Centre Backs

[Malcolm Allen 0]

Does anyone think we are a little short on centre back cover for this season? It seems to be a area where we regularly pick up knocks.

[can u sit down please 0]

Not particularly.Whitbread, Askou, Ward, Nelson and even Martin can play there.

[shiplee15 0]

drury can also cover there if needed

[BroadstairsR 0]

Pretty good in that position IMHO. A few things to be proven, especially with regards to Whitbread, but we know Askou and Nelson are solid and we are likely to be pleasantly surprised by Ward.

I personally regret the loss of Spillane, but we are still in better shape defensively than Ips---.

They lost Delaney yesterday, seriously bad for the poor chap. It leaves them relying on Bruce, who is not Keane''s best friend and is transfer listed and also upon a young New Zealander who mildly impressed in the World Cup.

When weighing up our own situation, it can sometimes be encouraging to look closely into the line ups of some of the opposition  for the coming season.

The Tractor Boys are in melt-down at the moment.

I am slightly optimimistic about our prospects of doing quite well.

[Malcolm Allen 0]

I hope I am wrong but would be a little concerned with Askou and Nelson as a pairing in the Championship, especially pace wise and Whitbread is obviously an unknown commodity as we have barely seen him.

[BroadstairsR 0]

As you state "Championship."

Look more closely at the central defenders of the teams we will come up against. They are hardly well-endowed with "Premiership" class performers either.

[BroadstairsR 0]

Add: there are so many donkeys out there that our even Grant could run rings around them Messi style, or Messy style at least!

[Muddy funster 0]

Don''t forget our ace in the hole, Francombe.

[grantroederdisaster 0]

For me could be stronger but then again could be weaker!

It was a massive call to get rid of our best CB the Doc - wheher people liked him or not that was the truth!

Hopefully Ward will fill the Docs boots but he''ll need time to aclimatise!

If Nelson plays like he did for most of last season he''ll be OK in the Championship. Askou the same if he replicates 1st half season form.

Whitbread needs to step up cause hes done very little so far and is only a good player in some peoples opinions - much to prove.

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

[quote user="grantroederdisaster"]For me could be stronger but then again could be weaker!

It was a massive call to get rid of our best CB the Doc - wheher people liked him or not that was the truth!

Hopefully Ward will fill the Docs boots but he''ll need time to aclimatise!

If Nelson plays like he did for most of last season he''ll be OK in the Championship. Askou the same if he replicates 1st half season form.

Whitbread needs to step up cause hes done very little so far and is only a good player in some peoples opinions - much to prove.[/quote]LOL! Err, no. How does saying that was the truth actually make it anything other than your opinion?The biggest mistake of Nelsons season was the Orient goal where one of their players called for him to leave it..and he did. Doc''s biggest mistake was to attempt a back pass that was so bad it didnt even look like a back pass against Tranmere that created a pen, got Forster sent off and got us no chance of gettting back into the game. Yes Doc had a good season by his standards but knowing his history and the mistakes he made in League 1, how can anyone seriously say he''s worth a chance in the championship AGAIN? Im still traumatised by some of his performances when we got relegated, and while sometimes impressive in League 1 - everyone realises and has spoken about the difference between the 2 leagues. All Doc did was prove what we found out the season before, he can hold his own in League 1 but meaning that he cant cut it in the championship. Also where were all these offers from that he spoke about recently? League 2? foreign leagues the equivalent of League 1? I''m sure he''ll do a job for Charlton this season just like he did for us, but im sure at some point he''ll mess up, at some point he''ll be man of the match, he''ll score 5 or 6 goals and he''ll get sent off/give away a pen. The problem was you never knew what sort of performance Doc would pull out next and for a CB consistency is pretty important!Im just glad Charlton fans will have to feel the tension, the anticipation and just the general puzzlement of what sort of Doc performance they''ll see, because we''ve had more than our fair share.Ok, rant over - some things provoke reaction and that statement managed it

[Graham Humphrey 13]

That''s also your opinion too.  And is complete nonsense.  In my opinion of course.

[Boyo 0]

[quote user="Persnickety"][quote user="grantroederdisaster"]For me could be stronger but then again could be weaker! It was a massive call to get rid of our best CB the Doc - wheher people liked him or not that was the truth! Hopefully Ward will fill the Docs boots but he''ll need time to aclimatise! If Nelson plays like he did for most of last season he''ll be OK in the Championship. Askou the same if he replicates 1st half season form. Whitbread needs to step up cause hes done very little so far and is only a good player in some peoples opinions - much to prove.[/quote]

LOL!

Err, no. How does saying that was the truth actually make it anything other than your opinion?

The biggest mistake of Nelsons season was the Orient goal where one of their players called for him to leave it..and he did. Doc''s biggest mistake was to attempt a back pass that was so bad it didnt even look like a back pass against Tranmere that created a pen, got Forster sent off and got us no chance of gettting back into the game. Yes Doc had a good season by his standards but knowing his history and the mistakes he made in League 1, how can anyone seriously say he''s worth a chance in the championship AGAIN? Im still traumatised by some of his performances when we got relegated, and while sometimes impressive in League 1 - everyone realises and has spoken about the difference between the 2 leagues. All Doc did was prove what we found out the season before, he can hold his own in League 1 but meaning that he cant cut it in the championship.

