Will everyone please get a grip...

[NMTD 0]

I''ve read all the posts made over the last couple of days and can we please have a little reality check.

1) We are still top of the league.
2) WBA are in exactly the same position as us.
3) Is there anyone out there who thought Cardiff and Palace were going to be an easy 6 points?

I guess we''d all have taken 2 from those games - so we''re 2 points down on what we''d have thought was ok.

I haven''t looked at the WBA msg boards but they, and the chasing pack must be rubbing their hands at the way we are carrying on.

Yes, Sunderland, Sheffield, Wigan, Millwall are a threat, but they matter not if we pull the points we need.

Would you rather be top now with 9 games to play, or in the playoff mix?

I was there on Saturday - and whilst we didn''t get any points, or play particularly well, one thing I did not see was nerves. 0-0 would not have been an unfair result. But we lost - get over it.

Stoke will be a hell of a challenge for us next Saturday - with two old boys out to impress - so please save any inquest for the end of the season.

Everybody knows it''s there to be thrown away - and I for one don''t think we are that complacent - we don''t need to ram every defeat down the teams throats - its hard enough as it is.

Its because we are so unexpectantly at the top that we feel this way - we can''t quite believe we are where we are and the message being put across is that we almost expect us to fail.

All this defeatist talk is not helping us or the team - its only helping our opposition.

Stop it - and stop it now.

BELIEVE

OTBC

[Dr. Jonathan Zizmor 0]

Last time I looked at a WBA msg board, they all wanted to get rid of Megson!

[Peter 0]

The post I tread on ic.birmingham, Canaries will bottle it, they think title is theirs.

[Archie 0]

you are right, you would think we were above the relegation zone. now who would have taken 8 points clear with 9 to go a couple of months ago.i would
come one everybody.lets look on the bright side

[YankeeCanary 0]

Personally, I don''t like posts such as you have written NMTD. It reads as if it is seeking favourable responses rather than being objective in its critique. Everyone agrees with the three points you make at the top of your note and the points have been made well elsewhere. The rest of your note is "wandering dribble". For example, "What is said on this website, what is said on other teams boards". Who cares? It''s what occurs on the pitch that matters most.
If, as you say, you have read other posts over the past couple of days the salient point that concerns most posters is that Norwich appear to be not showing up with purpose at the outset of the past six games, win or lose. The fact is that this has resulted in 8 points out of 18. The input, for the most part, is not defeatist but discussion of what Norwich can do to improve this performance issue at the start of each game. Was it not you yourself on the stat thread who made the point that a Norwich loss has resulted usually when they are behind at half-time? So obviously, people are edgy and want to see this trend reversed for the upcoming games.

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

Got to agree with Yankee here. The entire point of this message board is to argue and debate about current Norwich issues, not put our head in the sand and pretend everything''s rosy. I think it''s fair if a player isn''t doing a job, or people are critical of where a player is being playied they should be allowed to express their opinions. Don''t get me wrong, I''m still confident, we will do it I''m sure, but I''d rather say what I think.

[NMTD 0]

YC - I have no problem with you criticising me - you are as entitled to your opinion as I am - in fact - if anybody else wants to have a pop at me - go ahead, land one ''on my (virtual) chin''. I''d rather that than constant going on at the team.

As for being objective - well yes I''m being very objective

FACT : We''re top, we''ve got a 5 point gap (at worst) to third, we''ve got 9 matches to play.

FACT : Its in our hands - no-one elses

FACT : In last 8 games we have the best defensive record in the division (0.62 goals/game)

FACT : In last 8 games all our main rivals are conceeding at least 1 goal/game on average

FACT : In last 8 games we average 1.75 pts / game - 5th best in the division.

FACT : The only promotion rivals doing better over 8 matches is Millwall at 2.37 pts / game and WBA at 2 pts / game

FACT : At that rate over 9 matches Millwall close gap by 6 points - not enough

I for one didn''t think we''d be where we are so my expectation is now beyond what I thought we''d achieve this year. With that high expectation comes a big dollop of reality, and a sense or foreboding with regards to a big crash.

All I ask is that we do not give our rivals the sense that we are going to bottle it - which is exactly what we are doing at the moment.

I want promotion as much as anyone else - if we make it I''ll be as delighted as anyone else - if we fail I''ll be as sad as anyone else - but I won''t be angry.

I KNOW I''ll do my best to support them.
I BELIEVE that Worthy and the team will do their best.

If their best isn''t good enough - then there is little we can do.

No-one said it would be easy!

