HazzaJet 252 Posted August 1, 2022 GK: Krul RB: Aarons CB: Omobamidele CB: Gibson (if fit to start)/Sorensen LB: Giannoulis DM: Sorensen/Gibbs DM: McLean RW: Sinani AM: Cantwell LW: Rashica ST: Pukki I know I’ll get loads of stick for this but I’m not giving up on the team after one game - if Sara/Nunez/Hayden fail on their debuts for us would you really say they’re no good? In our first promotion season under Farke we didn’t really get going until mid/late September Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pyro Pete 1,849 Posted August 1, 2022 Krul Aarons, Omobamidele, Tomkinson, Giannoulis Sorensen, Sara Sinani, Dowell, Cantwell Pukki (Disclaimer: I have no idea if Sara or Dowell are match fit) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yellow Green Army 236 Posted August 1, 2022 Gunn Aarons Omobamidele Gibson Giannoulis Gibbs McClean Rashicha Sinani Cantwell Pukki Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yobocop 1,083 Posted August 2, 2022 Everyone needs to stop sh**ting their pants KRUL AARONS OMO GIBSON GIANOULIS NUNEZ MCLEAN RASHICA SARA CANTWELL PUKKI Subs: Gunn, Tompkinson, Sorensen, Gibbs, Dowell, hugill, Sargent Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Haus 258 Posted August 2, 2022 5 hours ago, Yobocop said: Everyone needs to stop sh**ting their pants KRUL AARONS OMO GIBSON GIANOULIS NUNEZ MCLEAN RASHICA SARA CANTWELL PUKKI Subs: Gunn, Tompkinson, Sorensen, Gibbs, Dowell, hugill, Sargent Have i missed something, have we signed Nunez? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt. Pants 4,090 Posted August 2, 2022 36 minutes ago, Haus said: Have i missed something, have we signed Nunez? Hopefully his medical will be today and the signing announced shortly after. I'd be surprised he goes straight into the team but should make the bench. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raunds canary 211 Posted August 2, 2022 12 hours ago, TheGunnShow said: Lemme guess the bench: Michael Theoklitos (GK), Marcel Franke, Simon Whaley, Ben Marshall, David Strihavka, Thomas Helveg, Shaun Carey. 😉 I'm getting PTSD looking at this. David stihavka was a goal machine if I remember rightly 🤔 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dean Coneys boots 1,382 Posted August 2, 2022 (edited) 16 hours ago, rock bus said: That's a bit of a depressing line up. Not having a go at the players selected (except may be McLean!) But given we have spent another year in the premier league, have spent £50m+ on players, have the parachute payments - how have we ended up looking at fielding a team with players like Sorenson, Gunn, Giannoulis, Hernandez, Cantwell and Sinanai - ALL players who were not really considered good enough either last year or even in our previous championship campaign to be in the starting 11?? A sad indictment of how far we have regressed and the poor quality signings made Yes it underlines just how much money was wasted and how poor recruitment has been. Unbelievable that you can spend a record amount- tens of millions- and end up seriously considering playing yesterday’s fringe men and those sent out on loan in your starting XI That said still plenty of talent in the team- and the plus side is Sara coming back from injury and Nunes- ahould lift the team. I do feel a couple of wins would put the wind back in the sails - heads are down at present Edited August 2, 2022 by Dean Coneys boots Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paddycanary 535 Posted August 2, 2022 14 hours ago, raunds canary said: Simon Tracey Colin woodthorpe Steve Walsh Gary Doherty Fernando derveld Julian brellier Mark Fotheringham Peter grant Cedric anselin Peter Thorne Goran maric Good to see Gary "Mugged a Career" Doherty has nailed down a starting spot. 👍 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pyro Pete 1,849 Posted August 2, 2022 1 hour ago, paddycanary said: Good to see Gary "Mugged a Career" Doherty has nailed down a starting spot. 👍 Hey, he could play up front or in defence. He was pretty much the new Chris Sutton! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paddycanary 535 Posted August 2, 2022 9 minutes ago, Pyro Pete said: Hey, he could play up front or in defence. He was pretty much the new Chris Sutton! The flogging of Sutton, the subsequent dismantling of (arguably) our most competitive squad ever and the 95 relegation resulted in players of the ilk of the Doc gracing the hallowed turf as we languished in the doldrums for a decade or more. Patience is understandably in short supply after last season's embarrassing capitulation, but slow starts are nothing new for this club & we're only one game in. Let's see the lie of the land after 6 games before we start spitting the dummy out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bonzo 198 Posted August 2, 2022 (edited) Here's a wacky thought and OK shoot me down if you like. Sargent at #10. Sargent's best qualities are his defensive ones (his tackling stats are insane for a forward) and his threat in the air is very strong however it is more or less useless on the wing owing to the fact that the goal is in the middle of the pitch. Steipermann played at #10 and his ability to win turnover ball high up the pitch worked and was a menace to opponents. Cantwell is a better attacker than he is a central midfielder and Rashica has some of his best stats on the right. To date Pukki has not had one game in a 433 where he's excelled. The formation is an excellent way to attack opponents and is hard to resist but sometimes it isn't a bad idea to stick to what you know and to what you can pull off. I'd rather have Sargent harrying the CBs than trying to pin down a corner I think it could give Pukki more space to operate in. Plus Sargent's central position gives us a threat in the air. If the aim is creating space for and service to Pukki then 4231 is a proven method. Smith did use this approach a little bit last season where he played Idah in the #10 and it worked. Idah's strength and energy created problems. Sargent is a better tackler and he's a big unit too. Play him in the middle. See what happens. Edited August 2, 2022 by Bonzo 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheGunnShow 5,805 Posted August 2, 2022 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Bonzo said: Here's a wacky thought and OK shoot me down if you like. Sargent at #10. Sargent's best qualities are his defensive ones (his tackling stats are insane for a forward) and his threat in the air is very strong however it is more or less useless on the wing owing to the fact that the goal is in the middle of the pitch. Steipermann played at #10 and his ability to win turnover ball high up the pitch worked and was a menace to opponents. Cantwell is a better attacker than he is a central midfielder and Rashica has some of his best stats on the right. To date Pukki has not had one game in a 433 where he's excelled. The formation is an excellent way to attack opponents and is hard to resist but sometimes it isn't a bad idea to stick to what you know and to what you can pull off. I'd rather have Sargent harrying the CBs than trying to pin down a corner I think it could give Pukki more space to operate in. Plus Sargent's central position gives us a threat in the air. If the aim is creating space for and service to Pukki then 4231 is a proven method. Smith did use this approach a little bit last season where he played Idah in the #10 and it worked. Idah's strength and energy created problems. Sargent is a better tackler and he's a big unit too. Play him in the middle. See what happens. Like the thinking actually and can see where you're coming from basically trying to turn Sargent into a new Stiepermann and also trying to give us a longer "out-ball" if we're harassed at the back. And I agree with the notion that Sargent could help us press up the middle of the pitch as he's got an even higher workrate and greater physicality than a peak Stiepi. The obvious problem is that Sargent's not got remotely the same vision as Stiepi had. Stiepi could definitely see the passes on, but they were often risky and hard to pull off. If we're playing him there we need one of the wide midfielders to come right in to give him an easier ball to play. Dowell off the right, perhaps. Problem with my idea of putting Dowell there is you break up the partnership with Sargent and Rashica, and I tend to see those two as a pair to keep together if we can, ultimately they did play together at Bremen for a bit before joining us. Edited August 2, 2022 by TheGunnShow Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lake district canary 4,517 Posted August 2, 2022 1 hour ago, TheGunnShow said: Problem with my idea of putting Dowell there is you break up the partnership with Sargent and Rashica, and I tend to see those two as a pair to keep together if we can, ultimately they did play together at Bremen for a bit before joining us. The partnership with Sargent and Rashica has seen two consecutive relegations - Werder Bremen 20/21 then with us 21/22. Now I'm not vindictive or even suggesting that they can't be good players, because I think they can, but it doesn't look good. Either they shape up and contribute more, or they should be sidelined for others and only come on play from the bench until they get their full confidence back. I don't know what the answers are - hopefully Sara, Hayden, Nunez - but the present team looks the same as last season - lacking in confidence with little shape and direction. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raunds canary 211 Posted August 2, 2022 2 hours ago, paddycanary said: The flogging of Sutton, the subsequent dismantling of (arguably) our most competitive squad ever and the 95 relegation resulted in players of the ilk of the Doc gracing the hallowed turf as we languished in the doldrums for a decade or more. Patience is understandably in short supply after last season's embarrassing capitulation, but slow starts are nothing new for this club & we're only one game in. Let's see the lie of the land after 6 games before we start spitting the dummy out. We could have swapped Sutton for Ian Wright at one point apparently 😁 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,217 Posted August 2, 2022 On 01/08/2022 at 16:45, rock bus said: That's a bit of a depressing line up. Not having a go at the players selected (except may be McLean!) But given we have spent another year in the premier league, have spent £50m+ on players, have the parachute payments - how have we ended up looking at fielding a team with players like Sorenson, Gunn, Giannoulis, Hernandez, Cantwell and Sinanai - ALL players who were not really considered good enough either last year or even in our previous championship campaign to be in the starting 11?? A sad indictment of how far we have regressed and the poor quality signings made Not enough likes for this. 100%, bang on. Leitner, Vrancic and Trybull walk into this team currently. And they we're rightly moved on as part of an 'upgrading' process, now here we are..... Mclean, Cantwell... not even regulars in 18/19. Hernandez, not as good a player as 18/19! I also think we're on the cusp of a goal keeping crisis too. Krul's abilities are diminishing, and he's becoming more error prone. Gunn is a decent back up, but doesn't have the presence or confidence and is also prone to error. I feel this is the next problem we're sleep walking into. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norfolkngood 1,070 Posted August 2, 2022 Sargent and Rashica should be dropped until they earn a place in the side they have not performed so why are they picked lets reward good performances like Gibbs who came on a one of the better players etc We are playing Wigan nothing to be scared of lets drop the under performers and get some fresh blood into the team who will give their all 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ron obvious 1,473 Posted August 2, 2022 Nobody want Argos? Even on the bench??