Robbie Boy 0 Posted August 15, 2006 So this season''s boo boy is to be Carl Robinson, is it? Why?Surely his main role in the team is not to spray 50 yard passes around but simply to break up the opposition''s attacks and lay off short passes to Etuhu and Saf? Or even cracking slide rule balls to Lee Croft......................I''m getting sick of players being singled out. If they''re in team they get my support and they should get yours. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,040 Posted August 15, 2006 Agree with what you say, but he did give the ball away a lot against Luton, but he made up for it with the pass that lead to Crofts goal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Webbs Linnets 0 Posted August 15, 2006 Well Said that man we''ll see how he fares tonight against Bulgaria! Its amazing what a summer break can do for you just ask Dickson Etuhu whom endured a torturous time from certain parties last term. Granted he wasn''t at his best but has come back strongly and looks to be the new Francis our driving force in the centre!! However the future doesn''t appear to be so good for Andy Hughes snooze out of the team and if we keep playing as well as this out for good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blahblahblah 2 Posted August 15, 2006 A quick chorus of "Sit down Shut up" would soon stop the inadequates from booing someone they envy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
no1canary 0 Posted August 15, 2006 i really dont know. for me, he werent great against luton, giving the ball away one too many times, but still a big improvement on last season. i am certainly happy for him to be in the team, and remain in the team as long as his performances do not decline. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mook 0 Posted August 15, 2006 He didn''t play too well against Luton, but he looks out of position - too far up the field!He needs to be breaking up attacks with Saff and spraying passes out, and let Dickson do the attacking stuff. He just isn''t quick or strong enough to be an "attacker".However, he is a good player, and doesn''t need the criticism. He''ll be a better player with a bit of encouragement, just like the rest of them are. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
still holding out for new heroes 0 Posted August 15, 2006 Ive been at both home games and not heard him booed once....against Preston he was very good against Luton gave it away a bit so there were a couple of ahhhss from the support but boos no....Id drop him however in place of a 2nd striker simple because Ethuhu and Safri would be my first choice... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FilletTheFishWife . 0 Posted August 15, 2006 he was very good against Preston and got the plaudits and mostly poor against Luton and got criticised. Both opinions were merited. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldyboy 0 Posted August 15, 2006 he is another average worthy signing. we are the first club in his career to pay a fee for him and we are his EIGHTh club! he is very one dimensional in playing the ball sideways mostly. granted he set up croft on saturday but that was about the only time he found a yellow shirt! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yellow Rider 0 Posted August 15, 2006 Agree with Baldy Boy here - watch Robinson carefully and you will see he has this tendency to quickly move the ball on to the nearest yellow shirt. Trouble is he often does so with his head down and consequently gives the ball away. He is not the sort to impose any authority on the game and like the rest of our midfield, he can''t score goals. This is a serious problenm which Worthy has failed to address.Doesn''t matter whether you play your football at the Nou Camp or Sloughbottom, your midfield MUST weigh in with goals. The alarming fact is that last season, the midfield of Hughes, Safri, Robinson and Ethu scored 3 goals from a total 129 appearances according to The Pink Un on August 5. That is a major reason why I am failing to get carried away with this euphoria that all of a sudden Worthy has ''got it right''! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJ 0 Posted August 15, 2006 For God''s sake! Just because a few people said Robinson had a poor game doesn''t mean they are "boo boys" or that Robbo is a hate figure. He just had a ropey match - end of story. We can''t award 10/10 to every player every week can we? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jetstream 0 Posted August 16, 2006 Ah well, if you are blahblahblah you can give the Club and each player 10/10 every match - criticism will not be tolerated!I watched Robinson in the Wales match last night. For every half-decent pass there was a poor one and he missed the best chance of the game when the ball fell to him on the edge of the penalty area and he just had the keeper to beat. Made a mess of it as it was "on his wrong foot" according to the commentator.All in all I just don''t think he''s very good. Period. I won''t boo him (and I don''t think anyone has, have they?) but I''d rather see someone elese in that yellow shirt, someone more talented/skillful (Koumas for example)Plus he''s not "this season''s" boo-boy, plenty of people criticised him, Hughes and Etuhu last season (and I stand by all of the criticisms despite Etuhu''s slight improvement) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
