I don't think we have a top 6 quality squad

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

Absolutely delighted that Dean Smith has been sacked. No plan, no passion, no real desire to be here, no ability to motivate or galvanise or organise. Just pants. 

But it isn't his fault we've been left with no decent wingers, no decent number 10, and a complete reliance on an ageing and waning star up front, and one defensive midfielder who we don't own and who in January still doesn't look fully fit. 

A new manager doesn't solve that problem, it isn't going to magically turn this group into one that can beat top half sides. We're just not very good. 

We should be good at this level, we had the budget to be strong at this level. It was wasted, by Webber.

It isn't until we lose Webber that we can properly start to rebuild.

Edited January 3, 2023 by TeemuVanBasten

[wcorkcanary 4,366]

Why not just start a thread called              " 1000 Reasons why i want Webber gone " 

Rather than 1000 threads each with its very own reason( or title , anyway).

😇

Edited January 3, 2023 by wcorkcanary

[Yellow Green Army 243]

This squad of players is easily good enough for top six in the Championship.

It just needs a coach who has some authority, passion, determination, tactical nous and most importantly leadership skills.

[CDMullins 462]

The bulk of this squad and spine of the team, won the Championship once maybe even twice within the last 3 seasons.

Yes we've lost Skipp and Buendia but that's it.

With the additions of Hayden, Sara, Nunez and Sarge, this squad very much should be aiming for automatic promotion at worst.

 

[Thirsty Lizard 3,187]

7 minutes ago, CDMullins said:

The bulk of this squad and spine of the team, won the Championship once maybe even twice within the last 3 seasons.

Yes we've lost Skipp and Buendia but that's it.

With the additions of Hayden, Sara, Nunez and Sarge, this squad very much should be aiming for automatic promotion at worst.

 

Yes, I've lost my arm and my leg but it's no problem.......................

[Newtopia 522]

I think we do not enough wingers to play either 4 2 3 1 or 4 3 3 and be a top 2 side.  And we do not have enough CDM’s for 4 2 3 1.

[CDMullins 462]

6 minutes ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

Yes, I've lost my arm and my leg but it's no problem.......................

Honestly anyone would would think Skipp was a clone of Makele and Yaya while Emi was a Messi/Ronaldo cross the way they're spoke about on here.

[Robert N. LiM 4,751]

I would have agreed with this before I saw the rest of the Championship. Burnley, Sheff Utd and Ismaila Sarr are obviously a cut above, but we've lost games to some very average teams. 

I'm not saying our squad doesn't have weaknesses, but in this year's Championship we should have (had) enough for top six. 

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,479]

34 minutes ago, CDMullins said:

Honestly anyone would would think Skipp was a clone of Makele and Yaya while Emi was a Messi/Ronaldo cross the way they're spoke about on here.

In terms of the championship.. they were.

[unique 446]

Norwich City supporters need to face up to the fact that this squad of players are nowhere near as good as they think they are.

Whatever inept team of players start the game, there are never any ‘game-changers’ on the bench to mix things up.

Gibson hasn’t scored for four years, Hanley pretty rarely. They offer nothing offensively to make up for their defensive misgivings.

Our wing-backs have regressed alarmingly. When was the last time Aarons actually provided a clear cut opportunity for a goal? He hasn’t’t. He doesn’t. His forays forward are absolutely pointless.

We don’t have a single midfielder who can claim to be an automatic pick. That is shocking. Just a group of middling to fair footballers who could not guarantee a spot in any other Championship side.

We have now played three? matches with our three main strikers. Barely a shot on target between them.

No manager is going to come in and turn this lot into a competitive team. The results and performances over the last 12 months do not tell a lie. The squad, despite all the money spent, is unfit for purpose.

 

[Mason 47 1,466]

You only need look at WBA and Boro since changing it up. Sometimes it just takes the right touch, which makes this appointment so important.

