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Few Canaries divide opinion like Steve Morison, but the anti-brigade’s refusal to accept his qualities leaves a bad taste

8th January 2013 By Mick Dennis 9 Comments

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I’VE had two spats with Norwich fans at recent matches. My wife tried to stop me, but sometimes I am so angered by some of the glass-half-empty contingent that I cannot bite my tongue.

Both rows centred on Steve Morison.

At West Brom, a guy behind me made a highly disparaging comment about Morison as the City striker beat an opponent and burst into the box. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – not just the timing of the remark, but its content.

Worse occurred after the Manchester City match at Carrow Road. As I trudged towards my car, I overheard a man and a woman discussing Morison. They intimated that they would be happy if he never again pulled on a yellow shirt. I am afraid that, although theirs was a private conversation, it riled me so much that I commented on their intellect.

Mrs Dennis told me off severely.

Football is a game of opinions, of course. But if anyone at Carrow Road believed Morison did not shine against the Champions of England until he was injured then that person’s opinion must have been formed behind closed eyes. Certainly with a closed mind.

The game at West Ham, in which poor young Harry Kane laboured to such limited effect as the lone striker, demonstrated what a thankless role that is. Yet many seem unable to extend any understanding when Morison has the same unrewarding deployment.

I’ve even heard folk moaning about Holty’s lack of success as a solitary striker. They say he hasn’t collected sufficient goals. They complain that he “drifts out wide too much”.

So I assume they cannot understand that being the last one in a 4-4-1-1 formation limits scoring opportunities and necessitates moving to the flanks – either because that is where the ball is headed or to create a hole in the middle for midfielders to fill.

But the Morison moaners have a more ingrained problem. They have made up their minds long ago and now won’t allow themselves to see evidence which contradicts their blinkered, binary view.

If you watch Holty carefully, you’ll see that, often, he dawdles back after an attack has broken down. That is because he knows he will need his energy reserves for another lone slog in a minute or two.

But when Morison ambles back you can here the staccato chorus of ill-considered tutting.

And his legion of critics won’t acknowledge that it is tough for a sub – which is what he has often been – to produce the reactions and pace of players who have had their blood coursing for an hour or so.

As for that 4-4-1-1 system, it worked so well during that ten-game unbeaten Premier League sequence that is no wonder at all that Chris Hughton intends to stick with it.

His fondness for it was emphasised at Peterborough. That could have been a chance to experiment with two strikers (Kane and Simeon Jackson) but, although there were nine players in the line-up who are not currently first choices for the first team, Hughton sent out his troops in that familiar 4-4-1-1 – presumably so that, if any of the second choices are called up for Premier League action, they will be versed in the required tactic.

Hughton started the season with a 4-5-1 at Fulham. Let’s just not talk about that.

Then our manager went 4-4-2 for a run of games in which performances definitely improved but results remained worrying.

It was after the defeat at Stamford Bridge that things changed. One of Chelsea’s goals came when Wes Hoolahan, stuck out wide left of the midfield four, gave away possession. I think that was when Hughton concluded, as Paul Lambert did before him, that our little Wessi should be moved to a central, advanced position. That is where he can damage opponents and where, if he loses the ball, the damage to Norwich need not be calamitous.

Lambert’s solution was to use a diamond formation in midfield, with one holding player behind two midfielders and with Wes in front of them all – but behind two strikers.

The diamond was City’s best friend – but Lambert abandoned it when he felt the opposition would exploit its narrowness and attack down our flanks. And when he dropped the diamond, he usually dropped Wes.

I think if we’d opted for the diamond this season then teams we beat last campaign would be ready for it. They would, indeed, get at us down the wings.

Hughton’s solution, used for the first time immediately after the Chelsea reverse, is to play two central midfielders, two wide men – and for Wes to “float” behind a solitary striker. We first saw the 4-4-1-1 against Arsenal, and it remained in place throughout the long unbeaten sequence, with its exhilarating home triumphs, resolute away shows and one magnificent victory on the road.

It was that win at Swansea, or rather the first half of that match, which epitomised what Hughton wants: quality passing, considered possession, deadly accuracy in the final third.

Intriguingly, at Peterborough, Jackson operated effectively enough as the lone striker. The conventional wisdom, which I’d bought into, was that the little speedster would flounder in the role. I’d assumed you needed to be able to play with your back to goal, and hold the ball up – as Morison did against Man City. But Jacko played on the shoulder of the last defender, ready to sprint onto through balls, such as the one provided with considerable excellence by David Fox.

I know City were disappointed not to sign an extra striker on a permanent deal in the summer transfer window. I know there will be attempts to land one during this window.

