Hoolahan, you're a disgrace!

[Theologistic 0]

The scary thing for me is that Hoolahan''s need to try and beat a man three times seems to be genetically coded into his DNA makeup. At the point when he thought it wise to try and dribble round three Wycombe players on the edge of his own box was actually disturbing. Keep it simple.

[ZLF 274]

[quote user="Theologistic"]The scary thing for me is that Hoolahan''s need to try and beat a man three times seems to be genetically coded into his DNA makeup. At the point when he thought it wise to try and dribble round three Wycombe players on the edge of his own box was actually disturbing. Keep it simple.
[/quote]

That was frustrating - but in his defence on one of those occassions on the edge of the wycombe box the ball never sat right which is why he did not cross in time,  but he still had the chance to lay it off to Drury,  which he chose not to do a couple of times,

As I said in the players ratings he needs to learn from WLY and Lappin about delivery.   Having said that his quality properly used can get us promoted, if you cant show boat at 5-2 up with 5 to go when can you, and he did make efforts while on the pitch.  And Lappin still failed to give much from open play,  which hoolahan can,  while lappin is streets ahead with his dead ball delivery..

[Scooby 0]

[quote user="Mr. Bump"][quote user="Viva_Marc_Libbra"]Excuse me but the guy who started this post was probably one of the same people who started the booing almost instantaneously as he entered the pitch. No wonder he didn''t seem interested when pricks like you started abusing one of our top players when he wasn''t even having a bad game, he wasn''t even having a game as he started to be booed and jeered. He was no doubt the best against Colchester, unsung at Yeovil and to be fair I haven''t seen the other games so can''t comment. But if I was him I''d want to leave from Norwich which fans as bad as you, we''re winning 5-2 but yet you still have time to boo someone because Swansea are interested in him. All this ''Wes told his agent this/that..'' is all hear-say you can''t believe anything you hear till it actually happens or comes from his mouth.[/quote]
Agree completely
[/quote]

Yup, me too.  The usual fickle fans strike again.

[Scooby 0]

[quote user="Theologistic"]The scary thing for me is that Hoolahan''s need to try and beat a man three times seems to be genetically coded into his DNA makeup. At the point when he thought it wise to try and dribble round three Wycombe players on the edge of his own box was actually disturbing. Keep it simple.
[/quote]

Every skillful player of Hoolahans class and better will do that on a regular basis, you only have to look at the likes of Ginola, Huckerby even Ronaldo, the list is endless.  Players like that can be infuriating but what they bring to the table far outweighs the negatives. As for our second point, dribbling out of defence, well it bloody well worked didn''t it!!  Stop criticisng the guy for doing something unusual, especially when it works.

[First Jedi 0]

Welcome to this weeks edition of "The Norwich Scapegoat", this week featuring last weeks most popular player; Wes Hoolahan!

[tribes 0]

[quote user="First Jedi"]Welcome to this weeks edition of "The Norwich Scapegoat", this week featuring last weeks most popular player; Wes Hoolahan!
[/quote]Should think he will be gone before transfer window closes so that will  no doubt please those who don''t like him this week.

[gazzathegreat 0]

Completely agree Scooby, but don''t worry, there is always at least one player some posters have to stick their knives in.

Without any firm statement that Wes wants to leave I will leave that speculation exactly where it deserves to be, as mere speculation. If he goes and we have a lacklustre second rate player as his replacement then I hope his detractors will be happy.

If we are to progress as a football team capable of improving our current lowly position in the football league then we need to keep players of Hoolihan''s class, not be looking at getting rid of him.

[First Jedi 0]

God... for all anyone knows, he could''ve had a cold, felt a bit shit and his body language reflected that... but no! Everything has got to be a black and white conspiracy theory...

[Askounin 0]

[quote user="Smudger"]

Agree 100% and am over the moon that we now have a manager who does not respect reputations and who does what is best for the team.

McVeigh and Spillane both showed the pathetic Hoolahan and Doherty that they have no future in a yellow shirt under a decent manager today. 

Long may that continue I say... [:D]

Smith and Hughes also done extremely well in the centre of the park.

[/quote]Another shocker by Smudger!

[Houston Canary 0]

[quote user="Askounin"][quote user="Smudger"]

Agree 100% and am over the moon that we now have a manager who does not respect reputations and who does what is best for the team.

McVeigh and Spillane both showed the pathetic Hoolahan and Doherty that they have no future in a yellow shirt under a decent manager today. 

Long may that continue I say... [:D]

Smith and Hughes also done extremely well in the centre of the park.

[/quote]
Another shocker by Smudger!
[/quote]

You had to go back 4 months to find it, though, so that suggests he is doing better than average.  Also, his closing comment is bang on, so he was more right than wrong regarding players, and spot on regarding the manager.

[Escape2Victory 0]

[quote user="OutGunn-ed"]

Hoolihan = No pace, no end product.

[/quote]

This is my favourite post of the lot..

[B-ru 0]

Haha! Thanks for bringing this one back!!

