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Still more questions than answers after seeing how the other half live…

29th July 2008 By Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

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Well, that was embarrassing. Stan, of course, will remain hopeful that the new season brings all that he and his fellow Canaries desire.

Even so, watching Spurs do to us what we did to Gorleston was hard to stomach. Make no mistake about it, that could have been 8-1 to the London (via Great Yarmouth) boys. We were murdered, pure and simple.

But does it tell us anything? It was, after all, a friendly game in which the stakes were not at all high to all but the odd fringe player staking a claim.

Obviously, too, the chasm between us and the top six of the Premiership is massive.

This we already knew long before the fifth goal went in. A more deep worry, however, may be found in the fact that, at times, it looked more like an adult team playing a team of under-16s. We looked so small and, for at least two-thirds of the game, unable to deal with Spurs' physical presence and imagination.

We also looked, all too quickly, sluggish and slow, something Stan and his pals think may be down to the new fitness coach's penchant for a pie or two. Could it really be that the water bottles chucked onto the pitch contained Tizer?

Was it true that the half-time orange had been replaced with a Mars Bar and slice of pizza? Surely not …

In fairness to our boys, there were also a series of mitigating circumstances – along with the odd caveat – to help explain the haplessness of their overall performance.

First, that was not our first choice line-up. The fact that Omuzusi had to play out of position – combined with the need to still fill the key striker position – had a ripple effect that ensured that our starting XI looked a bit of a mis-match.

With Doc, Drury and Bell injured, Lupoli still in Kafka-land and Kennedy on the M1 trying to work out just where Norwich is, the new breed was not visible in all its glory.

This, secondly, was compounded by Bertand going off (hopefully as a precaution), meaning the one position not covered on the bench was opened up and a sacrifice necessarily offered. Because, thirdly, prior to the reshuffle that followed, we looked OK.

True, we let in a soft goal, but so did they. True, they looked more competent, but we produced a solid 30-minute performance that included a 10-to-15 minute spell in which King Wes, Crofty and John O gave the Spurs defence a torrid time.

Finally, to repeat, this was a friendly in which we allowed Spurs to play and they, ostensibly, allowed us to play too. As such, we must keep it all in perspective.

What did puzzle Stan, however, were some of the tactical decisions. Was Stan the only one who found it strange that we played without a left-sided midfielder throughout the final ten minutes of the first-half and much of the second-half?

Poor old Pattison, already having something of an off night, was well and truly hung our to dry (as it were). Was the gaping hole on the left a belated homage to Hucks? Was it simply bad management? Or was someone meant to be there (Clingan?) but not?

Who knows, but it allowed Spurs to completely dominate the game and ensured that we lost both shape and plot for the entire second-half. In fact, it ruined the game and leaves Stan wondering just what either Roeder or the players could have gained from it all.

Beyond that, Stan is now just hoping that the final pieces to the New Norwich come quick and fit to perfection.
Reading Roeder's post-match comments, we appear to have another young lad with potential on his way, and a more experienced striker expected in due course.

Doc's injury and Kennedy's lack of knees may well mean another centre-back is in order, while Drury's non-appearance and the shambles caused by Bertrand's injury suggests another left-back will be required too.

In the meantime, we must sweat it out. Are we to be a team of youngsters, has-beens and crocs, or mix of up-and-coming talent and experience. All in all, Coventry will give us far more answers than Spurs…


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