General Football Thread

I'll address this one at a time, but I'm not sure I can agree with most of it. Thats not to say that we are going in the wrong direction considering our means, I just think there is a lot of assumption there, with very little evidence thus far to back it up.

Fitness: subpar for years. This has been fixed
Do you have any real evidence for this or just an opinion? If fitter, why did we finish lower than at any time for several seasons? I'd rather they worked smarter not harder (Though smart and hard works best)

Team spirit: very poor previous season. Very good now.
I'm not sure you can say that for sure, on face value they seem together, but was Marley happy? Was Jerome? Is it better than the spirit Neil engendered in getting us promoted last time? You can be told to have a team huddle but do they function well as a team? No, so juries out for me, too often these things come out only when in the end game or even after the manager has gone.

Scouting: seems more organized and focused.
OK difficult to really argue with that, outside it seems so, but then they did buy Srbenny who doesn't seem like a striker suited to Farkes system. And previous regimes invested in some very good youngsters, Were previous managers cut off before they got the chance to fully change the squad to their needs? Webber had out of necessity to cull half the squad, so would someone else had they been in his position. We finished 14th last season, so the success of that scouting and focus is very much an unknown so far.

Loans (key for any Champ side): much more successful, outgoing & incoming
But look where Maddersand the Murphy's are now! were we so bad before? Incoming I would agree, but maybe the budget was more restricted with all those expensive players on big money, the loans are now a necessity though Gunn was certainly a success, Reed was looking half decent by the end and Lietner for me flattered to deceive and has done little to justify a big outlay this summer.

Investing in Grounds/Colney: precious leadership talked about it. SW & Steve Stone are doing it
Can't argue with that

Academy: creating a system to promote our own Academy players (see Loans, above)
No evidence other than words of this being so. Clearly there was some previous good work that maybe built on, but like I say what evidence is there that they are doing things better? For Cantwell, Godfrey and Mathews, who's loans have had inconclusive conclusions thus far you have as I said above, Madders and the Murphy's who all had loans and we in or on the cusp of the first team by the time Webber arrived.

Bah!

 

Absolutely!!!!

 

1. IMO, DF's double sessions have increased both fitness and teamwork. Having a younger squad helps that.

2. Team spirit seems to be good. Even CJ was full of praise for DF and what he's working on. Watkins is probably the exception, but that's hardly surprising. This season will tell us more.

3. Scouting has definitely improved.

4. Loans in and out he been much better organised.

5. Facilities have continued to improve certainly.

6. Youth players are making much better progress now.

 

I suspect Naismith, Martin, Oliveira, Wildschut, etc weren't too happy last season either, but then I'm not sure they would have been welcome under any regime - they're too many expensive to be.

There was an interesting interview with Neil Adams a few weeks ago where they talked about his role. From memory (I could be wrong), a lot of the professionalism in his role was a recent addition. So he now writes regular reports on all players NCFC receive on loan, which are sent to parent clubs. It sounded like that was quite unusual in football. But it's that kind of thing that hopefully endears us to the Man City and Southampton's of the game, and gives us a better chance of getting more youngsters from them.

In addition, the players we send out on loan are much better monitored. So each month all of them come back to Colney for fitness tests, to train with the first team and meet each other. McLean has very much been a "Norwich player out on loan" in that regard, rather than the club seeing the last six months as an extension of his Aberdeen contract.

These aren't big things, but like Team Sky popularised, "marginal gains" add up.

 

Fixtures released - 'City will get an early chance to maintain their derby dominance over Ipswich Town, under new manager Paul Hurst, when they are scheduled to visit Portman Road on September 1. The return in Norfolk is February 9.'

http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/canaries-championship-fixtures-key-dates-1-5570584

https://www.canaries.co.uk/News/2018/june/fixtures-1819/

 

Full fixture list here:

http://www.skysports.com/championship-fixtures

 

I have heard that Ipshit are not bothering with the old farm derby and are just going to donate the six points to us

 

Stand by with your 72 quid Dave...

 

Don't think I will this time

 

I think the clue's in the colour gradually changing in the font of "thenextchapter". I'm expecting the green and yellow to wash together more like that unique Barcelona away kit a couple of years ago... Someone else's concept below: @yny_kits

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New training kits?

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Wow GM, you left FML speechless.

 

Do I get some sort of prize for that?

Bah!

 

Our gratitude for life

 

While gratefully accepted, I think single malt might be more appropriate!

Bah!

 

I'll leave you the key to my cabinet in my will

 

I hope you get to keep it for a good while yet

Bah!

 

I'm trying my best

 

Read as much or as little into it as you like, but senior Pre-season starts today and Cantwell was involved. U23's started last week.