Chris Martin - It's now or never

[Canary02 III 0]

I think there is an enormous chance right now for Chris Martin to become the player we all thought he would be.

Holt plus one is the order of the day for most people in the numerous threads about which team starts against Colchester (Gunn included you imagine). Whilst Holt is a great signing and will create a shedload of chances for a willing partner you sense that he''s a deeper lying forward who will take chances when he gets them but won''t always be Johnny-on-the-spot to convert a fast breakaway or blistering past the last defender. So essentially, we''re still short of a poacher who will get us the 20+ goals a season which a truly successful season will neccessitate.

The most obvious candidate is Cureton. If ever a player should be made for this role it''s Jamie, who is all about the finish, and has an instinct to be in the right place at the right time that many more gifted footballers can only dream of. The sense is though that this may be a season too far for him. Many of us have been hoping that the old adage of "form is temporary, class is permanent" will out and his days of being the leagues top scorer at Colchester and Bristol Rovers will return, particularly at this level alongside a proven target man like Holt. The problem is that Jamie is slowing up, both physically and mentally and his need to succeed in the yellow looks increasingly desperate. What a few years ago would have seemed like passion and drive now looks like cumbersome flailing. There is no better fixture for Cureton than Colchester at home to start with, and that may influence Gunn''s thinking. However much I''d like to believe though, I can''t see Jamie getting us 20+ over the course of the season.

Cody Mac is another strong alternative and a lot of people are hoping his natural pace and aggression will be a catalyst to a goal glut this season. Whilst he will certainly get his chance, I think we need to be careful not to judge him on the one start and handful of subs appearances we''ve seen him in so far. He will take a little time to adjust and Dartford to successful L1 goal machine is a big leap in 6 months. It can be done, as Kevin Doyle has proved, but for every successful conversion of non or lower league players, there are hundreds of failures, and we have to remember this before burdening Cody with all our hopes and dreams. Success for him at this stage should be competing regularly for a start and if he finishes the season with 15 or more starts and 5 goals, that would be a great return for someone who 6 months ago was playing for Dartford.

Maric is another who may be king. Unless you were one of the 250 in Scotland you won''t have seen him play so very few can testify as to how good he is unless you rely on Youtube highlights packages for your player judgements. The reports are very good and he has already produced the goods in front of goal for us in those games which is a very positive sign. However, he''s an overseas player and they do take a while to adjust to English football. It would be dangerous again, to rely on him too much this year, particularly in the early stages as he needs time to develop.

Which leaves Martin. When we first saw him he scored the goals that prevented Peter Grant relegating us, and he was destined to become the next in the production line of successful young City strikers which would probably leave us for millions a la Bellamy and Sutton. Then the wheels came off and he spent too much time arsing around in pubs and too little time in training, and Grant unexpectedly dropped him at the start of the next season. What could have been a harsh lesson leading to an increased maturity and a succesful return to the first team was totally knackered the moment Glenn Roeder walked in the door. Roeder not only ignored Martin, he publically belittled him and sent him off on loan when realistically, we could have done with the little touch of clinicism and arrogance in front of goal that comes with the Chris Martin package. He''s had a year in the trenches at Luton and been relatively successful without setting the world on fire. The question is, in a better team with a good supply of chances can he take the next step and fulfill his potential? We know he has the talent because we''ve seen it. Is his head right? Is he a man now or still a boy? Who knows, except perhaps Martin himself. He only needs to look at his own team mate, the much-maligned Semi, to see what becomes of unfulfilled promise. All the natural talent and god-given abilities of athleticism and searing pace undermined by a laziness and a detached attitude that smacks, rightly or wrongly, of someone who struggles to care for himself, let alone those around him or a team cause. Semi could easily have been an England regular by now if he wasn''t, well Semi. Martin could be the next Jon Otsemobor or the next Chris Sutton. The choice is his.

