Former players that you would have back?

[LeJuge 0]

I''m struggling to think of any here.I think I''d have Clingan as a squad player, good competition for the base of the diamond. Shackell has been fab since he left, and in fairness only had one crap year for us, bit of a journeyman though! I''d have him providing cover for Lamberts chosen three (probably no better than Rob Edwards though!). I reckon that''s it, I suspect that Rudd is as good as Lewis. I don''t think Green is the player that he was. Oh and Bellamy of course, if he wasn''t grossly overpaid I''d take him on a realistic wage! Particularly as he can play left wing or up front. That goes to show just how far we have come from a couple of years ago, with an old Cureton and a returning Daryl Russell greeted like a hero, having Paul Hayes turn us down, Paul McVeigh coming back. Blimey, those players just seem so crap in hindsight. Asides from McVeigh who was class for us for a period, we pretty much bought back our rejects? I can remember people thinking it was a travesty when David Bell left, he was pretty average too really wasn''t he? In conclusion, I think that Clingan really is the only one who could realistically compete for minutes. Ignoring loan players like Crouch, Parker and Bentley of course. Any I''ve missed?

[Lurd 0]

Bellamy would be a useful sub (if you gagged him).

[Mello Yello 2,500]

Robert Rosario......

[Coelho 0]

Clingan was a very good player, but he walked out on us so I wouldn''t want him back. Bellamy I''d have in a heartbeat for his playing ability, although I don''t think his wage demands and mouthy attitude would sit very well with Lambert''s philosophy.

[Syteanric 1]

Scott Parker

[ZLF 331]

Assuming money was no object and that they of playing age I am struggling to think of many that are good enough to be honest - but we are in the prem and most of the time has been in lower leagues.

The ones that I feel would improve our current squad (no comments concerning fitting into the squad, attitude etc - just improve the quality here) are, in no order, and most of them are ex loanees

Rob Green

Peter Crouch

David Bentley

Henri Lansbury

Ryan Betrand

Craig Bellamy

Dani Pacecho

Keiran Gibbs

Dickson Etuhu

[ZLF 331]

And obviously Jas excellent should of Parker!

[priceyrice 133]

Including loan players, you would have to take Camp

[BroadstairsR 0]

No loanees?

 

Well just Green then, as there  is a space for a GK..

 

Bellamy would be great if he comes off, but I would consider his inclusion as being equivalent of puting a "cat amonst the pigeons". We have a settled and well-integrated squad. Craig can be difficult, so why risk it? Lambert never asks for trouble when signing players and it seems that he carefully sifts a player''s cv for any negative signs. With Bellars, he would be  kept reading all night. 

 

His wages demands would likely go through our current sensible ceiling, in any case.

 

Same would apply with Green, I suppose.

 

No I would not want any former players after all. Paddon, Fleck, Russell and Cureton are four examples of it not really working, although I am sure that some on here could come up with examples of it being a good move. Does Ian Crook count as a succesful return, he was half-way to Ipswich once, I seem to recall? 

 

An opportunity for me to ride my hobbyhorse here. Mike Walker Mark 11 would have succeeded again given time IMHO. Something was wrong in the state of Norfolk then, and rumours abounded. However, look at the nonentities who followed. Only Worthy really achieved anything.

[Nuff Said 5,736]

[quote user="Coelho"]Clingan was a very good player, but he walked out on us so I wouldn''t want him back. Bellamy I''d have in a heartbeat for his playing ability, although I don''t think his wage demands and mouthy attitude would sit very well with Lambert''s philosophy.[/quote]I can''t believe people are still spouting this sh*t. Explain exactly how you know he "walked out on us"? He left when we got relegated, because he was on a high wage and we could make some money on him. It was in the club''s and his mutual interests. He is a professional in a short term career, not a Norwich City fan.

[ncfcfan 0]

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]Assuming money was no object and that they of playing age I am struggling to think of many that are good enough to be honest - but we are in the prem and most of the time has been in lower leagues.

The ones that I feel would improve our current squad (no comments concerning fitting into the squad, attitude etc - just improve the quality here) are, in no order, and most of them are ex loanees

Rob Green

Peter Crouch

David Bentley

Henri Lansbury

Ryan Betrand

Craig Bellamy

Dani Pacecho

Keiran Gibbs

Dickson Etuhu[/quote]This shows how much the club has improved that the majority of former players good enough to return are former loanees.

[birchfest 401]

Bellamy, Clingan, Lansbury and if he wasnt retired through injury Ashton!

[ZLF 331]

Agreed ncfcfan

[Carlos Valderrama 0]

Dickson Etuhu for me. I always rated him as a quality player and he has proved that for Fulham. Plus Lambert would get him working at 100%.

[calriv 0]

Personally I thought the only reason we thought Clingan was good was because of the low standard of quality in the squad we had. Keep in mind we had him the season we got relegated and even then I didn''t think he was outstanding. It''s the same as David Bell, he was one of our better players, but when they played against us for Coventry last game, they looked surprisingly average for players some of us had once rated so highly. They were playing against a strong Norwich side, but even then you expect them in put in a good performance to show us what we missed. They ditched us, so I wouldn''t want them back.

"It could''ve been you, it could''ve been you! Oh Sammy Clingan, it could''ve been you!"[:)]

[Largey 0]

Dickson Etuhu surely, and if he could stay fit, Craig Bellamy is still a great player.

[BroadstairsR 0]

Two point:s for this interesting topic O/P::

 

(1)  So many contributors on this thread are just stating names and nothing else. It''s entirely their perogative of course, but a few cmments justifying their choices would be interesting.

 

(2) Lambert doesn''t strike me as the kind of manager to bring former players back. He is his own man with his own agenda and would likely steer clear of old  favourites arriving on his patch.

 

I concede that having loanees return is slightly different, but these are excluded from this thread in any case. Pacecho would be my choice as I consider him a real super-star in the making. Lucky Liverpool. Henri Lansbury would be good to have on the books.

 

Atm: the only ones in the frame would be Green (wages?) and Bellamy (wages and temperament?)   Problems therefore. Lambert avoids those in his ddealings.

 

 

It won''t happen. Many of our recent players were in  our relegation  bound teams, or were with us in, and bought for, League 1. The cream from years ago is getting older and , and,  by contradiction, are usually more expesive in their demands.

 

Oh! I forgot Hooze, snap him up tomorrow Lambo. I liked a lot about this player, but even memorys of him denonstrates just how far we''ve come in such a short time.  

 

[BroadstairsR 0]

Hooze ... Sorry couldn''t resist it. Rarely has a player caused so much controvesry at the lCub than him. Loved and reviled in equal portions.

 

 

 

[ZLF 331]

My view is that the players I have listed would add quality to the squad we currently have so as they add something extra or are better quality than we already have.  Cost is another issue but on the basis that we could afford them (its a theoretical discussion so in my theory we can afford them all...) Clingan, the main debated player here, is behind fox & crofts in terms of consistency & capability and I suspect behind Johnson too - so I am not interested.

Of the permanent players I would take Green (for this season he is better than what we have), Bellamy (despite age remains committed, and is better than we have here) & Etuhu (imposing player who has brought consistency to his game since he left us, adopting a more professional mature approach)   

I listed loanees, despite OPs original request, purely as the other list is so short.

[Syteanric 1]

*tin hat on* dare i say it Damien Francis... in the promotion season under Worthy and for the 1st half of the premiership campaign he was a class apart from anyone else we had in midfield

[yellowarmy 0]

[quote user="BroadstairsR"]

No loanees?

 

Well just Green then, as there  is a space for a GK..

 

Bellamy would be great if he comes off, but I would consider his inclusion as being equivalent of puting a "cat amonst the pigeons". We have a settled and well-integrated squad. Craig can be difficult, so why risk it? Lambert never asks for trouble when signing players and it seems that he carefully sifts a player''s cv for any negative signs. With Bellars, he would be  kept reading all night. 

 

His wages demands would likely go through our current sensible ceiling, in any case.

 

Same would apply with Green, I suppose.

 

No I would not want any former players after all. Paddon, Fleck, Russell and Cureton are four examples of it not really working, although I am sure that some on here could come up with examples of it being a good move. Does Ian Crook count as a succesful return, he was half-way to Ipswich once, I seem to recall? 

 

An opportunity for me to ride my hobbyhorse here. Mike Walker Mark 11 would have succeeded again given time IMHO. Something was wrong in the state of Norfolk then, and rumours abounded. However, look at the nonentities who followed. Only Worthy really achieved anything.

[/quote]

 

Martin O''Neill when he returned from Man City maybe? but he is the only one who really comes to mind, i''m sure there are a few more.

[AJ 1,324]

Crouch, anyone?

Scott Parker would be fairly handy

[Lewie - Holt Our Saviour 0]

I''d have: Crouch,ClinganForsterLansburyPachecoEtuhuBentleyGibbsBertrandGreenBellamyBack :)

[LeJuge 0]

[quote user="jas the barclay king"]*tin hat on* dare i say it Damien Francis... in the promotion season under Worthy and for the 1st half of the premiership campaign he was a class apart from anyone else we had in midfield[/quote]The same Damian Francis that retired three years ago?! If we can play it that way, then I want Chris Sutton and Ian Crook!

[AJ 1,324]

Goss, Huckerby and Ruel Fox as well then!

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="LeJuge"][quote user="jas the barclay king"]*tin hat on* dare i say it Damien Francis... in the promotion season under Worthy and for the 1st half of the premiership campaign he was a class apart from anyone else we had in midfield[/quote]The same Damian Francis that retired three years ago?! If we can play it that way, then I want Chris Sutton and Ian Crook![/quote]forgot he had retired! whoops!

[ROBFLECK 133]

Still playing...

Robert Green
Craig Bellamy

 

 

[Guest]

Martin Peters

Kevin Keelan