Congratulations to Adams

[Bill 1,788]

Ebou Adams that ishttp://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/norwich-midfielder-thrilled-by-gambia-call-up-1-5271573

[Bill 1,788]

Some interesting comments here on Adams fellow loanees at Shrewsbury (Carlton Morris and Ben Godfrey). Similarly if you check the other stories re Toffolo and Raggett..We do seem to be moving forward with our own youngsters and those we have signed with a view to developing them.The question at this stage is..... is Morris better off playing each week at Shrewsbury or fighting for a place here, though possibly spending a lot of the time on the bench - which might also be the case with Godfrey.Has Toffolo found his level as he is yet to really move beyond being a lower league loanee ?My thought is that Godfrey will be a replacement for Tettey (out of contract June 2018). Ragget will step up along side Hanley to replace Klose (high wages), as will Morris if either or both Jerome and Oliveira move on.

[paddycanary 539]

If Godfrey comes back in January, he''d probably see a fair bit of game time but it''s unlikely he''d be a starter. I think both he and the club would be better off with him getting miles on the clock this season with a view to becoming a more important player here from next summer. Godfrey could become a big player over the next few years. Louis Thompson was very unfortunate to suffer such a nasty injury when his chance came. If he can get back to the desired level, the two could potentially be a tasty midfield combo. Tettey and Reed will both be gone and we can''t predict where Trybull will end up.

If we harbour ambitions of being a top six Championship team, Toffolo isn''t quite at that level but he''s out to learn & improve so no harm in keeping him on the books for the moment. Good attacking left-backs are hard to come by.

Raggett looks as though he''s being ''groomed'' to be a starter for us in the not too distant future, probably from next summer realistically. Klose is probably the one who''ll be sacrificed soon to generate funds to get a striker in, if not in January then next summer.

Hopefully Morris learns and develops this season to our benefit in the future. But at the moment, I don''t think he''s the man to look to if the playoffs are the target. As much as we all want Oliveira to be the main man, it increasingly looks like it just isn''t going to happen. He''s often unavailable, has a (sometimes) volatile temperament, has openly displayed a disrespectful side to the coaching team and we''re unsure if he even wants to be here. Even though he''s the main goal threat in the current squad, he could be making way soon to provide funds for someone we haven''t even heard of yet - step up Mr Webber!

Is Big Cam out of contract next summer? Stuart Webber wasn''t lying when he said it would take a few windows to truly shape the squad. I thought last summer and still think now that the true drive for promotion is planned for next season with a younger, well drilled squad on manageable wages. It''s a gamble of course; money is tight and there''s very little margin for error.

If the likes of Klose, Oliveira, Maddison, Tettey, Wes and Big Cam are all gone by next September, is it possible to improve the quality of the squad with very little investment? We are surely looking for someone up top in January and we might very well already have the players on the books to replace the rest on that list (with the obvious exception of Wes!)

It''s an intrigueing time to follow the club through this transitional period. Are we witnessing the gestation of a new forward-thinking footballing philosophy, driven on by a dynamic academy and a young & hungry first team leading to consolidation in the top tier? Or are we watching the slow decline of the club into a drab period of mid-championship mediocrity where any half-decent player is picked off to balance the books? Time will tell I suppose.

This post has been far too long - I''ve work to do!!

[Bill 1,788]

That pretty much echoes my thoughts ''paddy''.I don''t think we are in such a parlous financiak state as some would have, though a few more high earners will have to be shifted off the wage bill before next season.A commendation to the club that we have so many younger players now inching their way towards the first team, with good reports coming out as well. More so as some are playing only a league below us. It maybe that as you say "the likes of Klose, Oliveira, Maddison, Tettey, Wes and Big Cam are all gone by next September"  but have we really missed Ruddy, Bennett, Whittaker, Howson and Mulumbu ? Gunn, Zimmerman, Stieperman, Trybull and Reed have not been any worse (better I would say) at a fraction of the cost.Yes two are loanees, but with Mathews stepping up along with Godfrey and a return to fitness Thompson they can be covered for. What the new players have, that was previously missing, is commitment. Only Oliveira seems to lack that at the moment.. for whatever reason.However, as ever, much will be out of our hands. Another club only has to make an offer that triggers a release clause and off they go. And I suspect they will be a handful of those in the PL come Jan as well as one or two in the Championship  as well. But then that is how we got Maddison, Godfrey, Thompson, Adams... So what comes around, goes around.