Would you play Grabban against Bournemouth?

[Indy_Bones]

As fans we just need to back the managers judgement on this. The moment that Grabban is named in the matchday squad we should consider the issue resolved.

Sorry, but no.

Grabban may well still be able to offer us something on the pitch (although I think he's just a slightly better Cinnamon who also wasn't good enough for this level), but frankly I just don't care. I'd rather AN gave the playing time to someone like Lafferty, Hooper or Loza than give this guy even another minute in our colours - until we get a genuine apology for his shocking behaviour, and until that point I couldn't care less whether AN, McNally, Delia or even Doris the Tea Lady consider the matter resolved, because I certainly don't...

 

[eatonparkboy]

I do think that if the supporters at the game start to get on his case then the manager must act. If as has been mooted, he scores and they love him then end of story.

 

[morty]

I do think that if the supporters at the game start to get on his case then the manager must act. If as has been mooted, he scores and they love him then end of story.

If Alex Neil saw fit to play Grabban then I would like to think that any true fan would give him support, and want him to do well.

Lets keep what he did ( that none of us actually know the truth about) in perspective. Bassong and Wes came in from the cold, am pretty sure Grabban can too.

 

[Canaryboy]

If you are expecting the club to call a press conference so Grabban can publicly apologise to the fans for walking out of the team hotel in a midweek League Cup game against Rotherham, which we won, then I think you are being unrealistic.

Much more realistic is Grabban being humbled and apologising to his manager and players, Alex Neil hasn't given us any good reason to believe that he doesn't know what he is doing when it comes to managing a squad, quite the opposite in fact, so I'll trust his judgement and believe him when he says he sorts things out behind closed doors. 

And I do think it should be the manager and teammates that Grabban should be making things up to, even if only because Van Wolfswinkel - of all people - got him out of jail with that one.

In terms of offending fans, surely Wes's offence when he called us a "shithouse club" on deadline day in front of TV cameras, which for all he knew could have been live, was a far greater one that what Grabban did, we ultimately forgave him fairly quickly. Have to ask ourselves how the Grabban incident became public knowledge, and how many similar incidences of unprofessionalism happen all the time at professional football clubs but don't become public knowledge. 

I'd personally have much preferred we got rid and replaced with Dwight Gayle on deadline day, but the fact is we didn't, so if we could repair things to the degree that he can get his head right enough to put a few decent shifts in between now and January then I think that would be the best resolution for all concerned.

If that's an apology to Alex Neil and his teammates, and Alex Neil telling Grabban that if £7m is on the table in January he'll take it, then so be it. 

The £7m is much more likely to still be on the table if Grabban is match fit and has managed to score a couple of goals, personally I think for the sake of papering over the cracks for a few months, and letting him go in January, is much better than turning him into the next Becchio and being stuck with an unhappy and unfit player on wages that nobody else wants to pick up. 

Besides, all he really needs to do to make it up to the fans is make a contribution on the pitch? We pay money to watch our players try and win football games, as long as he sorts himself out and does that, I don't really see what else he owes us. 

 

[KeiranShikari]

There you go again with the Grabban - Jackson comparison. Seriously, have you seen either of them play? Their styles aren't really that similar. Grabban is bigger, stronger and far better in hi all round game. They're a similar age yet one of them has just had a Premier League club offer 7m for his services and the other has signed a short term contract with Barnsley. 

I think you need to stop playing Fifa.

 

[Canaryboy]

I'd rather AN gave the playing time to someone like Lafferty

Himself not too popular with Rangers fans after walking out on a free alongside Whittaker, and recently in a Scottish national newspaper almost begging for them to take him back.

 

[Canaryboy]

There you go again with the Grabban - Jackson comparison. Their styles aren't really that similar.

Agreed, Jackson was just a poacher who played off the shoulder of the last defender, couldn't do much else. 

Grabban not so good at doing that actually, but much better at literally everything else. 

 

[Indy_Bones]

There you go again with the Grabban - Jackson comparison. Seriously, have you seen either of them play? Their styles aren't really that similar. Grabban is bigger, stronger and far better in hi all round game. They're a similar age yet one of them has just had a Premier League club offer 7m for his services and the other has signed a short term contract with Barnsley. 

I think you need to stop playing Fifa.

And I think you need to stop being so patronising.

I've seen plenty of both players, and whilst I wouldn't disagree that Grabban is bigger, stronger or has an all round better game, they both perform the same role which is often to drift further wide, draw defenders with them, and then look to exploit the space either with a burst of pace or to play another teammate in. Neither can consistently finish for toffee, both had a good work rate level and played a good part in our respective promotions, but neither is truly strong enough to play regularly at this level IMHO.

I could just as easily compare players such as Lineker and Muller as being classic 6yrd box goal poachers, yet both approached the game slightly differently despite performing virtually the same role, and it's exactly the same with Jackson and Grabban. Neither are out and out strikers, neither have the composure and finishing shown by the top strikers, both are known for their ability to harass defenders and get them into places they don't really want to be, so I'm not sure why you felt the need to be so condescending in your response?

Neither player is good enough at this level, nor was Kei Kamara, Becchio or Wilbraham for that matter, and quite why we turned down 7mil for a player of the same ilk is beyond me, especially one who is unsettled, unprofessional and was clearly looking for a move...

 

[eatonparkboy]

If Alex Neil saw fit to play Grabban then I would like to think that any true fan would give him support, and want him to do well.

Lets keep what he did ( that none of us actually know the truth about) in perspective. Bassong and Wes came in from the cold, am pretty sure Grabban can too.

You guys go to the games and will know the current atmosphere. I just remember Norwich fans getting on the backs of players in the past. I will never forget the shabby treatment of Ian Henderson.

Is there a different mentality at Carrow Road nowadays? I hope so.

 

[Canaryboy]

Neither player is good enough at this level,

I agree that Grabban is just a decent Championship striker who would merely be moonlighting as a Premier League one, if playing, but he is still much better than Simeon Jackson who was arguably moonlighting as a Championship striker when he had a fantastic but very short run of excellent form having done not much else for most of our promotion season, hasn't done much elsewhere, before or after really. 

Unfortunately the jury is still out on all of our strikers in terms of whether they are Premier League quality, Jerome has arguably presented the best case in the past with his double figures for Birmingham five or six years ago and a run of form which basically kept Stoke up one year, but couldn't score for toffee at Palace the season before last

And whilst I'd be interested in seeing Hooper given another crack, particularly when Wes is on the pitch (they have a good understanding), I certainly don't think Lafferty or Loza are capable of presenting the manager with any selection headaches at this level either. 

I hope this loan player smashes this league like Wilfried Bony, and that Jerome becomes our verified super sub, and that both remain injury free so that nobody else needs to get a sniff of action, but for all we know at present Grabban could be our second best striker, in a team which could find goals difficult to come by at times, so it still remains preferable to me that relations are improved sufficiently to have Grabban as an option until January (at which point hopefully Bournemouth still want Grabban, and Dwight Gayle or a suitable alternative becomes available). 

I'm finding myself hoping that Bournemouth are floating around 17th/18th come January now, because if they are 10th they will aim higher and if they are 20th they won't be paying £7m for a striker. 

Blimey I've got far too much to say at the moment! 

 

[morty]

You guys go to the games and will know the current atmosphere. I just remember Norwich fans getting on the backs of players in the past. I will never forget the shabby treatment of Ian Henderson.

Is there a different mentality at Carrow Road nowadays? I hope so.

Yes I remember the destroying of Henderson too, not nice.

Yeah I would say it is different, but there are still idiots that could get on his back. I would expect Alex Neil to smooth things over before Grabban plays, along the lines of "Lewis Grabban remains a Norwich City player and is 100% commited, if I had any doubt of that he wouldn't still be here, and I certainly wouldn't be picking him"

 

[KeiranShikari]

That was a bit rude of me, you might play PES. 

Guess I must have missed the games where Jackson was dragging defenders all over the place. I really just remember him not doing much, sitting on the shoulder of defenders and then going on that hot streak.

Grabban can do what he did in the Champs in this league too. Not sure I'd fancy him as a lone striker though, especially if goals dry up in other parts of the team.

 

[Canaryboy]

Yes I remember the destroying of Henderson too, not nice.

He didn't do himself any favours by being an almost permanent fixture down Prince of Wales Road though, at a time when we weren't doing very well (I know this because I'm the same age as him and was also an almost permanent fixture down that horrible street, wouldn't touch that part of Norwich with a bargepole now!).  

I think being a young local lad was a disadvantage to him, if he'd been raised in say London then many of his social activities would have been conducted out of the view of Norwich fans. 

Actually, any young Norwich player who becomes a regular of places with a high proportion of morons isn't doing themselves any favours, the Ashton-Shackell rumours were started because they were always together in Mercy nightclub. 

 

[KeiranShikari]

I remember there was one guy near me that had seemingly purchased his season ticket for the sole purpose of sitting under a blanket moaning about HOOZE.

His raking 60 yard diagonal balls directly into the Jarrold will live long in the memory.

 

[morty]

He didn't do himself any favours by being an almost permanent fixture down Prince of Wales Road though, at a time when we weren't doing very well (I know this because I'm the same age as him and was also an almost permanent fixture down that horrible street, wouldn't touch that part of Norwich with a bargepole now!).  

I think being a young local lad was a disadvantage to him, if he'd been raised in say London then many of his social activities would have been conducted out of the view of Norwich fans. 

Actually, any young Norwich player who becomes a regular of places with a high proportion of morons isn't doing themselves any favours, the Ashton-Shackell rumours were started because they were always together in Mercy nightclub. 

Ah never knew that about Hendo! Whilst Prince of Wales Rd isn't maybe the nicest part of Norwich, its really not that bad!

 

[morty]

I remember there was one guy near me that had seemingly purchased his season ticket for the sole purpose of sitting under a blanket moaning about HOOZE.

His raking 60 yard diagonal balls directly into the Jarrold will live long in the memory.

I think we all have one of those sitting within earshot!

 

[Canaryboy]

Ah never knew that about Hendo! Whilst Prince of Wales Rd isn't maybe the nicest part of Norwich, its really not that bad!

I'm not saying that he was a big drinker or anything, I can't remember (unlike certain other players from that era, who certainly were!) just that he was always out, I don't even know whether Mercy still exists or not, I'm out of the loop, but young footballer wearing designer clothes with attractive girls going in and out of VIP = lots of jealous idiots. 

 

[Canaryboy]

Ah never knew that about Hendo! Whilst Prince of Wales Rd isn't maybe the nicest part of Norwich, its really not that bad!

The last few times I've been out in Norwich I've worn trainers on purpose, 100% guaranteed not to be dragged down Prince of Wales road  :lol:

 

[morty]

My clubbing days are long over, though do end up in Chicagos occasionally lol.

Only bar I really use is Roccos, good for footy, and one of the best carverys around, on a Sunday.

 

[eatonparkboy]

Prince of Wales Road was all insurance companies and solicitors in my day. Obviously a different sort of soliciting now.

I did see a documentary about a couple of years ago mind and did see why a more mature person would avoid it.