Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Tetteys Jig

Do the players really care?

Recommended Posts

We have no players in the side now that are actually Norwich fans. I suspect the likes of Ruddy and Martin will care as they have been with us a fair bit now to have developed a decent affiliation.

Following that, you''d then have to look at players who are either getting on a bit or not likely to earn another premiership deal. In that category, i''d put Turner, Johnson and Bennett.

Then there are the likes of Bassong who is captain and won''t want to have captaining a relegation team on his CV

Ones I reckon aren''t that bothered either way are Fer, RVW, Tettey, Hooper, Howson, Snodgrass, Redmond, Olsson, the marginalised/ fringe players (Whittaker, Garrido, Bunn, Becchio, Hoolahan and Fox) and the loanees.

The loanees can escape back to their parent clubs and are getting on a bit and are all experienced and i''d imagine pretty rich.

The ones mentioned above will all most likely get moves back to the big leagues of football and won''t be particularly personally bothered about Norwich''s demise.

The marginalised/ fringe ones probably just want to get away from us, can''t blame them.

I make that 5 that will have the extra fight in them to make sure we stay up.

I wonder if we''ll have enough players that truly care...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Of course they don''t , its a job to them and to be blunt a lot in our squad would have more job security if we did get relegated and they returned to their true level .

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I would like to think that more than that care, Jimmy, but who knows?. I definitely think Snodgrass cares - he seems a very committed bloke, and speaks with a passion that I believe is genuine.

Last Norwich fan - Hucks?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Jimmy,

Interesting that none of your ''famous five'' are attacking or creative players, in fact they are all defenders/defensive midfield, so that could explain our lack of goals conundrum.

I think I''m right in saying that they all take a massive pay cut (50%) if we go down and I can''t see many of them being chased by other Prem Clubs, one or two maybe, so you would think that alone would meant they cared about our position, or more to the point their position.

Could it be that any ''care'' thy had has beeen driven from them by outside forces, which of course could include, tactics, the coaching style and even the fans when they boo (could be a chicken and egg situation here though).

Generally speaking I think most human beings care about what they are doing but we''ve all been in a situation no doubt, when we finally say, "I give up. I can''t take any more." and effectively walk away. Maybe our players are descending in to the " I give up" mode of thinking.

All that said, there are some that really do care and will always put in a professional shift even if they don''t agree with some of what is going on and I think you''ve got two of those spot on, with the next three on your list right up there too.

So, if you were the manager, with the same thinking you have expressed here, would you make sure the ''famous five'' were on every team sheet? I think I would.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It''s very simple then, treat them all as mercenaries, offer the entire squad each a £150k bonus for survival, 28 players = Just over 4 Mil - peanuts on the revenue that comes in from survival.  Would make for an unforgettable lovely summer holiday! :)
Even better, tell each player you''ve put a £150k bet in there name for us to stay up… Might be a little bit illegal, buy hey! ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Crazy thread. Suggestions the players don''t care. E-especially those who give everything every game like Snoddy, can only come from someone who doesn''t actually go and see the effort put in but follows the ball on streams etc.

150K each to stay up? They''ll lose more than that each if they''re relegated...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Skijumptoes,

I think you might find thay are already on a stay up bonus circa the figure you quote!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Of course they care.
Yes its there job. Why would that mean they don''t care?
They get a lot more bonuses than the average job. For goals, clean sheets, appearances, and a more substantial bonus for staying up. Plus no guarantee any other club would be willing to take them on, unless they already know they have a way out and then you get a performance like Fulham away in 05 from certain players.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
[quote user="nutty nigel"]Crazy thread. Suggestions the players don''t care. E-especially those who give everything every game like Snoddy, can only come from someone who doesn''t actually go and see the effort put in but follows the ball on streams etc.

150K each to stay up? They''ll lose more than that each if they''re relegated...[/quote]

Nigel, it''s relative though, isn''t it. Of course they all ''care'' a bit as they have shown enough dedication to make it as professional footballers. It''s where the awful term "110%" comes from though.

It''s the biggest challenge for a team promoted to grow from. You could see that for that first premiership season, the squad was unfancied and in it together up to the point we were more or less safe in about January. It''s sometimes hard to get the players in that are going to care as much as those that got you there.

