****The Official Lapps Match Thread ****

[Ulfotto 622]

Premier league hithousing from Watford in the second half I thought three of there players were had got season threatening injuries only to Cary on but it killed our momentum in the second half and wasted about ten minutes.

[Ken Hairy 3,759]

5 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

The obvious alternative is to play it short, in order to pull the defenders out of position and expose some gaps, but then the fans will moan even more if possession is lost.

It's what we should be doing against Watford, at least after the umpteenth time of whacking it in aimlessly didn't work 

[Clever Farke 64]

1 minute ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

So what does Dowell bring to us again?

Set up Josh for the goal. Don’t think he can be blamed for this defeat. The fault for this lies mainly with shoddy defending, players caught out of position - mainly Byram and others not covering. A proper left back would be a help.  
 

[Grumpy 122]

That was a very poor display.
Why do we leave so much space at the far post for their players have a clear chance at goal.
How many times do we have to play against Sarr to know what he does,that is apart from falling over and cheating.Good as he is you would think that players and refs would be wise to him by now.
Something that irks me is playing right footed players on the left (Hanley and Byrams) and a left footed player on the right(McLean).They so often run themselves into the wrong channels and mess up the majority of any advantage invariably resulting in having to pass backwards.
On this sort of showing we definitely are not top of the table contenders

[Capt. Pants 4,195]

5 minutes ago, Graham Paddons Beard said:

Smith took a side up via the playoffs including Mings , Abrahams, McGinn and Grealish . A manager who was sacked by a direct relegation competitor that we thought might keep us up and he didn’t come close . 
Add in a Sporting Director who would rather be up a mountain or at Chelsea. 

1 point from 9 

Other then that things are great . 

And he would have brought them straight back down again had it not been for a fluke in goal line technology.

Smith was good once but sadly evolving into a Steve Bruce dinosaur. A huge step back from Farke, and he'd shot his bolt.

[Unthink road 132]

Pound for pound worst side we have had. A decent coach gets more from each individual and cohesion. I would have hoped we would have added to our line up in quality after 3 years in the Premier league. Some coaches just don't fit a club, just like some players. Really pissed off tonight, but I'm glad City are my club. Sometimes there's more to club than its results. 

[Ian 1,129]

How the fck did Hanley manage to hit the bar from 2 metres out though?

[Yellow Green Army 237]

Some big decisions to be had. Get Hayden fully fit, Dimi back at left back, Sara and Cantwell on from the start and positive results will return again I am sure.

Only thing that concerns me is the lack of creativity, it’s not been there all season. We haven’t blown one team away this season. This squad is good enough to do it but something is missing at the moment.

[McWrighty 52]

9 minutes ago, Ian said:

How the fck did Hanley manage to hit the bar from 2 metres out though?

Hanley seriously underdelivers from his corner opportunities 

Edited October 15, 2022 by McWrighty

[Ian 1,129]

Just now, McWrighty said:

Hanley seriously underdelivers from his corner opportunities 

Sara and Hanley both took balls away from players who had very substantial goal-scoring opportunities today.

Poor decision making and communication, but does add to the general feeling that none of the players have much idea what is going on.

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,424]

17 minutes ago, Unthink road said:

Pound for pound worst side we have had. 

No sir. We’ve had some shockers. This one doesn’t come close to some of the Hamilton/Rodent/Grant sides . 

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,247]

2 minutes ago, McWrighty said:

Hanley seriously underdelivers from his corner opportunities 

He's already got his one goal for this year. don't expect any more 🤣

[corbs 147]

At least this puts to bed the view that we are the crème de la crème of this division, I didn’t think we were much better than Coventry, and won’t finish top 2. 

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Just now, Ian said:

Sara and Hanley both took balls away from players who had very substantial goal-scoring opportunities today.

Poor decision making and communication, but does add to the general feeling that none of the players have much idea what is going on.

Probably because half the side is out of position. 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,675]

20 minutes ago, Unthink road said:

Pound for pound worst side we have had. A decent coach gets more from each individual and cohesion. I would have hoped we would have added to our line up in quality after 3 years in the Premier league. Some coaches just don't fit a club, just like some players. Really pissed off tonight, but I'm glad City are my club. Sometimes there's more to club than its results. 

Worse than our champioship side that drew 0-0 against burton albion twice and had ipsiwch finish in a better place than us?

