unique 435 Posted August 14, 2016 Not for the first time, the performance of Jonny Howson appears to split opinion.According to ''Ian'', "As soon as Mulumbu came on, Howson was able to push forward and influence the game and we looked more coherent." (I failed to see any cohesion in the second-half performance)''vos'' thought that "(Howson)........was more or less non-existent".''Indy_Bones'' believed that "Tettey got stuck in.........which was far better than Howson who had a totally anonymous game".I agree with the latter two, and more often or not believe that his influence on games is thoroughly underwhelming.Is it possible that Pritchard could be a more exciting alternative to Howson, or now that he is captain does it make him undroppable? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeiranShikari_2 0 Posted August 14, 2016 The trio of narrow attacking midfielders we''re playing at the moment limits Howson''s game. He''s at his best running into those positions but Neil has obviously just asked him to sit with Tettey.Poor Johnny, first he was a right sided midfielder and now this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vos 155 Posted August 14, 2016 Against a very average attacking outfit, the Manager asks our most positive midfielder to sit and cover Tettey. What more can I say !!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeiranShikari_2 0 Posted August 14, 2016 He did the same at Blackburn and we scored 4 goals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoola Han Solo 448 Posted August 14, 2016 Howson is one of the best midfielders in the division. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
king canary 7,606 Posted August 14, 2016 Howson is one of the few midfielders who seems more suited to a classic midfield 4. He is at his best when he can carry the ball and make runs from deep but with like likes of Wes and Naismith ahead of him that space is limited and we need our central midfielders to hold and provide a solid base. He''s a great players but I''m not sure this formation will suit him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fiery Zac 1,066 Posted August 14, 2016 It was an off game by Howsons high standards. Tettey was doing more of the role I thought Howson would be doing - breaking up play but pushing forward when able and leaving Howson to cover for him.Howson is a fantastic box to box midfielder and is in the position that he excels in. He will be pivotal for us this season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Ink 0 Posted August 14, 2016 I always feel underwhelmed by Howson. I know he''s subject to a lot of man-love from you lot, but I always feel he''s invisible for long periods. He''s actually very quick, and should be making a lot more surging runs and interchanging positions to create space. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vos 155 Posted August 14, 2016 Howson is a very capable player, particularly in the Championship. I agree with Dr Ink that he is at his best in an attacking role, because he can take out players with his turn of pace plus he has a decent shot. For the manager to play him in an defensive role, seemingly covering Tettey, at home against a fairly organised but average outfit, was very poor tactics. I accept the point made that with both Naismith and Hoolahan playing in central roles ahead of him it would become a little crowded, but their short passing, often misplaced, against a packed defence was getting us nowhere. One needs to give way to provide someone with pace on the wing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Great Wall Of Tettey 0 Posted August 14, 2016 Think the main issue was he didn''t look fit! Looked shattered after an hour and I''m not sure he had a full pre season with the illness or whatever he had. Was a game with more tactical issues than howsons individual performance, the game was far too narrow and compact in the middle of the park. With more space in the centre and people to aim for out wide players with howsons vision will have a big part to play even if he does sit deeper. As for mulumbu I think he has to start Tuesday. We forget how brilliant he was when he left west brom and he looked full of energy and fight that we lacked centrally throughout the game Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GJP 79 Posted August 14, 2016 He wasn''t brilliant when he left West Brom. His form had been poor for a while. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
havemyhowsonit 0 Posted August 14, 2016 He did have an anonymous game. But when you''re doing a job as a defensive midfielder then an attacking midfielder then a lone striker towards the end of the game also going down the right side of the midfield. It''s hard to have a good consistent game when don''t know where your @rse hangs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lake district canary 4,531 Posted August 15, 2016 It was a bit of a disjointed performance throughout the midfield on Saturday. Tettey had a mixed game, Howson appeared to be quiet, Wes misplaced passes, as did Naismith. Murphy wasn''t at his best when he came on and although people said Brady didn''t look at his best. I thought he did ok defensively after Olsson went off. I think you have to give some credit to the opposition for their good play - they looked good in possession and covered each other well and that made it hard for our players to be at their best. Sheffield were a good strong team and we won''t play many better teams this season, so 0-0, as frustrating as it was, was probably ok. Howson? Has to do better......but then so does the rest of the team. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoola Han Solo 448 Posted August 15, 2016 There were exactly my thoughts, lake district canary Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,673 Posted August 15, 2016 Well, if Howson wants to keep his place he''s going to have to do better than Saturday - capable of so much more and no excuses of him being played out of position on the right hand side or whatever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norfolkngood 1,087 Posted August 15, 2016 i also do not get the love -in for howson he does not create or score enough goals for mehard working yes club man yes but for me has not that spark he is in the engine room and has got to stamp his name on games more Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MyGodWeArePoorToWatch 0 Posted August 16, 2016 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted August 16, 2016 Unique, where are you? Let''s be havin'' you, you quote mining, cherry picking ******! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
havemyhowsonit 0 Posted August 16, 2016 Sit down shut up! Super Johnny Howson. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unique 435 Posted August 17, 2016 It''s comforting to know that players visit this site......realise they are under-performing....and subsequently pull their finger out..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Ink 0 Posted August 17, 2016 Glad Alex Neil took in my comments and got Howson to step up one line when attacking. See... told you so. Just a bit more interchanging now to create more space, and he''ll have the A-Team. Good result, and amazing no one has won all 3 of their games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canary Wundaboy 1,359 Posted August 17, 2016 It''s funny, he seems to be a total passenger in certain games, but then he always seems to be the one popping up with the crucial goal... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lake district canary 4,531 Posted August 17, 2016 He is quality, but he needed to play better than on Saturday and he did, taking up more attacking positions. The goal was quality too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,558 Posted August 17, 2016 The post-match with Howson shows that he was told to stay deeper against Sheff Wed than he was against Bristol City. Which makes sense when you compare how the two teams play.I think the games in which people think Howson is ''a passenger'' or ''anonymous'' are generally the ones where he is asked to sit back and help break up play. The great thing about Howson is his all round ability, he can do the deeper role, where his passing range allows him to spread the ball around or he can do the higher role, getting into the box and causing problems. Norwich are lucky to have him as he would be comfortable playing every week in many Premier League teams. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The ghost of Michael Theoklitos 0 Posted August 17, 2016 [quote user="Bethnal Yellow and Green"]..... Norwich are lucky to have him as he would be comfortable playing every week in many Premier League teams.[/quote]Shhhhhhh!(The transfer window is still open!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lessingham Canary 99 Posted August 17, 2016 Agree BY&G, we are lucky to have Howson, yes by his standards Saturday seemed below par, over the season you will count on one hand how many times he lets you down, and he will fight to put it right if does occur. IMO Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex Moss 2,165 Posted August 17, 2016 Do like to see Jonny in a more attacking midfield position but totally understand why he was playing where he was - AN thinks of him as an excellent all rounder and so if expect to see him play various midfield roles this season. Lucky to have him, and a really decent chap too 👍 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westcoastcanary 0 Posted August 17, 2016 Bethnal Green & Yellow wrote: "The post-match with Howson shows that he was told to stay deeper against Sheff Wed than he was against Bristol City. Which makes sense when you compare how the two teams play."This ^It always amazes me how people will assess the performance of a player without any reference to the opposition''s impact on the game (and consequently on the performance of the player). That impact can be due simply to the opposition imposing themselves or anticipated via managerial instructions (given AN''s predilection to detailed preparatory analysis of the opposition, in our case almost always a combination of both).Bristol started off as if trying to reproduce Wednesday''s tactics (hence early comments on the match thread such as "just like Saturday"), but they were unable to maintain it in the way Wednesday did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AJ 1,221 Posted August 17, 2016 Howson is a very, very good football. He''s consistent, no thrills, good passer and tackler. Whilst I agree I''d like to see him further up the pitch, is he better than Hoolahan to sit in CAM? Hmm, I''m not so sure. And therein lays the issue of where Howson fits into the side. As a very versatile player he can do pretty much anything, and at the moment it requires him sitting a bit deeper. He still scored and won us the game, though, so can''t really knock him right?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites