Comparison with 2003/04 season

[sonyc 5,489]

Drury''s comments got me thinking and everyone here is posting the year end list thing. Yeh, the winning mentality is back but how do they compare? (my preferences in brackets)

Green - Forster - I guess both (were/are) up and coming, make big saves when needed but loanee is a different type of keeper, (03/04)

Edworthy - Martin/Otsemobor - unless Martin gets really into the side he may yet get Edworthy''s straightforwardness - Semy bears no comparison as he strugglesbeing so positionally correct. (03/04)

Drury - straight match! and 09 almost his 04 best

Fleming and Malky - Nelson/Askou/Doc - well maybe Malky was always vulnerable to speedy strikers and now Doc is on the scoresheet more - still tough we don''t have defenders who score from corners - (even Bruce, Forbes did that) - had hopes of Askou doing the business for us but not as yet (03/04)

Mulryne, McVeigh, Holt versus Hughes, Russell, Smith, Lappin, - some similarities here - (I think I could go for 09/10 here to be controversial ) - midfield I think is more inventive this season than in 03/04

Roberts/Svensson/Mckenzie versus Holt, Martin, Macdonald - 2 out of 3 (we are still a real quality striker light in 09/10 IMO) (think 03/04 stronger but a close thing with Holt looking like scoring 30+ this year and Martin 20)

Huckerby - Hoolihan - you cannot compare directly but these are the flair players - both have excited (Hoolihan is the best player in League 1 for me, occasionally gives ball away but so did Hucks -Huckerby was and always will be legendary for his loyalty)

Worthy - Lambert (has to be 09 even though Worthy did the club proud) - Lambert subs used brilliantly, speaks well after game - simple and without criticism or constantly mentioning work ethic

Anyway I bet I''ve missed some players - Brennan, Sutch, Libbra.

9/10 team score more goals but time will tell whether we get 2nd or even 1st. The defence needs one more player who can become great and so does the attack.

 

 

 

[OTBC 0]

No mention of Francis? Our current team as good as it is would not compete with 03/04, the best Norwich team I''ve seen.

[morty 0]

[quote user="OTBC"]No mention of Francis? Our current team as good as it is would not compete with 03/04, the best Norwich team I''ve seen.[/quote]I think the emphasis there is on "team" as the sum of all their worths was greater than the individual.Everything just fitted, people did their job, worked hard and played to their strengths. Great credit has to go to Worthy for a lot of that.Where we had competent players in every position in our promotion team I feel that there are a few weaknesses in the current team, but we are at a level where we can get away with it.

[Kathy 733]

[quote user="OTBC"]No mention of Francis? Our current team as good as it is would not compete with 03/04, the best Norwich team I''ve seen.
[/quote]

I''m not sure how old you are OTBC but the 03/04 side wasnt a patch on the UEFA cup side of 93. That was easily the best Norwich team I have ever seen. Competed at the very highest level with the big four and eventually went out of Europe very unluckily. I fear I may never see their like again :(

[GJP 79]

[quote user="sonyc"]

Worthy - Lambert (has to be 09 even though Worthy did the club proud) - Lambert subs used brilliantly, speaks well after game - simple and without criticism or constantly mentioning work ethic

[/quote]

Has to be Worthy. What have we won under Lambert? About a dozen League 1 games??

We won the First Division/Championship with Worthy and went to the Premier League.

I''m a huge fan of Lambert already but there''s only one winner here (for now).

[grantroederdisaster 0]

Their are comparisons in that the team have got that tunnel vision winning mentality back and with it the desire to do the job!

Whilst we had a lot of great wins and performances in 2003/04 we also had a lot of wins where we were very lucky, had the rub of the green and didn''t play that well - We''ve had a few like that this year - the Stockport away game springs to mind and last weeks win against Huddersfield reminded me of when we beat the S*um 3-1 in 2003/04 - crap 1st half performance where we were lucky to go into half time 0-00 then we turned the screw in the 2nd half!

Lets hope this season finishes like 03/04!

[The Fish Seller 0]

Docs recent goal scoring run has been reminding me this week that the last time a Norwich defender enjoyed a similarly short yet productive run was when Craig Fleming became a goal machine in the promotion year. It''s the little spurts of 3 or 4 goals in as many games which when contributed to the overall team effort seems to differentiate between a great season and a good or even mundane season. Look at last years goal tally and try to put goals to names, it''s very difficult because many players scored ''a few'' yet this season already one or two those we might hope would score a few have stepped up and bolstered their averages with a purple patch and a dozen extra come May might make the difference.

[Bogbrush 0]

I think by the time you had got to the comparison of managers you must have drunk too much eggnog, There is no way at all you can put Lambert ahead of Worthy. The 03/04 season in the Championship not League 1 was for me breathtaking. I have supported City for longer than I wish to remember and in no other season in my life did I look forward to City matches expecting and getting a win. As for Lambert''s substitutions, yes, he has made a few "inspirational" ones but then so do all managers from time to time. What I still can''t forget was his blinkered stubborness over Hoolahan, Russell and the Doc soon after he took over which indisputably cost us valuable points. Now of course the Lambo Luvvees point to that immature episode as an isnpired piece of psychology which motivated all three to play so much better. What a complete load of botox that was. For me that revealed a young and immature manager and fair play to him he swallowed his pride and rehabiltated all three but simply because he didn''t really have a choice anyway. Anyway, this isn''t a rant against Lambert more aimed towards the bovines on here who seem to operate on the thinnest of superficial levels. Good luck to Lambert and the team and here''s hoping for a famous victory against Millwall.

[sonyc 5,489]

Yes Panic Dem, maybe this was a bit over-egged! Yet ....you can''t wait til 5 years to compare - Worthy''s record was a good one in our history (though I still prefer Walker, Stringer and Brown tbh - The mid 80''s team was fantastic as was the early 90''s the best I''ve seen).

 But...Lambert to date sets his stallout so well and he''s not so stubborn as Worthy (already proving that) in my view (I still feel annoyed at Worthington''s Sutch substitution in play off final - I''ve forgiven him but he often displayed his annoyance - and fair play to him, everyone is different.... BUT Lambert seems more O''Neil-like all player business seems done behind closed doors).

Hence I think Lambert has the potential to be great. Time will tell