Cordoba on Turned up an hour before kick off to get autographs for my daughter. Duffy the drunk driver walked over with Hernandez for 2 minutes then left the kids disappointed at half time . Signed 2 shirts I'm not coming back anytime soon
Our starting eleven last night included seven players we'd expect to be in our first-choice Championship line-up (assuming they are still with us): Stacey, Hanley, Nunez, Sara, McLean, Rowe, Sainz. Of the other four starters, Long, Sorensen and Fisher are established squad players. Abu Kamara was the sole exception in the eleven. Sara apart, we looked technically inferior to Magdeburg in virtually every respect.
I think it’s generous to call Fisher an established squad player, he barely played last season. I though Sainz was good despite his mistake for their goal.
I found that a thoroughly depressing performance. In the last three competitive matches we've scored 1 goal and conceded 5. For now, I'm lowering my expectations even further.
He made 9 Championship appearances last season, including 3 starts. He can't be bracketed with the likes of Abo or Welch whose "appearances" at the end of the season were a matter of having bodies on the bench.
The Full 90 replay is up on the NCFC web site. Watch the period from minute 6 up to the Magdeburg goal. It includes the big miss from Sainz.
Very odd team selection, full strength midfield but no strikers in the squad & it showed . Not even Aboh . The first home game since the play off disappointment & they were terrible. Lots of parents were really upset with the players not coming over. I have been going to these home friendlies for about 20 years & it's a given that if you turn up an hour before the game the players sign shirts & meet the future Canary kids & take pictures. Seeing about 100 little ones holding notepads & marker pens & getting ignored last night was really really bad . The game finished at 830 I had a train at 9 & my daughter was really upset nobody came over before or half time . The stewards were telling parents hanging on that they weren't coming out & we had to leave but luckily Angus Gunn came over by himself . You can understand on normal match days but pre season is supposed to be about attracting the next generation of Canary fans . I don't know if the management team told them not to come over or the players think they are too important to bother & just pick up their bloated salaries but it really really pissed off a lot of parents & left kids disappointed. The performance was dreadful I don't remember a single good attacking play let alone a shot . And thats before the coveted players are even sold . You can't read too much into pre season but we played Olympiakos the Europa conference winners & beat them 2-0 last year the stadium was pretty full in all 4 ends last night only 1 side was used . Didn't see anything promising from the youth players & the internationals looked lazy & uninterested. Sainz was the only one that looked up for it again . If we sell Sara Idah & Sargent without adequate replacements I don't see this season being anything other than a books balancing exercise . I was going to go to the cup game against Stevenage but I don't think I'll bother. It's easy to fall out of love with football
In those highlights there were at least 3 defensive errors on top of the one that did that could have conceded goals.
Oh, dear! I was inviting you to spot some positives in our play in that period ......... but to no avail
I almost wondered if that was the point. Thorup's made it very clear that the ball-playing abilities of Hanley, Long, McLean, Sorensen to a lesser extent, are simply incompatible with the style of football they've hired Thorup to coach. They can't move the ball fast enough or play through a press.
Thorup knew exactly what kind of team Magdeburg are -- they topped the 2.Bundesliga for possession last season despite finishing mid-table. They pressed as he wants us to press. His main criticism post-match was exactly what you say, too slow to move the ball, two or more touches when one was needed, etc. Some of the in-possession play in the first half -- in which McLean participated -- was quick, direct, forwardly incisive, just what he was looking for. It's bound to result in mistakes at times, but I think Thorup would rather that than the laboured, indecisive, reactive nonsense which subsequently took over. Courage, not caution!
Córdoba has obviously come in because he does fit the style and will be first-choice LCB. Who currently on the books do we think the likeliest candidate for RCB. Brad Hills?