😐 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Haus 258 Posted August 2, 2022 6 hours ago, paddycanary said: The flogging of Sutton, the subsequent dismantling of (arguably) our most competitive squad ever and the 95 relegation resulted in players of the ilk of the Doc gracing the hallowed turf as we languished in the doldrums for a decade or more. Patience is understandably in short supply after last season's embarrassing capitulation, but slow starts are nothing new for this club & we're only one game in. Let's see the lie of the land after 6 games before we start spitting the dummy out. Selling Chris Sutton like that was a real low point for me as a Norwich fan. Last season felt similarly low. Need to get some results soon and change the vibe around it all. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big O 225 Posted August 2, 2022 On 01/08/2022 at 20:59, Petriix said: Picking a player that we don't even own, who hasn't ever trained with the rest of the squad is pretty out there. So is sticking with Rashica when he can't link up play or create chances for Pukki. That’s the first bit sorted, just 3 days training now and good to go 🤣 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yobocop 1,083 Posted August 2, 2022 16 hours ago, Haus said: Have i missed something, have we signed Nunez? Yeah you have, we signed him 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yobocop 1,083 Posted August 2, 2022 6 hours ago, ron obvious said: Nobody want Argos? Even on the bench??😐 No he’s awful Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenfoggo 247 Posted August 3, 2022 Interesting that people care enough to actually contribute to this thread . Dean Smith has proven he cannot motivate any of the squad, so it really doesn’t matter which random 11 he picks for the Wigan game, the same old losing mentality and the determination to avoid scoring will continue. If Rashica, Sargent and McClean are in the starting 11 it will guarantee yet another 90 minutes of tedium. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unique 434 Posted August 3, 2022 It’s all rather depressing…. Are we still bookies’ favourites for promotion? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dylanisabaddog 4,737 Posted August 3, 2022 (edited) 21 hours ago, norfolkngood said: Sargent and Rashica should be dropped until they earn a place in the side they have not performed so why are they picked lets reward good performances like Gibbs who came on a one of the better players etc We are playing Wigan nothing to be scared of lets drop the under performers and get some fresh blood into the team who will give their all From my memory, Gibbs was responsible for the only positive football we played on Saturday. He passed the ball forwards quickly and accurately. PS. Todd had a good shot 🙄 Edited August 3, 2022 by dylanisabaddog Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BroadstairsR 2,093 Posted August 3, 2022 Same team. Perhaps young Gibbs to start in place of 'utility man' Sorensen. Gibbs could soon mature into a commanding influence. Lungi never seems to manage this, never outstanding, never bad. Perhaps he'll be a central defender. It might well be the last chance for a while for Rashica and the Sarge. The former might need to be unloaded at a loss. Sargent has his uses. One, or two of the new boys introduced later, if expedient. God forbid should we need Hugill to come on as an alternative and in a battering ram role twenty minutes from time. His introduction aimed cause their defence sufficient problems in order to to give us a point or three. It's Wigan after all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
For the future 65 Posted August 3, 2022 Hope we put the new players on the bench not in the city stand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norfolkngood 1,070 Posted August 3, 2022 2 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said: From my memory, Gibbs was responsible for the only positive football we played on Saturday. He passed the ball forwards quickly and accurately. PS. Todd had a good shot 🙄 well Gibbs should be in then i reward good performances does not matter by who Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Besthorpe-48 102 Posted August 3, 2022 The most important thing is going to be not the team that starts but the team that finishes on Saturday. Which will be Krul Aaron's Andrew o tomkinson(hanley) mccallum McLean aka (Hayden) nunez Sara Cantwell Sinani pukki. Or am i wrong?!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZLF 261 Posted August 4, 2022 If Sara is fit then I would start both this weekend. Sara may also depending upon how well he has embraced the press. Keane is their prime creator and dribbler, so we need to control midfield and restrict his space, but this is one we should be using to boost fragile confidences, so I would start Lungi to provide a sheild esp as he is more defensively disciplined than Kenny and we lost a little shape when Lungi went off on sat. Tompkinson to start for me, a good test to see whether he is a safe no 4 cb - little point rushing Gibson back if it aggravates his injury, and this will be a better test than the cup game. Krul Aarons Tompkinson Omo Giannoulis Sorensen Sara Rashica Cantwell Sinani Pukki Sara to start ahead of kenny as I think sorensen will allow Sara to push forward and hopefully show more creativity than Kenny does in that role. And he needs to be getting minutes sooner rather than late but if still not fit then kenny starts. Who knows what the best 3 to support Pukki is; With an expectation that wigan will defend movement and sharp passing will be key. Again fitness may dictate this choice, Dowell would be an option but again little point aggravating an injury for 90 mins. Todd is a must on sats showing. Nunez to have a cameo after 70 mins would give us a boost and account for language, system/shape understanding and the inevitable jet lag. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites