Jerome has certainly been a good signing and excellent value too. O'Neill, though somewhat UNDERUSED is a clever player and a freebie. The others haven't really worked out for one reason or another but most are good players - Lafferty in particular. They just need, dare I say it, the right manager.
"Sad to say of anyone but I'm ecstatic Adams has been replaced quickly because I could only see one way this club was going to go under his management and that was down, down and further down and I was concerned we would make the same mistakes as before. We haven't, and now, for the first time in a couple of years, I think we can ALL get behind something positive. Neil Adams - a good man. A poor appointment." Spot on Supers and I was getting so fed up with some of the games at CR, that I was contemplating not going to matches against teams from teh lower reaches of the Championship - I know some of the other fans around me felt the same!!! I'm expecting what could well be our highest gate ever on Saturday and a cauldron of noise urging the team on!!! Sing up the N&P!!!!! And to be played in a position that suits them!!!!
I'll get dogs abuse for saying this but I don't care - its true. Anybody who has been to all, or even most of the games this season, especially at Carrow Road will have generally been bored out of their minds. Plenty of people I know said they wouldn't renew their season tickets if Adams remained in charge. Whether they were being honest or just shooting from the hip we'll never know now but I wasn't surprised. However, people who haven't been to the game might see the stats and say 'we had 65% possession and 25 shots - why were you bored?' Because there was never a game plan. Everything was slow, one-paced and tedious. And unless you witnessed that dross first hand every week its difficult to explain. Even against Huddersfield, a game we won 5-0 for crying out loud, we were absolutely terrible. It was a five minute spell after half time which saw us score three times and blew them away that made the game fun in the end. It almost seems unbelievable to anyone to say you were fed up watching a game that finished 5-0 in your favour but for 95% of that match it was totally rubbish, embarrassingly bad at times. Nobody is going to moan if we play badly and win 5-0 every week though, least of all me!! But I've chosen an extreme scenario because bar a one or two exceptions, Carrow Road in particular has been a horrible place to be.
Well Supers - I'm nailing 'my colours to your mast!!' (and carrabuh's I hasten to add - especially on this thread!!), a you're both telling it exactly as it is. I'm sure lots will disagree, but this a forum for debate!!!
It's difficult because not everyone is able to get to games - and it probably does sound harsh when people say 'if you were at the game'. But the truth is, you see a completely different picture at matches. Stats often bare this out perfectly! I've been to games where we've been in total control but the stats make it look like we've been outplayed - it does work both ways. Nobody is having a dig at people who don't go or can't go but people interpret it that way.
I think that's why people have such opposing views. If I remember correctly, didn't we have less than 40% possession at Bournemouth on Saturday???
I think we did, yes. How many shots did Ruddy save after we went down to ten men? None. Stats, shmats.
That's because Bournemouth are not very good when playing against teams in the top half. Norwich seem to 'step up' when in the same position.
Much of what you have said is merely subjective and coloured by your view of Adams. "Stats, shmats" suits this approach. Statistics don't tell the whole story for sure, but they are at least objective. You and Carrabuh are convinced that Alex Neil is a 'born manager' and will take us back to the heights again (Carrabuh says we're going to win the league under him). I hope you're both right. I didn't know what was going to happen under Adams and I don't know what's going to happen under Neil either and we won't know until the end of the season. He has advantages that Adams didn't have, like Phelan's experience from the start, Holt's coaching as well (though for some reason you've taken against Holt as well) and a good squad of players. I hope Neil hits the ground running and we soar again, but this is still a tough and unforgiving league and it won't be as easy as you and Carrabuh seem to think.
Hold your horses! Nothing is 'easy'. I think we'll now make the play offs. Stop trying to put words into my mouth. I think we've got too much to do to win the league or even automatic promotion. Neither have I 'taken against' Holt. I just don't think he is a particularly important cog in the setup and could easily be replaced and as part of the old setup, would possibly expect to be. If he leaves it won't affect things in a major way. The fact Adams couldn't survive even WITH Phelan's input surely must signal something to you! I think the second he came in Adams became a lame duck. I do get rather fed up of people making stuff up about what I say. You seem to suggest I take an extreme view but actually its people posting extreme views about what I post. AN's main advantage over NA is that he is a bloody football manager! Stats tell you whatever you want them to. Everyone knows this. Why attempt to suggest otherwise? Clearly you are hurt or at the very least put out that Adams was dismissed but your posts trying to derail everything I say are getting a little silly.
All I said was that you feel "Alex Neil is a 'born manager' and will take us back to the heights again" and those are both things you have asserted earlier in this thread. You also said that "it's a very poor division. It's there for the taking for any team who gets their act together", which at least implies what I was saying. I never said that you agreed with Carrabuh assertion that we will now win the league. I am concerned that expectations are being raised again and that it will backfire on us. I hope it doesn't and things do go well, but there is just no way of knowing yet.