no1canary 0 Posted August 16, 2006 ''(and I stand by all of the criticisms despite Etuhu''s slight improvement)''i wouldnt call it slight! its the biggest turnaround in a player ive ever seen, considering the space of time he has done it in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yellow Rider 0 Posted August 16, 2006 I didn''t see the game but this backs up what I think of Robinson (see my post earlier in this thread). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Temp the Revelator 0 Posted August 16, 2006 This is why I love football! I saw a different game from Robbo last night than you did jetstream - I agree that he made a mess of the chance, but he isn''t a striker. A couple of times I saw him make poor decisions with his passing, but only because the rest of the Welsh team were so static he had no options open to him. Robbo is a very important player for Wales; he does all the dirty stuff, the getting the foot in, the tracking back, the retention of possession, the being available. He''s not a match winner, doesn''t do anything particularly outstanding, but I bet his midfield partners love playing with him as he will allow them to play with a good deal of freedom. In fact, I noticed last night that more often than not Robbo''s contribution was even overlooked by the commentary team - that doesn''t mean he doesn''t do anything, only that he does the steady stuff. And, to be fair, he does it well. All in all, Robbo is a player of limited ability, but at least he knows he has limited ability and doesn''t try to do things he isn''t capable of. Also, wasn''t Gary Holt a player of limited ability? Yet he is awarded cult status around here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DONT REMEMBER YOUR TENURE AS ENGLAND MANAGER 0 Posted August 16, 2006 I wasn''t Robinsons biggest fan last season but his pass to Croft on Saturday certainly was not one dimensional. Robinson was also higly effective for Wales last night, spraying the ball all over the park, so well done Mr Robinson and keep it up. Guys credit where credit is due. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Abram 0 Posted August 16, 2006 [quote user="JayM"]For God''s sake! Just because a few people said Robinson had a poor game doesn''t mean they are "boo boys" or that Robbo is a hate figure. He just had a ropey match - end of story. We can''t award 10/10 to every player every week can we?[/quote]For what it is worth I sit in the Snakepit and the two guys behind me never stopped criticising Robinson on Saturday. Every time he got the ball one of them say why is he on the pitch, he is useless, etc, so it would certainly appear to me that he is the target for the "boo-boys" criticisms this season (even if we are not actually "booing him" concertedly as a crowd).Still these guys are never happy. They are the type who would probably turn on their own kids if they were playing...so maybe you''re right and it is just these two who hate Robbo... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rossi 0 Posted August 16, 2006 lets look at it logically shall we.I think most people would agree that Robinson is the third choice midfielder in the current line up - with everyone fit and available.Does Robinson give us an edge that is better than a partner for earnie must therefore be the question.IMHO Robinson failed to support Croft in anyway in the games so far, and one good pass, or one good attempt is something that i expect from a Norwich player in that position as a bare minimum.For me, and i accept others feel differently, but there has been a bit of a change within the midfield 3. We''ve seen against Preston and Leeds that Robinson and Saf were supposed to be the deepest of the 3, with Etuhu getting up to support Earnie, but Robinson didnt do it well enough leading to Etuhu getting deeper to help them out - then he has too many yards to make up to be able to support earnie.Against Luton we saw Robinson being pushed up and etuhu and saf sitting in the middle, but this is not Robinson''s game, but the move was designed to give earie more support as well as hucks and croft- it didnt happen.Robinson has something about him, but he disappears far too often for too long a period, and this is something we cannot afford from a player who is on the pitch instead of a partner for earnie.I remain unconvinced that Robinson can give us something that another player cannot and I''m equally convinced that Safri and Etuhu can do the business on their own allowing either a player like WLY to have a deeper 4-4-1-1 type of role, or indeed a new target man to play 4-4-2.Norwich failed to score against Leeds, and only got going against Preston thanks to a peach of an og. Against Luton we needed a defensive mix up to get us going. I believe that we do not offer enough in terms of an attacking force to be able to score the required amount of goals to get us where we