Anybody started to get a bit depressed?

[Canaryboy]

About the football?

It just doesn't feel like a promotion season. Feels like the best we can hope for is sneaking into the play-offs, and if we sneak in any eventual promotion would feel like a lucky one (although I'd love a trip to Wembley).

It just seems inevitable that we are going to lose a player or two in this window, Redmond & Ruddy the obvious candidates, Hooper possibly another if QPR don't land Defoe, and if that happens promotion looks even less likely. 

Am I just suffering from the winter blues after a period of end of year reflection, and being far too pessimistic about our club and our chances, or does anybody else feel like we are on a downward spiral? 

I know that negativity doesn't go down too well on here, can somebody cheer me up? Actually scrap that, only the team can cheer me up, three points away at Bournemouth will cheer me up. 

Am I just being silly, because we've just had our obligatory annual early-round FA Cup exit? Is anybody feeling positive? 

 

[SussexYellow]

Yes, I see this season going t*ts up. My prediction is that we will not make the play offs. And I will gladly eat humble pie if I am wrong.

For me though the biggest concern is lack of managerial direction. Hopefully though we will be able to hang on to most of our squad.

 

[Canaryboy]

I'm sure we will be able to hang on to most of our squad, but we probably only have somewhere around 6 players of Premier League calibre, then a few more that can "do a job" in the league above (e.g. Wes). 

So if we were to lose Ruddy and Redmond, we'd probably be losing one-third of the players that any team in the league above would be interested in signing. I thought about starting a thread "Which of our players are Premier League quality" to see whether 5 or 6 is the right number, but that would probably make things worse and may be one to start on 1st February  B)

 

[SussexYellow]

We think alike CB. I was thinking of starting a thread on is our squad as strong as we think it is. Whilst we think that we have a squad of premier league players most of those have PL experience with just us. Which sort of complements the point you are making.

But to brighten our day whenever I hear a report on Sky on Swindon it usually talks of Louis Thompson running the show. So he could prove to be a very good signing. Harry Toffolo also gets good mentions.

So one for Feb 1st then. Let's hope we have more of a smile on our face by then.

 

[lyb]

I just don't know what to make of it any more. The club seems to have the footballing equivalent of bipolar disorder. Gung ho and unstoppable one day then struggling to get out of bed another.

 

[eatonparkboy]

Its the performances that rile me. We cannot put more than four matches together where our performance can be described anywhere near polished or pleasing or even resilient under pressure.

If we are beaten by better teams, and lets face it, we have been successful in the past because we had a good team if not individuals, then so be it. Bournemouth have a good team, Derby have a good team. It doesn't hurt if we lose to them but yet another weak performance against a team with an eye on a midweek cup match followed by the same tame excuses just makes it worse.

If you can't be good, at least be honest chaps.

 

[Yellow Fever]

Am I the only one who thinks that performances and attitudes are down to the players? The team had five first team players out of the squad (Jerome, Tettey, Martin, Olsson, Grabban), but that team should still have been enough to make a fight of it. They didn't.

 

[eatonparkboy]

Am I the only one who thinks that performances and attitudes are down to the players? The team had five first team players out of the squad (Jerome, Tettey, Martin, Olsson, Grabban), but that team should still have been enough to make a fight of it. They didn't.

I agree that ultimately its down to the players and players get managers sacked but I honestly wonder how tame the half time team talk must have been. It didn't sound like they came out fired up by a St Swithins Day speech by the management team. Preston also had five first teamers missing and yet we didn't manage a shot on target. Ultimately its collective responsibility by the whole bunch.

 

[Canaryboy]

Am I the only one who thinks that performances and attitudes are down to the players? The team had five first team players out of the squad (Jerome, Tettey, Martin, Olsson, Grabban), but that team should still have been enough to make a fight of it. They didn't.

Reminds me of this meme:

 

[Din]

I don't know how I feel about the football right now. I was feeling positive after big wins at home, but then we went to Wigan and for some reason just didn't turn up. I'm hoping it was just a blip but obviously we won't know until Saturday.

 

[Surgeryman]

I'm a bit mixed really between disappointed and angry really. The biggest influence on this is the board for me.

A catalogue of errors continuing.

Not getting rid of Hughton after the Man. City. Definately should have gone after the Fulham FA cup debacle ( although that is not unique to him as yesterday proved!).

Then sacking him with five games to go. Utterly pointless at that stage. We might have just as well kept him then until the end of the season.

Losing our prem place due to the above and reducing income by millions. Yet CEO gets a massive bonus.

