Michael Bailey - 3 leaving

[Terminally Yellow 2,448]

24 minutes ago, Kenny Foggo said:

The model is to sell players to keep the owners in control. That is just fact. You could argue it's the model most owners with no capital use. 

Kenny! I nearly missed your post. Glad I didn't. You know how much I love talking to you.

The issue is with the phrase "continual firesales". Not the fact the club sells players as part of its revenue stream.

[The Raptor 1,205]

7 hours ago, paddycanary said:

History hasn't been too kind to us when we bear the "favourites" tag

I'd be surprised if we were favourites next season. We'd be behind villa (they're a massive club remember!) and probably Bournemouth too. They'd been up there a few years. Plus were going to finish bottom. I'd say third favourites. Same odds as the beaten play off finalists.

Hopefully Villa will become the team to beat and we can sneak up there unnoticed again!

[Capt. Pants 4,224]

Whilst it would be very sad to see our young defenders go, we do need to rebuild our shocking defence. Webber has said we only need to sell on our terms so given their importance to our creativity we should be asking silly money for Cantwell and Buendia. Hopefully they will stay. Tbh I'd listen to offers for anyone other than those 5 too.

There will be lots of holes in revenues and budgets post Covid and with another stoppage likely over the winter I don't think there will be as much money flying around as people think.

If Brentford don't go up this season it will be very interesting to see how they do. 

[yellowrider120 761]

5 hours ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

Those are easy to develop than the other things. 
 

I’d also say he is pretty solid at both for a younger player. The fact clubs from across Europe are keen on him is probably testament to his abilities. 

So why has Farke and the coaching staff been unable to develop those skills in a season and a half then? Either Farke has not recognised the flaws, doesn't consider them important or the player himself simply can't / won't learn / adapt.

[Rich T The Biscuit 562]

19 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

If Brentford don't go up this season it will be very interesting to see how they do. 

I really like Brentford but if they don't go up they'll lose their 2 best players; Watkins and Benrama 

[norfolkngood 1,086]

I have heard 3 are in the radar of EPL clubs 

I have heard that Man City is one club looking at arrons 

now you will say not good enough which I agree At the moment  but I heard they want him as a long term replacement For walker 

also hearing Everton are keen on Cantwell 

may all come to nothing but just passing it on 

[king canary 7,599]

13 hours ago, Rich T The Biscuit said:

I really like Brentford but if they don't go up they'll lose their 2 best players; Watkins and Benrama 

I read Watkins has a release clause of £18m if they don't go up which would be a bargain in today's market.

[Rich T The Biscuit 562]

28 minutes ago, king canary said:

I read Watkins has a release clause of £18m if they don't go up which would be a bargain in today's market.

Yep, great player and perfect for a Leeds or West Brom or whoever else goes up is Brentford don't, suspect they wouldn't be the only ones interested though.

[All the Germans 1,075]

2 hours ago, norfolkngood said:

I have heard 3 are in the radar of EPL clubs 

I have heard that Man City is one club looking at arrons 

now you will say not good enough which I agree At the moment  but I heard they want him as a long term replacement For walker 

also hearing Everton are keen on Cantwell 

may all come to nothing but just passing it on 

I could see Everton for Cantwell but I do not understand Aarons to Man City. Aarons is good, for us, but he is not near - and I'm not certain will ever be - Man City level.

[Jerrykerry 223]

13 minutes ago, All the Germans said:

I could see Everton for Cantwell but I do not understand Aarons to Man City. Aarons is good, for us, but he is not near - and I'm not certain will ever be - Man City level.

Unless they loan him back to us for a season to develop him more.....

[king canary 7,599]

5 minutes ago, Jerrykerry said:

Unless they loan him back to us for a season to develop him more.....

I don't see Aarons signing up for another season in the Championship. 

[sgncfc 1,227]

27 minutes ago, king canary said:

I don't see Aarons signing up for another season in the Championship. 

The problem Aarons has (and Lewis come to that) is that he isn't big enough to ever be the type of player a top 6 team now looks for as a fullback. Appallingly weak in the air and not great at one-on-ones so would be targeted by every opponent. I suspect his only hope is for a Leeds or a playoff winner to shell out the required £20m or so necessary based on a reputation going forward.

Neither of our fullbacks is actually a fullback, just as Godfrey isn't really a CB. I do wonder if Farke has wanted all the time he's been here to play a wingback system but hasn't had the personnel for the 3 at the back. I still hope that's the plan for next season.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,557]

4 minutes ago, sgncfc said:

The problem Aarons has (and Lewis come to that) is that he isn't big enough to ever be the type of player a top 6 team now looks for as a fullback. Appallingly weak in the air and not great at one-on-ones so would be targeted by every opponent. I suspect his only hope is for a Leeds or a playoff winner to shell out the required £20m or so necessary based on a reputation going forward.

Neither of our fullbacks is actually a fullback, just as Godfrey isn't really a CB. I do wonder if Farke has wanted all the time he's been here to play a wingback system but hasn't had the personnel for the 3 at the back. I still hope that's the plan for next season.

Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis are both taller  than Trent Alexander-Arnold and the same height as Robinson. There are no concerns about their size.

Aarons and Lewis are textbook example of modern fullbacks and those are rare players. If any Norwich player makes it to a top 6 side it will be Max or Jamal.

Liverpool have been taking a very close look at Lewis all season, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he gets a move there. Especially as Liverpool are specifically targeting homegrown players and have scaled back their spending plans due to COVID. 

[king canary 7,599]

9 minutes ago, sgncfc said:

The problem Aarons has (and Lewis come to that) is that he isn't big enough to ever be the type of player a top 6 team now looks for as a fullback. Appallingly weak in the air and not great at one-on-ones so would be targeted by every opponent. I suspect his only hope is for a Leeds or a playoff winner to shell out the required £20m or so necessary based on a reputation going forward.

Neither of our fullbacks is actually a fullback, just as Godfrey isn't really a CB. I do wonder if Farke has wanted all the time he's been here to play a wingback system but hasn't had the personnel for the 3 at the back. I still hope that's the plan for next season.

Totally disagree.

Teams at the top of the table will be much more concerned about how their fullbacks can attack- do they have pace, are they good on the ball, can they link up with midfielders/forwards on the overlap- rather than if they can win headers. I think a newly promoted club would be the ones to focus on whether Aarons or Lewis are brilliant defenders and might look elsewhere.

They aren't fullbacks in the old sense but as Bethnal says they are in the very modern sense.

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,808]

How tall is Aarons? I've just googled and there are some sources that say he's 178cm, a few that say 169cm and also one that says 176cm. He doesn't look the tallest, so my estimate would've been near the bottom end of that scale.

Also, whilst both Aarons and Lewis are certainly modern full backs in their style so have the potential to go a long way, as does Godfrey as a modern centre back, my instinct tells me that Lewis and Godfrey and Lewis won't make it at the top. Lewis doesn't strike me as having the self-belief or confidence and Godfrey is still making the same mistakes he was 18 months ago and he really needs to cut these out if he's going to establish himself as a good Premier League centre back. Of the three, I fancy Aarons to have the best career.

[norfolkngood 1,086]

1 hour ago, All the Germans said:

I could see Everton for Cantwell but I do not understand Aarons to Man City. Aarons is good, for us, but he is not near - and I'm not certain will ever be - Man City level.

Arrons is English so a big plus for a top 6 side to have 

he is quick , good with ball and young 

he is not the finished article by a long way but you telling me a year with pep as your coach and learning from top players he would not improve ? he could be a totally different player within a year 

but i am going by what i am told and anything could happen as it often does 

[All the Germans 1,075]

4 hours ago, norfolkngood said:

Arrons is English so a big plus for a top 6 side to have 

he is quick , good with ball and young 

he is not the finished article by a long way but you telling me a year with pep as your coach and learning from top players he would not improve ? he could be a totally different player within a year 

but i am going by what i am told and anything could happen as it often does 

I think technically he could be up to it, and at the start of this season I was sure he'd be the one everyone wanted, but I've seen him be dominated physically in most games and gained some doubt. Watching Aarons this season has been like watching a very good 14/15 year old play against men, can do it technically, but just can't keep up physically.

