Lee Croft - I'm just not getting it!

[SNAP 0]

OK, I’m ready for the ridicule and wrath……

Last night I sat in my usual seat in the Jarrold Stand and was not surprised when those around me greeted the second half arrival of the Messiah that is Lee Croft with unbridled delight and relief that our worries were over.

For the first time I had an “Emperor’s New Clothes” moment and I realised that I just don’t get this unquestioning adoration for a player who consistently fails to produce the end product. I watch closely last night and noticed the number of time he was given the ball wide on the right…only to knock it straight back to the person who had given it to him. Watching him closely it was obvious that his first thought every time he received it was “Can I get rid of this straight back”. Only when he couldn’t did he turn his attention to trying to beat the full back and get a cross in. He managed just one decent cross in the whole half and didn’t once get round the defender. For this reason his hurried crosses either failed to beat the first man or were skied over the bar and into the stand.

I left the ground to hear Neil “I’ve got splinters in my bum from sitting on the fence” Adams telling someone that “Crofty” had a good game when he came on and made a difference!

Now, I don’t question his commitment to the cause or his desire to win and I don’t like seeing individuals criticised.  I just want someone to explain to me what it is I’m missing – or maybe agree with me that the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothes and maybe he is just a very ordinary player and no better than many who have already been shown the door. With Bell about to be fit I wonder if the debate might not have too much longer to run anyway.

[Duffman 0]

Agree 100%.    I left the ground last night and thought Lee Croft.......Whats the point ?!

[Here We Go 0]

He kept on playign back to Omozuzi becasue he didn''t have the space to move down the wing, and even if he did get a cross in there back 4 were tall men who could clear the ball with ease.

 

What he did bring was a lift in the tempo he tried to pass the ball quickly and get the ball across, the pitch to catch there 10 men on the side. yes not all his crosses were acturate(spelling) but then again so were the other cross by Fatty Patty and fotherington and the full backs. So you can''t hang the blame all on him.

 

He has the desire to go out  there and play and win a game for us, which to be honest the whole team lacked last night

 

[Stella Canary 0]

I''ve so been wanting Crofty to do well, and I still think he will - trouble last night was that we were bad all over the pitch.   It was chalk & cheese compaired to the Birmingham game.

I wasn''t sure why GR took Lupoli off at half time, and despite a nightmare first half I thought Wes was starting to play some good football in the second half when GR took him off.

At the end of the day, I''ll just take it as a bad day at the office - onwards and upwards bring on the Blades, and lets try again.

[SNAP 0]

I really want him to do well too. He lives in the next village and turned up at the local FITC event a while ago - really nice guy, but still don''t get it!

[Here We Go 0]

 

I think they took Lupoli off to stop him gettign sent off, he was being penelised for the smallest of things that other decent ref''s wouldn''t of done.

But Croft is still young and learning he will come good.

[silver fox 0]

[quote user="Duffman"]Agree 100%.   

I left the ground last night and thought Lee Croft.......Whats the point ?!
[/quote]       I left the ground last night and thought Omozusu, Fotheringham......what a complete waste of time!

[Thecanaryfan 0]

What I dont get is how we pretty much dominated our first 4 games of the season, creating chances with ease in the process, and then struggle to break down an average team of ten men on home soil? Someone didnt prepare the team properly me thinks? Typical Norwich, just when things start looking Rosy again they totally let everyone down. The sad thing is 1 win in 6 is a fair return for the money we have spent..............its to be expected.

[National express super guard 0]

are people trying to upset me!?!?!?!? admittedly from what I''ve heard crofty was as good as the rest of them last night, but he does want to do well, once again, something lost on other members of the squad

[Tim Dawson 0]

Posted a similar article about Croft weeks ago, useless tosser, get rid, end of.

[Beauseant 0]

[quote user="thecanaryfan"]What I dont get is how we pretty much dominated our first 4 games of the season, creating chances with ease in the process, and then struggle to break down an average team of ten men on home soil? Someone didnt prepare the team properly me thinks? Typical Norwich, just when things start looking Rosy again they totally let everyone down. The sad thing is 1 win in 6 is a fair return for the money we have spent..............its to be expected.[/quote]

 

Do you actually know anything about football? QPR were strong,well organised and committed.They look a very good side with flair as well as power.We were rubbish,which must have delighted you as one of the most negative morons on here,but try watching both teams in a game objectively before spewing out your all too predictable garbage.

[scott 0]

Croft can produce some great play but very rarely does that.

 

Last night he put in 2 or 3 good crosses then otherwise he played his usual game of either passing back or trying to run to the corner flag!

 

He has to be told to be more direct and put in crosses when theres yellow shirts waiting in the box.

 

All in all we are a very poor attacking side. Yes we are better in defence and spray the ball around good a lot of the time but until we get more direct in the final 3rd we won''t do anything. Sibierski made a differencde but we were still not getting the to him in the box.

 

Glen made a massive decision in letting Hucks go who would of still been our best wide player by some distance. Hucks would of improved our display last night. Roeder got this big decision massively wrong!

[Thecanaryfan 0]

[quote user="Beauseant"]

[quote user="thecanaryfan"]What I dont get is how we pretty much dominated our first 4 games of the season, creating chances with ease in the process, and then struggle to break down an average team of ten men on home soil? Someone didnt prepare the team properly me thinks? Typical Norwich, just when things start looking Rosy again they totally let everyone down. The sad thing is 1 win in 6 is a fair return for the money we have spent..............its to be expected.[/quote]

 

Do you actually know anything about football? QPR were strong,well organised and committed.They look a very good side with flair as well as power.We were rubbish,which must have delighted you as one of the most negative morons on here,but try watching both teams in a game objectively before spewing out your all too predictable garbage.

[/quote]

Haha, you have serious common sense issues Beaseant. I know more than you will ever know about football. Yes, QPR were strong, well organised and commited.......most teams in this league are you fool. The issue I am raising is that we were playing against a strong, well organised and commited team with ten men, but of course by youre reckoning having ten men isnt an advantage in the modern game is it? You probably think palying at home isnt an advantage either do you? And you have the nerve to call me a moron?! LOL. Behave.

[Beauseant 0]

[quote user="thecanaryfan"][quote user="Beauseant"]

[quote user="thecanaryfan"]What I dont get is how we pretty much dominated our first 4 games of the season, creating chances with ease in the process, and then struggle to break down an average team of ten men on home soil? Someone didnt prepare the team properly me thinks? Typical Norwich, just when things start looking Rosy again they totally let everyone down. The sad thing is 1 win in 6 is a fair return for the money we have spent..............its to be expected.[/quote]

 

Do you actually know anything about football? QPR were strong,well organised and committed.They look a very good side with flair as well as power.We were rubbish,which must have delighted you as one of the most negative morons on here,but try watching both teams in a game objectively before spewing out your all too predictable garbage.

[/quote]

Haha, you have serious common sense issues Beaseant. I know more than you will ever know about football. Yes, QPR were strong, well organised and commited.......most teams in this league are you fool. The issue I am raising is that we were playing against a strong, well organised and commited team with ten men, but of course by youre reckoning having ten men isnt an advantage in the modern game is it? You probably think palying at home isnt an advantage either do you? And you have the nerve to call me a moron?! LOL. Behave.

[/quote]

 

Thanks for that reply.I was wondering about how to prove my point,but you''ve done it for me,Thanks.

[Here We Go 0]

 

Can we get off the issue fo hucks he has gone, get over it.

 

But croft he goes to the corner flag and wipes crosses in, thats what wingers do. He does do direct football, as he did last night when he showed some good play by going past towo players. Once there man got sent  off they got organized and stop tall, repeling are attacks one by one.

 

And to be all honest to you we were crap utter rubbish and i feel sorry for every fan that payed money to see that, you can''t put all the blame on one player as most of you do on here.

 

You can look at Fatty Patty and ask why didn''t he shoot as ofton as he did on saturday. You can you at Fotherington and ask why isnt he passing forward instead of side ways and backwards. Instead of getting on the back of one of are players look at the others that had rubbish games and put some stick towards them

In croft we have a player who wants his shirt and plays hard every game to get it, he plays for the team, and does his best, yes some of his cross went wayward, but he does get those ones in that are decent balls, that if we had anyone attckign them they would go in. YOu can''t get a player that hits perfect crosses every time.

Not even Hucks played a game without getting crosses wrong.

[Bomber 48]

Sorry Beausant have to disagree - you say that the canaryfan reckons having ten men is not an advantage in the modern game to the opposing team - well to be frank I think he is right - I have long been of the opinion that playing against 10 men is as equal if not harder than playing against 11 - my reasoning:

1.  ten men will try even harder to make up for the man they have lost

2.  playing against 10 men does not alter the fact that one of the strikers just drops back if it is a defender that has gone - either this or the manager will bring off a striker and bring on a substitute defender leaving one up front - hence you still have the same amount of midfielders and defenders to get past as they are only now playing with one up front - Roeder mentions this point in his post match interview and it is one I have always agreed with.   

Last night we were up against a typical Dowie side - powerful big built defenders and midfielders and to be quite honest we were just coming up against a brick wall.  We could have played all night and not scored.  QPR scored and just sat back hence making it look as if we were far the superior side in the sceond half camped in their half but to be honest there was never going to be an end product.  For a home side we never worked their keeper and too many players had an off night.  QPR knew we had nothing up front worth worrying about and just soaked up the attacks.  Anyway the ten men that QPR had was equalled with when we brought on Cureton. Another long hard season I predict.

[Huddy 0]

Hallelujah Snap!

I''ve been trying to get to the bottom of why everyone thinks Croft is so good for months. It''s ridiculous. Last season the crofty lovers thought he should play ahead of a fit Huckerby in Glen''s one winger policy. It''s laughable.

Unfortunately, i cant get to away games when Croft is apparantly so good; unfortunately in the last 2 years i believe i have not seen him put in a good display at home. Neil Adams must be his agent; he usually talks sense but his constant praising of Lee Cant Cross Croft, and the constant moaning at Hoolahan beggers belief. 

 As i''ve said on here many times before Croft has headless chicken syndrome, he runs into corners head down, and 90% of the time will either fail to get the cross in and lose it, fail to get it past the first man or more than likely give catching practice to someone sitting in row Z of the lower barclay.

A Winger (e.g Huckerby) is meant to beat players, running at them with pace, get good crosses in and score goals; croft doesnt; he cant shoot, he cant cross and he vary rarely beats players and if he does he''s usually running away from goal.

Sometimes it seems groups of fans starting loving a player for no particular reason...i don''t get it!

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Hate to say it, but hucks would have dug us out of that game last nite

[Bomber 48]

Sorry Beausant - I meant thecanaryfan as my second word of my previous posting.

[Huddy 0]

[quote user="Belaugh Yellow"]

 

Not even Hucks played a game without getting crosses wrong.

[/quote]

he did look threatening occaisonally though.....

as for Croft, he reminds me of a rugby player...he runs head down into the corners and usually kicks it into touch; oh and his shooting is a bit like a conversion.

[Huddy 0]

[quote user="Jimmy Smith"]Hate to say it, but hucks would have dug us out of that game last nite
[/quote]

Sshhhhhhh

Be Careful what you are saying on here, Hucks is gone, forget about....Bollocks!

You are spot on, Hucks last night would have made a difference, that sparkle we needed he could have easily provided. With 10 men there would have been more space, and QPr would have struggled to double mark him without leaving gaping holes for others to run into.

It was probably good there were no chants of ''oh huckerby'' last night, but another abject creativeshowing on Saturday and it wont be long before his name his rining around Carrow Road again.

[Here We Go 0]

 

so is the rest of the teams shooting.

And maybe thats what we get for hireing a ex-rugby player as fitness coach, are we playing the right sport durign training.

 Croft does and can beat players, he isnt as fast as hucks, and when you have two players pennign you in, i would like to see you beat them, he played intelligent football last night, when he couldn''t get down that wing, he palyed it back so one of are other players could spread it wide and see if we could attack down that wing.

But are build up play was crap, when there man got sent off we should of picked up the tempo, we should of attacked them constently playing fast , football, one touch maybe.

But we didn''t when croft came on we finally picked up the pressure and began to attack liek we should of.

[Thecanaryfan 0]

[quote user="Beauseant"][quote user="thecanaryfan"][quote user="Beauseant"]

[quote user="thecanaryfan"]What I dont get is how we pretty much dominated our first 4 games of the season, creating chances with ease in the process, and then struggle to break down an average team of ten men on home soil? Someone didnt prepare the team properly me thinks? Typical Norwich, just when things start looking Rosy again they totally let everyone down. The sad thing is 1 win in 6 is a fair return for the money we have spent..............its to be expected.[/quote]

 

Do you actually know anything about football? QPR were strong,well organised and committed.They look a very good side with flair as well as power.We were rubbish,which must have delighted you as one of the most negative morons on here,but try watching both teams in a game objectively before spewing out your all too predictable garbage.

[/quote]

Haha, you have serious common sense issues Beaseant. I know more than you will ever know about football. Yes, QPR were strong, well organised and commited.......most teams in this league are you fool. The issue I am raising is that we were playing against a strong, well organised and commited team with ten men, but of course by youre reckoning having ten men isnt an advantage in the modern game is it? You probably think palying at home isnt an advantage either do you? And you have the nerve to call me a moron?! LOL. Behave.

[/quote]

 

Thanks for that reply.I was wondering about how to prove my point,but you''ve done it for me,Thanks.

[/quote]

After several attempts to digest what you have just said I remain baffled. Anyway you''re welcome......I suppose. [*-)]

[Thecanaryfan 0]

[quote user="Bomber"]Sorry Beausant - I meant thecanaryfan as my second word of my previous posting.[/quote]

Wipe the rabid dribble from your mouth and start again. [;)]

[GJP 79]

I rate Croft. I''d have him starting every game.

Him and Semmy is the best right sided combination we''ve got.

[ricardo 7,328]

£700k worth of headless chicken.

It''s much cheaper in Tesco''s.

[Syteanric 1]

i dont think Crofty is a bad player by any strecth of the imagination.. he just has no end product... the idear of a winger is to take people on and cross/shoot. He does neither...

Regardless who plays behind him, Omozusi or Semmy, it always seems to be little passes between them until they some how find a way into the box....

 Theres a reason Croft is a substitute to i think, and thats because he cant assert himself on games from the first whistle.

His pace is capable of tearing opponents asunder but he needs to learn how to use a football.. bring him on when defenders are tired and if he can cross or shoot he will win games for us on his own....

Perhaps its a confidence thing "I wont shoot as im scared to miss" or "I wont cross as im scared i''ll put it off the pitch"... if Crofty doesnt try these things he wont improve at them.

if we could get someone in who can do the job id expect Crofty would be moved on. Step forward David Bell?

jas :)

[Mr. Bump 0]

Crofty has a great personality and has a lovely Mancunian accent.

[Thecanaryfan 0]

[quote user="Mr. Bump"]Crofty has a great personality and has a lovely Mancunian accent.[/quote]

You''ve been watching Colney Mastermind havent you?....lol. What a god awful programme.

[SNAP 0]

Well thank goodness for that I''m not alone in not getting "The Lee Crofty" thing. Nice man, nice accent, kind to animals, remembers his mum''s birthday - but not too effective as a winger. I feel so much better now. I can quite happily cheer him Saturday when he gets his 20 minutes safe in the knowledge that there are others out there who secretly agree with me.

"COME ON CROFTY - SKIN ''IM. Oh, you''ve passed it back to that kid from Fulham whose name no one can pronounce.....never mind your fans still love you"