Away Win?

[Clint 221]

Don''t get me wrong, a point at Reading isn''t a bad result but yet again they looked like a team that was there for the taking - on the day, they were dreadful.To a man, our starting 11 were fairly poor yesterday, some even worse than this so why did Hughton not make any changes?We didn''t need to change the formation or the solid disciplined approach but a change in personnel certainly could have improved things because going forward, we were dire.  The 2 wingers were dreadful and although Hoolahan again looked like the most creative player, he didn''t have a great match by any means and never really trouble Reading''s defence.  Basically, it just wasn''t working.So why not change it?  Bennett (should have been on much earlier) and Jackson would have offered something different - pace.  Hughton did his usual Morison on for Holt with 5 mins left, which to my mind, makes us even less of an attacking force.  Hughton was also, noticeably, telling our players to slow the game down with 10 mins or so to go.I was sitting with some Reading fans who suggested that we came and parked the bus, well if we go to Reading and play for a draw, where are we ever going to go and try and win?I appreciate we got what may turn out to be a fairly decent result and if that''s how we need to play to stay up this year, then so be it.  I won''t be going to any more away games though!

[Beauseant 0]

I agree that we were poor, but that was partly down to how hard Reading worked in midfield to neutralise us. As a result Wes was ineffective and I agree about the wingers.

Where I disagree is over the question of Reading being there for the taking. While they lacked a cutting edge they were strong at the back and decent in midfield, and it''s worth remembering that they held an excellent Fulham side in their last home game.

I think Hughton was right not to change earlier. The game was so tight that a change could have worked either way. It was pragmatic whereas Lambert might have gambled, but it meant we got a point. It may lack a certain flair but we''re playing grown up football this season.

[BroadstairsR 2,227]

I wouldn''t discount Reading so easily either, and was happy with a draw.

 

I was actually a bit fearful when the substitutions were made as we were holding them quite well and looked the more likely. If at any time in the second half we had gone one nil down, then I would have made wholesale substitutions though. Fair play to the back four, but none of the others were game-grabbers on the day.

 

I like your point about Morison for Holt, although at one time when the crosses started raining on Reading, Morro may have been useful alongside GH. 

[Jack Flash 13]

Watching the extended highlights on Football First, we did have 2 or 3 clear openings, 2 for Holt and 1 for Snoddy and if 1 of those had gone in, we would be celebrating a merited win. And thats on the back of an ability we now have to defend at this level, which was missing all of last season. A sequence of WDWD is pretty good in the PL and 3 out of 4 clean sheets - Cloughy always said you get your defence right first then you can plan for success. Keep it up CH, so far so good in avoiding the dreaded second season syndrome.

[I am a Banana 0]

If we win 10  games and draw 10  we stay up. Simples.

So win our homes, draw our aways...we will be there or ther abouts of mid table in May.

[Gingerpele 0]

You think 40 points gets you mid table?

The highest 40 points would place you in the last 5 years is 14th, then 15th and the rest just above the relegation zone...

[I am a Banana 0]

[quote user="Gingerpele"]You think 40 points gets you mid table? The highest 40 points would place you in the last 5 years is 14th, then 15th and the rest just above the relegation zone...[/quote]

Most norwich fans would be happy with a 17th place finish with 40 points. and really anything about the relegation zone could be classed as mid-table as the team has avoided relegation.

[Gingerpele 0]

Mid table is classed as mid table. 8th-12th is Mid table, you could push it a bit further say 7th-13th/14th at the most. 17th place is not mid table.

[I am a Banana 0]

There are 2 ends of the table, Euro places is the top end, relegation is the bottom end. the rest is the middle.....Mid table. [:)]

[lake district canary 0]

If we keep playing like we are we will win the occasional away match, perhaps more.   A strong and mean  defence means that the chances we do create at the other end have more meaning.   That is why the misses hurt more.    If you''re losing 1 or 2 nil a missed chance is just another missed chance that mean we are going to lose a match.     Yesterday those missed chances meant more because they would have meant three points.  

If people are disappointed at a 0-0 away from home - I despair.  There is always room for improvement, but it is the next best thing to an away win.  A clean sheet means you are not going to lose the match.  Away from home that is priceless.    I was more pleased about yesterday''s result than the 1-1 at AV.    I don''t think we attacked any better than the AV match, but we could still have won by scoring just one goal.  

[Highland Canary 76]

I think Hughton should have been more positive - certainly in the last half an hour. Reading were there for the taking. I worry if we go with just one up front against Sunderland and Wigan we''ll need 6 points from those two games. Can''t see points anywhere else this year.

[Yorkshire Canary 118]

Why all the negativity? If anyone had said a few weeks ago we would have 8 points from that last 4 games and only let in 1 goal i would have ripped their arm off and add to that quarter final of the cup. We have become a hard side to beat and we should be grateful for where we are and the prospect of kicking on. If we play the rest of the season like the last 4 games we will be lower mid table and staying in this league again. Any point away is a good one in this league

[Jacko 0]

The one slight criticism I do have of Chris Hughton is that I don''t think he is a proactive enough with his substitutions at times. I felt changes needed to be made yesterday and should have been made relatively early. Despite Norwich having the luxury of a 5 man midfield against the 4 of Reading. Reading enjoyed 58% of the possession in the first half.

For me that is a sign that something was going seriously wrong because Reading are not a technically superior side to us. I felt after about the 55-60 minute mark when it was fairly evident things weren''t improving changes should have been made.

I am delighted about the measured and sensible way we are going about our business this year. The results speak for themselves. We are 5 points clear of relegation after 11 games and in the quarter finals of a cup for the first time in 16 years. Hughton has done exceptionally well to impose his ideas on the players in a relatively short space of time since his appointment. But there is still room for improvement and I don''t think it is unduly negative or offensive to say that.

[BroadstairsR 2,227]

[quote user="Highland Canary"]I think Hughton should have been more positive - certainly in the last half an hour. Reading were there for the taking. I worry if we go with just one up front against Sunderland and Wigan we''ll need 6 points from those two games. Can''t see points anywhere else this year.[/quote]

 

 

Flippin'' hell Highland, stop beating yourself with your own spurtle. We are quickly gaining the reputation of a tough nut to crack and the last five Premiership sides we have played have found this out.

 

I am delighted with the way things have turned out lately, from despair to mild elation for me. If we keep it up then we will drag points from all sorts of unexpeted corners. If it bores, like yesterday, then let it. The ''fancy dan'' stuff can come if we get through this season. 

 

 

[Beauseant 0]

[quote user="BroadstairsR"]

[quote user="Highland Canary"]I think Hughton should have been more positive - certainly in the last half an hour. Reading were there for the taking. I worry if we go with just one up front against Sunderland and Wigan we''ll need 6 points from those two games. Can''t see points anywhere else this year.[/quote]

 

 

Flippin'' hell Highland, stop beating yourself with your own spurtle. We are quickly gaining the reputation of a tough nut to crack and the last five Premiership sides we have played have found this out.

 

I am delighted with the way things have turned out lately, from despair to mild elation for me. If we keep it up then we will drag points from all sorts of unexpeted corners. If it bores, like yesterday, then let it. The ''fancy dan'' stuff can come if we get through this season. 

 

 

[/quote]

 

Michael Bailey reported a cracking quote from a fellow journo on Twitter just after the game " Norwich City are now a pig to play against". Music to my ears!

[Jacko 0]

This is very true Beauseant and why I can still take a lot of heart from yesterday. We did not play well (for reasons I felt above) and the vast majority of the team were some way below par. Yet we picked up an away point, a clean sheet and manufactured the best chance to score which you would normally expect Holt to take.

[Smudgers cpsmm 0]

We may just get an away win at Southampton if we are lucky.  If not then we could be in for one hell of a long wait.

[Webbo118 0]

[quote user="I am a Banana"]

If we win 10  games and draw 10  we stay up. Simples.

So win our homes, draw our aways...we will be there or ther abouts of mid table in May.

[/quote]

I think if we win our homes and draw our aways we''ll find ourselves in the Champions League.

[shefcanary 2,503]

It could be that now we are "a pig to play against", that other teams will have to try and do something different to beat us, rather than play to their own strengths as Reading tried to.  Now that means they will have to experiment and use a Plan B.  And as we know, Plan B doesn''t always work - the players may be unfamiliar with it, mistakes will happen.  This might just allow us to then play more to our attacking strengths and thus get the goals we want. 

 

Certainly ManUre may well come thinking all they have to do is play their normal game, but what if that isn''t good enough.  Uusually they will have a Plan B.  But would Southampton - I think not.  Unlike Reading & McDermott, if Adkins sees his side still 0-0 with 25 minutes to go, I can see him making substitutions to try and stir things up to force a much needed win from a must win game, but I just don''t think he has the squad like ManUre to conjure up and 80th minute plus winner..  This might just unlock Hoolahan and others from their shackles to get something on the break as Soton clumsily force the issue. 

 

A first away win might not be that far away, but a lot will depend upon the opposition also trying to go for it.  However it is all a bit of a chess game and could well be frustrating to watch, as Saturday was.

[Salopian 1]

CH has admitted that it is difficult to get a balance between between defence and attack, and that he is now turning to promoting the latter. Faced with a high-scoring and high-conceding team like Reading, who were playing at home and bursting to get their first win, he probably opted for safety. A nil-nil draw would be better than  a 5-3 defeat, especially as our attack has not been firing on all cylinders, to put it mildly.

 

On top of this, Reading had clearly decided that if you can neutralise Wes our attacking creativity virtually disappears. They were right - their tactical plan was on the mark.

 

Finally other attacking outlets were muted - wingers out of form or not quick enough to do defensive duties and also mount attacks, and even other midfielders subdued.

 

In the circumstances a goal-less draw was not a bad achievement. I hope that CH can elicit more next Saturday, or our bad GD may get worse!