'Scapegoat'

[Captain Holt 522]

Can we cut all this crap with ''scapegoats''?? As soon as someone criticises a player that player instantly becomes ''this week''s scapegoat''.

If a player is crap in somebody''s opinion they have the right to state that. Some of us need to realise we aren''t the perfect footballing side, and that some of the players we have are being deployed purely as passengers.

Rant over, sorry.

(Family friendly version)

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="Captain Holt"]Can we cut all this crap with ''scapegoats''?? As soon as someone criticises a player that player instantly becomes ''this week''s scapegoat''.

If a player is crap in somebody''s opinion they have the right to state that. Some of us need to realise we aren''t the perfect footballing side, and that some of the players we have are being deployed purely as passengers.

Rant over, sorry.

(Family friendly version)[/quote]Agreed.  But we didn''t get to top of the league by having a side full of passengers, and I am sick of the moral majority on here picking on players for every mistake they make.  Players make mistakes.  Our players are no different.  The fact we are top of the league suggests to me that our players make less mistakes than any other team in this league.  All I''m asking for is a sense of perspective.  What would the score tonight have been if we''d had competent officials?

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="Mister Chops"][quote user="Captain Holt"]Can we cut all this crap with ''scapegoats''?? As soon as someone criticises a player that player instantly becomes ''this week''s scapegoat''.

If a player is crap in somebody''s opinion they have the right to state that. Some of us need to realise we aren''t the perfect footballing side, and that some of the players we have are being deployed purely as passengers.

Rant over, sorry.

(Family friendly version)[/quote]Agreed.  But we didn''t get to top of the league by having a side full of passengers, and I am sick of the moral majority on here picking on players for every mistake they make.  Players make mistakes.  Our players are no different.  The fact we are top of the league suggests to me that our players make less mistakes than any other team in this league.  All I''m asking for is a sense of perspective.  What would the score tonight have been if we''d had competent officials?[/quote]I''ll answer my own question.  1-1, with 10 man Norwich battling back to get a point after playing with 10 men following Forster''s dismissal (yes, he made a mistake) after Doc''s sloppy back pass (he also blundered).

[Captain Holt 522]

I agree MC, take Doc as the prime example. Loads slagging him off for one mistake out of what? 40 games?

[Rum Ol Boy 0]

to be fair I thought the players battled well under the circumstances. Theres absolutely no way Russell could have gotten out of the way of that shot and Docs backpass was careless but one of those things. Players are bound to make blunders especially on the kind of pitch they were playing on.....it really was diabolicle.......but that being said we battled hard and didn''t give up. Freak result......enough said

[Captain Holt 522]

I agree Ol Boy. I''m 100% of the opinion we were good last night, but some players weren''t 100% in my opinion (Wes, Russ, R Martin, Hughes (who should never play for NCFC again if he plays like that), Elliot etc.)

[Mister Chops 7]

Yeah - I just think all players make mistakes, but criticising a player for a mistake is one thing, and saying he''s always been useless etc. after one mistake is another thing.Doc and Nelson were awful against Colchester, but name a player who wasn''t.  Doc has made mistakes this season, as have all players, and last night he cost us a goal but this season he''s been one of the main reasons we''ve conceded so few goals so I''m happy to say "well, mistakes happen."On this message board there is a large number of posters who think Doherty is absolutely useless and should be dropped/sold/not at Norwich City FC.  That''s fair enough, as everyone has the right to an opinion, but there''s no real evidence for this view and this is why every Doherty mistake is raked over time and again.

[LinkNR9 0]

[quote user="Captain Holt"]Can we cut all this crap with ''scapegoats''?? As soon as someone criticises a player that player instantly becomes ''this week''s scapegoat''. If a player is crap in somebody''s opinion they have the right to state that. Some of us need to realise we aren''t the perfect footballing side, and that some of the players we have are being deployed purely as passengers. Rant over, sorry. (Family friendly version)[/quote]

It''s funny. I did exactly that last night (said that, in my opinion, 3 or 4 players didn''t perform - not the whole team, the remainder of whom did well) and I am suddenly the Norwich-hating beast from hell. 

A forum is about opinions and some people on here forget that, thinking that their opinion is always right. If posters disagree, that''s life, get over it and move on.

[Kingston Yellow 220]

[quote user="Captain Holt"]Can we cut all this crap with ''scapegoats''?? As soon as someone criticises a player that player instantly becomes ''this week''s scapegoat''. If a player is crap in somebody''s opinion they have the right to state that. Some of us need to realise we aren''t the perfect footballing side, and that some of the players we have are being deployed purely as passengers. Rant over, sorry. (Family friendly version)[/quote]

I agree. However, i bet that half the people chasing Doc out of town today are the same fans who praised him for his MOM performances against Leeds & Swindon, yet were slaggin him off at any given opportunity before that.  I''ve got not problem with criticising players, but I''d like some perspective. 

My particular hobby horse is Lappin but I work on the basis that Lambert''s played him every game since he''s come here so I assume he can''t be the lazy, soft tackling pansy that I take him to be!!! [:P]

[Jacoljam 0]

Good rant.How do we blame Lappin gor this one?

[The Butler 0]

The difference is as always how we each view a game and what we "want" to see.

Hughes for example, some say rubbish, Lakey in the EDP gave him 8 and MOM.

Elliot was in my opinion a waste of space, as he was against Leeds. Chris Martin should have been on from the start.

Obviously Lambert (praise be to the great one) does not share my view.

I was proud of the team last night. Outplayed Tranmere for a lot of the game and never gave up. Until the final whistle I still expected us to get something from the game. That''s a testament to them this season NOT my optomism.

Lambert(praise be to the great one) has built a strong squad ethic and knocking any one of that sqaud is disrespectfull to his opinion.

Bad pass/tackle/shot yes, NOT fit to play, sorry can''t agree with that at present.

[nutty nigel 7,528]

Proud is exactly the word I use Butler. Because this was an honest team of committed footballers who never gave up even when the ridiculous ref allowed that ridiculous third goal. The easy option, and some would say the correct option, would have been to accept the result at 3-0 and coast through to the end of the game conserving energy for the next game. But our honest players and management never gave up and put in unbelievable effort trying to get back and get something out of the game. We applauded the team off and they deserved it. By the end they had nothing left to give. They had been cheated out of the game but went off with the respect of everyone in the stadium.

 

[Beauseant 0]

[quote user="The Butler"]

The difference is as always how we each view a game and what we "want" to see.

Hughes for example, some say rubbish, Lakey in the EDP gave him 8 and MOM.

Elliot was in my opinion a waste of space, as he was against Leeds. Chris Martin should have been on from the start.

Obviously Lambert (praise be to the great one) does not share my view.

I was proud of the team last night. Outplayed Tranmere for a lot of the game and never gave up. Until the final whistle I still expected us to get something from the game. That''s a testament to them this season NOT my optomism.

Lambert(praise be to the great one) has built a strong squad ethic and knocking any one of that sqaud is disrespectfull to his opinion.

Bad pass/tackle/shot yes, NOT fit to play, sorry can''t agree with that at present.

[/quote]

 

I don''t really understand the thinking behind some of the criticism. Hughes was always looking for the ball and lost possession much less that Wes (who I''ll return to). Doc''s backpass was dreadful, but he then did tremendously well as one of the three at the back (his last ditch tackle on the edge of the box in the last few minutes was a masterpiece of the art of defending) . If you watch the second penalty incident it''s clear that Forster doesn''t spread his arm in front of Thomas-Moore, who, as the idiot Birtles actually PRAISED him for, "made sure that there was contact". A better ref would have given the penalty and a yellow,(unless of course it was Vidic at Wembley, in which case a penalty would have been considered enough[:P])

One final point. Chris Martin went through a spell of ordinary games and there was a chorus on here to bench him. Wes has been equally ineffective over the last few games and looks to struggling a bit, yet no-one has suggested the same solution. It must be hard to be a home grown player.......

[Kingston Yellow 220]

[quote user="Jacoljam"]How do we blame Lappin gor this one? [/quote]

I didn''t!