****The Official Lapps Match Thread v Stoke(h/L) *****

[chicken 3,087]

Videos:

Articles:
The Pink'Un has it's usual presser coverage article here.
Canaries.co.uk have the clubs official build up piece here.
Stoke have their own pre match piece here.

Ins, out's, shake em all abouts:
Norwich: Firm Outs: Idah, Rowe, Sorensen, Omobamidele - with injuries, McLean is serving the last game of a 3 match ban for a red card. Giannoulis has a cracked rib so is also incredibly unlikely. Gibson was waiting for results of a scan on a stiff knee. Byram had/has a hip injury keeping him out of training.
Stoke: Nick Powell and Jacob Brown could make the starting line up after making substitute appearances on their way back from injury. There is suggestion Harry Clarke and Liam Delap might come in to the starting 11 too. 

A little bit of knowledge:
I think I have covered Stoke before, so we might go with some more obscure bits of knowledge today. 

The first piece of knowledge I found dredging the internet takes us back to the 1930's when Stoke could argue they had some of the best teams in the country. With Stan Matthews and Freddie Steele just two of the players in the team in 1939, the club had planned a tour of Poland in the summer in preparation for a title challenge. As we all know now, Hitler put paid to that plan and whilst the tour did not take place, sadly, many of that team, like others around the country, would end up on a tour in Europe of a different kind.

Rory Delap, a player well known for incredible throw ins that became almost a signature of Stoke's game for the period he was with them, also holds something else in relation to the club. No other Stoke player, played their last game leaving the club in a better position than when they first stepped out onto the turf for them. Stoke were 21st in the Championship when Rory Delap was called into the starting 11 to Leeds away in October 2006. When he played his last game for them, at Reading in August 2012, they were 6th in the Premier League. According to the info I have, that is a climb of 35 places which is greater than any other Stoke player has recorded previously.

Penalties. Stoke are essentially the team that led the way for penalties. In 1891, in an FA Cup fixture against Notts County, Stoke were pushing for an equaliser when Notts defender Jack Hendry punched away a goal-bound shot. Stoke were given a free kick but Notts county bundled all 11 players onto their own goal line and blocked any shot. Referee John Lewis thought this was frightfully unfair so campaigned to introduce the penalty kick when he became a football legislator.

Stanley Matthews on drugs. Ever wondered what a really good player would look like whilst on amphetamines? Well, Stanley Matthews knew! in 1946 and away with the England team, he was feeling decidedly groggy and ill with flu. The national team's doctor gave him "pep" pills which had been used by the Luftwaffe... I mean, if that wasn't warning enough?!! It turned out these were amphetamines. Not only did this have the desired effect of enabling him to play for England, but he also managed to put in a man-of-the-match performance just a day later for Stoke. How did he realise something wasn't quite right? That would be when he was unable to sleep, so full of energy that he decided to rake his neighbours leaves in the middle of the night... then he wondered what he had been given! 

I'll end this bit with a little challenge - can you name two Stoke players who have scored in a league campaign without ever making a league start?

Rays Funds for the Community Sports Foundation:
Nutty has his PUPs thread up and running as usual. Please do go and take a look and take part in all of the fun.

[Mr Angry 2,019]

I’m guessing Liam Delap is Rory’s son?

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,830]

15 minutes ago, Mr Angry said:

I’m guessing Liam Delap is Rory’s son?

Aye. 

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,830]

[Ken Hairy 4,272]

And today's lucky winners of the starting XI tombola are....... 

[cambridgeshire canary 7,799]

1 minute ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

Dowell on the wing and more hoofball?

[chicken 3,087]

Sargent is injured. Damnit.

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 4,620]

Certainly understand the need for six changes. 

Byram and Dowell in place of Aarons and Cantwell surprises me, though.

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,830]

1 minute ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Dowell on the wing and more hoofball?

Could be 4231 

         Hayden Gibbs 

Ramsey Dowell Hernandez

                Pukki

 

 

 

 

(Although I won't hold my breath)

Edited October 29, 2022 by GodlyOtsemobor

[dylanisabaddog 6,147]

Unbelievable 

[Don’t be Krul 452]

Cantwell was arguably our best player on Tuesday night......

