Looking Abroad Great Stuff Grant!

[DION DUBLIN FOR ENGLAND MANAGER! 0]

About time too!

I thought Gaetano Giallanza who looked decent enough before he got a horrific injury and Marc Mr ''Tricksta'' Libbra did alrite when they came they were two of worthys signings tho! I think?

However Its a good move by Grant and its good to know hes looking further afield as in non - league! I really hope we can find a little gem out there somewhere! Well done Grant we are keeping the faith!

[AP16 0]

Too Right, Well Done Grant. Taking non league goalscorers on trial and looking abroad for talent......fat lot more than worthy ever did. Nice One.

[USAcanary 0]

[quote user="Safri15"]Too Right, Well Done Grant. Taking non league goalscorers on trial and looking abroad for talent......fat lot more than worthy ever did. Nice One.[/quote]

I agree also, huge positives.

Thinking outside the box is the way we are going to build a side with reduced finances.

Finding hidden gems and taking a chance on unproven talent is the key.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

Totally, I am warming to Grants management at the moment. 

[EadiesRight Foot 0]

Its probably what most managers do, its just that previous managers have been very reluctant on this front. If we get another Idiakez, Rasiak, or Bisgaard I would be happy.

[Syteanric 1]

yet more proof why i think Grant will bring success (AND trophies in the long term) to the club...

1 or 2 foreign players could add a touch of flair, and different way of thinking about the game...

Eastern europe and Scandinavia is also a haven for cheap talent.. good to see Grant utilising it.

 he says theres other leagues he will be looking at in the summer.. Eire''s league runs in the summer months as do those in Switzerland and Russia.. exciting times ahead

jas :)

[Graeme Miles 0]

I don''t want to start an argument, but do we know for a fact that Worthy didn''t do these things, or is it just because PG seems to shout from the rooftops about everything?! Worthy always kept his cards close to his chest, I wonder if that worked against us sometimes. If PG is doing something new and refreshing to find talent (I admit I can''t imagine worthy scouting the non-leagues) then brilliant - as long as it brings the results!

[norfolkbroadslim 225]

I hope that if we sign a European player, the Muzinic is sweeter than with previous players from across the water.

[The poster formerly known as ? 0]

[quote user="Graeme Miles"]I don''t want to start an argument, but do we know for a fact that Worthy didn''t do these things, or is it just because PG seems to shout from the rooftops about everything?! Worthy always kept his cards close to his chest, I wonder if that worked against us sometimes. If PG is doing something new and refreshing to find talent (I admit I can''t imagine worthy scouting the non-leagues) then brilliant - as long as it brings the results![/quote]

Well we do know for fact that Worthy didn''t do it as soon as the season ended don''t we? All that nonsense about waiting three months to save a few bob in wages cost us dear IMO. We missed the proverbial boat several times due to inaction, it''s nice to see Granty is prepared to go without a 12 week holiday in the sun in order to try and strengthen the team, there''s hope for this club yet!

[In Dubious Battle 0]

May i note a small hint of caution..........derveld, de waarde, de blasis etc etc

[Saint Canary 0]

Grant is certainly making all right the noises that''s for sure.  Whether he can back it up with what he puts out on the pitch will be found out next season.  I''m not having a go at Grant, in fact I am very much liking what he is trying to do especially in the transfer market.  He appears to be casting the net a lot wider than Worthington (he did bring in plenty of foreign players by the way) by purposly.  What also strikes me is that unlike Worthington he is not looking for the "perfect" transfer, he is looking for players to do a specific job within the team.  Towards the end we heard too much of the "I will only bring in players who add quality" talk when in actual fact we were desperate for any half decent player to provide cover.

I think it fair to say that Grant is doing more for future team building than Worthington did.  He has allowed our youngsters to go out on loan and get some experience.  More importantly of those players who have gone out he can get a real insight into who may or not make it.  Not to be too harsh on Henderson but he has done jack for Rotherham and this probably confirms what we all knew anyway, that he will not make it at this level.  Players not being loaned out has held them back in my opinion or in other cases prolonged their stay here when they should of gone.

Fair play to Grant for seeming to be more proactive on certain issues.

[Yellow Rages 0]

[quote user="Say Hello To The Angels"]May i note a small hint of caution..........derveld, de waarde, de blasis etc etc[/quote]

The same applies to British purchases. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don''t.

[sheded 0]

It COULD be  a big mistake   thinking that the continental  players  will   do a job for us !  most of them only come here for the money , have NO   problems jumping ship if   it suits them , well , ok , we have English players who do that , but why import them ?    and are just looking to do as little as possible while drawing a fat wage  .....

I would have thought  most English clubs have sorted out  who`s worth importing  , so what WE get  will , most likely,  be the also rans !

Me ? if we have to look abroad , I`d go to Oz  ,  they speak the lingo ,  play hard ,  and usually  have  a good  alround work ethic   ...

[shyster 0]

Hark at you lot! Surely a football manager looking abroad for potential signings is par for the course?

You make it sound as though Grant has just found a cure for cancer. [:P]

[mbncfc 1]

[quote user="Saint Canary"]

Grant is certainly making all right the noises that''s for sure.  Whether he can back it up with what he puts out on the pitch will be found out next season.  I''m not having a go at Grant, in fact I am very much liking what he is trying to do especially in the transfer market.  He appears to be casting the net a lot wider than Worthington (he did bring in plenty of foreign players by the way) by purposly.  What also strikes me is that unlike Worthington he is not looking for the "perfect" transfer, he is looking for players to do a specific job within the team.  Towards the end we heard too much of the "I will only bring in players who add quality" talk when in actual fact we were desperate for any half decent player to provide cover.

I think it fair to say that Grant is doing more for future team building than Worthington did.  He has allowed our youngsters to go out on loan and get some experience.  More importantly of those players who have gone out he can get a real insight into who may or not make it.  Not to be too harsh on Henderson but he has done jack for Rotherham and this probably confirms what we all knew anyway, that he will not make it at this level.  Players not being loaned out has held them back in my opinion or in other cases prolonged their stay here when they should of gone.

Fair play to Grant for seeming to be more proactive on certain issues.

[/quote]

I agree very much with this post SC. It will certainly be the case that the next few months will indicate how many of PG''s words are reflected in actions and achievements. So far he has said a lot, but I think achieved a fair bit too (in loaning players out, bringing necessary cover in and trusting a little to youth).

The impressive thing which has been present since his first press conference as manager is his hunger to coach his players. He placed a large emphasis on learning. This is not a quick fix of course, but if he can bring players in who want to learn, and have the ability to take things on board and progress, then he will achieve a lot. That includes overseas players, non-league stars and, sadly, not Ian Henderson, Peter Thorne or Paul McVeigh...

[7rew 0]

Grant is very clever, gets a jaunt round europe in the summer paid by his employer, in exchange for watching a few football matches.  Want to bet he goes scouting in Cyprus, San Troupe and Monarco at some point? I would.What''s more I don''t object to it because he may spot a good, cheap player or two while he''s there.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

[quote user="sheded"]

It COULD be  a big mistake   thinking that the continental  players  will   do a job for us !  most of them only come here for the money , have NO   problems jumping ship if   it suits them , well , ok , we have English players who do that , but why import them ?    and are just looking to do as little as possible while drawing a fat wage  .....

I would have thought  most English clubs have sorted out  who`s worth importing  , so what WE get  will , most likely,  be the also rans !

Me ? if we have to look abroad , I`d go to Oz  ,  they speak the lingo ,  play hard ,  and usually  have  a good  alround work ethic   ...

[/quote]

I wouldnt worry too much, we already have enough overpaid, overpriced, overrated britrish players at the club.  There are many players in eastyern Europe who could do a job for us and whom awould cost far less than the brirish equivalents.  Just look at all the Eaastern European players in the German Bundesleaga for proof of this. (and many players in Bundesliga sides get paid far less than players at our club!!)

British players, as a rule are overpaid, overpriced and most importantly overrated, and so many of them lack the right attitude. I mean christ, Worthys last season here was pretty much also rans central...

