Let me try and explain my anger. We have one of the best squads in the division partly because the rest, apart from the top 4 are bang average. Our better players are the likes of Sargeant, Barnes, Rowe Sara and, if let loose, Nunez. All of our wing backs are better at ' wing ' and not 'back'. Our central defenders are aging, slowing up and, individually, prone to errors. You do not have to be Arteta or Klopp to realise our strength is going forward. A good Coach adapts his style and tactics to suit his squad. Wagner has just one tactic - try and grab the lead and then defend it. Smith and Dyce are the same but unlike Wagner they can organise the defence. Last night, for example, our wing backs were causing panic down the flanks and our attackers were causing panic down the middle. Sheffield were there for the taking but instead of pressing on we had to go back to defending the lead and the panic was transferred to our end. Lambert was McNally's man, Farke was Webber's man. We need to take the financial hit of letting Wagner go and let Knapper bring in his own man.
Leicester have the best squad In the division & lost to Millwall, Saints have the second best squad & can't catch Ipswich. Leeds have the 3rd best squad & drew 0-0 with Sunderland.
I wonder if you would feel the same if, when you had to make your decision, you had witnessed the dross of 2023 and were facing a bill of £600/800 to renew.
You live in France & only watch the Sky games because you're frightened of the French police booting your door in for watching streaming sites. You also said you started supporting your" local "team , perhaps you should just forget about Norwich city FC & cheer up .
I don't quite understand why because you break the law watching a stream you are more entitled to an opinion than the people I was referring to who have spent hundreds of pounds over the years supporting the Club. As you say I have had a season ticket at Nice for the last couple of season but that does not bar me from supported the Club I supported both emotionally and financially for 70 years. I didn't realise that you are expected to 'forget' our Club if you expressed an opinion that Duncan does not agree with.
Suffolk's stats on Sargent (15 goals in 22 games) sums up the season for me. That's 4 games less than half a season. Losing Pukki this season was a worry to me early on but not any more. When Pukki was out last season our form dropped and the same is true with Sargent this season, except that he was out for 20 games. Idah did not fill the void in either season and Hwang also had limited impact. Rowe has emerged as a real threat this season and has developed his overall skills extensively as the season progressed. After his injury, Sainz has had 21 starts so far and has had to adjust to a new country and a new league during that but has emerged now as a real threat. Núñez is another player who has gradually developed into a key player. These developments don't just happen, they're the result of good management and training. Wagner deserves credit for that. Yes we have one of the best squads in the league when the key players are available but that hasn't been the case for nearly half the season and yet we're still favourites for that 6th place. That hasn't just happened by chance. The fact that Wednesday got lucky with 2 of their 10 corners shouldn't take away from that.
I hear you 1950 but I think there are one or two contradictions in this. Are you sure we have one of the best squads in the division when, as you say, we have ageing and creaking centre backs (and our best one being, I suspect, now permanently crocked) and wingbacks who cannot defend? What I see is that we have some of the better players in the division attacking-wise, but as a squad it is imbalanced. Let’s not be deluded - I am not sure any of our team will get in the Championship XI team of the season. I think there will probably be one or two on the bench at best. And I cannot disagree with your comment about Wagner’s tactics being questionable at times, but equally he has had a disrupted squad with injuries to key players at really bad moments, so his hand has been forced. And while I disagree with the aggressive Robbie on the exact proportion of the impact of moving to a more defensive mindset on our improved results, I do agree with him that a more defensive structure has helped contribute to an uptick in form since the end of November. The bottom line is it would be crazy to let Wagner go right now, he is safe until the end of the season. If we do not get promoted, you will probably get your wish. If we do, you might anyway, but surely you cannot deny that he will deserve to stay if we get promoted…?
If you don't watch the games it's difficult or ignorant to form a credible assessment of the season .
Most fans wanted Wagner gone last year , he's taken the team on a great run into the play offs in 2024 & changed many people's minds . There are some that want him gone even if we get promoted, which is ridiculous. We aren't a mega bucks club that can spend £100m improving the squad so I'm not sure that bringing in a new manager would accomplish. IF we nosedive & end up in 9th or something then perhaps but the season isn't over yet
If you read my original post you will see that I mentioned getting rid of him if we did not reach the play offs. I agree that it would be unfair to get rid of him if we made the play offs. I have also said many times in the past that it is virtually impossible in the current climate for us to survive in the top tier and the best we can hope for is to go up, grab the money for future sustainability and face the inevitable relegation with the parachute money used to give us another crack at promotion. I think that Knapper working hand in hand with ' his man ' offers the best chance of achieving that.
You appear to be putting a few carts before the horse . Surely IF we do manage promotion which is still extremely difficult with the quality of the top 4 . You want Knapper to bring in his own man who is guaranteed to face relegation then keep him & try & get promoted again. I personally don't think it's impossible for a promoted team to stay up , Luton may even pull it off . Norwich are a bottom end Premier league top end Championship yoyo club & I take the roller coaster ride. Others discount the chance of promotion before a ball is kicked & wallow in doom & gloom . It's very tiresome
I have yet to see what Knapper will bring to the club. I can see the idea of a SD but it's a tricky role to fill. Webber started well then fell away after things didn't work out. People complained about his lack of communication but Knapper seems to be a totally clandestine figure behind the scenes. He obviously impressed the board with what he wants to do but the assertions about bringing in 'his own man' don't seem to be backed up by his actions so far. Attanasio and the rest of the board seem reluctant to change the manager for the sake of it, so unless we fall apart in the final four games, I can't see that happening. To me making the playoffs would constitute a successful season even if we then get knocked out.
It is still early days for him Rick, but if he was behind SvH being recruited and then not playing any part in proceeding I am not impressed. We are basically now, or for the last two months anyway, a striker short with Idah going North and Rowe injured. I really hope we do not sign SvH permanently with our option.
I didn't watch the game as it was at stupid o'clock for me. I watched the highlights and I know they are not time stamped, but from the chances we created we could have scored a hat-full. For all those saying Sargent should have played the 90 mins, Wagner was on the record last week or the week before saying he still isn't fully fit after a lengthy layoff and are trying to manage him to the end of the season where he can have a long break. So yes it is disappointing he is taken off (I don't don't know what Sydney has to do to come on). I'd rather Sargent get taken off and he can play against Preston than he stay on and get injured for the rest of the season. As always our defence is a shambles, we look better with a midfielder (McLean or Sorenson) playing as makeshift defender than one of our recognised CBs. Hopefully the yoof on loan can help get some young blood in. As I have stated before and others here have, individuals are also prone to some really bad defensive errors and that has been the case with Gibson and Handley throughout their time with Norwich. Yeah we threw away 2 points last night, but teams are scrapping for points all over the league, there are only about 2 or 3 clubs that are boring mid table. Every game is a battle.
It is early days and I'm not anti Knapper, but there is so little to go on. Given the lack of impact SvH has made, the January window has actually limited Wagner's options with Idah, Placheta and Forshaw all gone. This there's little to show for what he's done so far but I'm hoping his desire to lower the average age means our U21s getting a chance rather than bringing in other teams' young players.
I am always against bringing in other clubs youngsters, even if they are better than any we have, unless with a view to buy. Gilmour being a prime example. Seems we were contractually obliged to play him and pay Chelsea for the privilege. Not good business practice in my opinion.
Whilst I refuse to stream in my house it does not mean I refuse to watch them elsewhere - leave it at that. I don't see all games as they sometimes clash with home games at Nice but I see more than enough games to form a reasoned assessment and whilst it may not tally with yours it does not mean that my opinion is based on ignorance.
I did not say we should replace him if we get promoted - I said replace him if we didn't make the playoffs - two entirely different things. I doubt that Luton will survive but if they do it will not be because of ability but because the team they get past has had points deducted for off the field matters. Burnley walked the Championship last year but are coming straight back down. The three teams that went up last season look like being the three teams coming down this season. I agree that the best we can hope for is to continue being a yoyo Club and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I suppose the contradiction is the point. Most of the defenders have consistently played for years in the Premiership so look good on paper as individuals but they are not performing well here this season. Why? Probably because of the reasons I suggested or perhaps because they do not understand or like the system. Whatever it is they are not performing well in defensive duties so why adopt a system that needs solid defensive work when the individuals in the team are better suited when we are on the front foot. It strikes me that we have a Head Coach who is determined to force people into his favoured system instead of adapting to a system which better suits the players at his disposal.
You should live a little & break the law by watching illegal streams 1950canary the risk outways the crime. We are pretty good
