Oh The Thrill Of It All

[YankeeCanary 0]

Well, two days ago I made sure I was signed up for the right television package so that I can watch Premiership Live matches this season. Boy, will I have an opinion or two now. First of all I was like an excited schoolboy as I sat back in my lazy boy chair in front of the large projection TV, and watched the Canaries trot out at Old Trafford. The only thing I was missing was my rattle. You young whippersnappers will have to forgive me my old fashioned customs but I am in my 60th year ( this input was requested on another thread ). I did start the pre-game show with Bob Seger''s "Give Me That Old Time Rock N Roll", with the sound volume turned up to teenage volume requirements. This was a fine lead in to the glorious band of Canary fans who did themselves ( and all of us ) proud.

As far as the game was concerned, like every one else, I took pride in the main positive that is apparent, i.e. there is clearly a spirit in the club that will, hopefully, give us a number of required wins this season. My critical comments ( hopefully constructive ) are:

First of all ( 1st Wizard old friend, please take note ) on Svennson. Admittedly, I have only watched him play three times, but my opinion is that he will not now, or ever, give us what is required at this level. He may have a good attitude but that will not suffice. He is at least a pace too slow, he stands and waits for the ball to come to him far too much rather than moving into an open space. His touch on the ball just looks desperately lacking of the type of striker that will help us win the required number of games. I don''t yet know if Leon has the required class but it is clear for all to see that he has the pace and possibly the potential. Even if Svennson had managed to get his foot on the ball and score on the cross from Huckerby I would still be saying the same thing.

On David Bentley...I think he may possess a touch more class than what appears to be the case at first blush. There were a number of times when he appeared to be giving the ball away or attempting passes that were futile but, when viewed carefully, there were balls that were attainable if we had the right individual darting into spaces and looking to beat the offside trap. With a little more playing time together I could see cutting passes from Bentley finding Huckerby and McKenzie in threatening positions.

I agree with others that Francis looked very good and and with a slight step up in pace ( which looks pretty good already ) he will be a force to be reckoned with.

I think McVeigh is showing that he has the touch that is required at this level. I hope the opportunities continue for him to play in positions where he will score or create goals.
Drury, despite having his hands full in this game, clearly has the potential to succeed at this level. Charlton looked quite good, particularly in the first half when we needed it. Helveg clearly had an off day and we will have to see how things progress but obviously, he has the required talent.

Despite being a big fan in the past of Gary Holt, I have my concerns. He runs forever but, at this level, it will be much more important to quickly read the game and anticipate the next move. He may be less skilled at this, which could explain why he runs hard to recover but draws fouls in the process.

Finally, I know it''s early days and we were away at Old Trafford but I hope Nigel is going to learn from the experience of last season and not start out with a defensive mentality and hope we can sneak a goal in later in the game. This is a tough proposition in the next division down and, in my opinion, will virtually guarantee a negative result ( more often than not ) at this level.

[AJ 1,218]

cant agree more with you yankee!

brilliant report!