ricardo's report v P.N.E.

[ricardo 7,474]

There was a kafuffle just down the road from me this morning where someone was apparantly stabbed, Police everywhere. Mrs R wanted me to put on a stab proof vest for the footy but I managed to convince her that it was safe and pedalled off to CR without it.

Smith kept faith with the team that won a point at Reading and for the opening quarter hour it looked like the correct decision. City began with plenty of verve and were ahead in under two minutes when Gibbs through ball to Nunez wasn't cut out and Sargent picked up the pieces with a clear run at goal from the left and made no mistake by tucking a low drive past Woodman from eighteen yards.

Now playing with confidence, the home side began to create further chances and the visitors appeared to be holding on. Sargent again got free in the Preston area and did brilliantly to get a shot away while surrounded by three or four defenders. Unfortunately Woodman was equal to it and somehow palmed it away to his left for a corner. Then a cross in from the left only needed a City boot but it didn't find one. Preston looked neat and tidy in patches but at this stage it was mostly backs to the wall.

Next it was Pukki with a turn and shot that brought another good stop out of Woodman but when moments later, the City Talisman, was slipped through into the penalty area with only the keeper to beat we really should have been well on the way to game set and match. The ball was lifted over the keeper but drifted just wide of the far post. I suppose you could say that it was a turning point because Preston broke away down their right and Brady was nippy enough to get in ahead of Byrom and send in a perfect cross for Riis, who had lost his marker and made no mistake with a header that Krul could only stand and watch.

All very disappointing considering that up until then it had been the most convincing twenty minutes I'd seen all season. Unsurprisingly things got very scrappy for the remainder of the half and Byrom was a lucky boy to only get a yellow from a high challenge that required lengthy treatment for the Preston player. The visitors were now having a lot of the ball while City could not get any grip on the midfield and you could feel the early bouyant atmosphere change. In the run up to halftime Nunez tried his luck from range but it veered wide while at our end nerves were jangling as Aarons nipped in to rob a Preston forward just as he was about to strike.

It was clear that a change was needed but somewhat of a surprise that it was Byrom who made way as Kenny dropped back and Sara came into the middle. Maybe Smith was worried that Byrom was in danger of a red because he did not appear to be carrying an injury.  It certainly looked better as City had a couple of raids where Pukki's cross didn't quite find Sargent and Gibbs shot didn't quite drop in the right side of the post. Then they made it much harder for themselves when Krul's out ball bisected Gibbs and Aarons leaving the lively Fernandez a clear run before squaring to Riis who had any easy job to pass the ball into the net.

We are the architects of our own demise unfortunately but to their credit they did begin to push Preston back and there were several near squeaks as the visitors defence was put under constant pressure. Sinani came on for Ramsey on the hour as City poured forward and Sargent hit a good volley from a high bouncing ball that only needed to be a yard either side of Woodman to be a goal. Somehow it went straight at him and the loose ball was scrambled away. Then Pukki had a clear opening from Kenny's cut back but uncharacteristically tooed it wide.

Dowell came on for Nunez with twenty minutes left and  the goal that we had long threatened finally came on 76 minutes when some forceful play down the left and good control in the box enabled Pukki to square to Sara who netted from six yards at the near post.

I think we were all expecting to go on and win from here but once again disaster struck as a hard cross in from the Preston left appeard to deflect off a City player and past Krul just a few minutes later. They have barely scored all season but go and get three almost out of nothing, sometimes you just can't credit it.

Hernandez came on for the last knockings and brought yet another good save out of Woodman who must have been Preston's MOM. Kenny, who had had a storming second half netted in time added but the whistle had already gone for a foul in the box so it was just not meant to be. At the end there were boo's but more from frustration than from lack of effort and bloke near me nearly had apoplexy after a stream of invective aimed at the ref and the time wasting. Its pointless getting upset, we would do the same in Preston's shoes.

I thought Sara looked the part in his second half cameo but my MOM today goes to Kenny who I thought was outstanding in the left wingback roll.

 

 

[Robert N. LiM 4,774]

Great report as always. And good point about Kenny, who looks better at LB than in midfield and, on the evidence of recent games, better at LB than Byram. 

 

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,272]

Well done @ricardo. Far too many journalists, fans, phone-in callers make their reports and opinions based on the result and work backwards from there.

You are far too sophisticated and empirical for that. This is what coaches focus on. Football is a low scoring game The result can be a poor representation of 80% of the action. 

Your report is balanced and pragmatic. I wish more thought as you do.

Parma 

[nutty nigel 7,716]

That was the game I saw Rickyyy. 👍👍👍

 

[hogesar 9,898]

Very good report Ricardo and matches what I saw.

[SwearyCanary 1,196]

Completely agree with this report. We were great early doors, should have been well away, but PNE had enough about them to grab the goal and from then on disrupting g us was the order of the day. We helped them out in that regard until Sara came in and made a big difference. His best performance by a mile today and for me should be starting next game. Sargent industrious as ever and plays like he cares every game. Ramsay and Nunez were definitely not at the races today, which I think impacted our threat a great deal in the middle section. For the last 15-20 we were dominant and they were dogged. Their third was a sucker punch and their gamesmanship was horrible but top drawer. 

