Saint Canary 0 Posted November 13, 2006 It’s a cliché but it really is true that in this league a run of 3-4 games of good or bad results really can see you dramatically climb or slide down the table. At one point this year we were second and very quickly after that, we dropped down the table quite rapidly. We have had a good run of results recently but after the Stoke game the play off’s seemed a long way away. Now they are within touching distance after a couple of good wins. It really is a rollercoaster. What I am interested to know though is whether people feel we will have a season like last when every time we got close to the play off’s we hit a bad patch or do we really believe we can kick on this time and make it? There are positive signs from the start of Grants reign. One-nil wins against 3 of the division’s stronger teams should build confidence in the players. However you can’t help feeling that another Stoke is always around the corner. Losing happens, that’s fine but Stoke (like numerous matches last season) was a complete no contest and that’s what will kill our chances this year if it happens too often. I think Grant has made a very encouraging start but what happens between now and February will have a massive bearing on whether or not we will be promoted. We need to keep up some decent form up until January to put us in, or close to the play off’s. We need to be in a strong position to challenge to a) keep hold of our better players and b) get in the players we desperately need to strengthen both the team and the squad. If we fade away now, we can kiss goodbye to Earnie and any decent, available players in January. I think Grant has got a tough job ahead of him but he appears to have come here with his eyes wide open and is fully aware of the task at hand. He seems to know how he wants to play and most importantly he seems absolutely determined to get more out of our players than they had been giving for more than a season. What our chances for the play off’s are though, I don’t know. Being a fan, I am guilty of getting carried away at one good or bad result but I really hope Grant can carry on getting the wins we need until January and then is given the money to strengthen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tumbleweed 106 Posted November 13, 2006 I think we are well on course for a play off place.The team and the club were at rock bottom after Burnley, many doubters questioned the appointment of Grant and despite two good wins against strong sides (and our first away win of the season), the lack of confidence shone through against Stoke. However, slowly but surely Grant is building an attitude and a resilience which were never in evidence under Worthington. Grant has an element of steel, a determination and a belief in what he wants to achieve. Even in these early days with an inherited squad low on morale he has turned what looked like certain defeats into victories- there is absolutely NO WAY I would have put a bean on us winning away to Brum and WBA and home to Cardiff and Sunderland after the shambles of Burnley. You don''t fluke all those results- there is clearly something going right for a change.Come January I feel we can only get stronger. A couple of loan signings before then will shore things up, but when Grant has the chance to plug the gaps he has identified I firmly believe we will be in a good position. These few weeks are a great opportunity for him to see what is working and what is not so there should be no rush or panic buys.I think another Stoke could well be round the corner- you don''t expect progress without some hiccoughs (and hopefully not this weekend), but PG has impressed me so far. He has delivered the kick up the backside that the team needed and his whole attitude is so much more positive than the previous regime. Early days, but promising signs of the shoots of a recovery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
......and Smith must score. 1,343 Posted November 13, 2006 It''s not my intention to be '' party-pooper '' -- and my heart is with Tumbleweed on this -- but my head says it will require a Herculean effort and a good deal of luck if we are to make the play-offs this season. As has been previously well documented on this forum the Canaries are woefully short of strength in depth and this has been borne out by results when key players have been missing.Tumbleweed feels that come January we can only get stronger.Yes, that does seem likely. In fact Peter Grant would find it difficult not to strengthen his wafer thin squad but, heaven forbid, what happens if someone makes a huge bid for Robert Earnshaw ? Personally I think that even if another club does come in for him he won''t leave Carrow Road this season. The Norwich City Board are in desperate need of some '' brownie points '' following the debacle of Nigel Worthington''s exit and it would, in my opinion, be sheer folly to sell our prize asset. Peter Grant has cleverly stated that if Earnshaw does go it will not be his decision and we all know that the fans would be somewhat less than pleased were it to happen and it would hardly cement the current solid relationship between the Board and the Manager, would it ?No, I think the Board, will, for once, repel all boarders and by doing so assist, not hinder, the Manager. My only slight worry regarding Earnshaw is that his head could be turned should a more glamorous club start sniffing around and it does