Norwich City Manager "the big question"

[Dubai Mark]

It does seem to be a bit of a taboo question, but......how are you feeling right now about Norwich City and how our Manager is doing?

I am personally changing my views a little having been totally won over by Alex Neil last season, he came in after it was clear that Neil Adams had, shall we say "over stretched himself", and went on to power what I still believe was the best squad in The Championship to that fabulous play-off victory....big pats on the back and accolades from probably every City fan.  

However, and I say this very reluctantly, when looking at the bigger picture and putting last season to one side, I am now feeling that we could perhaps be in a similar situation this season with Alex Neil as we were with Neil Adams last season. Perhaps.....I say "perhaps" he has found his level, or is "out of his depth".......even a bit early in his career, but whatever it is I am now feeling a little uneasy about him and his coaching/management team.   

Now, i am not sure just how "uneasy" I am feeling, whether I expected to much this season (which was only really keeping out of the bottom three, at best being a few points above the bottom three all season, playing good football), but what I do know now is, that I am actually a little shocked by how ragged and poor we look tactically at times and also surprised by the amount of "tinkering" and tactical changes the team is having.

Other than that terrific team performance second half vs Arsenal, it really has been very poor fair over recent weeks, and for me the game vs Watford was a HUGE warning sign that things are just not right....everything seemed wrong....team selection, the way they lined up, the tactics, the substitutions, our inability to handle the conditions.....and to handle what I think is a very average Watford side who didnt play well, in addition I just didnt get on board for the first time this season with AN's after match comments, despite him clearly not being impressed by the team.......perhaps this one he should have shouldered 100% himself.

Last season he was generally getting most things right, probably other than Brentford away and Middlesbrough at home, but this season he appears to be making many more tactical and crucial errors, and I personally dont subscribe to this squad being as poor as some are making out. 

So, I am in a bit of a quandary, I have been very impressed by AN and thought he would learn very quickly like he has done throughout his brief managerial career, I am desperate for our club to have stability, know he IS a very talented young Manager etc etc. BUT.......this league is unforgiving and we simply have to stay in it........and right now I have had the confidence knocked out of me and am beginning to seriously doubt we will...............why? .........I will be honest, because I think the EPL has come to early for Alex Neil and at this level there is no time to learn your trade. In addition, some of his decisions appear panic driven and almost confusing, the cohesion the side had has gone for the most part....and words fail me when it comes to the hoof ball second half decision Saturday.

If I was a NCFC Board member right now I would have this on the agenda and recommend that we should seriously, very seriously consider the situation, as within in a few weeks time there will be no time for turning.

 

[Personal Trainer]

I think the problem with Swansea was that they were so certain they were going to be a permanent top 8 team playing a style of football the media loved that they couldn't envisage relegation. I think NCFC fans have always realised any prolonged stay in the PL was unlikely but recent experience has showed that from relegation to L1 up to the present every season has had something riding on it to keep the fans involved, either for good or bad.

 

[Beauseant]

Alex Neil is a great manager in the making who is being let down by a slightly sub standard squad of players who seem unable to eradicate individual errors. With the exception of Newcastle away I've found no reason to fault his game plans, just their execution. If we go down it will be due to lack of sufficient investment in the squad, not his shortcomings. It's all too easy to treat the symptoms while ignoring the cause and the cause is a squad which has proved inadequate to stay in the Premier League once before improved only by the excellent Brady and perhaps Mbokani and Jarvis, neither of whom has had enough game time to fully judge. It would be calamitous for us to offload Neil even if we go down IMHO.

 

[GJP]

Have to judge him on this season and at the moment it's not looking great.

 

[It's Character Forming]

I find this very difficult because it's very depressing to see Prem teams sacking managers after such a short bad run.  You can see that teams like Villa and Sunderland have sacked their managers early enough to give themselves scope to sack the replacement and give a 3rd manager a decent run at it if necessary this season.

On the other hand, we clearly stuck with Hughton too long last time around, and I supported the board when they decided not to get rid of him in December then.  My instinct is that AN will improve, but after that experience I don't trust my instinct.

So I'm struggling to decide I'm afraid.  On balance I would stick with him though.

 

[ZLF]

He is making mistakes but also quickly learning as he goes as you would expect as a  young 3rd season manager.    

As Houghton also found he is struggling to create a solid defence from low grade shaky players. Without this he is having to (fatally?) compromise his preferred attacking style  to provide a stable platform to build from.  

He has shown willingness to drop poor performing players and to address the squad limitations with tactical solutions.  

He is facing his career first bad run so how he responds will be key,  as will how the club reacts in a defining transfer window.

Right now we should stick,  change the squad and recognise there are few decent alternative managers to replace him with.  I am confident he will improve and maximise his talent

 

[GJP]

How long do you stick for though?

We've taken 6 points from the last 30. The same record as Swansea and only Villa have a worse record.

Everton, Man Utd and Spurs up next. Are we going to win any of those? Can't really see it at the moment.

 

[morty]

He is making mistakes but also quickly learning as he goes as you would expect as a  young 3rd season manager.    

As Houghton also found he is struggling to create a solid defence from low grade shaky players. Without this he is having to (fatally?) compromise his preferred attacking style  to provide a stable platform to build from.  

He has shown willingness to drop poor performing players and to address the squad limitations with tactical solutions.  

He is facing his career first bad run so how he responds will be key,  as will how the club reacts in a defining transfer window.

Right now we should stick,  change the squad and recognise there are few decent alternative managers to replace him with.  I am confident he will improve and maximise his talent

Yeah this sums up pretty much how I feel.

He should be given the season at least, regardless of what happens re relegation.

Give him the January transfer window to freshen things up and see how we go from there.

 

[GazzaTCC]

At the moment, I really can't see any benefits from sacking AN. The incoming manager would still have the same squad which has "bottom six" written all over it.

What we do need is the addition of two or three quality players in January. That's not going to be easy, and we may end up with loans, but it's got to be done and early. No messing around on the 31 January - unless that's our fifth acquisition, of course ;-)

 

[eatonparkboy]

Since then advent of the Premier League, when the inaugural season could well have seen us a Champions, we have had 14 managers. However 3 of those left by their own volition. In 24 years that shows a distinct lack of trust and imagination by the owners and directors of the club. But of course us supporters have been guilty of prompting the owners to sack some of those managers. Maybe compared to some clubs, that record isn't as bad as it looks but in reality it still shows a lack of cohesion and stability.

We have in that 24 years have enjoyed the real success of promotions, play off finals but also the despair of relegation. There haven't been too many years when it has been mid table obscurity. So you can argue that we have had our nerves and emotions tested in all possible ways.

And the current manager is no different, He swept in as Mr Nobody last season and emerged as a saviour. He seemed immune from the sterile tactics and ideas of the other clubs and looked to be a winner.

Now this season. I am not privvy to the reasons certain players, Naismith once again linked this morning, did not sign for us during the window. I cannot believe that the players we were linked with were all targets of AN. He must have had help identifying those players. He had been a journeyman midfield player thrust into management in a short space of time so I doubt his data banks had been full of Premier League players.

So we emerged from that silly window with players that in the main didn't appear to have strengthened the squad dramatically. And after a reasonable start, albeit thanks to a kind fixture list, the real worth of our squad was revealed when we were up against it. Players who were lauded and cheered at the climax of last season were now labelled as not up to it and poor. And the manager changed his tactics from we won't go into games afraid to we must contain the opposition. This has even become evident in the youth set up where we are sacrificing some development to play first teamers in the team which I understand to get them game time but also has been done to stop them getting hammered each week.

We now are in deep joy and even the most optimistic Canary must be fearing what can happen in the next three games and where we might be in the table.

Clearly, any change is unlikely to come from the players individually. Their ability at this level is plain to see. We know who the ones who are good enough.

So the change must come in line ups, tactics and attitude. And that must be initiated by the manager. Not long ago we endured a slow death in this division by a manager who wouldn't or couldn't change his tactics. I hope AN doesn't fall into the same category. I have been pleased with his desire to succeed and his willingness to think long and hard about each game. However, I think he is only at the beginning of his managerial career and his immaturity, especially at this high level, has let him down recently.

I would not advocate sacking him but do think he needs better help and advice than he is getting. I look at our bench and do not see a lot of experience or credentials at a high level and believe we need an assistant who was the experience, nous and track record at this level to be a sounding board. Much in the same way as the appointment of Royle and Phelan  were done to help the manager at the time.

I don't believe being in the Prem is the most important thing for this club. I think membership of this division will automatically occur if you have a stable club with ambitions and the right structures put in place. And if we are relegated this season, I won't weep if I think that the future looks bright enough for the club and that this backward step means we will progress. AN has to show his stature and ideas in the transfer market and his ability to turn his ideas on the drawing board into a match winning squad with football pleasing on the eye.

Lets stick with him. Give him the January window to show us what he can do. 

 

[ZLF]

With Jarvis, Wisdom and Mbokani on loan I dont think we have much scope for loans coming in - I think we are only allowed 4 short loans or just two season long loans from the prem(Jarvis & Wisdom),  I had eyed up Debuchy who wants pitch time ahead of teh euros,   expensive but capable but wont happen unless we make jarvis permanent. 

What the rules are about non English leagues and loans are I am not sure - but I guess we may be able to make a yobo-type deal work?

As for timing I guess it will depend on whether there is another chain

 

[Beauseant]

No limit on EU loans as far as I'm aware.

 

[gerryinromania]

I think that Euro loans are classed as short contract buys, that is how we are able to have Mbokani,Wisdom and Jarvis

 

[GazzaTCC]

I believe the Premier League rules on loans relate to domestic players only, being limited to four in a season, two at any one time and only one from a specific club. Hence, we couldn't take further loans from Liverpool or West Ham at the moment.

International loans are, I believe, excluded. 

 

[Dubai Mark]

So far the majority are happy to stick and see us go down,  that is perhaps surprising considering the hike in income that would come our way next season if we stay up, and how hard it is to get out of the Championship.

 

[Beauseant]

I think the assumption that the two are inextricably linked is dangerous and misleading with respect.

 

[splutcho]

I think with the squad of players we've got under Alex Neil, there's a very strong possibility we go down. I think with the squad of players we have under any manager within our reach, there's a very strong possibility we'll go down.

I think we'd be mental to sack him.

 

[KeiranShikari]

But for a horrific run of games which sees us cut miles adrift at the bottom I can't see him going this season.

I, and most other Norwich fans I would imagine, want AN at the club next season, even if that is in the Championship. 

 

[Dubai Mark]

Well let's , with respect, agree to disagree........its not necessarily a bad thing when looking at the longer term bigger picture, it just appears very likely, particularly when considering how clueless tactically we look in most games despite the analysis,  and how others around us have started to pickup some points. 

For me it would not be the end of the world,  but I feel that it can be avoided. 

 

[Canaryboy]

The poll is flawed so not going to vote. 

I think what will have the biggest impact on our chances in January is the degree to which the manager is backed in the transfer market this time, bearing in mind that we didn't spend big in the summer. 

Whoever that manager is, as it happens. 

There are one or two positions in particular which I feel need an injection of quality before we can successfully argue that our squad is even sufficient quality to expect any manager to keep us in this league. Particularly in defense. 

As for a manager who knows how to stay in this league, are there even any of those in the dole queue? Allardyce and Pulis are the only managers I can think of who have consistently shown that they have a formula for staying in this division, both currently employed. 

What I want in this window is for Alex Neil to be backed to freshen things up a bit. We clearly didn't spend out entire budget this summer, unlike Hughton who blew through his in one window. 

So my vote would go for keeping Alex Neil and the board allowing him to spend whatever was left in the budget this summer (plus whatever he can raise in the market).