As for last Norwich fan, Huckerby wasn''t even a fan before he moved. He''s either Forest or Lincoln. I''d say maybe Chris Martin?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I do think that the players care - they have a professional sense of pride and drive to perform.    That they care is demonstrated most when we get a win,  the team exhaltation is genuine and involves all.    That level changes dependent on a number of external factors (work & non work related) and from player to player.    So few have a club affinity anymore,  which is the same for all clubs, thats its irrelevant.

 

How they show that care, pride etc varies just as much.    Snoddy undoubtedly wears his heart on his sleeve, outwardly showing passion and committment.   Whether that means he cares more than the less demonstrative Howson say is impossible to deduce. 

 

As Arsene Wenger states in his auto biography the british fans obsession with passion and  visible effort ahead of quality and capability is stunning in its mis-directed importance.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Oh and I get to games when I can and if I can''t (it''s a 400 mile drive and about £60 in petrol before I even consider the ticket and other stuff), then I''ll watch them the best way possible.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Zipper, you need both commitment and talent in this league. On one hand you have someone like Andy Hughes, on the other hand, you have people who maybe were once good, but get fat and Lazy, plenty of examples there!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Post i made regarding £150k bonus was on the assumption that what the OP said was fact, personally don''t believe it. But if we do have mercenaries here money is the best way of getting a performance out of them.

Anyway, my view - You only got to look at Jamie Cureton to see how it never worked for him when he returned here - loved the club, gave it his all, proven goal-scorer was desperate to make a mark…. But it never happened, So love/passion is certainly not a vital ingredient in my eyes, in fact i think it can have a negative effect in some cases.

How we''re playing doesn''t help the perception of the players, and i think it''s the current perception which easily fool us all - If the players were going gung-ho chasing down every open ball, everyone would have the opinion that the same group of players were passionate.

We''ve very rarely had a turn around in a match under CH, a dramatic late goal etc. All these events would allow the players to show their passion. I think it''s unfair to presume they don''t ''care''.

In fact, i think the majority would probably want to chin you if you suggested that they go on the field with a ''don''t care'' attitude.

One other thing, i find players like Bassong, Snoddy, Fer etc. to have a natural relaxed (don''t give a s**t) look to them - don''t judge a book by it''s cover though - i think that they''re some of the coolest heads in the team. Bassong i feel sometimes looks half asleep, but it''s just his natural expression as he''s probably 20x more energetic than me!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

[quote user="Jimmy Smith"]Oh and I get to games when I can and if I can''t (it''s a 400 mile drive and about £60 in petrol before I even consider the ticket and other stuff), then I''ll watch them the best way possible.[/quote]

 

Jimmy, I wasn''t doubting your commitment. My point was that it''s virtually impossible to see which players are up for the fight on tv or streams. You will not see which players alweays show for the ball and which hide. It''s not always completely obvious from the stands either. But if you are watching from the stands it would be obvious that Snoddy never hides. He shows for the ball constantly and that''s one of the reasons why it appears we favour his side of the pitch.

 

I appreciate what it costs you to go to games and I think I can help you there. Try and save money in your betting buddy. I''ve never seen you win one yet[;)] Come onto Rays Funds and have some fun without risking any of your hard earned. Then if you like it you can play the whole season next year for just a tenner[:)]

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
[quote user="nutty nigel"]Crazy thread. Suggestions the players don''t care. E-especially those who give everything every game like Snoddy, can only come from someone who doesn''t actually go and see the effort put in but follows the ball on streams etc.

150K each to stay up? They''ll lose more than that each if they''re relegated...[/quote]Snodgrass puts the effort in yes, but he would be just as happy putting that effort in for any Premiership club next season if Norwich go down . Now if he really cared he would stay and help us get promoted again , can you see him doing that if a top flight offer comes along ? no me neither

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It is defo a concern.  Looking back when we came up from the Champ we had massive team spirit which meant we fought for points and often came back to win games.  We made a lot of changes to the squad when we started in the PL but managed to keep that team spirit together.

 

After our first season in the PL again we made radical changes to the squad but it still seemed to work.  Players like Basso who came in were highly motivated.

 

This season is the first time I have felt we''ve lost that team spirit which served us so well.  Players like Fer, who can be great on his day but sometimes goes missing.  The loss of Holt who you could always rely on to have a real go (even last season when many on here had a go at him).  Not enough players who are willing to scrap for it when the game is going against us.

 

If we fail to get over the line and survive, I think this will be a major part of our downfall.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

[quote user="CanaryOne"][quote user="nutty nigel"]Crazy thread. Suggestions the players don''t care. E-especially those who give everything every game like Snoddy, can only come from someone who doesn''t actually go and see the effort put in but follows the ball on streams etc.

150K each to stay up? They''ll lose more than that each if they''re relegated...[/quote]Snodgrass puts the effort in yes, but he would be just as happy putting that effort in for any Premiership club next season if Norwich go down . Now if he really cared he would stay and help us get promoted again , can you see him doing that if a top flight offer comes along ? no me neither [/quote]

 

So on the basis that you don''t think he will you decide he doesn''t care. Fair enough, each to their own.

 

But I have seen no evidence of this except your opinion. Everything I''ve seen from him suggests he cares about the club AND fans. Which is ironic really. So what is it that has given you your belief that he doesn''t care? Or do you think none of the players care?

 

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I agree that you get a much better picture when you watch it live as regards the sheer effort and commitment off the ball when the camera is otherwise engaged.

I really don''t think that any of our squad can assume premier league football next season without Norwich.

The less "glamorous" players have been our best performers thus far whilst the "quality" players have underperformed.

Let''s see everyone playing to their max.

Tactics and formation can,of course, make good players look poor.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
With respect, the thread title is unbelievable.

Do they care? FFS, if one player showed they didn''t care then their career opportunities would be very limited after that.

YellowBeagle says it all really

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If u had been at Southampton last weekend It was obvious from Pilkington body language and lack of effort he didn''t give a sh@t. Snoddy I agree tries 100 per cent each game. Not convinced about Bassong either t

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

With the season end fast approaching I think it''s a valid question. How many players do we have who have their eye on a move away? How many have a feeling of a move in the summer and thus how does that effect the relegation battle?

 

I don''t think it''s about caring but attitude into the last 8 games, on the pitch and off it! As some have pointed out Snodders, RVW & Elmander''s effort can not be questioned and that''s for most players but at times, I too see what I call lack of effort, not that they don''t care but that they don''t put in the effort.

 

I don''t know but we all have days when we go into work and not put in a 100 % effort but it''s not that we don''t care it''s just our feeling for that day for one reason or another.

 

I still put this at the managements team door, they are paid to keep every player in the right frame of mind, they are paid to make sure that negative people are not allowed to spread that feeling through the team and they have to be able to man manage each player to get the best out of them.

 

Confidence breeds energy and effort, so a win on Saturday might just be enough for a last push to 36 points.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Before we get into the totally clichéd "over paid, lazy footballers don''t care about anything but themselves and filling their pockets" how many people genuinely care about their job, and would be heartbroken if the place you worked folded, if you were guaranteed a new job straight afterwards?

Now some of you would, others not so much, and it''s the same for footballers. It''s what type of character they have, not how long they''ve been with the club.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

They care about the inners but not the outers, if an inner had a sick child they would go and visit them and help, if an outer was stuck by the side of the road with a flat tyre they would look for a puddle to drive through so that they could splash them.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
There''s definitely been a breakdown between management and Pilks, agree you can see it in his body language but that''s been brewing for months. Great player too, such a shame. Didn''t think motivation would be his weakness though, thought it would be physical injuries.

Also, wonder what people''s thoughts are on Wes - Isn''t it that he still cares and has a desire to be on that pitch that has caused his desire to leave?

Or do people see him wanting away as he doesn''t care?

Personally i see him as a player who does care about the club and he''s not happy with how things are, not because he''s not playing but as a whole.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It was interesting to listen to John Polston sum up on the radio after the game he said Norwich players need to man up. He felt they weren''t up for the challenge didn''t want the ball (that''s the second time in just a few weeks that''s been said) and need to look at themselves. Doesn''t look good for the run in.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This probably won''t be particularly popular but I don''t think Snodgrass tries significantly harder or any harder than any of the other players.

 

I think he generally gives it a good go from an attacking point of view. Even if nothing is coming off for him it won''t deter him from trying again.

 

But defensively I think he can be a bit casual with what he does, sometimes it''s no more than a token gesture effort to track back.

 

I know he waves his arms around a lot and every so often he''ll do a slide tackle (which people always like to see) but take that away and would people see a player who stands out above the rest for his effort and commitment? I''m not sure.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...