Norwich City v Man City (home) Saturday 12th March.

[Canaryboy]

I'm not Dorrans' biggest fan but all I'm asking of the players, whoever Alex Neil picks, is that they give 100% every game from now until the end and have a real scrap. 

What a warrior Gary O'Neil has been in the last two games, he's Terry Butcher. 

If asked to list the players that I think are Championship and not good enough for this division they would both be on my list, with Russell Martin, but there is nothing that they can do about a simple lack of quality and nothing that we can do about our playing squad in March, so all we can ask is that they give 100% and that when they are giving 100% the fans get behind them accordingly.

Need to play every game from now until the end like it is a cup final and hope that we just want it that little bit more than the opposition. 

 

[Din]

Its Newcastle's 2 games in hand which concern me, despite how well the lads did yesterday, a win was vital.

Think I'm right in saying that their games in hand are against Manchester City and Leicester, so you would at least hope that the fact they have 2 extra games isn't too much of an issue. That said it's hard to tell really considering how mad this season has been.

 

[Canaryboy]

Its Newcastle's 2 games in hand which concern me, despite how well the lads did yesterday, a win was vital.

Newcastle play Sunderland next Sunday, huge game that one, a draw would be the best result for us assuming that they lose the Leicester game but I think one of them will capitulate under the pressure. 

After Sunderland they play us.

And of course we play Newcastle too. So all three of the teams in this mini league have to play each other. 

I think we've got a chance of coming out top if we could just find some goals from somewhere, Bamford to do a Simeon Jackson and go on an epic scoring run would be nice. 

 

[Number 9]

Dorrans effort on goal was disappointing but overall his play was good;   he certainly gave olsson excellent cover at left back (olsson could learn from dorrans on where a left back should be defending) and played his part in a grafted point

I wondered whether pinto was the better sub option - but in hindsight he did make us more secure, 

Unfortunately Dorrans wasn't playing leftback, all forward momentum seemed to stop when he came on replacing Redmond, who wasn't playing leftback either.

Also Olson's runs and crosses stopped abruptly after Dorrans came on.

He killed what progress we had made & single handed managed to turn the crowd.

 

[GJP]

He killed what progress we had made & single handed managed to turn the crowd.

Says something about the crowd when they turn on a player getting stuck in for the team.

 

[Gorlestongirl]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'single handedly turned the crowd', Number 9.  I sit in the far from exuberant Jarrold, and the atmosphere there was really positive right to the end.  I really hate this need to single out player to criticise after a game like yesterday.  MCFC fielded a really strong team, and we matched them.  Tactics and team selection spot on; players, without exception gave their all. Someone on Twitter was criticising O'Neill, for Christ's sake!!!

 

[Number 9]

You, from the Jarrold Stand, would have been cheering on our players, in front of you, passing in nice triangles making progress up the pitch doing well.

The crowd around you was no doubt in good spirits, it was where I was sitting.

When Dorrans replaced Redders, much of that forward movement stopped immediately. Within ten minutes the crowd around me turned from position cheering to moaning and grumbling, even the occasional boo.

It seemed as though a player who was intrinsic to all the good which was happening had been replaced by a defender who hardly went over the halfway line and kept passing backwards.

I'm not blaming Dorrans for the world's problems and the substitution was a hurried affair because of the injury.

It just was the catalyst 

 

[Fenway Frank]

When did Dorrans become a defender? 

 

[Lavanche]

Why not?

Because those happens to everyone once in a while.  It is easier to forgive even when it underlines his bad day at the office.

Basic defending and taking risks where you don't need to is not only bad luck, but bad decision making and that is something AN needs to take in count when he puts Dorrans in the field next time.

I dont mean to blame Dorrans as I know he did his best out there and we got the point, but he really seems to struggle at this level.

 

[Number 9]

When did Dorrans become a defender? 

The substitution was at short notice so I'm not sure whether Dorrans just played his natural game or played according to instructions, but, you know as well as I, that he barely crossed the halfway line.

He certainly didn't have attacking as a first or even second thought.

That substitution was a pivotal moment which changed our impetus in  the game.

 

[dj161]

I dont really get what the argument is about dorrans, sure he's not as attack minded as redmond, but its not like we didnt already know that, on the bench we had Bassong, Dorrans, Jerome, Mbokani, Mulumbu, Pinto and Rudd, who of those are we realistically meant to play out there when Brady and Naismith are injured and Jarvis is already on the pitch

 

[GJP]

I dont really get what the argument is about dorrans, sure he's not as attack minded as redmond, but its not like we didnt already know that, on the bench we had Bassong, Dorrans, Jerome, Mbokani, Mulumbu, Pinto and Rudd, who of those are we realistically meant to play out there when Brady and Naismith are injured and Jarvis is already on the pitch

Well I think the feeling from some is that Pinto could have gone onto the right wing with Jarvis staying wide left, seeing as Pinto is pacey and attack minded.

I do wonder if there could/should be a place for Vadis on the bench though - particularly ahead of Mulumbu. Vadis has shown he can add something this season whereas Mulumbu has added nothing.

 

[Number 9]

Or Jerome could have been brought on for Redders, that might have kept the momentum going forward + he would have worked to help midfield.

The are two aspects to the argument, 

1) I was disappointed with that period of play, so Dorrans came into my line of fire;

2) Should the management team take the blame for a substitution which killed the momentum, not the first time that's happened.

 

[ZLF]

we did lose attacking impetus,  but that was due as much to the loss of redmond as much as the introduction of dorrans.   Jerome and Pinto were the closest like for like options and neither would give us the same that we lost with that rolled ankle.    Redmond is an enormous creative loss for the next crucial couple of games if the rumours are right.  No player in the squad gives us what he does,  so it was inevitable our attacking play would be affected.

But if we are honest we didnt have much creative impetus;  two shots off target in the first 45,  both in the last 5 mins of the half,  both at best half chances and one when redmond had already left play.   It wasnt a game we really looked like scoring in,  at any stage in the game.

 

[Canaryboy]

I hope we play Brady left and Jarvis right, instead of Howson out wide. 

 

[ZLF]

Whatever the attacking solution I agree we have to stick with Howson / O'Neil in the middle of the park.