Ricardo's report v QPR

[ricardo 7,328]

The thing about Paul Lambert''s canaries is that you are never quite sure what kind of line up you will see. On Tuesday we had the almost suicidal "Back Three". This afternoon we we treated to the "Big Front Three" as Wilbrahans came in alongside Holt and Martin. In defence we had Drury and Whitbread as Lappin and Askou were dropped. Almost like having three new signings in the team.It was a solid opening few minutes as both teams felt each other out. In the ninth minute City did what they have not done enough of in home games this season, they scored the opening goal. Chris Martin did brilliantly to dummy himself space in the box and his blocked shot ran straight out to Russell Martin on the right angle of the penalty area and his first time low effort seemed to catch Kenny by surprise as it smacked firmly into the net. QPR responded well as you would expect a top side to do and Helguson almost equalised within 30 seconds only for Ruddy to save well to his right.As the half wore on City got more and more on top and on 22 minutes Wibrahams had the ball in the net only for the linesmans flag to rule it out. I assumed it was offside but my son who has keener eyes said handball was signalled. QPR looked strong and quick and Taraabt was a real handful but almost everything they did foundered on the twin rocks that were Nelson and Whitbread. Chris Martin was having a fine game and twice put Wes through. First the little man failed to take in his stride what looked to be a good opening and finally the ball was worked to Croft who lofted one a yarder over. On the second ocassion Wes wormed his way to the bye line only for the cross to bisect the in rushing forwards. Just before the break there was a wonderful move between Martin, Wes and Holt that ended with the big man unable to get enough on the ball to convert it. It was a great half for City with QPR unable to work any real openings.All Warnock teams are strong and it was only to be expected that they would come out hard second half. Ageyman replaced Helguson and was fouled on the edge of the box. I have to say that it looked inside from where I sit but we rode our luck and Taraabts powerful free kick ko''d Drury before being cleared. In City''s first real attack Holt turned his defender and had a clear run on goal only to have his heels clipped. It looked a certain red and Referee Moss did the honours. From the free kick City almost made it two, only for Kenny to palm Martins effort away to safety. It should have been all up against a lesser side but Rangers hung on in there as City piled forward. I don''t think I have ever seen so many  nails fail to nail a coffin lid down in my life. Wilbrahams needed too many touches as Smith''s cross left him in space and the chance was crowded out. Numerous shots were blocked and in one sublime move Martin set Wes away on the right and his cross was dummied by Holt as the onrushing Martin stormed into the box. A goal looked certain only for Kenny to make another great save.As time ticked away I thought the situation cried out for Jackson but Lambert had another surprise as Gill came on for Wilbrahams. The big guy had done well with his physical presence but at the moment he looks a yard too slow for this league. City had a warning as Ageyman grazed a post with a looping header both teams started to look weary now and QPR were lucky to be still in it mainly thanks to further Kenny saves from Martin and Hoolahan. Thankfully it didn''t matter and City ended the Holiday period in 3rd spot.MOM is very difficult for me. Martin and Wes were both superb and Martin would have got it had he scored but I think it has to go to Whitbread who never put a foot wrong throughout. The entire defence was very solid today and the midfield generally had the upper hand. I never thought it possible in August but a decent consistant run in will give City every chance of an auto spot. PL is indeed a miracle worker.A happy New Year to one and all.

[Adam NCFC 0]

Lappin was suspended. Please keep up.

[Mook 0]

[quote user="Adam NCFC"]Lappin was suspended. Please keep up.[/quote]Well thought-out comment, thanks.Ricardo, great report as always, keep em coming.

[CanaryJames 0]

Hate to be a pedant, but it''s ''Wilbraham'', not ''Wilbrahams''...

[Adam NCFC 0]

[quote user="CanaryJames"]Hate to be a pedant, but it''s ''Wilbraham'', not ''Wilbrahams''...[/quote][y]

[John 0]

Great report Ricardo, as ever. [Y]I only listened on the radio, so i''m well aware that anything i say on the game is very much second-rate, but i think i''d of gone for Russell Martin as MOM. Scored the goal, harried the defence, got the better of Taarabt on a couple of occasions, and seemed to have a fair influence in defending corners from what i heard. He didn''t seem to get caught out in positioning either, which was the only considerable problem he suffered from last year.

But had Wilbraham''s ''effort'' counted, a slice of pie, of the ''humble'' variety, would be on your windowsill ASAP Ricardo. [;)]

[ricardo 7,328]

[quote user="John"]Great report Ricardo, as ever. [Y]I only listened on the radio, so i''m well aware that anything i say on the game is very much second-rate, but i think i''d of gone for Russell Martin as MOM. Scored the goal, harried the defence, got the better of Taarabt on a couple of occasions, and seemed to have a fair influence in defending corners from what i heard. He didn''t seem to get caught out in positioning either, which was the only considerable problem he suffered from last year.

But had Wilbraham''s ''effort'' counted, a slice of pie, of the ''humble'' variety, would be on your windowsill ASAP Ricardo. [;)][/quote]I would have willingly eaten it John. It was at the other end to me so I didn''t clearly see the incident. Kenny seemed to parry Martin''s shot and then there was a scramble before the ball finished in the net. The big man certainly added a physical presence and I can''t remember the last time City started with such a big physical front three. They competed well with the QPR back line and it seemed to give us a new dimension. Perhaps PL will start all home games with this format.Hopefully our coaching will improve Wilbraham but at the moment he looks a yard short in pace and thought. I thought we would see Jackson after 70 mins to counter QPR pushing too many forward but PL signalled he was settling for it when Gill came on.Yes R Martin also had a fine game. Indeed the whole back four never looked hurried and all in all it was a really encouraging start to the year. I am celebrating with Peroni''s and a drop of Jamesons 12 year old tonight.

[John 0]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="John"]Great report Ricardo, as ever. [Y]I only listened on the radio, so i''m well aware that anything i say on the game is very much second-rate, but i think i''d of gone for Russell Martin as MOM. Scored the goal, harried the defence, got the better of Taarabt on a couple of occasions, and seemed to have a fair influence in defending corners from what i heard. He didn''t seem to get caught out in positioning either, which was the only considerable problem he suffered from last year.

But had Wilbraham''s ''effort'' counted, a slice of pie, of the ''humble'' variety, would be on your windowsill ASAP Ricardo. [;)][/quote]I would have willingly eaten it John. It was at the other end to me so I didn''t clearly see the incident. Kenny seemed to parry Martin''s shot and then there was a scramble before the ball finished in the net. The big man certainly added a physical presence and I can''t remember the last time City started with such a big physical front three. They competed well with the QPR back line and it seemed to give us a new dimension. Perhaps PL will start all home games with this format.Hopefully our coaching will improve Wilbraham but at the moment he looks a yard short in pace and thought. I thought we would see Jackson after 70 mins to counter QPR pushing too many forward but PL signalled he was settling for it when Gill came on.Yes R Martin also had a fine game. Indeed the whole back four never looked hurried and all in all it was a really encouraging start to the year. I am celebrating with Peroni''s and a drop of Jamesons 12 year old tonight.[/quote]Never a more appropriate time to crack it open Ricardo. Well deserved. [Y]

[Chrisr 0]

Cracking report Ricardo and spot on about Russell Martin. I must admit I was underwhelmed when he signed but today he was fantastic. Too many great performances from our boys to single chaps out (so I will) but I thought Nelson and Whitbread held the line as if their lives depended on it. How many times as city fans can we worry about the competition between four excellent central defenders as to who gets the nod?On the major incidents I thought that the QPR shout for a pen was just outside (viewed from E block Barclay) and I just wonder if Holt should/could have stayed on his feet to go one on one with Kenny (who was brilliant, you fat who?). The first half was one of the best i''ve seen from a Norwich side especially considering the opposition and a couple of Wes''s turns in their box were what I normally expect when i''m watching Arsenal draw. Oh and our fans were good today, showed QPR for what they are, a small London team with a rich Daddy, thanks for the extra 1000 tickets. The people who bought them sang with the Barclay. That''ll be 1-0 to the Norwich I think. 

[vos 155]

We won this match mainly through team spirit and work ethic, although there was certainly a fair amount of skill on offer. One has to hand it to Paul Lambert for his ability to get the best out of everyone even though we had several team changes. Whitbread did well considering his lack of first team football, but Michael Nelson, as against Sheff Utd, was the mainstay of the defence. Holt and Hoolahan were the pick of the frontrunners displaying tremendous commitment. Chris Martin was far more involved in a more central role but was out of luck with his finishing.

I agree with Ricardo that Wilbraham was more of a nuisance than really contributing very much, but on the day was more useful than Jackson would have been. Last year I was a great fan of Korey Smith but he does not seem to have progressed this season. Still works hard but skill needs to improve.

This was a rare occasion when most of the side seemed shattered towards the end and credit must be given to QPR who fought well when down to 10 men. Neil Adams said we dominated - I don''t entirely agree with this. Referees are also not helping the entertainment factor by issuing too many yellow/red cards. I want to see the best 11 players, for 90 minutes, from each Club on most occasions.

[kirku 1,332]

[quote user="Adam NCFC"]Lappin was suspended. Please keep up.[/quote]How about you try to contribute like Ricardo''s always excellent reports instead of making snide remarks?Keep it up Ricardo. As an ex-pat canary your reports are always my first read of the morning after!

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="Adam NCFC"]Lappin was suspended. Please keep up.[/quote]Ricardo''s a legend.  Please shut up.

[Davo 0]

Another good report Ricardo.

A few questions though,

How do you think the formation looked? On paper it seems we were playing a 4-2-1-3 which is about as attacking formation as you can get.

How was Wes defensively in midfield? I think he has improved this area of the game a lot over the last 18 months, it seems to me that he''s a much more rounded player than when he first come here and I don''t think a year ago we could of played a formation like we did yesterday with Wes as part of a three man midfield.

I didn''t go to the game but Neil Adams said their claim for a pen was outside the box after he had seen it on a replay something we obviously don''t have the benefit from.

I must admit this performance is very encouraging after what was such a poor performance against Shef Utd.

Davo

[ricardo 7,328]

[quote user="Davo"]Another good report Ricardo.

A few questions though,

How do you think the formation looked? On paper it seems we were playing a 4-2-1-3 which is about as attacking formation as you can get.

How was Wes defensively in midfield? I think he has improved this area of the game a lot over the last 18 months, it seems to me that he''s a much more rounded player than when he first come here and I don''t think a year ago we could of played a formation like we did yesterday with Wes as part of a three man midfield.

I didn''t go to the game but Neil Adams said their claim for a pen was outside the box after he had seen it on a replay something we obviously don''t have the benefit from.

I must admit this performance is very encouraging after what was such a poor performance against Shef Utd.

Davo[/quote]As I commented, the formation was a surprise to me. Everyone was surmising that Wilbraham was a back up for Holt and they would be unlikely to appear together. Chris Martin was very close behind them and at times we did look like having a big front three. Both Martin and Hoolahan tracked back very well and I would advise those who question Martins workrate to turn their seats round to face the pitch. Following the ball is not always the best way to see what a player does in a match.Wes was back to his mercurial best yesterday and some of the passing between him, Holt and Martin was top class. Wilbraham was obviously not up to that speed but I am prepared to give him every chance to prove himself. I was not enthused by his signing and on first viewing I haven''t changed my mind but lets see how things pan out.At first glance I thought it was a pen but from 80 yards and with my varifocals I couldn''t be sure. Yes a very encouraging performance against a good side and nice to see Whitbread showing his undoubted class.

[Davo 0]

Thank you Ricardo.

It''s good to see that the front three were playing closer together yesterday as I thought they were too far apart at times against Sheff Utd.

I don''t doubt young Chrissy''s work rate as he does a lot of runs off the ball trying to make space for himself and others but he does it in an economical way and doesn''t have the huff and puff attitude of players like Holt. He does need a goal and looked to have been very unlucky yesterday.

I hope we can get some consistency and play like this more often.

Davo