**Official Lappinitup match thread Rotherham vs Norwich**

[Helsinki canary 242]

Clearly missed sargent and have looked weaker once Rowe went off

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Can't fault their application and fight, but can't perform so badly in the first half and expect to be able to turn it around. First half was as bad as we've played so far this season.

[Pyro Pete 1,897]

Duffy up front.

Old skool.

[Pyro Pete 1,897]

2-1. Full time.

Ho-hum.

[S_81 802]

Really poor result and performance. Especially given the standard of opposition. Largely ineffective, error strewn, & real lack of impetuous first half. Very similar to the latter part of last season. Hopefully a blip as not good enough. 

[baldy09 158]

We do miss Sargent energy up front- his powerful runs give city a lift - 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,735]

Wagner out

[Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,286]

I’ll say it again, losing Sargent is huge and we haven’t mitigated it. Take Sargent or Sara out of our starting 11 and we’re a bang average championship side.

[Helsinki canary 242]

Threw it away in the first half, poor performance 

[unique 435]

I can’t remember their goalkeeper having to make one good save.

Just easy catching practice…..

[The Real Buh 3,444]

That’s a hard one to take. Bad timing maybe with transfers and we didn’t look up for it at all. We did keep trying and didn’t just give up like last season but the quality was lacking

I’m unconcerned, we’ll done Rotherham deserved it big time today.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Not good enough today. Fair play to Rotherham, they showed how they were very hard work for two other stronger sides in Leicester and Blackburn on their own turf, and they posed us problems we really couldn't find the answer to, particularly in the first half.

Can't win them all, and now we have an international break. Should be clear now that Sargent's workrate is a real plus in this set-up.

[Herman 9,779]

Never wear that kit again. There's my scapegoat.

[Helsinki canary 242]

Just now, unique said:

I can’t remember their goalkeeper having to make one good save.

Just easy catching practice…..

Very true, easy cherry picking today for their keeper 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,735]

1 minute ago, Creedence Clearwater Couto said:

I’ll say it again, losing Sargent is huge and we haven’t mitigated it. Take Sargent or Sara out of our starting 11 and we’re a bang average championship side.

Take a look at our bench today. With Rowe's knock that is what we have to do with for who knows how long.

Good time for an international break but blimey social media and this place is going to be unbearable

Edited September 2, 2023 by cambridgeshire canary

[S_81 802]

1 minute ago, Creedence Clearwater Couto said:

I’ll say it again, losing Sargent is huge and we haven’t mitigated it. Take Sargent or Sara out of our starting 11 and we’re a bang average championship side.

Hwang looks a punt; but he hasn’t played in order to judge him yet 

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Plan B doesn't look so good at the moment. When we go behind there is no need to start panicking or launching balls. If you believe in your passing game, then stick to it. 

Its a shame we have lost and I am slightly concerned that it took until 50 minutes for us to waken up to the opposition's tactics. 

[baldy09 158]

Her come Norwich  again -it is so disappointing and frustrating at times with city

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,768]

Just now, Creedence Clearwater Couto said:

I’ll say it again, losing Sargent is huge and we haven’t mitigated it. Take Sargent or Sara out of our starting 11 and we’re a bang average championship side.

Need to see Hwang first before we can say that....but what we can say is that Idah from the start as a replacement isnt the answer.

Push Barnes up top, Give Sara free reign as no.10 and bring in either Forshaw (vs top half teams)..or Nunez vs bottom half teams

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,326]

4 minutes ago, Creedence Clearwater Couto said:

I’ll say it again, losing Sargent is huge and we haven’t mitigated it. Take Sargent or Sara out of our starting 11 and we’re a bang average championship side.

You can't be sure of that until Hwang actually kicks a ball for us. 

Idah from the start isn't the answer though. 

[Ken Hairy 3,773]

The lack of depth is there for all to see, Sargent massively missed, Idah has 1 good performance (last week) but then half a season of awful ones.  Got to hope Hwang is decent or we'll struggle for goals. 

[KeiranShikari 1,420]

This wasn't a depth issue, this was a bad performance issue.

[canarybubbles 1,923]

I think this game made clear that our second XI simply aren't good enough if we need to come back when we're behind. Idah, Placheta and Springett were all average at best today. A year ago, I could never have imagined myself saying this, but we missed Sargent big time. With him, I think we would have turned the game around.

[mrD66M 99]

A massive part of City's game under Wagner is - both in attacking and defending - high press and air superiority. The press does not work if we can't pin the opposition CBs with a target man who is strong on headers. Far more difficult to win 2nd balls without that kind of striker. On this, imo Sargent has delivered more for the team than just on his goal contribution. 

Today was a reality check that we need to adapt our gameplan if we don't have someone to fulfill that role.

[S_81 802]

5 minutes ago, KeiranShikari said:

This wasn't a depth issue, this was a bad performance issue.

Disagree. A lot of the depth isn’t good enough. We have cover, yes. But in some places it’s just not good enough. 

[Jim Smith 2,322]

That has really, really p****d me off. A huge opportunity wasted due to a completely unacceptably complacent and sloppy first half no show. We supposedly now have lots of leaders in the squad. If so they need to make sure we never repeat that first 45 minutes again.

Huge chance missed.

Idah is not an adequate replacement for Sargent so we need to hope Hwang is.

Really frustrated we don’t give Nunez more pitch time yet Springett gets on in every single game. Nothing against Springett, he’s ok but not a lot more. 

 

[Ken Hairy 3,773]

Could be worse I suppose, we could have spent £1billon to lose at home to Forest

[Jim Smith 2,322]

1 minute ago, mrD66M said:

A massive part of City's game under Wagner is - both in attacking and defending - high press and air superiority. The press does not work if we can't pin the opposition CBs with a target man who is strong on headers. Far more difficult to win 2nd balls without that kind of striker. On this, imo Sargent has delivered more for the team than just on his goal contribution. 

Today was a reality check that we need to adapt our gameplan if we don't have someone to fulfill that role.

We need to push Barnes up and play Nunez or Gibbs in behind 

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,326]

3 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

That has really, really p****d me off. A huge opportunity wasted due to a completely unacceptably complacent and sloppy first half no show. We supposedly now have lots of leaders in the squad. If so they need to make sure we never repeat that first 45 minutes again.

Huge chance missed.

Idah is not an adequate replacement for Sargent so we need to hope Hwang is.

Really frustrated we don’t give Nunez more pitch time yet Springett gets on in every single game. Nothing against Springett, he’s ok but not a lot more. 

 

Feel like once Onel and Sainz are back he won't see as much game time. 

[K Lo 224]

2 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

Could be worse I suppose, we could have spent £1billon to lose at home to Forest

Or lost 5-0 away to Sunderland.
Still, Norwich should have been able to get past Rotherham by a 1 or 2 goal margin at least.
They clearly just weren't trying hard enough for the first half.