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Just now, GodlyOtsemobor said:

He's already got his one goal for this year. don't expect any more 🤣

Worst squad in three years worth of EPL. No pace, no fight and no flair.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

1 minute ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Worse than our champioship side that drew 0-0 against burton albion twice and had ipsiwch finish in a better place than us?

You mean the one that got promoted the year after?

[Unthink road 132]

Well, true they were worse. However I think pound for pound this team hasn't proved to me they are better. Let's hope they live up to their price tags and wages. But that's football bud, one persons view can be different from someone else's. COYY

[daly 500]

15 minutes ago, Yellow Green Army said:

Some big decisions to be had. Get Hayden fully fit, Dimi back at left back, Sara and Cantwell on from the start and positive results will return again I am sure.

Only thing that concerns me is the lack of creativity, it’s not been there all season. We haven’t blown one team away this season. This squad is good enough to do it but something is missing at the moment.

Yes quality 

[SwearyCanary 1,179]

8 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Worse than our champioship side that drew 0-0 against burton albion twice and had ipsiwch finish in a better place than us?

I don’t agree with the poster saying this side is our worst, by a LONG way. BUT this is the worst argument to use. 

[wheres my rebate gone? 85]

17 minutes ago, Yellow Green Army said:

Some big decisions to be had. Get Hayden fully fit, Dimi back at left back, Sara and Cantwell on from the start and positive results will return again I am sure.

Only thing that concerns me is the lack of creativity, it’s not been there all season. We haven’t blown one team away this season. This squad is good enough to do it but something is missing at the moment.

Hang on………let me think…..

Oh, I’ve got it…….

A decent Manager!

 

[Unthink road 132]

31 minutes ago, Graham Paddons Beard said:

No sir. We’ve had some shockers. This one doesn’t come close to some of the Hamilton/Rodent/Grant sides . 

What was the budgets? I agree they were by far worse, but for what we've spent and we're we have been for 3 out of 5 seasons this squad feels very limited. But I will admit watching that s#it in the past felt like we'd never play top flight football again. 

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,424]

1 hour ago, Graham Paddons Beard said:

Smith took a side up via the playoffs including Mings , Abrahams, McGinn and Grealish . A manager who was sacked by a direct relegation competitor that we thought might keep us up and he didn’t come close . 
Add in a Sporting Director who would rather be up a mountain or at Chelsea. 

1 point from 9 

Other then that things are great . 

I should add that we have Neil Adams waiting in the wings . And possibly the most protracted take over of a club there has ever been. 
 

Actually , I might buggèr off up a mountain too 🏔 

[chicken 2,604]

1 hour ago, Capt. Pants said:

And he would have brought them straight back down again had it not been for a fluke in goal line technology.

Smith was good once but sadly evolving into a Steve Bruce dinosaur. A huge step back from Farke, and he'd shot his bolt.

Thing is, when was the last time we were that close to stay up for a decision like that to make a difference? Whilst they did stay up with the slimmest of chances, they did stay up. They didn't get all of the points they needed from that one game, from that decision, they still had to play the rest of the season and get enough results there too.

[chicken 2,604]

1 hour ago, Unthink road said:

What was the budgets? I agree they were by far worse, but for what we've spent and we're we have been for 3 out of 5 seasons this squad feels very limited. But I will admit watching that s#it in the past felt like we'd never play top flight football again. 

I think it depends on how you consider how the squad has worked over the last 5 seasons.

I think generally, on paper, we have had far better squads than those over the last five seasons. We have had the likes of Buendia who was a find out of pretty much nowhere and Pukki who no one would have thought would have been this much of a success either.

For example, Alex Neil had a far higher calibre of player on his hands - and spent far more money assembling his squad in a shorter order.

Ruddy, Bassong, Howson, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Brady, Klose, Jarvis, Naismith, Mbokani, Whittaker, Martin, Jerome, Redmond, Olsson, R.Bennett, O'Neil, Tettey, Hoolahan.

That squad has premier league experience, even if they didn't perform in the end that season, the mixture was almost spot on. Criminal really that it didn't do better.

I think since Farke and Webber arrived, it has been more about getting more than the sum of the parts out of the squads we've had. Largely a decently consistent championship squad sprinkled with enough quality to take us places. Buendia, Skipp, Pukki along with emerging talent in the likes of Aarons, Lewis, Godfrey, Cantwell, Idah, Omobamidele, Rowe, Springett etc etc etc.