Superman I think it's just you go a bit too far. Yes, misinterpretation comes into it, but there's a lot of hyperbole from both sides. Adams by his own admission wasn't up to the task. But he made a decent (if below expectations) fist of it. I think (correct me if I'm wrong RER) what RER is simply trying to say is that we could have had even worse than Adams. Much worse. He left us in 7th place, I disagree with carrabuh about the quality of the signings. We all agree (I think) that Adams wasn't up to the task, but I think it's just a case of "credit where credit's due". I have said as much for the unjustified slagging off of Hughton that occasionally crops up (not from you, obviously). It's nothing personal. It's just people like to focus on very narrow categories - no bad thing so long as the bigger picture is borne in mind.
Yes, that is basically it, Rob. Adams did a reasonable job and better than that after Phelan came in (10 points from 5 games). I'm not 'hurt' that he's gone and I'm glad that he's left a reasonable position for Neil to build on, helped further by the Bournemouth result. I think comparisons with Cardiff and Fulham are fair, and reflect some credit on Adams. Would Malky have done better? I don't think so, judging by Wigan since he took over. Like you, I think the constant digs at Adams are annoying, and usually based on nothing more than subjective opinion. I think we should move on now and concentrate on what Neil can do for City, given the reasonable position he has taken over. The next two games will be useful indicators of how things might go for the rest of the season.
The whole point, from my perspective, whether he did ok, badly, or what we expected, the job should never have gone to him in the first place. I already said I think he did well to get the away form going at all, but overall his appointment was a mistake. Thankfully, we've corrected it quickly so hopefully it won't affect us long term because it would have done had it been left to linger, just as the Hughton scenario did. This wasn't up there with the Gunn appointment in terms of daftness, but it was close.
Lafferty 0 goals and over £4m = Good player but badly managed Grabban 7 goals I think £2.5m bad player and badly managed. Did Mourinho Ferguson or Wenger captain their sides? Adams didn't so is not a born manager/leader. Answers on a postcard. Weird also that Carabuh didn't rate any of Hughton or Adam's signings but thinks the very same players are good enough to win the league. Twilight Zone on here sometimes.
I don't really see any point in discussing this further. Logic doesn't apply, only your opinion, so discussion becomes pointless. Let's move on.
Correct. Pointless discussion. You're also expressing your opinion but of course, naturally, I'm in the wrong - even though he's been pushed because he wasn't up to it. Weird. He's gone now - I for one am relieved. He was a mistake but hopefully not a costly one. Let's climb the table and get promoted.
One of your more eccentric posts SN23. Lafferty has played well enough, and certainly works hard at both attack and defence. Had his shot early on gone in off the post instead of crossing the line for Turner to put it in, his season might have taken off. I suspect that you feel that he should be played up front, but that isn't going to happen unless either Jerome or Hooper are injured, and even then it would mean sacrificing his tracking back abilities. Grabban started out excellently, but then stalled when opposing teams parked the coach. That isn't his game, which is counter-attacking with pace, as he did in Bournemouth's counter-attacking side last season (which is probably why they made a cheeky bid for him on loan). He's also a useful impact sub when players are tiring and he can use his pace to good effect. Seven goals in 15 starts and 8 substitute appearances isn't 'bad', IMO. Your faulty syllogism about 'born managers/leader' doesn't really merit a reply, but I do agree with your point about Carrabuh's strange logic.
The point about Wenger/Mourinho/Ferguson etc is utterly farcical. They are all natural leaders. I have no idea if they ever captained their sides because their playing careers aren't well documented but you can tell when they talk, by how they manage their players and by their successes that they are. Honestly, what is the point when people make such ludicrous statements? Some people just want to have a dig at me for the sake of it. Sick of it.
To be honest this was the precise moment that I realised there is absolutely no point debating this with Superman Wears... particularly the line in bold. I mean, how can you argue which such water-tight analysis? No evidence required, just his opinion, which of course is never to be questioned - how very dare I? We were 7th in the table, having won away at Portman Road and Cardiff amongst others, we lost just one league game by more than a single goal, we had a +15 goal difference and a 42% win record in this division when he left but apparently his game plan "never worked". It mattered not what Adams did or achieved, he was always going to be a failure in his eyes. End of. Fella must have been doing cartwheels in the street when Adams resigned to prove how 'right' he was all along. As Rick and others have said it's not even worth carrying on this debate. Alex Neeyul is our manager, a fact that I am more than happy with, and at the end of the day from this point on that's all that matters (Point noted about the mis-used/under-used Freudian slip by the way, easily done, though apart from Gary Hooper (who's fitness levels we were never entirely certain about) I'm not sure who all the others were who were so criminally under-used.)
