Well a point is a point I suppose, but it wasn't really satisfactory, why can't we defend a 2-1 lead at home with 8 players defending?? I haven't read any other threads so please forgive me if this is a repeat of stuff already covered! Arriving at the car park listening to Radio Norfolk, was shocked to hear we were putting out the same team as we did against Wigan! No shots on target in that game, so put out the same side in a game we really needed to win....WTF? My brain was saying turn round and go home this can't be right, but as usual the heart won out and we all carried onto the ground. From the kick off we looked awful, giving the ball away time after time, same old tactics midfield defending too deep virtually no attacking threat. Kamara winning headers from lumped up balls but no one on the end of any of them. Bassong was having a stinker at the back, he looked totally lost. Hoolahan lost the ball more often than not and didn't do a thing with it, why was he applauded off? Howson shouldn't ever play for this club again, what is the point in him standing around watching the game. Swansea's first goal; They had 2/3 people in our penalty area, we had 8! What is the bloody point of defending en masse like that! It's painful to watch and it doesn't work!! Turner was outstanding and stood out by a country mile! Bradley Johnson was our best player by miles, not only did he battle in the midfield, but tried his best to go forward. But what pissed me off more than anything else was the late substitutions, what ever is the point, he keeps doing it week after week, and generally it's just after the opposition has scored or they score just after he's made them. At 2-1 why change things or prepare to change things, it's disruptive to the team, we were the home side, we only had 35% possession, all we needed to do was to get the ball and keep it for 10 minutes push the possession stats up a bit, but no, with this super sorted out defence we've now got we gave the game away AGAIN! I guess I'm going to get shot at for this, but I'm getting seriously fed up with the way the team is set up to play!
Apparently the reason why dropped points is that Michael Oliver was in charge, just as apparently he must have been in charge for 14 of your last 15 games!
I think most of what you say is pretty much spot on. I have posted my opinion elsewhere that I reckon the late substitutions cost us two points and I just cannot fathom why CH is so reactive in his substitutions. I think a bit harsh on Howson but can understand your frustrations - I just wish that he was putting in the performances he managed last season and which he should still be capable of.
35% possession against Swansea is irrelevant. It's where they have the ball and what they do with it that's important. Bassong apparently apologised on twitter for having a poor game - although that doesn't claw the two points back. But others had excellent games, Johnson, as you said, Snodgrass, Turner and Bennett. There are numerous threads about the match , the ref Holt's attitude etc. From my own stance, it was a good point because it looked like being/could have been three, as we did at least get men forward in support of the striker. (4 players in the opposition box during open play at some stages!!) Compared to the goalless drab draws against Newcastle and Fulham, where we looked disinterested in 'going for it' and appeared happy to settle for a point from the off. Yes, it's still only a point, but the approach, attitude and belief were there to see on Saturday - the very attributes which have been largely absent during 2013
shame you are feeling so downbeat ILD. i must admit, when bunn went off after 15 mins, i was expecting a defeat. Swansea are a very good team - they certainly highlighted our ball-retention and passing weaknesses. personally i'm happy with a point and a better performance. basically it's in our hands now - 5 points from the last 3 home games and we're there. if we don't beat reading at home, then it's our own fault. also think if we can avoid defeat at Stoke that will be excellant for us given their position.
Howson Is a very good player but he is being played in the wrong postition, anybody who watched him play for leeds and for norwich last season will know his best position is in hole behind the strikers. HE IS NOT A DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER.
No. maybe his best position is not as a defensive midfielder, but why should playing in that role affect his ability to pass the ball. Most midfielders can tackle to some degree (well maybe except Paul Scholes) he's very limited and I thought very limited last season. A few good games, but generally pretty innocuous, and drifted out of games. Oi Howson, No; roll your sleeves up and do some fecking work (said in accent of Harry Enfield's comic character
I have to say he played well against Sunderland and no one played well against Wigan, I can only remeber one miss placed pass from Howson all game? the other passes were intercepted by a Swansea player and as a team they are very good at passing and reading the game to get the ball back. IMO IMO Wes was the worst palyer on the pitch and has looked weak the last few games and when we removed him during the sunderland game we looked a lot better.
IMO Howson should be playing behind the Striker (in the hole). Tettey should be in central midfield with The Beast. Hooly should be on the bench.
How many times have you passed a ball in a match that was the correct pass but intercpted by the opposition because the opposition read what you wanted to achieve? i know it has happened a few times to me. But its one of those things lots of people will agree with and disagree with but IMO Howson only made one bad pass the entire game from where i was sitting in the Barcley
yep its happened many time, I tend to assume it's because I'm crap and telegraph the pass, therefore it's the wrong choice of pass and generally because the pass is slightly delayed.
I feel your post is rather negative ILD (and it also seems to have been written as some kind of bizarre poem with the random line breaks) but it is hard to argue with some of the points in it. No doubt that Howson is a shadow of the player he was last season and Hoolahan was very ineffective that game, but at least for once, three of our midfielders, as opposed to just Snodgrass deserve some praise for stepping up their game. Of course, a draw isn't perfect but we actually looked threatening at times, so it is a marked improvement from our last games!
Well i think we can safely say we wont agree as my passes are always brilliant but it is really all in what you see as everybody see's every event slightly different.
My post on here, DM, (#4) is very much along the same lines as yours. Just because we didn't win, having been 2 - 1 ahead, doesn't for you or I make it a bad performance. It was slow to start, sure, and the defending for their equaliser was non-existent, but there were (several) signs of improvement over recent drab showings. If people who go and watch can't accept that, then it bewilders me why they bother to attend games at all. All this recent bull about positive and negative camps is exactly that - I'll praise them to the rafters when they play well and/or give 100% - and be ultra critical when it's, imho, deserved. Sadly, 2013 has mainly been the latter of the two, barring Sunderland and Swansea, so praise from me has been a bit thin on the ground. But as for these people who accused of wanting them to fail so they can say "I told you so", well count me out, I never have been or will be in that camp I'd be as bold as to suggest that Thai, Munky and Redruth are similar in applauding the good and booing (but not literally) the bad. We all want the same thing, ffs!
Fully agree about the post being negative, and I don't apologise for that, it's the way we as a club appoach games and it's my view point! I feel despondent that the supporters of NCFC accept it as being positive that we've won one game in the last 16, and accept home draws as good things, when we don't look like winning another game this season! I'm sorry you feel the need to criticise the way I posted, "bizzare poem" was not indended, but if it make you happy to be negative about stuff that's fine.
I have to go against you on this Cromer, are you saying that we can't or shouldn't try to compete against teams who 'pass' the ball. If you have the ball i.e, posession, then you have a greater chance of scoring a goal, if you don't have the ball then you have a smaller chance of scoring and the opposition have a greater chance! I was at Swansea earlier in the season when we actually went for them and blew them off the park, but apparently when we play "these" teams at home we play 8 in defence! We needed to win that game, we didn't. Which ever frock you put on it it's another 2 points lost, not 1 won!
I'm not looking for excuses but when we went to the Liberty, we were in the middle of a ten match unbeaten run, which breeds confidence - dare I say 'swagger'? So far this year, we've had none of that, so to get back - in parts, to playing with a 'at least we're trying to win' mentality is a step in the right direction. Not the finished article, by a long chalk, but surely a better overall performance than has been seen so far in 2013? Surely even you must concede on that one?
