FA Cup - In or Out?

[GJP]

I care. I care about every game Norwich play. Not convinced the club/players/manager cared enough today though.

Bit of a Hughton-like performance. Defensive/conservative approach with no real attempt to change that once we went behind.

Could have at least tried to make a game of it but we didn't. Quite poor, imo.

 

[GJP]

I would also add that we could have gone into the Stoke game knowing that we at least made a real good go of it against Man City but instead we go into that game having been pretty easily brushed aside.

 

[Number 9]

Before the game, the manager more or less said that they were going to bin the game.

Since the game, he has again confirmed that it was unimportant compared to the League games coming up.

I'm just glad we didn't get any injuries and some key players had a rest.

 

[GJP]

Would that have been acceptable (as it seemingly is) if we were playing a lower league team?

 

[Number 9]

We all knew it was ManC, that was the game.

 

[Boyerboy]

I care. I care about every game Norwich play. Not convinced the club/players/manager cared enough today though.

Bit of a Hughton-like performance. Defensive/conservative approach with no real attempt to change that once we went behind.

Could have at least tried to make a game of it but we didn't. Quite poor, imo.

That is a very different game to the one I watched. It seems to have been forgotten generally that we took the game to them at the start and had two good chances in the first five minutes. City then overwhelmed us with a succession of corners and eventually broke through.  Once they scored we were always in trouble.there were long periods of the second half when we were the more likely to score.  1-2 would have been far more respectable but like Palace and other games, we were always vulnerable to the counterattack .  There is a reason City's players cost tens of millions and we saw that with their third.  Plus we went 442 at 0-2 to try and change things so I don't understand your middle paragraph.

 

[GJP]

Once they got ahead they took their foot off the gas. Both times we've played Man City they've not been at their best, both times we've gone with 3 CBs (cos we're scared of them) and both times we've lost.

It was the first time Man City have scored more than 2 goals away from home in domestic competition since September. But we made it easy for them and just seemed to accept defeat. The changes we made later in the game were token gesture, there was no real ambition to turn things around.

 

[Number 9]

GJP, it's a case of perception, you care about City & want to win or at least play well each time they hit the green stuff.

The Premier League though is just a different beast to every other football competition in the universe. In the cold light of day, the PL's financial numbers are so phenomenally big the universe is a fitting analogy.

Premier League is so vast commercially, it could be likened to the Sun in the solar system, it is the brightest star in the football universe & exerts a gravitational pull on players from across the world & the teams involved are so compelled into this source of light, energy , and cash, that the ancillary competitions are like fading dimmer stars which can't possibly compete for attention.

It's good to care, but, looking at our current environment, the universe we inhabit, there's a need for realism as to where we are & the forces exerting themselves on the club.

The directors & owners can look at Villa, for instance, they are staring into the abyss, look at Ipswich and Leeds, Bolton, we don't want to be there.

 

[morty]

I have to admit before I went to the game yesterday I kinda assumed Man City would put out a second string, so really didn't see that lineup coming. I think its pretty obvious we just paid lip service to the game, if we had any real intentions of putting importance on it, our line up would have been very different.

I thought Odidja, Jerome and Howson were good, Ruddy was okay, and I thought Mulumbu had a bit of a shocker.

 

[gerryinromania]

Buna Dumimeata..Obviously no stream or televising of the game out here, so I cannot comment on the game. I've now seen the goals, and they were made and finished well and at super fast pace..Could we have done any better? Seen many comments on various sites, seemingly made by many people that did not attend,or didn't have streams etc..Many of these comments are saying that we were terrible, were we that bad? Seems that we were not full strength anyway, understandably so.. Boyer Boy who was at the game gives a sensible account, which tends to minimise the comments made by those that didn't see the game ( thanks for that ) Do we deserve all the bad comments?

 

[Number 9]

It must be difficult for the players to give 100% when the manager has let it be known that the League games are more important to him.

Must have an impact on how the players view the game, if only subconsciously.

 

[morty]

Buna Dumimeata..Obviously no stream or televising of the game out here, so I cannot comment on the game. I've now seen the goals, and they were made and finished well and at super fast pace..Could we have done any better? Seen many comments on various sites, seemingly made by many people that did not attend,or didn't have streams etc..Many of these comments are saying that we were terrible, were we that bad? Seems that we were not full strength anyway, understandably so.. Boyer Boy who was at the game gives a sensible account, which tends to minimise the comments made by those that didn't see the game ( thanks for that ) Do we deserve all the bad comments?

We were just outclassed, this was, pretty much, a full strength Man City, we put out nothing like our best side. The five at the back did nothing really to stem the flow of a very fluent, world class attack. Mulumbu looked a bit confused about it all, he didn't look comfortable in the system.

I think its pretty obvious that no one, team, manager or fans were really that bothered.

 

[ZLF]

it was a disappointing performance over all,  low energy levels and poor decision making costing us against the only two class players on show  -  aguero & de bruyne

Even the plus players only had 10-15 minutes of decent play (howson was much better in the second hald before being subbed,   voo had a couple of tidy touches but was too much of a passenger for most of the game,  jerome was dangerous when given the ball)  the ineffective midfield simply didnt get close enough to him or get the ball to him)   Dorrans was particularly poor in the first half,  but far better the second;   mulumbu disappointed and seemed to be second to everything;   while we didnt get the ball to redmond either.  Lafferty - saw little wrong but also little to rave about in his cameo.

