This is in no way having a pop at Lambert, after all he has done a fantastic job. However what do you believe to be the reason for all the changing of selection and formation recently. I know he has done so all season to some extent but some decisions recently would certainly suggest trying some new things out. Do you feel that he is just giving players a chance to prove themselves for next season, therefore finding formations to accommodate them. It seems since we have been relatively safe he has certainly given some players a chance who he may not of done previously in more important games. Whatever the reason our aims have already been achieved in a fantastic season OTBC
Yep, you've hit it on the head I reckon. Difficult to tell if we would have done better with our "best" team in recent games. There is an element of running out of steam as well
Yeah its hard to say because no one knows our "best" team, however I would say we have not selected it recently. I agree maybe the efforts of the season are catching up on some, especially the defence. After all half of them are out injured anyway, including arguably 3 first choice defenders in Whitbread, Ayala and Tierney. Still hopefully this is teaching Lambert which areas he needs to improve in the summer
This subject has caused many disagreements over the last few weeks. Is Lambert adapting or tinkering? Personally, I think he is tinkering now. The last few weeks have seen too many changes as far as I'm concerned. The performance against Spurs was the best of the season but after 45 minutes the next game, and that was Man City, that line up was changed and hasn't been seen since! I think he has just got into a reactive situation and can't get out of it.
I have said enough about this in recent weeks. If it continues more and more people will start to agree with what I have said.
I said a few weeks ago that if we struggle next season it will be down to not having a settled first XI and changing the formation too much. Our best run of the season was between December and January, we only lost to Spurs and the team was pretty settled without too many unenforced changes. Yesterday was a classic example of tinkering with no logical reason. Over the last few weeks Morison has slipped behind Holt, Jackson, Wilbraham and then Vaughan in the pecking order. Then out of nowhere he starts.
I agree. Over the last three years I have got a really strong impression that Paul Lambert acts completely without logic; City's incredible rise can only truly be attributed to luck, not good judgement on the part of the management team. You can clearly see that every week the team is picked by putting all the available players' names in a hat and drawing them out. It's completely random, and as Colu-mike 7 says, our luck is now running out. Obviously this randomness also applies to the players. After all, NINE of yesterday's side -- Ruddy, Martin, Drury, Ward, R. Bennett, Johnson, Howson, Pilkington, E. Bennett -- were in the team that beat Spurs, which just goes to show that how they perform on any given day is a lottery. God only knows why Fox played (despite lots of us fans saying he should play every game). There's nothing to be done except make sure none of us ever wear green when going to Carrow Road.
We're technically safe I think his experimenting having a bit of a gamble. Only thing I will fault Lambert on is sometimes he has a lack of urgency when it comes to substitutions there are times we've screamed out for them and he hasn't made them early enough. In my opinion though his the greatest manager we've had well up there with Dave Stringer who in essence created Mike Walkers team of the 90's.
Whilst it wasn't the one we all wanted in Holty, he did make a change at half-time yesterday. We also came out with a different formation so I agree it's unfair to say he's slow to switch things if we're talking about yesterday, which I assume we are.
I think it was quite a bold substitution yesterday baring in mind that only left one other option after bringing on Vaughn and there is never a gaurantee he would complete a whole 45 minutes without breaking down again! He has often changed systems and formations at half time - hence why I scored pretty well in the predictions leagues gambling that such changes would indeed happen at half time in matches.
I was a bit surprised to see Holty in the kick about at half time, as I think up to then we had one shot on target, I was expecting him to come on straight away in the second half. On Canary call, when asked if it was difficult to leave Holt out for this game (Goram to Lambert), Lambert said Holt had played 3 games on the trot and needed a rest! I think Holty may not have agreed with that! I'm not sure why any of these things happen, it's only a fans view, we see what we see, and probably if we were managing Norwich City we would be top of the Premiership and in Europe with the prospect of the England job looming. If I have one critisism of our manager it's; I can't understand what he says, sometimes the odd word's get through, "Immense game" "Fans" thats about it really. I was really really disappointed with Saturdays result, we didn't play well and the last team I wanted to get beaten by was Liverpool, but it seems we are safe now, so it's been a excellent season. Couldn't get an Arsenal ticket but will be at the Villa game, and all I'm asking is put out our best team and lets have a great end of season game! ILD OTBC
I agree with everything you've said Robbie, but you've ignored the second half of what I'd written. Do you not find it strange that Morison can go from 5th choice striker to starting? In no way was I implying that all our success as been down to illogical decisions and luck and maybe saying there was no logical reason wasn't the best wording, but every now and then a name pops up on the team sheet and you do think 'why's he playing?' Lappin against Wolves springs to mind, as does Crofts against Wigan. In no way was I implying that all our success as been down to illogical decisions and luck
I was trying to point out, Dazz, that there is huge difference between "makes no sense" and "makes no sense to me, a less-than-fully-informed outsider/fan". YOU describe Morison as "5th choice striker", and hence are puzzled as to why he started on Saturday when, by implication of YOUR classification, there were 4 "better" strikers available for selection. But I don't believe for a moment that PL sees it in those terms at all. I'm confident that PL has his reasons, and given his track record to date, ILIT. If we like, we can play a sort of game of trying to second guess why he did what he did, when, if it were down to us, we would have done something quite different. But that's all it is, playing a game. I'm sorry if I seemed to be picking on you. A number of others have posted in similar fashion. And my exaggerated post was just to say "C'mon guys!".
There is a huge amount to be said for a settled back five and we have just not had this in 11/12. I know that if you sign players like Ayala/Whitbread then you take the injury risk but if we are honest if they both had unblemished injury records I doubt that they would be playing for us currently. You have to assume that having Tierney back will be a big boost and if we can keep Ayala/Whitbread fit, Bennett keeps coming on and we can hold on to Naughton then the defence, if allowed to play together for a number of games has the potential to gel into a pretty decent unit. Regardless of what formation was played on Saturday Ward made two howlers and Fox made one. This is not a problem with formation just individual errors. I think that the tinkering in midfield is an issue in that I still don't think that we know what our best midfield is and I think that certain players do not work well together or cannot all be accommodated - Fox/Surman/Hoolahan springs immediately to mind - all decent players but I wouldn't want to see them all line up in the same team. I do think that this season PL has had to "tinker" - we are not good enough to impose our game against some teams and so have to adjust personel/formation. He has got it right an awful lot but there have been a few games where it simply hasn't worked and against very good Premiership teams any such weaknesses will be exploited. Regardless the club have overachieved in staying up after having back-to-back promotions and with a fair wind we will be able to kick on next season with a fit squad who have Premier League experience.
like norfolkbhoy says, we need a settled back line next season - we've been unfortunate with injuries at the back all year and we've never been at full strength back there. tinkering elsewhere happens and i don't mind that so much.
Yes but take note I used the word sometimes, perhaps it's his psychology with the players perhaps he doesn't sub people in order to keep their confidence up, sometimes though I've felt he hasn't made changes quick enough at the same time his won matches totally against the odds by making substitutions at the right the moment.
