Some recent comments from Pukki

[hepphep 175]

Just read through some Pukki's comments from press conference of national team.

Here are some of the main comments translated by me (so if something sounds silly, its me to blame!)

"Club used the option, so I'm heading back there for pre-season. That's the current situation. I haven't been thinking about next season a lot. Season was so tough that I haven't been thinking football for last week at all. I have just spent time with my family and tried to recover some strength for national team crunch."

"Our goal was to stay in premier league and it did not happen, so the season was disappointment. It must have been one of the toughest seasons in my career. We had lots of games and lots of losses. It's quite annoying to play when you don't win. In that sense it was hard season, both physically and mentally."

Edited May 30, 2022 by hepphep

[cambridgeshire canary 6,739]

Safe to say when he goes we will be well and truly stuffed.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

11 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Safe to say when he goes we will be well and truly stuffed.

If he stays and fires us up again... we could face a season in the Prem having just lost our best player. Again.

[Cowboy 197]

44 minutes ago, hepphep said:

Just read through some Pukki's comments from press conference of national team.

Here are some of the main comments translated by me (so if something sounds silly, its me to blame!)

"Club used the option, so I'm heading back there for pre-season. That's the current situation. I haven't been thinking about next season a lot. Season was so tough that I haven't been thinking football for last week at all. I have just spent time with my family and tried to recover some strength for national team crunch."

"Our goal was to stay in premier league and it did not happen, so the season was disappointment. It must have been one of the toughest seasons in my career. We had lots of games and lots of losses. It's quite annoying to play when you don't win. In that sense it was hard season, both physically and mentally."

Don't know if that has lost anything in the translation, but it does sound like he wants out doesn't it? Or am I reading too much into it?

[Chelm Canary 404]

We aren't going to be able to rely on Pukki forever and he's been paid very well and had his career revived here. It has worked both ways. 

I am wondering if times are needing to move on for this squad. 

[Branston Pickle 3,661]

50 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Safe to say when he goes we will be well and truly stuffed.

Sorry, is he the only striker in the world?  I’m pretty sure there are others around and about….

I certainly don’t buy this strange notion that any player in our side is irreplaceable, it is clearly not the case.  He has most certainly been great for a free transfer, but some people do forget that even our players are paid a small fortune by any measure, they don’t do it for love.  He’s had plenty in return. 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Branston Pickle

[chicken 2,627]

37 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

If he stays and fires us up again... we could face a season in the Prem having just lost our best player. Again.

Different sorts of players really. If we are promoted with him banging in the goals again next season, he'll be 33. There might be some offers out there that could offer him similar level of football for more money, but not necessarily. 

[By Hook or Ian crook 917]

7 hours ago, Cowboy said:

Don't know if that has lost anything in the translation, but it does sound like he wants out doesn't it? Or am I reading too much into it?

If you were him wouldn’t you too? No service, bad football, awful coaching, no ambition. 
 

i think it says it all that we took the year option rather than him signing a new contract which would of been the logical step for him if he wanted to stay here. I am sure he will go in the summer and I don’t begrudge him a move to a prem team at all he’s done a wonderful job for us. 

[By Hook or Ian crook 917]

7 hours ago, chicken said:

Different sorts of players really. If we are promoted with him banging in the goals again next season, he'll be 33. There might be some offers out there that could offer him similar level of football for more money, but not necessarily. 

Maybe he means when we went up and sold Bradley Johnson who’d just won player of the season 😂

[Don’t be Krul 399]

I have absolutely no insight or source, merely a hunch that Pukki, given his age in the latter stages of his career will be off in the summer for one final payday. Can't blame him if he does

[cambridgeshire canary 6,739]

8 hours ago, Branston Pickle said:

Sorry, is he the only striker in the world?  I’m pretty sure there are others around and about….

I certainly don’t buy this strange notion that any player in our side is irreplaceable, it is clearly not the case.  He has most certainly been great for a free transfer, but some people do forget that even our players are paid a small fortune by any measure, they don’t do it for love.  He’s had plenty in return. 

'No player in our side is irreplaceable'

 

Say that to Buendia and Skipp. Don't worry I'm sure Webber will find a a fantastic Pukki replacement to score us 25+ goals a season just like he was able to bring in Tzolis and Normann to replace those two mentioned above.. 

[hogesar 9,680]

1 minute ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

'No player in our side is irreplaceable'

 

Say that to Buendia and Skipp. Don't worry I'm sure Webber will find a a fantastic Pukki replacement to score us 25+ goals a season just like he was able to bring in Tzolis and Normann to replace those two mentioned above.. 

Your point doesn't really work when it was Webber who signed all of Pukki, Buendia and Skipp.

