Todd Can’twell

[CANARYKING 639]

Come on Todd, couple of goals tomorrow will shut these bleeders up.

[king canary 7,609]

On 10/09/2020 at 06:29, Dr Greenthumb said:

The enigma with Todd (for me anyway), is what is his best position? He’s not a winger. 

I don't think there are many true 'wingers' left these days. 

When people think wingers I think they still think chalk on your boots, run at your fullback, get to the byline and cross. The game has changed so much since then that that is really more of a fullbacks job now and players like Todd, who can influence games from wide areas by drifting inside and creating space for fullbacks, are now more in vogue. 

[Dr Greenthumb 750]

10 hours ago, Midlands Yellow said:

The lord. 

Nephew Tom?

[Fr. Chewy Louie 137]

7 minutes ago, king canary said:

I don't think there are many true 'wingers' left these days. 

When people think wingers I think they still think chalk on your boots, run at your fullback, get to the byline and cross. The game has changed so much since then that that is really more of a fullbacks job now and players like Todd, who can influence games from wide areas by drifting inside and creating space for fullbacks, are now more in vogue. 

Crossing hasn't been a big part of our game for a couple of years anyway, with Pukki as the main striker. Onel is the closest we've had to an old-fashioned winger I guess, but he rarely puts in a cross from wide.

Maybe we'll see it a bit more when Hugill / Idah are on the pitch.

[Dr Greenthumb 750]

12 minutes ago, king canary said:

I don't think there are many true 'wingers' left these days. 

When people think wingers I think they still think chalk on your boots, run at your fullback, get to the byline and cross. The game has changed so much since then that that is really more of a fullbacks job now and players like Todd, who can influence games from wide areas by drifting inside and creating space for fullbacks, are now more in vogue. 

Hernandez and Placheta seem to be natural wingers. 
 

I understand where you are coming from though. What do you think is Todd’s best position?

[Grant Holts Moustache 105]

35 minutes ago, Pugin said:

Todd is a really good kid, and totally honest.

He does promote his commercial image, part knowingly and part unknowingly. If he had different representation we would see a drip, drip of good news stories being fed to the press, which personally I would find transparent and nauseating. He's too honest for that. Possibly that will come as his career progresses and he moves into the next phase, but I think not.

Presently, he is happy to keep close to his family and the friends he has had since he was 5 years old. That's how grounded he is. During lockdown, every single day he was doing a particular thing to help his grandparents who live in a small village and were finding it hard in self-isolation. I won't say what, but if I did people would understand the real Todd. These are not the actions of a big time Charlie. Some seem unable to see beyond the long hair and the good looks, which is just skin deep.

 

 

There were a few other bits during lockdown too. From the press that came out seemed he instigated the scheme to call the older fans who were isolated and spent a lot of time playing fifa online with the younger fans following him on Instagram. 

Little things he doesn't have to do but mean a lot to people. 

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,560]

3 minutes ago, Dr Greenthumb said:

Hernandez and Placheta seem to be natural wingers. 
 

I understand where you are coming from though. What do you think is Todd’s best position?

Hernandez is quick and a good dribbler, but he is a right footed player that mainly plays on the left wing, so isn't really a traditional winger in that sense. He will always look to come inside and attack the box, rather than wanting to go to the byline. Placheta played as an out and out winger in Poland - but whether that is effective in a team with only one striker is yet to be seen. When he was at RB Leipzig they had him mainly on the right wing to cut inside.

For Cantwell, he's just had the best season of his career playing on the left - so that is probably his best position. 

[king canary 7,609]

6 minutes ago, Dr Greenthumb said:

Hernandez and Placheta seem to be natural wingers. 
 

I understand where you are coming from though. What do you think is Todd’s best position?

They are but I wonder how much Farke see's that type of player as a 'plan b' rather than his ideal formation. I certainly don't see many games where we start with both of them.

