Some of our fans

[yoda 0]

Have short memories . Two years ago we were in league 1 now those same players are getting stick for not beating Arsenal ! Some of our supporters true colours are coming out now , the best fans in the world while things are going well but back to their fickle selves when we lose a couple . No we didn''t play well today but the fans were dead quiet when the team needed them too .

[Aggy 944]

Listening on TV, I thought I heard more from the Norwich fans than I''d heard at Carrow Road for quite a long time.

[Sjb 13]

The fans were suprisingly quite today the same as we have been all season. I just don''t get it. Its as if we are still turning up thinking we will win most games like we have the past couple of seasons

[Sing Up The River End 0]

Agree 100% with the OP

Everytime i come on here now, it just seems to be fans slagging off players.

We lost to a good Arsenal side, who have been in this league since it started!!

We are still learning!!

And when were losing or things are not going right, we dont need the to go quiet, we need to sing our hearts out get behind the team.

Were in the premier league, we are going to lose game!! We are going to play poorly some games.

Some people need to get a grip really and get behind the team

[MAJESTIC 0]

The fans were suprisingly quite today the same as we have been all season. I just don''t get it. Its as if we are still turning up thinking we will win most games like we have the past couple of seasons

spot on we are gonna lose more than we win but we are still playing well, against teams like arsenal just enjoy it. we will be fine with lambert in charge the aim is to stay up and slowly build, it doesn''t happen over night

[canary_bird 0]

I had to put up with the moaners behind me all through the game "They''re not good enough ...", etc, etc. Not sure what they expected, a 3-0 win perhaps? I don''t want to be defeatist but not many established teams in the Premier League can live with Arsenal when they''re in form, and where were we two seasons ago?

[ZLF 334]

Dont you think that some of the moaning was justified? The mistakes for the goals were just that, mistakes that professional players should not have made, we were not defeated by goals from fabulous play, but because we gave them opportunities.

We know that the team and players ARE BETTER than todays performance. We are good enough, but have not yet been consistently good enough.

Fans are allowed to be frustrated when performances are not up to scratch; today though the atmosphere was OK and supportive - each time the arse scored the fans got behind the team again.

[canary_bird 0]

The moaners behind me didn''t.

[ZLF 334]

and they were probably moaning during the last 2 seasons too - we have a core of fans like that - all teams do.

The response to going behind was there from the fans today - just not matched on the pitch to keep the fans going - its a two way thing.

[SnakepitCanary 0]

I agree with you guys and I have disappointed with the atmosphere at all the home games I have been to this season (all apart from Stoke). The only game I felt we were back to ourselves was against Sunderland. Apart from that we have been very quiet and it''s starting to really annoy me. If we were currently in the bottom 3 fighting for our lives to stay up the fans would back us but as we are mid table, they think we should just be playing better against the bigger sides.

[JF 694]

I am starting to get really pi**ed off with this 2 years ago we were in league 1 statement. A few seasons before that we were in the Premier League. We are here on merit cos for the last 2 seasons we have been the best team in league''s below. You can''t keep saying this every time we lose or don''t perform as some sort of excuse to cover up the performance. Today we were up against a very good team and really no one probably expected a result. But it''s the manner of the defeat that was disappointing. At Man U and Chelsea we lost but the performance was superb and the results flattered them, Yesterday we lost and the performance was very poor and the result flattered us suggesting it was a closer match than it actually was.

[Kings Man 0]

The crowd are quiet often because the fans are nervous as much as the players clearly were yesterday.

 

[Robert N. LiM 6,270]

The performance was not ''very poor''. Most teams will find it hard to get the ball off Arsenal - they pass it better than anyone in this league.

We weren''t at our best, and the individual errors are always frustrating, but we were right in the game until the final whistle against one of the best sides in Europe. That''s not bad, regardless of where we were two years ago.

[JF 694]

The performance was very poor, I''m not talking about getting the ball off them, you expect Arsenal to have that kind of possession. But when you do get the ball off them you don''t give it back with sloppy passing or hopeless long balls. As for being in the game until the final whistle we never once looked like we could create half a chance in the last 10 minutes never mind a goal. Yes we were up against "one of the best teams in europe" but thats the league we are in, there is no time for being starry eyed.

[Robert N. LiM 6,270]

Nor for having ridiculous over-expectations.

[Yellowbeagle 0]

Personally, I''m thrilled with our performances. We''ve competed in every game so far and thats not happened for us since around 1994, there is a huge difference since our last time in the PL with Worthy. We have a go at anyone, against teams better than anything we played against last season, sometimes we will come up alittle short thats inevitable.

[JF 694]

Is it a ridiculous expectation to expect a pro footballer to make a simple 10 yard pass without giving it away? Or to be able to create some decent chances in 90 minutes of football? The team rightly deserve all the credit in the world when they play well but just because we are in the PL doesn''t mean they are exempt from constructive criticism. The ridiculous thing is you have now started another thread saying pretty much the same thing as I have!

[Robert N. LiM 6,270]

My other thread doesn''t say the same thing at all.

It tries to ask why our players are making so many errors. Personally I think it''s more complex than that, as I tried to explain, though clearly not very effectively.

[Jacko 0]

Crowd were pretty quiet but I think you need to remember Arsenal starved us of the ball for long periods as you would expect. They had 57% of the play. It can be quite difficult to get the atmosphere going in those circumstances as the crowd often need something to feed off to get involved.

[canary_bird 0]

Yes, they''re professional footballers, but with zero Premier League experience so it''s a steep learning curve for them all, as it is with Paul Lambert. I don''t think we should and get on the players'' backs because we''ve let our expectations run away with us. I thought we''d spend all season bumping along at the bottom of the league rather than where we are at the moment. Let''s really get behind them next Saturday against QPR.

[S10 Canary 0]

I couldn''t agree more with the OP. Like i''ve said, I don''t post very often but enjoying reading the forum discussions. Just lately though i''ve been struck by how quickly some people single out individual players for a slating or suddenly turn into prophets of doom because we lose 1 - 2 to Arsenal.

I had a couple of beers last night and was browsing the match reports on the BBC sport website. I was overwhelmed with a huge sense of pride to read in big, black letters ''Norwich 1 - 2 Arsenal''. This isn''t being starry-eyed, just a recognition of the incredible path Norwich City Football Club has weaved over the last two years.

I recognise disappointment and that everyone has an opinion but I think there is a massive amount to be positive about. We certainly have enough skill, bravery and fight to be 17th come the end of the season judging by the standard of others already in the lower reaches. This season was always going to be a learning curve so lets not be down.Lets get behind the team through the cold, hard winter.

[YellowBlood 0]

The atmosphere I thought yesterday was sh!t, as it has been all season really apart from Stoke and Sunderland. Yesterday, I expected the place to be rocking but it was muted and it felt like everyone was in a mentality of ''we''re probably gonna lose this game, no point getting behind the team'' sort of way and it really f*cked me off. We needed the place to be rocking because Arsenal don''t like playing in a vibrant and hostile atmosphere and it would have fired our players to make strong challenges and make them go quicker to the ball which could have unsettled Arsenal''s rythym. And all this ''proud to be a Norwich fan to even be alongside Arsenal and to only get a 2-1 defeat  after how far we''ve come'' is also f*cking me off, your proud to be a Norwich fan after a performance and defeat like that? If Arsenal were clinical in front of goal it could have been 4 or 5 and some of those chances came from inept defending on our part which needs to be adressed very quickly. That''s nothing to be proud of. I was proud of the team after the Chelsea and Man United games because we should have won both of them, only poor finishing cost us in those two games. Yesterday, we lacked our competeitive edge that we''ve had this season. Regarding how far we''ve come, yes we''ve come very far and it''s been a miracle but we are where we are on merit and it''s time to stop making this as an excuse for every time we lose a game. Yesterday was an opportunity to give a top side a real battle in front of our home fans but it was merely a stroll in the park for Arsenal in the last half hour. It was too easy at times.

[Evil Monkey 52]

My missus, who doesn''t really follow football, was working during the game yesterday and rang me later on, idly asking the score.  When I told her we''d lost she said "That was a game you were supposed to win, wasn''t it?"  Um, definitely no.  Apparently some customer she had served before the game had started was spouting off about how this was going to be an easy win for Norwich. Coupled with some interweb comments I''ve seen about Arsenal being ''there for the taking'' in the run-up to the match, I do begin to wonder what planet I''m currently living on...Van Persie and Walcott were outstanding and gave our defence, and the usually reliable Tierney in particular, a torrid time.  But its a nonsense to attempt to cast blame or single out scapegoats after conceding only two goals to the Premier League''s most in-form striker...

[Power Hamster 0]

[quote user="CityLegends04"]The atmosphere I thought yesterday was sh!t, as it has been all season really apart from Stoke and Sunderland. Yesterday, I expected the place to be rocking but it was muted and it felt like everyone was in a mentality of ''we''re probably gonna lose this game, no point getting behind the team'' sort of way and it really f*cked me off. We needed the place to be rocking because Arsenal don''t like playing in a vibrant and hostile atmosphere and it would have fired our players to make strong challenges and make them go quicker to the ball which could have unsettled Arsenal''s rythym. And all this ''proud to be a Norwich fan to even be alongside Arsenal and to only get a 2-1 defeat  after how far we''ve come'' is also f*cking me off, your proud to be a Norwich fan after a performance and defeat like that? If Arsenal were clinical in front of goal it could have been 4 or 5 and some of those chances came from inept defending on our part which needs to be adressed very quickly. That''s nothing to be proud of. I was proud of the team after the Chelsea and Man United games because we should have won both of them, only poor finishing cost us in those two games. Yesterday, we lacked our competeitive edge that we''ve had this season. Regarding how far we''ve come, yes we''ve come very far and it''s been a miracle but we are where we are on merit and it''s time to stop making this as an excuse for every time we lose a game. Yesterday was an opportunity to give a top side a real battle in front of our home fans but it was merely a stroll in the park for Arsenal in the last half hour. It was too easy at times. [/quote]I don''t think it was a "stroll in the park" for Arsenal at any stage in the game. They beat us because they worked really hard in midfield to close down any attempt by us to pass the ball through the central third. I lost count of the number of times we had promising looking possession but were harried and harrassed so much that the ball ended up going backwards to Ruddy in order to keep possession. That''s not bad play by us, it''s good play by Arsenal.Also, Morison did really well to capitalise on the one real mistake the Arsenal defence made all afternoon, with a genuine Premier League quality goal. Nearly as good as van Persie''s second, in fact.[:)] The fact is, we are now competing on almost level terms with the best teams in the country, and Arsenal had to play really well to beat us. So, in reply to one of the previous posts, why shouldn''t we look back two years to where we were in 2009 (Southampton away 2-2 draw, before you ask), after all Paul Lambert did just that in one of his post-match interviews yesterday. If he can do it, then why can''t we?

[sgncfc 1,330]

[quote user="Yellowbeagle"]Personally, I''m thrilled with our performances. We''ve competed in every game so far and thats not happened for us since around 1994, there is a huge difference since our last time in the PL with Worthy. We have a go at anyone, against teams better than anything we played against last season, sometimes we will come up alittle short thats inevitable.[/quote]

I don''t agree that there is a huge difference since last time in the PL. We started then with some very energetic, heartening performances (Newcastle away, Man Utd away) but made silly individual errors and lost games we should have got points from. We had fantastic spirit (Middlebro home, Bolton home) and fought for our lives other than on the last day against Fulham. This has got "repeat" written all over it unless Lambert and his coaching team respond. If we play every game like we played yesterday we will get relegated - if we play that way against QPR we will lose.

We started the season excusing everything on the basis that two years ago we were in League One and we have played really, really well in many games. It''s just that now we are into the hard slog of the season, our performances in the last 3 games have slipped.

We didn''t concede anything against Man Utd, Chelsea or Liverpool but yesterday against Arsenal we never believed and we never got near to hurting them despite going in front.

[Yellowbeagle 0]

[quote user="sgncfc"]

[quote user="Yellowbeagle"]Personally, I''m thrilled with our performances. We''ve competed in every game so far and thats not happened for us since around 1994, there is a huge difference since our last time in the PL with Worthy. We have a go at anyone, against teams better than anything we played against last season, sometimes we will come up alittle short thats inevitable.[/quote]

I don''t agree that there is a huge difference since last time in the PL. We started then with some very energetic, heartening performances (Newcastle away, Man Utd away) but made silly individual errors and lost games we should have got points from. We had fantastic spirit (Middlebro home, Bolton home) and fought for our lives other than on the last day against Fulham. This has got "repeat" written all over it unless Lambert and his coaching team respond. If we play every game like we played yesterday we will get relegated - if we play that way against QPR we will lose.

We started the season excusing everything on the basis that two years ago we were in League One and we have played really, really well in many games. It''s just that now we are into the hard slog of the season, our performances in the last 3 games have slipped.

We didn''t concede anything against Man Utd, Chelsea or Liverpool but yesterday against Arsenal we never believed and we never got near to hurting them despite going in front.

[/quote]

The game against Man U away in that season we were totally outplayed as well as Liverpool and Arsenal giving us early footballing lessons not to mention a thrashing by mighty Charlton, Newcastle were hardly world beaters (they finshed in the bottom half) that season, it wasnt like a draw at Anfield.

At this same point we hadnt won a game. I''d take this team over that team bar Huckerby and later Dean Ashton everytime. The Middlesborough game was also much later in the season and was not imo representative of the fighting qaulities shown over the season. Not saying Worthy did a bad job and the 2004-05 season did have some great momments especially beating Man U, but we are much more competitive and positive this time imo.

I agree the last three performances have been below par, but thats the level we find ourselves at. Other teams will have and have had a few poor performances on the trot too, thats football. 

[Indy 3,471]

Do you know what, stop having a go at the fans! Some of us go back to 1977 and before, we have witnessed Chase, Delia, we have ridden the highs of Europe, cup wins and top three finish, we have also despaired at 3rd division football.

Today we have more than 26,800 fans going to games, they pay the money, the atmosphere is as good as any ground in the premiership and the players to most tight nit unit I have seen wearing yellow in years and we have the best up and coming manager in the country.

If the fans watch a game and one player is having a bad day, why should they not be critical? If players keep making fundamental errors which cost us points are we not entitled to let off our frustration with them too?

Dear lord some people on here just want everyone to be so positive and just let things go without any criticism, well that will never happen.

I for one see the big picture and appreciate that we have some very good players who are always putting in 100% effort, Martin was stupendous Saturday, he was outstanding, then he did one small mistake, at championship level it would have come to nothing, Saturday it cost us a goal!

Personally I’m enjoying every ball kicked I love the premiership, it’s where I want to be. Arsenal were superb and well worth the win, we did well and you cannot be too critical of our players when our entire squad cost less than Arshavin who didn’t even make the starting 11.

Bottom line is if people want to moan then it’s their prerogative, who are we to say they cant?

[Hannibal 0]

I think its important to not confuse moaning with critique and constructive critisism. I for one express a lot of views to those around me not beacuse my expectations are too high or am disapointed with how far we have come simply because its easier from the stands to sit and have an opinion of whats going on than to sit there in silience. Some managers even prefer to sit in the stands to get a better view. 

My personal opinion which i expressed to those around me right at the kick off was that i think PL got it wrong by not playing a 4-4-2 and especially dropping Bennett. If you look at the teams that have done well against Arsenal this year and in previous seasons its always been teams who have pressed high up the pitch in numbers and made their defense make mistakes (Morrison''s goal prime example) having a lone front man press 4 defenders though is hard and too much to ask in my opinion. Crofts was too Narrow due to him being a central player rather than a winger and it showed in the first period with the time they had on the flanks. Regardless of this i still cheer the team and support them but i like many will have differant views on situatuions and games.

What really annoys me is those people who leave early. i''m not going to name any names but there is one guy lower Barclay D block comes in 5 mins after kick off goes 5 mins before half time come back 5 mins into the second half and leave 5 mins early thats 20 mins per games he misses! that works out at 380 mins this season he will miss he might as well just not turn up for 4 games.

[crabbycanary 2]

City Legends - what is the difference between inept defending and poor finishing?

You slate the team for one, and are proud of them for another

[Chip20 69]

After we played Sunderland some fans were upset with the media perception that we only won because Sunderland were poor. People on here rightly pointed out that was because we made them look poor. Can the same logic not be applied when other teams do the same to us; i.e. we were made to look poor by the way Aresnal played?