Good job I waited to get home to write this, as if I had done it after the game finished it would be very different because I have to say that was the first time in a while that I've left a Norwich match genuinely fuming.
I haven't ever really doubted Neil's position in his 18 months or so here, but at the moment I have to say for the first time I'm beginning to lose my patience. Starting Naismith up front was an utterly ridiculous decision. He hasn't got the pace to run in behind, and he hasn't got the size or strength to win aerial balls or hold up play against their centre backs (plus he doesn't even look like he's bothered anyway). Obviously it's easy to say in hindsight but ultimately he's the one who's paid to make these decisions and he got it so wrong. Nobody would ever consider playing Hoolahan up front, so I don't see why you would consider Naismith who's essentially a right footed version of Wes. Of course Jerome's injury wouldn't have been as disastrous had we not spent so much time p*ssing around signing a new striker and not have to rely on attacking midfielders to play up front. Even if Alex Neil doesn't favour him and he's not quite at the level we want our strikers to be at, Lafferty should've started today.
The only two players that actually looked interested and were trying to make things happen were Hoolahan and Jacob Murphy. It wasn't always coming off for them, particularly first half, but at least they were having a go. The sooner we get certain players back from injury the better, notably Pinto, who will come in for Whittaker who surprisingly was utterly terrible. Dived in stupidly to try and win the ball in the build up to the first goal, and as a result he missed the ball and it ran through to a Birmingham player who crossed it in and they scored. What the f*ck he was doing for the 2nd goal I have no idea. Ridiculous challenge. We need Pinto back quickly and then pray to God he doesn't get injured again. Canos wasn't really in the game, the whole back 4 had nightmares, McGovern arguably could've done better for the first goal and Tettey and Howson didn't do anything productive.
It will hopefully be different when we get Pinto, Olsson, Pritchard, Jerome, Dorrans and Ruddy all back from injury, as well as a couple of new signings in. But at the moment just 5 games in I would be lying if I said I'm not slightly worried. We have no recognisable style, haven't been picking up the results we would like, and have top players under-performing. No need to panic or anything like that at all yet, but so far it hasn't been brilliant.