But if we want to keep playing Wes – and most of us do – then we have got to expect the 4-4-1-1 system to remain in place.

So let’s hope, if there is a new guy, he gets a more understanding, perceptive audience than Morison.


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Filed Under: Column, Mick Dennis

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Comments

  1. Neal Luther says

    8th January 2013 at 10:16 pm

    Totally agree with you Mick. I feel some of the NCFC fans have not played football to a decent level and still see games as “we attack” “you attack”. Fans need to understand football is more like a chess game of move and counter move. More tactics and players following managers orders, knowing if they don’t they won’t be in the side.
    Re Morison, he IS a handful of a striker and when things are not going well he is an easy target!!

    Reply
  2. Dale Edwards says

    9th January 2013 at 12:08 am

    Us Norwich fans, have struggled to find a perfect striker. Yes we delegate to Holt and Morison to find the back of the net but so far this season it has been rather tough. Morison has lacked the chances of scoring; he has only scored one goal against Aston villa in a Capital One Cup game. Holt has scored but not as much as we hoped. Harry Kane hasn’t shined either; with the hope of bringing in a new striker and also a change in formation our hopes lies in Simeon Jackson’s hands.I hope he plays against Newcastle and pick up a view goals to make him a big prospect for Norwich in the future.

    Reply
  3. G Mez says

    9th January 2013 at 1:39 am

    I totally agree with this argument! My only concern is with Harry Kane? Why does Chris Hughton continue to use a striker who by his own statistics throughout league 1 and the Championship continues to unimpress with his goal scoring record? A player who I saw at Carrow road also against West Ham did not appear to be the finished article. As a Norwich supporter gone of the days of being in the championship, where we would take on loan strikers from the Premiership to aid in confidence and a chance to prove their worth to their managers. As a club we have proved our worth in the league last season, and should be obtaining players who are able to sustain our position. How Harry Kane is able to do this only Chris Hughton knows? However despite supporters opinions Steve Morrison is still a proven scorer in this league as well as SImeon Jackson. The defensive role which we play however may not suit these players? With the last 3 league games going against us without our talisman Grant Holt one does beg the question are we a one trick pony? Is the option of having a another tactic of speed up front with a large individual to lay the ball off the answer? Our faith is with Chris Hughton and what a splendid job he has done! I think all Norwich fans would like to see another striker in the club with some diversity similar to what Benteke does at Aston VIlla, if only to releave Grant Holt from his thankless task.

    Reply
  4. eeore says

    9th January 2013 at 1:51 am

    If Morrison scored goals then there wouldn’t be a problem.

    If Morrison even looked like he might score goals there wouldn’t be a problem.

    That’s the problem.

    Reply
  5. Carrabuh says

    9th January 2013 at 12:23 pm

    I am on the side of getting rid of Morison but not for the reasons of perceived laziness.Morison is not lazy, just slow but even that is not my reason. The reason why Morison is so hopeless is because of his touch and technique which are of an atrocious standard. He cannot pass, control or hold the ball up due to a distinct lack of ability. He is incapable of playing up front on his own. Morison is not a target man, he is an aerial threat, and that is it.

    Reply
  6. Toad says

    9th January 2013 at 1:18 pm

    Agree completely…if he scored goals on a regular basis from a lone position he would be a Didier Drogba and not playing for Norwich. I like Morison, and you don’t actually understand footy if you give him a hard time…must have never played (which is a problem which comes with relative success – fans coming for the experience who have no idea how the game actually works).

    Reply
  7. Jonny says

    9th January 2013 at 4:33 pm

    Hmm, tough debate. Morison has done well for us, scored some excellent goals, but the team has moved on now. We’re far better than last year and i’m afraid we’ve left him behind a bit. He’s done nothing wrong, but i think his lack of genuine class is cathcing him up in an ever improving city side… and I love em’. OTBC!

    Reply
  8. sgncfc says

    10th January 2013 at 7:21 pm

    I’m not sure we have “moved on” that much as a team – the PL is generally not a very strong league at the moment and whilst our defence is better, I don’t think our attack is.

    That’s the problem for Morison. We don’t create anywhere near enough. But to say he can’t play the lone striker role is just wrong – remember Swansea at home last year? And Villa this year when he should really have scored 3. He just needs some goals.

    Reply
  9. GazzaTCC says

    15th January 2013 at 10:30 pm

    The conundrum facing CH is how to balance the new found defensive improvements with the lack of regular goal scoring opportunities.

    Reply

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Look, I’m listening to the excellent OnTheBall podcast by @michaeljbailey and I cannot understand why their is a narrative of blame towards us fans.

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