A huge chunk of the blame...

[Dionysus 0]

...to Peter Grant for making some terrible decisions. Poor, negative tactics. Players out of position that are average at best in their favoured roles. We all hoped it''d be OK but did anybody really expect much better? Let''s hope he owns up and admits he got it completely wrong.

The rest of the blame to Nigel Worthington for taking a poor squad, improving it, and then completely p***ing it up again. On paper, Stoke had the better team today. And, to be honest, it would be close even if we had Earnshaw and Huckerby.

We currently have a mid-table Championship squad. A few, long-term injuries and we should worry. If we have any serious ambitions for promotion then we will need some serious strengthening in January. Unfortunately I do not believe we have the funds necessary to do this.

[JW 0]

Grant has to learn from his mistakes today. He should never have messed around with a defence that hadn''t conceded a goal since he took charge. It also shows the mess that he has been given to sort out, as you say.

[Huddy 0]

I hope he holds his hands up to this one, i''m prepared to give him a good chance because we''ve had 2 good wins and lets be honest he''s inherited a weak squad which when we have injury''s is completely out of his depth.

However he has made some poor decisions today

1. The decision to mix up a back 4 which has kept 3 consecutive clean sheats.
2. Playing Gary Doherty in a role which he has never played before and is clearly not capable.
3. Playing Andy Hughes as an attacking left midfielder. Isnt he a defensive right sided midfielder?
4. Playing 1 up front. A 4-4-2 with Eagle and croft, supprting 2 from Jarvis, Dublin and thorne would surely have been better considering the loss of huckerby and Earnshaw
5. The Keeper Situation?

[Juggler 7]

I''m afraid I have to agree with most of this. I''m just back from the game - yes I have to live up here so I''m looking forward to a really good week - and it was embarrasin but absolutely predictable given the team selection. Bad selection and an unitelligible formation that made Worthy look like a tactical genius. What happened to Grant''s talk about giving the youngsters a chance, not playing people out of position and players keeping the jersey if they performed. OK we were missing some key players but surely thyis was a chance to see what Eagles and the Jarvis boys could do. Eagles at least deserved a chance after Tuesday (yes I was at that one too). Instead we had Fleming, Hughes and Dublin trotted out of the retirement home. He said that he likes to play people in their natural positions so why was Docherty in midfield where he looked totally lost while the Stoke forwards ignored the fact that Fleming was on the pitch. And as for players keeping the jersey - why was Gallacher left out after a man of the match performance on Tuesday to be replaced by Ashdown who was criticized by Grant after the Cardiff game. Grant has had a lot to say in his short time here but I''m afraid his actions today did not back up his words. The "team" looked totally bemused by the tactics and only Colin and Eagles came out of the match with any credit.

I haven''t posted on this board for a long time because of all the negativity that was around but boy do I feel negative after watching that. Never mind, I can look forward to a 450 mile round trip to watch the next game at Carrow Road. Can''t wait.

[......and Smith must score. 1,335]

After our last two performances you''ll deserve a medal if you''re at Carrow Road on Tuesday.

[silver fox 0]

Just listened to Peter Grant''s comments and quite frankly I am disappointed.  He didn''t take any responsibility for changing a back four who have not conceded in 300 minutes.  He didn''t accept responsibility for playing Doherty in a position which is alien to him.  Admitted that he played Thorne and Hughes who had only done some light training and weren''t fully fit. He seemed to blame the players for not doing things he asled them to do, and then hinted they wouldn''t be in his team.  He didn''t accept he played people out of position which contradicts what he said when he came to the club.

I hope he learns quickly that Norwich supporters know a little about football, and most of them were bewildered by his line up today.  Doherty is not a midfielder, but Hughes is,  Hughes is not a left winger, but Eagle is,  Thorne, Fleming and Dublin may well have bags of experience, but their legs have gone and they cannot compete like they used to.  I hope Grant doesn''t fall into the same trap that Worthy did of blaming it on everyone else, or otherwise we will have just exchanged the blarney from Irish to Scottish.

 

[Robert Hardy 0]

I''ve just got back home from watching that excuse of a performance at Stoke, and I have to say that it was absolutely dire!  Having sat thru'' the misery of the Vale game on Tuesday, I honestly thought that it couldn''t get any worse - wrong!

Stoke were nothing special but they had nothing to beat. Admitted we didn''t have Hucks and Earnie, but we were dreadful. People were played out of position, Etuhu looked like he couldn''t be bothered, there was no passing and movement, and the geriatric trio of Dublin, Fleming and Thorne are just past it. I could go on with the criticism but I''d be here all night!

I wasn''t Worthington''s biggest fan, but I''m struggling to see what sacking him has actually achieved in terms of the Club going forward onto bigger and better things. I wonder what Delia''s thinking after we''ve been comprehensively brushed aside by 5-0???

Oh well, a nice 400 mile round trip to Carrow Road next Saturday to see us get mauled by Sunderland to look forward to.

[GJD 0]

What a woeful performance. Tend to agree that the line up was confusing and we never got into the game at any stage. There was absolutely no pace in that starting team today and Stoke were dominate throughout.

I think Eagles deserved to start the game who would have least had given us two wingers to put crosses into Dublin. Playing Doc in midfield was baffling and to upset a back four that had gone three games without conceding was crazy. We were a team that posed no threat and without Hucks and Earnshaw we looked toothless and clueless today.

If Grant is blaming just the players, than that is disappointing, since it was his line up.

Very quiet support today as well, but then again had nothing to sing about. God I hate going to Stoke…