Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,868 Posted March 9 The one that instantly springs to my mind is the Farke sacking. It looked so incredibly short-sighted at the time and history has shown as much. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Indy_Bones 442 Posted March 9 That RvW was a genuinely good striker, who Hughton totalled mis-used, and pretty much destroyed him as a player. In the right system, with the correct supply (like how we focused on getting the right balls to Pukki), he'd easily have been a 15+ goal a season striker, we did the exact opposite of that, and instead asked him to play a role he was unfamiliar with and unsuited to - both physically and mentally... 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fen Canary 879 Posted March 9 12 minutes ago, C.I.D said: I believe that Mrs Fotheringham did ...... I have it on good authority she was often seen at Carrow Road sporting a Lee Croft number 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christoph Stiepermann 1,155 Posted March 9 15 minutes ago, Indy_Bones said: That RvW was a genuinely good striker, who Hughton totalled mis-used, and pretty much destroyed him as a player. In the right system, with the correct supply (like how we focused on getting the right balls to Pukki), he'd easily have been a 15+ goal a season striker, we did the exact opposite of that, and instead asked him to play a role he was unfamiliar with and unsuited to - both physically and mentally... I disagree, I think Hughton did totally misuse him but he was a very average striker who was never going to get the time and space he got in Holland/Portugal in the PL, both leagues are relatively easy to score in. I think in the right set up he'd score in the Championship but he just didn't have the nous to get that half a yard of space in the PL and his finishing was often far too weak and erratic even when the ball did fall to him, he offered nothing in our build up play and didn't move like Pukki so I don't think the problem was that we didn't pass to him. I think he was much more of a Rhodes type flukey poacher than an intelligent Pukki that failed because he was misused. I look at his highlights reel and before he joined us and apart from a couple of good long range finishes that he could have scored for any team you don't get those chances in the PL even if you play for Man City. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,868 Posted March 9 1 minute ago, Christoph Stiepermann said: I disagree, I think Hughton did totally misuse him but he was a very average striker who was never going to get the time and space he got in Holland/Portugal in the PL, both leagues are relatively easy to score in. I think in the right set up he'd score in the Championship but he just didn't have the nous to get that half a yard of space in the PL and his finishing was often far too weak and erratic even when the ball did fall to him, he offered nothing in our build up play and didn't move like Pukki so I don't think the problem was that we didn't pass to him. I think he was much more of a Rhodes type flukey poacher than an intelligent Pukki that failed because he was misused. I look at his highlights reel and before he joined us and apart from a couple of good long range finishes that he could have scored for any team you don't get those chances in the PL even if you play for Man City. Agreed. His record in the Netherlands was solid, but that league is notorious for producing attackers who score loads but then flop elsewhere. His record in Portugal was good, but he was playing up front for a big club who create a lot of chances, and he did score a hell of a lot of penalties which always window-dress goalscoring records somewhat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Indy_Bones 442 Posted March 9 10 minutes ago, Christoph Stiepermann said: I think in the right set up he'd score in the Championship but he just didn't have the nous to get that half a yard of space in the PL and his finishing was often far too weak and erratic even when the ball did fall to him, he offered nothing in our build up play and didn't move like Pukki so I don't think the problem was that we didn't pass to him. I think he was much more of a Rhodes type flukey poacher than an intelligent Pukki that failed because he was misused. I look at his highlights reel and before he joined us and apart from a couple of good long range finishes that he could have scored for any team you don't get those chances in the PL even if you play for Man City. You've pinpointed the exact issue here though, his strength wasn't in build up play, or in being a pacy striker looking to utilise that extra half yard of space, he absolutely was more of a poacher type player, but to be able to produce anything in that role you are utterly reliant on getting quality supply that find that movement for a close range finish, instead he got virtually ZERO useful balls into his movement (which was genuinely very good at the start of his time with us), and Hughton basically asked him to play as a lone forward holding the ball up a'la Andy Carroll and their ilk - it was NEVER going to work. Interesting that his penalty prowess is brought up, which is why it was so utterly frustrating when Snodgrass refused to let him take it against Villa and then stuffed it up completely, would have been a massive boost to RvW's confidence if we'd scored from that, and let's not forget this is the same Snodgrass who was instrumental in giving him nothing to work with in terms of supply either... If you're going to utilise a poacher, as a team you have to accept their inherent weaknesses and play totally into their specific niche, which if you do can lead to an awful lot of goals, but on the flip side, you have to accept that they will frequently offer little more to the team than goals and be willing and able to deal with the additional workload on the rest of the side. There's a reason why this type of player has virtually died out in the modern game, and also why complete forwards like Haaland are the most valuable and sought after in football. Andy Cole was notorious for freuqently needing numerous chances to score, but the difference was that Man Utd were willing and able to keeping providing them - we didn't... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CDMullins 446 Posted March 9 If used properly, RvW would have taken us to Europe. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert N. LiM 4,573 Posted March 9 This thread has taken a bad turn as people have tried to argue people out of opinions that they specifically said they 11 hours ago, Ulfotto said: can’t be swayed on regardless of reason or logic  Can we get back to some more batshıt opinions please? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert N. LiM 4,573 Posted March 9 53 minutes ago, CDMullins said: If used properly, RvW would have taken us to Europe. This is probably the best yet tbf 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,297 Posted March 9 3 hours ago, Rock The Boat said: We never should have p'd off Martin O'Neil. Leicester's history would have been ours. Yeah.. the late 90s were awful and I always envied Leicester and thought what might have been! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,297 Posted March 9 If we’d not lost 5-4 at home to Liverpool on Naismith’s debut, we’d have comfortably stayed up and really kicked on the following season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Raptor 1,250 Posted March 9 dean Ashton is a complete mercenary even Ipswich wouldn't deserve. Did well and almost kept us up. Signed a new contract in the summer. Ambles around looking unfit doing **** all till the week befor the the transfer window opens. Puts a bit of effort in and scores a hatrick is consequently sold to west ham weeks later. If he'd have bothered in the games before that we would've been pushing for promotion instead of mid table. It's his fault we didn't go up that year. The most unprofessional player I've seen. It's perhaps too harsh to say when he retired soon after he deserved it but I wasn't too sympathetic. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Segura 84 Posted March 9 3 hours ago, Indy_Bones said: That RvW was a genuinely good striker, who Hughton totalled mis-used, and pretty much destroyed him as a player. In the right system, with the correct supply (like how we focused on getting the right balls to Pukki), he'd easily have been a 15+ goal a season striker, we did the exact opposite of that, and instead asked him to play a role he was unfamiliar with and unsuited to - both physically and mentally... If RvW was mis-used here, do you not think that other teams would have realised this and upon our relegation have been lining up to sign him? If I recall, he ended up going on loan to a French side who were the only club to show an interest - surely this fact is pretty revealing and demonstrates what other teams thought of him. Coupled with the fact that after leaving Norwich he never did anything at a high level. I genuinely can't understand why some of our fans still hold this view about him, maybe it's just a convenient stick to beat Hootun with, who I will accept was a pretty uninspiring manager for us. Watching RVW was painful at times, it was like playing with ten men - he offered nothing, was physically weak and didn't work hard enough to get in front of defenders. Seemed a lovely boy and a handsome fellow, but one of our worst ever signings.  Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
East Rider 553 Posted March 9 Had we replaced Brian Gunn the season we were relegated in 94/95, we would have a: stayed up and b: been the receivers of the extra money handed to all teams the following year due to the tv deal and as a result it would have changed our history going forward. That was the moment 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ged in the onion bag 857 Posted March 9 We could have won the first Premier League title.  We were the best team without doubt and played the best football.   Just didn't have a deep enough squad to maintain it. That team was special!   Right now, sad to say but promotion would ruin us.  Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fen Canary 879 Posted March 9 2 hours ago, CDMullins said: If used properly, RvW would have taken us to Europe. The only way he’d do that is if he retrained as a pilot 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PurpleCanary 5,592 Posted March 9 4 hours ago, Rock The Boat said: We never should have p'd off Martin O'Neil. Leicester's history would have been ours. ‘We’ didn’t. Robert Chase did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PurpleCanary 5,592 Posted March 9 And some of these ‘hills’ posters are willing to die on look much more like holes in the ground they are digging for themselves… 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Commonsense 656 Posted March 9 13 hours ago, Ulfotto said: What are your Norwich city opinions or views you would die on and can’t be swayed on regardless of reason or logic. My current one is that the board inaction in this January transfer window has potentially cost us our best chance of promotion for years to come. From years gone by that Paul McVeigh was as important as Darren Huckerby. A fairly strange time to quote your current point as we have actually been playing well since Christmas and picking up points. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Newtopia 519 Posted March 10 Lee Power was the most exciting academy product I ever saw on debut. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
splendidrush 700 Posted March 10 We should never have sold Robert Fleck to Chelsea......... and we should never have bought him back. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
littleyellowbirdie 2,605 Posted March 10 13 hours ago, Monty13 said: Probably, didn’t make it any less stupid. Mine would be touting our best players for sale on promotion and then selling our star player pretty much guaranteeing relegation before a ball was kicked, and that was then the catalyst for everything that happened that season and after. Yeah. I'd say you've already died on this particular hill and it's now a ghost posting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Monty13 2,256 Posted March 10 36 minutes ago, littleyellowbirdie said: Yeah. I'd say you've already died on this particular hill and it's now a ghost posting. Bit like you and Dean Smith Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ulfotto 644 Posted March 10 9 hours ago, Commonsense said: A fairly strange time to quote your current point as we have actually been playing well since Christmas and picking up points. Wait until we miss out on the playoffs by one point Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jezzard 16 Posted March 10 I’ll have five and no one will agree with number 5. 1) Wynton Rufer’s non work permit costing us more trophies in the 80s and 90s. 2) Blackburn gazumping us for Patrik Andersson in 1993 costing us the title 3) The ITV digital ‘money’ and Worthy taking the club to a permanent higher level. From that season we gained another 10k fans who have stayed with us and seemingly means better good times and in the bad times we can only fall so far. 4) Alex Neil constantly playing Jerome over Mbokani costing us prem survival in 2016 5) that Chris Hughton keeping us up in 2013 starting with no momentum and with refereeing that cost us 10 or so points, through making solid premier league signings was a bigger achievement than Paul Lambert’s and the best managerial achievement this century. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Simonesque 17 Posted March 10 RvW was a very good striker in a poor system that did not play to his strengths. I genuinely believe with the right manager, system and given a fair crack he could have been up there with the Grant Holts and Teemu Pukkis of modern history. Secondly, and I have to whisper this because it isn't popular, but Marco Stieperman was overrated for me. He had his moments, and I'm not saying he was poor at all, but he could have been replaced in that team by pretty much anyone. He was selfish, with very little to back it up. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ulfotto 644 Posted March 10 1 hour ago, Simonesque said: RvW was a very good striker in a poor system that did not play to his strengths. I genuinely believe with the right manager, system and given a fair crack he could have been up there with the Grant Holts and Teemu Pukkis of modern history. Rvw is the gift that keeps giving on this thread. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GodlyOtsemobor 2,424 Posted March 10 We should have got more money for Robert Green. Ricky Van wolfswinkel would have been a fantastic striker within the right system. Our biggest mistake of the last 15 years was not giving Lambert the backing he wanted to sign Benteke etc. if we'd have done that we would have had many more years staying up. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CDMullins 446 Posted March 10 16 hours ago, Segura said: If RvW was mis-used here, do you not think that other teams would have realised this and upon our relegation have been lining up to sign him? If I recall, he ended up going on loan to a French side who were the only club to show an interest - surely this fact is pretty revealing and demonstrates what other teams thought of him. Coupled with the fact that after leaving Norwich he never did anything at a high level. I genuinely can't understand why some of our fans still hold this view about him, maybe it's just a convenient stick to beat Hootun with, who I will accept was a pretty uninspiring manager for us. Watching RVW was painful at times, it was like playing with ten men - he offered nothing, was physically weak and didn't work hard enough to get in front of defenders. Seemed a lovely boy and a handsome fellow, but one of our worst ever signings.  You remember that Finish lad, Was at Brondby or somewhere, contract ran out, no one really wanted him other than this little Championship team, Wonder what happened to him? Moral of the story you, can't judge him on the fact that no wanted him. Also, RvW went to top level France and Spain. And scored 100ish goals after leaving us, even after having a brain tumour. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
essex canary 508 Posted March 10 20 hours ago, CDMullins said: If used properly, RvW would have taken us to Europe. We would have applied to join the Eredivisie on the grounds that our landmass was once attached to Holland. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites