Looking around us...

[It's Character Forming]

What's a worry for me is that Newcastle have shown a squad that basically has quite a few decent players is capable of pulling results out after a bad run.  With 3 points for a win, things can change very quickly.  I can see them pushing on to mid-table safety.  You wouldn't bet against Chelsea bringing in a quality manager and doing the same.  Which risks there being 4-5 teams cut adrift and us solidly down there.  I know Man U aren't doing well by their standards recently but it's still not a great feeling ahead of a trip to Old Trafford.

In the season when we went down under Hughton/Adams we benefited for much of the season from there being a mass of teams all packed together lower/mid-table just above the drop zone, none of them doing particularly well, all within a small number of points of each other.  Under Hughton we were right in that zone until Christmas really (which is what kept him in a job), then it all started to go wrong, but having 5 really tough fixtures at the end of the season disguised how badly it was going because in January to March we had more than our fair share of easy game.

This season teams that you'd have expected to struggle like Watford, West Brom, Palace are pulling out results, and like I say recently Newcastle.  We all know Sunderland can go on a run although hopefully this year they'll finally be for the drop, ditto Villa have a strong squad for where they are in the table.

Which makes me thing this is going to be a relatively tough year to survive in the Prem and more worried than I was at the same stage in our last Prem season.  Is it just me ?

 

[eatonparkboy]

No it isn't just you. Football is polarising. The top of the Championship and the very bottom of the Prem are one and the same. And the main protagonists are the same teams each year. It is the usual suspects season after season. It doesn't bother me too much as being at the top is just as preferable to being bottom of the Prem. Our crowds don't go down apart from possibly the away support although the income drops.

All I wish for is that AN would return to his attacking ideas instead of this defensive posture and if we lose it won't be for the lack of trying to win. And despite many talking about his adaptability, we have picked up five points in 9 games whereas Bournemouth have picked up 6 in their last two against alleged top teams. It isn't working.

Football morphs each season it seems and I'm afraid our current squad is not good enough to defend. It probably isn't good enough to attack but other clubs not too dissimilar from ours have shown that a bit of bravery might just get you past some of the teams that are currently in crisis. But as you say, there won't be much company around us if we don't start getting more points.

And I can't agree with those who will want us to sit two in front of the back four because they are scared we might get hammered on Saturday. Lets be a bit more original a bit more brave and and instead of giving the back four a helping hand, how about giving the lone striker a helping hand.

 

[Wiz]

 I always had a safety valve 'feeling' that we'd sneak in but now I'm a tad worried we'll go down.......its going to be a vital transfer widow for City and a good indicator as to our ambition intentions.

 

[GJP]

I've been worried for a couple of months and there hasn't been much to ease my fears. 

We don't really look like beating anyone. In my opinion, "narrow" defeats to Man City and Chelsea, combined with the win over a poor Swansea side have masked things a bit. People praised AN for his tactical approach to these games but for me he didn't do anything special, he just got numbers behind the ball.

Yeah, we had a great second half against Arsenal but we didn't give it a go until we had gone behind. Everton should have been out of sight by half time.

 

[GJP]

To add to that, I think if I was an outsider/neutral looking at us I'd probably think:

• Weak defence
• Not enough upfront
• Manager out of depth

 

[morty]

The win on Saturday has certainly made things look a bit better. Another 4 points from the next two games hopefully.

We are away to Spurs, then home to Villa.

Newcastle home to Everton, then away to West Brom.

Swansea home to West Brom then away to Palace

Sunderland away to Man City and home to Liverpool.

Villa home to West Ham, then away to us.

 

[KeiranShikari]

The way the league has been this season I'm not really paying attention to other fixtures. 

Inb4 we lose to Villa and Sunderland beat Citeh and Liverpool.

 

[Lavanche]

Also Bournemouth home to Palace and away to Arsenal. They have been very lucky with results and I have a feeling they get only 1 point from those two. So with at least 3 points they would fall behind us.

Second thing worth of mentioning is that if WBA lose both Swansea and Newcastle games they are also at 20 points.

Very tight at places 18 to 12 thought Southampton and Chelsea shouldn't be in a relegation battle with that material and would belive Swansea to pull their act together and fight their way out.

Anyway everything is in our own hands. Surprise draw or victory against in form Spurs and then good show in Carrow Road against Villa and we would be in good place for second half of the season. We end the season with 3 games against upper half teams so hopefuly we can get 40 points before that.

 

[Dubai Mark]

I would like to suggest that the EPL is actually stronger this year outside of the usual "big clubs" excluding Arsenal. The money in the game is now really helping the "lesser sides" and they are much stronger as a result, hence what we are seeing from Leicester City, West Ham, Watford and Palace for example. Plus there are certainly more teams from the lower end of the table pulling off results against those bigger sides.

We are having to catch up, as we had that challenge of huge debt to sort first, plus we do not have the benefit of hugely rich owners or backers, the least rich owners out of all the EPL sides currently.

That said, I actually believe, unlike many others, that our squad for a lot of this season to date has actually under performed for various reasons, and is c;early capable of more performances like the second half vs Everton and Manure. Add two or three shrewd January signings on the back of hopefully some more credible performances before the window, and I feel we will have enough. Those performances will certainly secure AN's position to the end of the season, something the majority on here want, and those like me will also be very satisfied too, as change would certainly be a gamble.

It's a huge challenge, and concerning......yes.....but definitely "do-able"  

 

[hogesar]

To add to that, I think if I was an outsider/neutral looking at us I'd probably think:

• Weak defence
• Not enough upfront
• Manager out of depth

I've not heard anyone on the outside think AN is out of his depth. I've heard very few on the inside, too.

 

[ZLF]

My impression is that there has been a "dumbing down" / averaging out of the league overall which may well be down to a more equitable balance of funds however i think that is only part of the story.   It gives a more enjoyable title race & a tighter league overall - but that is not the same as the quality of the lower parts of the league improving.

We have an emergence of talented young managers at "emerging clubs" who are being successful by tweaking tactics and, shock horror, building hard working teams who invest in and deliver the managers philosophy.   In Leicester & Watford in particular we have seen the emergence of three players who are in the form of their lives (Vardy, Mahrez, Igalho (eg ighalo is having a holt moment with watford, and scored as goals this season as his career total before joining Watford);  perhaps fortunate but of their own making and to be applauded.   There is also a salutary lesson for city fans here - unknown or unsuccessful elsewhere does not make them poor signings - if it clicks...    

In contrast the big clubs have become over focused on a galacticos style approach,  big name managers and players,  relying on past form and glories rather than continuing to learn and invest in future thinking.  The leagues highest world profile players are only here for the money having failed to be as successful in either germany or Spain  £0.25billion spend by Manure on a manager whose first success was 20 years ago,  playing the likes of schweinsteiger whose best days were in better leagues - or paying enormously over the odds for talented but yet unproven youngsters with no regard to unfashionable team building. Citeh -  pellegrini, Chelsea - was Mourinho.  Liverpool has some innovation in Klopp while the professor still cant top the league with a more sustainable approach at Arsenal while his main competition implode around him. The overwhelming impression from the big clubs (Arsenal, Citeh, Utd, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool) is complacency,  from board to players.    Ultimately the kind of financial investment they can continue to provide simply cant be continually made by a leicester or watford (or Norwich) as even FFP is weighted to those clubs with existing huge resources. 

Is it sustainable? I suspect it may only last but a season or so but its great while it lasts.    Swansea seem to be showing that its hard to churn players / managers on a budget and remain successful - increased wage demands and new players make it difficult (but not impossible) to sustain that team spirit.  In addition I suspect the big boys managers will learn to adapt to the changes (or find/hire the shiny new managers who can) while the likes of Mahrez will move on in a season or two to a bigger pay packet and increased chance of silverware. 

As such I am loving it while its lasts - and hope our own club can take full advantage of this inconsistent league, be fortunate in finding an Ighalo-esque signing in Jan to help our own talented young manager move the club towards mid table quickly. 

 

[Canaryboy]

I've not heard anyone on the outside think AN is out of his depth. I've heard very few on the inside, too.

He's only really got things seriously wrong tactically in two games this season in my opinion.

Personally I think he's done well considering our failures in the transfer market in the summer, and I doubt that has much to do with him. 

You can't polish a turd and really we are over achieving for as long as we are sitting outside of the relegation zone, so are Bournemouth. 

