I have to admit I am wavering for the first time. To me there isn’t anything obvious that DS is doing wrong, the players seem up for it but then they fade so quickly. I do wonder whether this squad is quite as good as we think it is and whether some players are just in a bit of a malaise. Something has seemed wrong with Pukki all season, I know he won’t score every chance but he has been missing key chances that he would normally tuck away. He was having an anonymous game today and DS realised that we were losing the midfield battle which is why he took him off in favour of another man in midfield. It was the right move from DS but why didn’t it affect the game? As I’ve said already I was really disappointed with Hayden’s performance today, he looked sluggish and was bypassed all too often and it all seemed like McLean and Sara were doing all his running for him. Both of whom I thought had good games today, Sara made some very important interceptions. So many times this season we have created enough good chances to win the game and yet we end up losing or drawing - is that the managers fault?
Just so that we are being accurate with criticism of DS, Pukki reportedly felt ill and that was why he was subbed off - probably why he was a bit off his game as well today
I don’t think I want DS to be sacked but I can actually see it happen with that result today and given the World Cup break
in the first half we did move the ball forward and we were dominant. In the second half we reverted to negative play and were totally outplayed.
Agree, we could and should have been 3 goals clear at half time, but poor finishing let us down Our approach work was very good in 1st half, but 2nd half was equally poor. I thought Josh, The Mayor, Ramsey and Sara were excellent, but as we all know, it's goals that we lack, and goals win games
The last few seasons have sucked the fun out of football , the pointless World Cup is starting in Qatar proving that money and corruption are more important than the game, the fans or tradition. I couldn't care less who wins and couldn't name half the England team let alone other countries. Last season was horrendous for Norwich as they limped to defeat after lacklustre defeat for the entire season . Millions wasted on players that don't want to be here , Webber simply " ignoring the noise " ergo the fans then hides up a mountain. We brought in the baseball guy to freshen things up apparently, Smith and Shaky a year after taking over the team are yet to produce a 90 minute display, at best we get 15 or 20 minutes of quality If we are lucky like going 2-0 up at Sheffield United and choking or yesterday the same story against Middlesbrough. We don't have anyone in the team to fire up the others they just wave the white flag if things aren't going well. The buck stops with Webber and his recruitment of players that didn't work and his appointment of Smith . I haven't seen anything most of last season or this season that we are improving and capable of gaining promotion and I would rather a new guy comes in to see what he can get out of this group of players . Usually I'm excited about the next game and plan some weekends around going to Carrow Road, the game I went to against Wigan at the beginning was one of the worst I've experienced for atmosphere and I'm not interested in going back anytime soon. I've fallen out of love with the game it's just depressing following Norwich or England I don't watch any Premier league games or Champions league. It's just another soulless sports entertainment product.
For the first time as a Norwich supporter I couldn't care less who we sell in January, I don't feel an emotional attachment to any of the players or staff perhaps Delia still warrants some loyalty. As for England I don't like a single player and find Southgate a boring Yes man hypocrite. They will predictably drop all the kneeling and rainbow garbage for their Arab paymasters In the desert. They prostituted themselves and the game
Positives For now the club aren't likely to go bust but with every season outside the Premier league we edge closer to that possibility again. We have a great academy and there are a number of players coming through, Omobamidele and Gibbs now considered first team players although we poached both of them after other sides put most of the work in . 6 points from 2nd 9 points from 22nd in this crazy league and still currently In the play offs spots. It could be that simple as a side with Maddison or Buendia, a magic spark has not been replaced but that doesn’t explain the drop in form for most of our squad . Hanley and Sargent the only two that are playing up to their potential in my opinion.
I hate to encourage Robbie, but I'm not sure about Hanley over the last few games (although I thought he did well on the whole yesterday). But the various rushes of blood to the head has cost us, and I don't really understand this because he isn't normally prone to them.
He’s always been prone to those. They are just magnified whenever he’s left with very little support in front of him. If we could buy a giant, quick, ball-playing centre back who was always calm and never made mistakes, we wouldn’t be Norwich. The thing I was most excited about when Smith was appointed was the idea that he could improve us defensively while maintaining fluidity in attack. Smith seems to have made us more flimsy and vulnerable instead. Hanley is part and parcel of that, yes he’s had some majestic performances but because we are so fragile as a set up, when Hanley makes a mistake it’s massive and we invariably get punished.
Yeah I mean that’s basically playing Football Manager 2008 isn’t it. That’s the level of creativity in management.
