Amazing just how wrong you can be isn't it? Of their most likely to succeed a fair sprinkling of mid table sides and a relegation near miss with Millwall. To be fair I don't think many of us really saw our team as anything better than creeping into the play offs in fifth or sixth place. I think that we can also be sure that whoever wins the play offs we will be firm favourites for relegation next season. My personal view is that would be a mistake to see us as wooden spooners next season. Pukki is the surgeon's scalpel to Holt's battering ram. I think that 20 Premiership goals is well within his capability and with capable contributors such as Stiepermann and Vrancic I would like to think that we could get close to 50 goals in a full season. If we could keep our goals against under 75 that would probably mean survival. I think that we could do better than that and get towards mid table. If Bournemouth and Brighton have managed it so could we.
We've been there, and only all too recently, and understand exactly how it feels Maybe if we did not have something else to occupy our minds for 3/4 of the season it may have been different, who knows
I have a reasonably soft spot for them. Although always a Norwich fan when I was at college in the early 70's a lot of my mates were Ipswich fans and I used to go to Portman Rd with them to watch the Robson side. They really need Evans to start taking things seriously and give Lambert some funds.
I think we'll surprise a few teams next year. Our style of play is fluid and open and I think we'll create chances and score goals. Yes, we'll concede too - Citeh, Spuds, Liverpool etc will all fancy boosting their goal difference when they play us but I think we will hold our own and do well against some of the "lesser" sides (if you can say "lesser" about any team in the Premier League) and sneak a few surprise results along the way. The way this team believes in each other and fight for each other makes me believe we will do ok - certainly better than the team that went up in 2015. We have a far better Head Coach for a start and the club feels much better managed in every way. OTBC.
I don’t entirely disagree with 20 goals being possible, but I think that’s a little ambitious - look at the sorts of strikers who have 20 in the PL this season and the teams behind them I think he should aim for one in three. It’s pretty rare as I can recall that a team gets relegated from the PL when their top scorer gets 12/13+ goals If he gets 20 I reckon we’ll have a great season
Pukki has 28, Stiepi and Vrancic have 9 each and Buendia and Hernandez have 8 each and Rhodes has 6. That's 68 from our attackers and 22 from the others, so 90 in all. There's generally around a 30% drop in the next league up which would be 60 goals in all. Even if it dropped to 50, that would give us a chance. It's also possible that with a settled and determined squad from the off players and understanding will improve and new recruits could also add goals. It's keeping them out that concerns more unless we go with a back 3 and WBs.
We will win a few games by the odd goal, maybe a handful by two. Of course we will get hit for three or four by top teams but that's where the GD comes about. I was reckoning on a 30% drop in goals hence by discounting of Pukki's 28 down to 20. I would hate to see us fighting with our backs to the wall for draws but that isn't the Farke way. More likely he will throw caution to the wind with fifteen minutes remaining and we will hopefully save a few points that way as well as conceding in some cases. Pukki being 29 is a great advantage, if he had been say three years younger I think that mid raking sides with aspirations may have been tempted. I do think he will have three or four seasons left in him though and I have a suspicion he is still improving. I don't know how many on here will be old enough to remember the Boyer/McDougall partnership. Teemu is those two rolled into one. Boyer's constant harrying of defenders and Ted's uncanny knack of right place, right time.
You could follow that further as he's both a prolific scorer and an assister, with 28 goals and 9 assists (the highest after Buendia's 12). He also has pace, which will make him dangerous on the break, especially with Buendia and Hernandez alongside. That will prevent opponents playing a high line defensively. It is by far the best attack we've taken into the PL, especially when it includes Stieperman and Vrancic as well.
I remember them well, one of the best strike duos we have ever had - neither of whom were "big" forwards (neither was Hugh Curran or Robert Fleck) but both Boyer and Super Mac knew where the goal was and had a "poacher's instinct" - so much like Pukki has now.
I agree that this is the best attack - at least since about 1994 Part of it is we are also genuinely dangerous from outside the box (which is where the latter two come in), looking back at our top goalscorers in recent Premier League seasons, very few of them were scoring from range with any regularity
For me, the difference now is the greater share of possession and the fluidity of our attacking play, where attacking players interchange positions and achieve one-touch passing that's often dazzling in execution. Aarons and Lewis add a further dimension of pace and width which allows the four attacking players to flood the box in a way we haven't seen for years.
Apologies if these have been posted previously, but tw excellent articles from MFW -- http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter...p-and-this-group-deserves-a-fair-crack-at-it/ http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter...od-guys-and-our-beautiful-game/#comment-35667
And here's a dose of reality from SW: https://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city...-premier-league-spending-to-stay-up-1-6023304
Exactly what I expected to be honest. Not really worried one way of the other if we survive or not. Only gets really exciting if chasing the top 6 or 7
Pretty much sums up my own feelings. It's a win/win really. Stay up comfortably : OK, Successful relegation fight : OK. Unsuccessful relegation fight : OK I wouldn't like us to set a new low points record but as that stands at 11. I don't think that will happen. Worst case scenario we are back in The Championship next May ready to boing boing again.
Thanks FML. I should think most other clubs must envy the connection that exists between the team and the fans that exist within the NCFC world (AND Not606!!!! ) Somehow, I don't think many teams will fare well at CR next season.
