Half-Time Report

[Din]

As we're half-way through the season, we can have a little re-cap of the first few months of our campaign:
 
Best team we've played:
Worst team we've played:
Team who have surprised you (good or bad):
Best player you've seen play against us:
Two teams to go up:
Three teams to go down:
 
 
Rate our season so far out of 10:
Rate our manager:
If you could give our manager a piece of advice for the rest of the season, it would be:
Top of your January wishlist (either a position of a specific name):
 
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Mine would be:
 
Best team we've played: Middlesbrough, by a mile as well. The only team this season who have completely outplayed us and deserved the 4-0 win. Next best probably Brentford/Wolves.
Worst team we've played: Where to start. Ipswich, Watford, Cardiff (2nd half), Sheff.Wed, Huddersfield were all dreadful. However, the worst by a long way were Millwall.
Team who have surprised you (good or bad): Certainly didn't expect Bournemouth, Ipswich or Brentford to do so well. Also didn't expect Brighton and Wigan to be doing so badly.
Best player you've seen play against us: Michail Antonio. Next best probably Chris Martin.
Two teams to go up: Derby, Boro.
Three teams to go down: Milwall, Rotherham, Blackpool.
 
 
Rate our season so far out of 10: 6. Started brilliantly, but that poor run cost us heavily, and for a team with arguably the best squad in the league 7th is not good enough. Last few games have been encouraging though.
Rate your manager(s): 6. Great start, but came across as a bit clueless during our bad run. Strange team selections and substitutions, however since Phelan has come in he's getting a lot more right.
If you could give our manager a piece of advice for the rest of the season, it would be: Don't sell our best players, keep up this good form, get Elliott Bennett back.
Top of your January wishlist (either a position of a specific name): Keep hold of key players, such as Redmond, Hooper and Ruddy. Sign a left midfielder, preferably Sako at Wolves.

 

[Dubai Mark]

Good topic, I will attempt to answer each question, but unfortunately my view is based on a mix of a couple of visits only to Carrow Road this season, two or three live tv games, several dodgy streams and highlights from most games....so typical ex-pat coverage (hence why we love the EPL...almost every game live!)..........I think elsewhere I would be called a "plastic".....

Best team we've played:   Derby  (even though they were a little off colour, you could see they are a class act at this level)
Worst team we've played:  Millwall, although Reading also looked shocking! 
Team who have surprised you (good or bad): Ipswich (expected to see them around the play-off's but not challenging for top spot). Also, of course Bournemouth, particularly after seeing them at Carrow Road earlier in the season, looked solid but nothing special. 
Best player you've seen play against us: I really cannot recall a stand out player, although a couple looked decent in Mboro side, cant remember the names though
Two teams to go up: Derby and Norwich City!!!
Three teams to go down: Blackpool, Millwall and Brighton
 
 
Rate our season so far out of 10: 6 - most of the time severely under performing, although recently things are looking much better thank god.  
Rate our manager: 4 - clearly way out of his depth.....lucky start, this is not Football Manager computer game, this is serious!
If you could give our manager a piece of advice for the rest of the season, it would be: keep listening to Mike Phelan and he will lead us back to the EPL, stop wearing those white tracksuit tops, consider a career back with the youth team or on Radio Norfolk.
Top of your January wishlist (either a position of a specific name): I think the squad is more than capable managed correctly, but maybe a left winger, not really fussed though as we do have enough.

 

[Yellow Fever]

Best team we've played:   Derby  (agree that they are a class act at this level - we made Boro look good) 
Worst team we've played:  Millwall 
Team who have surprised you (good or bad): Ipswich (also expected to see them around the play-off's but not challenging for top spot) and, of course, Bournemouth.
Best player you've seen play against us: Nobody stands out
Two teams to go up: Derby and Norwich 
Three teams to go down: Blackpool, Millwall and Brighton (though not sure about Brighton)
 
Rate our season so far out of 10: 6.5 - Players under performed in the lean spell, though the recent run is encouraging.  
Rate our manager: 7 (More the management team for me, and we've been much better with a full team again).

 

[Dandy Mountfarto]

Rate our manager: 4 - clearly way out of his depth.....lucky start, this is not Football Manager computer game, this is serious!
If you could give our manager a piece of advice for the rest of the season, it would be: keep listening to Mike Phelan and he will lead us back to the EPL, stop wearing those white tracksuit tops, consider a career back with the youth team or on Radio Norfolk.
Top of your January wishlist (either a position of a specific name): I think the squad is more than capable managed correctly, but maybe a left winger, not really fussed though as we do have enough.

Is this how its going to be from now? Adams gets the blame for the bad and Phelan gets the credit for the good? Despite having zero evidence for who is responsible for what?

 

[Dubai Mark]

Dandy M, its just my opinion,a response to a question, that's all..... and you have the opportunity too . Its not a problem for me if anyone thinks NA is god's gift to football management and believes that it is pure coincidence the team shape has changed and performances and results have improved significantly since MP started....no problem at all....why?.....because everyone is entitled to their opinion!  I accept that my view on NA is a little extreme maybe and could upset some people, but am almost certain that I will not change my mind, so at least will be consistent but promise not to keep bringing it up....unless asked.   

 

[Yellow Fever]

While I agree thar MP has had a very good impact since he joined, today's performance showed definite weakness in the link between defence and mid-field, and that would seem MP's area of responsibility. IMO, we need to see the imput of the whole management team and the performance of the players as well. It isn't just about the manager.

 

[ZLF]

Best team we've played:             Boro - by some way
Worst team we've played:           Millwall  - poor team on a woeful day
Team who have surprised you (good or bad):   Bournemouth
Best player you've seen play against us:           Bamford    
Two teams to go up:                    Boro  Derby  
Three teams to go down:
 
 
Rate our season so far out of 10:
Rate our manager:                              5
If you could give our manager a piece of advice for the rest of the season, it would be:   You have a great squad;   learn to utilise it quickly - you still dont seem to know what our best way to win games (no other manager has a first then second half tactic). Coach some defensive discipline,  & abandon this woeful uncreative flat midfield with 4 cms.
Top of your January wishlist:  Keep Redmond

 

[lyb]

Best team we've played:             Millwall - They did wonders for our goal difference
Worst team we've played:           Middlesborough - They were horrible for our goal difference
Team who have surprised you (good or bad):   Wigan - Just expected them to be doing better as one of the better off championship clubs.
Best player you've seen play against us:  Grant Holt of course!            
Two teams to go up:   Bournemouth, Ipswich                 
Three teams to go down: Blackpool, Leeds, Millwall
Rate our season so far out of 10: 6 - Curate's eggish. I think it's reasonable to expect us to be better in the table than we are, but on the other hand when it works it seems to work very well indeed, so refinement and consistency in levels of performance from each and every player has to be key to the rest of the performance rather than 'going back to the drawing board.  I think, in a way, we were victims of our own success with the first 10 games, which has fired up other teams to give it their all against us and we haven't quite got the mental attitude in the team to overcome that as of yet, which shows itself with the number of silly mistakes that have undone us a number of times this season. Overall, we seem to perform better against the better teams, where our players are really fired up,  and the awful teams, where the other team simply don't have a hope, and come short against the mid table sides, which suggests that we may be guilty of not treating the mid table sides with the respect they deserve. 
Rate our manager:   7 - I think the scale of the task has been severely underestimated. He inherited a team that had absolutely no potency whatsoever as an attacking force with a morale that can only have been dented by relegation. He turned that round and the next big task is to get the consistency in there. He has brought in an excellent coaching team around him and seems to be working well with them so let them get on with it is my feeling. 
If you could give our manager a piece of advice for the rest of the season, it would be:  Talk about other teams with more respect (perhaps not quite up to Hughton levels): Nobody knows what's said in the dressing room, but in general I think the public comments are possibly a little bit too dismissive of the opposition and that can focus a team to give it their all against us, which certainly seems to have been the case with Reading. I think it also engenders a little bit of complacency in our own side. It's great to go into Christmas looking for six points, but a little bit of talking up how the opposition can stop that happening, flattering their better players a bit, does no harm at all. It helps manage expectations in the fan base, helps reinforce the message to our own players that they're going to have to fight for it if they are to live up to their potential and maybe helps engender a bit of complacency in the other team when the day comes. 
Top of your January wishlist:  A Martin Olsson standard right back.

 

[Yellow Fever]

Excellent POJ. Especially like the Best and Worst Teams! Agree with your comments about the manager.