Norwich City vs Brighton (Away) Saturday 2nd April.

[morty]

Yay, we're back (and I'm home from the US) and I'm not gonna lie, I actually enjoyed the football free weekend!

For my sins / stupidity, I have tickets for this lol. There's lots of chatter about how we could technically still stay up, I mean it isn't wrong, it isn't mathematically impossible, but with every game we lose, it heads that way. I am trying to think back to when was last at a game and saw us win away in the Premier league, and I'm struggling!

One high point of the International break seems to be Rashica, who is developing a nice bit of form.

My prediction? A drab 1-1 draw, just to eke the pain out a little longer...

 

[Fenway Frank]

Do we really have to ?

 

[morty]

 

[morty]

DS: “We need to go into these games and get results. The players know what’s at stake and the performance levels required.”

‘Our chance creation has been okay. It’s about conversion and we’ve been working on that’.

Ozan Kabak has injured his hamstring. That looks it could be ‘long term’ according to Smith. Aarons and Williams both injured. The game probably ‘comes too soon’ for the latter and Aarons has been ill. Sargent has ‘rolled his ankle’. He’s being assessed today. Smith admits there is a fear that Kabak is out for the rest of the season. He is still in Turkey. Conversations with Schalke are ongoing at the moment.

Zimmermann is back and fit. Grant Hanley is back and fit.

All the international players have returned in good shape barring Kabak.

Smith says he doesn’t need to tell the players they are ‘in last chance saloon’ - they know that. He does want to see fight from the players in the last nine games regardless of results.

On #NCFC self-funding model… DS: “I don’t think any model will help you win games in the Premier League. Is our model capable of survival? Absolutely, I wouldn’t have taken the job otherwise.” DS: ‘Yes, the more money you have the less likely you are to finish in the bottom three. But that’s the case in every league. This model won the Championship at a canter in the last two attempts.’

Smith says scenario planning has been going on since Christmas. He reiterates that his focus is on winning football matches to stay in the Premier League.

Dean Smith impressed by the U23 group. In next 2-3 months they will assess who is capable of transitioning to the first team.

Smith says he has had feedback from the referees on key decisions in the Leeds game. ‘They’ve given me their feedback. I won’t give them mine because it’s a waste of time.’

‘I want them to leave everything on the pitch. I don’t want them to have any regrets.’

On five subs: ‘we’ve voted four or five times for this. How many votes do we have? Until someone gets what they want? ‘It’s been on the agenda at every Premier League meeting. So it was going to get changed eventually.’

 

[gerryinromania]

What's with this football talk? There really are games this weekend and not that false crap. You are serious Morty are you? I've just noticed the date.

 

[morty]

Just home. Lol, that was terrible

 

[OldRobert]

I didn't, thank goodness, nor would I, pay money for that. Dreadful performances from both teams.

 

[morty]

Well, we didn't get beaten, I guess. And I had a nice day out.

So not all bad.

 

[GJP]

Still can't believe they gave handball against Byram.

 

[morty]

I really wouldn't bother, if I were you...

 

[gerryinromania]

Decided not to watch or read anything about those misfits. Instead, I cooked a nice pork neck steak, new potatoes and asparagus, which we enjoyed with some Chilean red. When I saw the score this morning, I was thinking, not so bad, then I saw the team sheet, read the reports and looked at the stats, and realised that I had made the right choice. No stress and a most enjoyable dinner. Think I'll give the highlights a miss too

 

[Gunvald Larsson]

I have tried to be positive all season and have given credit to some of the more maligned players in the squad. However, it's time for the truth as I see it.

We are crap!

I have a lot of time for Dean Smith but, after a kind of false dawn when he joined the club, we appear to be no better than we were under Farke.

The only people who appear to be up to the job of fighting relegation are Hanley, Krul and (when he gets the chance) Pukki.

Among the others there is not a lot to be positive about. Rashica's form has dipped, Normann is a shadow of the player he was before his injury, Sargent's work-rate has suffered post-Covid, Aarons and Williams look knackered and the rest don't look that bothered about getting a result. The much-lauded Gilmour has been generally awful as has McLean. We have missed Idah up front as he seemed to be growing into a decent forward alongside Pukki.

A real clear out is needed if we are to have any hope in the Championship.

I'd keep Hanley, Krul, Pukki, Idah, Rowe, Aarons and Omobomidele for definite .... Rashica and Sargent will get better and Championship football may suit them .... Lees-Melou is maybe worth another season as he has shown glimpses of real creativity .... I'd bring back Mumba, Hugill and Hernandez who seem to be doing well at that level ... Tszolis is an unknown quantity so, especially after the fee we paid, he is worth a punt, Sorenson deserves a look in as well .... as for the rest, transfer list the lot of them .... not sure who'd want them but there's not one of them who makes me want to see them in a City shirt again, except possibly Byram.

We need at least 2 more decent strikers, a couple of decent midfielders (1 to create and another to do the dirty work) another central defender and a another full-back.

I hope Smith is allowed to use the parachute money ('cos we are going down) as he wants as he is a decent coach. Am undecided about Shakespeare. Villa's downturn started when he replaced John Terry and he wasn't much help to Ranieri when Leicester had to defend the title.

Anyway, that's my ten penneth ..... there is some talent available but the squad needs an injection of experienced players of quality .... a couple of old heads wouldn't go amiss. We did well with the likes of Peters and Channon back in the day.

Right ... Burnley beckons.

OTBC.

 

[OldRobert]

"A real clear out is needed if we are to have any hope in the Championship."

Webber must go, he is responsible for the fact that we are in pretty much the same state as when he arrived, if not worse. We have no style, purpose. A loan player should win POS imo. Club is in a total mess. What do we stand for now I ask for now. As for Smith, he's a grey coach, no rapport with the fans, I don't think they care if he stays or goes. Most I get the impression, would prefer him to go and take what's his face with him.

 

[gerryinromania]

Yes OR. I have to say that smith has not reached into my heart. i really can't see what he is trying to do and with the misfits in his clasp, underperforming, really can't see what his point is in freezing out our own players for the crap loanees ( Brandon ) excepted. Yes I know, as some are saying, it's not his team, so what, is he a coach or not, and as for saying he deserves a transfer window or 2, what nonsense