Derby Canary 3 Posted February 2, 2016 It''s great that at last we have done some useful business and recruited some useful players that will make us more competitive.My continuing concern however is that good as they appear the recruits in general are either ones for the future or players that have not had regular week by week involvement in the EPL. We have no time to integrate and these players will need to hit the ground running. Should we not take as a minimum three points from the next two fixtures there is only one street we will be in!All of this because of negligence in the Summer, for which there is no acceptable excuse! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Loyal Canary 0 Posted February 2, 2016 Wise words Derby wise words Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted February 2, 2016 Do you ever bore yourself Derby canary? I''m not expecting much from the next 2 games,given a couple of weeks on the training ground getting to know each others play will be when i expect things to change. I don''t think we''ll roll over and die against Spurs but will not lose any sleep if we lose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derby Canary 3 Posted February 2, 2016 Sadly ''Inch High'' we have backed ourselves into a corner. If you think there is still time to bed these players in you are deluding yourself old chap!We need points now otherwise we will be cut adrift. I repeat the time to ''bed players in'' was the Summer! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buh 0 Posted February 2, 2016 You know when this forum became something you did every once in a while for a laugh or to share thoughts?Does that time look like a spec in the rear view mirror as you set up your 90th mirror account on here, stuck in a chair, covered in your own mess? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derby Canary 3 Posted February 2, 2016 the EPL is what we will be seeing in the ''rear view mirror'' if we fail to take points from the next couple of games!I have one only account on here Buh and I am indeed sharing thoughts or rather concerns! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gordon Bennett 780 Posted February 2, 2016 I don''t really see the point in discussing this issue right now, nobody knows how our new signings will affect our fortunes over the next fifteen games. The time for post mortems is when the season has finished, not on the day of a massive game and when there is a good vibe around the club after a successful transfer window. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Essjayess 307 Posted February 2, 2016 Few points i disagree with DC. First is you say no time to bed in players, have to hit the ground running. Actually Alex has taken a realistic approach to each of the new players individually. Klose and Pinto have indeed both been given time to bed in. With Naisy Alex decided the guy was up to the mark, and indeed was proved right, he sure hit the ground running. Alex is the boss, he knows when each of the new guys is ready.Secondly, you say we need points in next 2 games or only one street we will be in. Aww cmon, the Championship is hardly s**t street, its served ue well in past seasons, and has been a source of excitement with our commitment to carry on beating them lot down the road, and also a place to gather more wins in a season, after a long gruelling Premier League campaign. And that is also a place we are a long way from right now. A really good window, positive vibes, stronger squad, the prospect of being in the Prem. or in the Champs for me is actually secondary. As a fan, im excited that Alex is starting to form his own team, im sure it will take 1 or 2 more windows to finally call it his own.Im not fearful of either being up or going down, im more excited about the longer term prospects than worrying about the short term. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chip20 69 Posted February 2, 2016 I''m with Essjayess. Just enjoy the ride. We need another four or so wins and a few draws to survive. It doesn''t matter if they come in the next few games or the last few. What matters is the totals at the end of the season, not the results of two matches with a third of the season left to play. We may achieve it, we may not. Who is going to die if we don''t? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
If wed only kept Howie.. 3 Posted February 2, 2016 too bored to reply to the OP... you bore me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wcorkcanary 4,329 Posted February 2, 2016 too bored to reply to the OP... you bore me Hear hear !!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derby Canary 3 Posted February 2, 2016 Commentator says "Norwich are a yard off the pace"!My point exactly! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iron_stan 0 Posted February 2, 2016 its disappointing that the defence wasnt heavily reinforced in the summer given that it was pretty much the same as what got us relegatedand in that you have to question the boards ambition, if we had pushed the boat out then we might be a few points better off Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derby Canary 3 Posted February 2, 2016 Pinto being run ragged and Klose just does not look Premiership class! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tetteys Jig 830 Posted February 2, 2016 Spurs have won 7 of the last 10 and drawn the other 3 away from home. It was wishful thinking to think we''d get anything tonight.Perhaps wait until the likes of Villa away and that to judge them. Those are the wins we need to keep us up. Anything from the big guys with their £30m players is a bonus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derby Canary 3 Posted February 3, 2016 And there’s the rub with bringing in players in January – especially those who are experiencing Premier League football for the first time. We want them to hit the ground running, we need them to hit the ground running, but in reality it’s a virtual impossibility. Quote Gary Gower (My Football Writer) Thank YouHis opinion seems to materially differ to some of the replies to my original post although of course some of yours may also have changed a tad having witnessed the farce last night! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted February 3, 2016 Derby Canary you tend to over use the "hit the ground running" sentence. Would you be a good sort and change it for something new as it''s becoming a little tedious. Thankyou. xx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derby Canary 3 Posted February 3, 2016 [quote user="Inch High aka Inchy.."]Derby Canary you tend to over use the "hit the ground running" sentence. Would you be a good sort and change it for something new as it''s becoming a little tedious. Thankyou. xx[/quote]You should concentrate a little more ''Inch High''. If you did you might note that this was a direct quote from Gary Gower''s article (today) - My Football WriterStrangely Gary and I seem to be singing off the same hymn sheet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boris 56 Posted February 3, 2016 How is possible Bournemouth with same team as last year at 90% to play with confidence and to enjoy his football with pretty average players in middf who is Gossling and Surman?Watford have 15 nationality''s and changed 4 managers for 15 months but still is very competitive game after game.The answer is simple....Alex Neil simply too young and no experience to solved our problems at this level.We have enough material but no confidence lead to so many unforced errors and team collapse game after game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YankeeCanary 0 Posted February 3, 2016 [quote user="Derby Canary"]Commentator says "Norwich are a yard off the pace"!My point exactly![/quote]Are you sure that''s what the commentator said Derby, or is that what you heard? Not always the same thing of course. What I heard the commentator say was that Bassong was a yard off the pace, which I totally agreed with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derby Canary 3 Posted February 3, 2016 [quote user="YankeeCanary"][quote user="Derby Canary"]Commentator says "Norwich are a yard off the pace"!My point exactly![/quote]Are you sure that''s what the commentator said Derby, or is that what you heard? Not always the same thing of course. What I heard the commentator say was that Bassong was a yard off the pace, which I totally agreed with.[/quote]Very sure Yankee. He said Norwich and believe me they were! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Van wink 2,994 Posted February 3, 2016 There is a lot of truth in Derby''s post, which clearly some find unpalatable, but the truth often hurts. AN has said himself that we were not properly prepared for the summer window, many of us could see it was a shambles and to some extent this has now been admitted. I posted at the time that we had let the manager down and that we were not properly organised for the window, for which I was slagged off. It was however true and our problems now go right back to the failure in the summer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YankeeCanary 0 Posted February 3, 2016 [quote user="Derby Canary"][quote user="YankeeCanary"][quote user="Derby Canary"]Commentator says "Norwich are a yard off the pace"!My point exactly![/quote]Are you sure that''s what the commentator said Derby, or is that what you heard? Not always the same thing of course. What I heard the commentator say was that Bassong was a yard off the pace, which I totally agreed with.[/quote]Very sure Yankee. He said Norwich and believe me they were![/quote]Not doubting you Derby......I was just going through the replay and couldn''t find where the commentator said that. The comment on Bassong being a yard off the pace was just before the half hour mark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PurpleCanary 5,554 Posted February 3, 2016 [quote user="Vanwink"]There is a lot of truth in Derby''s post, which clearly some find unpalatable, but the truth often hurts.AN has said himself that we were not properly prepared for the summer window, many of us could see it was a shambles and to some extent this has now been admitted. I posted at the time that we had let the manager down and that we were not properly organised for the window, for which I was slagged off. It was however true and our problems now go right back to the failure in the summer.[/quote]I haven''t seen him say that. The only quote I can find is this:"Our failure to add in the last window, for a variety of reasons, has made out job more difficult."Nothing about being unprepared. And it is a weird kind of shambles that saw us bring in Brady, Dorrans, Mulumbu and Mbokani, all of whom were regarded as good acquisitions in areas where we needed to strengthen, without having to sell anyone we wanted to keep.Where we did fail - and probably because we made the mistake of going for high-calibre players who were never going to agree to join us - was in central defence.It is likely Neil is referring to that, and to the train of events that derailed our late bid for Dwight Gayle, as the variety of reasons rather than simple unpreparedness. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Smith 2,314 Posted February 3, 2016 [quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="Vanwink"]There is a lot of truth in Derby''s post, which clearly some find unpalatable, but the truth often hurts.AN has said himself that we were not properly prepared for the summer window, many of us could see it was a shambles and to some extent this has now been admitted. I posted at the time that we had let the manager down and that we were not properly organised for the window, for which I was slagged off. It was however true and our problems now go right back to the failure in the summer.