Farke himself even threw criticism in the sense that when asked if we should have kept more of the players we let go during his last summer, he responded by saying "look where they are playing now, 2nd tier in Germany or lower". Says a lot that he said that really, not particularly polite, arguably accurate.

We have a squad at the moment that is still finding it's way a bit. We have no real "form" wide players. We have no fit left back. I do think it'll come, and this squad has enough.

I think what people can take from today though is we don't have a single player of the quality of Sarr. Watford are clearly built around him, he's too good for this level, surprising that he hasn't been bought by a premier league team but my guess is he is on big wages and combined with the fee Watford will demand for him, I suspect a few teams are a bit sheepish about the gamble. Probably puts him in availability level of 6th-10th and they might feel they can get similar for less? 

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

7 hours ago, Ian said:

How the fck did Hanley manage to hit the bar from 2 metres out though?

Scottish crossbar challenge, regulation distance.😇

[kirku 1,332]

7 hours ago, chicken said:

For example, Alex Neil had a far higher calibre of player on his hands - and spent far more money assembling his squad in a shorter order.

Ruddy, Bassong, Howson, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Brady, Klose, Jarvis, Naismith, Mbokani, Whittaker, Martin, Jerome, Redmond, Olsson, R.Bennett, O'Neil, Tettey, Hoolahan.

That squad has premier league experience, even if they didn't perform in the end that season, the mixture was almost spot on. Criminal really that it didn't do better.

Huh?

This list of players certainly isn't "far higher calibre" when Neil had them in the Championship. It was an aging squad with many players past their best, and many on your list left:

• Mbokani - only played for us in the PL
• Redmond - sold in the summer
• Brady - sold in Jan
• Olsson - sold in Jan
• O'Neil - sold to Bristol (and past it)
• Naismith - disaster
• Klose - never recovered
• Mulumbu - past it
• Whittaker - just no
• Bassong - past it
• Jarvis - crocked

Our current squad is packed with full internationals and follows a previous season spend of well over £50m. One of Neil's statement signings was Yanic Wildschut...

 

[RugbyCanary 94]

10 hours ago, Capt. Pants said:

And he would have brought them straight back down again had it not been for a fluke in goal line technology.

Smith was good once but sadly evolving into a Steve Bruce dinosaur. A huge step back from Farke, and he'd shot his bolt.

I think this some of the problem......smith isn't farke. No one will be. Can we put farke to bed now? Bottom line is smith isn't using this squad as well as he could/should be!?

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,424]

15 minutes ago, RugbyCanary said:Bottom line is smith isn't using this squad as well as he could/should be!?

Not disagreeing Rugby but are we sure the squad is so good ? Watching Watford last night (ignore Sarr he was exceptional) how many of their side were worse than their Norwich counterparts?

Football has a knack of catching up with players . We have a ageing Krull, Hanley , Kenny and Pukki. All huge contributors to our last promotions, the first of which was five years ago. 
 

Is Nunez really that good ? On the last 3 league performances absolutely not. Aarons seems lost - teams just stop him going forwards - Bilic played a master stroke putting Sarr on him. 
 

(As an aside Byram is out of position and it shows every week.)  

[lake district canary 4,531]

8 hours ago, chicken said:

I think what people can take from today though is we don't have a single player of the quality of Sarr. Watford are clearly built around him, he's too good for this level, surprising that he hasn't been bought by a premier league team but my guess is he is on big wages and combined with the fee Watford will demand for him, I suspect a few teams are a bit sheepish about the gamble. Probably puts him in availability level of 6th-10th and they might feel they can get similar for less? 

Watdord are in a false position and will be near the top by the end of the season. I thought they were pretty good, based around Sarr of course. Asprilla and others and the directness if their play will trouble any team this season. That said, I thought our team selection was a bit odd to start with - powder puff midfield even on paper. 

Dowell, Nunez and Gibbs is not a strong looking midfield - yet. Nunez has lost a little effectiveness at the moment, but if partnered with better players around him, should find it easier. Dowell jut doesn't look sharp enough - one good run, yes, but overall doesn't seem to offer that much when we don't have the ball, Gibbs is still learning.  Imo if just one of Hayden or sara had started in place of one of those midfielders we would have been better able to counter Watford.

As it was, we had Sara and Hayden in the second half and we looked more effective. We need to be tougher to beat and despite the long unbeaten run, we were never convincing in that period and these two will be first choice players once fully match fit. We need to toughen up a bit and then we will start to look the part.