“The time has come” the Walrus said
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax,
Of cabbages, and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings”
Just Stewart’s kind of themes, you may be saying. Well, perhaps (with one exception; as a result of school dinners I sadly can’t even think of cabbage without gagging).
With the privilege of a midweek slot, I can usually step back and take a wider perspective on Norwich City affairs, having left the nuts-and-bolts of match analysis to my better-qualified fellow writers.
Usually, but not this time.
This time we have to re-visit the Sunderland game before we can move on. A proper assessment needs to replace some of the myths that started circulating on Saturday night.
It was an afternoon of total frustration, perhaps explaining some the things said in its aftermath. We might argue about the balance between them, but it was surely the case that we were on the wrong end of luck, refereeing decisions and some of our own decision-making – all three.
I do owe Mr Marriner an apology. My first reaction to the Sunderland penalty was that he’d got it wrong; on closer review, he had reason to give it. Having got that out of the way, he was harsh on a number of our appeals, individually and collectively.
Perhaps not all of them were justified, but I was directly in line with Mbokani’s second-half run into the area and it was a clear penalty. Compared with the one given at the end of Leicester-West Ham, it was stonewall with extra cement and an ornamental topping.
We were also the architects of our downfall at times, of course. But our performance was variously described by fans on Saturday night as a “no-show”, “capitulation” and “disgrace”. I’ve checked back over the action and match figures, and they back up my recall. It was none of those things.
We had two-thirds of the possession, 19 shots to their 8, and 14 corners to their 0. Those stats highlight our lack of potency up front on Saturday, of course, but they also underline some important points about the game.
For the first hour, at least, we were the better team – committed, organised and at times fluent. Only in the last 20 minutes did we lose our shape and edge.
There’s a reason for my going over this ground, even several days after the game. This was not the performance of a team that’s lost heart or belief. In contrast to some of the things written since Saturday – including the piece published on this site on Monday – our team is not about to subside gently into relegation.
I think the Victorian mathematician Charles Dodgson would have liked football stats – and indeed the mathematical side of football. Defoe’s runs would have fitted nicely in his theories of linear algebra, while some of City’s defending might have confirmed his concept of the mysterious alternating sign matrix.
He would, I’m sure, have confirmed that the job we ask of assistant referees to judge offside is a physically impossible one (though that’s no excuse for allowing Diego Costa’s goal at Carrow Road).
Dodgson was an interesting character, and a reminder that our separation of science and arts is rather absurd. Finding his job as Oxford Professor of Mathematics a bit easy, he filled his time with writing and word games. Under the more familiar pen-name of Lewis Carroll he wrote the poem quoted at the top of this article, while developing the basics of Word Ladders and Scrabble.
For us, the next month is going to be more like Snakes and Ladders. Some of Saturday’s doom-mongers talked about the ‘momentum’ of Newcastle and Sunderland. Really? Both beat a lowly opponent on Saturday, but it was their only win in six and their momentum may well not last a week.
The only club in the relegation battle to have won more than one of the last four games is Norwich.
As City fans, a late-season battle is familiar territory to us. I used to list the remaining fixtures and predict all the results to give a final table. But the truth eventually dawned on me: a relegation or promotion fight creates so many twists and turns, so many unexpected results, that the exercise is completely futile.
Who’d have thought in 2014 that Sunderland would win at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge to secure their Premier League status? Even their own fans had written them off two games before.
No – for better or worse, it’s going to be a bumpy and bone-shaking ride. Strap yourself in.
If football was as predictable as some suggest it wouldn’t half be boring. Hence why I don’t understand the sense of inevitable relegation.
Granted, it doesn’t look too great at the moment and, if we show the same lack of cutting edge in the final third as Saturday, it may, indeed, be a horrible end to the season.
But I’m not giving up just yet.
Good article Stewart and some very valid points. Comments of “no show”, “capitulation” and “disgrace” are completley inappropriate and wide of the mark. But Saturday’s performance did have the hallmark of any of a number of performances over the first two-thirds of the season. Plenty of spirit and commitment but ultimately a real lack of quality in the final and back thirds of the team at key moments.
The performance also served to underline what a fantastic purchase Timm Klose has been and the impact he has on the team. He has a measured calmness and level of command that just brings the team together and brings the best out of colleagues. Without out him, the defence looks very edgy. The ‘Bassong issue’ is just bizarre because certainly during his first season he was rock solid. Since then he seems to have developed this tendency to switch-off – either by coming out of defence and loosing the ball or not maintaining the defensive line.
The next month is going to be a big roller-coaster with lots of ups and downs along the way! Certainly not over yet but City have made it hard for themselves.
So you maintained at the start of the season that we always get our share of decisions.
Presumably then we will get 15-20 incorrect decisions in our favour over the next 4 games and that will be enough to keep us up.
At last a voice of reason. Thank you Stewart.
It ain’t over just yet.
