Man flu. Possibly one of the most divisive words in domestic relationships throughout the world. Does it exist? Most of our male readers will surely confirm that it does, while I would guess several female MFW followers would disparage the concept in an instant.
Mrs P suffers from random attacks of rheumatoid arthritis so, in fairness to her, I must have the wretched flu jab every October. Seven quid at Tesco or ASDA and no real personal hardship, although I do feel a bit low for around 36 hours afterwards.
But we had four players on the Ashton Gate pitch with some form or another of the current influenza virus on Saturday – and under any circumstances that is “above and beyond the call of duty”.
In all honesty, I’ve only ever experienced genuine flu (we’re not talking colds here) once in my life. I was in my 20s, strong and otherwise healthy but I quite literally couldn’t get out of bed for a couple of days. Being a weekend I couldn’t even pull a sicky at work in some form of compensation – I was fine by the Sunday night.
Daniel Farke’s post-match comment that he didn’t want to make any excuses in advance by declaring the illness in the camp I will take with a pinch of pig$hit.
He didn’t want Lee Johnson and the Bristol City squad to find out about it and sniff blood. And that is far nearer the mark. Well played Daniel – and if the local media knew (which is quite possible), well done to them for keeping the lid on it.
Thank the Good Lord we don’t have a midweek fixture. Respite is required.
Christoph Zimmermann, Emi Buendia and Todd Cantwell were the confirmed victims of the malaise. I don’t believe the fourth has been declared but whoever it might have been, he did equally as well just to get on the pitch in the first place.
I know results elsewhere can influence opinions and comments. Dirty Leeds and Paul Lambert’s 1p5wich Town (™ ?) both had 1-0s in their favour (one deserved, the other less so) but I do not get the concept of complaining about a 2-2 at Bristol City with a squad already denied the services of Timm Klose and a less-than-fully-fit Moritz Leitner long before kick-off.
But still some folks moan. If the comments aren’t about Tim Krul they are about us looking tired. With four players in the starting side suffering or recovering from flu – come on people, how can you complain about a hard-earned point against, let’s face it, a very well-organised and effective Bristol City side?
Sure both Robins’ goals were avoidable. Lewis and Tettey were more like Laurel and Hardy for the first and as for the second what I’ve seen is inconclusive but it looked like a slight deflection off Zimmermann was just enough to keep a rising drive under, rather than over, the bar. Krul was understandably off balance – and also unsighted – for their first and stood no chance for the second.
Let’s return to Mr Tettey.
I’m not one for jealous, pernicious comments from oppo managers (Hi Chris, hello Colin), but I will say Bristol City manager Johnson had a very real right to complain afterwards about our Alex (not you, Alex B!).
A yellow card, more than a few further naughties and several talkings-to. Followed by a shirt tug almost identical to that which got Bolton’s Sammy Ameobi an early bath (or more probably a luxury shower) at Carrow Road the previous weekend. Tettey is a lucky, lucky man and I personally reckon Farke should have hooked him a few minutes sooner.
Enter the one and only Onel. What the Bristol striker was doing at left back I do not know but Hernandez dumped him on his butt, crossed to perfection and our 18-year-old right back – sorry, left wing-back, sorry he can play anywhere – Max Aarons put it away with a header that was by no means easy. He surely must have done geometry at high school to finish like that.
After that it was all Norwich, still chasing for that win. But unlike some, I’m not moaning that 1p5wich won and Dirty Leeds top the table. Blackburn won’t be easy either so I’d take a draw now. Bradley bl00dy Dack worries me.
We’ll be in the top two on Christmas Day – followed by possibly the tastiest festive fixtures possible, as in Forest and Frank Lampard’s Derby County ™. I can’t wait – both visiting sides play open and sometimes expansive football and they will be cracking games I am sure.
And as for man flu, let’s hope it leaves our squad (and all of us males) alone for the rest of the season – and beyond.
And I guess I should be the first to wish a very Merry Christmas to all our readers and writers – it’s only a week away
A great article as usual Martin and it appears that some ‘fans’ expect us to remain top of the league despite injuries to Mo and Timm, plus Grant on the bench as ‘emergency cover’ – but ‘didn’t he do well’ when he was forced into duty for the depleted Christoff. It’s also great to see how Ben is performing in the absence of Timm – I’d like to0 see him replace Tetteyoccasionally, as I believe that that was his position when on loan at Shrewsbury.
Hopefully, all will be fully recovered for the hectic post Xmas schedule and the visit of 2 of the chasing pack of teams and as you say, both will be coming here to win, as a defeat would really put a dent in their aspirations of keeping in touch with the top 2.
#mindthegap
Hi Ed
In fairness to Tettey it’s the first off game he’s had for quite a while.
With Godfrey we really do seem to have two players in one – CB and holding mid. He increasingly looks like he is lined up for the Tettey role in the mid-term future, so you may well be right when you say he might replace aforementioned Tettey now and again this season in that role – hopefully alongside Mo Leitner.
Forest and Derby will be the original Christmas crackers I’m sure.
Thank you.
Yes, Tettey seemed to revert to the player he was in previous seasons; instead of the one we have been seeing in recent weeks/months.
The aforementioned Super Max was the fourth victim……from his own lips as well as from DF’s.
Thanks Nick.
I cannot believe how well he played under the circumstances.
good sum up Mr P, yea Tettey was a lucky man, but I detest seeing players of any ilk trying to get the ref to send them off, it works at many stadiums, but gladly he didn’t buckle to that mob hand pressure.
Listening to excellent yet again Mark Walton. (please move back to Norfolk just for the radio work) he highlighted several tackles where a Red Robin should have been in the book for the attention given to Cantwell and others. Swings and Roundabouts.
Krul pulled off two top draw saves, had he been as bad as some make it would 4-2. their first he did get something on the ball because of Zimmo’s butt or thigh, it was not quite enough. Their 2nd I could follow it so darn hard. But Steepo’s opener was pure class. another account of that was in the prem, Linacker Lugs would have need a Kleenex.
I agree Tettey should have been hauled off earlier, but that yellow didn’t put him off his natural game he still went in face to face. He has done ruddy well this season tht was his first booking for quite a few matches a record.
But what a sub Master Henandez , made his defender look rather silly, at one little point in that attack I thought Master Arron strayed offside a little. I said yesterday on here, 36inches denied us a winning goal that we did deserve in the end although it would be a tad unfair on Bristol, but hell they would have taken it and danced around the City that night.
With the walking wounded we had to put out, although there were I take it, players who were not struck down, Marshall, Trybull to name a couple, they will be groomed in Farke-style. So perhaps he didn’t need to put them all through it, but he is the boss and his boys did us proud (as the ISP provider says) They couldn’t win and they made sure they didn’t lose, what more can be asked.
An excellent point away where many will find a different story 1point away & 3 at home will do us more that well
Interesting read – it has become part of my weekly Monday morning ritual to read you article with my first cup of coffee in the office when I get in.
Back to Norwich, I see this more as a point gained then 2 lost, this is the kind of game we would have lost last year. Given the injuries and illness, this was a good result (if not a great game to watch).
Also – hats off to Zimmermann, I struggle to go for a run when I have a cold let along play 60 minutes of high intensity football suffering from something much worse. A lot of people (myself included) were quite underwhelmed when he signed on a free from the 4th tier of german football but what a signing he has been and his overall attitude is utterly commendable.
Final note on blackburn – this will be a tough game, but not impossible. Bradley Dack is a real talent. I was chatting with the guy who sits behind me at work (a blackburn fan) and Dack sounds very much like Madison of last year – the main focal point that all attacks go through and very much their plan A, B and C. Nullify him and we should be ok (much easier said than done).
Hi London
If you and I know the potential threat from Dack I am sure Daniel Farke and coaching team will as well.
I worked in London for many years and you certainly meet with supporters of other clubs from all over the country. People they are by no means all Arsenal. Spurs or Chelsea.
The crappe$t boss I ever had was a Brighton fan while one of the nicest guys I worked with was a Bantam – and spoke like a true Yorkshireman too. We had some great lunchtime pub chats about footy did me and Jonny – the boozer wasn’t out of bounds back in the 1980s. We both agreed we disliked Leeds. No surprise, really.
I agree that Blackburn is not mission impossible by any manner of means.
Thanks for a great post.
Hi Lad
I agree with every one of the points you make, unsurprisingly I guess!
Your concept of old Line Acher and the tissues appealed to me.
Some folks elsewhere questioned why Hernandez wasn’t on from the start, but it appears Farke knows exactly what he’s doing in terms of selection and indeed subs. He deflected all the credit onto the players – once again proving what a thoughtful and intelligent guy he is.
Thanks for a great post.
On hearing of the four people that were ill, my reaction also was that I was surprised that both Buendia and Cantwell started, if they had been ill, and Hernandez was left on the bench. Buendia had a real off day too, and I had expected him to be pulled rather than Cantwell, And i also would have made the changes earlier… By the 60th minute we were crying out for more than Cristoph to be subbed…
Spot on comment..