I banged on about him being played behind the strikers at the start of the season when everyoen was telling him to get lost, to cash in and no end product. I wonder if Lambert took his tactics from my post to be honest.. :)

[Joanna Grey 0]

[quote user="Houston Canary"][quote user="Askounin"][quote user="Smudger"]

Agree 100% and am over the moon that we now have a manager who does not respect reputations and who does what is best for the team.

McVeigh and Spillane both showed the pathetic Hoolahan and Doherty that they have no future in a yellow shirt under a decent manager today. 

Long may that continue I say... [:D]

Smith and Hughes also done extremely well in the centre of the park.

[/quote]
Another shocker by Smudger!
[/quote]

You had to go back 4 months to find it, though, so that suggests he is doing better than average.  Also, his closing comment is bang on, so he was more right than wrong regarding players, and spot on regarding the manager.

[/quote]

Closing comment bang on? For that particular game maybe, but even when fully fit Hughes is not first choice in his position (despite many of us assuming he would be).

[Lurd 0]

Reading some of these comments makes me slightly ashamed to support the same team as these morons.

[CambridgeCanary 0]

[quote user="Larry David"]Reading some of these comments makes me slightly ashamed to support the same team as these morons.
[/quote]

Ditto!!!!

[Brendo 0]

[quote user="CambridgeCanary"]

[quote user="Larry David"]Reading some of these comments makes me slightly ashamed to support the same team as these morons.[/quote]

Ditto!!!!

[/quote]Ditto!!!

[Bogbrush 0]

Agreed, but even Lambo had doubts about Hoolahan, so much so that he left him out of the squad. We would already be in 2nd place had Lambo not cold shouldered Hoolahan during the early weeks of his reign. He, Hughes and Holt ran the show in the 2nd half at Yeovil (when we won 4-0 not the recent 3-3 draw) and having seen that game I was mystified by Lambert''s intransigence regarding Hoolahan and indeed Hughes. Thankfull,y he did a U turn and is now describing Hoolahan as probably the best player in the division. And, no, Lambert''s decision was not reverse psychology, he just couldn''t see Hoolahan fitting into his game plan. Then he realised that Hoolahan was a "must play" and changed his game plan to enable Hoolahan to play in the hole just behind the two front men. Fair play to Lambert for having the strenjgth of character to admit he was wrong.

[CaptnCanary 0]

I think Hoolahan being dropped in Lamberts early days may have been something to do with Wes flipping the bird at some fans outside the ground after the Col U defeat.

[Bogbrush 0]

[quote user="CaptnCanary"]I think Hoolahan being dropped in Lamberts early days may have been something to do with Wes flipping the bird at some fans outside the ground after the Col U defeat.[/quote]

Ha ha !

[Longy 1]

Some of these replies do look pretty stupid 4 months later, but even I as a pro-Hooly fan since he came to the club had my doubts 3/4 months ago whether he would fulfill his undoubted talent. Thankfully we have a good manager who has built a formation round him and Wes has been brilliant recently. He is probably the most influential player in the division and is a joy to watch when he starts running a game. I wonder how close we did come to selling him in August and maybe that was the best break (not selling him) this football club will get all season as Swansea aren''t getting him for 500k now.

[John 0]

[quote user="Larry David"]Reading some of these comments makes me slightly ashamed to support the same team as these morons.[/quote]......... [url=http://www.mysmiley.net/free-fighting-smileys.php][img]http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/sign/sign0023.gif[/img][/url]Given given the wonderful nature of hindsight and the vast change in circumstances it''s just a tad easy to say though isn''t it?

[Escape2Victory 0]

[quote user="Big Bad John"]

Given given the wonderful nature of hindsight and the vast change in circumstances it''s just a tad easy to say though isn''t it?
[/quote]

Fair point, but fail to see how Hoolahan has ever been viewed as anything but a great asset. In my opinion we would still be in the Championship had he not been out injured at the end of last season.

[John 0]

[quote user="Escape2Victory"]

[quote user="Big Bad John"]Given given the wonderful nature of hindsight and the vast change in circumstances it''s just a tad easy to say though isn''t it?[/quote]

Fair point, but fail to see how Hoolahan has ever been viewed as anything but a great asset. In my opinion we would still be in the Championship had he not been out injured at the end of last season.

[/quote]I agree with that, and i''d of always agreed with that. For those that read my comments, they''d be aware that i''ve always been one of his biggest fans and admirers.Still, i don''t necessarily think using commets concerning the worst period of his Norwich City career to shame those that displayed criticism at the time as a fair way of gaining some sort of high ground over others in debate, not by any means.

[grantroederdisaster 0]

I just looked back at the post I put on this thread when it first started and I''m relieved that my views were balanced and I didn''t claim Hoolahan was useless and lets get rid ASAP blah, blah!

The difference between the Hoolahan of most of last season and at the start of this season compared to his recent superb form is that Lamberts realised that Hoolahans doesn''t work in a 442 and is not a left winger. The diamond system we play is specificly set up to allow Hoolahan to play his game which is winning us games left right and centre and the likes of Russell, Smith and Lappin have been behind Hoolahan covering the back 4 excellently!

Shame that a so called football manager we thankfully sacked last January, who had a very high opinion of how much he knew about football couldn''t see this factor in Hoolahan!

[Houston Canary 0]

[quote user="Mustachio Furioso"][quote user="Houston Canary"][quote user="Askounin"][quote user="Smudger"]

Agree 100% and am over the moon that we now have a manager who does not respect reputations and who does what is best for the team.

McVeigh and Spillane both showed the pathetic Hoolahan and Doherty that they have no future in a yellow shirt under a decent manager today. 

Long may that continue I say... [:D]

Smith and Hughes also done extremely well in the centre of the park.

[/quote]
Another shocker by Smudger!
[/quote]

You had to go back 4 months to find it, though, so that suggests he is doing better than average.  Also, his closing comment is bang on, so he was more right than wrong regarding players, and spot on regarding the manager.

[/quote]

Closing comment bang on? For that particular game maybe, but even when fully fit Hughes is not first choice in his position (despite many of us assuming he would be).

[/quote]

Hughes may not be 1st choice to start games, but he has been an incredibly productive sub for us in almost every game he has played, which makes Smudger''s comment bang on. I doubt there is anyone close to him on the team in terms of goal difference/minutes played.

[Yellow Submarine 0]

What a stupid thread this looks with hindsight! OP= Muppet.....................

[Lurd 0]

[quote user="Houston Canary"][quote user="Mustachio Furioso"][quote user="Houston Canary"][quote user="Askounin"][quote user="Smudger"]

Agree 100% and am over the moon that we now have a manager who does not respect reputations and who does what is best for the team.

McVeigh and Spillane both showed the pathetic Hoolahan and Doherty that they have no future in a yellow shirt under a decent manager today. 

Long may that continue I say... [:D]

Smith and Hughes also done extremely well in the centre of the park.

[/quote]Another shocker by Smudger![/quote]

You had to go back 4 months to find it, though, so that suggests he is doing better than average.  Also, his closing comment is bang on, so he was more right than wrong regarding players, and spot on regarding the manager.

[/quote]

Closing comment bang on? For that particular game maybe, but even when fully fit Hughes is not first choice in his position (despite many of us assuming he would be).

[/quote]

Hughes may not be 1st choice to start games, but he has been an incredibly productive sub for us in almost every game he has played, which makes Smudger''s comment bang on. I doubt there is anyone close to him on the team in terms of goal difference/minutes played.

[/quote]How many times have you seen him this season? He has looked good in dribs and drabs but not a patch on Russell or Wes.

[Houston Canary 0]

[quote user="Larry David"][quote user="Houston Canary"][quote user="Mustachio Furioso"][quote user="Houston Canary"][quote user="Askounin"][quote user="Smudger"]

Agree 100% and am over the moon that we now have a manager who does not respect reputations and who does what is best for the team.

McVeigh and Spillane both showed the pathetic Hoolahan and Doherty that they have no future in a yellow shirt under a decent manager today. 

Long may that continue I say... [:D]

Smith and Hughes also done extremely well in the centre of the park.

[/quote]
Another shocker by Smudger!
[/quote]

You had to go back 4 months to find it, though, so that suggests he is doing better than average.  Also, his closing comment is bang on, so he was more right than wrong regarding players, and spot on regarding the manager.

[/quote]

Closing comment bang on? For that particular game maybe, but even when fully fit Hughes is not first choice in his position (despite many of us assuming he would be).

[/quote]

Hughes may not be 1st choice to start games, but he has been an incredibly productive sub for us in almost every game he has played, which makes Smudger''s comment bang on. I doubt there is anyone close to him on the team in terms of goal difference/minutes played.

[/quote]

How many times have you seen him this season? He has looked good in dribs and drabs but not a patch on Russell or Wes.
[/quote]

I don''t know how Hughes has looked, but his production is outstanding as is his affect on the team when he comes on.  How many times have we gone from being bland and unproductive to suddenly scoring some goals when he has been subbed in?  He has been a super sub for us.  Smudger''s comment about his was, once again, bang on. This is in no way a criticism of Hoolahan or Russell but rather a defense against an unwarranted attack on a comment made months ago when things were looking pretty bad.

[Shyster 0]

Yes indeed, many people made complete no*s of themselves within this thread, but take a peak at [url=http://www.pinkun.com/cs_pinkun/cs/forums/1831956/ShowPost.aspx]this thread[/url] here made two months before the season kicked off.No hindsight required there, just brilliant intuition and foresight by yours truly.Do you think the information I supplied was passed on to Lambert, or did he actually read it himself?I''m seriously considering going back into football management now I have more time on my hands.

[Yelloow Since 72 54]

This sort of retrospective should give caution to those who write off City players without taking a broader perspective. The same could be done with Gary Doherty earlier in the season, and how that has changed.

I have always thought that Hoolahan was a gifted player, though limited by his one-footedness. The early difficulty was his weakness defending when playing on the left wing. Lambert solved that with the diamond (as did Gunn with the 4-3-3 to a lesser extent) and the rest is history, but things can change. Lambert''s plan B would seem to be McNamee in a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3, but we haven''t really seen enough yet to judge that.