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Norwich City vs Everton (Home) Saturday 15th January.

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morty

morty

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Time to see if players coming back, and our slightly improved performance last night, can add up to a win.

Not much I'd change from last night's team, that we can anyway, I'd like to see someone with a bit more forward drive in midfield, but we simply don't have that player. If we do change formation, and play with a single striker again, I'd like to see Idah get another start.

Everton really aren't in the best of form...
 
morty

morty

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Classic along come Norwich really isn’t it ? Having said that, if they somehow fail to beat us that would mean the end for Rafa
In some way I'm glad he has lasted till this game, it always seems to work out a manager gets sacked and we face a new one, with a resurgent team!
 
Gunvald Larsson

Gunvald Larsson

Well-Known Member
I have just been reading some really negative crap on the the NCFC FB page from so-called 'supporters' so I thought I'd just throw my two pence worth into the hat ... everyone seems to be obsessed with the PL these days as if being in it is the be all and end all ... it is not ... ok, we are pretty bad at the moment but we've been bad before so things will turn around, maybe not this season or next but we will be back ... I think people forget we were relegated from Championship to L1 in 2009 ... think about it ... we were in L1 just a few seasons ago and even if (when) we go down we will still be in a division higher than that ... there's quite a few 'richer' and 'bigger' clubs than us who would love to be in that position ... remember how crap Blackburn were just a few years back ... they dropped to L1 and now look at them, in the Championship top 3 ... they have 'rich' owners but those owners certainly haven't splashed the cash ... maybe Daniel Farke was bumped too early, who knows? ... but we now have another decent coach in Dean Smith so let's stick with him like Blackburn have done with Tony Mowbray ... also, it is sad to read the abuse being directed by some people towards Teemu Pukki, a player who has done more than anyone else in the team to get us to the 'promised land' over the past few seasons ... he is playing in a poor side this season but has still managed to score goals and has given 100% every time I have seen him play ... right, that's enough from me (for now)
1f642.png
... OTBC
 
morty

morty

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Staff member
It seems to me, and I can understand this, that a lot of our younger fans, who have maybe only been supporting the last ten years, are annoyed.

Those of us who have been supporting longer know we have been way, way worse than this!

Football's broken, not Norwich City.
 
morty

morty

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DS: “Todd was back training on Wednesday and Thursday and is available for squad. No-one has come back injured from the game on Wednesday.”

Is this a must win? Smith doesn't think #NCFC are in a completely desperate position, but admits they need to find wins sooner rather than later. 'We need to give the fans something to cheer about on Saturday.'

Smith asked whether there are comparisons between Jack Grealish and Cantwell. #NCFC's boss describes Grealish as an 'unique' player. The challenge for Todd at the moment is getting his performances back to a decent level.

DS: 'We don't rule out doing something in the Jan window. But we know the situation in terms of the model and the size of the squad. Definitely not looking at the summer market yet.'

DS: “I believe we can turn this around. More importantly, the players need to believe that as well.”

Dean Smith admits they didn’t create the chances at West Ham, despite an improved performance. Felt they created better opportunities against Palace, Spurs, and Man Utd.
'We more than competed against West Ham but we didn't create very good chances.' I'd agree with that assessment. How do #NCFC put that right? 'By working on the processes'

Smith wants #NCFC to take more risks as they begin to enter 'must-win territory'. But, it's a balancing act and they can't leave themselves too open.

DS: “Everton had a good start and it takes time to work the changes from a new manager. I have respect for what Rafa’s done in the league.”

Dean Smith wants to see the togetherness from fans at Carrow Road. States he is willing to take criticism at the end of the game if the performance isn’t good enough.

DS fitness update on Normann and Gilmour: 'Mathias now running, just a case of stepping it up. Still pain free. Gilmour staying with #chelsea rest of this week and then a return to us next week. Sargent trained last day or so. Available.'

We understand with the results that we're going to get criticism. We've spoken in the dressing room about having a siege mentality. I'm not bothered by people's opinions. We know the restrictions we've been under with players injured and ill

Grant Hanley is currently having injections to play for #NCFC. Smith says he is feeling better than expected and it will continue to heal as the matches go on.

Asked about his thinking behind the Pukki and Idah combination, Smith said: 'We have lost numbers in midfield. We wanted one of our strikers to drop deep and get involved in the play.'

DS on Cantwell future: 'There is nothing to discuss as a club. We haven't had a bid so there is nothing to discuss.' 'I've been completely transparent with Todd. He had a knee injury and he was ill. He travelled with us to West Ham and was sent home.'

Smith says #NCFC can't 'get away from criticism' because of their results and performances. Some of it has been over the top, he feels. Hence why he decided to voice his opinions in support of the players.

Lukas Rupp is back from Germany. Smith is expecting him to be out for another 2-3 weeks. Andrew Omobamidele is stepping up his rehab. Both targeting a return for Wolves in the FA Cup.

Smith has spoken to loans manager Andy Hughes and plans to speak to Jordan Hugill over the next 24 hours. Crucially, he doesn't believe there is a recall clause in his loan deal to West Brom

DS asked about Cantwell and his social media profile. 'I have spoken to him about it in the past and told him to limit his time on there, or just deal with his family and friends. I'm not on it. I don't see the value of being on it.'
 
OldRobert

OldRobert

Well-Known Member
Interesting comment from DS and Cantwell re social media I thought. Sounds like stop spending so much time pi$$ing about on it and/or sort your family and friends out and get on with your job maybe?
 
morty

morty

Moderator
Staff member
Interesting comment from DS and Cantwell re social media I thought. Sounds like stop spending so much time pi$$ing about on it and/or sort your family and friends out and get on with your job maybe?
There was nonsense last night, Todd posted something on Instagram then when there was a massive negative reaction on Twitter he deleted it. The lad needs to grow up.

 
OldRobert

OldRobert

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I've come to the conclusion that he's as thick as the proverbial two short planks, otherwise surely he'd have realised all he's doing is alienating more and more people and making himself look more and more of a plonker. Can't help feeling that any sympathy for him has gone and nothing is left other than scorn and derision.
 
G

GJP

Well-Known Member
You don't know what goes on around players these days with the agents, management, the sycophantic hangers-on. The "you do you" crowd.

Cantwell is a good player but not a great one. I don't see him going on to be a regular in a better team/bigger than ours.
 
G

gerryinromania

Well-Known Member
Some good words Mr Numann. This fb and twitter, whilst it is a good platform for some, does attract a lot of garbage. Now Smith has told cantwell to rein himself in, and concentrate on his day job. Too many uneducated people out there
 
Gunvald Larsson

Gunvald Larsson

Well-Known Member
It seems to me, and I can understand this, that a lot of our younger fans, who have maybe only been supporting the last ten years, are annoyed.

Those of us who have been supporting longer know we have been way, way worse than this!

Football's broken, not Norwich City.
It's not just the younger fans though, it's people who say they have been 'supporters' since the 60s and 70s too. I've been a fan since the 70s and have never known such an amount of crap being spoken ... even when I used to listen to the drunks in the pub post match. I agree that football is broken. The PL and SKY have both been the main contributors to that situation.
 
N

Number 9

Well-Known Member
I'm just relieved that McLean isn't playing, we've got 11 players now rather than 10 + a spectator.
#makehimbuyaticket
 
G

gerryinromania

Well-Known Member
Didn't watch, couldn't be bothered, so can't comment. Checked out the team sheet, thought it was workmanlike, and ok by me. Went outside in the cold and half dug the snow away from my car. Came back in after half time, checked tv text, saw that we leading 2-0. Rather than jinx things, turned to the news, cup of coffee on the go, and worriedly, kept counting the seconds away, until I could get the full time result on the tv text. We won, well done the chaps in yellow, well done Josh and Adam and well done all of you that was rooting for the boys. Guess there's some sad people over there tonight, think I'll pop over shortly to see. Bet your beer is tasting good, I'm having another coffee
 
morty

morty

Moderator
Staff member
Firstly, I will say, Everton were really absolutely terrible. Major grade awful, yeah looked better after their two subs, but for a club who have spent 500m in the last 5 seasons, Jesus Christ, they absolutely stunk.

That said.

To a man, we were fantastic. This was a game we needed to win, and we did, not one player had a bad game, and suddenly we are all looking at the table and thinking, "hmmmm". Players who I thought played well, Williams, Lees Melou, Sargent, and lastly Idah. Idah was imperious, just fantastic. I used to watch him as a youth player and always thought he would really amount to something, and now we are seeing it. In the West Ham game he was excellent, today he carried that on, maybe we are now seeing the player he should be, and the difference starting a game is to the odd sub appearance. This is the standard he must aspire to now, and if he does, we have some player on our hands.

The midfield looked awful on first inspection, but it worked, saw Sorenson's stats, and although I didn't notice much of him in the game, he actually did a lot of the shit work, leaving Lees-Melou to get forward a lot more, pinging a few outside the box shots. A lot of this was enabled by the fact it appeared to be more of a 4-1-4-1 than a 4-4-2, with Pukki dropping deep, almost as a number 10. The whole formation just worked, whether it worked just for Everton, who knows, but maybe we have struck on something that works.

Loved the work by Williams, honestly, what a performance, he absolutely sat Gordon on his arse a few times, which the Barclay quite enjoyed.

All in all, a great team performance, regardless of how Everton played.

Amusing interludes included an Everton pitch invader, and them (maybe rightly) having a right good go at Rafa Benitez, at full time.

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