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Improvements on Alex Neil last season

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With the new season just over a week away, what improvements do you expect to see this season. I have noticed the following in the pre season games to date

1) the pre match warm up is a hundred times more thorough and professional

2) the defence has to improve on last season not sure it could get much worse

3) ball possession and pass accuracy is clearly something they have been working on

One thing that hasn''t necessarily improved yet isn''t the shot to goal ratio

Anything else you have seen?

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Norwich weren''t bad at keeping the ball last season, 5th highest in terms of possession last season in the Championship, although pass accuracy was only 10th highest.

Farke does seem obsessed by possession and controlling games though, so expect both these to go up this season. Reading showed that by keeping the ball well that you can do very well in the Championship.

Norwich will certainly be a bit more measured this season and will lose the slightly gung-ho aspects of the Alex Neil leadership. Which should hopefully cut down on last minute equalisers against. I don''t believe that was fitness related, but more about Norwich not knowing how to close out a game properly. I do expect some grumbling about the football being ''boring'' though after a few months of it - expect to hear comparisons between Hughton and Farke at some point this season.

Think there will be games, especially in the early part of the season, where Norwich will struggle against teams who aggressively press the defence. Norwich are almost certain to concede a goal or two in the August/September where Franke/Martin/Husband/Gunn/Zimmermann just pass straight to an opposing attacker, or are tackled in or close to the box. Again there will be massive grumbles about this - Butler is going to lose his shit once or twice about ''getting rid of it''.

Also, goals from set-pieces - again not something Norwich were awful at last season (Norwich scored the 9th most goals from set-pieces in the league) but it looks like this is something Farke will try to maximise.

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I also think that early season may bring a few problems, as we adjust to the new system, in meaningful games, but am confident that we will do well, sooner rather than later.

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[quote user="Captain Birdseye"]The Brighton friendly will determine what the scampi situation will be through out the season[/quote]''Er Indoors who works in The Top of The Terrace on a match day tells me it is not open for the Brighton game so maybe The Gunn Club is closed also but if it is not there will be no excuse as the catering department can channel all efforts into getting the scampi portions enhanced.

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When the gung ho approach worked it really worked. It was enjoyable to watch but the abject terror of an opposition counter attack left me queasy all too often.

So what you''re saying BYG is that you believe Herr Farke is going to take an equal approach with the playing it out from the back tactic married with possession based attacking football? Because, and I think you''ll agree, complete Hughton is not what anyone wants again.

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will only know if we have any improvement after a few games - style, attitude of players & results in competitive games is the the only measure.

Some encouraging signs but no more than that yet

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I think measured is a good way to describe what Farke seems to be working towards.

While I don''t think his style is particularly similar to Hughton''s, I think people will compare them as it won''t be an ''all out attack'' approach either. Hughton''s teams tend to sit deep and wait for the opposition to gift them the ball back, I feel Farke''s Norwich will want to get the ball back as quickly as possible.

I would expect situations where Norwich are one or two nil up with about 20 mins to go the defence just merrily passing the ball between themselves for 5 minutes of so. I can also see situations where Norwich might be drawing and are passing the ball around in midfield, seemingly without attacking intent, which will infuriate fans. Possession based football is reliant on patience and having confidence that if you maintain the ball that an opportunity will present itself if you keep probing the defence - it is how Spain dominated football for a few years. It isn''t about lobbing the ball forward in the hope it will bounce to the right person in the right place.

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I agree with Bethnal, I don''t think he philosophy will be a draw is better than nothing... so focus more on not conceding.

No expect the style to be that which we''ve seen already and also see in German sides/Liverpool/Huddersfield. Work the ball fast when in possession and attack on mass, with the defensive midfielder there to screen against a counter and hunt the ball down and reclaim possession as quickly as possible.

I think it will be the opposite of boring, it''s the reason why the preseason has been so intense, to play this way for 90 minutes requires an extremely fit team with no passangers.

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Possession based football is dull especially the merrily knocking it about at the back variety, massively overrated, I don''t think neil was so much gung ho( look at she''d weds at home last year, he took off the strikers to hang on.) just inflexible with his tactics, even when it clearly wasn''t working, and couldn''t sort a defence for toffee. I don''t mind keeping the ball as long as we''re trying to do something with it.

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Yep, agree with all the observations about possession based football. I think we''ll see a significant difference in our play when we don''t have the ball - energetic hassling of the player in possession to force a mistake or to dispossess them.

I''m concerned about keeping the ball in our own first third, but I haven''t seen enough of the new players to know if they''re good enough to do it convincingly. I suspect there will be Bassong-like dithering, but hopefully the rest of the team will be better at covering back to resolve things if it goes wrong.

Not worried about us going forward, there wasn''t a lot wrong with that side of our game last season, so I hope that continues.

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I have a feeling it will be a case of one step forward and two back....

GK- downgrade on last year, certainly in terms of experience.

DF- looks much of a muchness to me. Bennett for Franke seems about the same. Zimmerman for Bassong possible improvement. Husband for Dijks a downgrade and Martin...I despair!!!

MD- Much better balanced but slight loss. Loss of Howson a real blow- think we underrated his contribution and never looked as strong without him. But our defensive ability seems stronger.

FWD- much the same. Lost a murphy but think we can cope with that.

On paper we are a bit weaker- truth be told- but better balanced.

SO it comes down to hunger and energy- get that right and we have a chance. But if confidence dips---expect problems.

My prediction is 12th in the league- with a shaky start and strong finish.

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[quote user="Captain Birdseye"]The Brighton friendly will determine what the scampi situation will be through out the season[/quote]If the scampi situation does not improve you might need to change your name to Findus.

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[quote user="Dean Coneys boots"]I have a feeling it will be a case of one step forward and two back....

GK- downgrade on last year, certainly in terms of experience.

DF- looks much of a muchness to me. Bennett for Franke seems about the same. Zimmerman for Bassong possible improvement.[/quote]
If you think Franke and Bennett are about the same yet Zimmerman a potential improvement on Bassong I think we can just end your predictions there.

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What I hope will happen - 1) Fitter looking team and all players pro-active at all times with better intensity throughout, with less coasting/standing around2) Good possession and less giving the ball away cheaply and all players having a clear idea about their role in the teamAs a result of  the above I would expect to see better defending as a team (couldn''t be much worse than it was last season) and just more business like and organised.  Don''t think it will be like Hughton - unless it is the Hughton like from last season......organised, effective attack......and successful.   However, I would expect a Farke team to look more energetic and up for it than even Hughton''s team last season.

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"Hughton''s team last season" eh? Have I fallen through a warp in the space time continuum?

"team in Houghton''s last season" perhaps?

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[quote user="Nuff Said"]"Hughton''s team last season" eh? Have I fallen through a warp in the space time continuum?

"team in Houghton''s last season" perhaps?[/quote]

Err, no.   Hughton''s team last season as in Brighton. I was referring to a team we would like to emulate.

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The championship is getting stronger as every season goes by and the top half is populated by clubs with flirtations in the PL. Many clubs will go on to beat each other. We have lost many players since last season but look more balanced. Still lots of goals in this squad with the defence looking tighter. I am very optimistic about a good season and finishing at least 6th. I see no Newcastle or Brighton standouts in this league this season and even those clubs lost plenty of fixtures last season. It will be very tight at the top and we will be in the mix

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Farke is not trying to play possession football, he it trying to stop us giving the opposition the opportunity to get the ball back cheaply, which are not the same thing.And the biggest improvement on Alex Neil`s time is in my view Webber and not FarkeWebber and Neil could have worked, Jezza and Farke would have probably have failed

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