 

SMITH OUT NOW

[unique 466]

Sara and Nunez both on the bench…..

Does that say more about Smith, or more about the recruitment team?

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,830]

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

Certainly understand the need for six changes. 

Byram and Dowell in place of Aarons and Cantwell surprises me, though.

Also Surprises me that he's dropped Tomkinson for Gibson, considering JT didn't do anything wrong midweek. 

Edited October 29, 2022 by GodlyOtsemobor

[cambridgeshire canary 7,799]

2 minutes ago, unique said:

Sara and Nunez both on the bench…..

Does that say more about Smith, or more about the recruitment team?

Prehaps as they both started recetly and are not at their fittest. That's all I can guess

[TheBaldOne66 768]

He’s done it again, Smith, hasn’t he? Just put all the names in a bag and pulled them out randomly! 
 

Why change the whole midfield except Hayden? Bizarre yet again

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

I am beginning to thoroughly dislike this dinosaur.

Just hope that I have to eat my words.

[Ken Hairy 4,272]

So one can presume he's actively looking for the sack and the accompanying pay off? 

[paddycanary 579]

6 minutes ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

Could be 4231 

         Hayden Gibbs 

Ramsey Dowell Hernandez

                Pukki

 

Was just attempting the same mental gymnastics!

Another chance for Dowell centrally? Onel to get at them early doors? Aarons getting benched. A chance for McCallum. Cantwell also a watching brief again. Good to see Byram available. 

Plenty of the hallmarks of a managerial regime drawing to a close(??) We shall see.

I'm going for...................a cagey & unconvincing 2-1 home win.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by paddycanary

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,830]

Pinkun reckons it's..... 

 

 

[ricardo 8,034]

Names written on  a piece of paper and picked out of a hat.

[cambridgeshire canary 7,799]

2 minutes ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

Pinkun reckons it's..... 

 

 

Dowell on the wing or rasmey on the wing.. Smith must really be a genius

[Gordon Bennett 914]

24 minutes ago, unique said:

Sara and Nunez both on the bench…..

Does that say more about Smith, or more about the recruitment team?

It probably suggests that they are struggling with the Sat-Tues-Sat-Tues-Sat routine in what is only their fourth month of English football.

Aarons presunably not fully fit for 90 mins and Gibson back from injury. Hopefully fresh LEGS will mean three badly needed points today.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Gordon Bennett

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,830]

1 minute ago, Gordon Bennett said:

. Hopefully fresh kegs

Guinness please. 

Edited October 29, 2022 by GodlyOtsemobor

[Monty13 2,736]

10 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

And today's lucky winners of the starting XI tombola are....... 

Jesus not wrong. I get it we should have a squad full of talent but…

[Justin time 200]

1 minute ago, Gordon Bennett said:

It probably suggests that they are struggling with the Sat-Tues-Sat-Tues-Sat routine in what is only their fourth month of English football.

Aarons presunably not fully fit for 90 mins and Gibson back from injury. Hopefully fresh kegs will mean three badly needed points today.

I fail to see what clean underwear has to do with it?😂

[Monty13 2,736]

1 minute ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Dowell on the wing or rasmey on the wing.. Smith must really be a genius

Well when we have no wingers why the surprise?

[Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,633]

10 minutes ago, Don’t be Krul said:

Cantwell was arguably our best player on Tuesday night......

 

SMITH OUT NOW

Smith doesn’t rate him, I agree.

[baldy09 196]

Just hope the REF is fit today - we need him going forward from midfield  to supply Pukki

[baldy09 196]

3 minutes ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

Guinness please. 

Hope we don't want a stiff Whiskey during the match

[Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,633]

Glad there’s 5 in midfield. Ramsey and Dowell very capable of feeding Pukki. Would’ve liked to have seen Nunez still. 
 

Hayden and Gibbs should be solid together. I don’t think it’s a bad lineup tbh.