Norwich City Vs Ipswich Town 1st March

[Surgeryman]

We totally deserved that. Boys worked hard and they never really threatened. A bit scrappy at times but that's a derby game for you.

But how awful were the Binners? Polo midfield ( nothing in the middle) although they may have been there but the ball was flying over their heads. How on earth are they in the top 6? And as for MMs comments, laughable!

 

[Din]

Well as Alex Neil said before the game, "It doesn't matter how we play, as long as we get the result". Quite a scrappy game at times but Neil set us up perfectly today and we definitely deserved the win. 4 wins in a row against Ipswich now and even though they occasionally did threaten today they never really troubled us. In the league though that's now 6 straight wins and we're up to 3rd, and just 1 point off Boro in 2nd. Incredible to think really that this is the same group of players that only won 5 times in Neil Adams' last 18 games. It keeps getting said but the job that Alex Neil has done (so far) has been fantastic, and if we get automatically promoted he deserves a hell of a lot of credit. As does McNally really for bringing him in when no Norwich fans really knew who he was. 
 
MOTM for me personally was Grabban. Worked his socks off up front and linked up really well with Wes and the rest of the midfield. Also got the assist for the first goal and scored the second, so he gets my vote. The likes of Hoolahan, Johnson, Howson and Bassong weren't far behind though. Johnson this season has been an absolute revelation. I've always liked him but last season he was pretty unspectacular, and Hughton's persistence in playing him was frustrating. But this season for me he is undoubtedly POTS so far, and some of the goals he scores are unbelievable. Just off the top of my head the ones against Watford at home, Blackburn home and away, Reading away, Millwall at home, and then again today, some absolute worldies. That shot today Bialkowski could've been standing in the way of, but the force on the ball would've blasted the him into the net with it. Have to say as well I'm actually a little pleased that Tettey got booked today, meaning that he'll miss Wigan in the week. I'd rather he sits out that one rather than getting booked later on in the season and having to miss a game against Derby or Boro. 
 
Ipswich were poor to be honest. As I said earlier they had some long spells of possession without doing anything with it, and they only really had one clear-cut chance where Ruddy made a superb save from Freddie Sears (who I thought was their best player). Apart from him Mings looked okay, but on today's evidence paying £10m for him like Arsenal were reportedly interested in doing would be a waste of money. He's a right dirty barstard n'all. Ipswich's only real tactic though was to launch the ball up towards Murphy and hope he could do something with it. Bassong was able to deal with Murphy all day long, and even though it was only 2-0, it felt like we still had more in the tank should we need it, and it was pretty comfortable for us in the end. 
 
On to Wigan at home next then, which really is as big a game as this one was, seeing how tight it now is at the top of the table. If we slip up here then all that hard work that we've put into beating some of the best teams in the division won't count for anything. We need to make sure we take each game as it comes and don't underestimate the opposition just because we're on a good run. Do that and we'll almost certainly finish in the top 2. 
 
#MindTheGap

 

[CanaryNath]

Agree, I think Grabban worked extremely hard and often took two Ipswich defenders with him.

I can see why Neil prefers him starting to CamJam.

But what an impact sub to have in this league!

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Arrived back home after a frantic stressful drive. half hour before kickoff.....Come on damn you router, there's a big game on soon in Norwich..Settled in, whisky poured, and a stream, crappy, but a stream.The Spanish commentator screamed so much with Bradleys goal, vowed his love for BJ. Although I must have had the worst stream in the world, it was wonderful..... Not a game for purists, but a job needed doing, and it was achieved with minimum fuss or stress.....Some players that I have been critical of, have seen that the manager, although young, is a force to be reckoned with, apologies to those players.... Mr Neil certainly knows how to use his subs bench, guess he knows a wee bit about the game.......1p5wich are a hard working side,  physical, with just a modicum of skill and talent, they have done really well to be there where they are.....Today? Men against boys in every position from the owners to the most junior ball boy.....Mings ? 8 million? that is a really serious Giraffe.... Well done to every single one concerned, even the excitable Spanish commentator.... This whisky tastes so sweet

Point needs to be made there I think about the subs. Pretty much agreed totally. Both times I had said aloud that said substitution needed to happen and seconds later they did. Not for the first time either.

Its interesting that so much under Hughton and Adams, fans would consistently identify the changes that needed to be made and when (ie most people were saying the same thing) but the changes never came, which was infuriating as a spectator.

Though Iv found it harder to see streams, when I have, Neil seems to have made the obvious changes promptly. Maybe managers cant see the wood for the trees sometimes from their position Im not sure, but always found it frustrating that fans commentating on the streams and sometimes even the commentators would be calling for a particular change and were bewildered by certain changes not happening, or particularly in Hughton's case, the inaction. I certianly remember watching more than a few Premiership streams where the commentators were absolutely flabbergasted by Hughtons inaction.

Neil seems to make the same changes the fans identify. Im not declaring 'finally a manager who is as knowledgeable as us!' but I think the difference is worth commenting on. Why does Neil make the same changes we would? Same approach? Same expectation? Less sucked into the game so has better reading of it?

 

[Boyerboy]

For all the quite reasonable pre match concern about the ability of Bassong and especially Martin to deal with the airiel bombardment and physicality of the Binners, I thought both coped magnificently.

If there remains any doubt the ability of Martin at centre back then the last three games are a good reposte. Anyway who conceded only one goal against Deeney, Rhides, Gestede, Murphy and Sears is good enough and more importantly strong enough for this level at least. He was a lesser sung of the day's heroes.

 

[RhythmicTheory]

Bassong impressed me the most, I thought we might push on to stop at source, but we sat deep and hit them on the break, he mopped up pretty much everything that was thrown at him, showed real hunger at times.  If Alex Neil can get a bassong back to the level of his first season and keep him there, you have a 15 mill defender in todays market.

 

[dj161]

 

[Trevmuttley]

Fantastic result yesterday, well we all know who A.N. is now and at 33 he has the makings of a dam good manager. But I can't forget how poor the team from down the A140 were, I think they are the worst Ipswich team that has been to Carrow Road and I don't think they will make the play offs with Forrest and Wolves seem to be hitting the kind of form at the right time, but you cannot take nothing away from the way we played no matter what M.M. thinks we were the better team and long may it continue.OTBC

 

[morty]

I normally archive these when I put the next match thread up.

I think this can stay a while longer though lol.

 

[It's Character Forming]

Agree with that.

I haven't watched the highlights again.  Viewing it first time on Sky I thought the second goal was a rebound off Grabban into the goal, although it was going slowly enough he'd probably have been able to guide it in if it had been going slightly wide.  But that's the reward you get for being close in there when a shot is well struck, & as I posted at the time, a real striker's goal.

Any update on Jerome's injury ?

 

[dj161]

Alex Neil said they took Jerome off as a precaution, but that he should be fine, so I'd expect him to be involved on Wednesday night

 

[Yellow Fever]

For all the quite reasonable pre match concern about the ability of Bassong and especially Martin to deal with the airiel bombardment and physicality of the Binners, I thought both coped magnificently.

If there remains any doubt the ability of Martin at centre back then the last three games are a good reposte. Anyway who conceded only one goal against Deeney, Rhides, Gestede, Murphy and Sears is good enough and more importantly strong enough for this level at least. He was a lesser sung of the day's heroes.

Interesting that Whoscored made Martin MotM with a rating of 8.8, which is exceptional. BJ was next on 8.3. Martin's clearance off the line saved us from a nail-biting finish.

 

[GJP]

Always thought you could get away with Martin at CB in the Champs. As long you have someone decent next to him.

The Prem is a different story though.

 

[Canaryboy]

The Prem is a different story though.

A top drawer centre back is the player I'd consider a priority if we got promoted. 

Ron Vlaar on a freebie would be a sweet bit of revenge.

 

[Personal Trainer]

Now that would be good business.