You're right DH - we don't seem to be able to build from the back (although it was much more noticable on Saturday when we had Fox in the team that there was more of an effort to try to build an attack without the big hoof) so often the only "out ball" is a lump up to Elmander. I must admit when I first saw Elmander I thought him to be slow, ponderous with no first touch, but having seen him more often I've seen him over compensate his failings with some good lay-offs and he does draw a lot of heat from the defenders. I'd still like us to keep Wes though as he does give us something different and I see a place for him, Elmander and Fox in different scenarios dependent on the opposition.
This is so true. So to complement that hold up role, we need a fit and firing Howson, Hoolahan or xxxxxxxxx to pick up on any knock downs or flick ons and get some service to Hooper or RvW - the type that suits them best as goalscorers. For me, that's the one elusive piece of the jigsaw. Fans of most Premier League clubs outside the top six probably feel exactly the same!
And that's the heart of the issue for me. We're saying that to capitalise on Elmander's hold-up play, we need a second striker and an attacking midfielder in the side. But, in a 4-4-2 Hughton has insisted on keeping the central midfielders deeper, making play through the centre more difficult. We've also not got any creativity from deeper because Fer, Howson, Johnson and Tettey aren't that kind of player.
According to 'Whoscored' stats, Elmander has 3 assists so far, including his lay-off for Fer's goal vs WBA and his excellent chest-down for Hooper's spectacular volley vs Swansea. He also has two goals in the cup as well as the rest of the contributions he makes. I still can't see selling Wes though, as he offers very different options in that central role.
For teams in the bottom half of the table, that makes him behind only Brunt, Crouch, Nolan and Whittingham. And I wouldn't be surprised if he's played far fewer minutes than each of them. I think he's been a good signing and he's one of the few players who looks like he can lift the team when heads fall
Could only see one mention of this, from some dude / spambot I've not heard of before. I'm sure £500k is well wide of the mark. Agent Vince ‏@AgentVince_ 17h CONFIRMED: Leeds United defender Sam Byram has signed for Norwich after a £500k bid was accepted. #ncfc #lufc
£500k is stupidly cheap for a 20 year old championship player. I'd have thought we'd be looking at ~£3m or more. Unless we're sending Becchio back too....
Surely if it was a done deal, there'd be more on twitter, Newsnow etc. Certainly I'd expect more outcry than we've seen to date?
You sound like you want rid? I thought he was meant to be the best thing out of your club since, well, Howson?
