I guess the unbeaten run had to end at some point. And, given the priority is clearly a swift return to the grind of the Premier League, a defeat in the Capital One cup at Shrewsbury was always going to be preferable to one at Blackpool on Saturday.
But that’s enough of the positives. In fact, the return of a hungry-looking Jonny Howson aside, that’s possibly the *only* positive to be gleamed from a disappointing night.
In truth I didn’t see last night’s match, and instead can only base by thoughts on an a combo of BBC Radio Norfolk’s commentary, the BBC website and Twitter, but the common thread running through all three was that City were not very good.
That much was abundantly clear.
Chris Goreham, as ever (breaks in transmission aside), did a superb job of bringing the action from Shropshire to my living room, although I’m sure the irony of David Fox – a participant in the FA Cup debacle against Luton Town – providing the co-commentary was not lost on anyone. He was better placed than anyone to comment on City being on the wrong end of a cup upset.
And it didn’t make pleasant listening.
But we should not have been surprised – Norwich City and cup competitions are incompatible. Even in the heady Lambert years we failed miserably in one-off cup ties. The Hughton era threatened to buck the trend when we made it to the Capital One Cup quarter-final, but even then it ended in heart-wrenching disappointment.
Why did we fool ourselves that it would be different under Neil Adams?
While there are no excuses for losing to a side two divisions lower, Adams understandable decision to make the full eleven changes certainly did the Canaries few favours.
There is no questioning the quality of those brought in – we’ve discussed at length the depth of the current squad – but my making wholesale changes, however logical, you end up with eleven talented individuals but not necessarily a good team. And so it proved.
Last night’s starting XI was almost a brand new team and, however well drilled they have been on the fields of Colney, to expect them to ‘click’ as a unit was always going to be a big ask. And it’s not just the team cohesion that suffers. Minus a bona fide reserve league it’s also nigh on impossible to maintain the required levels of match fitness.
The upshot was a display as witnessed by those 992 hardy souls last night. Disjointed, leggy and lacklustre. And, as ever, it’s the travelling faithful who suffer the most.
To take almost a thousand supporters for a game 200 miles west from the Fine City on a Tuesday night was staggering, particularly when compared to the two taxis and a tandem that took the Ipswich away following to Wigan on Monday night. Alas, for the travelling Yellow Army it had a horribly familiar 2013/14 feel.
Yet, few have faulted Adams for playing a second string. With 30 players to keep happy – all of whom could expect a first-team start at some stage of the season – the cup competitions offer a perfect opportunity to offer game time to those on the fringes.
Carlos Cuellar – for example – looks unlikely to be sampling Championship football any time soon, and so to blood him in the Capital One cup was a no-brainer. Ditto Garrido, ditto Rudd.
Unfortunately that opportunity – for the Capital One cup at least – has now disappeared.
As it transpired, while Adams was no doubt hoping that some stand-out performances would offer him some serious alternatives, few of last night’s performers did themselves favours. Instead it was those who didn’t play who emerged the stronger. All of which was certainly not in the Adams plan.
As mentioned earlier, if there was a bright spot it was the return of a fit and healthy Howson. While in terms of full match-fitness he may still have a little way to go, he will have pushed himself to the forefront of his manager’s thinking. And that is a good thing.
With regard to of Saturday’s visit to Blackpool, I’m content to assume that last night’s disappointment will have little impact. Team Adams will clearly revert to an XI that closely resembles the one that drew with Birmingham and, in terms of confidence levels, it will be ‘as you were’.
But it will still be a tricky one, regardless of Blackpool’s perilous position, and the fragile beast that is ‘form’ will quickly be turned on its head if Lancashire proves just as challenging as Shropshire.
The Seasiders troubles have been well documented – and they have scored just three league goals to date – but we are all too aware of City’s penchant for providing strugglers with a platform to find some form.
If that particular banana skin can be successfully negotiated then slipping on last night’s won’t seem quite so bad.
Next time we get to play Sunderland we should ask their friendly fans how they feel about the rejuvenating properties of a good cup run. Because last season that’s what kick-started their march to survival. I really don’t get this attitude that many clubs adopt. Losing at this stage does nothing at all to help our promotion bid 30+ matches down the road.
I’m very disappointed that we didn’t start with the Murphy twins last night, as against Crawley. Apart from anything else it was their performances in that game that put the pressure on Redmond a little; no bad thing if he has to keep looking over his shoulder.
But having such a weak bench also gave the wrong message to those on the field. Much better to have Garido know that Olssen is waiting to replace him rather than Toffolo, or Lafferty to be looking out for signs of Grabban warming up. After his flying start Grabban could do with hitting the net again soon, especially as I’ve backed him for top scorer in the Championship
Howson returning made sense, as did giving O-O a game, because he surely is expected to grab himself a first team place as soon as possible. But not by the sounds of it on last night’s showing.
I agree that the lack of reserve team football is a big issue – for everyone. It’s partly caused by the ludicrous subs system whereby every week at least 4 players sit on the bench and don’t move for 90 minutes. And because they are needed for the bench they rarely get to play for the U21s as over age players in case they get injured there.
The other black mark from last night was yet another yellow card from Lafferty that was fortunate not to be a red. (It’s no surprise that Shrewsbury players tried to get him sent off, as Neil Adams suggested post-match. They did the same on Saturday in the Newport game making a mistimed tackle look far uglier than it actually was.)
I’m only glad that I had commitments in Manchester last night that meant I didn’t drive the 60+ miles from home to the game. Had it been tonight I would have been going. I imagine many who did go last night were midlands or north west based but I feel for those who did make the full cross-country trip; they must, quite rightly, be livid.
0
I honestly can’t see the sense in making 11 changes and having two players in the side who aren’t match fit. It’s a real shame, mainly for the thousand or so that made the long journey on a week-night, that Adams would treat it like a training session. I find the whole thing disrespectful: to the travelling fans, the opposition and the competition.
Even without all that, there was an opportunity to put ourselves in the later stages of a major cup. We haven’t been to Wembley since 1985. We haven’t even had a semi-final since 1992.
0
Fair points, Gary, which I made to myself last night and to my sons this morning – but…
It’s correct to say Neil has a large squad to keep happy/give game-time to and fine to use the Capital One Cup as an opportunity to do so. The problem is, that (by changing the entire team) this avenue is now closed to us.
The way I look at it is slightly different. Our defence has not been the cleverest thus far – in part due to not having been settled as a unit, for various reasons. It is not even with hindsight that I would have picked the standard back four – in front of Declan Rudd – to give them a much-needed opportunity to form a closer understanding. This solid base would also have given the six-changed midfield/attack more support and freedom to express themselves.
Whittaker and Garrido have both had reasonable first-team minutes on the pitch already this season. Surely Olssen would have benefited from cementing his understanding with the newly-arrived Hooiveld – both of whom have played fewer matches this season.
I feel our defence is in need of some assistance from the coaches. Last night could have helped and now, with only the league to play in, until January’s FA Cup game, NOBODY can get any extra meaningful minutes of match action.
The cup competitions are used too freely to make wholesale changes when, as all good lower league managers know, a core of regular first-team players is essential to any kind of cohesive performance.
The excuses are made and Neil Adams is dissatisfied with the performance, but the real losers – the fans – are expected to merely accept that this is what the League Cup is now for. I don’t.
0
Of course it was a disappointing result but we saw a team playing”out of their skins” outplay a Norwich 2nd.X1, but this does not excuse the performance of some of the Norwich team. Credit should be given to Shrewsbury for their enthusiasm and effort playing a side with individually far more gifted players (perhaps Ryan Woods excepted)but not playing as a team
Nil Desperandum,lessons will of been learnt and our 1st.X1 will prevail
OTBC
0
Well, some mixed views here!
First things first. I’d have rather we won than lost, and rather we’d played well than badly. But had a 3-word summary been invited this morning, mine would have been ‘no big deal’. People have suggested that Adams should have played his first-choice back four, or at least Turner. Surely two major reasons not to: the value of game time for others, and the risk of injury. While City were playing at Shrewsbury, I wanted Turner at home wrapped in cotton wool – and was delighted to see it happening.
Shame the selected team didn’t perform, especially for fans who made the trip. But surely most of them realised the priorities for the night: a step in the recoveries of Howson & Hooper, and game time for others. As Gary says, neither a first-choice team nor a group chosen for cohesion as a team. That simply wasn’t the priority – quite rightly, in my eyes.
Keith B (1) – interesting point re Sunderland, but that’s very much the exception. Far more common is the distraction effect, such as Birmingham a couple of years ago winning the Capital One cup (or whatever it was called) and getting relegated.
Roll on Saturday – an important game to be faced by a fresh Norwich team.
0
I’ve never understood the ‘concentrate on the league’ mentality. It’s suggesting that the other teams that just won’t don’t care about their league efforts.
If everyone took that approach then clearly everyone would be playing second fiddle players. You’d also immediately opt out of the competition. If it really is preferable not to be in the cup then perhaps Ipswich are a wiser team than us.
Chuckle gaffaw.
0
Well this might not be popular but I would rather win the cup than get promoted. If and when we go up we will be treated to another season or desperately trying not to lose, tedious games and regular predictable stuffings. I was there in 1985 for the Milk Cup final and it was a truly memorable occasion – far more enjoyable than a season in the ridiculous Premier League trough. Don’t get me wrong I’ll be cheering us on hoping for promotion but we should get our priorities into a more sensible order.
0
Boot (7) is spot on. The way the game is set up now the best we can ever seriously hope for is a League or FA Cup win, and a season in Europe to follow. I seriously hope we get a relegation-threatened Premiership club at home in FA Cup R3, we might actually “want it” more than them.
Reality is that when we arrive back in the Premiership it will be the same as before – survive as long as we can then beat up the Board in whatever season we are finally relegated.
All of which says to me one thing: it is more important than ever that we have a team trying to play attractive football. Never again do we want a Grant or a Hughton leading the side. I’m not convinced Paul Lambert would have kept us up last season with the wage budget available – but I’m absolutely certain under his leadership we would not have been saddled with being the lowest scoring team in the top goodness how many tiers of English football.
I just don’t understand why the Murphy twins didn’t start last night, or if Josh is now a protected first-teamer, then Jacob and McGrandles.
0
I would agree with Keith B (1) on this. I would have liked to have seen the players who won the first leg for us at least given a start – the Murphy twins, perhaps Loza – and think that would have helped to ensure we at least started with a more motivated eleven, with some familiarity with each other. I didn’t see the point in playing Odjidja out on the wing when he isn’t one. That’s not going to help his motivation and assimilation. And I’m sorry to hear that Elliott Bennett seems to have lost his mojo. Yes, Neil had to do rotation, but he seems to have done it in a way least designed for success. I was looking this evening at the PL sides in the cup matches and they were all more blended sides. Ironically I think our squad is now too big. NA is not going to keep everyone happy and cutting out the academy players from all the starting positions I don’t think is motivating for anyone. Until the Leicester match we don’t seem to have been treating the U-21 matches very seriously either as playing time opportunities for the larger squad, so I hope that happens a bit more now.
Losing the cup match to Shrewsbury is not a disaster, but like many of the others who have commented, I would have liked to have seen a better managerial attempt to win it. The whole performance raises some deeper dilemmas for Adams which I will be interested to see how he deals with. Of course for now his priority will lie in producing a first half performance at Blackpool. He can’t afford that habit, which wasn’t dispelled last night, to go any further!
0
I suspect if we were playing a higher division team than Shrewsbury there wouldn’t have been so many changes. As it was, I thought we’d still have enough to go through but clearly I was wrong. I am sure though that if any of the players left out had played & got injured, Adams would be getting stick for not protecting them.
