The worst news if true...

[Jim Smith 2,317]

28 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Exactly this. Pukki won't do as well with old-school wingers behind him, unless they find a through ball in their locker or get a low, skidding ball into the corridor between the opposing keeper and the defence to stick simply as he's poor in the air. I actually think Pukki's natural game tends to hurt our more traditional wingers, particularly Rashica and Placheta but also Hernandez when he chooses just to stay out wide.

The likes of Cantwell, Dowell and Buendia look better with Pukki around as their natural games are about through balls, which is what Pukki thrives on. His game intelligence is such that he can still find spaces and be a threat, but he's not in the game as much when we go with wingers and he's on his own up top.

There could well be an argument that Pukki should have another striker leading the line, and he drops behind to pick up pieces, surging up from deeper positions with that intelligent movement of his. Almost like a Stiepermann...

Sargevt is sh*te. Placheta is worse than Sh*te. Hernandez is enthusiastic but not great. Idah is completely unproven. 

[hogesar 9,657]

1 minute ago, Jim Smith said:

Can’t blame him for getting fed up with a club that doesn’t genuinely care whether it plays at the top level. The Webbers and Smiths currently doing a fine job of destroying any enthusiasm for the club amongst the fans. 

I suppose we could all make things up and post it as fact if we wanted but the forum would be chaos. For a club that doesn't care if it plays at the top level it does one heck of a good job of regularly getting there whilst all these big ambitious clubs you look on in envy at seem to struggle to get promoted year after year. I'm just trying to think of all the clubs with rich owners you've been jealous of. The funniest has to be Marcus Evans at Ipswich.

[Big Vince 318]

I am desperate for the player to make the most of what remains of his illustrious professional career. Clearly, he is wasting his time here with the Socialists and their Little Norwich Yo-Yo project, which has only one concern, that being the balance sheet. 

The Suffolk Socialists have been taking the michaels these past four years, chuckling away in the stand as their player plunders 78 goals after costing sweet **** all.

The ramifications of having no goalscoring striker next season will rule out any pointless promotion push and hopefully increase the heat and toxicity surrounding the Socialists continued ownership of this club, especially now the Americans appear to have been put off as well.

[canarybubbles 1,915]

I've got what I think is a much better idea. We keep Pukki and sack Webber and Smith.

[komakino 272]

7 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Sargevt is sh*te. Placheta is worse than Sh*te. Hernandez is enthusiastic but not great. Idah is completely unproven. 

Sargent was so ineffective, you start to crave for Alex Notman. 

[ricardo 7,381]

At the end of last season I said I wouldn't  be surprised if he went on his way. A last big pay day was always on the cards at this stage of his football life.

[Bomber 48]

Ever thought it is his agent talking this up so he himself can get one last payday from his man although I have no doubt what he is saying is in Pukki’s mind the player himself is not saying anything 

[Bomber 48]

Anyway think Hugill going to come good this year 

[canarybubbles 1,915]

10 minutes ago, Bomber said:

Anyway think Hugill going to come good this year 

Hugill or Pukki? Is that satire?

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

2 hours ago, Yobocop said:

And yet we already have replaced all 3 

Really? 

[alex_ncfc 662]

It's OK, we have the legend Adam Idah who "played well" in 2 games last season to provide us with the goals we need 👍 

[dylanisabaddog 4,904]

4 hours ago, Feedthewolf said:

This would be an absolute disaster. His movement, work rate, positioning and finishing would be incredibly difficult to replace. Even with only a year left on his contract and at 32 years old, we should be holding out for £10m if he does want to go. Top-flight goals cost top money.

£10m is a bare minimum. I don't know where we can get anything like Teemu for less than that. Guaranteed goals and he works so hard. But in my opinion Dean Smith is so thick he probably doesn't get it. 

[TheBaldOne66 682]

2 hours ago, Haus said:

Yeah, how much would we have to pay to get a striker who would get us 25 goals in the Championship. 

We paid nothing for Pukki, so who’s to say we would pay anything?

[Yobocop 1,097]

18 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

Really? 

Yep 

[komakino 272]

7 minutes ago, dylanisabaddog said:

£10m is a bare minimum. I don't know where we can get anything like Teemu for less than that. Guaranteed goals and he works so hard. But in my opinion Dean Smith is so thick he probably doesn't get it. 

I think Smith knows how much he needs Pukki and he could - and maybe should - make it a vote of confidence. It's been a while since we had a manager who hasn't always towed the corporate line. 

[DraytonBoy 145]

I get that his age counts against him but if there is any possibility of him leaving he should be offered a decent contract to stay, it's daft that the likes of Gibson and Byram are on more than him when neither are nailed on starters.

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

4 hours ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

If he does to wonder if we will try Sargent at striker? Him up and Idah up top in a two could be.. fun

Barn doors and Donkeys Ar5es  would be safe.

[hogesar 9,657]

11 minutes ago, DraytonBoy said:

I get that his age counts against him but if there is any possibility of him leaving he should be offered a decent contract to stay, it's daft that the likes of Gibson and Byram are on more than him when neither are nailed on starters.

Neither are on more than him.

[PurpleCanary 5,556]

2 hours ago, Branston Pickle said:

I’m inclined to agree with you there. An agent talking up his player in a random interview is hardly anything new, and we had much the same stuff two seasons ago. I don’t think Pukki is going anywhere this summer.

