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CanaryFrom1979

(1) Celta Vigo Reaction (2) Wolf, Fer must stay.

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Thought I''d post about the match (not the result which was ok) but the low-level grumbling and whingeing I overheard.

Perhaps these armchair pundits and computer game savants are incapable of observing football, how strategies play out, players making space, drawing markers out of position, the opposition attempting to intercept passes etc etc.

Too often positive play was met with shouts of "shoot" (from positions where swerving a ball would have needed new laws of physics) or an attitude that centre-backs and full backs should at no time attempt to pass or in other way play football.

This was exemplified by a conversation I heard exiting the stadium that what was needed was someone "Nasty" to knock the opposition out (of course what we need is a barrage of fines and a player missing most of the season through suspension!).

(2) RVW was clearly in the plans for the season, he was not frozen out like others and when injured was put on intensive rehab (if he was frozen out why bother, let St Etienne deal with his fitness).

RVW would not be the first (Iwan Roberts) to make a slow start, in the bigger picture a modest return now as opposed to the potential gain from promotion either won or lost (6m as opposed to a gain of ?millions or even worse some cash today but lose ?millions 12mths down the line.

The club has stated we do not need to sell, I am dismayed that a "but" is creeping in to this.

An unequivocal "No" to every QPR, Southampton or St Etienne would make the position clear.

What I would concede is clear from Friday is that we need a right sided full-back (if Russ, Bennett, Turner, Gaifaiti and Macfadden play central) or a technically sound centre-back (ideally with a turn of pace) if Russ starts on the right.

As for the rest (excluding Bassong and Becchio who clearly are frozen out), this squad is an improvement on the last two seasons so stick with them.

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good pointshowever"An unequivocal "No" to every QPR, Southampton or St Etienne would make the position clear.

"
may not be possible if another makes an offer that triggers a clause in the players contract ie as with Earnshawone of the strengths of the Lambert years was that all the players wanted to be here (or were shipped out)if for whatever reason (money) a player wants to be elsewhere even if no clause has been triggered it is better for all parties that they move onthe reality is many of the players who joined us did so because we were a Pl club - at this moment we are not

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Fair Point

Without inside knowledge no one can say for sure who is in or out (only who''s agents are) or what is in a contract.

What I would say is that if we can retain the squad and start well, players may change minds and see the value in staying in a promotion winning side. This depends on the management team to convey this.

As for a wider point, wealthy clubs can afford to flout fair play and cherry pick from smaller clubs (Southampton) as long as they believe the smaller club will back off - no smaller club does the sport any good by reinforcing the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

If the PL, FL, FA, UEFA, FIFA et al wont stand up for the like of our clubs then we should do it ourselves and damn what agents think (perhaps they have too much power, derived from the wealth creamed off the top of a lucrative transfer to a "better club").

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You may be overlooking the fact that most of the players will have taken a wage cut on relegationIf they are offered far better wages, a signing on fee and a far, far bigger stage to perform why shouldn''t they move ?That''s how we got Sodgrass, Howson, Bennettt (both) Pilks etc............... and even Grabbanthat is the nature of the game, players come players goHowever I think that one of the dangers is on focusiing on the odd player or two and imagining that they are somehow a vital link in teh chainthe most important aspect will be how well Adams motivates them -as with the Lambert years where the club collected up a bunch of ''journeymen'' and drove them through two promotionsit is that drive and application that was missing under Hughton, and will be the key factor rather than any individual player

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Do you honestly think RvW has what it takes for a long hard season in the physicality of the Champs? I can''t see it, somehow - much as I''d have liked to see him come good -and IMO he probably wants to get a new start.

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Success at this level can be determined by the extra 5 or 10% marginal gain that can be derived from quality.

Journeymen can only get you so far, plus in that situation if NCFC are promoted then next summer we face having to rebuild again.

Players like Fer, Olsson, Ruddy and RVW would provide the difference.

As for the "physicality of the 2nd division" that is precisely the point I made in the op, we do not have to regress to a "nasty" hoofball side just as much as we did not have to defend deep for 90mins in the 1st division. (Surely international players have played against a variety of styles in their careers). To suggest that quality players are unintelligent enough to differentiate between a Brazil circa1982 style and a Wimbledon circa1988 style and then adjusting accordingly is parochial and narrow-minded.

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Well there was the sound of a point being soundly missed: it is not our physicality that I was talking about, it is those we''ll come up against. RVW is not really the build for the vagaries of the English lower leagues.

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[quote user="CanaryFrom1979"]

(2) RVW was clearly in the plans for the season, he was not frozen out like others and when injured was put on intensive rehab (if he was frozen out why bother, let St Etienne deal with his fitness).

RVW would not be the first (Iwan Roberts) to make a slow start, in the bigger picture a modest return now as opposed to the potential gain from promotion either won or lost (6m as opposed to a gain of ?millions or even worse some cash today but lose ?millions 12mths down the line. [/quote]Iwan was different. I believe he stated in his autobiography that he was living in a hotel for the first season, and his weight ballooned from the rich food. When his family moved down here, he was able to get back on track.

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[quote user="Icecream Snow"][quote user="CanaryFrom1979"]

(2) RVW was clearly in the plans for the season, he was not frozen out like others and when injured was put on intensive rehab (if he was frozen out why bother, let St Etienne deal with his fitness).

RVW would not be the first (Iwan Roberts) to make a slow start, in the bigger picture a modest return now as opposed to the potential gain from promotion either won or lost (6m as opposed to a gain of ?millions or even worse some cash today but lose ?millions 12mths down the line. [/quote]Iwan was different. I believe he stated in his autobiography that he was living in a hotel for the first season, and his weight ballooned from the rich food. When his family moved down here, he was able to get back on track.

[/quote]

He also scored 7 in his first season...not 1

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Makes me wonder how many games the OP has gone to if his reflections in point 1 are anything to go by. I hear this after every match; thickos will be thickos.

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How many matches?... Too many

I just find the continuing negativity and whingeing falls somewhere between unintentionally funny and irritating. On one occasion whilst in the Rived End some 15 or so years ago (not my usual area but the ticket was going spare) I overheard an American attempting to explain the rules of football and failing (this was better entertainment than a forgettable match).

Doubtless as supporters at some time or another many of us will have overheard such numbskulls.

As for my second point I just dislike the cowardice or small mindedness of a smaller club not putting up much of a fight against vultures circling for our international players.

The balance between the haves and have-nots will never be closed by the PL or FA, smaller well run clubs have to fight back and send a clear two fingered salute to parasitic agents and disloyal players.

btw Branston Pickle, I clearly was referring to ours players as the international players capable of adapting to different types of opposition.

I would add that there teams in the lower leagues who attempt to play football and don''t just rely on antiquated English kick and rush hoofball.

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