[MPR 0]

Looking at the remaining fixtures:

WBA have to play Palace (h), Scum (a), Gill (h), Millwall (a), Sunderland (a), Bradford (h), Reading (a) and Forest (h)

Sunderland have Derby (h), Palace (a), Sheff Utd (h), Scum (a), WBA (h), Wigan (a), Crewe (h), Burnley (a)

West Ham have Gill (h), Reading (a), Derby (h), Palace (a), Coventry (h), Stoke (a), Watford (h), Wigan (a)

I know there''s no such thing as a foregone conclusion but all those teams have to play Palace, two of the three have to go to Portaloo Rd which isn''t necessarily easy. They all have tough run ins. Bar Wigan and Reading, our opponents aren''t involved in the play offs. There''s a decent chance of having the others cancel themselves out in the other matches.

Yours with the rose-tinteds on!

[YankeeCanary 0]

NMTD, your explosion of facts would be admirable if it wasn''t defensive. The criticism was of your first note in it''s wanderings and false conclusion of other posters being defeatists. When you stick to what you are good at, i.e. digging out facts, you do a very good job and should be complimented for it. However, the problem with historical facts, like the stock market, is that what''s past is not necessarily a prediction for the future. As another poster has pointed out re Wolves two seasons ago, coming into mid March they were 11 points ahead of third place with 7 games to go. WBA had a game in hand. A counterpart statistician at Wolves could have written the same script that you have above ( and probably did ). Wolves had a 35 goal difference and all the season''s results-to-date facts suggested they were home and dry. They only made one mistake and it was fatal. They began to play "not to lose" and ended up 3 points behind WBA. It''s a common occurrence in many sports. We all see it far too often. That is what some posters are observing in recent games from Norwich and that is why they want Norwich to come out "playing to win" in their remaining games.
Other posters are probably, like you, surprised at the league position Norwich have attained but supporters expectations have been raised. No one is expressing anger but, as DD indicated, they are expressing their opinion of what they would like to see happen in the remaining games.

[Mello Yello 2,279]

"Anyone fancy a pint?"

[NMTD 0]

Hi YC - I''m not having a go, i''m really not - but I can appreciate it maybe hard to get the ''sentiment'' behind my posts on this thread. I am not, and will never be the greatest wordsmith in the country.

I wasn''t trying to defend my assertions - I was trying to be positive (not rose tinted).

I wasn''t also saying posters were defeatest - just that I as an individual I sense a feeling of ''oh my god its all going to go wrong - arrrggghhh!'' in some of the individual posts. This negative karma has a habit of rubbing off on people and I wanted to redress the balance.

Yes stats are just that - stats, and can be interpreted many ways - just look at what the government does! I agree that projecting forward statistics will not win us promotion, its just a way of looking at things, but if the TEAM performs pretty much along the lines of the last 8 games we should be ok. Of course if it gets worse things will get a tad sticky.

I wholely agree with the assertion by yourself and any other posters making the point about ''playing to win'' rather than ''playing not to lose'' - I suppose that is my point - we all need to be positive about the remaining games.

Regarding team selection / praise / criticism - of course people are free to make their points - I wouldn''t want it any other way. My concern is that too much criticism at such a delicate stage of the season - even if it is being offered constructively - can have a negative affect on us as supporters and have a resulting knock on to the team.

Motivation, confidence and positive attitude will be key in the coming weeks.

I may not have conveyed it that well - but it is what I am trying to say and instill in everyone.

PS Mello - yes I do fancy a pint - several.

[YankeeCanary 0]

Thanks for taking the time to explain NMTD. I know we all want the same thing in the final analysis and glad we are in agreement on the "playing to win" approach. Let''s hope we get started in that approach with Stoke on Saturday. And with regard to Mello''s point I know we all can hardly wait for the opportunity to raise our pints collectively with a big grin on our faces.

[beelsie 0]

The majority of posters on this thread are, as I am, in favour of the players adopting a positive approach to our football. Can we make an attempt at defining positive? Can I in my humble way spell it out. Forget the position we are in at the top of the table, forget the number of games we have to play. Players need to get to the ball first, win it, then keep the passes accurate and on the ground, to others, who make themselves available in numbers, that in turn give options to the distributor of the ball. Play one touch football as much as is possible and keep the movement fluid and fast. The whole ten players must move like a machine while keeping their shape. The first line of defence should be in the opposing half, they are also our strikers; and what will help them do it more effectively, is to have the second line of defence closer to the half way line than it is to the 18 yard area, the back four then could all be more effective, playing a sweeper type role, picking up un-won loose balls from unsuccessfull second line challenges. By this I am saying that we back off too much in the mid field section of the pitch, better by far to make a challenge for the ball thirty-five yards from our goal, than to let the opposing forwards get into the eighteen yard area where we are all standing on one anothers toes, and wonder who is responsible for the next tackle. As regards Brennan and Worthy I like what little I,ve seen of Brennan, I also like a great deal of what I''ve seen of Worthy and how we have progressed under his stewardship. He is the manager and the players should play to and except his instructions like them or not. After all it is part of the grown up approach. The game, as I have in my opinion described it, is simple, requiring a modicum skill with a high level of fitness, laced with the most important ingreedient, an unbridalled passionate determination to win. Mr Worthy is the Captain of the ship and only one man can chart the direction that it sails in. To Question is tantament to mutiny in my opinion, for which there is only one punishment. My rant OTBC!!!