I think Todd's best position is likely where he played this season- wide left, coming inside and interchanging with whoever is at number 10. The issue is Buendia obviously plays a very similar role on the right hand side. When it works it can be lovely- 3 technical midfielders all interchanging behind a dynamic striker, while fullbacks take advantage of the space by overlapping. When it doesn't, it can be hugely frustrating as you just have too many players all trying to play in the same space and attempting to thread 'eye of the needle' type passes through compact defences. 

[king canary 7,609]

11 minutes ago, Fr. Chewy Louie said:

Crossing hasn't been a big part of our game for a couple of years anyway, with Pukki as the main striker. Onel is the closest we've had to an old-fashioned winger I guess, but he rarely puts in a cross from wide.

Maybe we'll see it a bit more when Hugill / Idah are on the pitch.

I've seen criticism of Cantwell (and others) for not putting crosses in when you have the chance but it would be largely pointless when you've only got Pukki to aim at.

What I'd like to see more of this season is the overlapping fullbacks being a bit more willing to try those low, dangerous crosses across the 6 yard box as they can cause absolute chaos. Also, if Dowell is the man to play off the striker then cut backs to him making later runs into the box could be hugely effective.

[king canary 7,609]

6 minutes ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

Hernandez is quick and a good dribbler, but he is a right footed player that mainly plays on the left wing, so isn't really a traditional winger in that sense. He will always look to come inside and attack the box, rather than wanting to go to the byline. Placheta played as an out and out winger in Poland - but whether that is effective in a team with only one striker is yet to be seen. When he was at RB Leipzig they had him mainly on the right wing to cut inside.

For Cantwell, he's just had the best season of his career playing on the left - so that is probably his best position. 

I'm intrigued by how Onel will get on this season.

I can see him being a key part of the squad but there is also part of me that could see him on the move in January if Farke uses Placheta more and we keep one of Cantwell and Buendia.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,560]

12 minutes ago, king canary said:

I'm intrigued by how Onel will get on this season.

I can see him being a key part of the squad but there is also part of me that could see him on the move in January if Farke uses Placheta more and we keep one of Cantwell and Buendia.

It is a really tough one - Norwich's two best players last season were Cantwell and Buendia, so moving them from their preferred positions seems illogical. I've seen people saying that Emi should play as a 10, but I think that would mean he is crowded out of the game more, having him on the wing with license to come inside means he is much more able to find space and create the angles for the through balls to Pukki.

For me, Hernandez is ahead of Placheta. Placheta has been good for about 3 months, before that he was seen as a good, but not outstanding talent in Poland. His final ball is still highly dubious and whether he can impact in the Championship is a huge unknown. He is hugely fast but whether Norwich will play in a way that uses that pace is also an unknown. He seems like a good option to have on the bench if a game is opening up and there is space for him to run into, but when facing a deep defence he may have little or zero impact. Hernandez has shown he has the ability to create space and beat his man in tight spaces. 

If none of Norwich's attacking players are sold (something I doubt) then there will have to be a lot of careful management. Playing Dowell alongside Skipp is something I think could be very effective and should be considered an option. I'm guessing we will see Cantwell, Dowell and Hernandez on Saturday, and that might be the first choice three for the rest of the season, depending on Emi's future - which I highly suspect is away from Norwich.

[Fr. Chewy Louie 137]

11 minutes ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

depending on Emi's future - which I highly suspect is away from Norwich.

Is that just a feeling, or do you think there's firm interest? Assume we'd be hoping for 25m upwards

[lharman7 39]

I personally think Emi would make an excellent number 10. His tight link up play was at times brilliant in the championship e.g, vs Leeds.

I really don't think he needs much space at all to create as his close control is impeccable and he's great at threading the ball through.

