More than good enough for NCFC....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26554276 Linked with Swansea, but they may not be interested. Could be exactly the sort of bold appointment to take NCFC on to the next level. After securing survival in the summer this could be a possibility for the canaries. What would you say?