The back 4 was disappointing;   no stopping the first goal,  but the second was a combination of hypnotising play by aguero and sloppy defending;   with a back three you simply cant have one of those three venturing far from the defensive line,  even when attacking,  unless a cm or usually the fb covers.    For the second goal wisdom moved forward,  bennett also stepped 10-15 yards up too.   Aguero saw this,  moved into the acres of space left behind forcing martin across.  the defence were scared to act and forgot to watch the joining goal scorer or should have been marked out of the game - Olsson was simply too slow in reacting to the player in his line of vision - he seemed to assume aguero would shoot;  proving the adage about assumptions making fools.     It was inevitable bennetts def positioning would catch him out eventually but guess it was better today than in the next couple of games - but under these tactics it was just poor ill disciplined team play

Positives?   Ruddy was generally sound;  several good saves kept the scoreline down (similar comments about rudds performances highlights the on going cb def gap despite the low numbers of goals scored) before the irrelevant firm finish from debruyne that he will have been disappointed to concede - but a good display none the less;   jerome was an isolated ray of light at the top;  and a shout for wisdom who did well to keep sterling uninvolved with a tidy rb perfromance defensively. Howson will keep his every game appearance record going,  while voo remains a sub only player at the moment,  some sparks but not enough.     A good weekend for Tettey, Wes and Brady 

 

[ZLF]

We were just outclassed, this was, pretty much, a full strength Man City, we put out nothing like our best side. The five at the back did nothing really to stem the flow of a very fluent, world class attack. Mulumbu looked a bit confused about it all, he didn't look comfortable in the system.

I think its pretty obvious that no one, team, manager or fans were really that bothered.

we were outclassed by aguero but its always disappointing to see the "fringe" players not  push for a place and the energy and focus to not be there whatever the game

I also hope its the last time sitting in the jarrold for me;   only positive is hearing what the players say (VOO blaming wisdom for the second goal,   Wisdom rightly pointing out the acres of space was not his fault) but there is more atmosphere in the river end and it was under 90 secs for the player criticsim to start - not just a groan but full on abuse.  The funniest bit of the day was when ruddy sliced a first half kick then dorrans was unable to control it and it went out;   his four letter rant started but he got flustered when his brain couldnt compute which of his scapegoats should cop his wrath and he spluttered to silence before he could finish his expletives.   mong 

 

[Number 9]

Such a good view from the Jarrold though.

Because of the corporate hospitality and the away section differing in size slightly from game to game, it's more likely you find yourself sitting around casual supporters rather than season ticket holders. 

It can be irritating and funny at the same time.

 

[morty]

Such a good view from the Jarrold though.

Because of the corporate hospitality and the away section differing in size slightly from game to game, it's more likely you find yourself sitting around casual supporters rather than season ticket holders. 

It can be irritating and funny at the same time.

Nah, never again for me. When "On the ball City" was sung before the game I quickly realised that I was the only one within earshot actually singing it.

 

[eatonparkboy]

Didn't see the game so won't comment as I only have my son's version of the game as evidence.

But I am disappointed with the quick brushing under the carpet on the club website. Talk of moving on, a one off game and disappointed that we didn't play well but our bread and butter is the league.

I don't care if we put the Under 18's out but please treat every game seriously. Once you start making allowances or having different criteria then you are letting down the supporters.

Personally I think the majority of football is pompous *bleep* anyway nowadays. And the disdain that Liverpool showed to Exeter and the amount of clubs, including ours, that think you can just ignore the FA Cup is just further evidence of the I'm alright Jack attitude of modern football.

Its the fiftieth anniversary of the World Cup win and I think football as an industry ought to reflect on how it has declined since then.

 

[morty]

Didn't see the game so won't comment as I only have my son's version of the game as evidence.

But I am disappointed with the quick brushing under the carpet on the club website. Talk of moving on, a one off game and disappointed that we didn't play well but our bread and butter is the league.

I don't care if we put the Under 18's out but please treat every game seriously. Once you start making allowances or having different criteria then you are letting down the supporters.

Personally I think the majority of football is pompous *bleep* anyway nowadays. And the disdain that Liverpool showed to Exeter and the amount of clubs, including ours, that think you can just ignore the FA Cup is just further evidence of the I'm alright Jack attitude of modern football.

Its the fiftieth anniversary of the World Cup win and I think football as an industry ought to reflect on how it has declined since then.

I am sure the players who played yesterday took the game perfectly seriously. They just weren't good enough.

I paid my money and was there yesterday, I perfectly understand why we put the team out that we did. 

 

[eatonparkboy]

It wasn't the players I was meaning. I understand his line up to a certain extent and am not criticising that. I'm sure some were playing for their places and trying hard. But to me, a cup match at home against a team that has won the title twice in four years and is still in the CL is what football is about. But to talk afterwards about it as if were some friendly match against Dereham is disrespectful to one of the world footballs special competitions.

 

[morty]

It wasn't the players I was meaning. I understand his line up to a certain extent and am not criticising that. I'm sure some were playing for their places and trying hard. But to me, a cup match at home against a team that has won the title twice in four years and is still in the CL is what football is about. But to talk afterwards about it as if were some friendly match against Dereham is disrespectful to one of the world footballs special competitions.

Thats the point though, its not special any more. Its only special to smaller clubs who can go on a run, and that is probably more financially orientated than anything.

You talk about Norwich there like we should feel privileged seeing a team like Man City at Carrow road, the fact they will be here again in the league hardly makes it some special treat for fans.