concern me that he is still living out of a suitcase at Dunston Hall some ten months after arriving in the city. It could be that I am reading too much into it, for, not being privy to his domestic preferences, he may well be perfectly happy with that arrangement for the time being.Whatever the outcome of this season I''m impressed with Peter Grant and would be only to happy to eat '' humble pie '' come May. But I believe that we won''t see the full fruits of his labours for some months yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZLF 274 Posted November 13, 2006 2 away wins, a more secure defence (6 goals conceeded in 7 games, compared to 19 in the previous 7), starting to be our promotion rivals and more than 2 points per game are certainly encouraging. I agree with Tumbleweed that we are likely to see another blooper but if we can keep a two steps forward one step back momentum going then we can be cautiously optimistic.January will be key, and so much easier if we can get into on stay very close to the play off zone.''Follow, follow, follow, Follow the boys in yellow'' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucky green trainers 0 Posted November 13, 2006 the league is wide open and winnable. anything is possible. hopefully PG will lead where he wants to be, back in the prem. if we''re tight at the back, and earnie keeps rattling them in, we''ll win more games than lose em. megson got Baggies up with 1 nil wins.scaping wins isn''t pretty, but hopefully the performances and style to grow/improve as the players confidence builds Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cluck 0 Posted November 13, 2006 Point taken........but what good is going up only to be hammered by the vastly superior Premiership teams on arrival? Shouldn''t there be more to it than ping-pong. It looks like Sheff U and Watford will come straight down.....and Reading are beginning to struggle.The so called Championship is weaker now than the old Div.2 which it replaced. Teams in it are little more than also rans.....with the odd rare exception. If anyone really thinks this squad is good enough for promotion to the Premiership I would be shocked......and if by some freak they make it...what will it really mean?.......Norwich City just aren''t part of it anymore. The division is poor and more like Div 1 than anything else......and we had better get used to it.It all boils down to money and nothing else.......and getting up means financial survival for when you come back down.......which we most certainly would. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whoareyou? 0 Posted November 13, 2006 Reading? I dont call a 3-1 win over Spurs struggling! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlyBlyBabes 0 Posted November 13, 2006 Cluck cluck cluck.Portsmouth, Bolton, Reading, Fulham, Charlton, Wigan, Blackburn......................Cluck cluckCluck[st]All we need is sugar daddy.OTBC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0 Posted November 13, 2006 [quote user="cluckaduckadingbat"]but what good is going up only to be hammered by the vastly superior Premiership teams on arrival? Shouldn''t there be more to it than ping-pong. It looks like Sheff U and Watford will come straight down.....and Reading are beginning to struggle.[/quote]you go up, have a brilliant time in getting promoted, get more money, and have a chance of staying up. what more do you want?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cluck 0 Posted November 13, 2006 [quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]Cluck cluck cluck.Portsmouth, Bolton, Reading, Fulham, Charlton, Wigan, Blackburn......................Cluck cluckCluck[st]All we need is sugar daddy.OTBC. [/quote]Oh so true Bly.....but I was looking at things as they are ''a la Delia''. A serious injection of cash would put an entirely different glow on the matter!........So I duly concur............... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ex-greenoschin 0 Posted November 14, 2006 Earnie''s bought a house just outside Norwich and it''s currently being worked on inside and out - workers cars and vans all over the place. Looks like he''s really pimping it out. Hopefully this means he''s planning to stay a little longer!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlyBlyBabes 0 Posted November 14, 2006 [quote user="clucktheripper"][quote user="BlyBlyBabes"] Cluck cluck cluck.Portsmouth, Bolton, Reading, Fulham, Charlton, Wigan, Blackburn......................Cluck cluckCluck[st]All we need is sugar daddy.OTBC. [/quote]Oh so true Bly.....but I was looking at things as they are ''a la Delia''. A serious injection of cash would put an entirely different glow on the matter!........So I duly concur...............[/quote] ATTENTION DELIA THEN!!![^o)]OTBC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Christov 3 Posted November 14, 2006 [quote user="Ex-greenoschin"]Earnie''s bought a house just outside Norwich and it''s currently being worked on inside and out - workers cars and vans all over the place. Looks like he''s really pimping it out. Hopefully this means he''s planning to stay a little longer!!! I can confirm this also, my dad works for one of the companies he has spent several thousand pounds with. I couldn''t believe it when he told me, it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling that Earny actually likes it at/in Norwich![/quote] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