[nutty nigel 7,963]

[quote user="The poster formerly known as "]

[quote user="Graeme Miles"]I don''t want to start an argument, but do we know for a fact that Worthy didn''t do these things, or is it just because PG seems to shout from the rooftops about everything?! Worthy always kept his cards close to his chest, I wonder if that worked against us sometimes. If PG is doing something new and refreshing to find talent (I admit I can''t imagine worthy scouting the non-leagues) then brilliant - as long as it brings the results![/quote]

Well we do know for fact that Worthy didn''t do it as soon as the season ended don''t we? All that nonsense about waiting three months to save a few bob in wages cost us dear IMO. We missed the proverbial boat several times due to inaction, it''s nice to see Granty is prepared to go without a 12 week holiday in the sun in order to try and strengthen the team, there''s hope for this club yet!

[/quote]

Carrow Road''s overseas invasion was an expensive folly Canaries could not afford

Richard Balls - April 2001

Norwich''s foreign imports have been eminently forgettable, but fortunately for the supporters and the board, Nigel Worthington is bringing this folly to a halt.

Money was wasted hand over fist by Bryan Hamilton on players in this category, at least one of whom had already been invited to Norwich, watched and duly sent home by Bruce Rioch, another man who had little time for cheap imports.

The board criticised him for his lack of activity in the transfer market, but at least he didn''t laden down the wage bill with players who either weren''t good enough, or we didn''t need.

Raymond de Waard ''one of the poorest players to ever pull on a Canary shirt''  has returned to Holland by mutual consent, and I think it''s better that we don''t think too much about how much his time here might have cost the club.

Nigel did try his best to offload Fernando Derveld on West Brom, but Gary Megson has now seen the light and he is now back with us again, still with a year left on his contract and as much chance of playing in the first team as me.

This week it was announced that Jean-Yves de Blasiis contract is not being renewed. The Frenchman showed plenty of promise and, although he never scored, did add some flair to the midfield on occasions. But just how suited his skills really are to Division One is arguable.

By far the most controversial foreign signing of all has been Cedric Anselin, a name which gets supporters bickering and squabbling like no other. On fan sites and in letters pages, he has been heralded as some sort of football genius, a talent so precocious that three successive managers have failed to harness it. ''The club just doesn''t understand him,'' they say.

I fear I may be lynched for saying this, but there are two things which have rarely been said. Firstly, he is not the unimaginably gifted footballer that many contend that he is, and secondly, his attitude is . . . how shall I put this politely . . . casual.

It is certainly feasible that one manager wasn''t on his wavelength, or even two at a push, but three?

There is no doubt that he is a creative player, possesses some wonderful ball skills and works like a terrier. On occasions, his work-rate has shamed some of his colleagues and in the past I was among those who said he deserved a chance to prove himself.

But it remains a mystery to me as to why some players have attained hero-worship status on the basis of very little, while others who do perform are judged so harshly.

Gaetano Giallanza played well in the first part of the season and two goals by the end of September was prolific by our standards. Sadly, we''ll never really know just how good a purchase he was and it is a great shame to hear that he is unlikely to return to Norwich.

Steen Nedergaard has, for my money, been the most impressive of our last batch of foreign recruits and can score goals as he proved against Watford. I hope he will feature in Nigel Worthington''s plans for the season ahead.

Perhaps with the exception of Dennis Van Wijk, no foreign player has really made a lasting impression at Carrow Road. Drazen Muzenic, Aage Hareide, Eric Fugelstad, Henrik Mortensen, Ulf Ottosson, Jan Molby, Victor Segura and Pape Diop - they''ve all come and gone, but few would figure in any fan''s top 10 players list, or even top 50 come to that.

And nowadays clubs have to be even more cautious when looking abroad. It is all very well for cash-rich Premiership sides to sign up Zola, Henry, Viera, Hasseilbank, Stam and the likes, but they can afford the fees and wages and the risk of things not working out. We can''t take that sort of hit and Nigel Worthington''s swoop for players like Adam Drury and Danny Bloomfield makes far more sense.

Interesting!! It''s like fashion, going round and round in circles over time!!

