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Daniel Brigham

In search of the new Grant Holt (latest blog)

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Norwich may miss Grant Holt''s leadership but Jonny Howson is ready to take centre stage. By Daniel BrighamHere comes Grant Holt. Norwich hero, mountain of manliness, filler of shirts, figure of fun. When

he steps out onto the pitch on Saturday – and such is the anticipation

around his return that we can’t rule out a white horse and some shining

armour – it will have been 580 days since he last played at Carrow Road.

That day he scored the simplest of goals as Norwich pulled apart West

Brom to avoid relegation and engulf the stadium in a rare sense of

carnival relief. Much has changed at Norwich since then, but one thing

remains constant: Grant Holt’s iconic status.To those away from

the Norwich bubble who saw him as a fouling, oafish throwback to the

days of tight shorts, cigarettes in the dug-out and studs-up challenges,

they weren’t in on our secret. They were unmoved by the whiff of

romance and adventure that Holt brought, and us Norwich fans had him all

to ourselves. Here was the man who went from the Unibond Prem to the

real Prem, the rumbling, shuddering bomber at the front of Norwich’s

squadron. He was human, one of us, and he came with a glint of chaos and

mischief in his eye; a Lieutenant Bill Kilgore, loving the smell of

Ipswich Town in the morning. Opposition fans would start off

braying at him, mocking him. They never learnt that it was a mistake.

Like batsmen who are invigorated by the challenge of a fearsome fast

bowler sledging them, crowd abuse made Holt play better, it made him

sharper in the tackle, stronger in the air, cannier when winning free

kicks. Holt’s mere presence became self-perpetuating. The more he was

booed, the more he came alive, the more we worshipped him, the more he

was booed. He conducted Carrow Road in a way very few others have

managed. His final season with Norwich may have fizzled out into

a series of sulks and moans but it matters not. We will always have the

Ipswich hattrick, his 78 goals, his header at Anfield, his mastering of

John Terry. It is 17 months since he left for a shot at Europe.

Things haven’t gone well. Norwich have slipped downhill, Carrow Road

has quietened and heroes are in short supply. When debates rage about

where Norwich have gone wrong, someone will inevitably point to the hole

Holt has left. We’re missing a leader, they say. Someone to galvanise

the team, the crowd. Someone to pick the team up from setbacks. They

are right, of course. But Holt cannot be fully replicated. It is rare

that teams are lucky enough to possess a player with the magic

ingredients to will an entire side on. It doesn’t mean the team has

lacked passion since his departure, it just means there is no

gladiatorial presence to lift them back up, to push them over the line.

Without Holt, Norwich became the norm – a club without a warrior. Yet, perhaps they have one in their midst. A different breed of leader. Quieter

than Holt, certainly. Unobtrusive rather than in your face. But Jonny

Howson has shown in the last few matches what many have long suspected –

here is a player capable of changing a game and rousing the crowd.

Whether from a bustling run, a canny pass or a vital goal, Howson has

the ability to inspire. While he won’t be riling opposition fans, he has

another special leadership ingredient: the talent to do important

things at important times. He is less John Terry, more Frank Lampard

(indeed, his winner against Wigan was reminiscent of a Lampard goal –

ghosting into the area and unerring accuracy with a first-time shot;

screw your eyes a little harder and the hold-up play by Gary Hooper was

even Didier Drogba-esque). Norwich need to build their faltering

promotion push around him. While others around him have been rushed and

panicked, Howson is calm, patient and incisive. When others run out of

ideas, Howson – like Holt – can spark things into life. It was this time

last year that Howson suffered a back injury that kept him out for a

prolonged spell. Norwich’s form suffered and they never recovered. They

didn’t have anyone capable of clarity amid the muddled thinking; they

cannot let that happen again.While Holt will fully deserve the

undoubtedly rapturous reception he will receive ahead of kick-off, let

us then turn our attentions to Norwich’s new leader. He may not get

under the referee’s skin, he may not cause defenders physical

nightmares, he may not turn the opposition fans against him, but

Howson’s intelligent leadership is exactly what Norwich need to rebuild

their path to the Premier League. Daniel Brigham is a journalist and editor. He tweets at @dan_brigham

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I don''t think many people will be surprised that I agree. Howson is class.

In my opinion him and Redmond are the two biggest talents at Carrow Road.

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I agree with pretty much all of this.

I also agree re Howson. The only problem with him is that when he has a bad game he doesn''t have the physicality etc which means it''s almost as if he isn''t on the pitch.

However, when he''s playing well he''s one of our best players.

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Howson is a class act, he was when he was a hero at Leeds and I agree can become the same for us, I would love to see him playing with confidence and really showing us what he can do. A captain in the waiting.

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Great article ! Howson was Leeds captain at age 21, that tells me he has the quality to be the same here.

Alway feel the the captain should be playing midfield to have true influence.

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Nice blog as usual.........BUT....whilst I agree that Howson is indeed a class act.... in no way is he the "new Grant Holt" we are in search of.....unfortunately.

As I mentioned in another thread, many times when Grant played it was like having two players on the pitch and even when he was a bit off colour he still made an impact in some way. Grant Holt is in the top handful of players who have played for our great club who really deserve being called a legend, if there was a category above legend he would be in it ...almost impossible to replace.....and lets just let Howson be a great player in his own right...certainly should be captain very soon!

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If howson carries on this form for the rest of the season, then yes class act. Unfortunately his career here has been littered with injuries and inconsistency. Still a lot to prove in my opinion. And a huge chance for him to step up to the plate and be a leader, but he''s not there yet.

Would like to see him become more vocal. I always feel he plays within himself abit, and sometimes in awe of his opponents and teammates.

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Yes Howson scored a good goal against Wigan but he was not playing as one of a central two midfield. We saw that side of his game against Reading where in ninety minutes I cannot recall a single tackle won or a single aerial battle won.

Howson is a luxury player who too often flatters to deceive. He is neat and tidy on the ball and can pick a pass and weigh in with goals. But he has to have the ball won for him.

But he certainly is not a dominant box to box midfielder. A Frank Lampard he certainly is not.

If he can work on his physical and defensive play he can indeed become a very useful player but until then he cannot play in a central midfield position if we play a four,

Thankfully against Reading Tettey almost did the defensive work of two men, but then again, he had to.

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[quote user="Yellow Wall"]Yes Howson scored a good goal against Wigan but he was not playing as one of a central two midfield. We saw that side of his game against Reading where in ninety minutes I cannot recall a single tackle won or a single aerial battle won.

Howson is a luxury player who too often flatters to deceive. He is neat and tidy on the ball and can pick a pass and weigh in with goals. But he has to have the ball won for him.

But he certainly is not a dominant box to box midfielder. A Frank Lampard he certainly is not.

If he can work on his physical and defensive play he can indeed become a very useful player but until then he cannot play in a central midfield position if we play a four,

Thankfully against Reading Tettey almost did the defensive work of two men, but then again, he had to.[/quote]Well done for cramming so much utter tripe into one post.

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[quote user="morty"][quote user="Yellow Wall"]Yes Howson scored a good goal against Wigan but he was not playing as one of a central two midfield. We saw that side of his game against Reading where in ninety minutes I cannot recall a single tackle won or a single aerial battle won.

Howson is a luxury player who too often flatters to deceive. He is neat and tidy on the ball and can pick a pass and weigh in with goals. But he has to have the ball won for him.

But he certainly is not a dominant box to box midfielder. A Frank Lampard he certainly is not.

If he can work on his physical and defensive play he can indeed become a very useful player but until then he cannot play in a central midfield position if we play a four,

Thankfully against Reading Tettey almost did the defensive work of two men, but then again, he had to.[/quote]Well done for cramming so much utter tripe into one post.[/quote]Every single sentence of  YW''s  post has some merit, so how it is "tripe" I don''t know.  Howson is not the complete player and although his confidence is improving, he sometimes does not do so well in central midfield.  I like to see him moving forwards and here he has some class imo, but when we are up against it, he can easily be bypassed as he tends to stand off players a little too much for my liking - maybe because he isn''t a great tackler.   For me he needs to be played as the front of a diamond or a forward player in a midfield five role to get the best out of him.    Grant Holt he never will be, for obvious reasons.    I am still waiting for Lafferty to light the blue touch paper - he''s been so close to scoring  on quite a few occasions now and once he does score one or two, with the crowd behind him could just be the kind of player that could become a cult hero. 

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morty wrote the following post at 13/12/2014 1:36 AM:

Well done for cramming so much utter tripe into one post.

I am sorry that I obviously have a different opinion to you.

As you posted at 1.36am perhaps you should read the post again and reply when you are not as tired and perhaps the worse for wear.

I have stated that Howson can become a very useful player but that he has weaknesses. Until those weaknesses have been improved I am afraid he will not be able to effectively play in the position that he played in against Reading.

For a central midfield player he must have the ability to win the ball. Perhaps he does not have to do it as much as players with less quality but he must do it, as least, some of the time. To make comparisons to an England international with in excess of 100 caps, who first played for his country when he was five years younger than Howson is now, is way off the mark.

Perhaps if you acted in the way you always seem to ask others to behave you would not antagonise so many people.

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[quote user="Yellow Wall"]morty wrote the following post at 13/12/2014 1:36 AM:

Well done for cramming so much utter tripe into one post.

I am sorry that I obviously have a different opinion to you.

As you posted at 1.36am perhaps you should read the post again and reply when you are not as tired and perhaps the worse for wear.

I have stated that Howson can become a very useful player but that he has weaknesses. Until those weaknesses have been improved I am afraid he will not be able to effectively play in the position that he played in against Reading.

For a central midfield player he must have the ability to win the ball. Perhaps he does not have to do it as much as players with less quality but he must do it, as least, some of the time. To make comparisons to an England international with in excess of 100 caps, who first played for his country when he was five years younger than Howson is now, is way off the mark.

Perhaps if you acted in the way you always seem to ask others to behave you would not antagonise so many people.[/quote]Cannot recall a single tackle won, or an ariel battle? Luxury player who flatters to deceive?Are you sure you are actually watching Norwich Games? Have you noticed those goal things he has been scoring? The assists?If he''s as bad as you imply then he must have some real dirt on Neil Adams, to keep getting picked.

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I have no complaints about his attacking play but I have a problem with him playing in a 442 as one of the central midfield players.

May I suggest you watch the game today and report back on how many tackles he wins or how many headers he wins when he is jumping with an opposition player.

Either he had a very off day against Reading or they were particularly good in those areas.

As I have said, he has the potential to be a very useful player but he must start winning balls.

Perhaps Phelan can teach him to win balls like Scholes, Keane or Carrick.

We would then have a very good player.

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[quote user="Yellow Wall"]I have no complaints about his attacking play but I have a problem with him playing in a 442 as one of the central midfield players.

May I suggest you watch the game today and report back on how many tackles he wins or how many headers he wins when he is jumping with an opposition player.

Either he had a very off day against Reading or they were particularly good in those areas.

As I have said, he has the potential to be a very useful player but he must start winning balls.

Perhaps Phelan can teach him to win balls like Scholes, Keane or Carrick.

We would then have a very good player.[/quote]Why do you feel the need to draw negatives about a player who is in good form for us? Nobody said he is perfect, but your original post made him sound like some complete donkey.Are you one of those people if someone says to you "Nice day, isn''t it?" you reply "Aye, it''ll probably rain later though"?He isn''t Scholes Keane or Carrick lol.

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Perhaps my disappointment was not fully with Howson, who I know can do a good job for us if used in the right way.

He had far fewer defensive responsibilities last week and produced the goods.

Against Reading he did not, but he is not best suited to do the job that was asked of him.

And I think this sunshine will last all day.............

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[quote user="Yellow Wall"]Perhaps my disappointment was not fully with Howson, who I know can do a good job for us if used in the right way.

He had far fewer defensive responsibilities last week and produced the goods.

Against Reading he did not, but he is not best suited to do the job that was asked of him.

And I think this sunshine will last all day.............[/quote]We got there in the end.[:)](My tip today is wear a hat, very frosty in the fine city today)

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[quote user="Yellow Wall"]I have no complaints about his attacking play but I have a problem with him playing in a 442 as one of the central midfield players.

May I suggest you watch the game today and report back on how many tackles he wins or how many headers he wins when he is jumping with an opposition player.[/quote]On average, Howson makes 0.6 tackles less per game than Johnson or Tettey, but 0.5 more than O''Neil, so hardly avoiding tackles, but not getting stuck in quite as much as the two more defensive midfielders.Aerially, he gets exactly the same result of 1 per game as Tettey, which is 0.4 more than O''Neil but less than Johnson''s 2.2.Offensively he''s far superior in general, weighing in with more goals and assists on average, not to mention having the 2nd best pass accuracy out of the four which is only beat by Tettey who does usually focus on more simple and less adventurous passing (even if he''s perfectly capable of playing a good long ball as well).About the only complaint I have with Howson is his relatively limited physicality, as he doesn''t have the strength and power of Tettey or Johnson - even if he does have the willpower.All that aside, I can''t agree with the Holt comparison as I don''t ever see Howson as being the same sort of influence, even if he is a damn good player with a good attitude and some leadership qualities.

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One criticism I would have of Howson is that he doesn''t win enough headers. He''s about 6 foot tall and he''s a bit more built than people might realise.

But when people say he''s inconistent that''s a load of tosh. If he''s inconsistent then there''s no hope for the rest of the squad

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