Match thread

[Gingerpele 0]

Nothing positive other than clean sheet, which if you''re being cynical you could say was helped a lot by a poor Newcastle attack today.

Set pieces were terrible, when you have a chance to win the game in the 92nd minute, how on earth can you put in a FK like that Mr.Pilks?

We had more than enough GOOD chances to win that game, and even more good chances to get the ball into dangerous areas. I''m normally very positive, but today i''m afraid I just feel very let down. Newcastle have been pretty poor away from home, and we couldn''t take advantage despite clearly being the superior team. But we weren''t superior enough, which is disappointing.

[Mervmeister 18]

Only 7pts from safety now. Sme tough games coming up too. Could easily be draged right back into this.

[Redders Right Foot 22]

Today underlined the need for us to get hooper and or Graham.

[Mr Angry 1,571]

[quote user="Mervmeister"]Only 7pts from safety now. Sme tough games coming up too. Could easily be draged right back into this.[/quote]

Same as before the game started then?

[Stig 0]

Let''s get this clear, the performance was terrible. Yet again we''ve gifted a point to a team that really needed it. Yet again we never, ever looked like scoring. Yet again subs were left late. Yet again we give the ball away all day long. Yet again we don''t try putting two upfront, Holt and Jackson? Why not?

Somethings gotta change soon.

[Farkes The Herald Angels 0]

The positives? Bunn''s first half save. Turner generally. Martin hitting the post. Holt and Bennett coming on and with them some urgency. The negatives. I thought Tetty had a dreadful game and kept giving the ball away. He also slows things down and passes like a crab. Pilkington was truly awful - I cannot remember a reasonable cross. Snodgrass played OK, but his corners and crossing were not much better. Jackson simply is not strong or tricky enough, albeit the service was pants. Russ got turned inside out by Gutierez in the first half, but got better (plus his post-hitting effort). Bassong should stop messing around when the ball is in our penalty area (re first 30 minutes). Johnson seemed to do OK. Hoolahan couldn''t really get in to game and Garrido seemed generally OK.

Next week I think Bennett, Holt and Fox should start: no Jackson, Pilkington and Tettey.

Terrible game, but at least the losing streak is over and we didn''t concede.

[norfolkbroadslim 223]

[quote user="Resident Canary Stig"]Let''s get this clear, the performance was terrible. Yet again we''ve gifted a point to a team that really needed it. Yet again we never, ever looked like scoring. Yet again subs were left late. Yet again we give the ball away all day long. Yet again we don''t try putting two upfront, Holt and Jackson? Why not? Somethings gotta change soon.[/quote]

 

[Y]

[City penguin 0]

Yet again we grind out a result though. Get someone in like Graham or Hooper we will be mid table comfortably. Newcastle have some real class and for us to play that bad and still easily get a draw shows how far we have come. If we had lambert i feel we would of lost today,

[yoda 0]

This team is struggling so why doesn''t Hughton shake it up ? What''s the point of subs if you don''t use them ?

[Gingerpele 0]

What we are severely lacking, and i''m fairly sure I pretty much denied this when talking with Purple on here a day or so ago, is another option for Hoolahan.

Hoolahan was well below par, was getting the ball in the final third and just didn''t look like he knew what to do. But Hughton didn''t want to bring Holt on for him, or Bennett on for him. Maybe if Howson were fit he''d have brought him on. But thats it, Hughton doesn''t have much faith in many of our back up players, thats worrying.

[Jules 0]

What a frustrating game. On the plus side Newcastle didn''t have so much of a sniff, although it must be said they are a poor side. Nice to keep a clean sheet though.  We kept the ball well for the most part. On the negative side our crossing from open play and set pieces was horrendous. Such a lack of quality! We either couldn''t clear the first man or we put the ball way too close for Krul. Newcastle were there for the taking today so it''s a definite 2 points dropped.

[Gingerpele 0]

Stig, I thought we did look like scoring, on many occasions. We just didn''t.

Pilks and Holts chances in the last few mins for examples, on another day both would have gone in. Perhaps both should have gone in today. They can both score from the situations they were put in, they haven''t forgotten how to, they just messed it up today.

I''m mostly disappointed because we do have the ability but we failed to use it properly.

[Costa.canary 0]

That was real garbage, snodgrass and tettey and holahan could not put a pass right all day, we were lucky that Newcastle didn''t want to win either.

[Stig 0]

Kane can play in the CAM role at a push... I''d have tried it because fuck all else was working.

[John 0]

So frustrating seeing heavy mishit passes going astray, crosses, set pieces and whatnot ever failing to beat the first man time and time again, and the general quality of distribution in the final third altogether unrelentingly abysmal... And still no Fox. After the odd dozen lead hammered passes from Tettey, one starts to wonder what could have been done were it Fox''s feet behind the ball? And if today doesn''t serve as a desperate cry for the proficient passing of Fox, on what account would he ever start a game under Hughton?By no means is it definitively so, but one would assume Fox''s distribution would have stuck out like a sore thumb today. Never did i think i''d see the day in the Premier League where the passing of Bradley Johnson''s passing would stand head and shoulders above all other competitors on the Carrow Road pitch.

[AJ 1,232]

I agree ginge, why on Earth did Hoots keep Hoolahoop on?! Worst game I think I''ve ever seen him play for us, constantly gave the ball away, took too long on the ball etc. etc. I think he missed Holt up top but that''s not enough to defend a poor performance.

I''d have taken him off and stuck Benno on, go for the win. Newcastle weren''t troubling us really, so why not take the game to them? We''re at home for gods sake. If this was the reverse fixture I''d feel happy settling for a point, but at home, we needed three points today

[PurpleCanary 5,587]

[quote user="Gingerpele"]What we are severely lacking, and i''m fairly sure I pretty much denied this when talking with Purple on here a day or so ago, is another option for Hoolahan. Hoolahan was well below par, was getting the ball in the final third and just didn''t look like he knew what to do. But Hughton didn''t want to bring Holt on for him, or Bennett on for him. Maybe if Howson were fit he''d have brought him on. But thats it, Hughton doesn''t have much faith in many of our back up players, thats worrying.[/quote]

 

[:D][:D][:D]

[Stig 0]

GP, thats pretty much what I mean - they should and could have been goals, sure. But every bugger on our team sucks at finishing at the moment. I don''t even get excited if we go close now ''cos 9 times out of 10 it''ll come to nothing. Honestly, go back to last season and watch some goals and you''ll think... Where has that last touch gone? Just a goal that gets banged in from distance and open play. I''m not a fan of this lacklustre football at the moment and really hope it''s a placeholder til Hughton gets the heads he needs to play differently.

[norfolkbroadslim 223]

Fox was on the bench! I think Hughton kept him there because his jokes were cheering everyone up while watching the worst passing from a Norwich team anyone could remember.

[norfolkbroadslim 223]

Tettey was the worst midfielder out there.  His passing was the worst, he slowed everything down and made it look all disjointed!!!

[AJ 1,232]

Arguably Hoolahan was worst than Tettey, who still did more than his fair share of breaking up play and passing it around the back. But yes, going forward his passing was badly over hit on numerous occasions.

As for Hoolahoop, dreadful. Taking way too long on the ball, should have scored, gave the ball away far too many times, often in really dangerous positions instead of playing it simple and clearing it. Sometimes he does too much, sometimes the simple pass or through ball would have been better. Just an off day though I''m sure, I hope.

[BroadstairsR 2,215]

Not the best of days today, but please folks let''s not go OTT.

 

Some of the absolute faourites a few weeks back, like Hooli. and Tettey are suddenly being pilloried in an outbreak of rampant fickleness.

 

Three points (not literally) I, personally, gleaned from today:-

 

(1) Bunn''s display was faultless and he made one brilliant save to boot. I am now a bit more confident with him ''til Ruddy recovers.  

(2) Poor old Jacko is just not upto it in any way shape or form at Premiership level. Some decent movement and effort but he''s a minimal threat. Incidentally, do they have off-side in Canadian football? He seems clueless about this rule.

(3) Get that extra striker ASAP Hoots. Although we were quite lot better when Holt came on, IMO, we cannot rely on this one man consistently at his age and at this level.

 

Still, another point towards that magic figure, whatever it is.  

[thenorthstand 0]

Hughts says:

"Our final ball and our delivery from set-plays let us down. On the balance of play we were the better team but you have to score goals and we weren''t able to do that. Certainly, in the end, it was not a bad point."

[AJ 1,232]

I''ll bite on number two, in the second half the pass from Johnson that set Jackson away towards goal, he actually looked to be onside. Or at least it was very close. One chance could have made the difference, sadly he didn''t get one today.

[BroadstairsR 2,215]

[quote user="AJ"]I''ll bite on number two, in the second half the pass from Johnson that set Jackson away towards goal, he actually looked to be onside. Or at least it was very close. One chance could have made the difference, sadly he didn''t get one today.[/quote]

 

Fair enough, that was tight but even without the ruling I, personally, would have not expected Jacko to have had enough composure to round the ''keeper and actually score.

[Gingerpele 0]

The biggest problem for Jackson (in my opinion) is that we don''t play to his strengths.. he''s never going to work playing up top on his own while we play like we do.

If we accept we aren''t focusing on his strengths and play two up top then he can be useful.

[Highland Canary 76]

I fear a huge amount of complacency on this board.

Newcastle were there for the taking today. A team below us. A team with seven defeats in a row away from home. A team with a number of injuries.

It''s too negative to play one up front. Jackson on his own up front was never likely to work against Necastle''s defence. We seem unable to change plan or tactics either before or during a game.

The error of not strengthening our striking options over the Summer looks all the greater week on week. One can only hope that Hughton and McNally appreciate the predicament we find ourselves in. One point from 15 soon to become one point from 21. Then the relegation six pointer against QPR.