Canary On The Wire 0 Posted December 15, 2013 I really don''t understand what some of our fans want.People seem surprised that Swansea had more possession than us, when they are one of the best sides in the league at keeping the ball with one of the highest (if not the highest) pass completion rate. Even when they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Man City at the Etihad, who had more possession? You guessed it. Swansea. (54-46).The 4-4-2 that worked in fits and starts off the ball against West Brom really came into its own here, with us frustrating Swansea time and again as they attempted to break into our final third and limiting them to half chances- and when we broke forwards you always felt we would create a decent chance- and it showed, as for all Swansea''s possession we were a lot more incisive and created more chances. Hooper''s goal- just wow. Fantastic clean half volley, leaving Vorm with no chance. That''s the quality he possesses. I sit in the City Stand, have done since I was a four year old kid (making this my fifteenth year in the morgue....I''m not dead yet....I think) and the fans around me are absolute idiots. Honestly. Ironic cheers when Elmander won the ball, referring to him as a ''donkey that needs to be shot'' when he injured his wrist. Sure, he''s not the most sprightly of players, but he works so hard off the ball and has been responsible for bringing our forward players into the game on many an occasion, he provided the key pass to Hoolahan for Hooper''s Palace goal, and chested it down brilliantly for him to thump home emphatically today. Becchio is really no better than Johan and the way the ball fails to stick up the pitch when Becchio is on is very telling for me. He''s good in the air but not quite so dextrous with his chest/on the ground, something Elmander does very well.The more intelligent among you will be able to see that we had the better of the game today, and Swansea had goal-line clearances to thank for their hard earned away point as Turner and Bassong looked to put the game to bed as well as a Hooper shot which Vorm had to get down well to save. To create more chances than the opposition with far less ball (and those of you who think we could have more possession than Swansea are deluded, as no one usually does) shows Hughton went about this game in exactly the right way, and had Pilks/ Snoddy been fit, would not have had to replace the knackered Redmond with Murphy, who for all the hype just isn''t ready for Premier League football yet in my opinion. That, and the fact that Elmander was also shattered and was replaced like for like with Becchio who simply didn''t do as well on the day, is the unfortunate reality of the injury problems we have, without which I do believe we would have gone on to win the game.As I left the ground, one solitary geezer huffed and puffed his way out the door muttering ''a loada piddlun rubbish....Hoots out! Hoots out!''You''re not a Norwich City fan. Oh dear, oh dear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ricardo 8,016 Posted December 15, 2013 ^^^^^ This.City 16 shots 3 on targetSwansea 10 shots 2 on target.Some people seem to think we should steamroller everyone who comes here. Swansea are a good side and a point was ok today after falling behind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hazza9 0 Posted December 15, 2013 Most of that is very true and I agree with everything apart from the Elmander comments. For one the pass to Hoolahan for Palace goal was an awful shot that luckily found its way to Wes. He doesn''t work hard off the ball... Well apart from his arms when he''s flapping around like a f*cking bird!! Also how hard was it really to chest the ball to Hooper?? The ball was played straight to him and Hooper was standing right in front of him? Agree with everything else though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nexus_Canary 1,206 Posted December 15, 2013 Thought today was a good outing.Positives :Elmander Hooper partnership really bloomingElmander worked his socks off and had a good outing despite the hatersBraders back to his bestHooper is the real deal ! Rv who ?Michael Oliver had a good game ?! WHATNegatives:THAT goal, total mess, have to see the replay to see who was at fault but our defence utterly dropped the ball, litterallyRedmond, greedy and selfish. Cut inside far to much needs to stick out on the wing and help the team. ( Not dissing him hes quality, just the fact he''s 19 really shows some days!)Josh Murphy again a youngster so will let him off, but hes out of his depth at the moment. Send him to the Championship for a year get some game time under his belt.Bass attacking runs, your a defender . Instead of making runs, sit back and be the captain. Unshackle Jonny and Leroy by doing your job!Dyer ankle break, never wish that on anyone ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snake-eyes 13 Posted December 15, 2013 Yes at 19 this makes you a football genius! Don''t call people idiots when you come from such a weak position! To say we had the better of the game is seeing through yellow and green glasses! Shelvey was giving us a midfield lesson in the first half and the injury to Dyer was critical for them. Or did you happen to miss that?Allowing that much possession to the opposition at home is criminal!I did just put something rather condescending here but deleted it.However if you would ever like to meet. for a beer and a proper chat about football then I would enjoy buying you a drink and maybe supplementing your knowledge!Snake Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Green and Yellow fellow 0 Posted December 15, 2013 Swansea have the most highest amount of possession per game in the EPL. That''s normal, get over it guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nexus_Canary 1,206 Posted December 15, 2013 Love or hate it, ACCEPT it.Swansea are damn slick on the ball ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*** 0 Posted December 15, 2013 I thought in the 2nd half we might just nick it, we played ok imo. [Y] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beefy is a legend 224 Posted December 15, 2013 I just can''t get my head around the reaction of some supporters. Redmond seems to be a hero who can do no wrong, despite having virtually no end product. Don''t get me wrong, the lad is 19 and so I don''t expect the end product but that is where the lad is at right now.On the flipside, Elmander is some sort of villain, yet I thought he was impressive today, got an assist for the goal for the second game running and won alot of balls, he''s certainly providing good service to Hooper right now.People really do just see what they want to see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nexus_Canary 1,206 Posted December 15, 2013 [quote user="snake-eyes"]Yes at 19 this makes you a football genius! Don''t call people idiots when you come from such a weak position! To say we had the better of the game is seeing through yellow and green glasses! Shelvey was giving us a midfield lesson in the first half and the injury to Dyer was critical for them. Or did you happen to miss that?Allowing that much possession to the opposition at home is criminal!I did just put something rather condescending here but deleted it.However if you would ever like to meet. for a beer and a proper chat about football then I would enjoy buying you a drink and maybe supplementing your knowledge!Snake[/quote]Love the passive aggressive stance mate. Whats the point ?We all wanted 3 points today and it was a sloppy goal from Swansea. Dyer was really giving us a hard time as was Shelvey, best thing that happened for us was the Dyer injury to be honest.Still we looked good and for the first time in awhile I got the impression we actually wanted to win the game ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nexus_Canary 1,206 Posted December 15, 2013 [quote user="Beefy is a legend"]I just can''t get my head around the reaction of some supporters. Redmond seems to be a hero who can do no wrong, despite having virtually no end product. Don''t get me wrong, the lad is 19 and so I don''t expect the end product but that is where the lad is at right now.On the flipside, Elmander is some sort of villain, yet I thought he was impressive today, got an assist for the goal for the second game running and won alot of balls, he''s certainly providing good service to Hooper right now.People really do just see what they want to see.[/quote]Spot on mate !Beno should be back by January ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0 Posted December 15, 2013 A point is at home to Swansea is a good point.I think the frustrating thing is they were there for the taking. It''s also very frustrating that Hughton doesn''t seem to set us up or make the decisions that give us the best chance possible for three points. Had he done so today I feel we would have comfortabley taken all three points. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canary On The Wire 0 Posted December 15, 2013 Always in Wetherspoons before the game mate, in a green away top from our first Prem season out by the river.Feel free to come see me. Obviously because I''m 19, I can''t spend a lot of my spare time studying football because I''m passionate about the game and develop a good understanding of it, as a by-product of which I do speak strongly with my opinion because I believe in it?No need to be aggressive, that in itself shows an immaturity that I would be ashamed of...at only 19. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 0 Posted December 15, 2013 "I think the frustrating thing is they were there for the taking. It''s also very frustrating that Hughton doesn''t seem to set us up or make the decisions that give us the best chance possible for three points. Had he done so today I feel we would have comfortabley taken all three points."Yup. There''s no winning mentality there. Still playing within ourselves. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbncfc1 0 Posted December 15, 2013 I can''t see why people rate elmander he does nothing for the team imo except being the target man for goal kick,Redmond was poor today alot of passes went astray in first half but probably needs a rest as we have no other winners that''s not really an option But I think the worst thing is playing are best player in nearly every game this season on the left wing he look lost alot of the game and I think we definitely missed him in central midfield today Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ricardo 8,016 Posted December 15, 2013 [quote user="lincoln canary"]A point is at home to Swansea is a good point.I think the frustrating thing is they were there for the taking. It''s also very frustrating that Hughton doesn''t seem to set us up or make the decisions that give us the best chance possible for three points. Had he done so today I feel we would have comfortabley taken all three points.[/quote]Really!I never thought at any stage that they were there for the taking and when we gave them a goal start it looked a very hard task to get anything from the game. Had we scored first we might have won it because they didn''t look like they were full of goals, but they certainly looked very capable of holding on to their lead and it was a real uphill task to get back in the game.We might well have snatched it on second half chances but you don''t get many against a Swansea team that is so good at keeping possession. This is the Premier League and you under estimate teams at your peril. I don''t think you can say anyone is there for the taking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phillip J Fry 0 Posted December 15, 2013 TBH, we played exactly as I expected we would when I heard the team. Playing a 4-4-2 against a 5 man midfield is possible, but it limits you tactically. Norwich probably showed the ''classic'' way of playing a 4-4-2 when outnumbered in the midfield, direct in attacking and deep when defending. Most of Norwich''s good attacks came via an initial long pass into the channels or to Elmander, with the ball usually being played in a more complex manner after the success of the initial pass. The most impressive thing for me was our defending, despite many fans screaming for aimless pressing or chasing, Norwich''s commitment to sitting deep and in an organised shape meant that Swansea struggled to pass through the massed central defence. How many times did Swansea progress up until the final third before having to pass out wide to a midfielder to play a cross (that Ruddy inevitably claimed) or try an incredibly difficult through pass with little room for error? That''s good defending by anyone''s standards. Far from a classic performance by either team, but we had by far the most dangerous chances of the game and could have won. Norwich can (and have) played better. A point was the fair result, with a slight advantage to Norwich in terms of chances. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nicko 0 Posted December 16, 2013 We played poorly in the first 20 minutes but very well after that. I can''t remember Swansea having a sniff after the opening 20 minutes. We limited them to passing pointlessly around the midfield and then caught them on the break - this system seems to work very well for us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Great Mass Debater 1,202 Posted December 16, 2013 That was Bradley Johnson''s best? I thought he stunk up the place. Outmanoeuvred most of the time by more mobile nimbler players, poor decisions and execution passing-wise, again trying passes that are way beyond his pay grade. By no means his worst performance, but looking distinctly out of place in the Premiership as usual for me. Fail to see what he did to merit being ''back to his best'' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of Percy Varco 0 Posted December 16, 2013 [quote user="Phillip J Fry"]The most impressive thing for me was our defending, despite many fans screaming for aimless pressing or chasing, Norwich''s commitment to sitting deep and in an organised shape meant that Swansea struggled to pass through the massed central defence. How many times did Swansea progress up until the final third before having to pass out wide to a midfielder to play a cross (that Ruddy inevitably claimed) or try an incredibly difficult through pass with little room for error? That''s good defending by anyone''s standards. [/quote]Well said Philip. The pathetic panicking and screeching that goes on by some of our fans is just embarrassing. Kick, rush, run around as fast as possible and of course Shoooooooooooooooooooooooooot! No eye for what is actually transpiring in front of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeelansGlove 0 Posted December 16, 2013 OMG I''ve become an inner (for now)I really don''t know what people expected Swansea are one of the best passing sides in the league no question and we were always going to have a problem getting the ball back, with the exception of the goal we gave them I cannot really remember thinking they might score (obviously the Dyer injury didn''t hurt us but even before then we looked comfortable in defence when we were awake)We created good chances and on another day would certainly have won this game.For all those bleating about Fer being ineffective on the left. Two defence splitting passes and a goal in the 2 games he has played there.If only we had another 10 players so ineffective.Really enjoyed the game for the first time in ages thought we deserved to win, play like that for the rest of the season regardless of results and I will be happy.Good work mr H glad to see you have at last seen that playing 2 wingers without a target man is not the answer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
littleyellowbirdie 3,128 Posted December 16, 2013 I didn''t see the game, but the stats broadly tallied up with what I expected with us playing 4-4-2 against a 4-2-3-1, whose game is all about possession. 16 shots against a side like Swansea is respectable. Would be nice to see a better proportion of shots on target. The stats look like we had the edge in terms of creating chances, which is encouraging. Must be honest, disappointed not to get all three as moving into tenth would have been a great psychological boost, but a point''s better than nothing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CJ 0 Posted December 16, 2013 The really dissapointing point is once again we start off like we are nervous hesitant slow and not pressing the opposition. I may be wrong but we just won the last game so should be up for the game and Swansea just got back from International mid week match, yet they started the better.Far too often do we not get going until behind or in second half. Especially at home it is important to get the crowd behind you early on, but once again we concede a sloppy goal early on!The next game is vital and a win against Swansea would have taken so much pressure off the lads. Of course they are a decent side but there are no easy games in this league, and you have to fight for the right to play, I really do not see that in this team at the moment.Individually we have very good players in hooper fer howson ruddy olssen turner redmond but somehow they seem to struggle to combine. Hoolahan seems at least to put some glue in the team and was surprised did not get a look in against Swansea.As others said in past there always only is a plan a with hughton most subs are just like for like and do not give oppo anything to think about Share this post Link to post Share on other sites