we have lost 5 of the last 6 premier league games. West Brom (not ****e West Brom but this years West Brom) Chelsea (****e team, no good players, kerry dixon would walk into the team) Man City (never going to win anything) West Ham (shocking ref decisions on the penalties given and not given) Liverpool (team worth maybe a couple of million? no strikers) draw with newcastle which was a poor result for us. what the **** are you all bitching and complaining about? its football and these things happen. we may not have wanted it but with that run of fixtures it was always a risk? i aint saying its great but its not that unexpected is it? are all football fans turning into instant result ******s? sack the manager? after the first month of each season fans say the title is already decided when 1 team goes a few points ahead. we may survive, we may go down. but we dont know yet. every team has good and bad spells every season. this was always going to be a tricky spell and so it has proved. unless you said and stupidly thought that we would beat all those teams ... quit ya bitchin
Right; here's my two pennies worth. I go to every home game as a ST holder, and usually manage a few away games per season, (fewer now than when we were storming through league one and tickets were lower than a trip to a bowling alley.) So now that 'We are Premier League', I choose a couple of grounds I haven't visited but always wanted to. Last season it was OT and WHL,(which was a good choice); this season Anfield and one yet to be decided, but probably the Emirates if I can arrange a second mortgage. I got up at 5.00 to get to Carrow Road in time for the coach. Got home at 11.30pm. The ticket and coach alone cost £75. A frisson of concern ran round away fans when it became clear that Bassong wasn't playing; less surprised that Pilks and Hoolahan were on the bench after their poor performances against Newcastle. Liverpool put out their strongest team; we knew we were in for a challenge. Our worst fears were realised. Liverpool were better all over the pitch; apart from in goal where it was difficult to compare as their goalie didn't have a save to make, and Bunn actually did pretty well before we were overrun. Although our backline were nowhere near matching their forwards, it was definitely in midfield that we lost the game. We gave Gerrard the sort of space that you'd give a colleague with noro virus, and he was able to spray the ball around to his team mates. For the second week running our set pieces, on which we are so dependent, were awful. Snodgrass, in particular, didn't seem able to beat their first man. I kept thinking 'he must get this one right', but he kept on plonking them into their first man, and back it came down the field. We had one chance, a cross over to a 'sliding' Holt, which on a good, (or even half decent), day would have got us a consolation goal. When we were in possession, and were stringing passes around (two occasions), they pressed us hard, and we witnessed that most frustrating of sights; the team in possession passing elegantly the wrong way up the ground towards their own goal. So no complaints with the score; no dodgy refereeing; just confirmation of what Lambert and Hughton have both told us. We need to play at our absolute best,(and with our best players), if we are going to get something from games against from the top teams. Yesterday, we were up against one of the best; I have no doubt that they will finish in the top 6-8. Readers who have bothered to read this far will notice that I haven't called for anyone to be sacked or dropped, or suggested that we are heading for certain relegation. I know it's not entertaining or clever to say this, but, Our Season Will No Be Defined By A Tonking At Anfield. We will play better than this and win, and we will face teams without Suarez, Sturridge and Gerrard running the show. Our away fans realise that; I wish our keyboard warriors could begin to understand.
Great post Gorlestongirl I'm not as angry as last night when it was raw All of the liverpool goals were class too I hope we get some good training in during the next ten days do the boys can put up more of a fight against spurs as its at home. Maybe an addition too
spot on GG by the reaction of some peope yesterday one would think we were a top 6 club in this division with £200milion budget, we are what we are and have achieved buckets in the last few years, time to consolidate and try to make safe what we have and that wont be achieved by flipping out everytime we get a bit of a thrashing. Thrashings have to be expected its how you take them counts.
Splendid sentiments, GG Although, with respect is perhaps a bit misguided, as many/most of our 'keyboard warriors' manage to watch live streaming of each game - with replays, different camera angles etc. and as such, are entitled to their valid opinion. I started an article last night about whether that abject performance yesterday was worse than Fulham on the opening day (which I think it was) but I guess a lot of people are so livid at the final whistle that they do tend to 'shoot from the hip' rather than use reason and common sense. After a glass (or two) of Rioja Gran Reserva and a night's sleep, plus the realisation that we still have a 7 point gap on the bottom 3 and that really, only Sunderland made up any ground on us, it's easier to look at things from a calmer perspective. Just to brass you off, my one and only visit to Anfield was in April 1994, last day of the standing Kop - to witness a one nil victory thanks to a trademark Jerry Goss top corner rasper
Can I still say I think Mark Bunn is too short? The 4th (maybe) goal but definitely 3rd goal really highlighted that for me but it is not the first time I have questioned his 'reach' when he dives for the ball. So many times he seems to miss just by inches and can't help think JR with his much bigger frame would have got his hand to the ball on most of those occasions.
