Good to have you back supers, shame that it couldn't be a more upbeat return! I said a few weeks ago that I think he'll be here until the end of the season no matter what because McNally seems to be backing him all the way. Personally I dislike the constant pressure on the managers that has seen 6 get the axe in half a season. I think boards should let them try to save it or go down with the ship, just my opinion. However I would be in no way surprised if CH gets the sack if we lose against hull. The perfoances and tactics have simply not been good enough. On your point about the atmosphere at CR, it has been pretty awful this season. I think we really suffer because the only noise comes from the Barclay. I understand that the football hasn't been great but the complete silence at times is just awful. Clearly the players aren't going to pick us up so we have to pick them up. Even where sit in the upper Barclay I feel like a lone voice when trying to get behind the boys. There's been a distinct lack of enthusiasm from too many of our fans for about a year now. That really needs to change. We need to make CR a fortress again and we can only do that if we get behind the team. Whether you want hughton in or out, there should be constant support for the players on the pitch!
Some excellent comments and it's obvious from the posts that we all want to see our team do well, whoever is in charge. My observations - 1. The squad seems to be so low on confidence and unlike when PL was in charge, the heads go down and nothing seems to be able to change it. (I wouldn't want PL back by the way!!) 2. How many of our 'goals against' have been scored as a result of our opponents skill, as opposed to a 'mistake' by one of our team. 2. With the departure of Holt, we don't have a natural leader on the pitch to 'fire' the team up and get them to at least TRY to win. Blatantly obvious last night especially!!! 3. CH's team selections are becoming more and more inept - I couldn't believe the starting 11 last night and why didn't he start with at least one recognised striker???? 4. I felt that CH was a good choice as manager and many fans felt that NO ONE could replace PL, but I felt that he was a. Ready to move to a 'bigger' club b. was of the opinion that he had taken us as far as he could. 5. As has been said on this and many other threads - even if we don't get relegated then as much as it pains me to say it, we need a new manager one who can motivate the players. I want to be able to support my team; to see them play to win games (as opposed to playing 'not to lose') and see a collective effort from each and every player, because as things stand at the moment and until the players start putting SERIOUS effort in, we could lose some of our more recent signings (for a lot less than we paid for them) and could struggle in the Championship!!! I would love to see our team play with the same drive and passion as Nottingham forest did against Wet Sham!!!! Excellent point Colk!!
Thanks for the responses. It shall probably only be a fleeting visit for now, but I thought I should try and get on here to post something baring in mind what’s been happening at the club! I do feel the board, last summer, made a rod for their own back. When Bowkett announced that we wanted a ‘top ten finish’ it was never clarified. I personally took it as a ‘hope’ rather than the main aim for the season. The main aim will surely have been (and always will be while we’re in this division) survival. I think a lot of fans took those comments the wrong way and have combined the money spent with these aspirations to see a truly disastrous season unfold before their eyes, lurching from one disaster to another. I, on the other hand, see a disappointing season. There’s been a few sparkles but nothing substantial. Generally we’ve plodded along, suffering injuries throughout the side, taken a few beatings from the big boys and struggled to put games we’ve been on top in to bed. We’ve conceded wonder goals, sloppy goals and downright stupid goals. We’ve not scored anywhere near enough. Yet despite all this, we aren’t even in the drop zone. Despite all this, we are just one win away from the top half (discounting goal difference). If the ultimate goal is to stay up, the manager is still on target to fulfil his main brief, albeit it in a difficult and often demoralising fashion. What has pushed me to now peer over the metaphorical ‘fence’ is the regularity in feeble performances this season. I accept that we’ve never really been able to pick a settled side but the players picked should at least be able to graft for 90 minutes. I can accept defeats. I can accept mistakes. So long as the effort is there. Confidence is a huge factor in football but you can still dig in if confidence dips. We roll over and have our belly tickled too easily, by teams who shouldn’t be allowed to. Other times, teams are just going to be better than you, especially in this league. Fine. I still support Hughton 100% because I still support Norwich City Football Club 100%. If Hughton succeeds, my club succeeds. Who wouldn’t want that? I want him to make the right calls, pick the right team, make the right subs. More often than not he does that, though he still gets abused for doing so. He’s not the next ‘Fergie’ but equally he isn’t the new Gunn. I think its become a case of a decent bloke, a decent manager, with a face that doesn’t fit. He has always appeared like an outsider, even when doing a good job last season. Some folk just never took to him. Whether that was down to his personality, the fact he had no connections to the club, his style of football, his demeanour in press conferences or ultimately that he wasn’t Paul Lambert. I can’t see how any of that will turn around - I can’t see how he will ever really be accepted here, whether he stays till the end of the season or till the end of next season. It’s very disappointing that it’s panned out like this as he was clearly given a long-term brief and seemed well on course to see that out. Hughton and the players should take much of the blame, but so should the board and the fans too. At times the place has been stunk out, and sometimes its been the football but sometimes it’s been the fans. We’ve all played a part in causing this to derail. I think we’ve got a half decent squad of players. I think we are probably about the 15th best team in the league (as I feel we were the last couple of seasons but we overachieved). I’m deeply frustrated that it has come to this but until Hughton leaves, we are only going to continue this not-so-merry-go-round until it reaches an inevitable and messy conclusion. OTBC
Welcome back Sir. Van Wolwswinkel is the biggest let down for me this season and symptomatic of things not going as we had hoped. Bassong who was immense last year is equally lost this time around - how do you manage that?
I feel sorry for RvW though. He has never had the chances he deserves to show what he can do in front of goal and he had a difficult injury which meant he played unfit a few times, before having a couple of months out. And I really feel he was, in context, very good yesterday - his touches were crisp and good, passes generally forgiving. He worked bloody hard and looked like he really cared.
Just a shame he spent most of his time playing in midfield, miles away from their box where you'd think he should have been.
Really? We looked great for the first five minutes, but after that we were complete dogshit in my opinion
I guess his thinking was that no one in midfield could play a five yard pass to him, so he'd have to win it himself?
Welcome back Supers - genuine good wishes. I am sure that things will get better. Until you are back full time I will try not to make you angry although, to be fair, whilst you have away I have become Mr Optimist - if you believe that you'll believe anything!!!
I think your looking to deeply into why people are fed up with him. Theres one major reason and its to do with the style of football. When its tied in with poor results and performance it is a recipe which screams unpopularity. He deserves everything he gets because it is entirely his own doing, I have no sympathy whatsoever for him. As for the long term, just what monstrosity did he have in mind, best to nip his ideas in the bud now before his ghastly fingerprints are all over everything. To put as reasons not to like him as being the fans fault in some way made me laugh. If he wants to be accepted here then he needs to change his playing style, the truth is he's just not good enough to do it
If we were 10th few would be complaining. People want to win and style is certainly not as important to most fans.
That's all very well but try telling that to the poor bastard fans that have to pay and watch that garbage every other week!
Call me deluded but I think Hughton is doing ok still. He doesn't help himself sometimes with the teams he picks (How is Whittaker still playing?) but he is unable to play the team he wants to play because of so many damn injuries and yet we are still above relegation with what really should be a great chance of 3 points next Saturday.
The number one problem with the football Hughton has us playing is we sit back and zonally defend, we allow the other team to play football there is most of the time there is no pressing on our behalf so they have licence to do what they want, when we're in possession we're sloppy we loose the ball all too often or we panic when there is no need too. Yesterday we made Fulham look like a very good team when they had the ball they were calm they didn't rush, when we get the ball we either play erratically or when we do play calmly we pass ourselves into dead ends. My hopes to salvage what appears a wreck of the season are to get in a high quality centre back who is a calm presence who can more importantly pass a ball, then the other is the swift return of Howson, Tettey, Pilkington and E Bennett.
Surely it's both? The style is dreadful and the results are even worse! And the excuses are woeful !!
I don't think many would complain if they saw some effort to win and to at least some decent football and they express themselves. I'm perfectly happy with our points tally, a couple more would be nice but I wouldn't sack Hughton for that. It is the defensive rubbish that rubs people up the wrong way.