Also where were all these offers from that he spoke about recently? League 2? foreign leagues the equivalent of League 1? I''m sure he''ll do a job for Charlton this season just like he did for us, but im sure at some point he''ll mess up, at some point he''ll be man of the match, he''ll score 5 or 6 goals and he''ll get sent off/give away a pen. The problem was you never knew what sort of performance Doc would pull out next and for a CB consistency is pretty important!

Im just glad Charlton fans will have to feel the tension, the anticipation and just the general puzzlement of what sort of Doc performance they''ll see, because we''ve had more than our fair share.

Ok, rant over - some things provoke reaction and that statement managed it
[/quote]

Good post![Y]

Lots of people laugh at the phrase ''he found his level in league 1'' but Doherty did.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Boyo"]

Lots of people laugh at the phrase ''he found his level in league 1''

[/quote]

That would be because it''s a load of ol'' tosh.

[BroadstairsR 0]

[quote user="GJP"][quote user="Boyo"]

Lots of people laugh at the phrase ''he found his level in league 1''

[/quote]

That would be because it''s a load of ol'' tosh.

[/quote]

 

I cannot think of a City player who instigated as much comment on this Board as the Doc. Post after post after post.

Now he has gone let us forget about him. He holds my affection as he always did his very best and was a model professional.

I particularly admired the way he coped with the barracking he often received and carried on regardless to the point where he became a stalwart and was instrumental in last season''s renaissance.

He owes NCFC nothing. He is a model professional, despite the fact that he often showed more skill with his arms than his feet.

Ginger Pele, good luck at Charlton.

[grantroederdisaster 0]

Err, no. How does saying that was the truth actually make it anything other than your opinion?The biggest mistake of Nelsons season was the Orient goal where one of their players called for him to leave it..and he did. Doc''s biggest mistake was to attempt a back pass that was so bad it didnt even look like a back pass against Tranmere that created a pen, got Forster sent off and got us no chance of gettting back into the game. Yes Doc had a good season by his standards but knowing his history and the mistakes he made in League 1, how can anyone seriously say he''s worth a chance in the championship AGAIN? Im still traumatised by some of his performances when we got relegated, and while sometimes impressive in League 1 - everyone realises and has spoken about the difference between the 2 leagues. All Doc did was prove what we found out the season before, he can hold his own in League 1 but meaning that he cant cut it in the championship. Also where were all these offers from that he spoke about recently? League 2? foreign leagues the equivalent of League 1? I''m sure he''ll do a job for Charlton this season just like he did for us, but im sure at some point he''ll mess up, at some point he''ll be man of the match, he''ll score 5 or 6 goals and he''ll get sent off/give away a pen. The problem was you never knew what sort of performance Doc would pull out next and for a CB consistency is pretty important!Im just glad Charlton fans will have to feel the tension, the anticipation and just the general puzzlement of what sort of Doc performance they''ll see, because we''ve had more than our fair share.Ok, rant over - some things provoke reaction and that statement managed it

Really!!!

You sound like someone who knows jack s hit about football and have jumped on the Docs cr ap bandwagon!

Thats your opinion based on the urban myth that the Doc was c rap when in reality he was one of our best players. Yes he made mistakes but his mistakes were blown up out of all proportion just cause it was the Doc. Every player makes mistakes like any human. Anyone that thinks otherwise is not the full ticket. I well remember Lamberts 1st home game last season a 5-2 win over Wycombe and one of their goals was a massive error from Askou but at that time the bandwagon rolling was that Askou was wonderful so that was brushed under the carpet!

The Doc was magnificant in most games last season and his mistakes were few and far between. I''m amazed that you accuse the Ginger Pele of being inconsistant last season but then again you don''t seem to know a lot!

In our relegation season he was with Clingan head and shoulders above anyone else and a lot better than the most unjust player of the season in our history, Lee Croft.

Remember Stefanovic and John Kennedy?

They were brought in cause they were meant to be better than what we had - Wrong the Doc was better than them 2 put together!!!

In MY opinion not keeping 2 of our best players from last season (whether people accept that or not!!) The Doc and Darel Russell is a massive gamble on Lamberts part but I trust him!

Those who say the Doc wasn''t up to the Championship are talking out of their backsides and if thats true then it doesn''t give us much hope this season cause he was better than messrs Nelson, Askou and Whitbread!!

If the Doc was that bad then fellow professionals wouldn''t of voted him as one of the BEST 2 CB''s in League 1!

But still lets not allow facts to get in the way of the Doc''s C rap bandwagon!

A very good signing for Charlton who have got lucky signing Doc who should never been let go from Norwich. Charlton for me are one of the favourites to win League 1 next season!

[Legend Iwan 30]

[quote user="grantroederdisaster"] 

  Remember Stefanovic and John Kennedy? They were brought in cause they were meant to be better than what we had - Wrong the Doc was better than them 2 put together!!!![/quote]

Didn''t both of them get awful injuries?

Also from what I can remember a lot of people felt if Stef wasn''t injuried then we would have had a stable backline - instead of the constant changes - and maybe not be in the position we were.

[Houston Canary 0]

Askou DID get a shellacking from fans, albeit mostly from Doherty fans for that goal in the Wycomb game.

However, an error in a 5 - 2 win is not as costly as one in a loss, and fussing over it seemed more pointlessly detrimental than fussing over a blunder that cost us a game.

Had we ended up losing 5 - 6 or 1 - 2, then it would have made better sense to grumble about it and hope for a line up change.

[Evil Monkey 52]

[quote user="grantroederdisaster"]Really!!!

You sound like someone who knows jack s hit about football and have jumped on the Doc''s cr ap bandwagon! [/quote]I don''t think at any stage Persnickety suggested any such band-wagon jumping, he simply suggested - quite rightly, imo - that Doherty is an inconsistent performer, has proven so at Championship level over many seasons for us previously, and would be an unnecessarily expensive (in terms of wages) liability.  Exactly the same can be said for Rusty, too.  A good season for each in League 1 and their shocking and dire performances that aided our relegation have suddenly been forgotten!Using Stefanovic and Kennedy as an example of Doherty''s brilliance is a little unfair considering both suffered major injuries - the former was certainly highly rated on this forum in the few games he played, the latter unfortunately came with injury baggage.I''d really like people to now start moving on from these two players - Doc and Rusty.  They''re part of our history now, for better or worse, and I''m looking forward to much the same discussions about Nelson and Askou this coming season!

[grantroederdisaster 0]

We only had Kennedy at the club cause he was a constant injury sick noter!

He looked to me bar the injuries like he could of been a top defender but the facts are he was a mistake by Norwich signed to improve our backline but wasn''t as good as the Doc or even Shackell!

Stefanovic was not convincing before the injury. He had one silly sending off and was very lucky to have not been sent of in his 1st game away at Coventry. Looked a classy player with the ball at his feet but his 1st role was to be a stopper and that part of his play wasn''t as good as the Docs!

I''m disapointed about the Doc and Russell but having been supporting the club for long enough to know that things move on quickly!

I never like going on about the Doc on here cause I say it as it was and therefore offend those who maintain he was c rap which was so far wide of the mark.

Hopefully Ward will do well but its not a sure bet hes going to be good. If he does half for the club that the Doc did then he will do a good job for 2-3 years!

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Evil Monkey"]
Using Stefanovic and Kennedy as an example of Doherty''s brilliance is a little unfair considering both suffered major injuries - the former was certainly highly rated on this forum in the few games he played, the latter unfortunately came with injury baggage.


[/quote]

Problem with Stefanovic was that he couldn''t run to save his life and he clearly was not somebody who was in it for the cause. He was very much a player on his last pay day. You could tell that very early on.

A fully fit Kennedy with plenty of games under his belt would probably have been a cracking player but we never really got to see him at that kind of level. Liked him better than Stefanovic though.

[Malcolm Allen 0]

Maybe Lambert was reading the post??

http://www.pinkun.com/content/pinkun/norwich-city/story.aspx?brand=PINKUNOnline&category=Norwich&tBrand=PINKUNOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=NOED19%20Jul%202010%2011%3A22%3A45%3A927

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

[quote user="grantroederdisaster"]We only had Kennedy at the club cause he was a constant injury sick noter!

He looked to me bar the injuries like he could of been a top defender but the facts are he was a mistake by Norwich signed to improve our backline but wasn''t as good as the Doc or even Shackell!

Stefanovic was not convincing before the injury. He had one silly sending off and was very lucky to have not been sent of in his 1st game away at Coventry. Looked a classy player with the ball at his feet but his 1st role was to be a stopper and that part of his play wasn''t as good as the Docs!

I''m disapointed about the Doc and Russell but having been supporting the club for long enough to know that things move on quickly!

I never like going on about the Doc on here cause I say it as it was and therefore offend those who maintain he was c rap which was so far wide of the mark.

Hopefully Ward will do well but its not a sure bet hes going to be good. If he does half for the club that the Doc did then he will do a good job for 2-3 years![/quote]Apologies, I didnt realise your passion for Doc! however what I wrote was simply my opinion, as was this comment from you. Stating you say it ''as it is'' is a foolish statement as if this was the case the endless Doc debate wouldnt exist.I understand the Doc lovers and haters out there, and I loved some of his performances last season (as this was one season he had more good games than bad - again imo!) but i just think he was too much of a liability in the championship, he still made mistakes in League 1 and there are simply better options for us at CB this season.I also agree its been debated to death and now he''s left to leave it at that.  Good luck to him and lets just see what happens to Doc if Charlton get promoted this season...[:P]