Just like Chelsea

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I couldn''t help reading this with a wry smile - from today''s EDP:

Worthington was also quick to go on the defensive after another national journalist touched on City''s lack of goals in recent weeks after their second successive 0-0 draw. His claim that the Canaries didn''t look like a side who would score on a regular basis brought another biting response from the manager. "You give me £25m and I''ll give you goals," he said.

Of course, Chelsea then went on to draw 0-0 making it their successive 0-0 as well. Would that journo have levelled the same criticism at them? Er, I think not. Not that I''m saying we''ve got strikers as good as Chelsea''s, just that some journos start with particular assertions and then look for evidence to back them up, ignoring other pertinent facts such as Chelsea didn''t score against Villa (or Spurs) either. That could mean nothing, or it might mean that those teams are in good defensive form at the moment. In that light, I''m pretty positive about our result.

If you''d told me a year or two ago that we''d be disappointed with draws against Spurs and Villa....

[BedsCanary 0]

Totally agree with you. I can''t believe people are panicking - Spurs are the in-form team at the moment and Villa will undoubtably finish in the top 6 this season so two 0-0 draws certainly isn''t a bad thing

[shortfatb 0]

I know what you mean about being disappointed with draws against top opposition, but with the team looking quite solid defensively there is a massive feeling of frustration when unless Huckerby beats 4 we do no look like scoring ever during games.

 For Worthy to say he needs £25m to give us goals merely rubs salt into the wound when he''s given a recovering Sven 2 games, mcKenzie minutes, Mcveigh little more, Jarvis and Henderson nothing and we have a willing guy, but somebody more static than Iwan up front who wants to play at the back anyway starting every game.

Drawing every game from now won''t keep us up and I just don''t want the people who risked 3 expensive loan signings, bought Hucks and then played 3 strikers for the last third of last season to fail because they played it too safe. I feel guilty feeling so dissatisfied but I do feel we could be doing so much better.

     

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Its a huge question this... playing it too safe or being too gung-ho. If we''d played 4-3-3 against Villa, scored two but conceded 3, people might say we''d not given them enough respect or something. Its all very well with hindsight, but that''s the big call Worthy has to make at the moment.How shall we play against Liverpool?I expect to see the same formation, and away from home being a bit defensive and going for a point seems fine. Perhaps I''d say on balance I''d rather we were a little more attacking at home, at least 4-4-2 or maybe even 4-3-3 like we were at the back end of last season. Or perhaps change it a little earlier during games than the 80th minute!

[Pyro Pete 1,897]

But Worthington has spent a million on one player. And what has that million pound man done so far? Sweet FA.

Every time I see Hucks beat several players then look up to see he has no-one to pass to I keep asking why didn''t we buy another stiker in the summer?

Then I am reminded of that cool one million quid sitting in Brondby''s bank account not ours.

[FatMan Fat 0]

Oh dear, how can you ask such questions, Pyro?  Unfortunately it is not only Jonson who is not contributing - there is also Helveg and 2(?) additional goalies. Perhaps the money, no definitely, the money spent there should have been invested in a striker. Ho hum, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[shortfatb 0]

Thanks Pyro, I hadn''t even thought of Jonson costing that much and not getting a place, now I''m more p****d off! 

[The Doc 0]

I sincerly hope that Helveg and Jonson will secure perminant places in the city line up. Seems to me that both players have been dropped after one or two unimpressive games having not fully gelled with the squad. On the other hand certain players have consistantly looked average at best but still played week in week out. I do feel that Worthy certainly has his favourites and players who just can''t seem to do anything right in his eyes. Hope our latest scandic additions don''t go the same way as Jim Brennan or indeed Leon and grow stale in the reserves

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To be fair though, we are always going to have players in reserve. We have a smaller squad than most clubs, so we have less of them than most. We can''t have it both ways. Either we have quality in depth so that means we have good players in the reserves, waiting for their chance, or we have crap players in reserve, so no pressure on the first 11 to perform. If we didn''t have Helveg, Jonson, Gallacher or Ward, but did have an extra striker, we''d be looking very very poorly covered in some areas wouldn''t we?!

I don''t see a big problem here. Helveg is being kept out by Edworthy who has just contributed to 2 clean sheets so keeps his place. Jonson by his and Worthy''s own admission has had a slow start, partly because he''s been away on international duty so much. I would expect to see him start against Bristol tomorrow and we''ll see a great deal more of him on which to judge.

The keepers... well, what can you say. How do they displace Green from the team this side of January or (touch wood) an injury?

And there''s no cock-up or conspiracy here: Worthy tried to get a striker (so obviously has funds) but didn''t manage to pull it off in time for the window to close. I expect to see someone in Jan. In the meantime we do have a number of CFs on our books who need to get going... perhaps starting tomorrow night?