Canary02 IV 0 Posted January 19, 2013 Howson seems to swing between brilliant and anonymous. He''s got all the technical skills you need to e a top player though. Great passer, good tackler, comfortable on the ball, decent engine. I disagree with his assessment that his best position is off the striker though. He''s a decent all round centre midfielder. I think he''d have had a ball on the right side of a Lambert diamond.In the system that we have now, and seemingly will for the next however many years Hughton is in charge, I think he''s better in one of the holding roles than the Triquestra. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rudolph Hucker 0 Posted January 19, 2013 I don''t think I''ve criticised any players. I think they were poorly prepared and setup to fail. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Six Pack 92 Posted January 20, 2013 Howson''s best position is central midfield where he played some decent games for us at the tail end of last season. As his defence/ ball winning skills are not as strong as Tettey & BJ - Howson fans & probably Howson himself want to be put into a different position where he can get games. He is not really a "in the hole - off the striker" player nor is he a winger or a sweeper. He can''t be blamed for the shambles of today however as he was asked to play that advance midfield role. The position is not as simple as being an extra striker (to attack) or extra midfielder (compete/defend) where the situation demands. The position requirements are to get possession of the ball and link, setting up the team to keep possession of the ball via holding onto the ball and passing, gradually advancing & building attacks. This is difficult against quality opposition. Our midfield was overrun so can we expect this from Howson ? Hoolahan does this, he takes his time waiting for gaps to open - it can be tedious watching & waiting - but normally he will break the opposition down. But Howson has been played out of position by Hughton so we can''t blame him for the result. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nutty nigel 7,513 Posted January 20, 2013 We''ve got Jason Jarrett and Glen Roeder out the box to throw around now... I''m gonna find John Hartson and Alan Black... At least they''d win a tug-o-war. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZLF 271 Posted January 20, 2013 Th problem is he is a central midfielder yet he has not shone when either being asked to play as a holding midfielder (see how performances improved when tettey replaced him) or in a more attacking role.If neither of those are his best position I dont see what position he has? For me a good squad cover player but we have far better starting options in all his possible positions - moving with a swagger is simply not enough. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Butler 0 Posted January 20, 2013 It''s the Leeds threeYou can play combinations of them but not all three together it seems.Two play well, three revert to third division standard.Would be interested,if anyone has the stats, as to the outcome of games when they have started together for Norwich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZLF 271 Posted January 20, 2013 I wish you had not posed the question - the stats are even grimmer reading than expectedHowson stats, for games he has started, areStarted 11Won 1Drawn 3Lost 7Scored 10Conceded 30In all but one of these both snodgrass and johnson also started, the exception being the west ham game where he came in for johnson.That is pretty damning. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Butler 0 Posted January 20, 2013 [quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]I wish you had not posed the question - the stats are even grimmer reading than expected Howson stats, for games he has started, are Started 11 Won 1 Drawn 3 Lost 7 Scored 10 Conceded 30 In all but one of these both snodgrass and johnson also started, the exception being the west ham game where he came in for johnson. That is pretty damning.[/quote]Thanks Zipper.I am "glad" that my gut feeling looks right.I wonder if our management team have noticed[;)] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZLF 271 Posted January 20, 2013 A 63% lose rate is management sacking in any league - gaining 18% of available points impossible.well hopefully it will come to the attention of the management team and we wont make the mistake of starting howson again this season in the prem - against Luton maybe! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWC 239 Posted January 20, 2013 Although Howson did not have a good game yesterday, some of the criticism is a little unfair. True he did not get stuck in maybe as often as us fans would like, but he always tried to create and didn''t seem to hide in the game like some others.Maybe we just have to appreciate that Howson, Tettey and Johnson are not as good as Lucas, Henderson and Gerrard. The battle was lost there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stig 0 Posted January 20, 2013 Why is it Howson that is singled out for those stats? Who else started those games and contributed to the loss!!?! I know I rate Howson and that is based on the games he has played well in, Ruddy and Morison and countless other players had this kind of thing thrown at them when they didn''t do well. Does blaming one player for the teams shite performance make you all feel better????Try not to boo him when you''re all next at Carrow Road... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nutty nigel 7,513 Posted January 20, 2013 [quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]A 63% lose rate is management sacking in any league - gaining 18% of available points impossible. well hopefully it will come to the attention of the management team and we wont make the mistake of starting howson again this season in the prem - against Luton maybe![/quote] Too simplistic Zip. I''d want to know what happened while they were on the pitch together. I reckon the stats are just as bad for Howson/Johnson combination as for Howson/Johnson/Snodgrass. I believe this was picked up on last season too. That tells you a different story and rather points the finger at Howson. I bet if you look up the stats for when Ryan Bennett plays they''d be as bad if not worse. This for me puts a huge question mark over Lambert''s signings last January. We spent a lot of money but did we buy better than we already had. I know they''re young players but IMO neither has laid down a marker yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites