I think the point is, we will have the money to buy better players, but so will everyone else! I think the main point about us improving next season is that CH can bring in the players that he wants! This season he's brought in some defenders and a couple of forwards, he just needs to add the engine!
I think the point is that is what i said! (sorry don't know how to quote to comments) "I just don't see how this 'warchest' of extra TV money and no more external debt repayments is going to make our squad dramatically better compared to the (bottom half) competition" glass definitely half empty at the moment
russian roulette owner a few losses in a row and he pulls the trigger scepitcal whether someone can make a difference in 9 games! Terry o'connor anyone?
I think we need; Strong characters in the team Strength and skill in midfield Pace and width on the wings More pace and application up front so I would change things for: Bunn Whittaker Turner Bassong Garrido Martin (R) Johnson Bennett(R) Hoolahan Snodgrass Kamara Becchio reasoning: Martin has rarely let us down wherever he plays.He has vision tackling ability,likes to support the attackers and can shoot. Bennett's raring to go,gives us pace and crossing ability and would link with Kamara.In fact the whole right flank would look frighteningly good on paper. Holt needs to be rested. Snodgrass can beat full backs on the left-I've seen him do it at Leeds. Hoolahan in the hole can release the pacy boys up front. Only reservation-we would need a good shift from both Johnson and Martin.
attracting players to Norfolk because of location is always going to be a problem I'm afraid. We are desperately unfashionable so much so I'm actually growing to like it. Kind of growing a "We are Norwich, we're here, gt used to it" mentality. If the players don't want to come to Norfolk to play then I don't want em here really. Players with Kei's mentality of "I'll give everything to play in the premier league", thats the players I want. Interestingly, the Van Wolfswinkel Rumours re-surfaced today...
I think we need; Strong characters in the team Strength and skill in midfield Pace and width on the wings More pace and application up front so I would change things for: Bunn Whittaker Turner Bassong Garrido Martin (R) Johnson Bennett(R) Hoolahan Snodgrass Kamara Becchio reasoning: Martin has rarely let us down wherever he plays.He has vision tackling ability,likes to support the attackers and can shoot. Bennett's raring to go,gives us pace and crossing ability and would link with Kamara.In fact the whole right flank would look frighteningly good on paper. Holt needs to be rested. Snodgrass can beat full backs on the left-I've seen him do it at Leeds. Hoolahan in the hole can release the pacy boys up front. Only reservation-we would need a good shift from both Johnson and Martin.
this is a very important point, and those fans who think spending millions will suddenly propel us up the division need to take heed. the extra revenue will: a) make the club secure financially b) give the club funds to develop the ground (although this won't happen immediately) c) allow the club to improve the quality on the pitch. there is no d) 'd' would have been improve the clubs position, but realistically that is difficult as all the other clubs will have the same extra revenue. not impossible of course but hardly a given. what some people are missing though is that we will drastically be able to improve what we have at the club, maybe not in comparison to our competitors, but to what we have today, as i type this. now this is merely an example, but we might see a holt replaced by a van wolfswinkel. immediately that improves the quality we have at our disposal. however, it may be that saints, fulham, sunderland et al also buy there very own 'van wolfswinkel' which therefore cancels out our own. my point is (sorry, not explaining this very well) that the quality will improve in our team and in our squad, but league position may not unless we make the best signings of the group around us. i suspect we'll have around £25-30m available (inc wages) to spend this summer - that is vast for a club of our size who has no majorly wealthy backer! spend it wisely and we'll see not only a better side but better football and a better league placing (with better players, better football follows - it would help if we had more than a handful of players capable of passing the ball for a start!). how many of hughton's signings have flopped so far? kane certainly did (perhaps due to injury) and butterfield (again injury has hampered him so far) but other than that he's done a good job with most of his signings and an outstanding job with others, so we have to assume he can do likewise this summer as well. but unless we are taken over by some mega-rich oligarch, we will ALWAYS be fighting for survival as max points out, or at the very least, making sure we reach 40 points as quickly as possible and then take it from there. we aren't a big enough club in this league to be doing anything else, but slow progress may see us become more secure and will certainly see us dwarf every club outside the top flight, were we ever to go down. THAT is as important as anything.
I think the midfield is a slight concern. I agree an in form Tettey is a big miss. Johnson has probably been are most consistent player this season, he's not a dreadful passer but he isn't the best, we need someone next to him who can keep the ball and be comfortable on the ball. Howson playing there is too deep for him, i think he is an attacking midfielder. With these factors i really don't understand why Fox isn't in the team. You can't point out the Luton game because frankly he hasn't been any chance to find rhythm. I do think Hughton has done a great job so far though, and i think it will improve next year with better players. Completely agree we need to press higher up the pitch. That would make better use of the midfield as well.
I can't believe they've done this without someone else already lined up, that's madness. Atkins to come in and save Reading at the expense of Southampton? I disagree with this, I think the money will actually have an impact on league position. The last couple of seasons we've had to rely on astute signings on a much more limited budget than most of the teams around us. When the extra money comes in, we'll be able to improve relative to where we are now, but can they? Stoke for example, are at a level where the increase is not going to allow them to attract a significantly better calibre of player to those they have now. They can strengthen weak positions, but I can't see them bringing in someone good enough to help them compete at 'the next level', if they spend all they can on improvements, I still don't think they'll attract the type of players to get them firmly ensconced in the top half, because of the clubs stature. The same can be said for Fulham, West Brom and Sunderland, and whoever stays up. So whilst Stoke et al. can buy players of a similar calibre, the impression of our club is changing. We'll no longer be newbies, and whilst outwardly the club will maintain survival is the objective, inwardly the ambition is to become an established mid table side, and that's the vision that would be sold to players. The extra money will allow us to compete with the likes of Stoke for signings, where we couldn't before because we're a smaller club. In numbers, this season a £4m player was probably our limit, but this summer we might have the potential to spend nearer £7m for the players who'll make a difference. Stoke's record signing is £10m for Crouch, but pretty much no matter what funds they have, they'll seriously struggle to attract someone who'll cost more than £10m. Overall, this should mean we're on a more level playing field with other mid-table sides, and whilst some will perform better, others will perform worse than us, hopefully allowing us to move up the table.
My point about "seeing" is simply that, while you can indeed "see" that the midfield is disconnected from the forward players, you cannot "see" that it is due to the manager banning them from connecting. Unless you have direct evidence for that being the explanation, e.g. you've been in on the team talks and training sessions, or you are Johnny Howson's best pal and he has spilled the beans to you, you are restricted to hypothesising. Then the question becomes what is the most likely or reasonable explanation, to reach a sound conclusion about which you need to review other possible explanations and find good reasons for rejecting them, until you are left with your explanation as the only realistic alternative. You might during this process, among other things, delve into CH's published thoughts on his approach, consider how other teams he has managed have been set up and played, take a look at his video tutorials etc. etc. That would make for quite an interesting thread. Regarding CH's comment quoted by yourself, I have already said what I (and others) took him to mean, i.e. quite simply that he will take points however they come if it means we are in the PL next year. So e.g. I am sure he would gladly have taken three points instead of one on Saturday however soft the penalty decision was.
A couple of points: It will not matter who we play up front, they will not score goals simply because they don't get the service, we have a defensive midfield who do not connect to the forward player! We always play with a defensive back 8 leaving Hoolahan as the midfield link, he can't do that job on his own. We won't attract players on a par with Stoke or anyone else, simply because we may have the money for the transfer fee, but we will never pay the wages these players demand. Who is to say that given the positive take on this, that Hughton does have money to spend, what's to guarantee that he won't play the same tactics next season and the season after. Surely we want to progress in some way, or are we as fans of the club happy to watch this sort of thing week in week out season after season just to survive in the premiership? Sorry that's 3 things.
I woould like us to go back to the style of play we employed against QPR, Spurs and Wet Sham at the beginning of the season - when it looked as though we were actually trying to score goals, not the current style, where it looks more as thogh we're trying to stop the opposition scoring!!!
Doh! There's twelve players here! Must be the new medication! Nurse! Nurse! (Kamara as impact sub out wide if needed. Becchio lone striker.Q.E.D.)
The fact Hootun picks the same team every week and leaves it so late to make changes surely suggests to me that the players are doing pretty much what he is asking of them does it not?