I certainly don't see this as anything like akin to the position with Buendia, when by all accounts he made it quite clear he had no intention of spending another season at Carrow Road. And for good or ill if we let him go we were guaranteed a record transfer fee to plug gaps in the squad.

I don't see Pukki as being potentially as disruptive as Buendia might have been. We would not get nearly as much for Pukki and we have other saleable assets, such as Aarons and Raschica, who would bring in enough money and are pretty replaceable, either by players already in the squad, or who would be available to buy or loan in.

Based on admittedly very little sight of them Idah and Hugill strike me as at best mid-table Championship performers. We would have to replace Pukki and it would cost us a lot of money.

Edited June 28, 2022 by PurpleCanary

[Midlands Yellow 3,970]

2 hours ago, Bomber said:

Anyway think Hugill going to come good this year 

Two decent seasons in his whole career as a footballer. Maybe 22/23 will be the third, but not here. 

[DraytonBoy 145]

23 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Neither are on more than him.

I thought he was on £25K a week, Byram £30K and Gibson maybe as high as £40K.

[hogesar 9,657]

5 minutes ago, DraytonBoy said:

I thought he was on £25K a week, Byram £30K and Gibson maybe as high as £40K.

Pukki has no relegation clause, quite publicly announced he's on north of £50k this championship season

[king canary 7,599]

5 minutes ago, DraytonBoy said:

I thought he was on £25K a week, Byram £30K and Gibson maybe as high as £40K.

It has been widely reported he's on over £50k.

[komakino 272]

5 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Pukki has no relegation clause, quite publicly announced he's on north of £50k this championship season

That's not clever business from us.  Pukki is worth more than anyone in the current squad, but paying that sort of cash in the second tier is ridiculous, especially as we have owners with short arms and no ears. 

Remember the outcry when Naismith had that in his contract? Never again. 

Edited June 28, 2022 by komakino

[DraytonBoy 145]

Even if that's correct surely it would still be better offering him say an extra season to guarantee him staying.

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

9 minutes ago, king canary said:

It has been widely reported he's on over £50k.

Which is good money, at his age ,who'd pay him more? Enough to uproot his family etc who'd be the likely candidates?

[hogesar 9,657]

3 minutes ago, komakino said:

That's not clever business from us.  Pukki is worth more than anyone in the current squad, but paying that sort of cash in the second tier is ridiculous, especially as we have owners with short arms and no ears. 

Remember the outcry when Naismith had that in his contract? Never again. 

That's why it's sensibly only for one year. It's a £2.8 million investment. Much more sensible than paying a transfer fee + wages for a lesser player this season.

Good try though.

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,219]

We do not have to guess at some things. This would be a disaster for us. 

We have made some poor decisions that did not need hindsight. Football is a low-scoring game where goalscorers are at a premium, creators are highly desirable and also quite rare and  structural central defensively-minded midfielder is a crucial strategic role for any side at any level. Almost all other positions can be patched up. Those 3 are fundamental. 
 

Smith stated clearly that Pukki is central to his plans. It would be almost impossible to replace his level of guaranteed goals in the second tier immediately for our budget. 

Smith has also moved fast and hard to get Hayden in the building. A very good signing for our level and circumstances. As good as we could possibly do. It was such a priority because it so patently did not exist in the building post -Skipp. An extraordinary oversight and failing that Smith has ensured was addressed post-haste. 
 

Further Smith has stated clearly - when he has been equivocal about other positions and signings - that he needs to ‘fill the Emi-shaped hole’. This is clearly his next key objective post-CDM solution 

So what does this tell us?

That our previous promotion success hinged on Skipp’s defensive structure in the centre, Emi’s genius creativity and Pukki’s goals. These are the difference makers. Such is football. 

At the top level - despite almost zero service - Pukki got double figures. Actually a superb performance in context. 

Without Pukki we have little in the way of weapons now to suggest that we would succeed in the second tier. We do not have enough that stands out. We have instead a very large squad of very capable players with no real standout qualities. A very expensive way to go about relative mediocrity.
 

Smith has - in football speak - said as much and his actions and words have stated it clearly enough. Smith would find Norwich 2022-23 without Pukki almost a back-me-or-sack-me moment. 

However….…

…Pukki might well go. Though comparisons with the Buendia scenario are very wide of the mark. Pukki has a year left, is faced with a ‘nothing’ season at a lower level, with only the promise of tier one (or near) wages to persuade him. Buendia had all the bright lights of the Premier and a role in centre stage… more than enough after a brief strop and a nice headline or two and a few cheers and hugs. 

Smith would be left clawing the wrongs of yesterday again…filling the Skipp hole in the dam, waiting hopefully on a plug for the Buendia hole, then only to be faced with the massive fracture that Pukki would leave. 

Losing goal creation is disastrous. Losing goals is fatal. They cover all manner of sins. 

Parma 

Edited June 28, 2022 by Parma Ham's gone mouldy

[Capt. Pants 4,223]

To give Pukki a 3yr contract on say £50k a week is £7.8m. That's a lot and gives you a feel on how much it would cost to replace him on wages alone.

It's frustrating that we haven't got anyone near good enough to replace him. Idah is a slow burner and gets injured just when you need him and Sargent isn't really a finisher.

It's a wake up call and I just hope Idah can push on this coming season.

 

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

4 hours ago, The Real Buh said:

If we sell him there will be a riot though. 

No, there won't.