Premier League season, 2021 / 2022

On Dowell: https://byag.medium.com/dont-forget-about-dowell-858c0e2b7456

 

That's an excellent assessment of Dowell, especially in those final 10 games. His ability to supply passes to Pukki, Rashica and Cantwell as well as scoring goals himself could be vital to our chances of survival. That he can play at AM or WR like Buendia means that the hole left by Emi is at least mostly filled by Dowell and Rashica, though perhaps playing in a different way.

 

I received an email from iFollow saying they weren't streaming NCFC games this season. Instead, the club will be using "Canaries TV." Anyone have any details?

 

They're yet to come out. iFollow took my payment then refunded it to my account. Details should be on the official club site soon CS.

 

Don't waste your money.
All games are free to stream, easy to find.
Watch this space

http://mygoaltv.org/ This site is very good and reliable.

 

Thanks Bure. I don't mind paying if it's affordable and a good product. iFollow was good to do business with because they gave me refunds when the service was poor, no problem. That was two seasons ago.

 

I thought that when I wrote it but as I was talking about mother/son I thought it ok. Obviously I didn't allow for you.

 

Remember the movie Cat Ballou? Now renamed Cat Melou starring Lee(s) Marvin. Nickname for PLM has to be Cat.

 

They call him Yellow Melou

 

That's funny, I had exactly the same thought and even the title song came back to me with some variations around Melou. It must be our age. I missed the Lee Marvin connection though. He also played two parts and Lees-Melou may play even more than that for us.

It must be our age GE!

 

https://theathletic.com/2704528/202...that-will-give-norwich-drive-and-flexibility/

Athletic article on Lees-Melou:

• Farke was very keen on him, club thought he'd be beyond their budget.
• Club keen to establish a track record of signings from France working out. It could be an important market given Ligue 1's financial issues.
• Norwich see him as a player that can fulfil a number of roles on the pitch and that he will be able and likely to pop up anywhere.
  
• Tactical changes may mean we play without a 10 (not clear if that would be main or secondary tactic)
• Norwich’s search for a third midfield recruit this summer continues, to find a DM.
  
• With more yellow-and-green-tinted glasses, he is closer to a hybrid of Kenny McLean’s athleticism and Mario Vrancic’s technical ability. A No 8 that can cover the ground and a character that will bark at young players in training if they’re not pulling their weight.

On the tactical, changes:

Our 4-2-3-1 didn't suit Onel or Placheta, and currently an attacking midfield trio of Cantwell, Dowell, Rashica has basically no high quality backup. Whilst in the deeper areas, it'd have to be Gilmour (probably guaranteed minutes) + a DM who we haven't signed yet. That makes PLM, McLean, Rupp periphery figures. The squad balance wouldn't make much sense.

Based on recruits so far, a 4-3-3/4-3-2-1 seems likely to me, it fits far more of our squad and squad building. Without a 10, it makes sense to move Stiepermann and Vrancic on. Rashica, Placheta, Onel seem to offer a similar inside forward/winger option, with Cantwell/Dowell competing for the second attacking midfield role. Cantwell+Dowell might suit more patient buildup at home, Rashica+Placheta could be a counter-attacking combination.

The midfield 3 will probably be Gilmour+a DM+PLM/McLean/Rupp/Sorensen, but there's versatility there if needed. That midfield balance can be tuned, and other than the lack of first choice DM, there's cover now for the other midfield berths.

A 3 CB system would probably mean we need 6 CBs, especially given the injury record of Zimmerman+Hanley, and Omobamidele's youthfulness. With Famewo also leaving, it looks like we're going to settle for 4 senior CBs + Omobamidele, which feels about right for a 2 CB system.

 

Thank God for that!

 

Brothers were the two parts. Plus Jane Fonda.

 

This is the key for me:

"Tactical changes may mean we play without a 10 (not clear if that would be main or secondary tactic)"

Does the"may mean" indicate that it's MB reading between the lines or has their been any indication of this from the club? This would seem the likeliest change if there is to be one, given the recruitment so far. Rashica played in a 4-3-2-1 at Werder Bremen as did Lees-Melou at Nice. The latter could be seen as a deeper version of Buendia where he's given a free role to move forward or back as the game changes. That could transition a 4-3-2-1 into the more familiar 4-2-3-1 when we're building rather than breaking, with Pierre taking over the Emi role, which could explain why "Farke was very keen on him".

The other key is the recruitment of a new quality DM to give us bite and screening in front of the defence while the CMs move the ball forward. Robbie is right that this is a key position for survival in the PL. SW seems to indicate that this is now the top recruitment priority if Skipp isn't coming back, followed by another striker in the Pukki mold if Hugill leaves unless Rashica is seen as that option.

 

The "may mean" was that I couldn't tell whether losing the 10 referred to a change in Farke's preferred XI, or just part of increasing the number of systems Farke is happy to use.

 

How big do you think our wage bill total will be this year? I'm guessing around the £55-60 million mark. Makes you think when Messi (at 34) signs a five year contract extension at ~£60 million a year which is half what he was on before. I know he doesn't need outright pace and might keep going a long time with speed of brain then feet, but that's a long contract for someone of that age!

 

I don’t know if this is part of the deal that he signed but there has been a lot of talk about his new deal being a 2-3 year playing contract and then 2-3 years of Ambassadorial responsibilities in America.

 

In my opinion Omobamidele is going to have far more influence this coming season than being the +1 amongst CBs. I get the feeling starting spots are properly up for grabs.

 

https://totalfootballanalysis.com/p...hica-premier-league-norwich-city-scout-report

Rashica scouting article makes an interesting read. Feels like his skillset is more similar to Pukki or Placheta, rather than Buendia. Given that, plus previous experience playing up front, it wouldn't surprise me if he's seen as our 4th striker option.

 

I hope so! Very hard to say how he'll step up. He played Championship football under pretty much the best circumstances imaginable, so it'll be interesting to see how he handles the step up. I think I've read comments from the Pinkun team that suggested he's clearly been working hard in the off-season.