My main gripe this season is our abject failure to buy the centre back which everybody could see we needed, and I suspect Alex Neil was equally frustrated about that. 

 

[eatonparkboy]

He's only really got things seriously wrong tactically in two games this season in my opinion.

Personally I think he's done well considering our failures in the transfer market in the summer, and I doubt that has much to do with him. 

You can't polish a turd and really we are over achieving for as long as we are sitting outside of the relegation zone, so are Bournemouth. 

My main gripe this season is our abject failure to buy the centre back which everybody could see we needed, and I suspect Alex Neil was equally frustrated about that. 

I think he got it seriously right on Saturday by releasing Tettey into a forward looking role. I think he is a clumsy player and its too risky with him in front of Bass/ett whereas O'Neill looked pretty calm and assured. But he has energy and if you look at his goal, he bust a gut to get there and we know he isn't afraid to shoot and the mishit still went in.

Spurs have a lively and mobile midfield so I think that is the key on Saturday so I hope he keeps it as the second half using Tettey as the man to break.

 

[Beauseant]

If we get 3 points from the next two games we would make the turn on 20 points. I for one would have taken that at the start of the year. This squad, when it fires can play good football but we need more quality so the window is vital. Bring in the French CB and Naismith and one other decent signing and I would be very confident that we will stay up, which is really what this season was always going to be about, unless you lived in cloud cuckoo land.

We have a fantastic young manager who deserves our full backing, even if we go down so hopefully everyone will stay behind him.

 

[Brian Fantana]

I find the negativity a bit surprising to be honest, yes we have not posted the consistent results of Watford but we are not dead and buried by any means and to be honest I am still confident we will escape come the end of the season - escape having spent a fraction of that of the teams around us and those that ultimately go down.

I think the criticism of AN is disappointing, he has picked the wrong tactics on two occasions this year and other than that he has set us up as best as we can be and in some games we have been unlucky and in others we have picked up points. Either way though AN is top draw and will go on to great things, let us just hope we receive the full benefit of that before he moves on.

All in I am confident, the noises so far are that signings will be made and will be made early, with a little extra our squad and management will be more than enough to pull away!

Cheer up guys.

 

[GJP]

In the last couple of months we've beaten two out of form, stale looking sides. And while you've still got to beat them the rest of our results haven't been so great. 

In my opinion, AN has still got a lot to prove at this level. He is just about doing enough at the moment. You can't afford to be sentimental in this game so if he doesn't keep us up this season then I'd get rid.

But if he does keep us up then I'll start thinking we've got someone who really is the business.

 

[Killiecanary]

So if he keeps us up by a point then he might be somebody who really is the business, but if we go down on goal difference to a dodgy penalty given by Clattenberg in the 21st minute of injury time to Swansea (say) who score it and we are relegated then he is not up to it and just be sacked??

i know they always say it a game of fine margins for managers but surely that's just a not very well thought out position.  I agree with Beau above, even if we do go down he is the man for the job for the long term.  

 

[GJP]

So if he keeps us up by a point then he might be somebody who really is the business, but if we go down on goal difference to a dodgy penalty given by Clattenberg in the 21st minute of injury time to Swansea (say) who score it and we are relegated then he is not up to it and just be sacked??

i know they always say it a game of fine margins for managers but surely that's just a not very well thought out position.  I agree with Beau above, even if we do go down he is the man for the job for the long term.  

Also things like losing at home to WBA and getting thrashed by Newcastle would have contributed.

 

[Killiecanary]

As much as winning away at Old Trafford and Sunderland do I would have thought?  

Not to mention the considerable credit he should, have in the bank after taking over a team going nowhere fast less than a year ago ( I repeat, less than 12 months ago), turning them around, a promotion run, play off win over the great unwashed and the best day of my Norwich supporting life (so far) at Wembley.

This isn't a Hughton type scenario, where persevering with someone more out of hope for too long cost us.  If We get rid of Alex Neil I think it would be a huge mistake.  

 

[GJP]

He got a very strong squad promoted out of the Championship. He did a good job but it was not a hopeless situation when he took over.

Everyone wants AN to do well and everyone wants us to be able to say we have this brilliant young manager which I get. But it's a results business.