Norwich eyeing up move for 16 goal striker.

[morty]

Sky Bet Championship club Norwich City are interested in signing non-league youngster Matty Allan from Histon.

The forward, who plays predominantly on the wing, has impressed this season, scoring 16-goals for struggling Histon.

Allan has come through the ranks at Histon, but will become a free agent in the summer, with Norwich City and Crystal Palace reportedly scouting the 19-year old.

 

[Number 9]

Is he any good at defending?

 

[morty]

By all accounts, absolutely fantastic.

 

[GJP]

Just like Russell Martin then.

Apart from the defending.

 

[morty]

I may have been economical with the truth about the defending.

 

[ZLF]

I have heard he is as good at CB as Russ.

 

[GJP]

I have heard he is as good at CB as Russ.

The central defender with a weakness for defending central areas.

Bit of a nutshell for our struggles. RM's strength is in his mobility to move out of the central areas to cover and distribute.

Defenders, particularly of the central variety, have to be good defenders. Ball winners.

And in the case of RM, the only reason he sees himself as a CB is because he knows he has lost the legs to be an RB. And we have pandered to that. 

 

[hogesar]

To be fair, he's been no worse than Klose / Bennett / Bassong (bit unfair, not played much) this season.

 

[GJP]

A fair comment. But when our defence was at its strongest (Turner/Bassong) we had two defenders whose strengths lied in defending and not the out ball.

Now we've got Martin and Klose who both want to play a bit.

It's running before you can walk.

 

[Number 9]

I sniggered a bit with Turner Bassong to be fair.

 

[Canaryboy]

A fair comment. But when our defence was at its strongest (Turner/Bassong) we had two defenders whose strengths lied in defending and not the out ball.

Now we've got Martin and Klose who both want to play a bit.

It's running before you can walk.

The whole team was more defensive though, all the way down

I don't know how we could ever expect to be able to line up with a Murphy + Pritchard / Naismith + Hoolahan at the same time and get away with it. We aren't Barcelona, we're been bullied off the park all season. 

Remember that even our offensive players were expected to defend in that team, Snodgrass would get up and down the pitch and could get back and double up on the opposition winger. He never got enough credit for his defensive contributions.

Not saying that Hughton got that balance right at all of course, he went far too much the other way. 

 

[GJP]

The whole team was more defensive though, all the way down

Still a better central defence. It's only got worse since.