Personally I think we have enough. The key failing for me is still the CM position, with an overwhelming majority not naturally disposed to defending. Nunez, Dowell, Cantwell, Ramsey are unsuitable and Sara/ McLean are hard working but very much both naturally front-facing. Hayden has not yet shown the aptitude I was excited for when he signed, and Gibbs is industrious but also very green.

Ironically I think it will be not trying so desperately to attack that will sort us out. We're trying so hard to include both Pukki & Sargent that we've given up stable footing and surrender the midfield pretty much every game. Having two high-scoring forwards is great but worthless if we can't hold onto the ball and spend 80% of the game chasing counter attacks.

[Well b back 3,342]

Bit contradictory, if the players aren’t a lot of good, our managers are punching above their weights, yet you want them all out as you will want the next one out within 3 months if indeed the players are as bad as you say.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,928]

Well on paper we do.. But on the pitch

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

31 minutes ago, Well b back said:

Bit contradictory, if the players aren’t a lot of good, our managers are punching above their weights

Nah 11th is about right.

Wanting Dean Smith out was about much more than league position. 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

.

1 hour ago, CDMullins said:

The bulk of this squad and spine of the team, won the Championship once maybe even twice within the last 3 seasons.

Yes we've lost Skipp and Buendia but that's it.

With the additions of Hayden, Sara, Nunez and Sarge, this squad very much should be aiming for automatic promotion at worst.

Rupp, Vrancic, Stiepermann, Skipp, Buendia, Klose, Zimmerman, Tettey, Quintilla we had last time, from the top of my head. Not the same squad at all, completely different midfield apart from McLean, an inferior one.

Pukki and Krul now post peak, players do decline obviously. 

Lost a lot of dressing room leaders there. Now a leadership void. 

[Branston Pickle 3,771]

2 hours ago, Yellow Green Army said:

This squad of players is easily good enough for top six in the Championship.

It just needs a coach who has some authority, passion, determination, tactical nous and most importantly leadership skills.

Absolutely 

[Well b back 3,342]

14 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Nah 11th is about right.

Wanting Dean Smith out was about much more than league position. 

Nah

If we are 11th you will be calling for the next managers head.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

29 minutes ago, Well b back said:

Nah

If we are 11th you will be calling for the next managers head.

Not if we embark on a major rebuild project like we did in 2017.

Got about 10 out of contract in 6 months haven't we?

[Midlands Yellow 4,176]

On a positive note all those on the NCFC gravy train should fall on their swords if promotion isn’t achieved. 

[CDMullins 462]

41 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

.

Rupp, Vrancic, Stiepermann, Skipp, Buendia, Klose, Zimmerman, Tettey, Quintilla we had last time, from the top of my head. Not the same squad at all, completely different midfield apart from McLean, an inferior one.

Pukki and Krul now post peak, players do decline obviously. 

Lost a lot of dressing room leaders there. Now a leadership void. 

Krul

Max Hanley Gibson Byram Dimi

Kenny Cantwell Sorensen Dowell Placheta Hernandez

Pukki Hughill Idah

All still here from our last Championship win.

[Nexus_Canary 1,063]

I'm more inclined to blame Smith and poor confidence.

I am unsure if the south Americans are good enough.

A good coach can make an average team play really well given confidence and cohesion - just look what Paul Lambert did with arguably no premier League quality players 

[Canaries north 151]

We have solid players but no flair or pace. It's too easy for teams just to sit in and hit on the break. We have possibly the best striker in the league and no service to him. We are workman like but don't have that player with the trick, the killer ball or out and out pace that would lift our game. 

[hepphep 175]

I often cannot but wonder if we really should play only one of Pukki or Sargent at any time as they seem to eat space from each others too often. I think that might apply to many players actually, as individuals they seem better than when working together. For example Aarons is shadow of his past level, but I really cannot think that he is regressed as individual. He just dont fit in with rest of the current team that well anymore. Also CM trio on last match tried play too similar with each others, nobody too aggressive role between others of midfield and forwards. As individuals, I think most of players in our last starting eleven could make it to starting eleven for nearly all teams in this league. As a team we are not even close to top teams.