The whole managerial recruitment of Adams. Utter shambles with Bowkett spouting the " scoured Europe" rubbish.

Not recognising that the Adams gamble is not working.

Returning to the Norwich way of employing ex players as managers who have won nothing instead of proven people with experience.

Continuing on this path with no sign off change. If they sack Adams we already have our next manager in Phelan.

Yes it depressing and when you see teams like Stoke, West Brom, Saints making a decent job of keeping Prem status it makes you wonder why we can't.

Bottom line is though you follow your team through thick and thin.

 

[Monty13]

I don't know, I know it's going to rile some and go against the tide but I actually worried we were going to be incredibly poor this season. The negative, lacklustre displays we saw last year coupled with a relegation hangover and an unproven management team, actually had me worried we could have dropped like a stone. I wanted to be positive but underneath was definitely that doubt that we may be one of "those relegated clubs". I'm disappointed with where we are this season so far, but I'm not surprised, I'm not sure why so many were convinced that a team that whimpered out of the PL was going to do so well this season? 

Yes on paper we have a strong squad, but it takes so much more than that to do well in this league. There needs to be a team, one that plays well together and for each other. We've seen bits of it, flashes of it, but to me there still seems a lot of rot, poor attitude and lack of fight.

Psychology is not some pseudo science, and a losing mentality and the laissez faire attitude our players seemed to have last year is not so easily wiped away.

I think I'll only be truly depressed if we don't at least make the play-offs. We are sniffing about, and I still feel we should be there come the end, but I'm wavering in my confidence. Because if we don't, it will mean another rebuilding in the summer and to me that feels more likely to bring less success than some sort of stability, but I know others will vehemently disagree on that point. 

What is depressing me a little is it genuinely feels unless we are breaking teams weekly and flying high at the top of the table there are a certain number of fans that won't be happy. That's not to say there aren't legitimate concerns and grievances with decisions and actions of the current board, manager and players, there are. But it does feel that, at least to some, they will only have their unhappiness slated by immediate unequivocal success.

 

[Personal Trainer]

I have a theory that barring the odd exception (QPR being very odd!) relegated clubs struggle in their first season back in the Championship, Neither us, Fulham or Cardiff are showing any consistency.

I think that successful Championship teams are created over a number of seasons and it is this teamwork and togetherness that sees them through, think Leicester and Burnley last season and Ipswich, Derby and Bournemouth this. It may be that some players see themselves as PL players on loan to the Championship and think they are too good for it and only need to turn up to win.

To counter my own theory though in the case of NCFC, if the players have taken a 40% pay cut and been willing to stay one must assume that any promotion bonus will be the equivalent amount so they will be as well off as if they had not been relegated. This, you would expect, make them play with more intent than shown in the Reading game (ignore FA Cup, doesn't help the bonus).

 

[Yellow Fever]

My feelings are similar to those of Monty and PT on this. The four games before Reading gave reasonable cause for hope. The last two games have been more than disappointing, but don't eliminate that hope for me. I also think that you have to look at the other teams who have been relegated recently - Fulham and Cardiff are both struggling, QPR scraped into the play-offs last year, but Reading and Wigan are also struggling, as are Blackburn and Bolton. People thought this year would be a dawdle. It isn't, and it never was going to be.

I still think Bournemouth will provide a key, followed by Cardiff and Brentford, and if the players don't respond with all out performances and a results, then we are likely to struggle. Changing the manager won't necessarily produce an improvement in the play. Just look at Fulham and Cardiff, both of whom have changed their manager.

 

[Dandy Mountfarto]

I am now yes. We needed stability and this is what we get. Shambles.

 

[eatonparkboy]

I am now yes. We needed stability and this is what we get. Shambles.

But it is less shambolic if he did resign. That then admits that the board were wrong in their choice. Nobody can ever blame Adams for taking the job.

 

[Yellow Fever]

I fear many on here and elsewhere will end up disappointed by the effect of Adams leaving. Back to square one yet again, IMO.

 

[eatonparkboy]

If the players truly want us to believe that it was not their fault for this continuing mess, then they have a splendid opportunity at the weekend. No  useless semantics lads, just a decent game of football win or lose. 

 

[Dubai Mark]

I am feeling much better now, even though we could still be in for some tough times until we get to settle under a new Manager........an experienced Manager who can motivate our squad to play to their potential....if they dont, then how about we start putting a few of them on the transfer list!!

 

[eatonparkboy]

Maybe the theory about relegated teams is correct. Maybe our players who came through the Prem are too far up themselves to admit they are playing in the Championship.