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Premier League season, 2021 / 2022

Discussion in 'Norwich City' started by Walsh.i.am, May 7, 2021.

  1. Walsh.i.am

    Walsh.i.am Well-Known Member
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    Off we jolly well go again, on the never-ending canary merry-go-round.
    Welcome back to the world of hideous kick off times, biased officials weighted
    towards the perceived 'big' clubs........and f***ing VAR <steam>

     
    #1
  2. Golden Eadie 2

    Golden Eadie 2 Well-Known Member

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    The transfer window opens on 9th June I believe, so not long to go before we have an idea of potential incomings. I assume SW will get as much accomplished as possible early doors.
     
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  3. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Let's hope so. The window slams shut at 11pm on 31 August.

    12 weeks has been mentioned for Skipp's recovery time but I recall that Beckham only needed 6 weeks to recover from his fractured metatarsal. That could make a difference.
     
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  4. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    As this new thread has opened, I'll copy this over:

    Interesting in depth interview with Kieran Dowell, charting his development as a player and why coming to Norwich has worked out so well:

    https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/kieran-dowell-everton-transfer-20540283

    This particularly interested me:

    "Loans are like crash courses, you are learning so much with different managers. At Forest, I had Mark Warburton and Aitor Karanka who have two completely different styles and you're lucky in a way to have played for so many managers in such a short space of time. You do learn a lot but it does come to a point where you want to settle and play for one manager and be part of his plans and his teams."

    He describes his 'fit' with Buendia and Cantwell as being at the heart of his recent success and let's hope that is carried over into next season.
     
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  5. 1950canary

    1950canary Well-Known Member

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    And potential outgoings as well which will hold things up as SW will not know where all the gaps are.
     
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  6. zogean_king

    zogean_king Well-Known Member

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    I don't really like the transfer window, all the endless speculation. I just want it all to be over and we know who we have and get on with the next season haha
     
    #6
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  7. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Agree. This month before the window opens is the worst bit. Journos desperately trying to dredge up rumours or, failing that, just making up rumours.

    Meanwhile Robin Sainty thinks that DF has solved one problem:

    "Daniel Farke must be delighted with the way that Kieran Dowell has nailed down the number 10 slot over the last few weeks. For me the position behind Teemu Pukki has been the missing piece in City’s jigsaw for much of the season and has resulted in several attempts to fit square pegs into a round hole, but it would now seem that he has alighted upon the perfect solution. Not only is Dowell a natural goalscorer, contributing five goals in the last nine games, but his sharpness of mind and excellent movement off the ball makes it virtually impossible for opponents to shut down City’s attacking threat when they also have to deal with Emi Buendia and Todd Cantwell."

    Suddenly emerging as he has, Dowell is almost like a new signing, providing 5 goals in the run in from a position where we've had few this year and last. Coming to us from a PL team he has a good knowledge of that league which could make a huge difference next season. Cantwell has had something of a disappointing season and we all wonder if he will raise his game in the PL like he did last season. Surely the addition of Dowell and Giannoulis can only help that to happen and if Todd and Emi stay, we will have an attack that PL defences could well struggle with.
     
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    Last edited: May 18, 2021
  8. Canary Rob

    Canary Rob Well-Known Member

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    I’m looking forward to us playing in the Premier League the Norwich way again.

    If we get relegated, so be it. I think we are as likely to get relegated playing the Tony Pulis way anyhow.
     
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  9. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Chris Goreham makes an interesting comparison between this squad and the previous promotion squad:

    "Tim Krul, Max Aarons, Emi Buendia
    and Teemu Pukki have shone in both campaigns but the starting line-up has evolved without anyone really noticing. New signings like Ben Gibson, Dimitris Giannoulis, Skipp and Kieran Dowell have all played vital roles. Hanley and Todd Cantwell were not regular starters two seasons ago but were superb this time. Some of the stars of the 2019 triumph like Marco Stiepermann, Onel Hernandez and Zimmermann were part of the supporting cast two years on."

    The squad has moved on over two years both in the players involved and the levels of experience those players have. The extremely young back line we took into the PL last season has been replaced by far more experienced players. Even Aarons, now 21, has two years more experience if he stays. Krul has been better protected by the partnership between Hanley and Gibson, supported by Aarons and Giannoulis as well as McLean and Skipp covering as necessary, while also moving the ball forward to the attacking players.

    Pukki, Cantwell and Buendia (assuming they all stay) are far more experienced this time and Dowell has added to that after arriving from Everton. There's also the pace of Hernandez and Placheta which could be more telling in the PL with fewer packed defences to face. With about 5 squad places available to new faces, we should be much better prepared for the PL this time.
     
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  10. Walsh.i.am

    Walsh.i.am Well-Known Member
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  11. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Really pleased for him, as returning to his home town club will also help him settle into Norwegian life again, which is what he wanted to do and his new coach is ex-Norwich player, Aage Hareide.

    "It is written in the stars that it would be nice to end my career in Rosenborg," the Canaries legend told Rosenborg's website. "Now is a suitable time to go home and Rosenborg is my team. When they approached me and everything was in order, it was very difficult to say no."

    https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwich-city/tettey-returns-to-rosenborg-after-canaries-exit-7968152
     
    #11
    Last edited: May 12, 2021
  12. Robbie BB

    Robbie BB Well-Known Member

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    As happy endings go, that could hardly be bettered. <applause>
     
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  13. Walsh.i.am

    Walsh.i.am Well-Known Member
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  14. DHCanary

    DHCanary Very Well-Known Member
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    #14
  15. Hairy Mary Quite Canary

    Hairy Mary Quite Canary Well-Known Member

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    He's going to be hounded this year by other opportunities. Nice to hear him talk about a potential extension but we've got to assume he'll be off to bigger things. I hope he's as tenacious and effective in finding his own replacement as he's been in other facets of his work with NCFC.
     
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  16. DHCanary

    DHCanary Very Well-Known Member
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    I've seen suggestions his replacement is already in the building, Kieran Scott our head of recruitment.
     
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  17. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Logical really - I was impressed by Scott in his extended video about recruitment.
     
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  18. 1950canary

    1950canary Well-Known Member

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    There is a lot of realistic talk around at the moment and I just hope it extends to the fans if/when we find ourselves in another relegation battle and there are not calls for DF to be sacked or Delia to be hung, drawn and quartered when we are. The facts are that the standard is improving at all levels of the league pyramid and the gap between each division id widening. The 3 Clubs coming down from the Premiership all went up to it in the last couple of seasons, the 3 Clubs replacing them are likely to be the 3 Clubs who came down the season before and most teams promoted in 19/20 struggled in 20/21 with many going straight back down again. Even Kings Lynn would be going straight back down after one season in the National League but for covid. I don't want to get into a discussion about individual Clubs but it is certain that about 12 of the Premiership Clubs will not be involved in any relegation scrap and you can add Newcastle to that list if they get a decent new owner. This leaves the 3 promoted sides, Palace, Burnley, Brighton and, possibly, Southampton. Is it likely that we will be able to finish above three of them? I doubt it.
    It will help if we can retain our current squad and add a few but how likely is that? I felt that with the number of vacancies available at large German Clubs DF would be off but that now seems that to be less likely. It seems likely that a deal to sell Aarons has already been agreed and if a Club at the top end of the table comes in for Buendia he will be off. Some will try and argue that he will only be sold if the price reaches our asking price but it doesn't work like that nowadays. If a top 8 Club come in for him you cannot tell Buendia that he cannot move to a Club who will triple his wages, basically guarantee Premiership status for the length of his contract and give him the chance to challenge for trophies rather than be involved in a relegation scrap because the price is £5m less than our valuation. Cantwell is more likely to stay but a lot of people would argue that he would represent less of a loss than the other two. If Villa sell Grealish then who knows. I really cannot see Spurs letting Skipp stay for another year and that would really represent a major loss. As for replacements and additions - it will not be possible within the money available or our wage structure to attract anyone with proven Premiership experience so we will be looking at players from lower leagues with potential and the loan market neither of which guarantee success.
    I watched Burnley play Fulham the other night and it looked what it was. A Premiership hardened side against an enthusiastic side struggling to reach above their potential. I just hope supporters appreciate the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world today and not just get hung up on league position. I hope and pray that City can defy the odds and stay up for a second season but I'm not banking on it.
     
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  19. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    A very realistic summary 1950. Most supporters seem to accept that it will be a battle to stay up, but as Watford and Bournemouth showed with their relegation last season, nothing is guaranteed. Sheffield United survived when we didn't, but they have crashed big time this season and have taken just 17 points from 35 matches. They will struggle to match our paltry 21 points the year before. The gap between divisions has always been huge and we will never be able to compete on a strictly financial basis. Instead we have to invest in young players and find bargains in older players. It's a team game though and it's how effective all 11 players are over the 90 minutes.

    What I want to see is a willingness to fight tooth and nail for survival. If we do that and fail to survive then so be it. I expect Aarons to leave and possibly Buendia as well, but both would have to be at our price, as SW showed when Liverpool tried to get Lewis at a cut down price. When Newcastle met our asking price, Lewis moved on. Players leaving fund new quality players coming in. We got £15m for Lewis and replaced him with Giannoulis, a far better player, for £6m. That is our means of progression and SW is a master of it. We sold Godfrey for £25m plus and replaced him with Gibson for £8.5m and our defence has improved as a result. Every time we make these gains improves us as a club and eventually that will pay off. It may or may not be next season but the time will come.
     
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    Last edited: May 15, 2021
  20. DHCanary

    DHCanary Very Well-Known Member
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    upload_2021-5-14_23-34-15.png
    How we lined up for the first game in the Prem last time around. Potentially 7/11 will start the first game this season, albeit with 2 years more experience.
     
    #20
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