 

[Tumbleweed 106]

...and where will the most recent foreign invasion figure? The attraction of Helveg, Jonsson and Svensson were heralded at the time but Helveg looked off the pace from the start, never got a proper run until we were almost done and was chucked into central midfield, Jonsson had no pace at right wing and struggled to make any impact whatsoever, and Svensson was seemingly allowed to leave after becoming disenchanted despite being a key member of the promotion winning side.

Its not just who you get, but where you play them and how you manage them. Worthington''s tactical and manaergial ineptitude was shown up for what it was at that level.

[megson 0]

lol good point nige!

I think the difference this time is that Grant may actually WATCH them first!

[mbncfc 1]

Good digging NN, very interesting reading and I agree with your comparison to fashion!

I would say that things seems slightly different to yesteryear. Far more Championship teams have players from abroad as it is proving cheaper than it was 9 years ago.

The Premiership sides are snapping up any decent English talent as soon as they can, and for huge amounts of money. So it could be argued that the quality of British players in the Championship in not what it was.

The trick for PG, compared to Mr Shambleton, is to bring in players he can coach and improve. Our Bryan rushed in to sign two players as soon as he could in a typically populist gesture. I can''t see PG being quite so bourgeois... 

[Syteanric 1]

we all assume grant will go out and sign 3 or 4 foreingers. that wont be the case.

1 or 2 from the same country with a basic grasp of English could benefit the team all round.. i welcome it. and as long as they are well scouted first we wont end up with Duffers like Derveld was!

jas :)

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

I think the point NN is that Grant is going to watch them...  Hamilton NEVER saw Derveld or De Waard play before they arrived here, Worthless never had Colin Watched...

A good manaegr can find the good players, a crap manager gets the rubbish.

 

Also the english game is far lesss physical than it was 10 years ago.  British based players are overrated, overpaid and overpriced - just look at Doherty Hughes and Etuhu in our squad, each a reject at their last club!!

[Putney Canary 0]

[quote user="sheded"]

Me ? if we have to look abroad , I`d go to Oz  ,  they speak the lingo ,  play hard ,  and usually  have  a good  alround work ethic   ...

[/quote]

PLEASE don''t bother looking in Oz! I live in Perth, the A-League is a pretty poor standard. Its a league where Neil Emblen can get a regular game. Nick Ward, who won the previous season''s A-League ''rising star'' award, couldn''t get a regular game at QPR and is on load at Brighton. Stan Lazaridis is a god over here. All the exciting young players come from South America or southern/eastern Europe....

Play hard? Er, Harry Kewell? Mark Viduka?

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="Putney Canary"][quote user="sheded"]

Me ? if we have to look abroad , I`d go to Oz  ,  they speak the lingo ,  play hard ,  and usually  have  a good  alround work ethic   ...

[/quote]

PLEASE don''t bother looking in Oz! I live in Perth, the A-League is a pretty poor standard. Its a league where Neil Emblen can get a regular game. Nick Ward, who won the previous season''s A-League ''rising star'' award, couldn''t get a regular game at QPR and is on load at Brighton. Stan Lazaridis is a god over here. All the exciting young players come from South America or southern/eastern Europe....

Play hard? Er, Harry Kewell? Mark Viduka?

[/quote]

tim Cahill is the only dent player to have come out of Oz. who meets shededs play hard criterier

jas :)

[nutty nigel 7,963]

We shouldn''t confuse "play hard" with Kevin Muscatt and Lucas Neil!

 

[Rossi 0]

i think that there are huge possibilities if you get it right - the amount of cash in the prem is a lure to all of those across the world, and many are now happy to join the championship as a platform to put themselves in the shop window. Its this ambition and drive to be better that will help us so much. Of course, you can potentially make nearly as much money this way as you could potentialy from an acadamy product, and face it the club made a big mistake in thinking they had lost the ''selling club tag'' on the back of parachute paymets (or maybe we just couldnt sell any) I''m not sure if you find the same desire in a lot of british players, although what you do obviously get is the assurance that they can play in the british leagues and do not time to adapt.

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

We shouldn''t confuse "play hard" with Kevin Muscatt and Lucas Neil!

 

[/quote]

what i dont understand is that Muscat is such a thugh on the pitch, yet, according to Iwan in his book... off the pitch is one of the nicest people u could wish to meet.

jas :)