[/quote]I haven''t seen him say that. The only quote I can find is this:"Our failure to add in the last window, for a variety of reasons, has made out job more difficult."Nothing about being unprepared. And it is a weird kind of shambles that saw us bring in Brady, Dorrans, Mulumbu and Mbokani, all of whom were regarded as good acquisitions in areas where we needed to strengthen, without having to sell anyone we wanted to keep.Where we did fail - and probably because we made the mistake of going for high-calibre players who were never going to agree to join us - was in central defence.It is likely Neil is referring to that, and to the train of events that derailed our late bid for Dwight Gayle, as the variety of reasons rather than simple unpreparedness.[/quote]Purple - I cannot presently find the link but it was in the radio Norfolk interview from (I think) last Thursday. Neil admitted that we were not able to recruit effectively in the summer window because "we did not have a recruitment team" and that "we were recruiting a recruitment team." From recollection he also said something along the lines of whatever arrangements we did have in place had to be re-thought pretty quickly. It was very clear he was acknowledging that they failed to recruit as they should have done in that window.Quite why we had no recruitment structure in place is beyond me but blame for that has to lie with the board. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ron obvious 1,499 Posted February 3, 2016 The answer is prudence. AKA reality. Which is No Country For Football Fans. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Smith 2,314 Posted February 3, 2016 [quote user="Jim Smith"][quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="Vanwink"]There is a lot of truth in Derby''s post, which clearly some find unpalatable, but the truth often hurts.AN has said himself that we were not properly prepared for the summer window, many of us could see it was a shambles and to some extent this has now been admitted. I posted at the time that we had let the manager down and that we were not properly organised for the window, for which I was slagged off. It was however true and our problems now go right back to the failure in the summer.[/quote]I haven''t seen him say that. The only quote I can find is this:"Our failure to add in the last window, for a variety of reasons, has made out job more difficult."Nothing about being unprepared. And it is a weird kind of shambles that saw us bring in Brady, Dorrans, Mulumbu and Mbokani, all of whom were regarded as good acquisitions in areas where we needed to strengthen, without having to sell anyone we wanted to keep.Where we did fail - and probably because we made the mistake of going for high-calibre players who were never going to agree to join us - was in central defence.It is likely Neil is referring to that, and to the train of events that derailed our late bid for Dwight Gayle, as the variety of reasons rather than simple unpreparedness.[/quote]Purple - I cannot presently find the link but it was in the radio Norfolk interview from (I think) last Thursday. Neil admitted that we were not able to recruit effectively in the summer window because "we did not have a recruitment team" and that "we were recruiting a recruitment team." From recollection he also said something along the lines of whatever arrangements we did have in place had to be re-thought pretty quickly. It was very clear he was acknowledging that they failed to recruit as they should have done in that window.Quite why we had no recruitment structure in place is beyond me but blame for that has to lie with the board.[/quote]Sorry not last Thursday. i was getting confused there. i think it was on Monday or even yesterday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Van wink 2,994 Posted February 3, 2016 Purple, it was a recent radio Norfolk interview which doesn''t seem to have been reported since, I heard it in the car Monday morning and it was basically that the play off final and because we didn''t have a proper scoutng (I believe ) and recruitment team in place we were ill prepared for the window.That sounds like a strategic failure by the club which was my comment a the time, yes we signed players and did business but had we been properly prepared we could have enjoyed a much better window and had more of the players AN considered we needed bedded in much earlier. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PurpleCanary 5,554 Posted February 3, 2016 [quote user="Vanwink"]Purple, it was a recent radio Norfolk interview which doesn''t seem to have been reported since, I heard it in the car Monday morning and it was basically that the play off final and because we didn''t have a proper scoutng (I believe ) and recruitment team in place we were ill prepared for the window.That sounds like a strategic failure by the club which was my comment a the time, yes we signed players and did business but had we been properly prepared we could have enjoyed a much better window and had more of the players AN considered we needed bedded in much earlier.[/quote]Van, and Jim, in that case (I cannot receive Radio Norfolk!) it is quite fair to say we were unprepared. That said, even if we were not ready at the start, I still believe our main failing that summer was not getting a centre-half, and unless ALL the reports were wrong we did end up making very hefty bids for at least a couple of overseas players. In particular Koulibaly at Napoli. Whether that deal (or one like it) was, as I thought at the time, unrealistic and never going to happen, or as McNally supposedly later told fans, only scuppered by the club putting the mockers on it at a late stage when the player had said Yes, is a question.If we had got our act together earlier would we have got the likes of Koulibaly, or would we - as is often the case - have had to wait until late on for such a high-profile target (and his high-profile club) to make a decision, so being unprepared at the start effectively made no difference? Another question. But being unready at the start plainly didn''t help. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites