I couldn't resist

Well, I’ve not been near this board for months but events of the last 48 hours meant I couldn't resist coming back for a brief moment to give my view of the season and see how everyone is feeling. Last night was fabulous for the club and I can’t be alone in being chuffed the first team survived this season, especially given the turbulent start to last summer. The great work of previous years could easily have been undone. Following Paul Lambert was always an unenviable task, like Moyes following Ferguson is, albeit on a grander scale!

I knew this would be a year of transition on the field, a dangerous season, a case of ‘getting by’ as foundations are put in place for a long-term strategy. Off the pitch, the strategy has been there since McNally arrived, but on the pitch... it’s just something we never had under the previous manager. That wasn’t his fault – our rise was dramatic, his job became hectic – a case of play each season as if its your last, so to speak! That’s changed now. There’s a formula, an identity, which will develop over the coming seasons. Of course, it’s in no way complete yet.

Before the season began I felt if we stayed up, by whatever means, that was success. For the long-term interests of the club, survival was absolutely everything this year. I never felt we’d go down. Not after the Fulham and Liverpool debacles, not even after our recent heartbreaking loss to Villa. Blind faith? Of course not. The reason was our home form – we picked up a stream of wins and draws, keeping the tally ticking over. I always fancied us to get a result at home, no matter who our opponents. We're difficult to beat on our own patch. Away form has been the biggest disappointment for me this year. We require craft and pace to see improvement so we can counter attack (like the 'yoof' last night). Some of its not been good to watch, some has been awful! Some has been enjoyable. Sounds like a season of football to me! But away form has to be the biggest issue to address, even before style IMO.

Another issue is conceding more goals from outside the box than any other club this season. Bunn's done well but you’d have to say his height (or lack of it) is partly to blame for this along with not closing quick enough. IMO, the loss of Ruddy was a massive threat – for a club like Norwich, to lose our best player – and most importantly a keeper, and for such a long period – it could have proved disastrous, but his return last weekend showed how important he is. The defence and midfield notably played with a bit more confidence as they weren’t as concerned about making a mistake which could cost a goal.

So anyway, I’ve started to ramble when I only came on to do an appraisal of the team. I’ve not read any other threads so apologies if someone else has already done this!

Ruddy – 8
He may have been missing for much of the season but when fit, has been impeccable. In my opinion, we would have been safe by mid-April had he been fit all season. Will be like a new multi-million pound signing next season.

Bunn – 7
An able deputy to JR but let’s be honest, he is not in the same calibre. A very good signing by Hughton nonetheless – made some great saves.

Camp – 5
Freebie reserve to add experience to the bench. I’m sure it was hoped he wouldn’t need to play but he was forced into the action. Cost us a point at Wigan which dragged us back into danger. Will likely leave in the summer.

R. Martin – 6.5
Up and down season. Helped by an injury to Whittaker who comfortably looked the better player early season. Not got forward as much as usual but has been one of our better performers since Christmas. Still an important player at the club.

Whittaker – 6.5
Unbelievably, has only tasted defeat once in his City career despite featuring in 12 games. Excellent going forward but a string of injuries has hampered his progress this term. Could be like a new signing next season.

Bassong – 8
Almost certainly been our most important player this season. Calm and assured in possession. Makes the odd slip-up but has the pace to correct any mistake. Good leader, vocal and at just 26 years of age, the player we should build our defence around.

Turner – 7.5
Awful start for the one-time England squad member but after those difficult four or five games, grew in stature enormously, out-performing Bassong on many occasions. For £1.5m, a top signing.

R. Bennett – 6.5
Bench-warmer for much of the season but in the last month of the season has been City’s best player with some outstanding performances. Classy on the ball and beginning to show the quality which made me stick my neck on the line 12 months ago and say he would play for England one day. Still a long way to go in his development though.

Barnett – 6
Never lets the club down when picked but lacks the nous at this level. Did ok when selected early season. Likely to leave after a successful half-season loan at Cardiff.

Garrido – 6
Started like a house on fire but form has dwindled since Christmas, though he has hardly been alone in that repsect. Agreement to sign permanantly might be in place but I would like to see a better left back signed personally.

Tierney – 4
Barely featured, lacks pace and signed his own death warrant when he was the worst player on the pitch on the opening day. Will leave in the summer.

Johnson – 8
Our most improved player. Great engine, works harder than anyone. Has weaknesses in his game but accepts it and always tries to keep things simple. A very important player in our midfield. Signed a new deal and deservedly so. My nomination for Player of the Season.

Tettey – 6.5
A strange one. Cracking start to life at the club. Looked like a decent box-to-box midfielder but following an injury his form has been patchy at best. Plenty of room for improvement next season but a classier version is required this summer to compete.

Fox – 4.5
Used mainly in cup games but sadly been ineffective in almost all those games. As one of his biggest fans I’m disappointed to say I see no future for him at the club and expect him to leave. He’s done himself no favours as he’s failed to put up a decent fight for his place.

Surman – 5
Another player I like who has disappointed, though unlike Fox, has been injured for a long stretch of the season. Played a few games early in the season and did ok. I would keep him unless suitably replaced – he offers a bit of quality when playing well.

Howson – 5.5
Considering expectations, a very poor season for the most part but not entirely his fault as he’s spent much of the campaign out of position. Has shown glimpses in recent weeks of recapturing his form and if played further forward could be a massive asset. Plenty of room for improvement next term.

Snodgrass – 7.5
Key player, our top attacker this season and one of Hughton’s best signings at less than £3m. Crossing and set pieces are very inconsistent but he’s a box of tricks and nice to see a ‘throwback’ winger who plays off the back foot and takes players on with skill rather than simply being fast over ten yards.

E. Bennett – 5
Failed to kick on from his impressive form at the back end of last season but still a valuable squad member thanks to his versatility and attitude. Plenty to work on over the summer but I expect him to be kept as he has the raw materials to be a Premier League player.

Pilkington – 6.5
A bit of an enigma really. When on form he is a real handful, gives great balance to the team and adds goals from wide areas, but can equally go missing for weeks on end. Had a few injury problems this season and that may have counted against him. We miss him badly when he’s not fit but I expect a better winger to sign in the summer.

Butterfield – 3.5
Was always a risk as we signed him with a serious injury but its hard not to be disappointed by a young player who clearly has terrific attributes yet hasn’t got the attitude and application to make the most of them. I’ve heard some worrying things about this lad from Colney and I suspect its now just a matter of time before he leaves. A real shame as I’d seen a bit of him at Barnsley and felt he could be a future superstar.

Hoolahan – 6
Mixed season. Had a brilliant spell during the ten-match unbeaten run where he was as good as any player in the top flight, but has struggled for form overall. I think the fact he just doesn’t get forward and score goals may see Hughton look for a long-term replacement during the summer, leaving Hoolahan with a more bit-part role next year.

Holt – 6
As with Hoolahan, not a vintage season by his high standards and his powers may be waning, but he is still a handful and has, in general, worked hard although there is no question in my mind he has grown frustrated since Christmas. Seven goals is not the return anyone was looking for but he has actually got a fairly good conversion rate considering how few clear cut chances he’s been presented with. Times change though and I would expect him to play third fiddle to Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper (or AN Other), assuming he stays this summer.

Jackson – 5
Will leave. Like Barnett, has never let the club down and always gives his all but isn’t quite up to this level of football. Will have a host of Championship clubs vying for his signature.

Becchio – 4.5
Who? Oh, the guy we signed from Leeds in January. From hear’say it seems he’s either fallen out with a member of the coaching staff or isn’t quite the player we thought we were getting on purchase. Either way, he’s been a disappointment and it’s not impossible we may see him leave in the summer.

Kamara – 5.5
Great bloke, amazing story, average player. Key goal against Everton though! Tried his best for us in difficult circumstances and he’ll have gone back to the MLS a more rounded player than he was when he arrived on these shores. Correct decision not to sign him.

 

And an appraisal of the manager and the season as a whole.

Hughton – 7.5
The most divisive manager we’ve had at the club since Nigel Worthington. His mission at the start of the season was to keep us up – this has been achieved with a game to spare. Nobody is stupid enough to suggest the football has been ‘exciting’, but football often isn’t exciting, and having been spoilt over recent seasons thanks to our rise through the divisions, this season was always one of transition between two different managers and a groups of players he inherited. And the signs look promising (with the signing of RvW) that the summer signings will be players in more positive positions with more quality than we currently have on our books.

I believe the clubs biggest issue this season has been a lack of confidence – the manager has lacked confidence in some of his players and some fans have lacked confidence in the manager. It’s been a tricky season for numerous reasons and it has felt like some aren’t pulling in the same direction but it says a lot about the character of everyone involved that we’ve still managed to stay up. For me, staying up this season is a far, far bigger achievement than staying up last season when we were ‘on a roll’, had the ‘unknown factor’ for much of the season and the manager was, in all honesty, as good and as inspirational a manager as we’ve ever had.

I applaud Hughton for sticking to his guns, even when a few fans turned against him. It shows he’s strong-willed behind the calm exterior. I don’t care that he praises our opponents every week and nor should our fans – he’s just a nice bloke – he’s just being nice – what a bastard, eh?! Ever since he joined the club and watched the videos from last year I’m sure he has had a plan in his head of how he can firstly keep us up, and then take the club forward and make us a competitive mainstay in this very difficult league. There is no question he should be allowed to continue with that plan. Obviously, if we are bottom at Christmas next season then changes would likely have to be made – a manager is only as good as his results – but I’ve seen nothing to suggest he isn’t a capable manager who can stay with us for a few years and make us an entertaining, but difficult to beat Premier League club.

We aren’t going to be world beaters, it just isn’t going to happen but we can be competitive and fun too. Yes his subs are often too late, yes he only plays one up front (though I’ve never for the life of me understood why this is deemed negative when the most attacking sides in the world also play one up front – it's how you utilise the midfield that matters). Yes he’s cautious and likes his team to keep clean sheets... so do I! I don’t like to worry that we have to score two goals to have any chance of winning a game. Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in football.

But really, his biggest problem this year has been that he is not Paul Lambert. Our former manager was outstanding for us and it was always nigh-on impossible to find someone in the same mould. Hughton is very different and he’s still a young manager experience-wise; people forget that because he’s been around so long, but he’ll have learnt a lot about his players and more importantly himself this year. I can only see improvement next year in both quality of personnel and quality of football, although I would fully expect us to be fighting it out in the bottom half once again. Progress will be slow for a while on the pitch but the progress off the pitch has been mammoth and shouldn’t be ignored. We're debt-free – a truly astonishing achievement in this day and age. There are positives and negatives regarding this season but overall, as a club, the positives outweigh the negatives. The manager has made some mistakes, all the players certainly have, even some of us fans have!

So it won’t go down as a memorable season, not like the previous three and I won’t be buying the DVD, but it’s been a vital season for the club and ultimately it’s been successful. We should all be thankful for that! Hughton, as is the case with many of his players, has plenty of room for improvement next season. Just as going on a 10-match unbeaten run doesn’t mean all is rosy, only winning 3 from 20 doesn’t mean we are useless. Winning 4-0 last weekend doesn’t mean we’ve suddenly become Barcelona mark II, neither did losing 5-0 on opening day mean we were doomed. There is a middle-ground.

The youth team, although not containing finished articles, is as strong as its ever been. The way they play is precisely how I envisage Hughton would like to play – they too play 4-2-3-1 but are quite direct with the pace on the counter attack which is why they are such a threat and are successful. Although not in charge, Hughton will have a say on youth development and how they play, I trust the manager to spend the (hefty) funds wisely and I trust the board to keep building the club off the pitch now the debt is cleared. The manager, the players, the club as a whole – we’ve certainly not peaked – we’re still on the way up. That’s exciting.

So have a great summer one and all. There’s no football, so you’ll all realise how much you miss it and come back fresh as a daisy in August. Hopefully we can sign off with a good performance and even a positive result at the Etihad on Saturday.

OTBC IHWT


Ps. Thanks to all those who have left messages while I've been away – I’ve not had time to go through them all yet but I promise I will and get back to you asap. My family have been through a torrid time recently and it really has put everything, especially football, into perspective, but time is a great healer and I think things seem more positive again now. Also, anyone I pissed off or insulted before I buggered off, I sincerely apologise – this is almost certainly aimed at Carrabuh and/or ILD but I’m sure there will be others – you know what I’m like!

 

welcome back Supers, and very succinct post, which i mostly agree with.

 

Welcome back mate, I hope things work out well for you

Oh, and excellent post(s)

 

Welcome back, your analysis, realism and positivity has been missed by many, even those who disagree with you I would think.

I can't fault your analysis of the players, I'd probably give Snoddy and R Bennett another 0.5 but can see why you gave them their marks.

I think it will be an exciting summer seeing who we bring in to strengthen and hopefully we will kick on next season watching better and more successful football.

 

Great read superman
Your posts have been missed by me and I'm sure others
Whatever personal issues you have dealt with, sorry to hear that, but good that you have turned the corner

 

Welcome back Supers - we have missed your contributions and hope all is well with you now.

Great post by the way.

 

Great read Supers, and great to have you back as well. My player ratings would be a bit higher for Snods (my PotS), E.Bennett, and Wes, but I don't think we've seen enough of Becchio to make any judgment yet. Glimpses of promise against WBA. Mostly agree about CH as well, but that will run and run. I also think Lambert would have struggled this season if he stayed (as he has done at Villa). We'll never know what would have happened if CH had been more attacking - we could be down with QPR or up with Swansea - but the truth is we'll never know. Next season will be the test! Again, good to have you back.

 

Good read,
No1 status for our Academy
Retain our PL status
Win the youth FA Cup

Could mathematically still improve our finish position in the PL from last year with one game to go

Seems like a good achievement to me, of course there has been some negative football in all that and if I never see another match like the Toon one it will be too soon
But overall OTBC bring on the Wolf

 

Excellent post Supers.

I have to say, in my opinion your ratings are very fair indeed. The only one (in terms of the players) I may have reconsidered would be Snodgrass. I think he deserves at least the same rating as Bassong/Johnson, if not a higher one (I did vote for him as PotS after all).

As for Hughton I would probably give him a 7 rather than a 7.5, but I'm probably just nitpicking.

 

Nice one Supers, agree with majority of what you say and really hope we improve further. I do feel we have to attack games more often and hopefully with more attacking potential we can achieve a better style of play.


Who do you think from the youth team will 'make' it in the future?

Personally see a future in Morris, Murphy's, Toffolo and Ben Wyatt.

 

You dont see Cameron McGeehan with a future to make it? i thought he was the best player on the pitch and a future NCFC captain

 

Missed him out Zeller, included him in another post I made. I agree for what it's worth.

I do think the centremidfield is probably the biggest weakness, taking McGeehan out of it I am not sure about Randall and King myself. Also although Hall-Johnson scored the penalty I don't really know whether he'll make the grade.

 

King didn't look too bad and Randall put his body on the line, but I agree in general that that was where we were weakest. I think it showed in our ball retention really. McGeehan is definitely Captain material, whether with us or elsewhere.

 

Being at carrow road and stamford bridge for both games i was very impressed with Harry Toffolo, my MOM at carrow road by far.

The Murphy twins look good but i think to much hype around them at them moment, once they learn to look up and pass backwards occassionally they will keep improving but what raw talent to have at the club for the likes of Huckerby and Aston as youth coaches to work with.

 

Fair player assessments Supers. It's not been the most relaxed of seasons I'll have to admit that, but at least it's ending on a high note with the exception of that ghastly kit. Should be a very exciting summer now we have a decent budget to work with.

 

Good read.

I agree with virtually everything (though would be more generous to Bassong and Snodgrass!)

The only one I think you've been a little unfair on is Butterfield.

 

Toffolo's number 6, right? I think him, McGeehan and Morris have the best chances of making it. Wyatt and the Murphys look decent too, but think Murphys still have a lot to do. Certainly hope a few of them get a game next season though.

I think McGeehan is just the type of player we should be looking to bring in this summer (a ball player who can tell the rest of the midfield exactly what to do); it's a pity he's a couple of years too young.

Good post as well Supers. I agree with your assessment of Snodgrass - personally, I feel Bassong and Johnson have both been better than him this season.

 

sadly not seen as much of this city youth side as I did previous ones (typical – i saw all the crap ones ) but from what i have seen, which is mainly from this cup run, the ones i feel most likely to have careers in the top flight would be carlton morris (centre forward) and ben wyatt (left back or mini drury as i've dubbed him). there is plenty of promise from a large number of the team that began the final yesterday but that's all it is right now – they are all a considerable distance away from starting for the first team. the murphy twins get all the headlines but they need to be given time to develop because at the moment they lack awareness. if they are coached correctly they could be top, top players. long way to go!

 

Where the hell have you been!!

Glad your back, and hope your over your family problems!!

Enjoyed reading that, and cant find much to disagree on.

As for Butterfield, it will be a big disappointment if he is offloaded, had high hopes for him, whats gone wrong??