McShane highlights a team on the up

[smooth 114]

Great interview, even if small. But it sums up a team that will be in the mix up to the end of the season.

You can hear the unity and clearly Stam is pulling the strings. It shows how you reach promotion or achievement, it feels very different to the pieces out of CR.

I think the test will be good with reading, a team very much on the up and one needing to get back on track immediately.

A manager who understands being at the top, man management, structure and belief. Some would have said Neil was there but now is struggling to find any depth and ability to not just be a shot in the pan. Is this the real Norwich we are seeing? Well many of these players have put in performances like this before but with switching and chopping there is a unity question, ethos and actual ability.

Usually January is a time for promotion favourites to get that one player to add a little, we are in a position where changes are drastically needed as we are not one player away. I would love a Scott Parker, leader, exceptional professional to come in and pull ranks on the field. But alas this window is more tormented for us than a team on the up who need that odd addition.

So we will see a team on the rise and a team who may rise but showing not showing all signs we would expect. What will happen, of course AN needs a run of results show a rise can happen evenly.

[Number 9 0]

Wish we were Reading

[lake district canary 4,836]

I think this just goes to show the depth of the competitiveness of the championship.   Some people say  "the championship is weak" but looking around you can see some very, very good clubs on the rise.  Reading are one of them.  Looking at the top seven clubs, as they are at the moment, every one of them is proving they are on an upward trend at the moment with progressive managers and playing good football.   It is clear that we are going to have to do something quite special to be able to get even amongst the top six from where we are because of the quality of what is above us.  Certainly don''t wish we were Reading , or anyone else, but realism would show that what we are up against this season is a very strong championship.  From where we are, we need to start picking up points pretty quick if we want to stay within reach of the top six, because the teams up there at the moment don''t look like giving way any time soon.

[TCCANARY 263]

Is it Ian McShane. I used to love watching Lovejoy, remember the one where the bloke took an 1p5wich hat out of a bin.

[OldRobert 38]

[quote user="TCCANARY"]Is it Ian McShane. I used to love watching Lovejoy, remember the one where the bloke took an 1p5wich hat out of a bin.[/quote]I hope he put it back in again TC.[:)]

[TCCANARY 263]

[quote user="OldRobert"][quote user="TCCANARY"]Is it Ian McShane. I used to love watching Lovejoy, remember the one where the bloke took an 1p5wich hat out of a bin.[/quote]I hope he put it back in again TC.[:)][/quote]

He put it on his head!

[hogesar 10,775]

[quote user="lake district canary"]It is clear that we are going to have to do something quite special to be able to get even amongst the top six from where we are because of the quality of what is above us.  Certainly don''t wish we were Reading , or anyone else, but realism would show that what we are up against this season is a very strong championship. [/quote]

Are you serious? We''ve lost seven in nine and are still only 4 points from the playoffs. Apart from the top two, there''s no one particularly special or consistent in this league.

[Jim Smith 2,611]

Although much of what McShane sets out is correct, it is quite telling that I cannot recall any of our players coming out with similar comments about Neil. Ok yes a few have done the "its not the manager''s fault" of late and I can recall that in Neil''s earlier days Martin made some positive comments about the manager''s motivational skills but in terms of talking about knowing their roles, liking and being comfortable with the way we play and understanding the formation and how the manager wants us to play I really can''t recall any such comments from our players.

[Woodman 92]

[quote user="TCCANARY"]Is it Ian McShane. I used to love watching Lovejoy, remember the one where the bloke took an 1p5wich hat out of a bin.

[/quote]

Isn''t that the origin of the ''binners'' reference?