The Negative Brigade (Pull Yourselves Together Lads)

[CanaryOnTheWire]

So here's how I see it. Norwich City FC were beaten 1-0, that's by ONE goal, by Wolves on Sunday. This Wolves side is an outfit which smashed up League One breaking records as they did so and are a robust, confident team. (If you're struggling, think Lambert's Norwich) 
 
Now, given that
 
a) We need time to build confidence, match sharpness and understanding following the awful Hughton seasons. Two years of defensive football is not eradicated instantly in a month or so of pre-season.
B) After a poor, ring rusty first half, we started to move the ball well and caused a fair few problems for the Wolves backline (i think in particular of Grabban's opportunity at the angle which Bournemouth fans tell me he would have buried if fully sharp...not sure on that)
c) Yes, there were sloppy mistakes and frailties, but it'll take more than one game to know whether they are a result of player selection, strategy or simply match fitness, and for any of us, Adams included, to be clear on this.
d) You don't jump straight back into the Championship and walk it (usually). Those expecting us to demolish Wolves were always going to be gutted come Sunday evening.
e) We lost 3-2 to Watford (at HOME, not AWAY) on the opening day in 2010-11 and fans started worrying about it then, too. We finished 2nd. 
 
Yes, there are arguments for worrying about the defensive setup (particularly in defending crosses, as Wolves threatened far before they scored), and yes, we looked rusty and sloppy and beneath the on-paper abilities of our players. But it wasn't ALL terrible. It's easy for fans to be negative and say we're going to be terrible, because football is cyclical and for every high there is a low. Call for a manager's head long enough, and eventually he'll get sacked whether he was ever any good or not.
 
It reminds me of the Grant Holt flow: He's an average L1 striker -> He's a brilliant L1 striker -> He's not good enough for the Championship -> He's good enough for the Championship -> God he's awesome -> He'll never cut it in the Prem -> He's quite good, really, isn't he -> WFLGH, WFLGH
 
I mention that as it's one of the few examples where The Negative Brigade were thwarted at every turn. 
 
It shows that you couldn't judge Grant Holt after a short period any more than you can anything else in football, and where's the bloody fun in being miserable and negative? 
 
I believe there were real signs of promise along with the bitter pill of defeat, and had Olsson not been sent off I think we would have got the point this mediocre typical early season encounter merited. But for Holt's sake, let's see.
 

 

[Canaryboy]

I was feeling pretty miserable on Sunday, but in hindsight it is likely that with 11 men on the pitch we would have got something out of the game. We were still terrible for the first 55 minutes though, no getting away from that. I don't know how much we can blame Adams for the stop-start pre-season schedule either, bound to have left us needing to catch up. Was a big jump going from Braintree to Celta Vigo via a half-strength Bastia. 

 

[Andy]

I don't think there's been that much negativity on here although the pitchfork brigade were out in strength on twitter. I agree that it's too early to make any judgements but I can understand the frustration and disappointment when you think we haven't scored an away goal since March.

 

[morty]

I don't think there's been that much negativity on here although the pitchfork brigade were out in strength on twitter. I agree that it's too early to make any judgements but I can understand the frustration and disappointment when you think we haven't scored an away goal since March.

Are the negative brigade and the pitchfork brigade affiliated / one in the same? Is this a "Peoples front of Judea" moment?

 

[Andy]

Are the negative brigade and the pitchfork brigade affiliated / one in the same? Is this a "Peoples front of Judea" moment?

Neither are as bad as the tartan blanket and thermos brigade - hard core

 

[CanaryOnTheWire]

It's not necessarily this board i'm focusing on, I am just aware of sections of our support who jump at the chance to talk about how sh1t we are, and my haven't they had it good for the last two years.

 

[Canaryboy]

It's not necessarily this board i'm focusing on, I am just aware of sections of our support who jump at the chance to talk about how sh1t we are, and my haven't they had it good for the last two years.

Every club is going to have glass half full types, and glass half empty types, every football forum too. There were plenty of moaners around throughout our two promotion seasons too, and our first EPL season under Lambert. The moaners will never go away - but one should acknowledge that us City fans haven't had much to cheer in recent times. I think there is a fair bit of added anxiety from the transfer window this year (predator becomes the prey) and possibly the forthcoming Ipswich game, which suddenly scares me a little. 

 

[CanaryOnTheWire]

i'm all for balanced argument, and my OP discusses the evidence of negatives in our performance in what I feel is a fair way. But my Facebook and Twitter in particular has contained a lot of 'we're sh1t' 'we're doomed' etc.....when all I saw was a rusty, tentative early season performance with an unfortunate red card against a well drilled, confident unit (who people seem to forget didn't create much of note the entire game themselves as the home side, as the same applies to them- they just had a lot of shots)

 

[morty]

i'm all for balanced argument, and my OP discusses the evidence of negatives in our performance in what I feel is a fair way. But my Facebook and Twitter in particular has contained a lot of 'we're sh1t' 'we're doomed' etc.....when all I saw was a rusty, tentative early season performance with an unfortunate red card against a well drilled, confident unit (who people seem to forget didn't create much of note the entire game themselves as the home side, as the same applies to them- they just had a lot of shots)

I totally get where you are coming from. I'm out of the country just now but I was told that someone on Canary call called for Adams' head. I mean, really? I know people express their disappointment, fears and insecurities in varying ways, but I see what you're getting at with the "pull yourself together".

Now, if we still don't have a win in three games time, thats another matter...

 

[Branston Pickle]

It is quite astonishing how some seem to be ready to slit their wrists after any defeat, it is as though they have never been to a game/seen their side lose before, and I've never quite understood it. The fact remains that Sunday's game was always going to be tricky, my guess beforehand was that we'd get a draw - and I think it is what would have happened but for Olsson being a muppet. We certainly weren't outclassed by a better side, but nor did we play well.

Having a bit of a relegation hangover is common (none of those relegated won their matches this weekend), but we must get it out of our system quickly. I'm sure we all have a niggling doubt about whether NA will come good, however slight, and hopefully this will be Saturday - it will start to get hard for us to keep positive if we don't start to get results.

 

[skijumptoes]

What concerns me most is having players at the club who are being ignored, players who maybe would've made a difference on Sunday, if Adams either gets rid of those who's face don't fit so we've not got it hanging over us, or they all (Including the board) bury the hatchet and work towards our goal of promotion back this will go a long way to chilling me out that's for sure.

In the meantime i'm going to be on edge and highly critical of performances like this if i feel team selections and tactics have not been born primarily from the viewpoint of what is our strongest chance of picking up 3 points.

So, yes, i'm feeling quite negative still, but have a huge will (And admiration) for Adams to get things right and succeed, i just don't like how things are being ran right now... And this will only worsen the feeling between manager, players and supporters if continues.  

I was quite happy/understanding that we may get off to a slow start leading up to the Wolves match, based on us developing an attractive style of play under Adams and needing time to do so,  Instead we had players out of position, unable to pass or retain the ball with most of them lacking bite to their game.  

Olsson was an accident waiting to happen, you could see first half after his initial card and knock that he picked up that he was prime candidate to be exposed, and once that happens, well, we saw the results.  It's not an unlucky red which changed the game, a shrewd manager would've picked up on it earlier and addressed it.  I noticed it, and honestly going by my Football Manager attempts i wouldn't even put me in charge of tea making at half time - So why didn't Adams? Was he so wrapped up in his own belief that if we just keep at it 'something' would happen?   I have this fear that he may believe in what he's saying in press conferences without breaking it down, stepping back and looking at things from a fresh viewpoint.  

So easily done too, especially in the anticipation of season starting.  You can work on game plans/ideas thinking they're the way to go and achieve the system you want... But ultimately the question he should've asked himself several weeks back was not 'Can i make this system work?' but 'Will this system work?!'.

The past few months have been building up to the wolves game, and honestly i was left confused as to who's expected to do what in which role.

I hope that Adams goes back to basics, puts players in the right/natural positions and immediately address this pie in the sky idea that Redmond's going to be goal scorer, then he can set up some serious supply lines to our forwards.  If he doesn't/cannot then i will be gutted as i'm a big supporter of his, even on radio thought he talked a lot of sense and wanted him to be manager many years ago.

I'm by no means a negative supporter, but i'm feeling quite low as i want the guy to succeed so badly, i love the fact that he's practically homegrown and it's a large middle finger to what many other clubs would do when investing ludicrous amounts into a new manager.

 

[yellowarmy]

Bring on Watford and we will all feel better OTBC!

 

[Robert Brompton]

What concerns me most is having players at the club who are being ignored, players who maybe would've made a difference on Sunday

I think that is jumping to a lot of conclusions .  Ignored can translate as "have a terrible attitude" "train badly" "want to leave and won't give 100%" and probably many more.  If they are not in the squad for those type of reasons then that seems absolutely correct. I cannot picture a scenario where Bunn, Bassong or Becchio would have been likely to have made a difference on Sunday (at least not a positive one).  Obviously Pilkington is one that could be argued but his contribution has been sporadic at best in the past year (obviously a lot down to injuries).  The key word you use is "maybe" but that could be seen as clutching at straws.

I think there is a very good argument for claiming that the formation and therefore the personnel were wrong for the way that Wolves set up.  There is a good argument that several players under performed, possibly related to the formation as much as their own contribution. But it is one game in a very very long season. 

I think that the OP has got it pretty much spot on.  I recall at Yeovil in the league Cup in what was Holt's second competitive game for us a fan giving it large to all who would listen that Holt was "the worst number 9 ever to play for Norwich" He probably would have subbed him there and then whereas he went on to score a hat-trick and the rest is history.

Its one game. Let's bring on Watford.

 

[Canaryboy]

I think we missed Howson, Fer and Tettey more than anybody at Wolves (and possibly Ryan Bennett at centre back). I think we can expect all three of Bassong, Bunn, and Becchio to leave the club in this window, on loan or permanently. If those three leaving enable us to bring new faces into the club then that day can't come soon enough. My opinion of Pilkington is different, I think it would be a shame to lose our only ambidextrous winger. 

 

[Beauseant]

I'm hardly a member of the "pitchfork brigade" and I'm certainly not pushing any panic buttons yet, but there are plenty of things that worry me. Last season the support polarised into those of us who backed Hughton and those who wanted his head with very little in between and it became very damaging. Perhaps we should all just wait and see how things go over the next few games before we start pooh poohing the views of people who differ from us?

 

[Paul Handscombe]

Sunday there was no difference from last season, in application, fight, skill, tactics and heart.

There was not much to be positive about, and anyone who thinks there is is just over optimistic or needs to stop drinking this early in the morning and seek help 

 

[lyb]

Trouble is, it's snap-judgements, and from past observation, once people start making those snap-judgements it soon turns into a cause they look to reinforce at every opportunity. Think I'm just going to leave the social media side to them though and just watch the games, as personally I'm sick of it. If people can't lighten up and hold on to a bit of positive sentiment for 10 minutes without it going our way then how on earth do they expect the players or the squad to? Just can't be bothered with them.

 

[Bethnal Yellow and Green]

The first half on Sunday was pretty awful, but at the beginning of the 2nd half Norwich pushed the midfield up and were the better team. Grabban had a good chance and Redmond also managed to get through for a shot. Unfortunately before Norwich could take advantage Olsson was off and the game completely changed.

Even with 10 men Grabban had another decent chance at its not like Ruddy was pulling off lots of saves to keep Wolves at bay.

If Olsson had been caught out, I believe Norwich would have scored before too long. Its very rare for relegated teams to fly out of the blocks in the new season (only Cardiff managed a point in the open fixtures), so doom and gloom is as yet unjustified.

Adams is unlucky that the next match is agaisnt a good Watford team who will look to jump on Norwich's nerves, but being at Carrow Road for two games before Ipswich is a blessing.

 

[Wiz]

I cannot say oh everything's wonderful at City when clearly something is very wrong.

Becchio being just one example.

 

[Yellow Fever]

I've said it before and say it again now that the divisions in our fan base is in danger of destroying any chance of success this season. One away match 1-0 loss doesn't make a season. This predictive criticism is just amazing. Let's just see what happen in the next week before we start hitting the panic button.