Hoolahan.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

Game changed when he went off. A lot of people have been crying out for an upgrade on him but I think he proved again last night his worth to the team. Hooper certainly benefited.

I love to bang on about hoolahan I know, but I think he''s huge for us and deserves a little mention.

[Dubai Mark 0]

Agreed, behind Hooper and Fer, Hoolahan put in a good performance and I thought he worked well with both and I would guess could well start vs Everton . BUT, the game changed for several reasons not simply Hoolahan going off......

[NorthWalesCanary 0]

Hoolahan provided the link between the midfield and attack that we so badly needed in the second half. I think we need someone else who can do this role (possibly Howson can) but Hoolahan will still be an important player next season.

[JF 694]

Still remains the most important player in the squad for me. Without him we are clueless going forward. Should be a real concern for the manager.

[| wolfswinkel | 0]

Wes has been instrumental to us over last few seasons! I wouldn''t want to leave him out, like you say when he went off or goes off as a sub the games always change! :(

[ron obvious 1,495]

Quite simply, we have nobody else capable of doing the things Wes can. Last night it looked like he may even be more influential than ever, with the likes of Fer

playing alongside him.

[Juggy 0]

[quote user="lincoln canary"]Game changed when he went off. A lot of people have been crying out for an upgrade on him but I think he proved again last night his worth to the team. Hooper certainly benefited.

I love to bang on about hoolahan I know, but I think he''s huge for us and deserves a little mention.[/quote]

We should always be looking to ''upgrade'' every part of the pitch. Hoolahan doesn''t have any real competition for that spot. Howson has yet to prove himself capable of performing week in week out.

Van Wolsfswinkel and Hooper are competing for a spot, Redmond and Pilkington are competing for a spot, Martin and Whittaker are competing for a spot, Turner and Bennett are, Johnson and Tettey, Howson and Fer.

The only player who doesn''t have a serious challenger for their place in the first XI is arguably Hoolahan. Some say Butterfield, but I''m not so sure. Competition is healthy. 

[ReadingCanary 0]

[quote user="The New Boy"][quote user="lincoln canary"]Game changed when he went off. A lot of people have been crying out for an upgrade on him but I think he proved again last night his worth to the team. Hooper certainly benefited.

I love to bang on about hoolahan I know, but I think he''s huge for us and deserves a little mention.[/quote]

We should always be looking to ''upgrade'' every part of the pitch. Hoolahan doesn''t have any real competition for that spot. Howson has yet to prove himself capable of performing week in week out.

[/quote]Pretty much this.There''s no one in the team quite like Hoolahan. We really need to find some competition for him.

[CDMullins 436]

[quote user="The New Boy"][quote user="lincoln canary"]Game changed when he went off. A lot of people have been crying out for an upgrade on him but I think he proved again last night his worth to the team. Hooper certainly benefited.

I love to bang on about hoolahan I know, but I think he''s huge for us and deserves a little mention.[/quote]

We should always be looking to ''upgrade'' every part of the pitch. Hoolahan doesn''t have any real competition for that spot. Howson has yet to prove himself capable of performing week in week out.

Van Wolsfswinkel and Hooper are competing for a spot, Redmond and Pilkington are competing for a spot, Martin and Whittaker are competing for a spot, Turner and Bennett are, Johnson and Tettey, Howson and Fer.

The only player who doesn''t have a serious challenger for their place in the first XI is arguably Hoolahan. Some say Butterfield, but I''m not so sure. Competition is healthy. 

[/quote]He hasnt been given the chance to perform that role week in week out either.

[chicken 0]

We don''t just need competition for Hoolahan, we need another player that is going to push him to be even better.

Some people seem to think he is cack, but he isn''t. He really is vital for us. Or at least that position is. I think we have more intelligent players in the team now than we did in our first season in the prem, and by that I mean football intelligent. And I think it will make that role even more important.

I know people have highlighted his lack of goals and assists but I think last season we suffered with a lack of someone like Fer centrally to play better balls to people. I also feel that a player in the hole is likely to get fewer assists than the wingers as well. It''s far harder to play balls into dangerous areas when you are directly behind the striker, rather than being out wide and firing in dangerous crosses.

The only things Hoolahan lacks is height and strength but in some ways if he strengthened up he would loose some of that agility he uses to beat players.

[Joanna Grey 0]

Maybe we don''t need a SS/AM? How about a midfield three of (R to L) Butterfield-Fer-Howson?; all clever players that are good at going forward but can do the defensive stuff as well.

[RvWs 4 year contract 0]

Wes is the only player left from our league one days (unless there''s a player I''ve forgotten about?).

He was one of our most important players then and is still one of our most important players today.

[Hannibal II 0]

Russell Martin was there also

[Mickdundee 0]

When he went off the system changed, so I think it was more about that than wes

[smooth 114]

Hoops is fine,but we cannot rely on just him, we need another addition in that attacking midfield role. Quite simply last season showed the lack of depth in our squad, with no plan b. we need plan b and so someone else to come in would be ideal.

[RvWs 4 year contract 0]

[quote user="Hannibal II"]Russell Martin was there also[/quote]Knew I''d forgotten someone!

[The Great Mass Debater 1,076]

Supporting Norwich over the last 5 years has always involved ''The Hoolahan conundrum''. In league one there was no conundrum in that Lambo find the ideal positiion to utilise him (tip of the diamond), and we were a dominant force in that league, so we could play him behind two strikers. Due to the quality of that league he was also able to provide a direct goal threat.

However, as we have gone up the leagues, w''ve been less able to accommodate Hoolahan without sacrificing elsewhere, and he has become less of a direct threat himself.

Wes has many deficiencies, he cant score from outside the box, he doesnt have much pace. He''s tried his best to add defensive responsibilities to his game (his work rate and positioning is excellent) but he just doesnt have the strength to be effective in this. He generally doesnt head the ball either (I know he scored a header last season).

Despite all of this, as someone said above - the team look clueless without him. Whenever Iv seen us play and he''s not on the pitch the team has looked flat, directionless and out of ideas. Wes makes us tick. We cant afford to be without him despite his weaknesses. Im just hoping that with Fer, maybe we''ll get more out of Howson, and this in turn will make Hoolahan less of a luxury.

First name on the teamsheet for me. He had such a god understanding with Holt though, will be interesting to see how he does without him

[Salopian 1]

What will happen this season depends on CH''s view of things. If we sign Quag or more likely some other striker, as we seem bound to, and given that we have two strikers in RvW and Hooper, are we likely to leave three on the bench or elsewhere and play just one striker?

 

If we play two strikers, which I would expect at home but perhaps not away, where does Wes fit in? He is not a conventional midfielder - he lacks pace to play on the wings, and lacks tackling power to play in the centre. Blackpool and other clubs, including us, struggled to find a place for him. Blackpool, I remember, played him on the wing at least fairly often. Lambert eventually evolved the diamond midfield around Wes, and it worked offensively but not defensively, as it was very narrow.

 

I can see Wes being useful in away games were we may choose to be more defensive, and employ only one striker. Wes thus replaces a striker. We saw dangers in this last season, when Holt was forced to go wide, and there was no one in the centre for Wes to support! If Wes could score a significant number of goals himself, it could work. Otherwise with a single striker we shall again be looking for goals from the midfield.

 

Wes has great gifts, in touch, ball control and dribbling, and vision. He is unique and must be used if possible, but he really only fits in with a single striker and a goal-scoring midfield, which tends to rule out Tettey and Johnson, but this will weaken the defence...........

 

It may be a pleasant experience for CH to have so many good players, with Wes among the best, but it will be the manager''s headache.

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

Wes can''t score from outside the box? Cracking goal against Leicester and this, my favourite City goal that I''ve witnessed:

http://youtu.be/FIkuyEViaf4 (Rubbish quality, and can''t do hyperlinks on my iPad, apologies)

[lake district canary 4,531]

Wes is a player who attracts all kind of polar opposites of opinions.   I have mixed views about his worth to the team.  There was a spell where he just didn''t do anything but run around in ever decreasing circles, just trying to hold on to the ball, instead of one touch and pass, which is sometimes required.  There were other times when he just disappeared from games.  Other times where he wasn''t quite on his game and his control would let him down and we would lose possession too easily.    Generalisations, yes,  but having said all that, he does seem to have developed from where he used to be and more recently - especially under Hughton - he seems more consistent and effective in what he does. 

He still has a role imo and with better players around him, may well flourish even more this season.   It does depend on if anyone else is brought in too. So still an important player for us, but if we get Quagrophenia, or similar, his chances may be limited.

[Wings of a Sparrow 1,402]

Wes is all of those good things mentioned, but only for 50% of the time.

We need an upgrade/competition in order to progress or change the system to provide ammunition for the striker(s).

[LinkNR9 0]

Re the earlier suggestion about Butterfield, he is simply not good enough to replace Wes. Having watched a number of the pre-season games, Butterfield looks Championship level at best.

[CDMullins 436]

[quote user="LinkNR9"]Re the earlier suggestion about Butterfield, he is simply not good enough to replace Wes. Having watched a number of the pre-season games, Butterfield looks Championship level at best.[/quote]Wow, sack him now.By the same rules, how do you think we, as a team will do in the Premier League considering weve been beat by 2 MLS sides and a pub team?

[Dubai Mark 0]

I agree with LDC and having watched last night it is clear how valuable he remains (and I havnt always been his biggest fan to be honest for reasons identified by LDC).........as a squad player.......as we cannot expect him to be effective consistently in every match at this level, better playing less but with better quality when he does play. I agree that the squad is now lacking a player to add competition in this area, most if not all other positions have two in competition meaning that few players will be expected to play every week.This position simply needs another player who can do a similar job to Hoolahan and it has appeared from the transfer speculation that''s just what the club are trying to do.......bring on Quagrophenia (I like that)!  

[Six Pack 91]

[quote user="CDMullins"][quote user="The New Boy"][quote user="lincoln canary"]Game changed when he went off. A lot of people have been crying out for an upgrade on him but I think he proved again last night his worth to the team. Hooper certainly benefited.

I love to bang on about hoolahan I know, but I think he''s huge for us and deserves a little mention.[/quote]

We should always be looking to ''upgrade'' every part of the pitch. Hoolahan doesn''t have any real competition for that spot. Howson has yet to prove himself capable of performing week in week out.

Van Wolsfswinkel and Hooper are competing for a spot, Redmond and Pilkington are competing for a spot, Martin and Whittaker are competing for a spot, Turner and Bennett are, Johnson and Tettey, Howson and Fer.

The only player who doesn''t have a serious challenger for their place in the first XI is arguably Hoolahan. Some say Butterfield, but I''m not so sure. Competition is healthy. 

[/quote]He hasnt been given the chance to perform that role week in week out either.[/quote]

I think we can use quite a number of players in that role behind the striker. We can use a striker, one of the wingers or Howson. However these different options will play the role differently & have a different influence from the way Hoolahan plays the role.

Everybody wants to upgrade on the number 10 role because they think it doesn''t currently produce enough goals. When Hughton wanted to consolidate his defence last year he deployed 2 holding central defenders to protect his central defenders. Sacrificing an attack minded midfielder. To balance his team he sacrificed his second striker & brought in an playmaking midfielder - Hoolahan - (not a number 10 role). The reason why this role is so key to the team is down to the way Hoolahan plays it.

Houghton has gone on record stating Hoolahan is a "big player" to the success of the team. What do you think "big player" means. Does it mean Hoolahan can blast 20 goals a season or he''s so big he can bump multiple people off the ball or every touch is "goal producing touch.

It''s because Hoolahan has the ability to link all his team mates into attack and hold possession of the ball. His game is not only retaining the ball in our half but also in the opposition''s red zone.

People seem to blame Hoolahan whenever the team is short of goals or goal scoring chances. But this isn''t the fault of Hoolahan - it is the fault of those that are suppose to be supporting him & playing beside him. We have seen him the seasons previous, when played the correct way the team has scored truck loads of goals.

I think Hoolahan''s record in the premiership & particularly against the top 6 teams speaks for itself.

Howson has a good game on him but the reason why he hasn''t been given the opportunity in the role behind the striker is simply Houghton decided after what he has seen, to go for proven skills & quality of Hoolahan.

If Hughton decided on a more direct approach he could call on quite a few players. But in the end, it is hardly any use all these direct players/ goal poachers when the opposition has got the ball & we are chasing shadows.

Yes I agree we need to progress the club by upgrading players but why upgrade just for the sake of upgrading. We happen to have a couple of players that can''t be upgraded, meaning those better are at top 4 clubs - for what he does - one of those is Hoolahan.

[The Great Mass Debater 1,076]

"Wes has great gifts, in touch, ball control and dribbling, and vision. He is unique and must be used if possible, but he really only fits in with a single striker and a goal-scoring midfield, which tends to rule out Tettey and Johnson, but this will weaken the defence..........."

I think Fer could be the key to this problem. Its all about Fer...

[paul moy 235]

[quote user="lincoln canary"]Game changed when he went off. A lot of people have been crying out for an upgrade on him but I think he proved again last night his worth to the team. Hooper certainly benefited.

I love to bang on about hoolahan I know, but I think he''s huge for us and deserves a little mention.[/quote]He was probably the best signing Glenn Roeder ever made in his short managerial career and a really key man in our squad and I''ve always felt that way.  We would be lost without him.   

[LinkNR9 0]

[quote user="CDMullins"][quote user="LinkNR9"]Re the earlier suggestion about Butterfield, he is simply not good enough to replace Wes. Having watched a number of the pre-season games, Butterfield looks Championship level at best.[/quote]

Wow, sack him now.

By the same rules, how do you think we, as a team will do in the Premier League considering weve been beat by 2 MLS sides and a pub team?
[/quote]

Perhaps I should have added "As well as every game Butterfield has played for us at Carrow Road", but I assumed that was obvious. 

He''s been very average for us and he has not improved in the pre-season games; it''s my guess that I won''t have to "sack him", I think he''ll be shown the door again in a few weeks'' time, either another loan or permanently. 

As for the team, the OP was right in my opinion, we could struggle if we don''t have someone who can stand in for Wes.    

[Crispy 4]

It was more the formation change than the loss of Hoolahan last night.

We went 442 and suddenly our players looked uncomfortable and the opposition has so much space in the midfield.

Had Howson or Butterfield played in Hoolahans position and same changes been made at half time the same situation would have occurred.

[CDMullins 436]

[quote user="LinkNR9"]

[quote user="CDMullins"][quote user="LinkNR9"]Re the earlier suggestion about Butterfield, he is simply not good enough to replace Wes. Having watched a number of the pre-season games, Butterfield looks Championship level at best.[/quote]Wow, sack him now.By the same rules, how do you think we, as a team will do in the Premier League considering weve been beat by 2 MLS sides and a pub team?[/quote]

Perhaps I should have added "As well as every game Butterfield has played for us at Carrow Road", but I assumed that was obvious. 

He''s been very average for us and he has not improved in the pre-season games; it''s my guess that I won''t have to "sack him", I think he''ll be shown the door again in a few weeks'' time, either another loan or permanently. 

As for the team, the OP was right in my opinion, we could struggle if we don''t have someone who can stand in for Wes.    

[/quote]So your basing it on 2 League Cup games and 3 Pre-season games? A young lad who has come with bags of potential after a long and serious injury? Glad your not involved in player development. Also,  I guess your giving RVW9 2 more games aswell?

We hardly set up our team around Wes last year and did fine.