Very very glad

[nycanary 1]

I''m thrilled that NW is looking around for a top striker. With the exception of Hux, what we currently have are a couple of average forwards. The problem is who? Johannson was interesting. Thankfully we didn''t get Crouch (I don''t know what Southampton were thinking - 2 million!!). Harewood doesn''t really seem like a target man where Hux could be the foil. Good strikers are hard to find -- so we''ll see what NW comes up with!

Next season''s team is really starting to shape up quite nicely. It''s possible that NW could employ a 4-3-1-2 next season...his acquisitions of Safri and Helveg certainly support that:

Green

Edworthy
Fleming
Mackay
Drury

Helveg
Holt
Francis

Bentley

Hux
Sven

Subs:
Charlton
Safri
Brennan
McKenzie
Gallacher

That''s not a bad side! Course Helveg could replace Edworthy and Safri could fill in midfield. We would lack a little width but I think NW may want to play a compact side initially in the Prem.

It''s not out of the question that he could play Hux and Bentley alongside each other up front and have a Helveg, Francis, Holt, Safri midfield. That''s a strong controlling midfield group.

Ahh...it''s all very exciting and finally, for people abroad like myself (fan since 1979! i still remember the Woods, Haylock, Downs, McGuire, Walford, Watson, Barham, ONeill, Deehan, Bertschin, Bennett team!), we get to watch the Canaries on the telly in New York!

Cheers.

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

I agree ny that we need another striker. Another target man and Primus and I would be extremely satisfied with our summers work. However, I think it''s a bit harsh to say that apart from Hucks our strikers are average. Lest we forget the superb job Sven was doing to the latter part of last year. An extra few months of fitness and training with his team mates will mean that hopefully he can build on that in August. We too must not forget McKenzie. I know some people think that because he came from the lower leagues he won''t make the Prem next year. Could we have the next Jon Stead on our hands? From what I (and Ipswich hehe!) have seen of McKenzie he''s looked very good.

I agree that a Bentley Hucks combo might not work up front. Call me old fashioned but I like to have a target man with a pacey man up front. However, lets not forget the contributions Bentley can bring from the right wing coming forward, should Nige decide to play him there.

I too am quite excited about our midfield though. With Holt, Safri and Franny battling it out for two spots, you''ve got great competition amongst some firery players! It''ll be great!

[Pottsy 0]

Mycanary I have posted before about this and I too think Worthy may play 4-3-1-2. My team is the same apart from I think Helveg will play right back and Safri will play with Francis and Holt.

[Jim Smith 2,610]

I agree I think we will play a lone target man with both Hucks and Bentley floating around behind him.

A midfield 3 of Safri,Holt and Francis looks very strong and although we may lack a bit of width it ought to give us a sound defensive platform.

[jed exodous 0]

Your team is very similar to one i have just posted without reading this message. (honest). I feel we will have to play most of the season very defensively, and try and give hux the freedom to run as much as possible.

One other thing that strikes me is we seem to be putting a lot of expectation on Bentley to do the biz. As good as he is, or has potential to be, you have to remember he has played less than 5 first team games and is still 19. I personally would not start with him to begin with, how would you feel if you were sven or leon who both scored vital goals to get us up, and were then dumped for someone whos only played the odd game here or there. Bentley will be very handy from the bench me thinks.

otbc

[Green&Yellow Fan 0]

i''am sorry Jed but i don''t agree with you there everytime i''ve seen him play for arsenal hes been one of there best players with the likes of henry , pires and Viera when i saw him play against m''boro and pompey he was brilliant , i don''t know why he didn''t play half off the games last season , i recond he will become the new henry.

[ZLF 335]

I do think our strikers have potential to do well but do accept that they are pretty much unproven at this level. Anyone we do buy should have some proven ability to play at a higher level, rather than yet more potential - I would include Harewood in this.

As an alternative suggestion whatabout Charisteas of Greece? In the reserves at Werder Bremen yet looked a classy player during the Euros? Have there been any rumours about him moving anywhere that I have missed?

OTBC

[nycanary 1]

i was just thinking about charisteas when i posted the initial message last night but then thought he might be out of reach for us....but i didn''t realize he was playing in the reserves at bremen. maybe!

i also like the notion of one main striker just so long as hux/bents float CLOSE BY. there are very few clubs who are successful with one main striker. van nistelrooy. saha while at fulham. very few. so, either it''s a TOP striker (which is not someone we''ll get anytime soon) or the floaters play as defacto strikers in a rooney-esque a la euro2004 role.

there is also a fair amount of defending going on for our strikers. of course, i hope they do really well next season but we should retain a sense of realism combined with hope and optimism. our top striker/targetman needs to be relied upon to get 12+ goals next season. when you look at the players who got that many in the prem last season, virtually ALL of them are seasoned international-quality strikers. taking our lads: sven. yes, he did a good job for us but he is a little slow -- let''s be honest! and leon -- he''s ambitious but he''s a bit careless from what i can tell and not a target man.

i stand by my statement. our strikers (barring hux) are very good div 1 strikers and average prem strikers. that''s why i''m so happy that NW recognizes this and is STILL going after a better one even tho he signed both sven and leon in the last 12 months. it shows just how realistic he is about what he''s up against.

i think he''s done a GREAT job this summer with what he''s picked up so far. really quality players who will fit in with our team. but if he only gets one more player this offseason -- i hope it''s a striker over primus. both would be best but we REALLY need one of our better players to be our target man -- and that''s just not the case right now.

side note: i think mulryne will surprise a few people this season. i''m not sure he''ll be a starter but i think he''s got true class and vision and he''ll be up for it. the man''s got vision.

[Mouse 0]

What about Leon, nycanary? He does not feature at all in you 16. Do you not rate him? I think that he will prove alot of people wrong next season, if he gets the oppertunity. He coped well with the jump from div 2 to div 1, there''s no reason why he can''t play just as well in the prem.

[ZLF 335]

I agree with you Mouse that of the unproven strikers we have Leon is the one most likely to succeed for us - ahead of Sven, Bentley & jarvis.

As the squad stands at the moment I would start with Leon and Hux with a 4-4-2 or play for an alternative formation play Leon and Hux, with McVeigh/Bentley very close to Sven in a 4-2-3-1, with two from Francis/Holt/Safri sat in front of the back 4. Leon and Hux may have to relearn their roles bit and start deeper on the pitch but such a fomation took Portugal to the Euro final with a relatively weak squad... just a thought

OTBC

[nycanary 1]

i really hope i''m wrong but i think our that we have three players who i feel are generally over-rated on these boards (we are fans and optimists so that''s what we shoudl expect!): leon, sven and mcveigh.

i think all are average players in the premiership.

but like i said, i hope i''m wrong. terribly so. we all watch the premiership week in, week out and watch the canaries too.....the talent gap is not insignificant.

don''t get me wrong...i truly and completely believe that we will stay up next year. without a doubt. but i think it''s going to be our gritty midfield/defense, hux, bentley and ONE more attacker that will do it for us.

[bananaman 0]

All I can say is that perhaps you have not got to many games recently, as Leon and Sven look very, very good indeed. They have the skills and attributes needed, plus the work rate, and will succeed if things go well for them in the prem. As for Paul - well, we''ll see.

[jobian 0]

I think a kind of 4-3-2-1 might work

Eddy/Helveg Flem Malky/Charlton Drury

Francis Holt Safri
Bentley Hucks

Svensson

[nycanary 1]

to be fair, you''re absolutely right. i only listened to every norwich match online last season and saw very few so this is true. i base this judgment off the limited action i saw of them but mostly off the online radio thing.

i hope i''m wrong. but then again, it seems that NW isn''t content with this front line either. and that''s even tho there are enough forwards in the squad for him to concentrate his efforts elsewhere.

[ZLF 335]

NYcanary has a valid point - and we truly do not know how our strikers will fare this season - Leon and Sven have very little time on the pitch at that level and Bentley shows promise but the one prem game he did start it was very much a case of boys against men. Hux too has a question mark against him but not to the same degree and I am confident that a settled and focussed Hux will continue to be our star man. However that does not mean that we are

Perhaps I am blindly optimistic but I do feel that Leon is the one who is most likely to make the jump in grade. Svenson played well on the run and possesses an excellent touch but for me is a little one dimensional; Bentley is here to be educated and can we realisticaly expect a 19 year old to be our top scorer - he is behind Aliadere at Arsenal and if he was good enough he would be pushing at Arsenal this year - look at Clichy, Aliadere and Fabresec(spelling?) who have all made multiple prem appearances. Leon has looked better and better, with an improving touch, an eye for a goal, and a combination of pace and strength both in the air and on the ground.

Any new signing needs some experience for us to fall back on - another player with potential who doesnt deliver this seasonmay mean Hux suffereing a merry go round of striking partners which in the long run would not benefit the team.

We shall see what the remaining 35 days of the transfer window brings..

OTBC

[Temp the Revelator 0]

nycanary - you say that they are ''average premiership players''. If that''s the case, then that is all we need, as our aim for this season has to be to finish as an average premiership team......we are not going to launch a major assualt on the Champions League places yet, so I for one am happy with our striking options. Add to that the fact that now Sven is fit he is scoring (albeit in friendlies against inferior opposition) and his confidence must be growing, and the future looks very bright indeed.

[Tacklebury 0]

What''s wrong with the 4-4-2? Almost everyone on here seems to want some sort of Christmas Tree formation. Let''s be fair here - this year is going to be a real struggle and I can imagine us being put under pressure for long periods of time. What we need is to play two solid lines across defence and midfield to sustain this pressure. The fact is that Worthy got us promoted by using a 4-4-2, he built his squad on the basis that he was going to play 4-4-2. Ok, towards the end of last season he adapted it slightly, but we won''t get away with this season.

Why don''t we stick with what Worthy and the players know and love, with Bentley and Brennan down either flank and Hux and Sven (or Leon/incoming striker)?

[Mouse 0]

Could we not play the same way as we did last season.

Green
Edworthy/Fleming, Mackay, Helveg, Charlton/ Drury
Bentley/ Safri, Holt, Francis, Mulryne/ Huckerby
McKenzie/Svensson

I would play Flem and Helveg at the back and Holt and Mulryne/Francis in the middle. It worked last season with Huckerby down the left we may as well give it a go.

[Brum Uni Canary 0]

If NW were to play 4-3-1-2, Bentley should certainly not be in the attacking midfield position because he lacks the experience as it is possibly more important than the 2 guys in front. Granted, he is about the fittest of the frontmen, but it is a lot of responsibility for somebody, who up to now has only played 1 premiership game.

[AJ 1,358]

maybe stick Mcveigh or Mulryne in there to play the ball wide?