What if we draw saturday?

[Hannibal II 0]

How ever you look at it not beating a newly promoted side at home should always be seen as a bad result.

[Surfer 1,547]

He''s obviously on very thin ice, probably depends on the crowd reaction. IMO if it''s a 0 - 0 draw, he''s gone, If it''s 3-3 he''ll stay. Any kind of loss - gone, but a flukey 1-0 win like Crystal Palace, could again depend on the crowd reaction.... also will he play Pilkington, or put him and Redmond on the bench and play the arguably more defensive Gutierrez and Snodgrass?

[Surfer 1,547]

I think he''ll play cautious, preferring a more solid defensive shape (at least in his mind) then aim to put a lot of crosses into the box when building our attacks / go direct over the middle to RvW on the counter when Hull attack us.

Ruddy

Whittacker Bennet Bassong Olsson

Snodgrass Johnson Fer Gutierrez

Elmander Hooper

Subs : Bunn, Martin, Redmond, Pilkington, RvW

I''d rather see something with more pace and skill in attack..

Ruddy

Martin Bennet Bassong Olsson

Redmond Johnson Fer Pilkington

Hoolahan

RvW

Subs : Bunn, Whittacker Snodgrass, Hooper, Elmander

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]What a conundrum this is. Say we play poorly, win and find ourselves closer to the top half than the bottom three, then the many will say the performance wasn''t good enough. We were boring, and don''t concentrate on the league table because it''s about being entertained. However should we play really well but don''t win and end up closer to the bottom three of even in it the a lot of the same many will then say it''s not about performances it''s about league position and points.

I reckon we have to win. And I don''t care how we get that win. A loss or even a draw would probably be enough to see the manager sacked. But it''s what happens next that''s the tricky bit. This anybody would be better argument just doesn''t bear scrutiny.

[/quote]

This one hundred times over.   We as fans are as fickle as it gets.   And we don''t know what we''re talking about most of the time (me included).  All we do is act emotionally when it concerns our football club.   If fans were shouting Malky''s name on Tuesday - I find that quite bizarre.   Hughton has had no credit from some quarters since he got to Norwich. No good result or anything  good that has happened in the last two seasons has been attributed to him.  Anything bad that happens though is.   As I say its emotional reaction - all the time - no sense in it at all. 

If we draw on Saturday, it is a point towards safety.  We fight on, picking up points when we can, get over the line, then re-assess in the Summer - when emotions are a little less fraught.   

[MancCanary 0]

[quote user="Empty Mirror"]I can''t understand McNally''s suggestion that CH stays as long as we''re out of the bottom 3.

With our run in, we need to be well clear of the bottom 3 by the time we go into the last five games. If we''re two points above the relegation zone with five to play then, realistically, we''re going down. The whole point is that we need to be putting on the points and getting well clear of the bottom 3 now, and we''re not doing that.[/quote]

That''s because he didn''t say that. The print version of the interview is mis-leading. Listen to the recording.

He said that when we slipped into the bottom 3 in October, he told Hughton his brief was to get us out of it and get further up the table. He was talking about a particular time (from october), he didn''t mean as long as we are even 1 point off the bottom 3 then that''s ok. I take him to mean that Hughton is gone as soon as/if we end up back in the bottom 3.

[MancCanary 0]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

What a conundrum this is. Say we play poorly, win and find ourselves closer to the top half than the bottom three, then the many will say the performance wasn''t good enough. We were boring, and don''t concentrate on the league table because it''s about being entertained. However should we play really well but don''t win and end up closer to the bottom three of even in it the a lot of the same many will then say it''s not about performances it''s about league position and points.

 

I reckon we have to win. And I don''t care how we get that win. A loss or even a draw would probably be enough to see the manager sacked. But it''s what happens next that''s the tricky bit. This anybody would be better argument just doesn''t bear scrutiny.

 

 

 

 

[/quote]

Well said. It''s incredibly complex isn''t it? Far more so than most people realise.

[Salopian 1]

I hope not, unless the performance is much improved on the recent dross. I suppose that the club will offer the prospect of a bright future now that Tettey and Pilks are fit again, and we have a new signing.

Against this is a failure to beat another struggling side at home. This has to be the most important game of the season for Hughton, and if he fails to motivate and show good tactics, then there is little hope left.

[......and Smith must score. 1,343]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

What a conundrum this is. Say we play poorly, win and find ourselves closer to the top half than the bottom three, then the many will say the performance wasn''t good enough. We were boring, and don''t concentrate on the league table because it''s about being entertained. However should we play really well but don''t win and end up closer to the bottom three of even in it the a lot of the same many will then say it''s not about performances it''s about league position and points.

 

I reckon we have to win. And I don''t care how we get that win. A loss or even a draw would probably be enough to see the manager sacked. But it''s what happens next that''s the tricky bit. This anybody would be better argument just doesn''t bear scrutiny.

 

[/quote]Certainly is a conundrum Nutty but of the Club''s making. If we''re paying people like Messrs Hughton and McNally seven figure salaries then it''s hardly unreasonable to have expected this situation not to have arisen in the first place.   I agree that we really have to win. It probably won''t be pretty to watch but nothing less than three points will do. Even then we''ll merely lurch onto the next '' must win '' game. Problem is we need a sea-change in the way we play. While swapping manager mid-stream often fails to see improvement if we''re to go down anyway under Hughton we''ve nothing to lose by doing so, apart from the odd couple of million in pay-offs.

[MancCanary 0]

[quote user="Chirping Canary"]If we draw, and end up in the bottom three, he''ll be gone.

I don''t understand McNally justifying his position saying we''re "only 3 points off 10th". Because quite frankly it that makes it even more worrying and desperate to get the wins in and create more daylight. Fed up of negativity.[/quote]

Er, yeah.. this makes no sense whatsoever. You''re blaming McNally for you somehow taking something negative from him simply saying "We''re only 3 points off 10th"? You can''t blame McNally for things you have interpreted yourself.

Bl**dy "negativity" is the buzzword with NCFC fans these days, and gets over-used, in places where it should not. As far as I''m concerned the only things that word can be used to describe are the coaching mindset and the feeling amongst the fans. Tell me how McNally is negative exactly?

[nutty nigel 7,536]

[quote user="......and Smith must score."][quote user="nutty nigel"]

What a conundrum this is. Say we play poorly, win and find ourselves closer to the top half than the bottom three, then the many will say the performance wasn''t good enough. We were boring, and don''t concentrate on the league table because it''s about being entertained. However should we play really well but don''t win and end up closer to the bottom three of even in it the a lot of the same many will then say it''s not about performances it''s about league position and points.

 

I reckon we have to win. And I don''t care how we get that win. A loss or even a draw would probably be enough to see the manager sacked. But it''s what happens next that''s the tricky bit. This anybody would be better argument just doesn''t bear scrutiny.

 

[/quote]Certainly is a conundrum Nutty but of the Club''s making. If we''re paying people like Messrs Hughton and McNally seven figure salaries then it''s hardly unreasonable to have expected this situation not to have arisen in the first place.   I agree that we really have to win. It probably won''t be pretty to watch but nothing less than three points will do. Even then we''ll merely lurch onto the next '' must win '' game. Problem is we need a sea-change in the way we play. While swapping manager mid-stream often fails to see improvement if we''re to go down anyway under Hughton we''ve nothing to lose by doing so, apart from the odd couple of million in pay-offs.

[/quote]

 

But while being three points off bottom may be a muddle of the club''s making being three points off tenth is where most people would be happy to be by the middle of January. If I''d have asked you last August "Oi Smithy.. would you be happy to be within three points off top half come the middle of Jan?" what would you have said? It would be nice to be where Southampton are but they are this season''s West Brom. But where are last season''s West Brom?

 

Now you may feel we deserve to be so close to bottom but don''t deserve to be so close to top half. But while things are this tight the board probably feel they have to be more objective about the reality of our league position.

 

 

[drurys testamonials V 15 0]

we didn''t so panic over for another week