Norwich City vs West Brom (Home) Saturday 17th September.

[morty]

7 wins in a row? Top of the league?

Honestly no idea! West Brom not really got going yet, neither have we, but have somehow being doing enough to keep winning. It sounds like pretty much anyone who played the other night, apart from maybe Pukki, did enough to get dropped. Last game before the international break, so maybe a chance to get a few players a bit nearer to fitness.

 

[Gunvald Larsson]

I watched the WBA v Brum highlights and Brum took them apart at times. If we play like we can for whole the 90 minutes it should be a win, but WBA have some decent players so there is no room for Mr Complacency. I'd like to see a proper Pukki/Sarge no9/no10 partnership like in the 'old days' ... but that would mean a change of formation which could fcuk things up. Imagine this 4-4-2 line-up ....

Krul
Aarons/Hanley/Omobomidele/McLean
Dowell/Nunez/Ramsey/Hernandez
Pukki/Sargent

.... could work, or could get annihilated ... 'you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one'.

 

[Number 9]

I watched the WBA v Brum highlights and Brum took them apart at times. If we play like we can for whole the 90 minutes it should be a win, but WBA have some decent players so there is no room for Mr Complacency. I'd like to see a proper Pukki/Sarge no9/no10 partnership like in the 'old days' ... but that would mean a change of formation which could fcuk things up. Imagine this 4-4-2 line-up ....

Krul
Aarons/Hanley/Omobomidele/McLean
Dowell/Nunez/Ramsey/Hernandez
Pukki/Sargent

.... could work, or could get annihilated ... 'you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one'.

Hanley might not be playing.
Cantwell for Dowell.
They didn't call you a dreamer, it was something else.

 

[morty]

Yeah that's the vibe I got from the presser too, that Gibson will be in for Hanley.

 

[OldRobert]

Gibson for Hanley could be the end of our winning run.

 

[Number 9]

Gibson for Hanley could be the end of our winning run.

Gibson at centre half linking up with McLean at left back, dream team.

 

[Gunvald Larsson]

They didn't call you a dreamer, it was something else.

And what was that they called me? I can take it. (The other night a chap who must have been in his 80s shouted this at the linesman ... 'go and get some glasses linesman, you are not very good, you f-----g w----r'. I did laugh at that.)

Revised team ....

Krul
Aarons/Gibson/Omobomidele/McLean
Dowell/Nunez/Ramsey/Hernandez
Pukki/Sargent

I put Dowell in 'cos he often links well with Max.

 

[Number 9]

Is Sorensen fit? Surely he's better at defending than McLean.

 

[Gunvald Larsson]

Is Sorensen fit? Surely he's better at defending than McLean.

He is still unfit.

 

[Gunvald Larsson]

It's time to go to Carrow Road. Nothing less than a 7th win in a row will do for me today.

 

[morty]

Hanley has made it, Sara starts.

 

[morty]

Well. I guess it is 7 games unbeaten, and we go into the international break in 2nd. But everyone I have talked to, who was at the game, has said it was an absolute stinker!

 

[Number 9]

No team can win every game, yet we didn't lose.

 

[morty]

It is weird, and we have touched on it before, there is a general apathy, a malaise, around the club just now. Most clubs in the Championship would gladly swap places withvus right now though.

 

[Number 9]

It is weird, and we have touched on it before, there is a general apathy, a malaise, around the club just now. Most clubs in the Championship would gladly swap places withvus right now though.

At the moment we are in transition I believe, some signs of where we're going but sometimes still showing the problems which get us relegated regularly.
If Hayden ever gets fit, hopefully we'll look more solid and have more control of the game rather than the basketball type games we saw under Farke, it's not all about looking like Brazil.
Pressing properly as a unit would be a good start, obviously Smith has got them pressing more than Farke but it doesn't take rocket science to realise we have a lot to learn and practice about pressing as a team before we hit the Premier League again.
Choosing to play long passes on occasion rather than constantly playing out from the back is another skill we've yet to take on board properly.
When the supporters see those kind of things being developed then they may well believe that getting promoted isn't so futile and we're actually moving towards a season of success next year rather than misery.

 

[Gunvald Larsson]

Well. I guess it is 7 games unbeaten, and we go into the international break in 2nd. But everyone I have talked to, who was at the game, has said it was an absolute stinker!

It was a stinker. NCFC were poor. Predictable and slow with no creativity and relied too much on balls to Aarons who did not seem to know what to do at times. WBA did make it difficult by packing the midfield but we lacked the guile to break them down. When NCFC did try playing some longer balls they looked as if they might break through. A draw was a fair result IMHO because although we were poor, WBA were also poor. If we play like that against a decent team we will get stuffed. Hayden will hopefully make a difference and a proper left-back would also help. Smith has work to do during the international break that's for sure. However, having said all that, we are still 2nd and unbeaten in 7 games. OTBC.

Ratings ....

Krul - 4
Aarons - 4
Hanley - 5
Omobomidele - 4
Byram - 4
McLean - 3
Sara - 3
Nunez - 5
Sargent - 5
Pukki -5
Ramsey - 6

Hernandez - 5
Dowell - 4
Cantwell - N/A

 

[gerryinromania]

Hi all. Have been on my hols in Bulgaria, 3 weeks, just back today. Haven't seen on football or reports in that time, plus couldn't get Norwich Talk. Just catching up on results, seems as though the chaps in the City strip, have been doing ok without me