[paddycanary 538]

20 hours ago, The Raptor said:

I'd be surprised if we were favourites next season. We'd be behind villa (they're a massive club remember!) and probably Bournemouth too. They'd been up there a few years. Plus were going to finish bottom. I'd say third favourites. Same odds as the beaten play off finalists.

Hopefully Villa will become the team to beat and we can sneak up there unnoticed again!

I'd agree there Mr Raptor sir, I certainly don't think we'll be top favourites. But we'll be seen as a bigger fish, in comparison to our surprisingly positive momentum achieved last season, and teams will set out accordingly. One would assume lots of lessons will have been learnt over this chastening season to help counter this. By the club's own admission, anything less than top six will be deemed a failure.

The ins & outs should be fascinating this window. Who wants to stay? Who might a few EPL or continental clubs sniff around? What sort of outlay will the board release for some quality in the senior squad? Who might be willing to come here who could potentially be an asset in the division above?

Thus far Webber has always been honest & plain-speaking. I liked his comment about seeking players who could be effective in the top flight, should we succeed in bouncing back. Which as we know more than most is a massively difficult task. Other than the late 80s & early 90s, this club seems perennially stuck in the catch 22 situation of an inability to afford/attract enough of the calibre of player required to consistently compete at the top level. Think Koulibaly/Toivonen/Alderweireld a few years ago. The board still feel burnt from attempting to acquire & pay for what was deemed a "step-up" in quality (we won't mention names!). If I remember correctly, even amid the celebrations at Villa Park last year, Webber spoke about not betting the house on this season. Attempts were made to plug gaps on the cheap - they failed miserably, compounded by CB injuries and top-level inexperience.

However. to achieve the club's stated goals, we need to bridge the gap from Top Champo to lower/mid EPL, a gap which is widening year on year. This club just can't seem to manage it. Webber is staking his (slightly?) damaged reputation on our competitiveness this coming season. What lessons do you and others think will have been learnt & should be addressed for the coming promotion push?

- a bit more nous & experience to counterbalance the younger players? I'm fully on board the policy of scouting up & coming talent, developing them and giving them the opportunity to break through. Easier to do in the Champo. But it's been clear as this season has progressed that we lacked the know-how that comes with experience of when to tactically foul, to anticipate turnovers & a loss of possession, to be clever at set-pieces, when to support the attackers & when to play deeper etc...

- the spine of the team? GK - I hope and believe Krul will stay although he might have one eye on the Euros. Will a home-grown backup be needed to push him? Archie Mair isn't there yet, nor is Oxborough I feel. At CB, surely Zimm will stay? Hanley & Klose are both injury worries. If Godfrey stays another year, it could be the making of him. But if he does get offered a huge wage increase somewhere, he'll likely be off. 25m + add-ons? A key signing (or two) here is fundamental. At CDM, it seems the club here feel the work is done with Sitti and likely Sorensen, under Tettey's wing. Will that be sufficient in such a crucial position? At CM, who will still be here from McLean, Vrancic, Trybull, Leitner & Rupp? Are any of those 5 EPL standard? Leitner most likely gone, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Vrancic move on. Bit of space here for an u23 perhaps? For the 'number 10' position, I expect both Buendia & Cantwell to move on (20m+ each) which leaves Marco and possibly McLean, perhaps Josh Martin or Sinani (unlikely at 10). Has been a problem position all year at this level. Will the club feel we have enough? Perhaps the forward being sought might be another option here? And then up top. Will Pukki stick around? I hope so. Idah & Drmic to push him - is that enough? Lots to ponder.

- set-pieces? It's not enough to simply blame the CB injuries for this failure. Of course it is a major factor, but this is an ongoing issue which needs serious attention. So much good work undone by simple opposing frees & corners. And hardly any threat in the opposition box. Needs sorting. 

- use of substitutions? Will Farke change his hitherto approach? The extra subs situation is likely to extend into next season, at least for a while. Games are won and lost with clever use of the bench. You don't always have to start with your "strongest 11." Room for some thoughtful improvement here.