I still believe we can get it together. We need minor tweaks then we can beat anybody. In the meantime let's have a seige mentality and accept that everyone has written us off. **** those people. They don't know a ****ing thing about us and that's our greatest weapon. Re-group and we can win against spurs.
Lawro actually made a potentially valid point on motd, that we got to 25 PTs and maybe thought we are ok fro the drop, and that we need to get going again
Perhaps, but he makes a lot of the problems for himself because his positioning is so poor. Some strikers can be great headers of the ball even if they are not very tall by making up for what they lack in height by getting themselves in the right place. It's the same with goalkeepers surely. I don't want any single player to become a scapegoat for our recent form so I don't want to say much on this one, but if I'm honest personally I would play Rudd.
Cage & GG, thanks for your sensible posts. Normal service and common sense has resumed on this board.
gorlestongirl, I'm sorry I took so long to read this, trudging warily through snow-covered icy pavements to Tesco's because I was stupidly out of bread! Your post has cheered me up no end, just knowing that there are sensible people out there is heartwarming, and before the rest of you jump on my back, I'm not singling anybody out, it's just that gg has hit the spot beautifully! I think I'm in love!
I was shocked to hear him say that last night too as I think for once he might actually have a point. But we also need to remember that we have had players missing over the last 6 games too. Holt, Ruddy and yesterday Bassong, being the biggest losses IMO
Having calmed down I'm still spitting feathers about yesterday's performance. It's not the fact we lost, it's not the fact we got thumped, it's the way we lost. Think 'Norwich v Posh' then 'Liverpool v Norwich'. Our display yesterday was IMO, exactly the same as Posh's against us. No fight, a realization that we were playing a side much better than us and the inevitability of a heavy defeat. The fact that Hughton once again seemed devoid of ideas of how to change things (again) also wound me up no end. The word 'passion' is often used in football, well yesterday our players showed zilch. One thing Lambert had when he was here was the ability to motivate and motivate well, I'm seriously doubting as to whether Hughton has this in his locker. That is all.
True but Tesco is only 300 yards from my door! On slippery pavements it's a health and safety issue, at all other times I'm a lazy bugger so it's always Tesco's for me!
I was entertained by your post until the last sentence. It did sound, if maybe not intentional, of the elitist ideas that do tend to prevail that unless you go to a match then you aren't a true supporter or your comment isn't valid. There are a number of different posters and "keyboard warriors" on the site. All from different backgrounds, age groups and attitudes. Just because you live in the Outer Hebrides and watch every single match wouldn't make you any more of a Norwich fanatic than someone who watches MOTD highlights. It might mean that you have a better chance of reviewing the matches in full but that is all. But your opinion of how the game should or could be played and which players should be bought and sold carries no more weight. Many of the posters during yesterday's game were just expressing their instant view on the game. I don't recall the calling for the mangers's head, sacking of the board or mass exodus of players. But there was the utter horror of seeing their team thoroughly beaten that led to some comments that are made at matches up and down the country every game. Its called emotion. Watching awful crosses hitting first defenders. Watching Holt having to battle for every ball on his own. Watching each of the defence crumble under the weight of constant pressure. Watching the manager put Hoolahan on too late to make any difference. All these things were obvious to each and every one of us. Some like to spit feathers. Some just shrug their shoulders and say well we're lucky to be where we are. Personally I think CH must take the blame for yesterday's inept surrender. Totally the wrong tactics and totally the wrong personnel playing IMO. And I posted as such. It was a comment on what I was watching at the time. I guess that puts me somewhere in the middle. But lets not go back to the old days where some posters comments on what they are watching were treated as treason and you are not allowed to say that anything is wrong at any particular moment in time. And if anybody thinks there is anything good that can be said about yesterday's performance then good for them. they got out of the game what they wanted. Personally I think that was THE worst performance after Fulham. Everything wrong about it.