 

As for Placheta, he reminds me of a young and raw Gareth Bale. Of the little friendlies I've seen ive not seen much evidence his final ball is dubious and he looks pretty decent from a deep set piece delivery.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,560]

1 minute ago, Fr. Chewy Louie said:

Is that just a feeling, or do you think there's firm interest? Assume we'd be hoping for 25m upwards

Mostly a feeling - I suspect as clubs in the Prem fail in a few of their targets, the fact Emi is just sitting there wanting to return to the Premier League will become more and more appealing to them. Norwich's price might also start to drop as the window reaches a close.

1 minute ago, lharman7 said:

I personally think Emi would make an excellent number 10. His tight link up play was at times brilliant in the championship e.g, vs Leeds.

I really don't think he needs much space at all to create as his close control is impeccable and he's great at threading the ball through.

 

As for Placheta, he reminds me of a young and raw Gareth Bale. Of the little friendlies I've seen ive not seen much evidence his final ball is dubious and he looks pretty decent from a deep set piece delivery.

Emi can play 10, but that is usually the most crowded area of the pitch, by starting slightly wider he can find more space. Also, as a prodigious presser it is more useful for him to be out wide as well - the best pressing traps are the ones that go for full backs. Clubs have struggled with what to do with Emi due to his wider position, do they try and get tight to him but that means a defensive midfielder or centre back being drawn out to the wing, if the full back goes to him then he'll get pulled into the middle. He's great at finding that little half space where opposition defenders are unsure what to do with him. His best position has always been the right wing, but tucked in very tight, moving out wider when Norwich don't have the ball - seems counterintuitive to change that.

Placheta had a bit of a reputation in Poland for being a player who would get his head down and run down blind alleys, he improved on that a bit, but only in the post lockdown period - he hasn't shown good form over a sustained period of time. Final product can be trained into a player, but he isn't the most technically gifted, relying on his physicals more. I think Norwich are hoping they can improve his weaknesses while he is still young, because if he adds that to his game, then he could be fantastic due to his natural pace.

 

[Fr. Chewy Louie 137]

5 minutes ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

Mostly a feeling - I suspect as clubs in the Prem fail in a few of their targets, the fact Emi is just sitting there wanting to return to the Premier League will become more and more appealing to them. Norwich's price might also start to drop as the window reaches a close.

 

That would be disappointing, as he could easily be the difference between auto promotion and play-offs. I'd hope the club would try to keep him unless we seriously need the cash.

[king canary 7,609]

28 minutes ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

It is a really tough one - Norwich's two best players last season were Cantwell and Buendia, so moving them from their preferred positions seems illogical. I've seen people saying that Emi should play as a 10, but I think that would mean he is crowded out of the game more, having him on the wing with license to come inside means he is much more able to find space and create the angles for the through balls to Pukki.

For me, Hernandez is ahead of Placheta. Placheta has been good for about 3 months, before that he was seen as a good, but not outstanding talent in Poland. His final ball is still highly dubious and whether he can impact in the Championship is a huge unknown. He is hugely fast but whether Norwich will play in a way that uses that pace is also an unknown. He seems like a good option to have on the bench if a game is opening up and there is space for him to run into, but when facing a deep defence he may have little or zero impact. Hernandez has shown he has the ability to create space and beat his man in tight spaces. 

If none of Norwich's attacking players are sold (something I doubt) then there will have to be a lot of careful management. Playing Dowell alongside Skipp is something I think could be very effective and should be considered an option. I'm guessing we will see Cantwell, Dowell and Hernandez on Saturday, and that might be the first choice three for the rest of the season, depending on Emi's future - which I highly suspect is away from Norwich.

I do wonder if we may also at times see Dowell playing in one the wider midfield roles as he has done in the past at other clubs.

Re Placheta- I agree Henandez is the more known quantity at this point. But lets say Placheta impresses in the first 3 months of the season and becomes the preferred option when looking for pace- even with Emi gone I wonder if that may spell the end of Onel here. 

I like Hernandez but I'd also argue his final ball is pretty suspect and his decision making is often pretty poor. He's been an important player for us because he offers pace and directness that few others do in our squad. I just wonder if Placheta becomes the preferred option in that sense then where does he fit in?

[Jim Smith 2,322]

I think both Cantwell and Buendia will ultimately be best playing centrally behind the striker and to be honest I don;t really understand why we didn't do that more last season. We moved Emi centrally in one of the games towards the end of the season (was it the Man U Cup game?) and Todd also drifted inside and we scored within about 15 minutes and had probably our best 20 minutes of the season.

I recall Todd also playing very well there in the FA Cup a couple of season ago. Now we have actual wingers i'd like to see us play with one of those two more often this season. I suspect Dowell will fall into the same category as well.

[Jim Smith 2,322]

9 minutes ago, Fr. Chewy Louie said:

That would be disappointing, as he could easily be the difference between auto promotion and play-offs. I'd hope the club would try to keep him unless we seriously need the cash.

Why would our price drop as we approach the end of the window. If anything it should go the other way. We've sold Jamal. We don;t have to sell Emi. As I understand it he;s not kicking off or forcing a move. 

[Fr. Chewy Louie 137]

4 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

I think both Cantwell and Buendia will ultimately be best playing centrally behind the striker and to be honest I don;t really understand why we didn't do that more last season. We moved Emi centrally in one of the games towards the end of the season (was it the Man U Cup game?) and Todd also drifted inside and we scored within about 15 minutes and had probably our best 20 minutes of the season.

I also wonder if Kenny will get a chance at No10 at any stage? If we've got the deeper midfield positions covered, it would be good to see what he can do there.

[Jim Smith 2,322]

Just now, Fr. Chewy Louie said:

I also wonder if Kenny will get a chance at No10 at any stage? If we've got the deeper midfield positions covered, it would be good to see what he can do there.

Maybe but as we have Dowell, Cantwell, Stiepermann and Emi who are all capable of playing there it would be a bit strange to plauy Kenny there. That said he did quite well there at times last season (e.g. Everton (a)).

[Fr. Chewy Louie 137]

3 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Why would our price drop as we approach the end of the window. If anything it should go the other way. We've sold Jamal. We don;t have to sell Emi. As I understand it he;s not kicking off or forcing a move. 

It was BYG who said that, not me, but I guess if the club's strategy is based around selling him (or at least one more of the stars) then maybe we'd have to take what we can get (within reason).

[Fr. Chewy Louie 137]

Just now, Jim Smith said:

Maybe but as we have Dowell, Cantwell, Stiepermann and Emi who are all capable of playing there it would be a bit strange to plauy Kenny there. That said he did quite well there at times last season (e.g. Everton (a)).

Yeah, but I thought that was what he was signed as originally. Lots of games anyway, so I'm sure there will be opportunities if DF fancies it.

[king canary 7,609]

1 minute ago, Fr. Chewy Louie said:

Yeah, but I thought that was what he was signed as originally. Lots of games anyway, so I'm sure there will be opportunities if DF fancies it.

We've got so many potential combos in midfield it becomes impossible to predict how we'll line up.

We could into one game like this...

Skipp, McLean

Buendia, Dowell, Hernandez

...then switch to...

Sorenson, Vrancic

Placheta, Steipermann, Cantwell

...or even play 2 up top and have a 4 man midfield of Placheta, Skipp, Tettey and Onel feeding Hugill and Pukki.

And this is before you even consider switching Dowell to a wider role, Buendia in the middle or even a back 3 with the wingbacks providing width. 

Good to have options!

[Jim Smith 2,322]

8 minutes ago, Fr. Chewy Louie said:

It was BYG who said that, not me, but I guess if the club's strategy is based around selling him (or at least one more of the stars) then maybe we'd have to take what we can get (within reason).

Yes sorry I know that. I wasn't suggesting you said it. 

[hogesar 9,676]

I'm expecting us to lose one more of our young players before the season starts. Who that is I guess will depend on clubs desperation / interest as the window comes to a close and they've not secured their first targets, as BYG says.

[Alex Moss 2,165]

47 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Why would our price drop as we approach the end of the window. If anything it should go the other way. We've sold Jamal. We don;t have to sell Emi. As I understand it he;s not kicking off or forcing a move. 

Totally agree. From what we’re told, we don’t have to sell anyone, and I would imagine Webber knows the value is far higher in gaining promotion than selling one more player. So I see no reason at all why we would bring our prices down towards the end of the window - in fact, I would think that the onus would be on the potential buying club to have to fork out more as things become increasingly desperate for them. Seems like there’s a few rumours going around that Todd maybe leaving us imminently, but what a coup it could be for us if both him and Emi decide to hang around here for a few months more at least and hopefully gain themselves another winners medal (🤞) whilst taking us back to the Premier League, exactly where they want to be I’m sure. 

[lake district canary 4,533]

I would be very surprised if Cantwell and Emi stay. The squad is far too big now and something has to give, so I would expect them both to go.  We need to move on from the last two years, employ the new players we have brought in and let these two go, which is after all the point of developing exciting players - letting them develop and then seeing them move on and allowing others to move up into the limelight. 

 

[WD40 720]

1 hour ago, hogesar said:

I'm expecting us to lose one more of our young players before the season starts. Who that is I guess will depend on clubs desperation / interest as the window comes to a close and they've not secured their first targets, as BYG says.

In the latest Jack Reeve and Michael Bailey video Bailey inferred that it was a case of when and not if Max Aarons leaves. This wasn’t addressed directly but he did say despite the size of the squad we would look thin at RB if Max left.

[king canary 7,609]

52 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

I would be very surprised if Cantwell and Emi stay. The squad is far too big now and something has to give, so I would expect them both to go.  We need to move on from the last two years, employ the new players we have brought in and let these two go, which is after all the point of developing exciting players - letting them develop and then seeing them move on and allowing others to move up into the limelight. 

 

Personally I'd rather move on from the last two years by doing our best to move on bit part players rather than stars. Also, that isn't the sole point of developing exciting players, it is just a part of it. Ideally you'd like to hang on to our most exciting players if possible. If we get bids that meet our valuations then sure, let them move, but we shouldn't be actively looking to move them on in order to make room for unknown players we've bought in.

[lake district canary 4,533]

7 minutes ago, king canary said:

1 hour ago, lake district canary said:

I would be very surprised if Cantwell and Emi stay. The squad is far too big now and something has to give, so I would expect them both to go.  We need to move on from the last two years, employ the new players we have brought in and let these two go, which is after all the point of developing exciting players - letting them develop and then seeing them move on and allowing others to move up into the limelight.

Personally I'd rather move on from the last two years by doing our best to move on bit part players rather than stars. Also, that isn't the sole point of developing exciting players, it is just a part of it. Ideally you'd like to hang on to our most exciting players if possible. If we get bids that meet our valuations then sure, let them move, but we shouldn't be actively looking to move them on in order to make room for unknown players we've bought in.

Emi can be exciting and Todd can look good, but there are some other exciting players in the mix. 

There is going to be speculation on these two players right up to the deadline in the transfer window, which is not good for them or us. Thankfully its only four league games away, so hopefully all issues will be settled by then, but given what we have brought in, I would prefer to see new players take on the mantle and give us a stronger overall midfield, rather than one that proved a bit powder puff last season.  To my mind, Cantwell and Buendia have to prove themselves all over again in the midst of some excellent looking signings.

There isn't room for all of them and Dowell, Skipp, Sorenson, Mclean, Hernandez, Placheta, Vrancic and Stiepermann (to name a few!) offer plenty.  I'd love to think Emi can reproduce the form of the last championship season and that Cantwell can develop more, but I do think that for them and for us, they both might be better off having a fresh challenge elsewhere.