OTBC
Also thanks from me for pointing out that ridiculous article on these pages from Monday, made my blood boil that one. It´s bad enough hearing of our coming demotion from outside punters, let alone hearing it from one of our own. Let´s hope he has prepared just as eloquent an apology if/when we stay up. COYY
Whenever we lose a game of football, out come the “we should have done this or that at the start of the season.” with tedious predictability. Everyone’s an expert without the pressure and responsibility of actually making those decisions.
Classic example is we should have signed Klose in August – brilliant but was he actaully available then?
While wishing for the club to be in wonderland, some seem to end up in cloud cuckoo land.
Thanks Stewart restored my faith after the previous writer!
Let’s see where we are after Sunday 30th April. Liverpool, Palace up next for the Toon and Stoke, Arsenal for the Mackems. Sunderland, other than Defoe, are so poor, Newcastle far more talented but rarely good away from home but sadly they do go to Villa, (how did we get beat there i’ll never understand and how damaging).
Interestingly over 50% of sides who have been promoted to the PL via the play-off’s are relegated the next season. If we go down this time we will truly be one of the ‘yo yo’clubs but hey, let’s enjoy the rollercoaster as 2.Jon suggests. We Can Do This. OTBC
I got a bit annoyed when people got too optimistic after the WBA and Newcastle games and am more annoyed at the pessimism now.
We’ve still got 3 teams below us and have at least as good a chance of staying up as the 2 of them not already doomed. People keep citing the Allardyce factor to make Sunderland favourites but they would be daft to ignore the Alex Neil factor where he has proved beyond reason the last 2 seasons that he can produce what is needed when it is needed. Anyone betting on who will be relegated must be barmy.
Don (8) the “Allardyce factor” annoys me beyond belief too. I’d say he’s overdue a relegation, if only to annoy the so called expert pundits.
Thanks for everyone’s comments.
Bob (6): As I understand it, Klose was NOT available in the summer. We did put in large bids for two other central defenders, but the deals didn’t come off.
Richbill (3) we got one of those decisions last night, when Aguero’s offside goal was allowed to stand – if it weren’t for that we would be in the bottom 3 on fewer goals scored. And that’s the problem isn’t it? Fans (and many managers) only remember apparent bad calls against their own club. They never remember those against their rivals, nor do they remember anything that went in their favour.
I tell you what though, there is one good thing about this season, however it ends up, and that is that Alex Neil has never, ever tried to blame referees for our predicament. I wish a lot more managers, and pundits, were as honest as he is.
There’s a major issue recruiting referees. If you were a 20-year-old (perhaps you are) would you give it a go considering all the abuse that’s thrown their way, sometimes physical in the early days, and certainly on social media for anyone who manages to get good at it?
Brilliant article. Remember when we won promotion last year? The euphoria? The sheer joy?
The absolute knowledge that we would dread every game in the Premier League, just as we relished winning (nearly) every game in the Championship?
This, my friends, goes with our very particular territory.
But – consider this: Watford may only have an FA Cup final to play for; Everton are falling apart. Yep – I am committed to clutching at as many straws as the next man.
And…….. I believe in our manager this time around. I also believe that the guys are slogging their guts out on the pitch,and, right now, that’s about as much as we can ask for.
Unlike last time.
So, if we do go down, at least we’ll go down fighting. OTBC.
I would love to share the optimism but I fear we are in mighty big trouble. The one point I would make is that Alex Neil needs to be given every backing and support we can give him going forward. I’ve been very impressed with him and I think he’ll become an excellent manager in time. Let’s make sure he does that with us.
OTBC
Interesting and mischievous juxtaposition of Sam Allardyce and a walrus. Much as I dislike S.A. my cousins on my mother’s side are all Bolton fans and idolise(d) Sam. Can’t see it myself. My colleague, a Brighton fan, thinks Chris Hughton is marvellous. I’m a Lambert man but really cherish the memories of my first manager, Ken Brown and Mel Machin and Dave Stringer. Though I’m young (believe I am anyway) I always enjoy Ed C-L’s columns as I have happy memories of Carrow Road in the 80s and 90s and spent a lot of time mardling with the older guys who remembered the 60s and 70s (and even the cup run of the 1950s and I felt part of that linear experience. A rambling comment but I guess I’m trying to say that football means different things to different people. There’s no simple answer and that’s why we all love it so much!
A Little known fact is that Big Sam should of been Norwich City manager many years ago and it was a case of just dotting the ‘i”s and crossing the t’s. Apparently a comment about drinking culture didn’t go down well with Delia and Co and that was that. Warnock was another one who got away, largely because the board were more interested in playing ‘pretty pretty’ than actually winning! Both men would of done a good job in my view if their tactical management style had of been put to one side by the fans.
Martin O’ Neill famously said on his arrival as Manager that ‘Norwich plays one pass too many’ and he did make the team more direct, just wasn’t here long enough to see it come to fruition.