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Hayden

Forget Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea......

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We are going up...there you go, I have said it. But we need to focus on the teams in our ''league'' of the Premier League. We will never be able to compete realistically against Man Utd and Arsenal and Chelsea, not even Liverpool or Newcastle can for example. Now I know Portsmouth beat Man Utd but I am convinced that the squad we have with a bit of tinkering can take on the likes of Man City, Southampton, Spurs, Bolton, Everton etc. We need to build a strong squad capable of taking points of these sides rather than try and build a flashy team full of mercenaries in a bid to try and beat Arsenal and win the odd game on ''our day''. I am maybe not explaining myself very well but what I am trying to say is that I am astonished that people are suggesting we need to rip up the team when in fact a battling side with spirit is worth more than a foregin mercenary who just wants to put himself on show in the big games. Keep the faith with the core of the team, tinker yes, strengthen a bit yes, but break up the squad? nope. Enjoy the show piece games sure, but when we stay up I couldn''t give a damn if we had taken all our points off the lower teams, if we are relegated but had a good game at Man Utd then big woop.

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Well said, Hayden, couldn''t agree more. And I don''t think that this board/manager will make those kinds of flashy mistakes.
Every team will have problems dealing with the top three/four but I certainly don''t think we need to fear those Prem teams you list. Besides, we''ve proved with big teams before (Bayern) that we can play them off the park and I remember 3 nils against Liverpool during our last premiership stay.
Mickey Adams has his own reasons for claiming that ex-Div 1 teams will fail without massive investment...

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I totally agree Hayden. At the very least, the players that have taken us up deserve to play in the Prem. Everyone assumes that Malky and Flem aren''t up to it. Now they''re not top Prem players, sure, but I bet they''ll hold their own against average strikers in the Prem. They''ve done okay with the best of the first division haven''t they? Who''s to be scared of in the bottom half of the Prem? They may not be fast but they work very well as a unit. I was watching The Prem on Sat night and they were analysing the positioning errors by defences. Like a good striker, there''s a lot to be said for reading the game well and being in the right place... don''t write all our players off yet. Strengthen yes, disrupt a winning team no.

Ama

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Spot on again Hayden.

With apologies to Kurt but it "Smells like team spirit to me" at Carrow Road.

Easily better than some end of career has been mercenary money grabber types. I think Malk and Flem can only get better and deserve a crack. Hucks has a serious point to prove and so will most of the others.

Throw in a couple of talented kids and who knows?

Nothing to fear from most of the so called big boys

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I do think that we need to add a bit more depth in quality in the midfield and at the back, and I have said that a player like Petit would raise the profile of the club in a previous post, but what I am keen to stress is that adding quality is important but to bolster our already strong squad, breaking it up and fielding just Green, Drury, Holt, Francis and Huckerby in the Premiership which I think was on a previous post and then effectively buying 60% of a first team squad full is not the answer. It will be a fantastic experience for the younger players to play in the Prem, whether Hendo, Jarvis and Shackell are ready I do not know At Last, but then again when a certain James Millner came trudging on for Leeds or Rooney for Everton who could of known what they had to offer. It is a very fine balance, but as Ip***t found to their cost and my amusement, and Bradford too, breaking up team spirit is the worst pre season injury you can get. Confidence will be sky high to test themselves at the highest level, to see your mates being booted out left right and center must be hard in any profession.

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I agree with you Hayden. We have agreat team spirit, that is obvious to all. The last thing we need is an overpriced, overpaid Italian/Spaniard/Brazilian etc, who won''t fancy it come the winter months. We need to give the current squad a chance and see where the problems lie. Give it a month maybe. Worthy won''t panic buy and we need to trust him when he does bring new players in.
On a slightly different note, isn''t it the best feeling to be talking about the Prem, rather than "oh well, maybe next season"? COYY

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I totally agree with you.

I hate to draw a comparison with the poor neighbours down the road but the first season the binners were up and they finished......well high enough for the UEFA Cup they deid not change the team that much, but the following season when they aquired Carlos Kick-a-ball and Finidi George they went down.

You can not under estimate the value of team spirit and togetherness.

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I think we need to strengthen the squad, probably by adding another defender and a mid-fielder, but our "extra2 players (Team spirit, and the wearer of the number 13 shirt) who have been very effective all through this season will count for a lot.

Neil Adams made a good point on Radio Norfolk on Saturday after the game, when someone phoned in and said we''d come straight back down - win your home games, and you''re safe. Given that we may loose some of them, it still means that if you can win most, and pick up some away from home you''ll survive. Since the premiership is effectively two divisions (Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Newcastle, Liverpool (if they get rid of Houlier) and maybe one or two others like Villa, then we need to aim to hold our own with the "second" division, and what I''ve seen of the likes of Spurs and one or two others, we can do just that.

It was positive thought allied to decent work on the pitch that brought us this far - we need to keep it going (and consign all double helix hex''s to the bin where they belong, 1st Wiz).

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Totally agree with the comments here

The last thing I want to see is ''investment'' in ''flashy'' players from Asia, Africa or South America who know nothing of the club, the area, the heritage and so on. Players whose only concern is their 30 / 40 grand a week pay packet - not that we can afford it but you take my point. Players who may well raise themselves for a live Sky game at Highbury but don''t want to know when its a wet and windy Wednesday night at Ewood Park.

One of the fantastic things this season is that every single player at Norwich has wanted to be at Norwich. The obvious example is Huckerby, but look at those who have been dropped or on the fringes for whatever reason - Cricthon, Iwan at times, Hendo, Mulryne, even Rivers and Easton - how many of those have ever gone public with their frustration, bad mouthed the club or slapped in sulky transfer requests?

We don''t want to lose that spirit. Of the clubs to go up over recent years - Portsmouth, Wolves, Leicester - they have all packed their sides with non descript foreign ''stars'' and lost the very strengths that got them up.

The obvious exception is Birmingham, and a few years before, Charlton - shrewd signings at the right time (ie Savage), team strengthing at the right price, but never sacrificing the things that got them there in the first place.

But, anyway, we ain''t there for another 48 hours. Before I worry too much about next season, I''m going to damn well enjoy the rest of this one!

Bring on the championship.

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Not a hope mate.

Portsmouth, Wolves and leicester are all in danger of going down, and i''m sure they all thought they could battle to stay up.

Leeds with Smith & Viduka up front are in danger. Blackburn, Man City and Spurs aren''t just out of the woods yet, so what makes you think that Norwich are going to be able to see off mid-table Premiership teams?

I support Everton, and we played you once in the cup this year, and wiped the floor with you. Think about paying those games each week.

It''s not as easy as you think.

By the way, I came on this site to say "goodluck".

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I can''t believe it hayden you beat me to it . I was saying to my brother today everything you have said in your post. With this thinking and if we all stick together there is no reason why we can''t stay up. OTBC

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For an interesting and very in depth analysis of which teams are most likely to get relegated from the Prem have a look at the following link.

http://www.readabet.com/index.php/football/article/2036

It was written before the start of the current season and you can see from what he had to say about Leeds that the writer knew what he was talking about.

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MasterNagus you are spot on, I agree entirely.

Interesting message from a toffee as well, I thought we had a good goal disallowed and what would the score have been then? Wipe the floor- you were watching a different game. First 10 mins maybe but as the game wore on.........

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Toffee fan, youv''e cheated relegation for too long now. What makes you think next year YOU will be safe?

We are realistic enough to be going for 4th bottom. I remember last year you boys dreaming of Champions League.

O Neill - Liverpool, Moyes - Celtic, Everton - Nationwide.

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