Huckerby and Roberts up front please

[a1canary 0]

I really hope NW gives the huckerby/roberts partnership a go against Rotherham. I think he''ll look back on the Bradford team selection as a mistake. No Brennan in the starting line up, Drury exposed down the left without him (goal was from a leftfield cross no?) and no link up or hold up play from the from two.
Throwing a load of strikers onto the pitch together very rarely works eventhough it looks great on paper. It''s like putting an oversize engine in a car without upgrading the suspension or the brakes!
Ferguson sometimes used to try it in the Yorke/Cole days, on the few occasions when that formation wasn''t working, by throwing on Solskjaer with them rather than instead of one of them and it never worked. Well, almost never! The small matter of the European Cup was won with 3 strikers on the pitch but how often is a game going to turn out like that!? It was a last chance substitution, not a starting formation.

And i like the idea of McKenzie as a super sub, eventhough i''m sure he doesn''t!

[no1canary 0]

I would agree with Hucks and Roberts up front and Mckenzie on the bench. Coz we all know one of them probably wont start (guess) and wot is the chance that it is going to be Hucks?
lets forget his mis fortunes in the Everton game and give the big man another chance!
IWAN, IWAN, IWAN!

[Intenso 0]

What is the point of buying McKenzie to keep him on the bench while giving a player, who has left his best years behind him, ''another chance''. If our target is the Premiership then life will be hard enough without playing to the limitations of a player about to enter his 37th year.

[canary 1 0]

i agree intenso, roberts would be the first to admit he cant start every match now, i think roberts should maybe classed the supersub!!

[Ark 0]

If not roberts, I reckon svensson could definitely do a similar job. The main thing I''d say I''ve really seen from McKenzie so far is pace... and a fair slice of luck - the perfect attributes of a player best brought on as sub (eg. Vassell for England vs Vassell for Aston Villa). Whereas Svensson seems to have the element of presence - a much better foil for hucks!

[a1canary 0]

You''re missing the point intenso. Huckerby and McKenzie up front doesn''t work. No hold up play, no link up play. It''s not how they play. The best frontman partnerships nearly always involve a pacey tricky player playing alongside a holding player. Shearer/Bellamy, Heskey/Owen, Roberts/Bellamy, etc. Ideally we want McKenzie/Svensson or Huckerby/Svensson but with Svensson injured i think Roberts, even now, is preferrable to a Mckenzie/Huckerby pairing. Roberts scored against Everton remember. From a Huckerby run and pass.
I''d be suprised if NW tries Leon and Hucks up front together against Rotherham, even if that partnership may make a little more sense away from home.

[GMF 736]

"Huckerby and McKenzie up front doesn''t work"

a1canary, If you go for the long ball approach, as against Bradford, especially in the first half, then you are right, this parntership "doesn''t work".

However, if you play this partnership, using a passing game, combined with a ball carrying approach thorough midfield, (like Francis), I would suggest that you would get a far more productive outcome.

For me, Hucks with Leon has to be the prefered approach with no long balls

[natalie 0]

look mate we dont need iwan anymore cause look what he done
he missed 2 pens what is going on!!!
mckenzie is the best
i think he that should up front he is the best he got us the top of the leauge against ipswich town

[Guest CFrost]

WE DO NEED IWAN! NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY WE NEED HIM.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE MISSED 2 PENS? WHERE HAS THERE BEEN PENALTIES HE HAS MISSED? SORRY ARE YOU REFERRING TO THE TWO ''HE DID NOT GIVE AWAY'' AT EVERTON? BECAUSE IWAN DIDNT GIVE 2 PENALTIES AWAY.

IWAN AND HUCKERBY UPFRONT. IT WORKS AND WE KNOW IT DOES. BOTH PLAY WELL TOGETHER AND HELP EACH OTHER TO SCORE OR CREATE GOALS. IF YOU HAVE NOTICED THAT THE GOALS THAT IWAN HAS SCORED HAVE MOSTLY BEEN SET UP BY HUCKS. NOW THATS SAYING SOMETHING.

ON SATURDAY WHEN LEON PLAYED WITH HUCKS EVERYONE COULD SEE IT WASNT WORKING AND AS A RESULT OF THAT AS WELL AS SOME POOR PLAY ON ALL OF THE TEAMS PART AS WELL AS BRADFORD WE LOST. NOW IT WASNT UNTIL IWAN CAME ON THAT WE ACTUALLY STARTED TO WIN ARIEAL CHALLENGES. MAYBE IF HE HAD COME ON SOONER SOMETHING COULD HAVE COME OF THEM, BUT WHO KNOWS.

LEON AND MATT PLAY WELL TOGETHER BUT SEEING AS MATT IS OUT AT THE MO I THINK THAT HUCKS SHOULD PLAY WITH IWAN UPFRONT WHILE BRING LEON ON FOR SAY THE LAST 15 MINS FOR A FEW GAMES WHILE IWAN PLAYS UNTIL LEON COMES ON. SEEING AS IWAN HASNT PLAYED A FULL GAME LATELY I THINK HE SHOULD BE GIVEN THE CHANCE WHILE LEON WAITS PATIENTLY. ITS ONLY FAIR. WE HAVE SO MANY STRIKERS NOW THAT EACH WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THEIR TURN AT SOME POINT THIS SEASON. AT THE MO IT SHOULD BE LEON AS HE HAS PLAYED A FEW FULL GAMES AND BECAUSE HE DOESNT PLAY WELL (ALLEDGEDLY) WITH HUCKS THEN HE SHOULD TAKE A BACK SEAT AND LET IWAN DO THE JOB UNTIL MATT COMES BACK. WE PAID GOOD MONEY FOR HUCKS SO HE''S ALWAYS GONNA BE 1ST ON THE TEAM SHEET NO MATTER WHAT.

MAYBE LEON AND IWAN WOULD PLAY WELL TOGETHER, WHO KNOWS? BUT I SAY START IWAN WITH HUCKS FOR A FEW GAMES. I MEAN THIS IS IWANS LAST SEAOSN AND HE SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN AS MANY GAMES AS HE CAN. LEONS CHANCE WILL BE NEXT SEASON.

IWAN AND HUCKS UPFRONT.

[kennyfoggo 0]

While svennson is injured you have got to play Iwan with Hucks..they do have an understanding. the Huck Mack partneship just didn''t work and doubt it will no man in the middle and no-one for arial duels .now Jarvis out as well the only way for the time being without panicking and buying or loaning is Iwan & Hucks

[canary 1 0]

well if iwan can keep knockin the goals in and stay with the pace then no one can argue, but svennson will be knockin on the door when hes fit !!!!

[no1canary 0]

Yes, with our current squad all 100% fit then definately Hucks and Svensson up front. We hadn''t dropped a point with him in 3 very difficult games and he scored aswell. But at the moment it will have to be Hucks and Roberts against Rotherham.

[ZLF 271]

To abandon the Mackenzie Hux partnership after one is simply madness. Hux had a quiet day - made quieter by moving him to left wing - whilst Leon at least got himself into some goalscoring positions.

Without a doubt we lost last weekend not because of the strike pairing but due to ineffective midfield. Hendo had his worst game for city, Holt his worst game of the season and Mullers disappeared as is his wont when the going gets tough. The subs brought on made no impact - shame on Francis & Rivers who I thought had a point to prove, and the best midfielder was withdrawn to accomodate a move of the clubs most talented striker to left wing so marginalising him from the game and giving our opponents space on their right flank.
In addition Bradford defended with 10 men behind the ball for most of the game.

It is unlikely our whole midfield will go AWOL so dramatically again this season. In addition we are away from home which should allow Hux and Leon more space with less players between them and the goal - an ideal time to stick with pace and power. Leon is good in the air - give him or Hux a decent ball from midfield and I am confident that they can hold it up as well as Iwan as well as causing their defence more problems. If I was Ronnie Moore I would be delighted to face Iwan instead of one of the others - the only problem his defence will have with Iwan is with his back to goal.

Iwan has always given his all and thats what has made the legend he is today. He can still do us a job but he must remain 4th+ choice striker behind the new signings and Ryan when fit. Iwan is yesterdays man and we should be playing with the best strikers at the club - that is not currently Iwan.

It is the midfield that need freshening up not the strike partnership.

Stick with Leon and Hux - it will yield results - especially away to the likes of Rotherham.

[natalie 0]

well ok whatever my mistake, my mate just told me that he gave them away sorry to all norwich fans maybe iwan can do it so give a try against rotherham

[Guest CFrost]

Thats ok.

Theres no case of "He can do it", "HE WILL DO IT!" Iwan can get the goals if he plays with Hucks.

Iwan! Iwan! Iwan!

[StevenageFan 0]

Hucks and Leon. If things not working out at half time, bring Iwan on for one of them I say, in my humble have only seen 2 games all season opinion.

[a1canary 0]

Having started this thread suggesting Iwan and Hucks up front, i''m now going to put forward a radical alternative.
3-5-3

Flem Malks and Shackell as centre backs countering the Miller''s aerial bombardment

McVeigh Holt Francis Mulryne Brennan packing the midfield

Huckerby Roberts Neon providing three pronged attack

I''m still not convinced about sticking three strikers on at the expense of a good balance to the team but still, it looks like fun!

There''s always 4-3-3 but i just don''t like the idea of leaving our wingbacks exposed - they don''t cope well when they are.

[a1canary 0]

... when i say wing backs i meant full backs!

[natalie 0]

yes he can do it iwan iwan iwan if he cant do it noone can

[Mook 0]

A1 - it''s nice of you to think about leaving our wingbacks exposed, but HOW ABOUT THE GOAL???? Three plus three plus five equals eleven, thus no Robert Green. I''m not sure Worthy will choose that one...

[YankeeCanary 0]

A1 Canary. 3-5-3? ....Of course, assuming that we continue to use a goalkeeper, this would mean Norwich would have 12 players on the pitch. A definite advantage, I agree, as long as we can get away with it.

[no1canary 0]

sorry to inform u a1canary but I think you have not realised that 3-5-3 has 12 players not 11!
Did you mean 3-5-2 or 3-4-3?

[a1canary 0]

God, now who feels the t*t!
Actually, that was a test for the moderators. They always doctor my posts anyway! And i said it looks like fun, that''s why, an extra man, can''t fail to work!

Ok, ok, it''s true, i really can''t count!!
But the principle of having Hucks floating behind the front two rather than on the wing, remains.
3-4-3 rather, with McVeigh Holt Francis Brennan in the midfield.

[Lurd 0]

Its not like any manager to drop their captain either, so i would imagine drury will be involved..

[Web Team - Vince 0]

We gave up correcting simple mistakes and bad spelling ages ago, as you no doubt noticed. If anyone (narrower than that - actually just those using Internet Explorer under Windows) wants to check spelling before they post, then you could do well to use ieSpell (www.iespell.com - it''s free). But it just does spelling - it can''t count players in team 4-2-4mations.

[gazzathegreat 0]

got it in one mate

cannot add anything to your post, except thank god i am not the only person who sees it like you