I actually agree with you there, I think a change in the summer would be best, with CH we will just about stay up.
I think this is it to a tee. I am worried at the moment because the performances are there and the chances are being created, our players are low on confidence and that gets worse as the games go on. As soon as one goes in for either of our strikers I will be far less worried because I hope that is all it will take. After seeing Tettey come back the performances have improved tremendously, hopefully with the return of Howson we can start to see some confidence from our strikers. As for last night I cannot understand why Snodgrass played the full 90mins. For one, he wasn't having a good game and Redmond was carrying a far more significant threat, but secondly considering he faced a late fitness test to even make the game so surely he should have been the one to make way. I really think he needs a game or two on the bench to show him that he is not un-droppable, bring him on as a sub desperate to prove himself once again. I would also like to see RvW start the next game purely as a boost to his own confidence and not in any way a criticism of Hooper, but he isn't scoring either.
but what is important is the end of the season. and it's actually a mixed bag so far - 1. palace might be in the bottom 6, but they were either 19th or 20th when pulis came in and have improved dramatically. not out of trouble but looking OK 2. WBA are about the same if not slightly worse 3. Sunderland have improved a lot but still in the bottom 3. Poyet took over with 1 point on the board. 4. Fulham have got worse, performances have also been mixed. 5. cardiff have got worse.
That is indeed a very good summary of my outlook on the debate chap I'm not a massive fan of Hootun, and never really have been, I certainly don't he think is an amazing manager or anything, I am absolutely not a "happy clapper" and I have been critical on many occasions of some of the football that we have played under him. However I prefer to judge everything by looking at all angles of a debate, remaining as objective as I can and utilising all the facts to make a decision or focus an opinion. I know from doing this that the situation is nowhere near as bad as some would have us believe and I don't think the debate is as black and white as some would love it to be. Some (very possibly "most") of the arguments conjured up by the anti-Hootun crew are just so mind-numbingly preposterous, biased and ill-informed it has actually endeared me more to back him Hoots at the expense of the ridiculously over the top, negative twaddle I read on here. I'm all for fairness me, and when I see someone being treated unfairly then I'm all over it! I'll be honest don't enjoy watching a lot of the football on offer, particularly last season, but I like to think myself a realist and can appreciate just how bloody difficult it is to play well and pick up points in this division and I can also see that he hasn't done that bad a job at all. I personally think the football this season is much better than that of last, and I can see definite improvements both in the depth of the squad and what I see on the pitch, despite the decrease in points accrued. I have seen no sense in sacking him at any point during his tenure because like I said, I don't think he has done that badly, I don't see many better alternatives and I am totally in Rob's camp when he talks about the luck/fortune/rub of the green that we have been lacking and fighting against this season. I just wish others would treat him fairly, I'm definitely not saying he's immune from criticism because that would be equally ridiculous, and you won't have to look too far back to find me criticising some of the things he's done and decisions he's made. The difference I believe is that when I criticise him it's because I genuinely feel he deserves it, not just because I'm looking around for any old stick to beat him with, which is what so many of the "outers" do at any available opportunity and by now it has become incredibly tedious, repetitive and downright infuriating I'm not sure what drives it, whether it is some unconscious agenda against him as a person, whether it is just because he's not Paul Lambert or maybe it's just a basic lack of intelligence on some people's part, but whatever it is it does my head in
As often is the case, Munky, you are an oasis of common sense in a desert of ill founded hysteria. We are in a relegation scrap simply because in the modern set up of the game that is where we are bound to be. When the season starts you know that there will be 8 teams with an eye on the top positions and 8 who spend the season looking over their shoulders. The other 3 might flirt with both ends. We are always going to be part of the bottom 8 and eventually, whether it be this year, next year or shortly after, we will be back in the Championship where we are a much bigger fish in a smaller pond. If we go down this year it won't be all the fault of Hughton. Of course he has made mistakes and,yes, he isn't Paul Lambert but he still seems to have the backing of the players and has not become a bad manager overnight. We are still out of the bottom 3, have winnable games to come and still have a good chance of staying up. Stop moaning, get off the managers back and enjoy Premiership football whilst you can.
Thanks chaps, glad to hear some of you think I'm talking sense at least. And 1950, that is possibly the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me "an oasis of common sense in a desert of ill founded hysteria" - might see if they can stick that one my gravestone when I finally pop my clogs
Certainly not planning to, reckon I might have another good 30/40 years left in me - wonder how many of those years we'll spend in the top flight battling relegation?
Hughton takes a large amount of unfounded abuse, theres far to many insulting references to him personally. He is neither stupid nor terrible at his job. If you look on the norwich city Facebook page today and i don't recommend that anyone does they will see a lot of incredible hateful things posted which quite frankly are undeserved. There is, I should add, not much of that on here. The problem with this discourse it that it distracts from the real debate or where Hughton is good and bad. which i personally would distill to this: - His reading of the game isn't very good and he struggles to influence it in play, however regularly we come out after half time and press more and seem to do things better. - following on from that his substitutes are regularly too late and fail to have the desired effect. - He doesn't use his squad enough, the only position that seem to get rotated is the right back. He seems unwilling to drop players who are under performing and his line-ups tend to be predictable. - He doesn't seem to be very motivational - His post game interviews are intensely frustrating - He struggles with offensive tactics + He does seem to be good at setting up a defence + He is generally a good judge of players and has brought some good players to the club + He seems to be well liked by the players, whenever there is talk that a game could affect his job there seems to be an extra 10% from the players + He is an intelligent man and has made a move in the style of play from last season to this and the 4-3-3 that we were playing before Tettey was injured looked like a very effective team + He's a very good representative of the club, well liked and not getting caught up in silly spats with other managers like Aladyce. Generally a good professional Im sure there are others on both sides along with a large number of unknowns from a fans perspective. I just think it better to actually analyse him and not just start throwing around hyperbole to get attention.
Needless to say Munky, I agree with every word, and I´ll continue to fight his corner for as long as he is with us, and like you, I´m not averse to criticising him if and when I feel it´s necessary, but picking holes in whatever he does, just because of who he is, I certainly won´t be any part of.
@Bath-Canary Again . Good post. Substitutions are a good example of how the Hughton debate prevents serious discussion. It's a really interesting and poorly understood aspect of the game.
Seriously Bath! good at setting up a defense ? Is that why our goals against column looks so healthy?
Take out the goals against the top four (who have been scoring for fun against all and sundry, even each other!) and we average less than a goal conceded a game, which is pretty good isn't it? Nine clean sheets (more than one every three games) as well. And many of the goals conceded have been due to individual errors which the manager can do nothing about apart from maybe bench the culprit for a game or two, which he has done this season when players have been out of form, Bassong, Tina and Rusty have all been left out after poor performances despite people trying to say that he "picks the same team every week". Open your bloody eyes and look at ALL the facts man!!
Spot on again Munky. I would suggest Cromer buys in a load of Optrex and distributes it free to fans at home games. McNally is the last person to need any.
