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Yellow and Green

Ultimate NCFC Promotion Team

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This our 4th promotion in 15 years and I thought it'd be interesting to see which player would be in everyone's ultimate squad of 18.

I've put together the main starting elevens (subject to opinion, of course) from each promotion:

Worthy's 2003/04 team:

                    Green

Edworthy Fleming Mackay Drury

  Harper Holt Francis Huckerby

           Iwan McKenzie

 

Lambert's 2010/11 team:

                    Ruddy

Martin Barnett Whitbred Tierney

                      Fox

        Lansbury    Surman

                  Hoolahan

               Holt  Jackson

 

Neil's 2014/15 team:

                      Ruddy

Whitaker Martin Bassong Olsson

Redmond Howson Tettey Johnson

                   Hoolahan

                     Jerome

 

Farke's 2018/19 team:

                          Krul

Aarons Zimmerman Klose Lewis

                 Trybull Leitner

Buendia    Stiepermann    Hernandez

                        Pukki

 

My combined team:

                     Green                                                    

Aarons Fleming Malky Drury

             Howson Leitner

Buendia   Hoolahan   Huckerby

                     Holt                                                        Bench: Ruddy, Zimmerman, Lewis, Holt, Redmond, Pukki, Iwan

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Football has moved on a lot in recent years. Players are fitter and more tactically aware. The level of analysis (in all areas of football) is unprecedented. I genuinely believe that the current Norwich team is the best I have ever seen and virtually none of the players from any previous Norwich teams would come close to breaking into this one. The only exception is maybe Huckerby or Redmond could come in for Hernandez, but I am not certain either could match his work rate when we don't have the ball.

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13 minutes ago, Yellow and Green said:

Krul

Aarons Zimmerman Klose Lewis

                 Trybull Leitner

Buendia    Stiepermann    Hernandez

                        Pukki

I would have Green in goal and Holt on the bench. Bassong first season would be immense. Loved Drury but Lewis is the better modern day version, ditto most of our attacking midfield

However, the team we have now is simply one of the best 'teams' I've seen play for us in decades.

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In terms of performance relative to the league they were playing in at the time, I'd mix it up a bit more than some people.

In terms of competing in the present day, Hucks would have to go in the team but other than that it'd be difficult to change anything from this season's team.

                     Green
Aarons Godfrey Mackay Drury
                Holt Vrancic
 Buendía Hoolahan Huckerby
                      Holt

Subs: Krul, Fleming, Olsson, Tettey, Lansbury, Hernandez, Pukki.

That was really, really tough, and there are at least half a dozen players I'm gutted to have left out.

 

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GK- Green. For me still one of the most talented keepers I've seen in a Norwich shirt. Such a shame that mistake v the US seemed to stall his career.

RB- Aarons. Destined to go the very top level.

CB- Mackay. Shame about his post Norwich 'issues' but he was a colossus in our defence and also grabbed some very important goals when needed.

CB- Godfrey. Same reason as Aarons- think he'll reach the very top.

LB- Drury. I love me some Adam Drury.

DM- Tettey. Solid, consistent player. Holt as close second

CM- Buendia. Cheating a bit to fit the players I want in but he's such a talent.

RW- Redmond. Always hugely underrated by our fan base.

AM- Hoolahan. Do I really need to explain?

LW- Hucks. one of the most exciting players I've had the privilege to watch in a Norwich shirt.

CF- Holt. Unfortunate for Pukki but Holt's longevity gets the nod here.

 

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I’m not sure I’d have had Harper in that Worthy team, but can’t recall who it would be instead - Crouch did do a fair bit to kick-start the season though.

Hucks is surely a shoo-in for anyone’s side, otherwise I’d probably go along with Wolfie’s picks.

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You have to improve every year to stay at the same level, so I imagine our team this year would beat the 03/04 reasonably comfortably despite the similar results achieved, but assuming we're going on a 'pound for pound' basis:

Green; Martin, Fleming, Mackay, Olsson; Howson, Tettey; Buendia, Hoolahan, Huckerby; Holt.

Feels really strange that I've only chosen one player from this year's team and I expect most will disagree with some elements, but I'll stick with it.

Pukki, Aarons and Lewis are unfortunate to miss out but I just remember Martin in particular being excellent in 2011 and Olsson was clearly a mid-table Premier League full back in 2015. And as phenomenal as Pukki has been, I just can't bring myself to pick him ahead of Holt.

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4 minutes ago, Branston Pickle said:

I’m not sure I’d have had Harper in that Worthy team, but can’t recall who it would be instead - Crouch did do a fair bit to kick-start the season though.

Hucks is surely a shoo-in for anyone’s side, otherwise I’d probably go along with Wolfie’s picks.

Matthias Svennson? Clint Easton?

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Kevin Cooper and Ian Henderson were the other two who played right-midfield/right-wing in that campaign. I think Harper was probably the better of the three.

I'd have to go with this season's 4-2-3-1 formation and...

GK -  Green. Don't like the bloke but my god was he good for us that season

RB - Aarons. Best Norwich fullback since Mark Bowen

LB - Drury. Solid defensively, allows the forward players more freedom to attack and still handy pushing on himself

CB - Fleming. Come on guys, it's been a great season this year but 39 goals conceded compared to 56?

CB- Mackay. As above

DM - Tettey. The Playoff winning version

MC - Leitner. Perhaps fortunate given his lack of game time. Francis and Howson unlucky to miss out.

