The matrix used by the Norwich board to identify Alex Neil as the man they wanted used the vogue term “game management”.
Iain Dowie coined “bouncebackability”. And (thank you Google) it was the motivational expert Zig Ziglar who is credited with the axiom: “It’s not how far you fall but how high you bounce that counts.”
However you describe Neil’s ability to respond to setbacks, it is a significant talent. And it has convinced me of something.
If Norwich City find themselves in the play-offs, they will reach the final.
Over the two games of a semi-final, Neil’s nous will beat any of the possible opponents.
The prematurely serious young Scot is not infallible. Drawing at Huddersfield was proof of that.
But the spot-on reaction against Nottingham Forest at Carrow Road bore the mark of a manager who is big enough to acknowledge his own errors and sufficiently sagacious to correct them.
The 4-4-2 at Huddersfield, with Nathan Redmond in the midfield four and both Gary Hooper and Cameron Jerome selected, smacked of the Neil Adams era. It was a team picked to attack, attack, attack.
Perhaps Neil believed Huddersfield could be swept aside. Perhaps he felt the need to give Hooper and Redmond outings.
If Hooper had nudged in a chance from inches out, instead of producing an inexplicable shuffle and miss, City would probably have romped home. But, throughout, they looked vulnerable to the home side’s counter-attacks and neither Huddersfield goal was much of a surprise.
Neil’s retort was Lambert-eque. He threw on three more attacking players, withdrew only one (the vastly disappointing Hooper) and eventually earned a draw.
But it is one thing to chuck caution to the wind in the final quarter of a game. It is another to have that as an initial game plan. For me, that was the problem with the teams and tactics of Neil Adams.
The nadir of Adams’ reign was the defeat at Forest back in November, when the unrestrained desire to go forward led to a destructive lack of discipline.
So, for the return fixture against Forest, it was particularly pleasing to see a much more temperate template than at Huddersfield. It was 4-4-1-1, with four “proper” midfielders rather than with wingers.
The central two of the midfield four, Alex Tettey and Graham Dorrans, took turns to hold back – and for the last ten minutes, after Forest had reduced the deficit, Tettey stayed back, sweeping in front of the back four.
It’s a peculiar truth, I believe, that this Norwich team score more goals when there is an austere cautiousness about their system and personnel than when they are gung-ho.
It is certainly true that Neil is willing to change his men and alter how they are deployed. In Scotland he preferred 4-1-4-1. With Norwich, he has had success with 4-2-3-1, the much-loved diamond (4-1-2-1-2) and several variants of the 4-4-1-1 he went with against Forest.
Whether he opts for a narrow midfield or not, the fullbacks are expected to double up as wide attackers (which is another reason I like to see at least one central midfielder holding back).
And one of the fullbacks deserves tremendous credit of a personal renaissance. Stephen Whittaker had to find remarkable resilience after volunteering to play centre-mid against Brentford and getting a hammering from our fans. The unwavering backing of his manager helped, but it still took a core of Scots granite to keep his poise and belief and to play so well in recent games.
For that, he is almost my Player of the Season. But my vote, at the moment, is heading towards Bradley Johnson.
I’ve always been a Johnson fan, and prefer in the holding two of 4-2-3-1 rather than a role on the left, but I now know for certain that he was wanted by at least two Premier League teams in the summer and there were more sniffing around in January – so to see him staying and stuffing that irresistible shot down Suffolk throats makes him my likely POTS.
Mrs Dennis will doubtless vote for Wessi.
He has caused me more rows with my wife over the years more than anything other than the time I got professional house cleaners in and pretended I’d scrubbed the place myself.
Wesley Hoolahan can do no wrong in her eyes, and whenever we’ve lost, under whatever manager, according to Mrs Dennis it was because either we didn’t start with Wes, didn’t use him properly, didn’t get him on early enough or generally didn’t worship at his size seven feet.
I, on the other hand, think he is a flawed genius. I know he can thread the ball through packed defences, but he can also donate it to opponents in our half. I acknowledge he is capable of unpicking locks while others hammer away at the door, but he is also more one-footed than another Norfolk hero: Lord Nelson.
The Dennises are united about one thing, however: Wes needs to be used centrally and needs to get into the opposition area, where they daren’t touch him.
And, against Forest he was so unplayable that it was worth the 130-mile trip home listening to a prolonged explanation of how Mrs Dennis was, as ever, entirely right.
Incidentally, she thinks we can still go up automatically. So do I.
But if not, then see you at Wembley.
Mick,
You say the diamond is a 4-1-2-1-1 formation but that’s a player short. Normally under Lambert it was 4-1-2-1-2 wasn’t it?
Agree about Johnson; his consistency is what has been most impressive. For me Hoolahan is most effective when Tettey plays in the same side. Then his occasional profligacy is less likely to damage.
Also don’t think we should underestimate the contribution of Jerome. His attitude seems, to me at least, to have been unerringly positive all season, even when he’s been out of the side. At times he might lack subtlety (though not when scoring v Forest!) but he’s a ‘beast’ physically and always puts a huge amount of running into his game.
I admire your confidence regarding the manager’s tactical nous and its potential impact on a play-off semi-final. Can’t help thinking a day at Wembley would be more memorable in the long-term history for supporters than an automatic spot.
I am still thoroughly impressed by Alex Neil; the ability to affect games from the sideline is the number one trait of the successful modern manager and what, in my opinion, was most lacking under the dismal Hughton/Calderwood/ Trollope regime. I also enjoy his utterly frank interviews in which the absence of ‘spin’ and ‘manager speak’ is so refreshing.
PS: Your mention of Lord Nelson presumably refers to the erroneous myth that he had only had one leg. Unless you’ve discovered Daily Express archive report of some 18th century Burnham Thorpe matches describing his one-footedness!
Five wins, 85 points, may not be enough to win it, but certainly enough for second.
As much as I’d love a trip to Wembley, especially, “30 years on”, I’d much rather the automatics!
OTBC
Just read Mick’s column!
Great read as ever.
Tactics are so important in our BOOTIFUL game that we all
love with a passion, people who have no truck with it fail to understand! Only see the money & Prima Donna side of it all.
I have always said -we at N.C.F.C.see things very differently.
We undoubtedly now there is far more to the beautiful game other than loads of money & talent.It takes a single minded Manager,I always liken them to Headmasters! in charge of
Students!or Race-horse trainers looking after thoroughbreds.
But I’m with Mick’s’ wife on the WESSI thing
Mick,
Love your pieces, but I’m afraid I’m with Mrs Dennis on this one. I know Wes can frustrate with his habit of losing the ball in difficult areas and is certainly one-footed in the extreme, but come on……….He’s the one who makes things happen. He looks & probes for weaknesses in the opposition. He tries over & over again to thread a killer ball. He takes on defenders and ties them in knots. He crosses a superb ball. He excites the fans. What more can you ask of someone of such diminutive frame ? All the imperfections you raise could all be raised against David Silva and I don’t hear too many moans about him. My only real criticism would be that he is too unselfish and should take on the shot himself more often….. Leave Wes alone, he’s doing good !!
Partly with you on Wessi – when he’s hot he’s hot but like most hot things, they tend to cool off quickly. Whether he can sustain the current form until May 2nd remains the test.
Jerome is POTS for me.
I think Mr. Ziglar nicked that quote (or at least edited it a bit) from General Patton – “success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”
Not sure about Nelson’s gammy leg but his other injuries would have stopped any goalkeeping ambitions.
One comment that always amuses me about Wes – or any other left-footed player – is that he’s “one-footed”. Strangely it’s not an observation ever made about right-footers, certainly not midfielders or defenders.
Occasionally a right-footed striker’s reluctance to use his left may be noted if it delays getting a shot in. But that’s about it.
But I must admit it does frustrate me that some professionals don’t seem to work on their weaker foot, especially since when I played myself I was definitely two-footed i.e. equally rubbish with both of them….
My wife is at the other end of the spectrum from Mrs Dennis – about as sceptical of Wessi as I am of Mario Balotelli (and that’s pretty sceptical).
I’m more with Mick. Can’t think of a Norwich player who’s more often made me want to scream – sometimes with pleasure, sometimes with exasperation. He’s a unique talent and I was desperate for us to fend off the attentions of Villa a year ago. But equally I’ve been known to groan at his play, or mutter a range of things like ‘Wes, not every free-kick needs to be taken quickly!’
Something I’m less bothered about is the one-footed thing. I can’t speak for Lord Nelson, but I know Lionel Messi is as one-footed as Wes, and it hasn’t done him too much harm.
POTS: Bradley Johnson. The goal against Ipswich was memorable, but for importance (as well as quality) surely the winner at Blackburn is a clincher.
For clarity: yep, I missed a man in the original diamond reference. It’s been corrected.
Nelson lost the use of one leg.
But, if Wes was two-footed, and his right was as good as his left, he wouldn’t have been a Norwich player! I love him, as I hope I made clear.
OTBC
Mick – not sure what historical source you’re using but there is no account of him “losing the use of one leg” here;
http://www.nelson-museum.co.uk/injuries-illnesses.html
Bradley’s gone off the boil in the last 2-3 games. If Jerome tops 20 goals this season, it would be criminal if he didn’t get the urn.
We all have Glenn Roeder to thank for bringing Wes to our door.
You know we’ve had a good season when we can argue about POTS. Wasn’t it Lee Camp people wanted to vote for last year?!
I was all in favour of giving NA the job last summer, but it became increasingly apparent that he’s not really a manager, more a coach. AN, however, seems born for the job. It’s new to him, he’s still got a lot to learn, but you wouldn’t know it apart from how sickeningly young he is.
You might think we could relax this weekend with no game. Then you remember that Whittaker, Martin, Olsson, Tettey and Hoolahan are all in action for their country and its time to worry some more!
Dear Half Nelson,
My late mother had Peripheral Neuropathy, sadly. I read a lot about it and learned that Nelson had a related condition. It particularly affected his left leg, which was frequently left without feeling. I learned all that from books (I remember those) loaned to me for an afternoon at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery about 20 years ago.
The link you included talks about the difficulty he had in his left leg, and there’s more here:
http://www.aboutnelson.co.uk/health.htm
But I must say, of all the things I’ve written about Norwich with which folk have disagreed, your doubt has been the most surprising!
Cheers for the info Mick. This damn international break has got me scrapping around for something to chew on.
To be fair, the link you sent says he completely recovered from his bout of neuritis after 11 weeks so it wouldn’t have been an issue for a football career. More likely, the effects of scurvy, dysentery and malaria plus loss of eye and leg would have been more of an impediment!
I’ll never complain about a jippy back again.
The scurvy, dysentry & malaria certainly wouldn’t have helped Nelson’s football. But I hear he had an eye for a goal.