0
A question for those who say we should have put out a stronger team last night. If we’d done that, won the game and lost Turner (or Tettey, Redmond or Jerome) to a season-ending injury, would you be happier now?
I guess we know the answer from Boot (7) – he puts forward a clear view, though I disagree with it – but what of others?
0
I don’t think there was anything wrong with the starting XI, even if i didn’t like the fact that Elliott Bennett started on the wrong wing and VOO isn’t a wide right player. It was the starting XI widely predicted on social media by many fans before the game. It should have been more then capable of beating many teams.
What was wrong was the performance it delivered up. Matters weren’t assisted by Howson and Hooper playing their first games of the season, nor the fact that Miquel, Cuellar and VOO joined late in the transfer window and clearly not “up to speed” fitness wise.
We live in an age of “the squad game” and no reserve football. Adams, like many other managers, has to manage the situation of keeping as many players match fit, or as close to match fit, as possible. Our great start has, ironically, meant that he’s made few changes to his starting XI and, as a consequence, too many of our squad aren’t close to match fitness as he’d probably like. Hence the performance served up in the Cup.
0
Stewart (11) – I wouldn’t be happy to lose any squad player to a long-term injury in any match. Nor in training. But occasionally it happens unfortunately, that’s the nature of sport. Ask the extremely unlucky Robert Snodgrass for one.
I don’t recall us having a particularly bad record for serious injuries in cup matches. But then, we don’t get to play many! It’s a vicious circle isn’t it?
0
Keith (13): fair point. But worth remembering we played tough league games on 13, 16 and 20 Sept. Three more to come in the next 9 days. If anyone’s tried playing that schedule, you’ll know how physically stressful it is, and more likely to lead to injury. Can’t believe so many of our fans are asking for that.
Dave B (6): ‘concentrate on the league’ is always post-hoc rationalisation. The thinking behind team selection was ‘The Championship is a gruelling 46-game season. Let’s not expose our key players to yet more wear-and-tear by making them play a Capital One cup game at Shrewsbury’. Prosaic, I know – but it makes sense to me.
0
Stewart (14) – I can’t agree. I have no problem with resting those players who have been virtually constant starters, but there are other “First Teamers” who would have still needed to catch up – particularly defenders Hooiveld & Olssen, who are both short of game time. My main beef was that (defensively) we are a unit which has switched around so much early season – for a variety of reasons – that we are leaking silly goals. The best defensive records normally come from familiarity between players and so I would have played the first choice defenders on Tuesday.
Frankly, I have little quibble with the other 7 selected players, bar the decision to play Vadis out wide.
The point is moot now, until January, since no other ‘real’ games are available for so-called squad players to get on the pitch, if they’re not in the first XI…
0
Just to add to my point earlier – the idea that we don’t play players in case they get injured is rhubarb. Statistically more players get injured in training than ever get injured in matches but we don’t claim that players shouldn’t train because of this. I accept that Hooper and Howson should have started and no doubt a couple of youngsters but we should aim to play our best team in all cup games…..rotate in the league where it matters less if you want to. One league defeat is not a terminal blow, one cup defeat is.
I notice that Man City and Chelsea may rotate their players a bit – but not that much! Very strong starting 11’s for both teams this week, even relative to the strengths of their squads.
Losing to Shrewsbury is nothing short of a disgrace, we are fools to let either Adams or the team off the hook by claiming we don’t care or “it’s only the cup” More effort and commitment needed to reward the 996 fans who made the trip in my view.
0
Have to agree with Boot (16) but I’d call it hogwash rather than rhubarb.
We should have had 3-4 of the ‘big boys’ on either from the start to get a lead by HT or to come on for the last 20-30 mins to rescue a sticky situation. That has to go down as a black mark on Neil’s record. Hughton would have got hung, drawn and quartered for such a poor show.
Mind you, I don’t begrudge the Shrews their home draw with Chelsea as it will put some pounds in their coffers. I don’t think Jose M will be putting out the second string for that one.
0