Very much one to chalk up as a bad result, but not horrendous performance. 

[nutty nigel 7,716]

4 minutes ago, SwearyCanary said:

Completely agree with this report. We were great early doors, should have been well away, but PNE had enough about them to grab the goal and from then on disrupting g us was the order of the day. We helped them out in that regard until Sara came in and made a big difference. His best performance by a mile today and for me should be starting next game. Sargent industrious as ever and plays like he cares every game. Ramsay and Nunez were definitely not at the races today, which I think impacted our threat a great deal in the middle section. For the last 15-20 we were dominant and they were dogged. Their third was a sucker punch and their gamesmanship was horrible but top drawer. 

Very much one to chalk up as a bad result, but not horrendous performance. 

Sara starts next time for me. He needs games now. 

[ricardo 7,474]

13 minutes ago, nutty nigel said:

That was the game I saw Rickyyy. 👍👍👍

 

We seem to see the game in similar ways Nutty and we have learned that with NCFC nothing goes in a straight line. It must be something to do with all that time we've been watching. I am a bit depressed tonight but if Smith can cut out the mistakes I feel we still have enough to take this league by the scruff of the neck.

 

[nutty nigel 7,716]

11 minutes ago, ricardo said:

We seem to see the game in similar ways Nutty and we have learned that with NCFC nothing goes in a straight line. It must be something to do with all that time we've been watching. I am a bit depressed tonight but if Smith can cut out the mistakes I feel we still have enough to take this league by the scruff of the neck.

 

If we'd have got 3-3 we'd be clear top. Because on the plus side teams like Sheff Utd and Watford lost ground on us over the last 2 games. I still think we can win the league but I've never been that confident. It's a long hard season. 

@Parma Ham's gone mouldy point about others working back from the result is why your report is so good. I imagine you take notes and stick to them.

 

[SwearyCanary 1,196]

2 minutes ago, nutty nigel said:

If we'd have got 3-3 we'd be clear top. Because on the plus side teams like Sheff Utd and Watford lost ground on us over the last 2 games. I still think we can win the league but I've never been that confident. It's a long hard season. 

@Parma Ham's gone mouldy point about others working back from the result is why your report is so good. I imagine you take notes and stick to them.

 

My only critique. Krul did dive for their first goal. 😉

[nutty nigel 7,716]

1 minute ago, SwearyCanary said:

My only critique. Krul did dive for their first goal. 😉

Dived and watched 🙃

[ricardo 7,474]

2 minutes ago, nutty nigel said:

If we'd have got 3-3 we'd be clear top. Because on the plus side teams like Sheff Utd and Watford lost ground on us over the last 2 games. I still think we can win the league but I've never been that confident. It's a long hard season. 

@Parma Ham's gone mouldy point about others working back from the result is why your report is so good. I imagine you take notes and stick to them.

 

I do it from memory Nutty thats why I sometimes get incidents in the wrong order or I name the wrong player when something happens quickly up the other end. I have learned over the years that people often see the same incident in different ways. Football is all about opinions and we all think that our own is the valid one.

[ricardo 7,474]

7 minutes ago, SwearyCanary said:

My only critique. Krul did dive for their first goal. 😉

Sorry, the bloke in front of me stood up and i didnt see it😉

[ron obvious 1,526]

32 minutes ago, ricardo said:

We seem to see the game in similar ways Nutty and we have learned that with NCFC nothing goes in a straight line. It must be something to do with all that time we've been watching. I am a bit depressed tonight but if Smith can cut out the mistakes I feel we still have enough to take this league by the scruff of the neck.

 

I've only been following NCFC since 2005 but even I see the same pattern repeating. In the Champs (& even sometimes in the PL) we look unplayable at the start, look like we're going to steamroller the opposition for 15-20 minutes, the other team aren't even in it ... then some idiot does something monumentally stupid & we throw it all away ... then we have a barnstorming finish & either win or draw or, like today, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It's uncanny how often it happens. We never, never seem to be able to properly control a game. It often makes for an exciting watch though!

Actually there was one memorable game where we controlled the game in a very impressive & sophisticated way: the play-off final against Middlesbrough. Text book & hugely satisfying. But it was soon back to the roller coaster ...

Edited October 8, 2022 by ron obvious

[nutty nigel 7,716]

Just now, ricardo said:

I do it from memory Nutty thats why I sometimes get incidents in the wrong order or I name the wrong player when something happens quickly up the other end. I have learned over the years that people often see the same incident in different ways. Football is all about opinions and we all think that our own is the valid one.

That's even more impressive. It's so easy to be influenced by what you've seen more recently. I've noticed on here that a player's performance is often criticised by how they played towards the end of the game. So much happens over 90 mins the early parts of the game are a distant memory.

