Tonight's game

[Andy]

I expect that RM will start as CB against Wolves but am a bit concerned about this. Perhaps Ryan Bennett has picked up a minor injury and Neyull has to go with RM. I'm assuming that Bassong is completely out of the picture at the moment.

It's not ideal going into a new season with a makeshift back four, I hope we get this sorted before too long.

On a positive note, I'm delighted to see Turner still there. Very underrated in my view and always willing to put his body on the line.

 

[CanaryOnTheWire]

Yeah fair enough. I didn't say the lapses weren't disappointing. Just that you can only see attempted plays as opposed to really being able to judge their effectiveness.

The players simply will not perform at 100% while in a non-competitive scenario. It would be foolhardy to go full pelt into everything while risking overstretching / many other kinds of injury.

Pre-season performance should never worry you and all I can say is let the season do the talking. I'm not the type to brag but I have my reasons for being confident in what I say.

 

[CanaryOnTheWire]

Adams seems to like Martin at CB, and number 5 indicates he is intended to play as a CB. He is limited, but less sharp closing down and less skilled attackers suggests he'll be okay in the Championship

 

[Andy]

Adams seems to like Martin at CB, and number 5 indicates he is intended to play as a CB. He is limited, but less sharp closing down and less skilled attackers suggests he'll be okay in the Championship

Good point, perhaps Turner & RM are Adam's first choice CBs, just seems odd really. Whittaker has looked good at RB though.

 

[Robert Brompton]

I would be very surprised if RM does not start at CB against Wolves. I suspect that we may also see a back three on occasions with RM, MT and RB. The reality is that with the amount of games and the inevitable injuries and suspensions the whole team, including the defensive set up will need to be very fluid. Certainly agree that pre-season should be viewed with caution and is not a clear indicator as to what is to follow once the real business gets underway.

 

[Willmeister]

Russell Martin has been excellent at CB whenever he has played for Scotland. He has also come out and stated that is his preferred position. Hopefully if him and Turner can forge an understanding it would be a good partnership, especially in this league.

 

[morty]

Russell Martin has been excellent at CB whenever he has played for Scotland. He has also come out and stated that is his preferred position. Hopefully if him and Turner can forge an understanding it would be a good partnership, especially in this league.

I don't disagree with that, and hope for the same thing, but I always see him as a right back filling in at centre back. And I think he is a better RB than CB.

 

[barclay seats 48/49]

More to the point ,, he is a far better RB than Whittaker. I would have preferred to see Ryan Bennett as centre with Russell Martin outside.

 

[morty]

More to the point ,, he is a far better RB than Whittaker. I would have preferred to see Ryan Bennett as centre with Russell Martin outside.

I rate Ryan Bennett, and I think he can do a good job alongside Turner, with, like you say Martin at RB. But for some reason, he is not being used in this way, I can only assume Adams doesn't see him as a first choice right now, which is odd, and probably has a lot to do with Russ deciding he'd rather play centre.

 

[Bethnal Yellow and Green]

Personally I don't rate Bennett at all - never seen him give a performance that I would rate anywhere above average and seen plenty of bad/awful ones. He seems to think he is a ball playing defender who is suited to coming out of defence with the ball at his feet - only for him to then give the ball away with a 10 yard pass.

When it comes to actual defending he always stands off his man too long and gives them a chance to hit the shot or pick a pass.

I think Norwich are in dire need of a centre back - Martin is okay at Championship level but nothing special (he has a tendency to drift out of position) and an injury to Turner will leave Norwich with Martin and Bennett at the back which is a horrible thought.

Even if you think Turner, Martin and Bennett are good enough - going into a season with only 3 centre backs, with any experience, is massively risky. I guess Adams is waiting for someone to take Bassong, but I don't think the club can afford to wait any longer.

 

[Andy]

Grabban's second goal is up on the official NCFC you tube

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oFMnuh13I7Q&feature=youtu.be

 

[morty]

Grabban's second goal is up on the official NCFC you tube

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oFMnuh13I7Q&feature=youtu.be

Good stuff, really liking the look of him (but not his dodgy beard lol)

 

[splutcho]

Personally I don't rate Bennett at all - never seen him give a performance that I would rate anywhere above average and seen plenty of bad/awful ones. He seems to think he is a ball playing defender who is suited to coming out of defence with the ball at his feet - only for him to then give the ball away with a 10 yard pass.

When it comes to actual defending he always stands off his man too long and gives them a chance to hit the shot or pick a pass.

I think Norwich are in dire need of a centre back - Martin is okay at Championship level but nothing special (he has a tendency to drift out of position) and an injury to Turner will leave Norwich with Martin and Bennett at the back which is a horrible thought.

Even if you think Turner, Martin and Bennett are good enough - going into a season with only 3 centre backs, with any experience, is massively risky. I guess Adams is waiting for someone to take Bassong, but I don't think the club can afford to wait any longer.

Agree with every word of this. Also, very glad to see you on here BYAG. One of the voices of reason.

 

[Scott]

Sat next to the most miserable pessimistic old fart, moaned at every move we attempted, and he singled out Bradley Johnson for most of his abuse. I couldnt believe what I was hearing at a pre season friendly!! I didn't think we had a bad game at all for a friendly, we managed to score a few goals and we looked fairly threatening going forward. Okay, our defence was a bit ropey at times, as was it was during the Lambert era, and look how well we did!! I was impressed with Redmond again and especially Wes who I thought ran things in an attacking sense was was always a key player in our forward movements. I was impressed by Lafferty as well, who looked big, strong and will win headers 9 times out of 10. The only negative thing I could pick out was that our midfield was a bit lightweight with only Johnson being the more defensive midfielder winning tackles. Great to see The Beard getting 2 more on the score sheet and hopefully he can keep up that goal scoring record throughout the season!