Football can hurt. Conceding late goals can hurt. Watching your team lose after a colossal – to quote the great Paul Lambert – six-hour trek north can hurt.
But few of the 876 travelling fans would have left a Norwich City game feeling as dejected, deflated and devastated as they did at St. James’ Park on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday morning I woke up tired.
Tired from a considerable lack of sleep on Wednesday night, struggling to comprehend the absurdity of those final two minutes and the heart-breaking image of Dwight Gayle’s low shot being too strong for City’s Michael McGovern.
Tired of Norwich City’s continual failure to defend effectively and conduct basic tasks.
Tired of Alex Neil’s tactical ineptitude that produced the bizarre omission of Ryan Bennett from the starting eleven and his subsequently fatal substitutions.
Wednesday night’s stoppage time carnage felt slightly surreal. City had defended well, thwarting the relentless threat of Dwight Gayle and then Alexander Mitrovic with the score at 3-2.
The game was being seen out. Nearly 900 honourable Canaries up in the gods at St. James Park were singing about progressing up the league and regaining our position at the top of the Championship.
Then the mayhem occurred.
City were undone by two unforgivable moments of defensive ineptitude by the hapless Sebastian Bassong, whose failure to mark Yoan Gouffran for the equaliser was as conspicuous as a certain Donald Trump’s voluminous quiff in a crowded room.
Bassong and the odious Trump do have one thing in common: we all possess a common desire that neither of them are ever selected as number one in their various disciplines in the future.
Bassong’s failure to concentrate on basic defensive duties and instead his insistence on ball-watching has cost City on so many occasions. We all remember that horrid Saturday lunchtime against Sunderland, where he may have been fouled in losing possession but failed to distribute the ball with anywhere near enough rapidity in the build-up.
He has to now be City’s fourth choice centre-back, behind the generally consistent Klose, the under-appreciated Ryan Bennett and the improving – in recent weeks – Russell Martin.
Norwich missed their big Swiss defender on Tyneside. Yes, he was uncharacteristically poor against Burton Albion at the weekend, losing aerial battles and often committing to challenges he was unable to win.
However, his impact on City has been profound, providing enhanced solidity to our all too brittle back four as well as facilitating unity and comedy off the pitch through his intelligent employment of social media and interviews. He really is an asset for Norwich.
Wednesday night’s damaging affair in the north started just as badly as it had ended. Newcastle were dominant in the first half, being profligate with opportunities and seeing Michael McGovern make a series of terrific close range saves. We deserved to go behind through the menacing Gayle.
As at Forest the week before, however, we rallied. We showed fight. Graham Dorrans proved that somebody in a yellow shirt was capable of converting a penalty kick in a convincing manner, sending the away fans into delirium despite our significant distance from the pitch.
Our original structure of deploying Howson in a more advanced central role with a holding two of Tettey and Dorrans was proving relatively effective, with our wingers – particularly the superb Jacob Murphy – providing perpetual danger on the flanks.
Robbie Brady again failed to find his form that he had demonstrated so strikingly in France during this summer’s European Championships for the Republic of Ireland, but City looked menacing.
Cameron Jerome deserved his goal, toiling tenaciously all night and holding the ball up with substantial strength and determination. His finish past Karl Darlow was unerring, and a true reward for all his hard work so far this season.
Whilst Murphy’s goal possessed a somewhat greater element of fortune owing to the decisive deflection his long range shot took, City deserved their second half lead. Our build up play was slow at times owing to Dorrans’ and Tettey’s slightly delayed distribution, but we looked comfortable.
Cue the meltdown. Bassong’s visible and alarming inability to defend an innocuous long ball over the top let Gayle score his second. Relentless Toon pressure ensued. Bennett was brought on – the fact he didn’t start was perplexing – to sturdy our defence, but Neil’s conservative strategy simply invited more home pressure.
We all know what happened next.
Neil must learn from City’s north-eastern disaster. The fact he played Bassong at the back in our toughest game of the season so far surely baffled every Norwich fan. Bennett had to start.
Hoolahan’s axing was also bizarre, although Howson – whilst being less creative – proved a dependable understudy in his role behind the tireless Cameron Jerome. He must also persist with McGovern in goal over the inconsistent John Ruddy, despite McGovern’s failure to keep out Gayle’s late, crushing shot.
The season goes on. If Neil finally comes to the conclusion that Bennett is our second best defender behind Klose as well as realising that sitting back with a lead only inevitably leads to disaster, we can still be successful.
If Bassong is not selected at Molineux at the weekend, City have every chance of going there and collecting three valuable points. If Cameron Jerome and Jacob Murphy continue to perform with the brilliance they have so far, we can all be optimistic about our chances for the rest of the season.
Let’s still believe.