The overriding point however is that if he can get his head right there is an enormous, potentially career-changing opportunity in his hands right now. It''s still Holt +1 to start against Colchester, and I would guess that it''ll be a game too soon for Maric or Cody Mac. Which leaves a 2 way fight between Martin and Cureton. If he gets the opportunity, Chris Martin could make the place his own. The player who first burst into the team as Grant clung onto Championship status would certainly have been capable of scoring 30+ goals at L1 level, let alone the 20+ we are hoping for. If he doesn''t get the chance, or worse still, does and doesn''t take it, it''ll be game over at the end of his last contracted season, and he''ll likely end up scrabbling around the Luton''s, Burton''s and Torquay''s of the world on trial for his future. One hopes that Martin is mature enough now to realise what a crossroads his career is at, and that he listens to a management team comprised of respected career professionals and not the Otsemobor''s of this world. I hope he gets his chance.

[rjwc22 0]

You can always rely on Canary02 for an indepth post!  Have you thought about doing a blog - spelling is certainly better than most of them.

Agree with you that Marting is likely to be more important this season than Cody.

[Lambo 0]

Great post mate, for me it''s very much between Cody and Martin, Cody is slightly short on fitness though so i''m hoping it''ll be Martin, for me Jamie has missed too mancy chances to be a regular for us.

[DOGGER 0]

Wish i could be bothered to read it all[:$]

[Canary02 III 0]

[quote user="Dogger in Div 1"]Wish i could be bothered to read it all[:$][/quote]

Too lazy to read, but happy to turn up on the thread. I think we''ve found the Jon Otsemobor of the message board. [;)]

[DOGGER 0]

[quote user="Canary02 III"]

[quote user="Dogger in Div 1"]Wish i could be bothered to read it all[:$][/quote]

Too lazy to read, but happy to turn up on the thread. I think we''ve found the Jon Otsemobor of the message board. [;)]

[/quote]

Haha[:D]

[Lambo 0]

LMAO.

You should read it Dogger, it''s very well thought out and constructed post.

[norfolkchance1 0]

will be jaime and maric to start the season martin and mcdonald will be impact subs, take their chances and they could take over

[JuanVelasco 27]

Everything about that post was quality and spot on. Except.....

The line about Otsemober having the ability to be a regular England international, that really is scraping the barrel! He has a hell of a lot of pace, which is an incredible asset when used properly, but Otsemober was born stupid without a footballing brain. As a kid he would have had about as much chance of becoming an England International as Darren Campbell or Linford Christie. Take away the laziness and you might just about have a right back capable of doing a good job in League One, but I can''t see the club being able to find him a brain transplant.

Other than that, spot on. Personally I hope that Chris Martin and Cody McDonald both do well this season (and that we manage to renew their contracts which expire in 12 months) but I would happily transfer that 5 goals in 15 games ratio straight to Chris Martin. If we can get 15 goals out of Maric, 15 goals out of Holt, 5 goals each out of Cureton, McDonald and Martin..... thats 45 goals and as good as the strike force we had in the promotion season.

[Canary02 III 0]

[quote user="JuanVelasco"]Everything about that post was quality and spot on. Except..... The line about Otsemober having the ability to be a regular England international, that really is scraping the barrel! He has a hell of a lot of pace, which is an incredible asset when used properly, but Otsemober was born stupid without a footballing brain. As a kid he would have had about as much chance of becoming an England International as Darren Campbell or Linford Christie. Take away the laziness and you might just about have a right back capable of doing a good job in League One, but I can''t see the club being able to find him a brain transplant. Other than that, spot on. Personally I hope that Chris Martin and Cody McDonald both do well this season (and that we manage to renew their contracts which expire in 12 months) but I would happily transfer that 5 goals in 15 games ratio straight to Chris Martin. If we can get 15 goals out of Maric, 15 goals out of Holt, 5 goals each out of Cureton, McDonald and Martin..... thats 45 goals and as good as the strike force we had in the promotion season.[/quote]

Thanks JV.

I think Otsemobor is a polarising player in terms of opinion. Reminds me greatly of another unfulfilled talent, Darren Kenton. All the right ingredients, just not neccesarily in a consistently well-baked cake!

I think some of Semi''s poor decision-making is due again to his laziness, because he is so used to letting his pace get him out of trouble. Do I play a casual pass to someone who is being marked, or actually make the effort to make the run myself? He''ll always take the easy pass, confident that if possession is conceded he''ll probably be able to get in position to win it back anyway. Ironically, if he didn''t have his pace he might be a better player, because then he would have to play percentages and not take the stupid easy option every time.

However, on no account can I disspell totally the theory that you put, that he is in fact, a big bag of dripping.

[Mook 0]

I don''t agree that he is lazy. I mean this with respect (because your OP about Martin is brilliant), but I think it''s far too easy to say someone is lazy. Why would Otsemobor be lazy???? Football isn''t really hard work if you''re fit. He can quite clearly run, he can quite clearly play football, he has excellent technique (see his free kick delivery) so can obviously pass well. He has tricks, can cross, etc etc. Juan says a lack of footballing brain? I don''t subscribe to that.In my opinion, it is all about confidence. He runs forward, sees a pass that looks good and then, at the last second, his mind wavers. Then the moment has gone. Anyone that plays football knows that certain passes are only on for THAT second, after which the pass will appear "telegraphed" and be easily read and cut out, or the player receiving the pass will be marked/offside. It''s this lack of conviction in his decision making I think that is crippling him. He wants to keep possession (who doesn''t) and doesn''t have the stones to make the pass he wants to, in case it fails. So he goes forward, loses the moment and for fear of giving the ball away, passes it back to CB or deep CM.I''m not saying that he doesn''t show signs of laziness, but then, so did Huckerby. My experience of watching Otsemobor is that he suffers from a chronic lack of confidence in his own ability, or a more harsh description would be he lacks the guts to attempt something that might not come off. With A LOT of encouragement, and a string of good performances in a winning team (he''s never enjoyed any successful period with NCFC), he might surprise a few people.

[Binky 0]

It''s now! Prediction - Chris Martin will be one of our most influential players this season. We know he''s got what it takes and hopefully he''s sorted himself out and realises the need for some very hard work. He may have a patchy start and be in and out of the team, but I think we will see him scoring and making a fair number of assists.

[norwichrossi 0]

Chris Martin has some potential to be a really good player and i believe this season he will be a crucial part of our team. Give him a run of games, i believe he will score the goals. He finished the season strongly last year scoring a hatful of goals for Luton so hopefully it can carry on into this years campaign

[Barclay Kid 0]

I Recon This Will Be A Good Season For Martin. And I Think Cody Will Improve With Time :)

[Chip20 69]

Can somebody please explain to me what ''playing percentages'' actually means please?

[dhickl 0]

[quote user="rjwc22"]

You can always rely on Canary02 for an indepth post!  Have you thought about doing a blog - spelling is certainly better than most of them.

Agree with you that Marting is likely to be more important this season than Cody.

[/quote]I know it was a typing error, but still made me laugh

[G 0]

[quote user="barryevans"]

will be jaime and maric to start the season martin and mcdonald will be impact subs, take their chances and they could take over

[/quote]Holt to play for the reserves then?

[USAcanary 0]

I personally think Martin will play a big part in our season...........mostly up front or some playing time on the right depending on injuries.

My feeling is that our 4 game day strikers (2 starting 2 on the bench) will be Holt, Maric, Martin and McDonald.

I think a combination of any 2 of those 4 strikers will score goals at the LG1 level.

I think we may try and loan out Cureton to get his wages off the books.

Dont worry about us having too many players........ If we go deep in the J P trophy we could end up playing as many as 60 games this year.........

[Lincs CR 0]

Nice one for pointing out the JP Trophy! It seems to have been forgotten about my a lot of people. That trophy, being the lesser of the 3 we will enter is a fantastic opportunity for the likes of McDonald, Korey Smith etc to get some serious minutes under their belts.

Also agree about the four strikers, Cureton might as well pack his bags and go back on loan to Barnsley, we have much better prospects. If he settles in relatively quick I would imagine Holt and Maric will be the first choice, with Martin and McDonald on the bench... if he fails to settle then Holt and Martin.

[Clint 221]

[quote user="JuanVelasco"]Everything about that post was quality and spot on. Except..... The line about Otsemober having the ability to be a regular England international, that really is scraping the barrel! He has a hell of a lot of pace, which is an incredible asset when used properly, but Otsemober was born stupid without a footballing brain. As a kid he would have had about as much chance of becoming an England International as Darren Campbell or Linford Christie. Take away the laziness and you might just about have a right back capable of doing a good job in League One, but I can''t see the club being able to find him a brain transplant. Other than that, spot on. Personally I hope that Chris Martin and Cody McDonald both do well this season (and that we manage to renew their contracts which expire in 12 months) but I would happily transfer that 5 goals in 15 games ratio straight to Chris Martin. If we can get 15 goals out of Maric, 15 goals out of Holt, 5 goals each out of Cureton, McDonald and Martin..... thats 45 goals and as good as the strike force we had in the promotion season.[/quote]

Sorry Juan but that is a load of crap unless, of course, you know Mr Otsemobor personally and went to school with him.  Whether his footballing ability is in question or not is slightly irrelevant if you''re saying the guy was ''born stupid''!  He may not be your cup of tea on the football pitch but for all you know he could be Einstien off it......

I think we need to get of his back and stop this pathetic witchhunt against him, which in some instances is starting to get a bit personal.  At the end of the day, he''s done a very good job in this league before, is likely to be 1st choice against Col U nex Sat so shall we all just give him a break and look forward to the new season??? 

 

 

[? 20]

[quote user="Clint"]

[quote user="JuanVelasco"]Everything about that post was quality and spot on. Except..... The line about Otsemober having the ability to be a regular England international, that really is scraping the barrel! He has a hell of a lot of pace, which is an incredible asset when used properly, but Otsemober was born stupid without a footballing brain. As a kid he would have had about as much chance of becoming an England International as Darren Campbell or Linford Christie. Take away the laziness and you might just about have a right back capable of doing a good job in League One, but I can''t see the club being able to find him a brain transplant. Other than that, spot on. Personally I hope that Chris Martin and Cody McDonald both do well this season (and that we manage to renew their contracts which expire in 12 months) but I would happily transfer that 5 goals in 15 games ratio straight to Chris Martin. If we can get 15 goals out of Maric, 15 goals out of Holt, 5 goals each out of Cureton, McDonald and Martin..... thats 45 goals and as good as the strike force we had in the promotion season.[/quote]

Sorry Juan but that is a load of crap unless, of course, you know Mr Otsemobor personally and went to school with him.  Whether his footballing ability is in question or not is slightly irrelevant if you''re saying the guy was ''born stupid''!  He may not be your cup of tea on the football pitch but for all you know he could be Einstien off it......

I think we need to get of his back and stop this pathetic witchhunt against him, which in some instances is starting to get a bit personal.  At the end of the day, he''s done a very good job in this league before, is likely to be 1st choice against Col U nex Sat so shall we all just give him a break and look forward to the new season??? 

 

[/quote]

Easier said than done, having seen his ''performance'' against Charlton in one of the most important games in the club''s history.

I''m not sure i buy this idea that Semi ''has the talent'', that keeps getting spouted about on here. He has pace, sure, but what else? Despite watching over 30 games last season i can''t confidently say he has the ability to take on a man, (which would, in particular, surely be important if we went about playing him on the wing as many on this forum suggest), and i can''t even bring myself to believe that the man can tackle particularly well. Compared with every other right back i''ve watched at Norwich in my 20 years of going to games, he''s hopeless when trying to win the ball. In addition to that he can''t pass for toffee, and i can count on the fingers of one hand, with room to spare, the number of games in which he''s looked bothered.

So, in essence, and in my honest opinion, Semi''s qualities amount to pace, and that''s about it. As Juan rightly said, Linford Christie had pace, but i wouldn''t have fielded him at right back for City.

If he does get further chances this season, hopefully he''ll prove me wrong. But there comes a time when you have to cut your losses and admit that a person just isn''t up to the job...

[The ghost of Michael Theoklitos 0]

What an interesting post, and subsequent debates.Let me answer the "now or never" point with another question. Does anyone think we may have an over inflated opinion of Chris Martin''s potential?My concern is that us Norwich City faithful got a little carried away with his ability when he came in and started scoring goals for Peter Grant. Since he went on that golden run, he was dropped from Norwich City, and had an OK run, being the top scorer for a decent League 2 squad. We are always keen to point out that his fall from grace was most probably due to his poor work ethic and attitude. I haven''t read too many people suggest that the reason he has been mediocre since his great start is due to the fact that he''s actually not that good.I don''t know the answer to this, or any of the questions surrounding Chris Martin. I don''t think anyone does, including Chris himself. One thing I do know is that this is the season that these questions will be answered.

