Making Plans 936 Posted November 5, 2016 We have a squad of 25 players, all of whom are presumably here for a reason.At anyone time, due to injuries or suspensions, we probably have an available squad or 20 or 21 players to pick a starting 11 from.However, AN picks roughly the same 13 or 14 players for the starting 11 every game despite the fact that those players let him down week after week, game after game.Far too much loyalty is being shown to players who are not delivering - McGovern, Bennett, Martin, Klose, Brady, Hoolahan, Dorrans etcThere is really no "team selection process" as such because too many players are seen by AN as an automatic shoe in.Meanwhile, we have several taleted and eager players wasting away, either on the bench or kicking their heels on match days.Thompson was a revelation this afternoon but probably wouldn''t have got a look in if Tettey wasn''t suspended.How many bad games do the privileged few have to have before some of the other players get a look in - Canos, Josh, Lafferty, Turner, Oliveira, Ruddy.It''s the same with substitutes, AN is reluctant to take anyone off until we''re desperate or until it''s too late.Substitutes are not used tactically, they are simply chucked on when one of the choosen elite looks knackered. Is AN afraid to change things earlier, before the inevitable happens, or does he feel obliged to keep his favourites on for fear of upsetting them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
? 0 Posted November 5, 2016 We have a bigger squad than 25. That was for the Prem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rudolph Hucker 0 Posted November 5, 2016 Is it too much to hope that Lafferty is the edgy, aggressive character this team needs? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morty 0 Posted November 5, 2016 So he used to tinker too much, now he doesn''t do it enough?Make up your mind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Indy 3,300 Posted November 5, 2016 He''s just shite Morty, can''t remember the last time we came from behind to win a game, yet we keep losing from winning positions, not a good sign for a manager. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gordon Bennett 783 Posted November 5, 2016 Yet last season he was accused of too many changes and too much tinkering. If matches are being lost a manager can''t really win. As for loyalty and favouritism, managers have their preferred starters, as they should do. Pinto and Howson will be two massive plusses when they come back and perhaps Lafferty will get more of a look in now. Ruddy must be due a recall too but unless people want Bassong and Naismith ''recalled I don''t see too many other changes for the next game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Jenkins 0 Posted November 5, 2016 Poor old AN can''t win can he.It wasn''t long ago he was being called tinkerman and accused of making too many changes, now he''s castigated for the reverse.An inspired substitution today that payed off, excellent goal from Lafferty. How AN can be blamed for what happened after that and the appalling lack of professionalism by our players amazes me!Give him more time and he will turn this round, getting Pinto and Howson back really is a priority. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,749 Posted November 5, 2016 I dont have a problem with any manager having his perceived strongest starting XI......but a manager must also recognise when poor form requires changes to be made. the selection of McGovern for example today was unbelievable after last week....and ultimately lost us the game...and may well go some way to costing Neil his job Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canary Wundaboy 1,359 Posted November 6, 2016 Regarding the "last year he was accused of being a tinkerman" comment:It''s one thing to constantly try and change a performing side. It''s quite another to make only enforced changes to a side that just got thumped 5-0.Wholesale changes needed for next game. The entire tactical plan needs to change as teams have sussed us out. Our defence has no hope of keeping a clean sheet until it''s replaced in January so until then the aim must be to get as many people up the pitch as fast as possible and start scoring, and we can''t go that with all this pitter patter BS in the midfield. Sorry but Wes has to be dropped, Pritchard played, Canos recalled and Jerome rested. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hardley1 0 Posted November 6, 2016 we rely too much on the same system. One striker running all over the park never in the centre to take advantage of crosses.Buildup far too slow the player makers in the side do not carve openings with precision. The sight of James Madison scoring and laying on goals for Aberdeen week after week makes one feel sick when one views the lack of industry shown by our city players at present. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,671 Posted November 6, 2016 Well, he decided to stick with practically the same team and more importantly the same back five. Thompson was a forced change even though he''s looked great in the cup and Tettey has been struggling so that''s hardly a positive on Neil''s selection.The reality is if we''d have won that game he''d have deserved and got credit for having the balls to stick with the same team against the fans general wishes.Unfortunately losing and defending like a bunch of confused donkeys means he deserves the associated criticism. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morty 0 Posted November 6, 2016 Other than bringing in Ruddy, what other defensive changes would you have made Hogesar? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,671 Posted November 6, 2016 I''d have brought in Ruddy and, unpopular i know, I''d have bought in Bassong for one of Klose or Bennett. He''s not looked bad individually in the cup games and Klose and Bennett have looked awful recently.Alternatively I''d have gone 3-5-2 with Klose Bennett and bassong as CBs or a flat 4-4-2 to keep our full backs in their own half for the most of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacko 0 Posted November 6, 2016 Sadly, I don''t think it is loyalty or favouritism being displayed by Alex Neil. The root of the problem is actually much more worrying than that. The players that aren''t in the starting XI simply aren''t very good despite many of them being bought at considerable expense and add little value to the team. Naismith has been an unmitigated disaster at £8m and has largely offered nothing during his time here. We''ve spent £2m on Canos and he can''t even make the match day squad. Based on his diabolical cameo in the League Cup, you can unfortunately see why. Oliveria was bought for around £5m but has been so unimpressive that he brought Kyle Lafferty on instead - a player he''s exiled for 18 months for not being good enough. The only other changes yesterday, I think you could have sensibly put forward would have been Ruddy for McGovern and Bassong for Bennett. Unfortunately, you can''t get away with persistently signing poor players. Our transfer strategy has been illogical and scattergun for years now. It''s sadly coming on to roost in the fact that Neil doesn''t actually have a particularly good squad to choose from. The injuries to Howson and Pinto have blown that particular myth wide open. The big question is as always. Who is responsible for that dreadful recruitment. Is it the manager, the recruitment team itself, the chief executives or all of the above? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
canarydan23 4,060 Posted November 6, 2016 How stupid would Neil have to get before you permitted criticism of him morty?Stick Ed Balls at right-back? He pretty much did that by his repeated use of Whittaker before abject performance number 73 at Birmingham finally opened his eyes to what even the most limited of supporters (namely my wife) knew for years.How much money spent on bench warmers and U23 players would you have considered acceptable before his recruitment policy was questioned?Throwing away two goal and one goal leads consistently, home and away, is evidently ok. Can we please start to grumble if three and four goal leads are frittered away?Lafferty broke a run of over 350 minutes without a goal from open play. 350 minutes without a goal from open play. Nowt up with that I suppose but if it gets to 400 plus perhaps then would be a time to suggest just a smidge of incompetence on behalf of our hallowed manager?Don''t get me wrong, I find the typical knee-jerk Norwich fan "sack the manager" mentality slightly embarrassing and other than Roeder have generally been supportive of our embattled coaches, though may have turned on Hughton somewhat by the end. However, based on all the evidence; team selections, substitutions, post-match interviews, team demeanour, strength of the league, our relative abundance of financial resources in this league, results and performances, I see absolutely nothing that suggests Neil is anything other than woefully out of his depth and has been for the majority of his tenure, save for a few months in 2015. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mello Yello 2,293 Posted November 6, 2016 Too much loyalty & too much favouritism........and the NCFC Board has too much Nepotism and Cronyism.......A certain recipe for disasterism........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stu 0 Posted November 6, 2016 Transfer policy has been a disaster and cost us far more than managers have. Why would a club shell out £9m quid on Pritchard when it is obvious the priority was a top striker. Beside, we already have 2 other players in the same position- Hoolihan and Naysmith. Instead we end up signing Oliviera at the last minute who looks totally unsuited to the English game although it my be too early to judge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt. Pants 4,234 Posted November 6, 2016 I feel like a Mexican. The cook is building a wall and I''m paying for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morty 0 Posted November 6, 2016 @Hogesar Choosing between Bassingbourn and Bennett is like choosing to punch yourself in the face with either your right or left hand lol.And keeping our full backs in our own half takes us right back to Hughtonesque negativity, we rely too much on our full backs for attack.I guess the point I am making is that Alex is damped if he does, and dawned if he doesn''t by some people. Can you imagine the howls of derision if Bassong was announced the team sheet?Another point is that we don''t really have a helluva lot to choose from. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morty 0 Posted November 6, 2016 Bassingbourn?Bassong ffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barclay seats 4849 the 3rd 0 Posted November 6, 2016 More to the point ,,, why does Hogarser continually have a downer on Bennet ? Klose is the one who looks frightened to get stuck in now ,, Bennet at the very least keeps trying ,,, saved us from another hiding yesterday on more than three occasions . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morty 0 Posted November 6, 2016 Further to the point, what the hell is going on with my autocorrect?😁 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,671 Posted November 6, 2016 Oh yeah dont get me wrong, Bassong wouldn''t have gone down well with the majority but it''s something id personally have done.We only rely on our fullbacks because we won''t shift from this 4-2-3-1 which relies on them for width. You can still be attacking whilst not having your fullbacks consistently so high up the pitch. A 4-4-2 with genuine wingers offers the width in midfield anyway.Like I say, AN spoke about the need to make changes after Brighton. He''s decided against that which is fine and like I say had we won he''d have deserved praise for having the balls to do it in those circumstances. However it didn''t work and we not only didn''t play well generally, but defended so so poorly against a team that played a single Chris Wood up front and on top of that all the other weaknesses continued to show.The problem I have is we haven''t looked like rectifying any of our weaknesses. Changing the team around is a short term fix which he hasn''t done but I''ve not seem anything to suggest we are countering the other issues in our squad. The other issue I have is none of our players are looking better and improving, most are getting worse I.e Klose. That''s not really AN but does suggest our coaching could do with a shake up at the very least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,671 Posted November 6, 2016 Damn Barclay Seats, on my Bennett thread I put it down to you being drunk or something but I did address the point that Bennett was better than Klose against Leeds.Overall he is our worst CB though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Van wink 2,994 Posted November 6, 2016 Barclay seats 48/49 the 3rd wrote the following post at 06/11/2016 8:51 AM:More to the point ,,, why does Hogarser continually have a downer on Bennet ? Klose is the one who looks frightened to get stuck in now ,, Bennet at the very least keeps trying ,,, saved us from another hiding yesterday on more than three occasions . I think it''s in vogue to clobber Benno Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barclay seats 4849 the 3rd 0 Posted November 6, 2016 So... to go back to the point that " nobody" has improved .... but also now Bennet has become better than Klose v Leeds ?I think you maybe need to wipe the screen of your lap top / radio so that you have a better view from your armchair . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,671 Posted November 6, 2016 Barclay I''ll reiterate that I can only assume you have a disability or at bare minimum a serious mental deficiency which means you read things and then come to a completely different conclusion to what''s written.Bennett performed better than Klose because KLOSE PERFORMED VERY BADLY. Bennett didn''t suddenly become a better CB than Klose but performed better in one game. That doesn''t mean hes improved as a player.As for your continued comments about me not attending games if youre genuinely at games then come say hello. Row C seat 80 block C lower Barclay.You tool. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,671 Posted November 6, 2016 And that''s ignoring the fact that wiping the "screen" on my radio would have literally no benefit to me. You illiterate moron. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clint 221 Posted November 6, 2016 Surely there''s some middle ground between changing the team too much (last season) and not changing it enough (this season)? Why does it have to be one or the other? As for tactics, perhaps someone could explain to me why we persisted with a back 4 when losing at home with 7 minutes of injury time to play? We still had one sub remaining and Murphy, Naismith and Oliviera on the bench. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites