Big Issues!

[Rossi 0]

A sizeable chunk of the closed season has now past - so what are the main issues?

1. the lack of signings, .

We saw with the Hucks and Crouch deals, not forgetting Harper, that two or three players can make a big difference - the differnce between 0 points and 3.

IMO a back four of MLJ Doc Shacks and Drury will start although i have big reservations over MLJ. With Flem and Colin however can we justify a fourth RB without someone, or two leaving? Colin may go, but thats it.

In midfield Saf and Hucks are obvious whilst a good right winger, plus a back up are the order of the day. Carlos Edwards would be spot on as he can play RB and RM, offering a chance for the back up RM to also possibly play. We need strength on the flanks with quality deliveries.

Up front we need a target man with Leon as back up.

Three signings of the right calibre could be all thats required, plus a back up player for Drury

2. tactics

Never a strong point of NW, we have to see if Hunter has an influence, but only time will tell

3. style of play

although i hate the hootball as much as most, i think the whole hoof thing became an obsession. It did highlight the importance of having midfielders who wanted the ball, and wingers who made themselves available on the touchmine. Again this could be addressed with the RM argument in point 1. We have to recognise that carpet football isnt always the answer - look at Crewe

4. the belief that things wont change

again, something only time will tell

5. loan signings

The loans of rehamnn and johnason were digraceful for their lack of football and lack of pride in our club

This has to change by ensuring we identify the right talent and buy them. Agreed some loan players are never available to buy, whilst others would otherwise be far too expensive. We need to target players who would cost millions, that we otherwise couldnt afford, and stay away from those who are getting their fitness back, or are not getting into clubs in our division.

How you look at things will have a big impact on how you feel. Personally, i see no evidence that things will change becasue I''m still deeply affected by the memories of last season. In reality though the evidence has yet to be served up.

It''s a half full, half empty type of scenario.

Anyone got other issues?

 

[Branston Pickle 3,632]

A few comments from me on your 1-4

1. IMO we certainly need to replace those who leave/ left late last season (ie Jarrett/Brennan/Charlton) + any others who go - to keep the squad numbers up - + gain a target man and a decent RM (Edwards would do fine for me); we do also have the youngsters such as Rossi/Ryan/Spillane/Cave Brown who can do a job so maybe replacing everyone who goes is not imperative, but I would  hope we do as we have been thin on the ground for several seasons.

For me it  is still a bit ''previous'' to talk about a lack of signings: it still seems to me that relatively few transfers have been made this close season so things have been moving slowly, but will surely pick up very soon - for all clubs, not just us.  Only a few signings made elsewhere so far would have interested us, and whilst we want players in as soon as possible after pre season training starts, this doesn''t mean we should sign just anybody for the sake of it.  What I''m saying is that as long as we get the players in that we need I couldn''t really care less when they come - but the sooner the better. 

2. Tactics: time will tell.  Hopefully Hunter will come in with decent ideas and freshen it all up

3. Ditto for 2. above.  The thing is that all sides have to mix it up a bit.  People have really got hung up on this ''hoofball'' thing, but do they really think that we didn''t play long balls when Iwan was leading our front line???  Maybe they weren''t as seemingly aimless, but they were played nonetheless!

4. Agreed - time will tell. 

5.  Loans sometimes work well, unfortunately few of them came off for us last season, and I suppose Bentley the season before was a bit iffy as we had to pay lots for a player we couldn''t use (though would have had to pay him had we signed him, of course).  I''d prefer signing players properly, but if we can get someone who would command more than we can afford by loaning them then I guess it is ok - just not to the extent as used last season.

I agree that it is a glass half full/half empty thing for many, but  IMO when the season starts we really do need everyone behind the players, whatever their thoughts of the manager/last season.  I really can''t understand those who say that they won''t back the side with Worthy at the helm, as this makes no sense to me.  I''m not a huge fan of him but he is the man at the helm, and if we want to get out of this division we surely have to support the team whoever is there.

[Herb 0]

[quote user="Branston Pickle"]

I really can''t understand those who say that they won''t back the side with Worthy at the helm, as this makes no sense to me.  I''m not a huge fan of him but he is the man at the helm, and if we want to get out of this division we surely have to support the team whoever is there.

[/quote]Hear, hear.Anyone who doesn''t go into a new season with a mixture of optimism, excitement and anticipation is either not what I understand to be a football supporter or clinically dead.When the curtain raises, all things are possible. Has no one else realised that Worthington probably knows this is his last chance in this particular job and may just suprise a few of you?

[Paul Haylock, We need you back 0]

Well put guys........I enjoyed reading through those and pretty much agree............it makes a very pleasant change to read a couple of genuine posts from Norwich City fans with some thought and sense within them and none of the usual negative abuse to the Management and/or playing staff.

 

Its still early days yet and lets hope with 2 or 3 good signings we shall have a good season - We deserve it, the best fans in the division by a mile!!!!

OTBC.............Come On 

[John Boubepo 0]

BIG ISSUE? if things don''t improve Worthington will be selling the Big Issue on the streets of Norwich!

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,017]

Herb - Do not disagree with what you say, but I would like to add "worry" to the list of emotions. As I have said elsewhere I am looking forward to next season (excitement, anticipitaion), I am a positive person so I am always optimistic about our prospects but I am genuinely worried that we will have another bad season, and what that will mean to the club I love.

[ZLF 271]

I agree with the issues put forward by Rossi which really come down to one thing - trust in the manager to deliver

1 a balanced squad - by signing the right players in the right positions for the season ahead.   Is it premature to talk about lack of signings Branston?  For me its a Yes and no - we should talk about the gaps and possible targets and given that most want 4-6 players added a discussion about names, lack of apparent activity and disappointment on missing out on possible suitable replacements such as danns is understandable, as is whether £2m is too much for Hulse.  But I agree that we can only judge the success or failure of the close season activity at the end of July.   The use of loan players has a place in squad building but needs a more judicious approach in my opinion. 

2 improved performances on the pitch  Here we can only wait and see what happens.  The club have squarely nailed their colours to the Hunter mast as the place to change our fortunes.  We as  good a core squad as any in the league,  but the management team needs to identify uts best 11, in its best formation and best playing syle far quicker than it has in recent seasons.

With all of this time will tell,  but for every patience is a virtue there are examples of Nero fiddling to a burning Rome.

  

  

[Karl Pilkington 0]

I was of the opinion that tactics should be the responsibility of the Manager and his Assistant. Could you see Alex Fergusons and Carlos Quiroz (Wrong spelling I know) tactics coming from Mike Phelen??? Or it going any further than Wenger and Pat Rice (much easier to spell)??? If we are relying on Hunter for tactics surely the Manager and his henchman are wrong for the Job???? But I think that argument has been debated for long enough.

Central Midfield - Am I the only one who thinks that Etuhu could be the partner Safri has needed for so long??? I know he tends to blow from Sahara to Arctic with his performances but with a good pre season and a decent run in the team could he be Francis Mk II (first half of season not second)??

I was in the position of "wasn''t looking forward to the new season", that was until the fixtures were released. Now the anticipation is building!!!

[blahblahblah 2]

Signings

If we haven''t signed most of the players we need by mid-July, we''ll be running out of time.  But we aren''t in mid-July.  Signing players you want takes time, especially when you consider our geography.  For every family man like Huckerby there are 4 or 5 young men who want or grew up with the city life of London / Birmingham / Manchester, e.g. Clinton Morrison.  And the players we need to sustain a championship assault will be players that championship teams don''t want to lose and are probably on long contracts (therefore expensive), or players we can''t afford long-term from the Premiership.  Hence the use of loans which turned out well when we went up, and badly in the last couple of seasons.  I think that with all being well in terms of injuries, that we will more than likely start with Etuhu and Safri in midfield, and that they will form a good partnership (watch them leave now I''ve said that :) ), but I agree with most in here that we need prescence in the right wing and right back positions.  When Louis Jean recovers from his injury, he may well surprise a few, I know Forest fans who considered him their best player when we signed him.

Tactics / Style of play

With the right target man, what was an aimless hoof from Fleming / Gallacher becomes an effective method of distributing the ball and switching from defense to attack on the break - e.g. Fleming - Target mans'' head - Earnshaws'' feet with the defender turned. This form of attack is the base unit of currency for goals in the championship.  I''ve had conversations with Leeds fans who complained that they play the ball long too often last season, and they finished 3rd, it''s prevalent in our league.  I want to see us play more on the floor though, and hope/expect that Hunter and Worthington will work together to help us deliver here.

Belief that things won''t change

Things don''t need to change all that much, I geniunely think that the second half of last season showed signs of a recovery from the first half.  We had a good run in at home, despite poor performances we were hard to beat.  Improve on last seasons'' performances and we become capable of winning games comfortably, then we will see some confidence in the team from the fans, and maybe the home economics lessons of norfolk will revert to cookery instead of needlework.

Loan Signings

Previous posters have suggested that Rehman didn''t cost us much.  If the player is cheap and provides strength in depth where is the harm ?  Players on loan don''t always cost the earth, especially if they / their club are looking to retain match fitness, or in the case of younger players, give experience to the player.  Ok, so it didn''t work with Johansson and Rehman, but it did with Huckerby, Crouch, and to a lesser extent Parker.  So we''d be mad not to try again.  We just need to ensure that players come here with the right attitude towards playing in the championship, and that if they''re on the payroll, they get chances to prove their worth.

Surprisingly enough, I''m optimistic about next season. 

[Rossi 0]

[quote user="John Boubepo"]BIG ISSUE? if things don''t improve Worthington will be selling the Big Issue on the streets of Norwich!
[/quote]

Can you explain John, what effect your post has had on the topic, becasue if the answer is none at all, then why make it?

 

[Hugh Jarse 0]

[quote user="ROSSI 46"]

[quote user="John Boubepo"]BIG ISSUE? if things don''t improve Worthington will be selling the Big Issue on the streets of Norwich!
[/quote]

Can you explain John, what effect your post has had on the topic, becasue if the answer is none at all, then why make it?

 

[/quote]

Sorry I was just trying to add a bit of light-heartedness, I think we all are fully aware of all the issues, not that I''m against people repeating them several times.

When you''re chewin'' on loife''s grissle. Don''t grumble, give a whistle ...

 In future tho Rossi, I promise to be more deadpan and serious and will keep my posts pertinent and correlated at all times

[Rossi 0]

why the need for two log in names then?

[blahblahblah 2]

oooh.  rumbled.