[JuanVelasco 27]

[quote user="Clint"]

[quote user="JuanVelasco"]Everything about that post was quality and spot on. Except..... The line about Otsemober having the ability to be a regular England international, that really is scraping the barrel! He has a hell of a lot of pace, which is an incredible asset when used properly, but Otsemober was born stupid without a footballing brain. As a kid he would have had about as much chance of becoming an England International as Darren Campbell or Linford Christie. Take away the laziness and you might just about have a right back capable of doing a good job in League One, but I can''t see the club being able to find him a brain transplant. Other than that, spot on. Personally I hope that Chris Martin and Cody McDonald both do well this season (and that we manage to renew their contracts which expire in 12 months) but I would happily transfer that 5 goals in 15 games ratio straight to Chris Martin. If we can get 15 goals out of Maric, 15 goals out of Holt, 5 goals each out of Cureton, McDonald and Martin..... thats 45 goals and as good as the strike force we had in the promotion season.[/quote]

Sorry Juan but that is a load of crap unless, of course, you know Mr Otsemobor personally and went to school with him.  Whether his footballing ability is in question or not is slightly irrelevant if you''re saying the guy was ''born stupid''!  He may not be your cup of tea on the football pitch but for all you know he could be Einstien off it......

I think we need to get of his back and stop this pathetic witchhunt against him, which in some instances is starting to get a bit personal.  At the end of the day, he''s done a very good job in this league before, is likely to be 1st choice against Col U nex Sat so shall we all just give him a break and look forward to the new season??? 

 

 

[/quote]

There is no need to apologise for giving your own opinion about Otsemober, but at the same time I am not going to apologise for having mine. The stuff about being born stupid was said in jest, but I 100% stick by my opinion of his footballing intelligience. In my opinion, and like I said I am entitled to my opinion, he is one of the worst right backs I have ever seen at Carrow Road. Colin was average, but I would have him back at the moment, Edworthy was class and could probably still put in a decent shift, Nedergaard was class, we have a fine tradition of top right backs stretching back to Culverhouse.

If this club is really going to move forward then a right back is essential, you can choose to respect that opinion or you can simply accuse me of talking crap. But either way, I am pretty certain that Otsemober will not change my opinion of him this year.

[Binky 0]

Norfolk&Chance said:: "Let me answer the "now or never" point with another question. Does anyone think we may have an over inflated opinion of Chris Martin''s potential? My concern is that us Norwich City faithful got a little carried away with his ability when he came in and started scoring goals for Peter Grant. Since he went on that golden run, he was dropped from Norwich City, and had an OK run, being the top scorer for a decent League 2 squad. I don''t know the answer to this... I don''t think anyone does, including Chris himself. One thing I do know is that this is the season that these questions will be answered"

Think he has answered your point today. Yes, he had his his problems,

but a good manager in desperate need of players who can score goals would have managed the

situation in a different way other than banishing him to the lower divisions

for an entire season. Getting rid was not managing the issue - it was ducking the responsibility and challenge. As I said on another post earlier today, Martin has the potential to be one of our key players this season.

[Rum Ol Boy 0]

I think he''ll score two against Wigan today.........

 

in all honesty, I think Roeder treated him appallingly..........he is going to be an important player for us this season

[Yelloow Since 72 54]

I think he read this post and decided he had to do something against Wigan - and then did it!

[city-till-i-die 7]

by all accounts from todays game...IT NOW!!!

[Canary02 III 0]

[quote user="Yelloow Since 72"]I think he read this post and decided he had to do something against Wigan - and then did it![/quote]

I accept total responsibility for todays win and will be starting a lap of honour immediately [:D]

[loz h 0]

chris martin singin yello hey

[Rum Ol Boy 0]

[quote user="Canary02 III"]

[quote user="Yelloow Since 72"]I think he read this post and decided he had to do something against Wigan - and then did it![/quote]

I accept total responsibility for todays win and will be starting a lap of honour immediately [:D]

[/quote]

 

lol......you da man![:D]