[canarybubbles 1,923]

I personally get the feeling that this decision will not be solely about money - not all footballers are motivated by the chance to show off their bling. Pukki doesn't strike me as a 'look at my new custom-built Ferrari' type of guy. His final decision might be based on whether he has trust in Smith as a manager - he can hardly be looking forward to running around like a headless chicken again as the balls fly over his head. Or maybe his final decision will come down to family reasons - how happy his family are in Norfolk, his daughter's education, etc. 

For those who say that no-one is irreplaceable - of course this is true. But when we have someone in-house who more or less guarantees us goals, do we trust Webber's recruitment of a replacement and Smith's ability to integrate that replacement into a team or do we stick with what we have (assuming that option is available), especially when the team needs updating and improving in so many other areas? For me, it's a no-brainer.

[canarybubbles 1,923]

I agree, though, with the two posters who point out that Pukki has benefited enormously from playing for City, and I am not thinking of material benefits. He is a fantastic player but he can really only perform his best in a team set up in the way that Farke set us up, based on possession of the ball and runs off the shoulder. Without the move to us, it is very doubtful whether his career would have taken off in the way it did. 

[A Load of Squit 5,170]

1 hour ago, Don’t be Krul said:

I have absolutely no insight or source, merely a hunch that Pukki, given his age in the latter stages of his career will be off in the summer for one final payday. Can't blame him if he does

He would get more money if he let his contract run down and became a free agent.

[Branston Pickle 3,661]

31 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

'No player in our side is irreplaceable'

 

Say that to Buendia and Skipp. Don't worry I'm sure Webber will find a a fantastic Pukki replacement to score us 25+ goals a season just like he was able to bring in Tzolis and Normann to replace those two mentioned above.. 

It really is particularly daft to say that any player is irreplaceable, but then over the top hyperbole seems to be your forte.  How many irreplaceable players do you think we have?  It seems that you’ve named 3 so far from the last 12 months. 

Of course the truth is that you just need to find someone decent to fill the gap when a player leaves or retires.  That we failed with Emi and Skipp, and who knows we might with Pukki, is merely a failing of Webber et al.

[lake district canary 4,535]

9 hours ago, Cowboy said:

Don't know if that has lost anything in the translation, but it does sound like he wants out doesn't it? Or am I reading too much into it?

I would take what he says at facee value. Not thinking about next season yet, just wants to get over this one and then he will have perspective from which to decide what to do next season.  A lot depends on whether he is settled enough Norfolk to want to stay from a family perspective, or whether they want to be nearer home, like Sweden or even Finland.  He is 32 now, which means he will be thinking about more than just football - another year with us and scoring plenty in the champonship in an area where his family are happy might just be good for him.

Certainly hope so, his experience will be valuable to the squad with the likes of Idah and Sargent still learning their craft - and he is an absolute star for us with his goals and all round play.

Edited May 31, 2022 by lake district canary

[Kingston Yellow 220]

77 goals in 157 games is pretty much irreplaceable, in my book.  Especially when 54 of them came in his last 84 championship games.

And you can bet your bottom dollar Smith thinks that too. 

if Pukki goes, it will be a big loss. No question.

[Branston Pickle 3,661]

5 minutes ago, Kingston Yellow said:

77 goals in 157 games is pretty much irreplaceable, in my book.  Especially when 54 of them came in his last 84 championship games.

And you can bet your bottom dollar Smith thinks that too. 

if Pukki goes, it will be a big loss. No question.

A loss, yes. Irreplaceable no. Was Holt? Wes? You just need to find the right replacement. The question is more whether you think SW would be up to it.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Branston Pickle

[littleyellowbirdie 2,553]

54 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

'No player in our side is irreplaceable'

 

Say that to Buendia and Skipp. Don't worry I'm sure Webber will find a a fantastic Pukki replacement to score us 25+ goals a season just like he was able to bring in Tzolis and Normann to replace those two mentioned above.. 

Completely agree that they need to replaced, but it's worth remembering that Webber did get Buendia and Pukki to the club in the first place.

A bit of me wonders whether those successes have prompted others to keep a close eye on who we might be targetting and outbidding us simply because we're interested. It wouldn't be difficult for agents to throw 'Norwich are very interested' into a pitch to other clubs to make people pay attention given Pukki and Buendia were both massive successes. 

[A Load of Squit 5,170]

3 minutes ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

Completely agree that they need to replaced, but it's worth remembering that Webber did get Buendia and Pukki to the club in the first place.

A bit of me wonders whether those successes have prompted others to keep a close eye on who we might be targetting and outbidding us simply because we're interested. It wouldn't be difficult for agents to throw 'Norwich are very interested' into a pitch to other clubs to make people pay attention given Pukki and Buendia were both massive successes. 

I remember John Bond came to do a Q&A when I was at college and he said that he and Bobby Robson would regularly chat on the 'phone and he realised that Robson was trying to find out JB's transfer targets. 

If only Colleen Rooney was around at the time to give JB some pointers. 😀

[Danke bitte 965]

I feel for Pukki, he’s had his partner taken away and left to feed on very little for a whole season. I’m amazed he scored 11. Could you imagine if we had a Buendia or Hoolahan type to have served him more? Highlights how dismal that transfer window was. We were always going to rely on Pukki for goals but we basically cut the service to him. 

Anyway, enough looking back. Pukki will be a big miss if he wants out and you can’t blame him but we’re clearly moving away from his style of play that has served him so well the last few seasons. No idea what sort of striker we could get that’ll put in 20+ goals in the Champ though. 

Anyone got any thoughts, suggestions, rumours?

[cambridgeshire canary 6,739]

19 minutes ago, Danke bitte said:

I feel for Pukki, he’s had his partner taken away and left to feed on very little for a whole season. I’m amazed he scored 11. Could you imagine if we had a Buendia or Hoolahan type to have served him more? Highlights how dismal that transfer window was. We were always going to rely on Pukki for goals but we basically cut the service to him. 

Anyway, enough looking back. Pukki will be a big miss if he wants out and you can’t blame him but we’re clearly moving away from his style of play that has served him so well the last few seasons. No idea what sort of striker we could get that’ll put in 20+ goals in the Champ though. 

Anyone got any thoughts, suggestions, rumours?

Imagine Pukki in a top ten side with world class wingers either side of him. 20 plus goals a season easy.

[Capt. Pants 4,250]

We have to accept things are slightly up in the air with Teemu, partially caused by sacking Farke.

I don't think there is a huge desire from him to leave, especially as you would imagine next season we'll be creating more chances and winning more matches. We don't know if he enjoys playing under Smith as it's all been backs to the wall in most matches. Looking at his body language towards the end of the season my gut feeling is he's not that happy.

Basically if Teemu is to be our main striker then we have to set the team up accordingly. We'll see what Smith comes up with.

[Capt. Pants 4,250]

10 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Imagine Pukki in a top ten side with world class wingers either side of him. 20 plus goals a season easy.

Hmm, I think Pukki relies on world class central midfielders. That Emi chap was rather good.

[GenerationA47 754]

6 hours ago, Branston Pickle said:

A loss, yes. Irreplaceable no. Was Holt? Wes? You just need to find the right replacement. The question is more whether you think SW would be up to it.

Emi, Skipp, even the supporting but goal-making cast of Mario, Marco & so on... I agree  nobody’s irreplaceable. They were just unreplaced.

Because the system and circumstances which produced and coached some of these gems has not yet been replaced. (Given that Delia and Michael failed to win the Euro Millions lottery again! club’s a joke etc)

Part of the Webber recruitment success relied on bringing in/through our own highest quality youth for Farke to pick from. Jury’s out on whether this has stopped happening. That’s not the problematic part, yet at least...
likewise we should still be getting suitable young loans from PL clubs, which works in the Champs. We’ll soon see what  Dean Smith’s style of football develops into, and whether it’s enough of a draw for top loaning clubs like Daniel’s was. 

It’s the chunk of recruitment that came from EU clubs to play for Farke that has collapsed, thanks to his departure from Norwich and UK’s departure from sanity I mean the European Union. I’m pretty sure Webber’s not replaced THAT part of the system yet.

Edited May 31, 2022 by GenerationA47
clarity

[cambridgeshire canary 6,739]

3 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

Hmm, I think Pukki relies on world class central midfielders. That Emi chap was rather good.

True, needs someone behind him too. But given he's been able to score more than 10 goals in two seasons in which his team has been awful and rock bottom most of the season imagine what he would be able to do in a top team.. 

[KiwiScot 1,450]

See there's him saying he tired so hard and they failed and it was hard to take. So a little bit of that takes away from motivation for next season even though it will be easier games. I.e. I could try to win, but only to get beat up in the premier league

[Monty13 2,235]

10 hours ago, Branston Pickle said:

Sorry, is he the only striker in the world?  I’m pretty sure there are others around and about….

I certainly don’t buy this strange notion that any player in our side is irreplaceable, it is clearly not the case.  He has most certainly been great for a free transfer, but some people do forget that even our players are paid a small fortune by any measure, they don’t do it for love.  He’s had plenty in return. 

Considering in the last year we’ve failed to replace Emi and Skipp, I haven’t got high hopes we will replace one of the best strikers we’ve ever had and the only truly proven Premier League quality player on our books any time soon.

He’s got 2-3 good seasons left in him, why would we want them to be played anywhere but Norwich? He will not be easy to replace at all, same as Holt wasn’t. The far more likely scenario is we go a few years without a prolific striker which is a huge step backwards.

[vlad666 203]

I imagine after last season he’s going to see what transfer business we do before deciding if he wants to stay. I honestly don’t blame him either. Chasing lost causes and feeding on scraps can’t be much fun. On the other hand with potential investment/takeover on the horizon, this could be an exciting place to be to wind down his career.