In the week where Sam Allardyce’s naivety cost him his dream job, Norwich City committed multiple errors of their own on Tyneside. Allardyce paid the permanent price for his mistakes.
Today in the Midlands, City have the opportunity to recover. Lessons will have been learned from midweek, in a game we did not deserve to lose but one where individual shortcomings cost us dear.
We go again. Let’s still believe.
You had me until you took the all too common path of defending Russell Martin. I actually thought someone had dared to do the piece I’ve been waiting for. You started so well and left me with an erection in the cold without any clothes to cover up and get home. That’s even worse than just taking the easy route and backing everyone. So close.
You’re wrong about us all wanting trump and Bassong not being wanted by anyone. How about the majority of the US public and Alex Neil? Both of whom just so happens to be the decision makers…
That’s a load of myopic nonsense Will.
Second goal, yes, Bassong got caught out.
For the equaliser Bassong, Bennett and Martin all failed to pick up the guy, and all failed to attack the ball. Both Bassong and Bennett were wrong side of the man and watched the ball without reacting.
Just before that Olsson was on the deck in the penalty area having made a block, Dorrans was sauntering back 5 yards outside the box, and when the ball breaks right they have a man totally free. Why wasn’t Brady covering? He just about gets back to the edge of the area as the ball hits the net, Leroy Fer style.
As for the winner first question is simply why Shelvey, who had been hitting effective long balls all night, was given so much time and space by the fresh Oliveira. Indeed we had kicked off 30 seconds earlier – why couldn’t Howson, Dorrans and Oliveira simply have looked after the ball and seen it out for the draw?
It was Bennett who lost the header that was knocked back to the edge of the box before others failed to get a tackle in.
So the whole team failed to defend their lead in several ways, not just your particular scapegoat.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big admirer of Bassong but the fact is that Ryan Bennett has been “promising” for far too long. There is, I suspect, just something missing between the ears. We do not know, for example, how he reacts to instructions in training. He is certainly not our second best defender when you take more than just physical attributes into account – Russell Martin is way ahead.
I was surprised at Bassong playing – note though that 2 of the Newcastle goals came AFTER Bennett’s arrival – but Neil will have made his choice based on what he sees at close quarters week in week out. Nothing to do with tactical ineptitude, nor is it bizarre.
Will – Interestingly, Bassong received wide spread acclaim, eight days earlier, for his accomplished defensive display at Everton, arguably a superior attacking threat. Hero one week, villain the next.
All the stats from Wednesday night suggests, on paper at least, Newcastle should have won comfortably. Therefore, to get so close to victory literally throw it away in 90 seconds was, indeed, crushing. No one in yellow and green would have been surprised before kick off if we’d lost on the night- it’s the manner of the defeat which is so hard to stomach.
Agree with nearly all of that. Good article.
Nice to see somebody echoing my feelings about Bassong too.
AN seems to have a problem with selecting Bennett – I don’t know the ins and outs of it for sure but if there are differences the pair of them need to resolve the issue – and “right quick”.
And as for leaving us with no outlet AT ALL, well that was just foolish imo.
Anyway as Will Jennings says, here we go again. Right now I’d take a draw.
A good assessment by Will, and some salient points. To any City fan, it has to be a real mystery with the continual employment of Mr. Bassong, whilst Ryan Bennett remains a “bit-part” player. Also, why oh why take off your most potent attacking threat, and replace him with a defender?? Surely that invites the opoosition to attack and lay siege to you. OK, with a reasonable defence it could work, but unfortunately without Klose, our defence resembles a paper colander which has been hit with a 12 bore.
OK, whinge over…I’m sure that the vast majority of Canary fans would have settled for 20 points from 10 games and second place in the table at the start of the season. And once the likes of Brady start playing as they can we can only get better.
OTBC
Got to agree with Gary Field, it isn’t always about suffering defeat, it is more about the manner. We are not talking about sunday league players on Eaton Park . All those mentioned in comments and the article are experienced (some more than others)professionals, with many hours spent on the field and in training. Yet mistakes keep happening in the same vein. There must be something in the coaching and tactics discussions that is being left out, or having diminished importance. I do believe Alex Neil has made some very bad decisions and tinkers far too much. but at the end of the day it is down to experienced players to carry out what has bee told them. Professional footballers are a strange breed, but normally the vast majority of the time, they will do what they are told, and not what they are not told. I feel the manager invited Newcastle onto them more by his changes, keeping or replacing a potent attacking threat would have have given them something else to contend with . Still we are in a position all those under us would dearly love to be in. Nothing is won in September. Had this happened at the other end of the season then we would be right to shout and hit the red button, or Should it happen more then serious questions need to be asked. But in our last season in this league after 10 games we sat in 13th with 11 points. so no panic yet