need to be, and Robinson, for me, needs to be the sacrificial lamb to be able to be more attacking. It''s not that i think he''s rubbish, but he is the weakest link in the starting line up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fat Barman 0 Posted August 16, 2006 [quote user="baldyboy"]he is another average worthy signing. we are the first club in his career to pay a fee for him and we are his EIGHTh club! he is very one dimensional in playing the ball sideways mostly. granted he set up croft on saturday but that was about the only time he found a yellow shirt![/quote]According to his BBC biography, we''re his SIXTH club (if we''re shouting numbers!), two of them loans during his time at Pompey - so his third permanent move.He was in three teams during their promotion seasons to the Premiership - Wolves, Portsmouth & Sunderland - but appears not to be able to make the first team once there. I''d suggest that''s a pretty good background for a player who''s trying to help his fourth permanent club achieve the same as his three previous ones.I''m only quibbling with this one post, though, let''s hope he''s back to his standards from the Preston game against Derby on Saturday (they can''t all be great every game, can they?). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blahblahblah 2 Posted August 16, 2006 [quote]Ah well, if you are blahblahblah you can give the Club and each player 10/10 every match - criticism will not be tolerated! [/quote]2 out of ten jetstream. Is there any point in singling a player out for the rough treatment, when they''re part of the team you support ? I have no problem with criticism, if it''s backed up with reasoning. If people say robinson can only pass sideways fair enough, but isn''t the point of his role to break up play, and supply the ball to Safri ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marty 0 Posted August 16, 2006 Look at every squad, they will have "average" signings too. How many teams can buy only world class players"? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldyboy 0 Posted August 16, 2006 surely his role is to be capable of playing the ball to anyone in a yellow shirt not just safri? face it he is very average and should be left out for us to play 442 with mckenzie up front or have mcveigh in his role, at least hes capable of a forward pass! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Temp the Revelator 0 Posted August 16, 2006 I still feel that a lot of you are underestimating the job he does on the football pitch - as I mentioned earlier, because he tends to do a lot of the steady and unspectacular stuff it is very easy to forget his contribution - that doesn''t mean it isn''t a very valuable contribution though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blahblahblah 2 Posted August 16, 2006 [quote]surely his role is to be capable of playing the ball to anyone in a yellow shirt not just safri? [/quote]I stand corrected. :) But when you have a creative player like Safri available, doesn''t it make sense to give the ball to him as much as you can ? Not only that, but a quick sideways pass often wrong-foots the opposition, "give it and go" means that the unpossessed team have to be constantly on their toes.[quote]face it he is very average and should be left out for us to play 442 with mckenzie up front or have mcveigh in his role, at least hes capable of a forward pass! [/quote]I would say he is a confidence player that we have yet to see the best of over a run of games. Consistency should hopefully pick up as we get into the season, as we get wins and confidence increases.We played 442 a number of times last season, it didn''t work very well as mckenzie and earnshaw didn''t have the aerial prescence required to beat 6''2 defenders. That''s not to say that it might not work this season however. I prefer the formation as it stands currently, we''re outnumbering the opposition in midfield, getting the ball to the wing, and finding Earnie in the middle a lot too. There is an argument for 442 if we''re chasing a game from behind though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dicky 0 Posted August 16, 2006 I thought Robinson ran the midfield for Wales last night and looked a quality player. He is one of those players that gets on with his job without looking flash, but a very key part of the team. Whilst everybody has a "right" to criticise, let''s keep it for when it is deserved, eh? As for having McVeigh in his place, I think somebody must be having a joke. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ncfc4eva 0 Posted August 16, 2006 [quote user="Dicky"]I thought Robinson ran the midfield for Wales last night and looked a quality player. .[/quote]true..he was quality last night. i constantly watched him and earnie and robbo was very good. never did anything spectacular but kept things ticking over and was always there to recieve the ball. give the guy a break and stop looking for excused to get on his back. if you take the time to watch him carefully during a match you''ll understand how important he may turn out to be for us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites