We have strengthened but relative to other teams in the division I don't think we've strengthened enough.
I guess they had more money too. But who knows, maybe those players they've brought in might not settle in the team, it happens. I don't think Newcastle, Villa, Sunderland, West Brom, have improved that much and I still think Bournemouth and Watford will struggle.
The thing I don't like about this window, is that Grabban has pulled a strop, rarely pulled his weight on the pitch. We reject a £6 million pound bid. RVW has had a decent pre season, never grumbled, and seemed to have worked hard to try and get back in the team. I know RVW is on bigger wages but he is better than Grabban. I honestly believe he is much better than Grabban. We ship him out on loan. Bradley Johnson would run through walls for the club, POTS, plenty of goals last year, we've shipped him out for £6 million, and probably told him he didn't have a place here. Doesn't make a great deal of sense to me.
Couldn't agree more We may have strengthened our starting XI, but I really don't think we've strengthened our squad at all, certainly nothing like we should have done and like so many of our direct rivals have. As I said earlier it's a squad game these days, no outfield player will start every game and we need different options for when injuries, suspension, loss of form and tiredness kicks in, and I'm sure Bradders would comfortably have started at least 15 games, and have been involved in a lot more. Surely it's up to him to grab the chance and make himself undroppable (if that's a word) by imposing himself on games like he did all season last term if he wants to be starting every week? All just seems very bizarre to me the way this has happened. On footballing and business terms in really doesn't make any sense to me at all, the fact we've sold him to a championship team and not a premier league rival (I'm certain he would have had suitors) suggests that AN thinks he can do a job at this level, and he doesn't want him to come back and bite us. All just very confusing, it will feel better in the morning but I'm not sure it will ever actually make any sense what we've done in this window. We've left ourselves massively exposed, Tettey spends a lot of time suspended or injured so Gary O'Neil looks set to play a bigger part this season than any of us imagined, partially as Gladys has also been loaned out. And what happened to the £10m we supposedly bid for Afobe?
I haven't really grumbled too much about lack of signings, but pulling out the heart of the dressing room seems crazy to me. For £6 million pound which we didn't need. Bizarre, I do think we've gone backwards in the last 24 hours. If we end up battling for relegation, Bradley Johnson would be the first name on my teamsheet against a fellow relegation candidate.
Judging by Kenny Jackett's response it wouldn't surprise me if we tried to short change them like we did to Hull during the Brady saga, I'd estimate it was nowhere near that amount we probably offered them chumps change.
I am pretty dumbstruck by this story. Bradders is or rather was IMO our best player, he could make things happen, a hell of a good shot and appeared Norwich through and through. To dumbstruck add saddened, disappointed and worried.
Regardless of whether he would have been a key player this season or not, he was unquestionably a fan favourite so it's only natural that fans are confused, upset or angry at his sale.
I think I get this. BJ had a great season last year but by no stretch of the imagination was he our best player. People loved his passion and his willingness to get involved. He definitely took the most improved tag as well but that was after a properly dire season before and a fairly average one before that. For all his good form remeber he got shunted out wide, where he performed well to hide his inabilities in central mid. I think brad knew that he wouldn't start a lot this season and so would rather go somewhere where he will and to find that he had to drop down. Neil never saw him as a central player and he replaced him on the left with Jarvis who is a better left sided player than brad. I'm sad to see such a passionate player leave especially after such a good season but I get it and I think that move has improved our squad. What I really don't get is why we haven't brought in another Centre Back. To me this seems utterly mad. I think our first XI or so is still stronger than many of our rivals, it's the depth and Bassong's knees that worry me. I just hope we make it to Christmas without injury if so I think we might be able to fix that problem and move on.
I was very lucky yesterday. Got back from the pub at 9pm, settled downto follow the last four hours on the net when the internet went down. Waited over an hour but not back on so went to bed oblivious of all that was to come. Net still off till 10am when I was able to catch up with the news. Surprise at the happenings is an understatement.
Most City fans disagreed with this as they voted him our POTS and rightly so. He was 'Mr Norwich City' last year and when he got himself suspended toward the end of the season fans were up in arms wondering if we could really cope without him. People have short memories that's all I can say, many fantastic, committed performances and fifteen goals a haul that most strikers would be pleased with. His thunderbolt against 1p5wich, his scorcher against Blackburn away, his strike that cannoned off the bar at Wembley to name but a few. I really can't comprehend letting him go, I really can't.
They (and I ) voted him POTS because, as I said, he had a great season. That doesn't equate to bring our best player there are many other nuances involved such as his passion he could be argued to have been our most inform player. He was also moved out of position because he was a liability in the central places and used to fill in on the left because we had only one fit wide player on the books.
Seems straight forward to me. You want to be playing week in week out and keep finding yourself on the bench. Both Grabban and Johnno didn't see a future with us as first choices so wanted out. Grabban did it wrong and it backfired, Johnno pressed for a move the right way and got what he wanted. Good for him.
For the first time since his arrival, Munky, your signature carries some genuine validity.. I'm just wondering if AN has believed the hype a tad too much of late, and has alienated some of the senior players by getting a little too big for his boots. I've nothing firm to back it up. Just putting it out there.
agree totaly. i cant see how we have NOT weakened the team. any team would be weaker without bradders. we have not got a like for like,and now we wont be getting one. also agree that rvw should not have been loaned out with our lack of quality up front. we are short up top and at the back. i was upbeat after the first three games but now i feel the wheels are off. very much hope i am wrong
It is what it is, not much we can do about it now. I'm most annoyed about Grabban being here, never really been a fan (sorry SN - anyway you're banned now and can't reply, so **** ya! ), and I wouldn't have him about the place after his shenanigans. I think all this coming off a very poor display against the saints has made it seem worse.
But why give up on a first team place after four games? Four games that he he has featured in each of. Surely he should be trying to impress the boss in training and when he does get his chances to earn a first team place, rather than take the easy option by dropping down a level. It's not as if he's miles away from the first team at all, and he is coming off the back of the best season of his career so far, approaching his peak age for his position - we're not talking 32 year old Grant Holt wanting a move back up nearer his family in his twilight years. I don't get this "fringe player" stuff ether, he may not have been one of the first names on the team sheet this year - certainly not at the start anyway - but he definitely would have been a very useful squad player, playing in far more games than he'd miss over the course of the season, and if he could kick on from last season who's to say he couldn't have won back his first team place? Yes, AN has his ideal starting XI in mind, and Bradders wasn't in it, but this could and will change as the season progresses so I really do think this is bizarre, and nothing I've read since has convinced me otherwise.
Oh yeah, I've calmed down a lot today - still really confused by what went on yesterday, most bizarre day I can remember as a Norwich fan!
