Not sure of Rhodes' exact wages, but I seem to recall that they were in the region of £35k - £40k. SW might negotiate a lower wage this season followed by a bonus and higher wages if we gain promotion. If Hugill prefers to stay at West Ham just to draw his wages, then he isn't the type of player we're looking for.
Same here HMQC, expected him to be regular in the premier. Attitude problems? But we had him on loan first so we should have m own about that if it were so.
It's hard to know from the outside, but he had problems at clubs in Germany before he arrived and perhaps they resurfaced here. It may just be temperament problems which have blighted his career so far and probably will do so in the future as well.
He was fantastic for us at one stage linking up play and keeping the ball moving . When you see him up close he looked extremely lightweight and he appeared to get the hump if substituted. Maybe that's a hang up Farke has since Nelson ? Players that get the hump if they don't get picked or subbed off especially if they aren't up to scratch must be a headache for coaches.
I don't see much of a future for Hanley or Klose , they may do OK in the championship but they were not anywhere near good enough in the Premier League. Our defensive record the last 2 seasons was not good at all and this is the area we need to strengthen the most .
Don't see how you get to that conclusion in relation to Hanley. Generally our performances were significantly better and we were much more resilient when Hanley played. Hanley is only 28, still has 3 to 4 years in him and was one of the few players in our team that was quick enough for the PL. I agree in relation to Klose who is 32. Could help us out in the Championship but won't be a significant part of our future
The only solid stand out defender for me is Zimmermann. Godfrey is a great talent but not the finished article yet . Last season we let in 75 which is very poor . On average Norwich City score 0.68 goals and concede 1.97 goals per match. 39% of Norwich City's matches end with both teams scoring and their average total goals per match is 2.66. Norwich City has scored a total of 26 goals this season. Norwich City has conceded a total of 75 goals this season We let in 57 goals in the Championship. The goalkeeper has been outstanding both seasons and let in 132 goals . Obviously that's not exclusively the fault of the defense as they clearly weren't given much protection from midfield, but for me the biggest weakness is our inability to keep clean sheets and make the few goals we score count . Alot of the goals we let in were from routine crosses and corners which could be down to the insistence of zonal marking which Farke refuses to change . And the wing backs are encouraged to play very high up the pitch so inevitably when they lose possession the two centre backs are left exposed. I'm no expert and I'm sure it's much more complicated than that but whatever Farke is doing doesn't seem to be working. I would sell Godfrey for £20m plus if possible and use the money to overhaul the defence , keep Zimmermann and Hanley and get two decent rock solid cente backs . Hanley would be there for cover . Not many teams that win the Championship let in 57 goals , we ended up on the winning side of some exciting high scoring games but we had a huge slice of luck .
IMO, our defensive problems have more to do with our team defending. SW and DF have moved to address this by bringing in Sørensen, Skipp and Mumba (though initially Bali will train as a RB). All three are ball playing DMs who can play with Tettey or instead of him as either DM or CM to improve the screening in front of the defence as well as creating a threat when we have the ball. If Lewis leaves, Quintilla, who lacks his pace, will probably play as a more conventional LB while Aarons (or Byram) moves forward. I hope we do recruit another CB (two if Godfrey leaves) so we have the option of playing 3 at the back when appropriate.
If I was Leitner and watched DF select McLean in my position match after match irrespective of results, I think I'd get the hump too.
And if DF did select him, you'd be the first to say that we're not taking defending seriously enough, Robbie. I like Leitner as a player, but as last year showed, technical skills are not enough in the PL. McLean is not my favourite player, but he does have a range of qualities that makes him a better choice, IMO. When Lewis goes forward, Kenny can drop back to form a defensive 3 at the back until Lewis is back in position (Tettey does the same for Aarons on the right). He's also left-footed, which makes it easier to cover the left side of midfield. Having said that, though, I hope Sørensen and/or Skipp provide an upgrade in the centre next season.
Boro want a loan, but can only cover a third of his wages: "Reports last week suggested that Boro could only cover a maximum of £15,000 of the defender’s weekly wage of £45,000 in a loan deal - with two years of his contract remaining - but that their manager Neil Warnock is keen on the defender." Whether that leaves the door open for us remains to be seen, but now Forest are involved as well. https://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/city-target-gibson-confirms-burnley-exit-is-likely-1-6801462
Gibson £45k a week and can't get in the Burnley side ? No thanks, come back to us when your contract runs out same with the West Ham striker.
[QUOTE="RiverEndRick, post: 14052910, member: 1001529"]And if DF did select him, you'd be the first to say that we're not taking defending seriously enough, Robbie. I like Leitner as a player, but as last year showed, technical skills are not enough in the PL. McLean is not my favourite player, but he does have a range of qualities that makes him a better choice, IMO. When Lewis goes forward, Kenny can drop back to form a defensive 3 at the back until Lewis is back in position (Tettey does the same for Aarons on the right). He's also left-footed, which makes it easier to cover the left side of midfield. Having said that, though, I hope Sørensen and/or Skipp provide an upgrade in the centre next season.[/QUOTE]
Taking defending seriously is not about selecting this or that player Rick, it's about how you set the team up to play. This is the fallacy in thinking that SW and DF have addressed our defensive problems by bringing in Sørensen, Skipp and Mumba. Our attacking effectiveness has always depended on getting too many players forward, including both FBs and at least one of the two notional DMs. If we continue with that, we will continue to leak goals. As regards Leitner, where's the evidence that we were defensively more inept with him in the team? Our xGa per game over the season was 2.0; for the 7 games Mo started it was 1.91. In our Championship winning season, our defensive record was also better prior to Mo's injury than subsequently after McLean took his place.
If you really feel that Leitner is better defensively than McLean, Robbie, then we'll need to agree to disagree. That he has also fallen out with DF is not something the club should tolerate. I'm not a fan of collective statistics because they don't compare like with like because the opposing teams vary. What I suggested is that hopefully the new DMs have the ability to improve our defending and make a bigger contribution to our attacking as well. Time will tell whether that is possible.
I didn't say he was better defensively. As you pointed out earlier, effective defending is a function of the team as a whole; I simply asked what the evidence was that we defend less well as a team when Mo plays as opposed to when he doesn't play. As far as I can see, the evidence is to the contrary.
