I believe that you will be kettled as soon as you get into Norwich and then herded down to the ground with no exceptions.. So you may be stuck with a load of disgruntled Ipswich fans (before the game has even started) and I believe that once at the Ground and having shown your ticket and relevant paperwork you will be then herded into the away end.. Apparently if you don't have the relevant paperwork the old bill will march you back to the station. So you might want to check which train has been allocated the 'Ipswich Train' as I'm sure you'd like to avoid getting dragged along with those unsavory Herberts, only to be turned away because you have a ticket for a different stand... That said, there have been rumours and chinese whispers a plenty so not sure how militant the whole operation will be
I'll be watching it from the pub. I haven't been to Carrow Road for a few years now, it's usually quite hard to get tickets when you're not a season ticket holder. I probably would have had a good chance of getting tickets this year, but the restrictions, pricing, and the no-alcohol policy put me and my lot off from going. It's a shame that those four idiots from last season have seemingly ruined it for the normal, law-abiding supporter, but I think the policing is massively over-blown and the reaction from Norwich City has been well over the top. If bigger rivalries, a more local affairs, such as the Sheffield derby and the Forest - Derby match can be managed and policed effectively without these draconian measures, then why should ours be any different?
Its working for us! The most expensive player we signed for this season was Marshall at £1.53m, last it was a more extravagant £3.42m for Hanley. but we have been cost cutting to be a self sustaining club and are outspent by most (OK maybe not your lot!) But our probable starting XI on Suunday will be: (Courtesy of transfermarkt) Free: Krul Undisclosed/youth: Aarons £100k : Godfrey Free : Zimmermann Free/youth: Lewis £675K : Vrancic Free: Trybull £1.53m : Steipermann £1.35m: Buendia Free : Pukki £2.25m :Hernandez Bench could be a bit pricer though! Free: McGovern £9.90m Klose £3.42m Hanley £1.35m: Tettey £1.35m : Leitner Loan: Rhodes (He's one of us!) £203k : McClean or Free : Cantwell I will concede that we are at the start of a lesser funded self sustaining model and you have been languishing there ever since Jewell and Kean spunked millions. But we have got a fantastic return out of a very cheaply assembled squad. Every club needs a Webber! Bah!
You may well have spent little in comparison, but i would suspect that your wage bill dwarfs most clubs in the championship - in fact, Rhodes and Krul alone would could cover most of our teams wages
Last year, your wage budget was £55.1 million, the 23rd highest in the country. In comparison, ours was £17.8 million, the 38th highest in the country. Last summer, you made a lot through the sales of Maddison and Murphy, but you've signed Krul, Rhodes, Pukki, not to mention Klose, Leitner, Hernandez, and Hanley being on big wages. Certainly in comparison to us. Your more recent experience of Premier League football and money has benefitted the quality of signings you make in comparison to us.
I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that if one of us doesn't win, I reckon it will be a draw! I could be wrong
There is this but also the perception factor. Players will all have a perception of Town as a club that are going absolutely nowhere dead end club and of the Budgies as a Premier League / top of the Championship yo-yo club which is a far more attractive proposition.
That's what I was trying to allude to in my last sentence, but precisely. Having said all this, if someone told me after the 1-1 draw earlier this season that we'd be at complete contrast in league positions, and that Norwich would be top, I'd have laughed and asked what they were on. Norwich's rise and form over the past three months has been nothing short of incredible. How it has clicked after the pessimism earlier this season, not to mention the outright hostility directed at the management and board last season (from some Norwich supporters) is quite surprising.
Who would be in your first eleven? I'd bite the bullet and go 5-3-2 with wing-backs, and try and hit them on the break: Bart Bree / Chambers / Collins / Pennington / Kenlock Bishop / Downes / Judge Keane / Quaner
I think Lambert will stick with his take on a 433 as I don't think we have the bodies (or the ability) to play with 3 centre backs Bree | Chambo | Collins | Kenlock Chalobah | Skuse | Judge Bishop | Keane | Sears I'd throw Bish out wide and ask him to do the role that Lankester was doing, by taking people on and driving forward with the ball. I'd also play Judge in the no. 10 role, or at least centrally with Chalobah and Skuse holding to give him license to try and make something happen. I'd also plan to give Keane 70 minutes then unleash Quaner and hope he can go on the rampage (successfully) for 20 minutes.
So not all my ideas are rubbish then? This but Keane and Quaner would be nowhere near my first XI and Knudsen would probably be in. Nsiala over Chambers. Also have to have Skuse in there holding or we'd lose the battle in the middle of the park.
Not all of them, no. While I'm normally against such a defensive formation, and one that didn't serve us well against Brentford or Millwall, I feel a safety-first, more pragmatic approach is the wiser course of action against the table-toppers. We need to try something else to reverse our embarrassing away record.
When you're struggling I think you always need to start with being solid defensively and build from there. We don't have any wingers and that was my primary reason for thinking this is the best way for us to line up at the moment. Chances of Lambert trying this? Approaching zero.
Can't argue with that. Speaking of wingers, if Lambert is to persist with the current formation, I hope he gives Edwards a second chance, particularly as he was so effective against Norwich in the corresponding fixture. I do question the two strikers up front though, we don't have the firepower and options. Our strength, I believe, is in those midfield positions (particularly when everybody is fit), so going 5-3-2 does rob us of some of those central players.
Jackson and Harrison have never got a game together. Out of all the options we have I would probably favour Jackson and Sears.
In summary this is why i'm glad you're not manager. Zero physical presence, who the hell would hold the ball up!?
There is no way that partnership would work with our current set up. Neither of them can play with their back to goal and hold up play, so we'd spend the whole game inviting pressure onto ourselves as we'd struggle to get any possession in the opposition's half. Keane, Harrison or Quaner would have to be one of the pair Jackson & Sears would be a threat in behind, but that is relying on clever balls over the top and through the channels.. But as we know we don't have anyone who can do that consistently (if at all) It isn't helped by the through balls being played by someone as deep as the back 4 or our deep lying midfield as they'd need to ping a pinpoint pass 50 yards onto a sixpence.. and with our personnel it is far too esay to defend, regardless of the movement from the front 2
