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ncfc0405

So where did it all go wrong?

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I''m as baffled as I am disappointed by our season so far.

What I can''t figure out is where it all went wrong. Logic dictates that if Worthy is to blame for our current failings, he must therefore take the credit for our earlier successes (i.e. a play-off final and league-winning promotion). I just don''t accept they were flukes that he had no hand in.

Even at the back end of last season we were playing with conviction and getting results under his leadership (post-Arsenal, pre-Fulham). Until the last day of the season, the all-important barometer of results indicated he was a better manager than Dowie, Redknapp and Robson.

So where did it all go wrong?

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Worthy got VERY lucky in the championship season.  He was almost as negligent about the crucial midfield area then as he is now (although he did at least sign a couple of proper right wingers on loan).  That squad only had 3 proper central midfielders (while of course having dozens of strikers).  That would be grossly inadequate 95 times out of 100 but we got away with it because we miraculously didn’t suffer any significant injuries in that area.  This season (and last) has been an accident waiting to happen under Worthy.  And he STILL shows no sign whatsoever of understanding this, but keeps droning on about hard work.  If he was a child he would be classed as having learning difficulties.  He is not remotely in Curbishley’s class (more like Gary Megson’s brain double) so the Charlton analogy the Board keep dragging up is not remotely relevant.- get rid before its too late.

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basically in the summer, at a time when we could have bought any quality champ players like ifille - we decided to buy hughes, MLJ and co. Thats just one reason though

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[quote]I''m as baffled as I am disappointed by our season so far. What I can''t figure out is where it all went wrong. Logic dictates that if Worthy is to blame for our current failings, he must therefore tak...[/quote]

He is my list of crucial mistakes -

1. Start Of Last Season - Getting rid of Malky Makay. I agree he probably wasn''t good enough for the Premiership, but then neither were half the other players we had, particularly Fleming. Even now, Malky could have been an inspirational member of the coaching staff. We should not have let him go.

2. Midway Through Last Season - Falling out with Damien Francis. During the early part of last season, Francis was our star man. Hard working, creative and scored goals. Then it all went pear shaped - there had obviously been some sort of bust up - he lost his enthusiasm and his form. Whatever it was, it should not been allowed to happen.

3. Close Season (1) Departures -  It was clear that several members of the squad were past it and were not good enough anymore. Although some departed, several more should have gone as well - Fleming, Charlton to name but two. On the other hand, Svensson should have stayed. 

4. Close Season (2) Arrivals - Failing to adequately strengthen the squad - the new additions brought in are arguably no better, and probably worse, than those they replaced. Furthermore, for most supporters it was clear as to what areas needed strengthening and yet the Management failed to either see this, or do anything about it. We brought in the wrong players for the positions that needed improving.

5. Early Part Of This Season - poor team selection (caused by the failure to get the right players in), playing players out of position (ditto), absence of suitable tactics for the Championship, no team spirit, non existent organisation, poor use of substitutes (players and timings), lack of an on the field leader, lack of creativity.

6. Last 2 Months - the early season problems have continued and intensified. Injuries, and the lack of suitable cover have not helped - again caused by the failure to strengthen when we had the chance. This has led to dejected players, no motivation, no commitment, no will to win, loss of form, loss of ambition and a row between the Manager and Players - all caused by lack of prospects for promotion given position/form.

 

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Good response MPF. Don''t agree with most of it but won''t bore you with a point-by-point rebuttal!

What we do agree on I think (along with mr carra above) is that our midfield is primarily "where it all went wrong". I would go further and say that Damien Francis'' departure was the pivotal double-whamy, both because his antics fatally undermined team morale, and because the lack of a suitable replacement has completely decimated our game plan and style of play.

Now could Worthy have prevented Francis leaving or bought a replacement? I think no and probably not. No because Francis'' mind was made up and probably not because time was short when the Wigan deal finally completed (and the fee banked). In any case we don''t know who Worthy had been in for behind the scenes or how much money he had to spend.

Anyway, let''s hope we get our man in January, whoever''s in charge then.

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Certainly before the beginning of this season, - we struggled in the friendlies, except the first. We clearly struggled in the Premiership.

My feeling is that Worthy''s emphasis on action, fitness levels, etc. provided just the tonic the players needed after Hamilton, and even took us into the play-offs, but I feel that it was waning even then. Couple this with some poor summer signings for the last two, possibly three, years, and some bizarre team selections and tactics, including over-loyalty to some players and a disregard for others, and you probably have the answer.

Arguably, with our very small squad, we have been badly affected by injuries, this season and last, just as in the Championship year we were very fortunate.
Perhaps the purse strings were too tight once we were promoted,and perhaps the assessment of potential players was at fault.

In the promotion year we gave Hux his head, and he responded, scoring several goals. Since then he has scored few, except from the spot. We have not learned how to deploy him,- he is not a striker and not a midfielder, and perhaps other teams have worked strategies to counter-act him - not difficult when he is obviously out of form or conviction.

Some good players were allowed to go, - MacKay, Edworthy. A large number were signed in the last 5 years, 40 plus, some were mistakes and some did not live up tho their promise. Several were bought out of contract.This pattern seems to be continuing.

I find it difficult to say exactly when, but I feel that even amidst the the euphoria of Championship, and the hope of doing a "Charlton", things were already stacked against us.

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Good point about being lucky in our championship season. You missed a couple of stats to back it up though!

 

1/ The back 5, Greeno, Flem, Malky, Eddy & Drury missed only 7 games between them all season

 

2/ We got very lucky wins in around a number of games where crucial decisions, woodwork, late goals, deflections got us a victory. From memory, home matches : -Palace, Derby, Reading, Wigan, Sunderland, Nottm Forest, Sheff Utd, all games we won where we had a big slice of luck. Away there was of course Reading away. That’s eight games already.

 

In my opinion we have been suffering with NW’s poor tactics & subs for years, well before our Championship season. For example – who remembers the Watford away when we played Sunday lunchtime?. Mark Rivers, who was playing out on the left wing was either injured or exhausted and was being given the run-around by Jermaine Pennant who was on-loan from Arsenal. It took 15 minutes for Rivers to be subbed for Llewellyn who had been warming on the side-line for ages. It was obvious to all of us that a change needed to be made. Then in the last minute, when we were under siege, being saved only by Iwan, who was back defending and winning every header, our No.9 gets subbed off for Zema Abbey and Watford score the winning goal from a corner straight after, exactly the sort of cross than Iwan was heading away.

 

Just one example of NW''s tactics in action – I’m sure you can all think of loads more.

 

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For me, the day I knew we would be promoted the season before last was the day we were due to play at Sunderland. I really felt that if we lost there it might well hand the initiative to them as it was fairly close at the time. Lo and behold Sunderland was about the only place in the world to receive any quantity of snow that day and the game was called off. By the time we played them much later in the season the result was academic. The other thing I remember from that season was that on the days when we did have an adverse result so did everyone else who was in the chase!     

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1. Promotion season - few injuries, fewer suspensions, teams not used to a flying Huckerby, steady back five.
2. Premiership season - not recognising limitations of Holt & Fleming soon enough, changes only coming when forced through injuries or poor displays. Lack of motivation.
3. Not being strong enough with Fleming, Huckerby or Green. Fleming is too slow (but a very genuine player), Huckerby is in his third season - teams have always sussed him out by then or managers lost patience trying to fit him into any recognised system, Green should have publicly committed himself or gone.
4. Consistently playing players out of position when there was no need to.
5. Releasing 8 players from an already small squad and only buying 5 - bearing in mind his comments pre-season this is a deficit of 8 - we could do with them now!
6. Not wanting creativity (Hucks excepted) but being desirous of workaholics.

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My one concern with the current management structure has always been, how laid back they are when it comes to the transfer market.  Time and time again we here that we have made inquires and are awaiting clubs to call us back.  If I did that in my job, I would never get any business done.  I chase my outstanding items every other day at least.

I know we are not privy to what goes on behind the scenes, but for the last two years I felt we panic brought at the end of the summer and I wonder how many of the players we set out to get, actually came to Carrow Road?

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[quote]He is my list of crucial mistakes - 1. Start Of Last Season - Getting rid of Malky Makay. I agree he probably wasn''t good enough for the Premiership, but then neither were half the other players we h...[/quote]

Sorry, I missed one -

We should have bitten the bullet and got rid of Worthington after the first 10 games of this season. It was obvious then that something was wrong and I believe it was mostly down to him.

Just thought I''d chuck that in, in case you thought I''d forgotten.

On second thoughts, given that he''s still here, perhaps this thread should have been called So Why Is It Still All Going Wrong !

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Where did it all go wrong?  Simple really, we were far too prudent and nowhere ambitious enough in the transfer market this summer.  We brought in neither the quality nor the quantity of players that we needed. 

We have a squad that is 3 players smaller than last season and we all know how badly we suffered from injuries last year.  How prudent is it to go into a new season with an ever smaller squad containing only 4 midfielders?  We simply did not bring in enough players, especially in the midfield, everybody knew it.  Well not quite everybody. 

Leaving squad size behind, the quality of the players we bought is questionable.  4 (if not all 5) are just squad players at best.
Colin - was untested but on paper was worth bringing due to the potential. 
Louis Jean - was relegated from this league last season with a Forest side that struggled to understand what defence actually was, however he was worth bringing as a squad player.
Thorne - In my opinion was the best signing of the summer, to get a player with his scoring record for free and just as back up to Ashton was a good bit of business.  Not really his fault he has been injured or played right wing.
Hughes & Jarrett - I was fairly pleased with both these signings but for all the wrong reasons.  I knew from other fans that they were not greatest players in the world but I honestly felt that both of them were coming as squad players. 

So where was the ambition in the summer?  We were told that we did not have to sell anyone and that there were a few pennies available to bring players in.  Now the dust has settled though it is clear we made a profit this summer as only Hughes (£350K) and Colin (£250K) actually required a transfer fee paying.  We didn''t even spend the money we received for Jonson, let alone Svensson and Helveg who both left for small fees.  Then add in the Francis £1.5m that was paid up front and the board have made a tidy sum over the summer.  Why wait till January to spend it?  Where has it got us?  Now some of you reading this will be thinking "Well when Francis left, Worthy did not have much time to spend the money before the transfer deadline" and I am sure that is Worthy''s excuse.  However, any idiot with half a brain knew that Francis was leaving after Fulham and Worthy should have identified potential replacements and been ready to buy.

Where has it all gone wrong?  I repeat, a severe lack of ambition and being far too prudent.

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My perception is that the strategy for the last few seasons has been to spend as little as possible in the summer in the hope that things will work out ok having spent very little. Then, if the season is not going as well as hoped, we spend money in January to retrieve the situation. More than slightly flawed thinking in my book, probably to the extent of costing us our place in the top flight, but that''s how it looks to me.  

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[quote]He is my list of crucial mistakes - 1. Start Of Last Season - Getting rid of Malky Makay. I agree he probably wasn''t good enough for the Premiership, but then neither were half the other players we h...[/quote]

Well what a very clever person you are you seem to think you know all the answers.That must be why you want worthy out so much.You must be getting ready to apply for his job.Can i just say worthy must be such a bad manager in your eyes.But what puzzles me about you worthy out brigade is what you never seem fit to mention is that for the last two to three seasons we have had mostly sell out crowds been very difficult to get tickets has it not .I suppose this has all been because worthy is such a crap manager.I think not.

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Quite satisfying that we sign Etuhu only a couple of days after I decided Francis'' departure was where it all went wrong.

Let''s hope this is where it all went right!

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[quote]Well what a very clever person you are you seem to think you know all the answers.That must be why you want worthy out so much.You must be getting ready to apply for his job.Can i just say worthy must...[/quote]

Hi Always...............

I think this is the second time you''ve had a pop at me but I don''t mind.

In answer to your question re crowds - It''s like pop songs, you don''t have to be the best to sell the most. Quantity is not a reflection of quality. 

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Always Travellin'' - the reason that Carrow Road has been packed to the rafters each week is (a) because we''re gluttons for punishment, I suppose, and (b) we support the TEAM. I do NOT support Worthington and I hope he goes as soon as possible.

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