Who else thinks we need a centre back WITH Premiership experience in January....?

[urdie_Canary 33]

I think this is obvious, given the fact we have conseeded 5 penaltys in 5 games. Ok, on the whole Barnet played  well against Bolton, but his challenge on Klasnic with his arse was shockingly late and mistimed completley, another day would / should of been another red card and what was he doing for the penalty ?! Its times like the penalty incident (s) we need someone at the back with the enough experience to know when to tackle in the box. Ngog was going away from goal and fouled him with a clumsey tackle, stone wall penalty IMO.Also a well done to Russell Martin, not been his biggest fan but he played a solid game at centre back today! Really happy with the performances this season, even the West Brom game but I seriously think we need a old (ish) head at the back.OTBC

[Yobocop 1,105]

No sorry I disagree with your interpretation of the Barnett incident.

I think he was committed into jumping for the ball and klasnic got in the way so accidental for me!

Barnett for me is the black Gary Doherty, both Luton boys, both a little bit clumsy but both in a strange sort of way good defenders. I actually think Barnett is 4th choice behind de laet, whitbread and ward and has been unlucky with injury.

I still think when ayala is back he''ll be a decent player but obviously haven''t seen enough of him yet

[Salopian 1]

I think that we do, and unfortunately Ward is too slow to fulfill this role.

It''s going to be difficult for us to sign one, for the same reason that it will be difficult to sign a premiership quality striker. The reason is MONEY, not only to cover the transfer fee, which would bust our record transfer outlay, but also to pay the level of wages the player would expect. Upson probably didn''t meet PL''s criteria, any way, but in any case he would have cost too much.

When we are established in the Premiership, and gaining the £40m every season, perhaps such players will come into possibility for us.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Salopian"]I think that we do, and unfortunately Ward is too slow to fulfill this role. It''s going to be difficult for us to sign one, for the same reason that it will be difficult to sign a premiership quality striker. The reason is MONEY, not only to cover the transfer fee, which would bust our record transfer outlay, but also to pay the level of wages the player would expect. Upson probably didn''t meet PL''s criteria, any way, but in any case he would have cost too much. When we are established in the Premiership, and gaining the £40m every season, perhaps such players will come into possibility for us.[/quote]

Think it''s a bit wrong to rule Ward out just because he''s "slow". Look at John Terry, he''s got no pace but he''s a good defender. You''ve also mentioned Upson but he''s slow too.

 

Ward probably isn''t any slower than Whitbread but he is, in general, a stronger defender. He''s a big unit and he makes a lot of big wins and blocks. He''s also very good on the ball and capable of using both feet which is a major plus.

 

While I agree that it would have been nice to sign an experienced defender (perhaps instead of Ayala) I think the return of Ward from injury could well be a massive boost to us.

[. 0]

If anything I''d say we need a ''cool head'' to bring a bit of calm and discipline on the lines of Forbes, Watson, Peters etc. There are a few of them about.... and it may just allow Holt to get back to what he does best which is misbehaving, creating and scoring goals.

[ROBFLECK 132]

Answer to your post YES

I think we did quite well, but I think Barnett is much to reckless imo, we need someone to keep his cool

[CDMullins 446]

I dont understand the harsh crititism of Barnett''s clash with Klasnic.

Klasnic went in low and Barnett turned away to protect himself. If he wanted to hurt Klasnic he would have gone in with his knee or elbow, not his arse!

[Old Shuck 188]

Ideal combination is to have a big old stopper who''s great in the air and a real physical presence alongside a more lithe and nimble centre back with pace, good in the tackle and as good in the air himself.

Not easy to put together.

But Man Utd would have it with Jones and Vidic to a certain extent.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,613]

If someone could draw up a list of defenders with Premier League experience, who would be an improvement on what we have now and would be acheivable considering wages and transfer fees I would love to see it.

 

For Bolton''s goal the blame has to be directed at both R. Martin and Barnett, how that ball ever ended up being crossed into the box is a mystery, should have been punted into touch long before Barnett chopped down N''Gog.

[komakino 275]

Yes is the answer. Who is another matter.

Barnett really worries me. He is all arms and legs and is a liability. I''m sure Lambert knows his limitations, so will be looking for a new centre back when the transfer window opens again.

[The Great Wall Of Tettey 0]

sol campbell

[Howson is now! 0]

The problem is, it''s not just one defender giving away penalties. For all the experience one defender would bring, you''re still going to have the other ones having their rushes of blood to their heads.

 

In my opinion we need to settle the defence down, stop messing around with it, and accept that as young, relatively inexperienced defenders, they are going to make mistakes. They need to learn from these and the only way you can do that is to make the mistake in the first place.

 

To an extent I appreciate what Lambert did with De Laet in "taking him out of the firing line" but he''s also been one of our best defenders so far. He''s scored, he''s had a MOM appearance (I think. Could be wrong but he wasn''t far off if not) and he''s made multiple blocks that have prevented us conceding more goals. He''s made 3 errors and all 3 have led to goals which is tough on any defender however experienced they are.

 

Ruddy has shown that he can be relied on so far and Tierney and Naughton have been outstanding. Settle down the CBs, have Fox and Johnson in front of them to give a little extra protection and I think the mistakes will soon start to clear up.

[ROBFLECK 132]

Not a bad point, would''ve liked to have seen Ayala playing though. Not saying everything would have gone a lot better, but I think he''s got a bit more composure about him. At least that was on view last season at Derby...but he wasn''t playing in the PL then. I agree what you say about De Laet though Fox!
The foul Barnett made was just not needed...the player was going away from goal, then again it''s easy to shout from the touchline. I hope Whitbread and Ayala get back asap...so they''re on their toes again all of them! Competition for places you know!

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,613]

[quote user="ROBFLECK"]Not a bad point, would''ve liked to have seen Ayala playing though. Not saying everything would have gone a lot better, but I think he''s got a bit more composure about him. At least that was on view last season at Derby...but he wasn''t playing in the PL then. I agree what you say about De Laet though Fox!
The foul Barnett made was just not needed...the player was going away from goal, then again it''s easy to shout from the touchline. I hope Whitbread and Ayala get back asap...so they''re on their toes again all of them! Competition for places you know![/quote]

 

Ayala''s two performances in a Norwich shirt so far haven''t filled me with confidence about his ability to come in and sure up the defence. I think Whitbread is a big loss and would like to see him and De Laet establish a partnership at the back - the centrebacks chopping and changing isn''t doing anyone''s confidence any good. Russell Martin did an decent job on Saturday, but it was clear that a N''Gog''s movement was too good for either of our centrebacks to comfortably deal with (I think if N''Gog and Eagles had started we might have been looking at a very different result).

[paul moy 235]

[quote user="CDMullins"]I dont understand the harsh crititism of Barnett''s clash with Klasnic. Klasnic went in low and Barnett turned away to protect himself. If he wanted to hurt Klasnic he would have gone in with his knee or elbow, not his arse![/quote]

I just watched that incident on CanariesWorld highlights. It was simply an accidental clash,  just as the referee saw it.

[Bill 1,788]

Barnett has not got Premier League experience (other than the games he has played in the Premier League)

We will come unstuck by playing players without Premier League experience. On Saturday we had a player who used to play for Peterboro moved to the centre of defence with a former Colchester player beside him. There was even another Cochester player in front of him with a former Huddersfield player alongside of him and more worringly a lad from Brighton on the other side.

What is Lambert doing !

You don''t score goals and win games with 3rd division players or even second division players, if you count Johnson, Hoolahan and Morison.

These players need to get Premier League experience before they are considered by Lambert. I dread to think what would have happened if we had not conceded penalties. How many teams would not have sat back on their penalty but would have attacked us more strongly and how many goals would they then have scored ?

That was the biggest mistake the club made when we got promoted. We did not bring in a manager with Premier League experience. There are loads of managers with Premier League experience who we could have got.

ps I think we should get at least two centre backs WITH Premiership experience in January just in case one gets injured or suspended, otherwise we will back to where we are now.

[paul moy 235]

[:D]

[Chelmsford Canary 0]

Who would you suggest?

Other than the Sol Campbell

[Boris 56]

we all cry how shaky is our deffense but just watch 30 min summury under Worthington 2004 campaign 3-2 win over WBA and no idea who remember this days clear but wow we look like pub team in deffense Flaming is pathetic Doherty no word for him also left back was Charlton and only Edworthy have decent game

wba have 3 post/bars in this game and at all they miss may be 5 times 1 on 1 chanses

really wacthing now deffense against Bolton we are 2 class abouve this jungle football under Worthy.

[ZLF 275]

Do we have a problem at centre back?

It the most important position to have a partnership with yet we have had 5 different combinations in 5 games, and we have only let in 4 goals from open play, and only one of them have we not contributed to (Stoke) the other three have been lapses.

Learn from our mistakes and suddenly we are a tough team to score against. And with a partnership we will get more solid at the back

And this despite PL having concerns about every centre back except whitbread. Suggest they are all much of a muchness

Whitbread - first choice for lambert (100% start rate when available) - but his injury record is so poor -will he make 15 games this season? Looks slow and caught out on the ball as de laet was against wigan - just luckier with the outcome. Does keep possession well.

De Laet - has made mistakes but for me has easily been the best central defender we have seen - pinkun average match scores and post match threads reflect his strong performances. Needs a better partner than barnett - get fit soon Whitbread/ayala

Barnett, not first choice (sub v Wigan) and has made mistakes each game so far, clumsy in the challenge and poor distribution; has pace but is clearly struggling to read the game.

Martin - did ok against bolton, until ngog came on when it was a repeat of moses v wigan and was found wanting for pace - see bolton penalty and ngog header ruddy save late on for examples. Not a centre back

Ward/Ayala - who knows, Ayala not impressed so far and I personally rate Ward just below whitbread & barnett, but only a fraction. but like whitbread how much will we see of them this season?

I can see us relying on Barnett/De Laet for a few games until injuries heal - that may force a partnership into being - assuming De Laet shows the right mental strength to get his place back.

PS - am i the only one who finds it shocking that we only have one league ever present after only 5 games in Marc Tierney?

[GJP 79]

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]Whitbread - first choice for lambert (100% start rate when available) -  [/quote]

Not so sure about that.

 

It''s too early this season to suggest who Lambert sees as a first choice central defender. If you look back at last season Whitbread was actually not an automatic choice and I don''t think that will have changed.

 

When Ward and Ayala return to fitness we will have a better idea where everyone stands.

[Nexus_Canary 1,027]

a) Barnett was commited to Jumpingb) He turns to avoid a very obvious high boot from Klasnicc) Barnett already has Prem xp

[Robert N. LiM 4,514]

I reckon de Laet will be back against Sunderland, and I think that Lambert would be right to bring him back. He''s a class act, but he now knows that to prat around with the ball at the back when under pressure will get him dropped from the team. I wouldn''t be surprised if Lambert''s comments to him privately were very different to the touchy-feely remarks he made in public.

I was certainly one of those who thought we should have tried to sign an experienced centre-half in the summer. Don''t know enough to suggest who would be available and affordable, and maybe Lambo decided that there was no one. But we certainly have lacked nous at the back.

City 1st''s gossamer-subtle wit seems to suggest that our inexperienced defenders will gain experience, and of course that''s true. But surely an old head alongside them would help them gain that experience. No one is arguing for a team full of past-it mercenaries. But the right kind of character, a top player in the twilight of his career looking to become a manager, could have been an excellent signing.

[curly_whirly_tipz 0]

I dont think we necessarily need another CB - I think our squad is perfectly capable as it it. Yes we have conceeded 5 penalties - of not which all should have even been given. We havent let in a huge amount of goals either. Also We have plenty of defensive options its just that many of them are injured. Every small mistake they make they should learn from. I know we cant afford to make many mistakes at this level but I dont think we need to spend on another defender imo,

[anonamoose 4]

Playing players out of position is always a BIG worry for me even if it is only small changes. Rarely ever seems to go well.Darrel Russel as a striker?Worthy''s playing ST as RM?However Martin I thought was excellent at CB although wasn''t really tested by Bolton. I understand we have a lot of injuries in that position, but when I saw the team sheet the warning bells were going. Fair play to Lambert, shouldn''t have doubted him.In answer to the question, I think that come January if we have had our defenders fit again and we are still looking shaky at the back then yes. Let''s give a chance first though eh?! Ward hasn''t even played Ayala had almost no time and Whitbread looked all right and probably just needs a little time to settle. De Laet and Barnett are growing up with every game

[Bill 1,788]

"But the right kind of character, a top player in the twilight of his career looking to become a manager, could have been an excellent signing "

Perhaps you could tell us why he is in the twilight of his career. If he is not good enough for other Premier League teams then why would he be good enough for us ? What happens if he is injured or suspended, we will be back to where we already are.

Unfortunately we seem to get this kind of muddled headed thinking/hysteria on a regular basis. A kind of canary call for the internet.

Aside from Chelsea away, which is an exceptional fixture we have conceded only four goals in four games - two of which were dodgy penalties, with one game even having a keeper that did not possess that all important requirement ''Premier League experience'' (cue angels singing, maidens swooning and old ladies clutching their rosary beads).

Aside from the obvious flaws in such posts is the glaring ommission that signing players is not the same as acquiring other ''goods''. There has to be that type of player available, and willing to join us - it is not solely dependant on the whims of an internet forum poster.

For my money we doing ok. I have seen the likes of Fox, R Martin, Tierney and even Ruddy step up and look like they have not played elsewhere. Johnson has been a revelation and Bennet, Vaughan, Morison and even Hoolahan have not looked out of their depth.

The Premier League is still football. It is still eleven against eleven (mostly) and from what I have seen we have a squad (including defenders) that are equal to the task .....

................shame some of our fans aren''t

[star_manic 0]

even if people think that we need a new centre back, the fact is until january we go with what we have. can''t get a loan player in . only possibility is to get an unattached player. it is now end of september and what quality player is going to be unattached at this time? not one i would be happy with city signing.

[grantroederdisaster 0]

I think the CB positions are not strong in our team!

[ca 1]

Yes we need an experienced prem defender and an experienced prem striker in Jan.

 

[Yellowbeagle 0]

I dont think it makes much difference in buying a premier league defender with experience we wont get a decent one so we''ll just end up with another Doherty or Charlton. A crap premier league defender is still a crap defender at this level and a good proven one will be out of our reach.