Please bare with me folks - this is going to be fairly long-winded!
I love Norwich City Football Club with all my heart. I always want what is best for them but it has occurred to me yesterday that what is best for them is not actually what is best for us fans. Let me explain. On the evidence so far, the Premier League is an absolute disgrace of a league to be in. I don't want to watch it anymore. I want to be entertained, I want to enjoy watching a game of football for 90 minutes, not a wrestling match, complimented by diving and feigning of injury and time wasting and gamesmanship and cynical play and so on.
After every match this season I have come away feeling cheated and not remembering ANYTHING good about the matches. It is true that we have been totally and utterly robbed of points by officials in each and every match so far. This is not an excuse for our lack of a win - this is the reality! However, we do have a number of short comings which I'll get onto in a moment. On my part, I didn't feel anything could ever make me fall out of love with football. However, the Premier League might just do that.
I don't believe this league is very good. The finishing is certainly more clinical but thats about it in terms of quality from any team outside the top 6. Organisation is the key and unfortunately the rest comes down to gamesmanship and cheating. Some of the things West Brom did yesterday were alarming and made me feel sick. This is a sad state of affairs when a good footballing side with great tradition such as the Baggies have to resort to these tactics to gain results. But thats the thing isn't it. They do this because they know they HAVE TO in order to stay up.
I'm not sure I could bare to see my team have to do this to stay in this frankly horrible division. The problem we have is that the club NEED to be here. As a supporter I could happily live without it and everything it represents. I'm not torn - I'm a fan of my club and I want what is best for them, but if we went down I don't think I'd be that bothered. I wouldn't be happy because we NEED to play at the highest level but the fans, managers, players, media, referees and anything else connected to the premier league often make my blood boil and curdle.
Yesterday I was disappointed by the West Brom fans. I've had a soft spot for the Baggies since about '97 when they came to Carrow Road and taught us a lesson in attacking play with the likes of Peschisolido and Sneekes romping away with a 4-2 win. But it was their fans which stole the show that day, not the team. Amazing, amazing support from start to finish, 'Boing Boing'ing their way through the match and creating the kind of atmosphere a football ground should be filled with.
Yesterday, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sat on their hands, no songs... if they hadn't been 1-0 up they would have had no repertoire at all! Stoke fans were better but fairly muted. Chelsea and Wigan dreadfully quiet. Now we aren't the most famed vocal bunch in the country but at least we give decent backing. It seems to me that as soon as you get in the top flight everything changes, even the fans. Its almost an arrogant air that surrounds you. I hope this doesn't happen to us if we do spend a sustained period in this league.
I don't like this league. I don't like it at all.
Anyway, now for the important stuff. The stuff which really matters. The stuff that City can affect. The stuff that hopefully means we don't have to rely on officials having visited SpecSavers the morning before. City's abilities to stay in this division. Well, we've probably not learnt anything we didn't already know or at least guess would be needed.
We know we need some pace up top, and Jackson for me has done nothing wrong and should start next week. Martin has surprised me to be fair and played pretty well but we NEED pace to give us a chance.
We know that Hoolahan also has to start - he brings us a different dimension to Crofts and Johnson, who have done nothing wrong but lack guile. Only play one of them.
We know that Tierney is outstanding at this level.
We know that De Laet is lacking concentration for 90 minutes and is therefore a liability, despite his otherwise sterling efforts. 3 mistakes this season - three goals conceded. He can't be dropped due to injuries. Sharpen up.
We know that Lambert has yet to fall upon his strongest and most potent team. Understandable to a degree as there are so many different options but he MUST settle on it soon. Personal opinion would be that we return to the diamond, play Fox and Hoolahan, and make the opponents adapt to playing us rather than us adapt to playing them.
We know that we CAN compete on the pitch with these teams. We have not been outplayed by anyone. Indeed with some luck we would have won 3 of the opening 4 games.
We know that we are not street-wise. I hate this term because basically it means we don't cheat enough. Horrible I know, but if we are going to stay in this league we are going to have to play the same games the opponents do. ANY contact in the box, GO DOWN. Let the official make the decision. I feel disgusting saying that.
We know that referees are not going to give us much. On the evidence so far they aren't actually going to give us anything! Yesterday was the poorest display of officiating I have seen since Andy D'Urso ripped up the rule back vs Charlton a decade or so ago.
Lots of things to work on, but what I KNOW is that we have the players here already to make a good fist of this league and stay up. We are going to need a change in our luck at some point though - we can't go on getting terrible decisions go against us, but equally we have to sharpen up at the back and front. There are reasons we haven't got a win that don't relate to referees. We need to add guile and pace urgently if we are to score goals. We need to be more clinical when chances present themselves. We have already won plaudits for our style of play and attitude. Now we need to earn plaudits for the way we defend and win games.
I find it alarming that some fans have already pressed the 'panic button' after four games and four pretty good performances. I can only assume these people don't know how football works. 38 games is a long season and it was always likely to take us time to get to grips with the top league. Unfortunately for me, the idea of 'getting to grips with this league' generally means 'getting to grips with opponents' rather literally.
I really hope over the coming months, the Premier League can change my opinion of it, regardless of my own clubs performance.
OTBC ILWT
I love Norwich City Football Club with all my heart. I always want what is best for them but it has occurred to me yesterday that what is best for them is not actually what is best for us fans. Let me explain. On the evidence so far, the Premier League is an absolute disgrace of a league to be in. I don't want to watch it anymore. I want to be entertained, I want to enjoy watching a game of football for 90 minutes, not a wrestling match, complimented by diving and feigning of injury and time wasting and gamesmanship and cynical play and so on.
After every match this season I have come away feeling cheated and not remembering ANYTHING good about the matches. It is true that we have been totally and utterly robbed of points by officials in each and every match so far. This is not an excuse for our lack of a win - this is the reality! However, we do have a number of short comings which I'll get onto in a moment. On my part, I didn't feel anything could ever make me fall out of love with football. However, the Premier League might just do that.
I don't believe this league is very good. The finishing is certainly more clinical but thats about it in terms of quality from any team outside the top 6. Organisation is the key and unfortunately the rest comes down to gamesmanship and cheating. Some of the things West Brom did yesterday were alarming and made me feel sick. This is a sad state of affairs when a good footballing side with great tradition such as the Baggies have to resort to these tactics to gain results. But thats the thing isn't it. They do this because they know they HAVE TO in order to stay up.
I'm not sure I could bare to see my team have to do this to stay in this frankly horrible division. The problem we have is that the club NEED to be here. As a supporter I could happily live without it and everything it represents. I'm not torn - I'm a fan of my club and I want what is best for them, but if we went down I don't think I'd be that bothered. I wouldn't be happy because we NEED to play at the highest level but the fans, managers, players, media, referees and anything else connected to the premier league often make my blood boil and curdle.
Yesterday I was disappointed by the West Brom fans. I've had a soft spot for the Baggies since about '97 when they came to Carrow Road and taught us a lesson in attacking play with the likes of Peschisolido and Sneekes romping away with a 4-2 win. But it was their fans which stole the show that day, not the team. Amazing, amazing support from start to finish, 'Boing Boing'ing their way through the match and creating the kind of atmosphere a football ground should be filled with.
Yesterday, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sat on their hands, no songs... if they hadn't been 1-0 up they would have had no repertoire at all! Stoke fans were better but fairly muted. Chelsea and Wigan dreadfully quiet. Now we aren't the most famed vocal bunch in the country but at least we give decent backing. It seems to me that as soon as you get in the top flight everything changes, even the fans. Its almost an arrogant air that surrounds you. I hope this doesn't happen to us if we do spend a sustained period in this league.
I don't like this league. I don't like it at all.
Anyway, now for the important stuff. The stuff which really matters. The stuff that City can affect. The stuff that hopefully means we don't have to rely on officials having visited SpecSavers the morning before. City's abilities to stay in this division. Well, we've probably not learnt anything we didn't already know or at least guess would be needed.
We know we need some pace up top, and Jackson for me has done nothing wrong and should start next week. Martin has surprised me to be fair and played pretty well but we NEED pace to give us a chance.
We know that Hoolahan also has to start - he brings us a different dimension to Crofts and Johnson, who have done nothing wrong but lack guile. Only play one of them.
We know that Tierney is outstanding at this level.
We know that De Laet is lacking concentration for 90 minutes and is therefore a liability, despite his otherwise sterling efforts. 3 mistakes this season - three goals conceded. He can't be dropped due to injuries. Sharpen up.
We know that Lambert has yet to fall upon his strongest and most potent team. Understandable to a degree as there are so many different options but he MUST settle on it soon. Personal opinion would be that we return to the diamond, play Fox and Hoolahan, and make the opponents adapt to playing us rather than us adapt to playing them.
We know that we CAN compete on the pitch with these teams. We have not been outplayed by anyone. Indeed with some luck we would have won 3 of the opening 4 games.
We know that we are not street-wise. I hate this term because basically it means we don't cheat enough. Horrible I know, but if we are going to stay in this league we are going to have to play the same games the opponents do. ANY contact in the box, GO DOWN. Let the official make the decision. I feel disgusting saying that.
We know that referees are not going to give us much. On the evidence so far they aren't actually going to give us anything! Yesterday was the poorest display of officiating I have seen since Andy D'Urso ripped up the rule back vs Charlton a decade or so ago.
Lots of things to work on, but what I KNOW is that we have the players here already to make a good fist of this league and stay up. We are going to need a change in our luck at some point though - we can't go on getting terrible decisions go against us, but equally we have to sharpen up at the back and front. There are reasons we haven't got a win that don't relate to referees. We need to add guile and pace urgently if we are to score goals. We need to be more clinical when chances present themselves. We have already won plaudits for our style of play and attitude. Now we need to earn plaudits for the way we defend and win games.
I find it alarming that some fans have already pressed the 'panic button' after four games and four pretty good performances. I can only assume these people don't know how football works. 38 games is a long season and it was always likely to take us time to get to grips with the top league. Unfortunately for me, the idea of 'getting to grips with this league' generally means 'getting to grips with opponents' rather literally.
I really hope over the coming months, the Premier League can change my opinion of it, regardless of my own clubs performance.
OTBC ILWT