[SwearyCanary 1,196]

8 minutes ago, ricardo said:

Sorry, the bloke in front of me stood up and i didnt see it😉

I jest. Your match reports are scarily accurate. I too see the game in a similar way to you I feel, but my friend a few seats away and I catch up at half time and about 30% of the match incidents we have a different view of. I think it depends a lot on where your natural focus is. I think your reports cover everything brilliantly imho. As others have said often, you should be writing them for Archant or whoever they are now and getting a little bit of dosh for your trouble. I also think the ‘Winners and Losers’ threads are great (can’t remember who does that one), both would enhance either pinkun content if match day programmes as a summary of previous matches. 

Edited October 8, 2022 by SwearyCanary

[Canary Jedi 593]

2 hours ago, ricardo said:

Preston broke away down their right and Brady was nippy enough to get in ahead of Byrom and send in a perfect cross for Riis, who had lost his marker and made no mistake with a header that Krul could only stand and watch.

I love Pukki, however I’m sorry to say he needlessly gave the ball away through a wayward header, which directly led to Preston’s first goal. Seems harsh to point this out but it’s important to note that our giving the ball away needlessly often results in goals or at least chances against us. 

[Robert N. LiM 4,774]

54 minutes ago, ricardo said:

I do it from memory Nutty thats why I sometimes get incidents in the wrong order or I name the wrong player when something happens quickly up the other end. I have learned over the years that people often see the same incident in different ways. Football is all about opinions and we all think that our own is the valid one.

Astonished to hear you write these from memory, no notes. Your memory is clearly freakish. Amazing.

[Steve White 24]

I can only concur with the previous comments Riccardo, I always look first for your reports. As a matter of interest, the player ratings on the Pinkun this week seem very harsh (Gibbs’ score), what do you think?

[taipei_canary 14]

These are by far the best write-ups you can find. Agree with nearly everything you said.

[AJ 1,238]

I find it astounding the Pinkun never reached out to publish your match reports. Yours are always far more readable and enjoyable. I always thought you took notes, doing it all from memory is very impressive!

[Badger 2,421]

10 hours ago, Steve White said:

I can only concur with the previous comments Riccardo, I always look first for your reports. As a matter of interest, the player ratings on the Pinkun this week seem very harsh (Gibbs’ score), what do you think?

Krul 3, Aarons 5, Omobamidele 5, Hanley 6, Byram 5, Gibbs 4, McLean 6, Nunez 5, Ramsey 5, Pukki 6, Sargent 8. Subs: Sara 8, Sinani 5, Dowell 5, Hernandez 6.

I thought a bit harsh as well.

[Badger 2,421]

2 hours ago, taipei_canary said:

These are by far the best write-ups you can find. Agree with nearly everything you said.

I agree - Ricardo's reports are a Norwich institution! I prefer them to any press report.

[SwearyCanary 1,196]

I say we start a campaign to get him on the website. He does it anyway and the least they could do is fund his season ticket and give him (and a couple of buddies) some good seats for viewing 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,650]

3 minutes ago, SwearyCanary said:

I say we start a campaign to get him on the website. He does it anyway and the least they could do is fund his season ticket and give him (and a couple of buddies) some good seats for viewing 

@ricardo, if this happens, can I be your friend once or twice a year? 

[SwearyCanary 1,196]

Just now, littleyellowbirdie said:

@ricardo, if this happens, can I be your friend once or twice a year? 

Lol. Me first. Was my idea 😂

[Badger 2,421]

15 hours ago, SwearyCanary said:

I say we start a campaign to get him on the website. He does it anyway and the least they could do is fund his season ticket and give him (and a couple of buddies) some good seats for viewing 

I think that it would be excellent if he were given one of those "opinion slots" that other notable fans are given.

[canarybubbles 1,995]

Ricardo definitely does a better job of the matchday report than any of the Pink Un journalists. However, if he was officially employed by the PinkUn, would this limit his ability to make statements that might be controversial? It's not just his accuracy (and memory!) I admire but also the fact that he says it like he sees it. I'd like Ricardo to be rewarded for his efforts but not at the cost of his independence.

I hope our appreciation and respect on here is a kind of reward or at least a big thank you. 

[SwearyCanary 1,196]

9 hours ago, canarybubbles said:

Ricardo definitely does a better job of the matchday report than any of the Pink Un journalists. However, if he was officially employed by the PinkUn, would this limit his ability to make statements that might be controversial? It's not just his accuracy (and memory!) I admire but also the fact that he says it like he sees it. I'd like Ricardo to be rewarded for his efforts but not at the cost of his independence.

I hope our appreciation and respect on here is a kind of reward or at least a big thank you. 

As a fans view though it surely is less susceptible to censorship! 

Edited October 10, 2022 by SwearyCanary

[keelansgrandad 6,680]

Trouble is, once you take away his amateur status, he might join the ranks of the fourth estate and just copy someone elses report. He will have deadlines.

Then we will expect him to use terms like transition, xg, etc. 😰

At least this way his reports are what most of us agree with. No bias but just "saying what he saw".