zogean_king up next. Best of luck mate I'll carry on with the cup game, unless anyone else wants a go.
Well not stuffed, but not top 6 capable certainly. Crnac is nowhere near replacing him but I still have hopes for Kvistgaarden once he gets going but that's more likely if he's playing off Sargent, not trying to replace him.
I'm sorry but we did not good down the wings. Stacey like Diallo flatter to deceive because they have space to run into. The long aimless balls to the right hand side did nothing. Diallo's delivery and shooting was wayward and lacked vigour. Although he did have a delightful control in one instance on the line so I may be judging him harshly. You can't do that unless you have some ability. All our best attacks came through the middle when McLean came on or through Kvistgaarden.
He had been struggling in training but Manning said he had been working hard and made the bench ahead of Makama today
Rubbish Our best goal scoring chance came when Stacey crossed the ball from the right wing. Unfortunately Sergeant was unable to make the header, but that was a Sergeant issue not a Stacey issue.
No, it was a Stacey issue. Nobody, including Stacey, knows where the ball is going when he puts it into the box. A Stacey cross is as random as a Grant Hanley header; its trajectory is impossible to predict; no player in the centre can anticipate it and ready himself to attack it when it comes in. If a goal is scored and Stacey credited with an assist, it's pure coincidence. When Max Aarons joined Bournemouth, an analysis of his Norwich performances was posted on the Bournemouth forum. It included criticism of the quality of his crossing: “Too often let down by his final ball”. The forum comment was "…sounds more like Jack Stacey".
I think “pure coincidence” is a bit harsh! But I think I agree with the sentiment. If we are being a bit more generous I think we would say Stacey plays the percentages game, he tries to “whip the ball into a dangerous area” and hopes that an attacking player is in the right spot - so not an absolute coincidence but it is a bit optimistic. What he does not do is pick out the man/pick the pass. I think the reason that is ineffective for us is because we do not really have two or three forwards strong in the air. Sargent can head the ball, but he’s a finisher - he needs people to understand his runs and pick him out, which Stacey just doesn’t do.
It's not just about lofted balls into the box though. The same issues arise when Stacey gets to the byline and looks to pull the ball back. Crnac is particularly good at finding space for himself in the box, often around the penalty spot, clear of the melée in the six yard area. But Stacey's pull-backs are scatter-gun when what is needed is rifled precision.
Good to know you can read Stacey's mind. The cross from Stacey was ideal for Sergeant to head (right area and right height) Sergeant missed it, more often than not I would have expected as a minimum to have got a header on target in that situation. I don't blame Sergeant for missing it, it happens. Just like not all Stacey's crossing efforts come off. I'm struggling to see how anyone who has any idea how the game is played can suggest that on this occasion Stacey's cross was the issue. I'm sure the coaches have data around his cross success rate and criteria for what counts as a successful cross or otherwise. Even if he only has a 10% cross rate I would suggest this is infinately better than Fisher, who doesn't seem to have the ability to cross successfully or otherwise.
Anyone can find space in the box. But finding space is far from the only factor or indeed the most important. For example a player finds space, but his location is one that doesn't allow the player with the ball to pass to him or the space is inconsistent with a teams patterns of play. Good to know you have insider knowledge of our patterns of play. Could you please reference where I can find this info and enlighten myself.
Maybe that's the case, but maybe thats' what he's been coached to do in line with our patterns of play.