I think part of it is just bad coaching and we need some serious improvement on setting player roles. Part of it is surely shattered confidence. And part of it would be wrongly build team due to silly recruitments, having our best eleven made of too similar players so that we cannot fill all the required roles with them. 

 

[CDMullins 462]

There's obviously a team in there, you don't play poorly for so long, yet go 9 unbeaten and top the table if you don't have good players.

[Capt. Pants 4,357]

Like any squad we have a mixed bag; some are top 6 quality, some aren't, whilst others are work in progress. There is undoubtedly a huge lack of confidence which is compounded with some players apparently confused what their roles are.

It's frustrating that over halfway into the season we still don't know our best formation or best starting XI. I don't want to harp back to Smith but he really has got a lot to answer to for this comparative mess we are in.

[Indy 3,364]

3 hours ago, Yellow Green Army said:

This squad of players is easily good enough for top six in the Championship.

It just needs a coach who has some authority, passion, determination, tactical nous and most importantly leadership skills.

Seconded, and as for wingers, when you get a manager / coach constantly playing a forward on the wing to ensure Pukki gets a start what do you expect and as for the last game! Playing Idah and Sargent as wingers and to cap it all on their weaker sides when you have Hernandez & Cantwell on the bench and to leave them on the bench when it was clearly not working is criminal.

[Canaries north 151]

23 minutes ago, hepphep said:

I often cannot but wonder if we really should play only one of Pukki or Sargent at any time as they seem to eat space from each others too often. I think that might apply to many players actually, as individuals they seem better than when working together. For example Aarons is shadow of his past level, but I really cannot think that he is regressed as individual. He just dont fit in with rest of the current team that well anymore. Also CM trio on last match tried play too similar with each others, nobody too aggressive role between others of midfield and forwards. As individuals, I think most of players in our last starting eleven could make it to starting eleven for nearly all teams in this league. As a team we are not even close to top teams.

I think part of it is just bad coaching and we need some serious improvement on setting player roles. Part of it is surely shattered confidence. And part of it would be wrongly build team due to silly recruitments, having our best eleven made of too similar players so that we cannot fill all the required roles with them. 

 

I have to agree with the silly recruitment bit and the Pukki or Sargent argument. We have put together a team the equivalent of a car that has an engine but no gearbox. Pukki needs a creative midfielder who can thread a pass. Sargent would work well with quick wingers who can whip a ball either high or low. We have neither so are not seeing the best of either.

[littleyellowbirdie 2,635]

4 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Absolutely delighted that Dean Smith has been sacked. No plan, no passion, no real desire to be here, no ability to motivate or galvanise or organise. Just pants. 

But it isn't his fault we've been left with no decent wingers, no decent number 10, and a complete reliance on an ageing and waning star up front, and one defensive midfielder who we don't own and who in January still doesn't look fully fit. 

A new manager doesn't solve that problem, it isn't going to magically turn this group into one that can beat top half sides. We're just not very good. 

We should be good at this level, we had the budget to be strong at this level. It was wasted, by Webber.

It isn't until we lose Webber that we can properly start to rebuild.

I love the way you've abandoned a cornerstone of your moaning the last six months within a week of his dismissal.

If our squad isn't top 6 quality then that underlines how utterly retarded it was to force Smith out, because we were top 6 and above the vast bulk of this season under Smith.

Edited January 3, 2023 by littleyellowbirdie

[SwearyCanary 1,179]

[littleyellowbirdie 2,635]

2 minutes ago, SwearyCanary said:

Keep saying stuff that ignores the validity of the point, I'll keep using it to point out the flaws in the rubbish being posted...

Let's face it, you've been a broken record all season along with your Smith out buds.

Edited January 3, 2023 by littleyellowbirdie