Player Ratings - Norwich v Southampton

[1st Wizard 0]

Marshall - 7 - Produced a good stop in the second half and was solid most of the game, still doubts about his kicking ability though.

Otsemobor - 8 - Is looking like the real deal at right back, he was up and down all game especially in the second half and it was from one of his rund that the second goal came from

Doherty - 6 - Once again did some uneccessary fouling but then again once some good challenges in the air, not his worst game!

Shackell - 6 - Same as above except without the fouls but poor distribution instead.

Drury - 6 - Seen him have better games and that Dyer bloke for them ran him ragged first half, often lets the player cut inside to easily.

Croft - 7 - Did absolutely nothing first half but second was a completely different player, set up Curetons second and also supported in defence well.

Brellier - 5 - Poor debut, lets hope it was from fatigue rather than lack of ability as he looked severely off the pace

Russell - 6 - Industrious display, runs about a lot and wins some challenges but needs to play with a more creative midfielder i.e Fozzie or Smith

Lappin - 7 - Poor first half, often looks for the pass when really should take his man on, however improved second half and was steady without giving too much away

Brown - 8 - Runs himself absolutely ragged, gets kicked and knocked yet still keeps going. Leads the line well and without him Cureton wouldn''t get his goals

Cureton - 8 - Took his goals well, does his job of scoring but like I said by himself would not be half as effective

Subs

Fotheringham - 8 - Kept the ball well and started to pas it around and got the high tempo going, shame he had had to go off

Chadwick - 7 - Second best dribbler after Huckerby and was a good source to release some pressure late on, looks creative!

Strihavka - 7 - Some good touches and hold up play late on, also like Brown he chases everything.

[followthegreenandyellow 0]

 

David Marshall - 7- in all honest did ok, but didnt shine, never really had to do too much, although i think i was one of the many that thought hed let that one over the line! look ok again on crosses, few good blocks

Jon Otsomboor- 7- lots of run, good getting back when lost the ball, only problem today is that we he goes forward his final ball lacked the killer touch, still pleasing and looks a good signing.

Jason Shackell- 7- in general didnt stand out, had an edgy first half but playing with doc what do you expect. second half, strong, verbal and a real leader.

Gary Doherty -6- good headers away and some decent blocks, however far to careless in possesion, and secondly too many hoofs off his shin pad in the air, a liability at times.

Adam Drury -7- not too bad, much better then usual, still chased back and worked hard, will someone please tell him if anyone sits close to the pitch to keep the ball on the bloody ground! ahhh!

Julien Brellier -5- My mates will tell you i cant stop bigging this bloke up, but really off the pace.first minute could have been booked with a lunge, got knocked off the ball too easily, went down injured after every tackle, needs match fitness, bad!

Darrel Russell -7- did very well when urged on in the second half, and needed to otherwise midfield would have collapsed completely first half.  better distribution, but again just lacks that final ball. workhorse though

Simon Lappin -6- Looked out of his depth first half, did ok second half but nothing too great, seen enough of him with those max giamello cards!!

Lee Croft -7- based on his second half performance, full of run, and really battled well, good strength, and seems fitter, just need to get a full understanding of Jon Ots on his side and it will be a good right side.

Jamie Cureton -8- hairdryer treatment at half time i reckon, firework up his backside second half. Really drilled that free kick with some sting and scored a really good winner. Well played son.

Chris Brown -6- personally some good touches, but another player for his height and strength that does what he needs and not much else, aint gonna score us a shite load im afraid

Subs: Mark Fotheringham - played really well, i thought he got forward. nice little touches, shame he got crocked! 

Luke Chadwick -  banana shot first touch but didnt really have to do too much but spread the play and hold it up to waist time.

David Strihavka - i really like this bloke, i honestly think hes gonna be a star, intelligent. pace for a big man, and gets in posistions.

[Rotherhithe Canary 0]

Marshall - 7 - Made a few good close range blocks due to poor defending, flapped at a cross but blushes were saved.

Otsemobor - 8 - Finally a right back! very solid defensively and worked well to win ball back, huge bonus when attacking to have another player down the right.

Shackell - 6 - Struggled against the very physical Rasiak, made the usual good defensive headers but not helped by his central partner

Doherty - 5 - We need a replacement, granted he faced a very powerful striker in Jones, his reluctance to tackle in the penalty area and simply stand off is appalling

Drury - 7 - Very important tackle in the penalty area, got forward better then usual to aid Lappin down the left

Brellier - 6 - Not the best of debuts but looked promising, clearly not a terrific ball player but the midfield battler that we will need in this league possibly

Russell - 6 - Same battling qualities as Brellier but a little more creative on the ball, got forward well and in my opinion won his battle with Safri

Croft - 8 - One of his best displays at Carrow Road, looks a lot slimmer then last season and more dangerous when running with the ball, came deep and brought the ball forward very effectively, improved crossing also

Lappin - 6 - Quiet game, had to help Drury with a tricky right winger, not as much going forward as in previous games

Brown - 6 - Looked good pre-season but didn''t have the best of games today, won a few headers but to no avail, some good touches and link up play with cureton

Cureton - 8 - MOM - Took his goals very well, good poacher, not as involved in link up play as i would like him to be, still settling in, will become a star this season

SUBS:

Fotheringham - 8 - The catalyst for the second half comeback, fought well in the middle and very good distribution, real shame to see him go off injured, hopefully wont be too serious as looks like he could seriously challenge for starting role

Chadwick - 6 - Not on the field too long but managed to slice a volley out for a throw in and miss an open goal within 2 minutes of coming on

Strihavka - 6 - Not on field long enough to make an informed decision of his abilities but chased ball well in final minutes

 

Grant - 7 - Inspired substitution bringing on Fotheringham, but still needs to realise our need for a new centre back

[Canary Pirate 0]

[quote user="No. 4"]

Marshall - 7 - Produced a good stop in the second half and was solid most of the game, still doubts about his kicking ability though.

Otsemobor - 8 - Is looking like the real deal at right back, he was up and down all game especially in the second half and it was from one of his rund that the second goal came from

Doherty - 6 - Once again did some uneccessary fouling but then again once some good challenges in the air, not his worst game!

Shackell - 6 - Same as above except without the fouls but poor distribution instead.

Drury - 6 - Seen him have better games and that Dyer bloke for them ran him ragged first half, often lets the player cut inside to easily.

Croft - 7 - Did absolutely nothing first half but second was a completely different player, set up Curetons second and also supported in defence well.

Brellier - 5 - Poor debut, lets hope it was from fatigue rather than lack of ability as he looked severely off the pace

Russell - 6 - Industrious display, runs about a lot and wins some challenges but needs to play with a more creative midfielder i.e Fozzie or Smith

Lappin - 7 - Poor first half, often looks for the pass when really should take his man on, however improved second half and was steady without giving too much away

Brown - 8 - Runs himself absolutely ragged, gets kicked and knocked yet still keeps going. Leads the line well and without him Cureton wouldn''t get his goals

Cureton - 8 - Took his goals well, does his job of scoring but like I said by himself would not be half as effective

Subs

Fotheringham - 8 - Kept the ball well and started to pas it around and got the high tempo going, shame he had had to go off

Chadwick - 7 - Second best dribbler after Huckerby and was a good source to release some pressure late on, looks creative!

Strihavka - 7 - Some good touches and hold up play late on, also like Brown he chases everything.

[/quote]

Everyone 6 except Cureton 9 Ostembor 8 Fotheringham 8

[Buncey 1]

Marshall - 6 - Solid peformance and some good saves. Poor at corners, his kicking a bit off and was lucky not to put us 2-0 down.

Otsemobor - 9 - Absolutely fantastic. Attacked wonderfully and always quick to overlap. Very good defensively, nobody got past him all match and very quick

Shackell - 6 - Struggled against the very physical Rasiak, made the

usual good defensive headers but not helped by his central partner

Doherty - 3 - Was at fault for the corner we gave them from which they scored and was generally slower, stupider and less competant than his Southampton counterpart. Was very poor today and caused most of the problems we got defensively today from woeful distrobution

Drury - 7 - Very important tackle in the penalty area, got forward better then usual to aid Lappin down the left

Brellier - 6 - Fought well but was generally out muscled and roughed out of the game

by some shoddy tactics by the Soton midfield. Did a decent job

Russell - 7 - Tenacious and didn''t stop working and causing hell for the soton midfielders and defenders alike. Tried to get forward but sometimes got a bit isolated from other players on breaks

Croft - 8 - Was very promising. Looked fitter, slimmer and quicker than last season and had the soton LB in tangles. Cut in to very good effect and worked very well with ostembor

Lappin - 6 - Worked hard, got some good balls in and some bad ones. Would hope for a better set-piece performance in future. Good solid start.

Brown - 7 - 7, but by no fault of his own. Worked very hard and won a lot of balls in the air even though the defenders were pumping on him, pushing him, and generall playing too rough with him. Took it all well though and did some very good ditrobution today.

Cureton - 9 - MOM - Was quiet in the first half, but came out at half time a different man. His goals were wonderful and for that alone he deserved MOM, but he also worked and ran his socks off and caused soton''s lumbering fools at the back some hassle

SUBS:

Fotheringham - 8 - The catalyst for the second half comeback, fought

well in the middle and very good distribution, real shame to see him go

off injured, hopefully wont be too serious as looks like he could

seriously challenge for starting role (same as guy before, couldn''t put it better myself)

Chadwick - 6 - Looked dangerous and a very capable substitute for the future. Caused problems.

Strihavka - 6 - Not on long, but got around quite a bit and wasn''t scared to get in and hold the ball to save some time.

 

Grant - 7 - Good subs today but failed to notice the need to take doherty off, which could have cost us against a better team. Needs to get a new CB in.

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Football is sometimes a game of two thirds and Southampton must be wondering how they lost this one which, along with their home defeat must leave Georgie Boy feeling a little pressure.

Norwich City are still a work in progress but the facts are we have had a tough start on paper, haven''t lost, have only let the one goal in and have four points. Grant summed it up by saying in football terms we are in first gear but in terms of fight and spirit we are on the money.

Confidence is vital and how different we looked once Cureton''s goals lifted us. And as usual, the team which begins a season is seldom the same ten games in.

Performance score indicator:

10 - Must have been marked by EDEXCEL.

9 - Fantastic.

8 - Excellent.

7 - Above Average.

6 - Average.

5 - Below par.

4 - Poor game.

3 - Serious shortcomings.

2 - Disasterous.

1 - Corpse.

Marshall: 4.  I confess I haven''t seen him previously this season or much last season but I haven''t seen such discomfort on crosses since I watched a Mel Gibson directed sandal saga. He nearly punched one into his own net; got baulked by his own defenders and gained an assist for Kenwyne-Jones'' opener; debatably allowed a goal through his legs and kicked like Andy Marshall. On this performance he won''t inspire much confidence and may end up swapping places with Mr. Gilkes. I hope this was a one off. I suspect other teams consider he dislikes being crowded out.

Otsemabor: 6. Did his job. This boy shifts like bread in a cold snap and should develop into a key player this season, particularly as he builds an understanding with his winger.

Drury: 8: My MotM. Although Jamie got the goals; without some excellent last ditch tackles on Wright-Phillips and Kenwyne-Jones (including a couple of clean gems in his own penalty area - in front of The Barclay) by Adam we would have been dead and buried before the end of the first half. Showed good pace too although he failed to anticipate a chance to score..

Shackell. 6: I thought Jason found Racziac''s movement difficult to contain in the first half and although he kept the line nice and high most of the time he was part of a defence which, for the first hour was so shaky I could not believe we were still in the game. He gets an average however for driving on his team and showing spirit.

Docherty. 6: It''s all well and good being robust as long as the football itself is in some way involved. Didn''t get booked though. Not too much manhandling although he did give a couple of free kicks away by groping like a teenager on a first date, as usual. Other than that he didn''t let his head drop and improved with the defence as the game went on.

Croft. 6: Good last 30 minutes, especially when the game became more expansive. Will improve his interplay with Otsemabor which is a key area for the season. I wanted him to run at his defenders in the final third more although his cross for Jamie''s winner was spot on.

Brellier. 4: Strapping bloke but looks short on match fitness after a stuttering pre-season. For me it is him or Russell but seldom both unless we look to shut out the opposition first then expand as the game goes on which I feel might be Grant''s intention in the early games.

Russell. 6: Never shirks a challenge but also looks a little ''rusty'' if you will excuse the pun. A key player for us this season if we are to compete. Never gave up.

Lappin. 5: Quite honestly I didn''t notice him much and felt he left Drury exposed on occasions. Good enough player though and has the vital role of putting Hucks under pressure to perform.

Brown. 6: He can dish it out but can also take it which is just as well when the opposition are elbowing you in the face as you wait for the ball and the officials are the only people in the ground who can''t see it. Good temperament on this showing. He must have been battered and bruised but showed real guts and kept going. I suspect Brown is a real handful for defenders and properly winds them up. His persistence won the free kick leading to the equaliser and he put himself about all game. Needs that goal though.

Cureton. 7: Talismanic, and hits the ball as sweet as a nut. The team are yet to play to his strengths but when they do, on this showing, we''ll need to change his name to ''Score-a-ton.'' You could see from his reactions to his goals just how much it meant to score for City and for me that is priceless. Love him! Jamie only had a couple of chances and took them both.

Fotheringham. 6: Credited with changing the game Fozzie had to improve things in the midfield because Brellier was so poor today. I didn''t think he did anything outstanding, just contributed to a tactical change which swung the game. Hopefully, he isn''t too badly injured as on this evidence he could be in line to start.

Strikhavka. 6: Like Brown with the rough edges removed Dave clearly has more culture to his game (he is baroque Prague while Chris is industrial Teeside). Played a useful and sensible team role to see the game out. He seems to have the game, just needs time to adapt.

Chadwick. 6: Got put through on goal for his first touch and scewed horribly wide: however, he is a vital player in his versatility and did a good job in midfield where he covered the ground really well.

Grant. 8: Doing a great job with the resources he has and his team will only get better as the season progresses. Grant has bought well, improved the pace in the team and his passion is rubbing off. Back him Board!

The Ref. 6:  Looked out of his depth at times and if the players hadn''t settled down themselves could have lost control. However, he tried to let the game flow.

The Crowd. 7: Which is 5 for City fans and 2 for Saints. Were they all on holiday? It isn''t that far and you might expect optimism. As for Norwich, you don''t sing racist ''sad Scottish Bastard'' when your Manager and Goalkeeper are Scots, you don''t boo your own players and you try to show a little more class when berating former players.

This was just the sort of early season win which becomes a prelude to a decent campaign. As confidence builds so the performances will improve. I honestly believe we are only a couple of good players away from making a challenge. If further proof is needed then (injuries permitting) wait to see our bench in a few games time.

 

[Syteanric 1]

Marshall - 5 - Made 4 errors, 3 were almost costly! almost scored an own goal, almost let one squirm under his body and trickle in and should of fone a lot better for the saints goal by stopping the ball before they had chance. Needs to improve on todays showing and quickly!

Semmy - 7 - got forward well and caused lots of problems.. can see him getting a few goals this season

Doherty -5- has no co-ordination, his headers all go upwards, cant pass, gives away fouls.. even Barnet made him look rubbish!

Shacks - 6- Didnt win much in the air today but was assured with the ball at his feet, perahps needs to be just a little bit more physical.

Drury - 6- Good tackles but cant distribute the ball, had a better game today though and hope he can continue to improve.

Croft -7- Best game for us so far! fought for lost causes, passed well and was direct in his running.

Brellier - 6- Clearly struggling with the injury and today was too soon for him, showed glimpses though

Rusty - 6 - needed a swift boot up the prosteria today, tried hard but his final ball was poor and didnt put himself about like we know he normally can

Lappin -7- Huckerby who? Lappin is getting better and better every game, good passer of the ball, good in the air and can tackle! showed what he was made of today against a bruising saints team.

Brown -6- Won nothing in the air and it was only really a short spell in the 2nd half where he made an impact, running around a lot isnt enough!

Cureton -9- Superb! 2 great goals and worked tirelessly! fought back for the ball ran at defenders and swtiched play very well!

Fozzy -9- Best player on the pitch when he came on! superb passer of the ball over both short and long distance and dictated th tempo! lets hope the injury isnt bad and he gets back soon, if he keeps up how he has played last 3 games he could be a big player for us

Chadwick -6- Got in peples way and didnt contribute too much

Strihavka -7- good game for Dave today, showed alot of bustle and was working hard to create chances for himself and his team mates, won more in the air in 10 minutes than Brown did all game.. looks like he is getting used to English gootball and thatts a good thing. Deceptively fast for a big guy too!

jas :)

[Canary Pirate 0]

This is the trouble when posts are so long. Obviously it took you an eternity to do this by which time someone else has already done one and had loads of replies. Personally I struggle with long posts.

[KCASN 0]

Marshall-7-Did good in what he did apart from one blunder thumbled the ball and nearly went in. But recovered superbly.

Otsemobor-9-Legend, attacking, defending, crossing, tackles. Awsome! He has got some fast legs!

Drury-8-Did good in my eyes like him. Nice runs up and down. A few cracking sliding challenges.

Doherty-2-Awful I hate him, why play him. He gave away possession which led to the corner for the goal and didn''t defend well then. Bad mistakes. Wheres Dion! He did hit the cross-bar though.

Shackell-7-Good leader, strong, looked comfortable. Played with Soul.

Croft-9-Blinder, good speedy darting runs at the defences faces, combined well with otsemobor.

Lappin-8-Good delivery in the penalty area for Doherty to hit the post. Nice crosses, defended and was good in attack.

Brellier-5-Didn''t see much of him in first half then got subbed.

Russell-7-Not afraid to get stuck in this lad, calms the midfield down.

Brown-8-Good player, held up the ball well today, pleased for him. Not very pacy though.

Cureton-10-Also my man of the match bagged 2 goals both crackers. Got back and defended all round superb!

Subs-

Fotheringham-10-Brilliant! Felt sorry for him as he went off with ankle injury. Our best midfielder today, kept play moving swiftly good turns and had a free-kick saved well.

Strihavka-6-again didn''t see muh but chased the ball down well and has got a motor in him!

Chadwick-7-Nice touches, 1st touch was a volley just outside the box which went out for a throw. But did well

Dublin-0- Didn''t appear I wish he would play instead of Doherty tough!

Gilks-0-Not required.

 

OTBC! So these are my match scores anyone else who went to the match agree?

 

[1st Wizard 0]

Ok im sorry to question you all here because we all have different opinions, but anyone who says Cureton was a lot better than Brown is sadly mistaken! Yes he scored two goals, but what else did he do all game.. Don''t get me wrong we wouldnt have won without him but Brown did a lot more work and all in all had much more of the ball than Cureton did, plus he did a lot more chasing and hassling than Cureton. Sure Cureton scores goals but a lot of you need to take off your green tinted spectacles and stop making him out tobe better than he was! RANT OVER!

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

If you are talking to me Mr. Carrow then I have to tell you I had to go and eat a delicious dinner prepared by my loving wife half way through my post. So there!

[DONT REMEMBER YOUR TENURE AS ENGLAND MANAGER 0]

David Marshall - 5 Not a good day at the office. Poor at crosses and one almost very costly mistake. Still I rate this guy highly. One great save

Jon Otsomboor-8- What a great signing. Solid and soooooooooo quick.

Jason Shackell-6-  Led by example and will be a great skipper. However this partnership with Doc needs serious work.

Gary Doherty -5- Second hald vastly improved on the first. Unlucky to score but on very careless on the ball

Adam Drury -7- The boy done good, very steady and worked well with Lappin

Julien Brellier -5- Just didn''t look fit, and lost the battle wirh Safri

Darrel Russell -7- Never went missing which i feel was some of the difference with us winning and not losing. Big well done

Simon Lappin -6- Quiet but effective and gave us balance. Its going to be difficult when the player we are missing is the main man in that position 

Lee Croft -8 Wow, this is for his impact in the last 30 minutes, played out of his skin, perception of him has changed on this performance.

Jamie Cureton -9- Goals win games and his finishes were world class. Jamie is back

Chris Brown -7- I don''t think anyone worked harder, needs a goal, but impressed with him

Subs:

Mark Fotheringham -8- Made a big impact and changed the game for us. 

Chadwick - 5- Wasn''t his day but he will be a massive player for us. Just look at how his presence has impacted on Croft

David Strihavka -7- Will be a heck of a player for us, a real scoop by PG. Was a handful for the Saints defence

 

To be honest the first hour we were a very poor second best. It was a goal for the Saints that should have put them 2-0 up. However when we scored Southampton did not have the stomach for the fight and looked like they had given up, rather like us over the last couple of years. Serious work needs to be done with Shacks and the Doc. Defenders need to be bought asap as competiton will breed a better standard of performance; eg. Croft''s reaction to Chadwick is proof of this

 

Hucks please get fit soon. We do need you.

[Hucks6 169]

Brown 10 out 10 takes a lot of stick good old fashion centre forward runs his heart out more than can be said of some of the norwich players

[Stevie Wonder 0]

Marshall 5 - On the evidence of the games this season he is not the messiah we all thought he was. Terrible at corners and kicking needs improvement. Still made a couple of very good saves though.

Otsemebor 8 - Great going forward, great defending. Looks to be a great signing.

Drury 7 - Defended very well but distribution was poor.

Doc 5 - Liability in the first half but did better in the second although booked for a stupid tackle.

Shackell 6 - Did OK against a very good Saints front 2.

Brellier 5 - Not match fit and generally over run in the 1st half.

Russell 6 - Like everyone else was quite dreadful in the first half but got to grips with things more in the 2nd half.

Lappin 6 - Quiet first half but more effective in the 2nd.

Croft 7 - Barnstorming 2nd half and great cross for 2nd goal.

Brown 7 - Worked his socks off and didn''t give Saints back 4 a moments peace. No efforts on goal though.

Cureton 8 - 2 brilliant goals but little else.

Fozzie 8 - Best performance in a City shirt. Kept the ball and used it well. Ran the game for 20 mins.

Chadwick 6 - Did seem to get in the way of his colleagues on a couple of occasions but is a quality sub to have.

Strihavka 7 - Very promising 10 mins. Chased, harried and show a good touch.

[mrs doherty 0]

HOW CAN YOU HATE THE DOC HE DIDNT HAVE THAT BAD OF GAME LEAVE THE DOC ALONE !!     THERES ONLY ONE GINGER PELE

[Bundy 0]

Evidently two views on Brown.
Either didn''t do enough or one of our best.
Given that he did not have one cross to meet all game I thought he was our MoM, if not for effort alone.
Drury - we need to get rid of old loyalties and get rid of him. Offers absolutely nothing but high balls to Cureton!
Lappin - left back.
Croft - only interested when the goings good.
Otsembor - always offers something and always has the pace to make a difference unlike Drury.
Cureton - different class finishing.
Doherty - must be hounded out of town as soon as possible, if it makes it too uncomfortable for Grant to play him then so be it.

[FilletTheFishWife . 0]

So Fozzy had a decent 35 minutes and Brellier had a poor home debut. Anyone at Deepdale would testify the opposite where Brellier ran his socks off and Fozzy was awful when he came on.

For me the catalyst for the 2nd half improvement was getting away with Marshall''s howler. It was certainly the kick up the backside the team needed and while i''m not denying Fozzy had a decent match the whole team improved from this point.

Marshall  6- some excellent stops but seems weak in the air to me.

Otsemboor 7 - its taken us 2 years to replace Eddy. The bargain of the summer.

Doherty 6 - the weak link but doesn''t warrant the abuse.

Shackell 7 - still needs to work on his distribution but is already proving a wise choice as captain

Drury 7 - a good performance and did well against a tricky winger

Croft 7 - a vast impovement in energy.

Brellier 5 - anonymous but we knew he was unfit before the game.

Russell 7 - a bit of a headless chicken at times but more effort in 3 games than we saw from Etuhu in 3 months.

Lappin 7 - not the threat that Huckerby poses but a decent peformance.

Cureton 7 - who needs Earnie?

Brown 7 battling performance but he wouldn''t have scored even if we were still playg now.

Subs

Fozzy 7

Chadwick 6

Strihavka 6

 

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

Marshall  4 - poor game, almost gave away 2 goals with an awful punch and the shot that squirmed under his body.

Otsemboor 7 - always an outlet, if only we had the players in the center able to get the ball out to the wings.

Doherty 6 - Norwich''s soft center was obvious throughout the first half

Shackell 6 - Doc and Shax as a pairing is rudderless, both would perform far better if there was someone alongside directing things

Drury 7 -solid defensive display

Croft 7 - ran himself into the ground, still needs some direction, again without Safri noone seems able to get the ball to the wings in dangerous areas.

Brellier 4 - totally out of it probably just unfit however.

Russell 6 - lost the midfield battle, put himself about but passing and play poor.

Lappin 6 - did ok, dangerous free kicks

Cureton 8 - paid money to score goals, two EXCEPTIONAL finishes

Brown 7 hard working display, always involved but lacked quality, very much a team player.

Subs

Fozzy 8  changed the game attackingwise in his 20 minutes 

Chadwick 6 ran down the clock well

Strihavka 6 some neat touches

[Shack Attack 0]

Marshall 5 - One decent save in the 2nd half but his kicking was atrocious and he flapped at more than one cross.

Semmy 7 - Solid defensively and great going forward. Just what you want from a full back.

Doc 6 - Thought he did OK, certainly wasn''t the weak link some suggest.

Shackell 6 - No better or worse than Doc. Needs to work at his distribution though.

Drury 6 - Had his hands full with Dyer but coped reasonably well. Got forward more in the 2nd half.

Brellier 4 - Biggest disappointment of the day. I presume he''s just not match fit as he looked miles off the pace, especially as Safri was showing how a defensive midfielder should play at the other end during the 1st half.

Russell 6 - Headless chicken in the 1st half, came into it more in the 2nd.

Lappin 5 - Reminds me of so many other players I''ve seen at this level (both for Norwich and against us) over the years. He''s OK, nothing more. Never going to be the most exciting player in the team but you need a few like him around.

Croft 7 - Poor 1st half, excellent 2nd. Good cross for Jamie''s 2nd goal.

Brown 8 (MOM) - Ran his socks off and took a battering for the team. Jamie is going to love playing up front with this bloke. Hope he gets his 1st goal soon because some of the moaners won''t appreciate what he brings to the team.

Cureton 8 - Anonymous 1st half due to lack of service, came to life in the 2nd. Took his goals superbly and you could see how much they meant to him. Jamie is back!

Fotheringham 7 - His best game in a City shirt. Unlucky not to score from a free kick and his neat passing ensured we retained possession much better in the 2nd half.

Chadwick 5 - Seemed to get in the way a bit. A very good player to have on the bench at this level, but not one of his better performances.

Strihavka 7 - Showed some very neat touches and looks very promising. A different type of striker than Cureton or Brown, gives us more options.

Overall, an awful 1st half but a massive improvement after the break. A good substitution by PG at half time changed the game completely as we ditched the aimless punts towards Brown and retained possession more. The only concern is whether we would get away with a 1st half like that against better opposition. 4 points out of 6 is a good start but we probably shouldn''t get too carried away just yet.

[Marty 0]

I didn''t see the game but I am pleased to see that most people seem to be giving Brown a lot of credit for his efforts, I admit he may not score as many as we would like but he battles hard and may provide the catalyst for the team to play well. I think he may prove the doubters wrong.