It must have been very difficult for those “under the weather”.
Let’s hope all are well for Blackburn.
Thank you.
Yes, I could not quite believe the criticism of Farke for not starting with Hernandez.
Hi MGW
I really think our Head Coach knows what he’s doing – which is a lovely feeling to have as an NCFC supporter..
Thank you.
Great assessment as ever Mr Penney.
I too suffer with R.A. as your wife. However I feel people don’t always understand what happens to the body at times? I’m so full of admiration for the guys
who were suffering Saturday.To play for 60+ mins was truely amazing. Not to mention the others who as a true “Band of Brothers” stood shoulder to shoulder with them to collect that 1point ..So relieved that 1 week of no matches will be indeed a well
deserved break of sorts & will serve to repair knocks & bruises & sore bodies ready to resume our charge to “dare I mention ! The P>.( shush don’t tell DF)
As for Tetts X just to watch his reading of the game is mind boggling.When the mind is stuffed with cold it affects your decision making.
Just an after thought ? First win for Lambo will hopefully start to help us??
Not that I feel we’ll need it.
Now off to watch again on i-player Canaries with commentary from CG & the lovely Mark Walton.
Hi Mary
Thank you for your sensitive comment.
Trouble is (at least in our case) Mrs P never knows in advance when it will strike. RA is far more detrimental than manflu – you can giggle about the manflu aspect but RA is not funny in any respect. It’s all too real.
I guess some of my MFW articles might well appear a little flippant but not in this case. I meant every word.
The great thing in this situation is that Sue’s RA seems to have stabilised and not worsened so hopefully everything will be – kind of – okay.
Top dollar remark about Mark Walton – I love him too.
Thank you so much.
A very good point all things considered. Keep picking them up and we’ll be okay.
I agree with your flu comment Martin. Real Flu and you’re not getting out of bed, let alone sprinting. I think “flu” is trotted our a little too easily nowadays in all parts of life. I am sure they were unwell, of course.
Hi Dave.
Genuine flu is so debilitating – having to crawl to the khazi on your hands and knees ain’t no fun, to be sure.
The strange thing is that it seems to leave you as quickly as it comes. After you’ve lost around half a stone through not being able to eat you get back to normal pretty quickly afterwards in my experience. But if I had been a professional footballer I think I would have signed myself off for a couple of weeks in order not to let myself or the team down.
This current group of guys will run through the proverbial brick wall for Daniel Farke – and it is SO refreshing,
Great comment and cheers.
Thanks a lot for the comment.
.
Definitely a point gained rather than two lost for me. It seems that no matter what is thrown at this bunch of players and management, they find a way.
So many going right to the limit and beyond, our superlatives are becoming rather repetitive.
What I will ask though is how many supporters at the start of the season, or more pertinently after the first 6 games, would have thought that we would be in the top 2 at Christmas?
I certainly had my doubts, but this is almost fairy-tale stuff.
And how absolutely brilliant that we are doing it by including a number of our own youngsters, and some imports from Bundesliga 4.
One wonders what sort of fees the likes of Zimmermann and Aarons could attract now, but surely even NCFC won’t be tempted to cash-in in January with the ultimate prize tantalisingly close?
O T B C
Hi John
Strangely my old secondary (Chigwell public) school’s motto was “If I cannot find a way I shall make a way”.
I cannot remember the original words, although our Latin master Claude Salmon probably would inform me correctly, if he were still alive and henceforth able to do so.
Yeah, we nearly always find a way. Somehow.
Pure speculation I know but I don’t see much on the table for Zimmermann, Jamal Lewis is a little off the boil but Max (I can play anywhere but don’t have a self-destructive ego) Aarons will be on everybody’s radar.
I reckon Stuart Webber’s phone might turn a little warm in January. The month in which Max turns 19. What a player.
All we can do is wait and see.
Whatever happens Max will not be with us for too long. I wish him all the best, just as I and many of the rest of us did with James Maddison.
We will NEVER become a club that can hold on to that type of player.
I can imagine that most Championship managers (and some PL ones as well) are envious of our squad and our prize assets, so I’m sure SW’s phone will be red hot in January.
Our players’ agents must be rubbing their hands with glee and planning their next exotic holiday/new car/new house (delete as applicable) and realistically ALL we can hope is that the players themselves are realistic enough to tell their agents that they’d rather stay at NR1 until the end of the season as a MINIMUM and not do a Pritchard!!
Spot on, Martin.
How heartening to see that – with a draw in the bag and many reasons to sit back and secure it – the last few minutes were incessant Norwich pressure,
Max Aarons is a phenomenon.
Thanks Stew.
As I said above, Iet’s enjoy let’s enjoy Max while we can!
Hi Martin
A great read as usual and thanks fir the mention.
Team Farke are doing a great job and no complaints from this direction and after last season was hoping
that there would be a better showing this season and so far the ride hasn’t disappointed.
On Lee Johnson and other managers in general I just think it is time they stopped having a go at the Ref yes Tettey should have had a second yellow and Farke hooked him at the right time, Ref’s have a tough time and on Saturday every tackle on one of the Brustol players was greeted by the players surrounding him and telling him what he should do, it possibly put his back up also they were intent to get him sent off.
Ref’s will have it even harder once VAR is introduced every swing richard will be demanding he goes over and check all tackles and just as Rafael Benítez indicated drawing a TV you will have half the stadium doing it plus the players, the rules say that doing that once is a verbal warning second is a booking but who will be the first Ref to enforce that just like the yellow cards for touchline infringement that has come to nought so far.
Hi Alex
Yes, your points about referees, managers and particularly VAR are good ones.
I ‘m not really looking forward to VAR as there are enough natural breaks in the game anyway through injuries, subs, etc!
Thank you.
I’m really not a fan of VAR – or the Review system in cricket. It changes the whole dynamic of the match. Mistakes, mainly by players, but very occasionally by refs, are part of the game. And as the old cliché goes, they tend to even out.
Spot on Dan.
My view is – with cricket as well as football – that any momentum (sorry to use the word we’re not a political site) gained ceases for one XI on yet another stoppage.. Changing the dynamic of a fixture is probably the right .phrase.
I kept wicket for many, many years and could hear, as well as see, what came off the bat or the pad. An umpire 22 yards away could not, let alone his square leg partner.
Who would be a referee? Or an umpire?
Thank you
Just a note…. Daniel Farke described it as flu… its his second language…. one of the affected defo said cold… I think it was a linguistic mastake rather than over-dramitic or attempting to mislead…. regardless they all had a lurgy….. i think the 4th was Vranic as DF said he didn’t get ANY sleep the night before..
Hi Worcs
Maybe we should settle on the term lurgy?
The player unable to sleep overnight was definitely Christoph Zimmermann.
It is hard to speak in (my case) pidgeon French or Spanish but as you so rightly say the nuances of the language often go missing in any given situation..
Thank you – or muchos gracias, muy bien, danke y merci: etc:-)
Compliments of the coming season, Martin and to all contributors and readers.
A good read as ever and a general consensus from all that we will take a point given the circumstances, which only became evident after the game.
There were certainly some sub par performances from a number of our players Nd whether indicative of a general tiredness heralding the need for a short break from the action or simply the adverse reaction to illness Daniel Farkes team selection will not be as straightforward as in recent weeks.
As I stated on Gary’s review of the match, the return of Hanley is a massive plus. Coming as it does when we have started conceding at a rather alarming rate the inclusion of a fit again Hanley is a mouthwatering prospect. He appeared to me to be a man in a hurry to get amongst the action after his layoff and hugely motivated to make a positive contribution to the season. I feel he will get his chance on Saturday against his former club.
Another option now available to Farke is McLean. He has recently expressed his determination to prove himself in English football and is I believe, a very good operator from the evidence of several appearances on sky last season for Aberdeen. With cantwell and Buendia possibly benefitting from a rest, I’ve a feeling McLean could appear on Saturday, again a steely Scot with a point to prove to go with his obvious ability. Could be a real injection of experience and intent b fore the busy Christmas period.
Whoever farke picks for Saturday’s tricky looking assignment has my backing and the hope that we can extract at least a point to keep the run going.
Thanks Chris.
Presuming we will go 4-3-2-1 at Blackburn, the CB pairing will be a case of “perm any two from four”.
If Klose is fit we will also have Hanley, Zimmermann and Godfrey. While my personal favourite pairing is Klose and Zimmermann, I would also be quite happy to see Hanley and Godfrey together.
What a luxury for the head coach to have – it wasn’t that long ago that the default pairing was Bassong and Russ!
I feel it is vital to keep Klose until the end of the season. If we could then persuade him to stay on further it would be even better but I guess that would hinge on what League we are in.
As for McLean his return could also be most timely. Like I guess most of us I’ve seen very little of him but from what I have observed I’m impressed.