RW - Buendia. He's awesome, like Aarons, he's destined for the top, I just hope we get to enjoy him for a few seasons first

AMC - Hoolahan. No explanation needed

LW - Huckerby. No explanation needed

FWD - Pukki.  Outscored Holt in his NCFC Championship season. If he outscores him in his first Prem season we're probably safe

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5 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

You have to improve every year to stay at the same level, so I imagine our team this year would beat the 03/04 reasonably comfortably despite the similar results achieved, but assuming we're going on a 'pound for pound' basis:

Green; Martin, Fleming, Mackay, Olsson; Howson, Tettey; Buendia, Hoolahan, Huckerby; Holt.

Feels really strange that I've only chosen one player from this year's team and I expect most will disagree with some elements, but I'll stick with it.

Pukki, Aarons and Lewis are unfortunate to miss out but I just remember Martin in particular being excellent in 2011 and Olsson was clearly a mid-table Premier League full back in 2015. And as phenomenal as Pukki has been, I just can't bring myself to pick him ahead of Holt.

It would be a great game - Hucks has said a few times on the TNC podcast that he would be confident that the 2003/04 team would beat Farke's boys.

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2 minutes ago, canarydan23 said:

FWD - Pukki.  Outscored Holt in his NCFC Championship season. If he outscores him in his first Prem season we're probably safe

Agree with this- will be interesting to see how he adjusts.

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3 minutes ago, Yellow and Green said:

It would be a great game - Hucks has said a few times on the TNC podcast that he would be confident that the 2003/04 team would beat Farke's boys.

Well, he would, wouldn't he? But in any sport, you have to improve (physically, generally) slightly every year to stay at the same level, as the overall standard creeps up year-on-year. For that reason, I doubt our 2003-04 team would be able to handle the pace and fitness or our 2018-19 team.

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Taking all into account:

Keelan

Aarons, Watson, Bruce, Drury

Buendia, Hoolahan, Peters, Huckerby

Boyer, MacDougall

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23 minutes ago, Drazen Muzinic said:

Matthias Svennson? Clint Easton?

It was Paul McVeigh

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15 minutes ago, PurpleCanary said:

Taking all into account:

Keelan

Aarons, Watson, Bruce, Drury

Buendia, Hoolahan, Peters, Huckerby

Boyer, MacDougall

Wow, now that is a team!

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22 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Well, he would, wouldn't he? But in any sport, you have to improve (physically, generally) slightly every year to stay at the same level, as the overall standard creeps up year-on-year. For that reason, I doubt our 2003-04 team would be able to handle the pace and fitness or our 2018-19 team.

Applying the same logic, do you think that Guardiola's Man City side would beat his 2011 Barcelona team?

 

It's also interesting to note, albeit slightly off topic, that the women's 100m world record hasn't been beaten since 1988.

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5 minutes ago, Yellow and Green said:

Applying the same logic, do you think that Guardiola's Man City side would beat his 2011 Barcelona team?

 

It's also interesting to note, albeit slightly off topic, that the women's 100m world record hasn't been beaten since 1988.

Possibly. But eight years are fewer than 15. 

As for your second point, that's an exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of world records have been beaten consistently over the past few years, and very few have stood for 20/30 years. Also, note that a lot of those that have stood (the women's 100m isn't one of these, I know) are by eastern European athletes at a time when systematic doping has been proven.

Edited by Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man

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16 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Possibly. But eight years are fewer than 15. 

As for your second point, that's an exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of world records have been beaten consistently over the past few years, and very few have stood for 20/30 years. Also, note that a lot of those that have stood (the women's 100m isn't one of these, I know) are by eastern European athletes at a time when systematic doping has been proven.

Wenger's Invincibles (2003/4)?

You could probably counter argue that the memories of Worthy's team 15 years ago have faded sufficiently to make them seem less talented than they actually were. 

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Promotion was in 2005 not 04. Whatever but whoever were the best team it is not arguable that the 2018\9 is far more exciting and entertaining than City team promoted. We shall see how the team performs and stays in PL to gauge the better team Worthy and Neil's team lasted 1 season so can be discounted.

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As I would want them to play the current style I think it would basically be this year's team but with three lungs in for trybull and Huck's in for onel. Much as IFGH I don't think he would be as effective in this setup as pukki has been, he just didn't quite have the mobility (but did share the knack of being in the right place at just the right time).

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16 minutes ago, pete said:

Promotion was in 2005 not 04.

No it wasn't

Edited by king canary
typo

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42 minutes ago, Parma Ham's gone mouldy said:

Krul

Aarons Klose Lewis

Vrancic Leitner 

Buendia Hoolahan Huckerby

Pukki Holt 

Parma

Think it would take all of your tactical acumen to get that lineup working 😁

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                         Green

Martin  Zimmermann  Klose  Olsson

                       Holt  Fox

     Hernandez Hoolahan Huckerby

                           Holt

 

Bench: Ruddy, Tierney, Aarons, Bassong, Johnson, Buendia, Pukki

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2 hours ago, BigFish said:

Wow, now that is a team!

Not bad, is it, BF! The most players - three - from 1974-75, but then the Bond era was my favourite time. Not necessarily the best football, certainly not the most consistent, but great fun. Unsurpassed in that regard, although I have to say this season, the way it just got better and better and better, runs it close.

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