Yes, we have moved forward in a lot of respects, but there are some over which question marks still hang, mainly the midfield supply chain. I was just thinking that last summer, if anyone suggested we needed to add to our midfield, they were shot down and ridiculed. Virtually everyone thought we were plenty strong enough there and that midfield was the least of our problems. Now, having strengthened both defensively and in attack, midfield is where the chief problem still lies despite our signing Fer. Depending on how exactly Fer is going to be used, it's the Howson/Hoolahan CAM position or the Tettey/Johnson DM position that remains problematic IMO. Either we need to bring one more midfielder in, or the problems have to be ironed out on the training pitch. Plus, to complete the back four, we need a confident ball-playing CB.
James Nursery has been "in discussion" with a canary fan on twitter over Hughton's summer signings - RvW in particular. Here's how he signed off: Over to you to make him eat his words, Ricky
I can't remember, was RVW ever up front on his own in the Sporting Braga game?, I think he's only played alongside Hooper, perhaps CH will try him on his own in the next game against Real Sociedad. Do you think he would do better on his own?
I don't think we necessarily need another CAM as much as another top quality CB. I reckon that with the personnel CH has at his disposal he can put a pretty strong front 6 out. It is all about finding our best formation and the players most suited to it. I can see Hooper playing off RvW with two of Snod/Redmond/Pilks on the wings and Fer plus Johnson or Tetty in the middle with a bench to include the wide midfielder left out plus Johnson or Tetty and Howson or Wes. If we have a bench with Redmond, Howson and Tetty as our midfield options then I don't think we'll be doing too badly if we add to that bench Becchio plus R Bennettand Whittaker/Rusty/Garrido or Olssen and Mr Bunn the baker I would argue that this is way better than last season and shows how much depth we now have. I think the midfield is pretty well stocked and would rather see depth added to the front line or centre of defence.
I agree the midfield is "well-stocked"; but I see it as still lacking in one important respect, an experienced recycler of the ball, always available to receive, with good ball possession skills and accurate onward passing. Is Fer that player? I don't yet know.
If he was brought in as an upgrade for Tettey and or Johnson, then no, we still clearly need an equivalent in Howson's preferred role, imho.
I think the important thing that Nursery is missing is perspective. RvW is not Van Persie. He's probably not even as good as Darren Bent (though he obviously has the potential to be). There's no guarantee that he'll score 5+ goals this season, let alone 15. He is also young and relatively inexperienced. What we have paid a premium for is his technique. This is what we should be measuring him against. I saw some of the highlights and, while he didn't score, his technique is blatantly miles better than what we have had before. While just having good tekkers doesn't score goals, I don't doubt for a minute that it will give the team more confidence in attack by allowing us to have more control going forward. My point is that we have upgraded the squad. You can't upgrade results, you can only upgrade your chances of getting results. So whatever arbitrary measure Nursery chooses to rate RvW on, I will only be assessing the team as a whole and RvW's contribution to that. It's the same reason I think Holt had a fantastic season last year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some bad news: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2013/08/05/4166394/- Though I accept we have probably already missed out on Alderweireld. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A more positive spin on things: http://www.givemesport.com/365751-are-norwich-contenders-for-relegation-this-season?autoplay=on Interesting that Mackie thinks we need another CB as a priority - I imagine this is actually what Hughton &co are working on at the moment.
I reckon it all depends on what formation and personnel CH is looking at playing next season. If he's going to play both RvW and Hooper then there is no way we will also play a creative AM as well, only as an option from the bench as we would either have to play really narrow with little width or leave ourselves very vulnerable with only one DM in the centre. I don't know if I'm missing something but surely having spent big (albeit for us) on RvW and Hooper plan A surely must be to play them both and try to make them a brilliant combination. If we're going to have some width that takes out two positions and leaves us with (presumably) Fer and AN Other in midfield. I honestly don't see how the AN Other can be an AM to use as a playmaker without us being run off the pitch from time to time. I also don't think that Hoper or RvW would have joined us not to play most matches. If the argument is that Howson/Wes are not up to it then if we buy better then surely we must sel one of them?
We look devoid of ideas in midfield, especially when Hoolahan isn't on the pitch, then further back in the engine room we struggle to keep and maintain possession, before anyone plays the Fer card his just one player we need other players who are not afraid to pass the ball about. We cab have as many great forwards and defenders as we want but we're not going to score if we don't create the chances and no matter how strong the defence is we'll soon concede if the midfielders can't simply keep the ball.
That was the main problem against Braga, I think the next priority signing should be someone to fill this role. We can have all the strikers in the world but it will count for nought if we don't have the service.
Totally agree with that Fenland the second half against Braga reminded me of exactly why we struggled to score goals last season, it might of been a friendly but it's certainly highlighted that this is the area we need to improve in. Not taking away anything from the current crop of midfielders, we just don't have enough variety.
No, you aren't missing anything. You have summed up the situation exactly as I see it (see my thread "Diamonds are passé ........". What I meant in my previous post is that Fer will definitely be playing in the centre of midfield, and if RvW and Hooper both play, with Snoddy and Pilks/Redmond supporting, Fer will play as one of 2 central midfield players, one of whom will, when we have possession, move forward to augment the attack while the other maintains a defensive brief. IMO one of those two in central midfield needs to be a cool, calm and collected recycler of the ball. We don't know yet whether or not Fer is that player; if he is we don't need anyone else. But if that's not his game, then IMO we do need someone else since on current evidence none of Johnson, Tettey or Howson can fill that role. Wes has the necessary ball possession and passing skills and is good at getting into space to receive a pass, but among other things lacks strength and is not up to it defensively.
I think that we have a decent midfield and that a lot of our problems last season were down to not having options for an out ball other than a hopeful punt up to Holt. I reckon that the likes of Wes/Howson wil find it an awful lot easier putting balls through to the pace and movement of Redmond/Hooper/Rvw and the drive of Fer will open up gaps for our forwards to exploint. I also think that by having technically better players our work round the box with the likes of Snod will become far more of a threat to opposing defences and they will have the quality to hold up and use the ball well and just the presence of the speed of Redmond will make opposing full-backs more wary of being caught on the counter and as a consequence not push on so much. If we have players good enough to paas through a side or who have the movement to create space and technique to exlpoit it I am convinced that this will ease a lot of pressure from our midfield and defence. i may be being way too optimistic but I feel that if CH is able to utilise the squad we have to the best of their ability then I can see us having a great season. Don't get me wrong if Mata fancied improving his quality of life by moving to Norfolk I'd not be crying myself to sleep but I don't think that we need another midfielder. I think that the "Holy Grail" of a new AM is overplayed unless we get someone able to oust RvW or Hooper from a starting berth as there is no way we will play two up top plus the kind of luxury AM many on here seem to want and if CH wanted that sort of player then I doubt we'd have spent so heavily in other areas. We have arguably our best ever squad and it is now down to the management to get the best out of it. I think that a few on here are looking at our pre-season and seeing similar problems to last season when we have yet to play our first XI, our players are not match fit and as we have made a number of signings naturally the team is taking time to gel. I am very confident that RvW and Hooper will become an excellent partnership and once Fer beds in fully our midfiled will improve noticeably.
Just to add, in response to Fenland and Northampton, the problem shows itself when we are put under pressure. First half against Braga things looked good; against WBA and Man City at the end of last season likewise. Second half against Braga, when Braga had been stung into retaliation, it deteriorated, especially after Fer tired and was substituted. Once the back four lose confidence in the ability of those in front of them in midfield to receive and retain possession, they then start pumping the ball long and the pressure is maintained. It's in those circumstances that IMO we need my "cool, calm and collected recycler of the ball".
Agreed, which is exactly why it's disappointing if Everton are now in for Alderweireld because he would have been perfect (assuming you mean that a CB can be a recycler in the Ferdinand mould). As I said above, I suspect this is what the board are working hard on.
There's some good tactical opinions being batted about on here lately. Interesting to see how people see the team shaping up. My opinion at the moment is that I'm not completely convinced that Hooper and RvW will work too well up front together. Don't get me wrong, I'm chuffed that they are both Canaries now, but this is why I'm still keen on us getting a new, quality AM-style player. However, I hope my doubts are proved completely unfounded, and they both hit it off!
roberto mancini described van wolfswinkel as "the best striker we have played against this season" when he helped knock citeh out of the the europa league a couple of years ago. nursey or mancini? i'll choose to listen to the latter on this one thanks - he knew a thing or two about playing up front himself agree about the midfield needing to retain possession better - its been a flaw in norwich sides for the last two decades - it's not a new problem. i think people forget that. some sides have been better than others at it but we've not really had a good passing side since mike walker's first spell in charge other than a brief six months under worthington and a few spells under lambert when things really clicked. fer, on what i've seen, is a good passer of the ball and likes to drive forward - that's an improvement straight away from last season's midfield where we were sloppy and if we did keep the ball for a sustained spell we then didn't get enough bodies forward to make a killer pass. midfield suggestion, completely from left field: josh mceachran. hear me out on this one! i watched him aged 16 and he immediately reminded me of joe cole at that age. i know he hasn't lit up middlesbrough or swansea in his loan spells but the kid, in the right system, under the right manager - someone who gives him time and perhaps an arm round his shoulder, could prosper and i think he has the potential to be an england player if he finds the right club and gets some games under his belt. he needs to start playing games now though! still under 21 i believe, bound to be available.
I'm of the opinion that if two players are good enough and the system is set up for them to succeed then they will. Both Hooper and RvW seem to be pretty smart players and technically decent which leads me to think that given time (see my earlier post) they can develop into the best pairing we have had.
A confident-in-possession-under-pressure CB would make a big difference, but I think we need a confident-in-possession-under-pressure midfielder sitting ahead of him too. But hey ho, we've had so many goodies already we can't expect everything in one transfer window can we!
