What a superb article!

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rob, i still think surman's goal away to wolves earlier this season was one of the best goals i've ever seen and got barely a mention from anyone! i think there were about 30 passes in the lead up to the goal, most of them one touch and always moving forward finished off with a terrific header. had barca scored that goal they'd have been drooling. indeed, had swansea scored it i believe they would, but because we put the ball in the net with a head its ignored? strange...
 
Knackeredjack said:
Fact is, people tend to admire style ahead of effectiveness - that's just the way it is. Norwich don't play particularly attractive football to my eyes but it's incredibly effective. Long, diagonal ball onto the far side of the box, up pops Morison or Holt, and Bob's you're uncle. Sound familiar? Not really my thing, but it works and it's what I'm worried about tomorrow that's for sure.

Fact is you're a darn sight better than half the clubs in the Prem, as are we. Currently the table proves it.
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Sorry, just re read this thread, did you watch norwich play swansea this year? For fear of being sensitive, this notion of how the team play is one tit short of an udder
 
Longsightcanary said:
Sorry, just re read this thread, did you watch norwich play swansea this year? For fear of being sensitive, this notion of how the team play is one tit short of an udder
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true. we absolutely battered them at carrow road. lambert got his tactics spot on in terms of pressing high up the pitch but we beat them playing passing football. i find it odd that knackered could say we play 'long diagonal balls' when i've barely seen it happen all season! interestingly, he has highlighted the thing swansea themselves do - yes, sometimes they play the long diagonal ball from one flank to another to stretch teams with their width.
 
Longsightcanary said:
So if we write at the same time, we don't disagree!!!!! But Surman's goal, I was gobsmacked by the quality of it at the time. I enjoyed Holts header against liverpool more in a more visceral celebration but jesus trying to say we a route one team, is just unbelievable
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seems that way... <ok>

surman's goal oozed class from start to finish. don't get me wrong, when we have to play a long ball we'll do so, and thats the difference between us and swansea, but to say thats our style of play is plain wrong - i've enjoyed watching us so much this season, the football, overall, has been excellent, but we can dig in and change and thats a great trait to have <ok>
 
Norwich probably should have been getting a lot more plaudits considering that they have been doing really well and have won back to back promotions. However i do think we have stolen the show to some extent mainly because of our insistence on playing a free flowing passing game which in British football is pretty unusual. Norwich have their own style which is more traditional, im not knocking that but its not going to turn so many heads.
Personally im really excited by the way we are trying to play and its worth noting that weve been doing that for a good few years now (without much attention up til now) and i really hope that we continue to be associated with that style. Im not getting carried away though, a lot of the time weve been too defensive, failed to turn the possession into goal opportunities and lacked the cutting edge - hopefully thats being sorted now.
Tomorrows going to be an interesting one, Norwichs aerial threat could cause us problems, its going to be a fascinating duel but i think we ll shade it and hopefully we ll both be around to continue the rivalry next year.
 
One of your posters on the matchday thread:

"It'll be interesting to see how Swansea cope with our long balls up to Morrison and/or Holt, because let's face it, that's what we'll be doing."

Take it up with him and don't shoot the messenger. Btw, I was told not to pick your away game at Sunderland as an example of how you play so please don't pick ours at Carrow Road. <laugh>
 
The ground Surman covered for that goal was incredible, absolutely brilliant <applause>

To be honest I personally think we have had a fair share of the plaudits over the course of the season so far, and this has only really become an issue since Swansea popped up above the radar when they beat Arsenal a few weeks back. That win against one of the elite got the MotD 'experts' to actually pay a bit of attention, got them drooling over their beautiful style of play - which had gone largely un-noticed until then - which then in turn got the bloke down the pub to do the same and they became the talk of the town. All our wins have been relatively low key affairs to the neutrals, and the Sunderland game wouldn't have done us any favour with them either, but I guarantee if we picked up three points against one of the big guns (like in a couple of weeks for example) then our time 'under the radar' will be well and truly over <ok>
 
Sid, it was the game against Spurs that focused the media on us first. Although it was 1-1 we absolutely battered them in the last 20 minutes (never our strongest period) and we could easily have scored another three.

Lawro on MOTD said that he just knew that Swansea would score. "They attacked Spurs down the right then the left and then through the middle. The pressure was incessant and Spurs could do nothing about it because they couldn't get the ball!" (his observation). HR was also lavish with his praise and said a draw was the least we deserved as we had so outplayed his much vaunted team.

I think it was that game which gave the Swans the confidence to go out and do a number on Arsenal following which we seem to have raised our game. During this time, Collymore (one of our biggest critics until then) on Talk Sport devoted his entire programme to ask the question: how is it that Swansea, newbies to the PL, can play such a style of football so effectively?

Anyway, it's working so far but interesting to note that what Norwich is doing is also working and slightly better than us at the moment. Should be a good game with promoted clubs bragging rights at stake.
 
Spurs are a current member of the elite though, that's kinda my point <ok>

I'm not attempting to take anything away from you whatsoever by the way, this is in no way a dig at the Swans as you have been absolutely fantastic this season and you deserve every bit of credit you get, more a gentle observation. Tomorrow looks set to be an amazing game, gutted I'm not going to be there as I'm sure the atmosphere will be electric and the football on show should be out of the very top drawer <ok>
 
watched the mag 7 goals - 1,2,3 were ordinary, 4 was a screamer, 5 keeper got the wall all wrong but gr8 free kick, 6 gr8 strength and skill, 7 ok, prefer 4 as the best tho
 
Surman's goal "ok"???? Mate, that clip doesn't show the majority of the build up before we worked it into the box. The passing and moving was phenomenal and I assure you it was far far better than "ok"
 
Like boxing , styles make for a decent fight.

I would hate to see every club in the Prem play the same way as Swansea. I would hate to see the Norwich system be the only style. God forbid we all played like Stoke. Regardless of your chosen preference, they all have their merits as they have all been proven as effective in the Prem. It is this stylistic difference that makes the Prem the greatest league in the World.

The game would be boring if we all played the same way, but as someone who has to hand over my hard earned cash, I wouldn't swap our style for anything.

I think the reason the Swans have got more headlines could also be due to the fact that British players are not supposed to be able to play like that. Established Prem clubs have failed to get big signings playing effectively as a unit, but a new Welsh upstart has come in and proven it can be done on a budget with Championship, League 1, 2 and non-league signings. They knocked Blackpool for their foolhady bravado and expected Swansea to do the same but they have been proven wrong.

The Norwich style of play is nothing revoultionary in the British game, so has failed to get the plaudits. However it is as equally as effective and to be applauded also.

Good luck for the rest of the season (after today)
 
swimaway - Excellent comment and because most teams play a different style, it makes for some exciting games to watch. I wish I had both the time and the funds to be able to go to more away games.

Loved the comment re Stoke's style of play!!!!
 
It was a quality goal... much like a few we scored last season (and one against West Brom last week) except Norwich know how to head the ball!
 
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