[Tumbleweed 106]

Yankee Canary made this point above:

""They began to play "not to lose" and ended up 3 points behind WBA""

My fear is that we have started to play not to lose, what else would explain the crap first halfs we''ve been putting in? In the second half after a bit of a rollicking and a realisation that the caution isn''t working they start to play with a bit more expression.

Trouble is, when they do start to play they might already be behind as at Cardiff and Palace.

Anyone remember Cardiff in ''02? We went ahead in the first minute of extra time, got defensive and worried about not losing and let Brum boss the last 29 minutes. We know what happened.

Its not defeatist having these worries, its human nature.

[YankeeCanary 0]

beelsie, as you probably know, I have a high regard for your analysis of what''s occurring, which is why I always read your posts intently. I agree with everything you have to say in your post above including the fact that there can only be one captain of the ship in terms of the direction the ship sails in, and that has to be Nigel Worthington. I do have one thought to add, however. As some observers have noted, it is Nigel''s style to be cautious. Others have responded that''s fine with them because look where Nigel has taken us to date. It may well be that Nigel''s approach will get the job done, and certainly the oddsmakers would support that view. I have read Nigels most recent "For What It''s Worth" column of March 19th. He cites the example of what happened to Wolves and how we need to learn from that experience and keep our heads down and "be patient". His words do seem to sit under the "cautious umbrella". He also speaks about the tough job in the last stretch of getting to the finish line. So, beelsie, you laid out very well what you define as positive football. What is my added thought? It is that in the running of a race ( any race ), a competitor needs to generally be aware of the style to employ to stay with the lead pack during the race, but also have a kick available when getting ready for the finish. Now we are still 7-8 points clear of third so maybe "patience" is okay. I know that if the race was tighter it would not be okay. But patience can convey a message to the players to be reactive rather than proactive. Someone who wants the race has to go after it. We have to trust Worthy''s judgement, as do the players but personally, I believe Norwich has the players to "go after it" at this stage as they have demonstrated that capabilty in the past. I think that''s why a lot of posters want to see that at the start of the games.

[beelsie 0]

Also nudged by "your added thought" For me, as an ardent fan and supporter of practically all things Norwich City. Proactive would be always be no.1 in my approch to any game, having researched diligently all the threatening aspects of the opposing side, as I am sure Worthy would and by being proactive my players would be duly forewarned of those characteristics and challenged to get out there and nullify those threats, again as I feel sure NW would. He would require a side to get the game by the scruff of it''s neck from the outset. Patience is an excercise for those who have got the scruff of the neck well contained within the grasp. It is then that passing aspects and forward movements in the attack make sensible probing movements toward the strike, then choose the right moment for the matadore to deliver the rapier with accuracy for the kill, almost as Henrie of Arsenal would do.
The clinical finishing of that man and his Arsenal team are the epitomy of what football is about and what my Norwich lads should all aspire to. At the present time much of our football has an air of panic about it, I feel, luckily, we seem to get there, but, somehow! is my way of putting it. Yankee , they do work hard, but without too much craft or guile. Long straight overhead punts into a crowded area instead of pulling the defence wide by well chosen balls to the wings then the delivery to at least two options from lads who are up with play and have made use of the space thereby created. Svensson needs to have the ball delivered to his feet to get the best from him, he does have the eye for a pass but we still lack the diagonal ball which is so necessary to panic an opposing defence. Most of our lads are genuine triers, but midfield is where we lack real bite and guile, it is after all the engine room of the football game. Many of our board contributors are enamoured with Mulryne, true he has tallent but he always seems to need a fortnight to get to the point sadly with his inevitable backward pass, or is it that we are not making use of the space so that we can give him a forward option. Mr Huckerby is so predictable and full of effort, but we are in danger of over using him in every forward thrust. We must by clever passing also make room for him to blossom and get a proper chance for him to show his other skills. We must switch our play away from him to give him a chance
to mak his job a little easier. Yankee Canary, I do thank-you for that compliment, football for me is such a rewarding game, when played properly it is a joy to watch, especially if it is our boys that are doing the business. I must end by giving due praise to Holt if all the team had his energy I think we could even beat Arsenal. OTBC.

[sparky 0]

Beelsie have to agree and have said it before, but holt always gives 100%,i also agree and i think many others do too,that we need to mix our play up a bit.Anyway heres to a good win tomorrow 3-1 to city........any other predictions anyone?