I never thought I would be celebrating a 0-0 at Bournemouth with quite so much satisfaction as I currently am but that is how I feel this Monday morning.
The reason for this feeling is primarily that we’ve gained a very useful away point and clean sheet. Both firsts for us this season.
Secondly, it’s also stopped a discernible rot. Four defeats on the bounce – we really didn’t want that to become five or six. So, all in all, I guess a fair old majority of us would have settled for that draw before the game, particularly with an albeit misfiring Man U turning up at the Carra on Sunday teatime.
Rumours are rife that everybody’s fourth favourite Norwegian [after Aage Hareide, Erik Fugelstad and the girl from ABBA] Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will be in line for the tin-tack if they fail to beat us. Could make it a bit tasty I guess. As if it won’t be anyway.
But the value of that point really shouldn’t be underestimated.
Bournemouth don’t $hithouse so I’m not totally surprised that we got away with playing the admirable Alex Tettey and Ibrahim Amadou in tandem as centre-backs for almost the entire second half. Bournemouth were reduced to crossing it in high during that period and nobody buckled.
Equally, Jamal Lewis seemed to have the dangerous Callum Wilson in his pocket most of the time and Max Aarons more than did his bit. So possibly the most makeshift back four we have employed since Kyle “grasshopper” Naughton was used as an emergency centre-back against Bolton a few years back coped admirably.
But… the curse of the 2019-20 Norwich City centre-back is nowhere near being lifted.
I remember folks on MFW and elsewhere saying we should have signed such a beast in the summer, but I defended that by replying that we had Timm Klose, Christoph Zimmermann, Grant Hanley and Ben Godfrey, plus Tettey and Amadou who could cover in an emergency. I even suggested that the Stieperdude could probably bring us up to a strength of seven in that department if we became desperate.
Hmm… just like Daniel Farke I could not foresee what would happen with Klose, Zimbo, Hanley and to a large extent Godfrey.
After Klose and Zimbo were long-term crocked early doors MFW guest blogger Alex Bain suggested that Ashley Williams was a free agent, very much available and that we should acquire him short-term.
You know, the guy who captained Wales at the last World Cup.
I agreed with Alex at the time, but it’s all water under a bridge on the River Taff now and Williams has signed for Bristol City where he has quickly become an established first-team regular. It might not have been a bad idea to get him in ourselves though.
It’s kismet that we were down to the emergency pairing of Amadou and Tettey on Saturday. Nobody could have realistically seen that coming, of course.
Apparently Godfrey has been on social media saying that he is basically okay and hopes to face Man U. One brave lad full of fortitude is our Ben. Playing on painkillers and anticipating a forthcoming hernia op? Small potatoes.
Moving onto brighter thoughts, Onel Hernandez is back, as is Tom Trybull. Mario Vrancic isn’t far away either and the performance of Tim Krul on Saturday should not be underestimated. The big Dutch fella with the equally stentorian gob seems utterly vital to us. And that block from Dominic Solanke was hardly bad either.
In fact, we could have won it at the Vitality. Teemu Pukki and Trybull probably had the best openings of the entire game and the stats show that we more than matched Bournemouth in all departments.
All in all this particular bunny was very happy with that performance and I liked the way we seemed to go almost 4-1-4-1 when not in possession. Maybe that’s the way forward, at least away from home anyway.
In conclusion, it was obviously not our most spectacular performance of the season but it could turn out to be one of our most important.
When the final whistle arrived on Saturday I was Cherry Red with an equal measure of excitement and relief.
The Groundhogs track on our link bears no relevance to Bournemouth – it’s a reference to a lacquer finish on a Gibson Les Paul. But don’t tell Eddie Howe that.
What an exciting weekend of rugby it was. England’s demolition of the Wallabies followed by that amazing match between Wales and France. Normally I cannot bear to watch a team in yellow and green lose but in this case, I’ll make an exception.
And as for England facing the mighty All Blacks in the semis – well, if we can beat Man Citeh, Farrell, Youngs and Co. can do the equivalent and that’s for sure.
Hi Martin
Good read and thanks for the mention.
With the teams my family support it seems to have been another familiar weekend with bith Spurs and Man U drawing thats 3 weekends we have all matched results.
On Dave Freeze Saturday online commentary it was suggested that Farje plays Tettey at CB more often as then it allows Amadou to play in his prefered DM position it would also give Tettey a couple more years of a career at city, the ressoning given was that it is less stressful and he would have more time to control and play the ball out, whats your thoughts on that.
With all the good results this weekend a little team once managed by the great Stanley Mathews beat Ipshite 2 – 0 so that truely made it a good weekend, and then VAR really finished it of.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Hi Alex
Yeah I’m totally with the concept of Alex Tettey extending his career with us by reverting to centre-back. I would have thought [personally] that wouldn’t take away very much physical or mental stress though – although Tetts has never been a pace merchant and he reads the game pretty well and certainly has all the credentials to neatly play out from the back.
I’ve never played in that position more than once and when I did I was terrified. Probably due to the fact that I couldn’t head a ball to save my life.
Thing is though that in the PL there aren’t many Chris Wood’s and Andy Carroll’s so Tetts could be just fine in that role. I wouldn’t fancy him too much in the Championship against hoofball sides though.
A very good “topic” as DF might say.
Cheers mate.
The title of your article sums Saturday’s result up perfectly Martin.
Thankfully, Godfrey coming off (even with his replacement boots) seems more precautionary than cause for concern.
The way that Amadou and Tettey filled in as CBs was excellent and Hernandez’s cameo was another welcome sight.
For once, I fully expected us to be the last match shown on MotD, but from what I’ve read since, courtesy of the Archant triumvirate, the game wasn’t as nearly as one-sided as the highlights showed.
A revitalised ManUre to visit CR next and I’d certainly take a point come 6.30 next Sunday, but all 3 would be BRILLIANT!!.
Hi Ed
Thank editor Gary for the title – I could do them myself but he’s better than me with MFW headlines so I leave him to it!
Godfrey is one hard lad and that’s for sure.
Several Cherries fans were moaning about their team’s performance afterwards. They didn’t play because we didn’t let them. End of.
I’m doing the Man U preview for Friday and my contact [a mate and a neighbour] isn’t confident. And that’s what I like to hear.
Thanks as always.
Martin, my favourite Norwegian is one Alex Tettey!
All in all, a great hard earned point, in a game where we gave as good as we got, matching the south coast millionaires in all departments, even though MOTD managed as usual to make the game look one-sided in favour of Bournemouth.
I was also delighted with the point; a 0-0 away after being stuffed 5-1 at home is excellent. The sheer presence of Krul and Tettey adds so much to the team, I think that the trust the rest of the team has in them shines through.
Alex suggests his namesake may be used as an emergency cb, freeing Amadou for his more familiar (to him, not us) cm role; I like this idea and would like to see Amadou further forward. However, Tettey is prone to the more than occasional foul in awkward positions which could cause problems.
Hopefully the available squad will continue to strengthen for the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing how we look against Manyoo; they’re not doing well but still have plenty of top class players and will be another tough test.
Hi Don
Yes you’re spot on about Tetts and his propensity to commit fouls. What was previously committed on the edge of the area might well now be within it and we all know the conequences of that. So do Tettey and Farke so I’m not over concerned.
And obviously, take away Tettey and Krul and we have very little PL experience, so their presence is invaluable – especially just now.
I too am looking forward to Man U – if you’re in the Barclay you know where to find me.
Cheers.
Hi Jim
On reflection Tetts is probably my favourite Nowegian too!
I’ve largely given up on mentioning MotD in articles – they’re a little predictable when it comes to their representation of us!
We did indeed give as good as we got and that point at the Vitality might prove very valuable to us in psychological terms.
On to Man Ure.
Thank you.
Marty, we’ve seen City fall off the cliff a few times in the past, but this time, just like the old Saturday cinema series, our heroes have clung on. We can ride our pretend horses home and look forward to next week’s thrilling instalment. Tettey was our Tex Ritter, but Krul deserves a mention, so much more than a shot stopper, as important as that is, he’s an integral part of the defence and gives confidence to the younger players. An encouraging result. P.S. didn’t bother to watch Crispy and his tired old mates, knew what would happen, when will the Beeb pension them off.
Hi Cutty
Tim Krul reminds me of a Gary Cooper type character as in he’s as cool as he can be when them there bandits are doing their stuff.
As for the horse riding, maybe we should leave that to Daniel? He’s got previous for it after all.
At least the defence wasn’t reminiscent of Blazing Saddles and long may that continue.
Apologies to those MFW readers under 50 who won’t have a clue what we’re banging on about with the cowboy references.
Cheers pal.
Good read Martin on a wet Monday morning.
I agree that MOTD is not relevant in assessing games you don’t go to. It is more interesting to look at the statistics and use more reliable media.
Every point is useful as 40 points in this League is a big ask. The reaction to the Aston Villa defeat was what I was looking for and it was there in this gritty performance. The team are still together and react to the Head Coach. They are all still giving their all and as good as their skill levels allow. You can’t ask for more.
It will be interesting to see how Godfrey progresses with his injury. He looks like he would run through a brick wall to keep playing. This guy is going to be one hell of a player. Farke’s assessment of his prowess as a centre half is looking more and more accurate. He will be world class.
My favourite Norwegians are Alex Tettey and the guy who did the Maggie Thatcher rant when commentating on an England Norway game way back when.
OTBC
Great as always Mr P.
I can only endorse all the other comments regarding our return to our usual MoTD position, and the expected comments from all the so called experts. It’s so obvious they regard us as the party poopers, as no one mentioned post-Villa that as well as missing our top 2 keepers and 3 central defenders, we’d also had to play without any defensive mid-fielder. So no mention of the reshuffle Farke had to make during Saturday’s performance was exactly what I expected.
Given all the circumstances, a really excellent point……and a win on Sunday (injuries permitting) will take us level on points with Manure. I would have taken that at the start of the season even with a fully fit squad!!
O T B C
Hi John
I have to say that I do not have much time for Krispy Lugs at all – as good as a player as he undoubtedly was I find him a touch too sanctimonious on every level tbh.
Shearer? Yeah okay I can cope with his comments most of the time and Danny Murphy is pretty much okay by me. Jermain Jenas too.
But we will never get a fair suck of the sauce bottle from that collective and we just have to accept it, unfortunately
Bring on Sunday indeed!
Cheers.
Good read as usual Martin,
Sadly I didn’t get to the game on Saturday. But what I’ve managed to glean from my mate who did go and the local media (excluding MotD!!) Is pretty much what I had hoped for, the tweaked formation and the return of Tettey and Tybull to the team has made us more solid out of possession. Which is what I think we had both agreed was necessary in our exchange of comments post Villa??
Don’t want to appear overly negative but I will reserve judgement of whether we have truly turned a corner defensively until our new set up is tested against a more robust side.
Here’s a final thought, does young Daniel put Hanley straight back in the team, when available, in favour of Amadou? (Given that its likely he will beat Zimbo in the race to full fitness, and of course Godfrey remains fit).
OTBC
Hi John.
Absolutely agreed.
No we probably haven’t yet turned a corner but at least the potential is there to move on from this game. Whatever happens on Sunday, that point was vital from my perspective.
And the 4-1-4-1 without the ball seemed to work.
I can’t answer the centre-back question you pose. Godfrey seems to be made of steel and must play if fit. But as I’ve said to Alex and others above if we have to go with Tettey and Amadou for now it’s really a case of so be it.
Without inside knowledge from Colney, I reckon Zimbo might be back before Hanley. As ever in this wonderful world of football, we’ll have to wait and see.
Thanks as always.
Hi Martin,
Thanks for your reply.
I agree with all of that!
Have a good week
Cheers
I’ll have a great week if I hear on Friday that Godfrey is indeed fit and we have no further injuries:-)
Hi Colin
You’re dead right about assessing games you don’t personally go to. I never miss at home but for me to get an away ticket is almost impossible apart from sitting in with friends who support other clubs, in their sections of their grounds.
This season that means Arsenal and Brighton for me, which is way better than nothing.
40 points is a big ask indeed and already that looks like the minimum for this campaign, unusually, as anybody can beat anybody else this time around.
Of course Farke knows what he’s doing and the few eejits starting to criticise him get on my nerves.
Can you drive a car without a gearbox, as it were?
I remember that Thatcher rant – I’m going to google it shortly!
Thank you.
Just when you thought that Tettey might be getting out his pipe and slippers he produces a blinder, just as he did against the champions and Amadou almost certainly benefitted from his presence. If that’s what they can do together then we can all relax. Crisis, what crisis. Bring on the Mancs thanks Martin.
Hi Dave
The salient point you make is the influence of the returning Tettey – plus Tim Krul did his bit in that respect, of course.
We don’t have much PL experience on the pitch so these guys are vital.
The idea of Tetts with pipe and slippers makes me laugh in a visual sense if you see what I mean. I’m 30 years older than him and my idea of slippers is bare feet!
Thank you.
Good read Martin, and some pertinent comments.
After 5 grim performances and results on the road this season I had advocated the imposition of a little more substance in the place of some of the style. This we got in spades.
Something clearly had to change with our attitude and approach to travel as one goal in five games losing them all simply isn’t good enough. The fortitude shown by the team, particularly after godfreys injury represent a good start.
Having listened to the game on radio Norfolk, I settled down to match of the day for the first time in several weeks. WhT followed bore no relation to the game I had heard hours earlier. The two most threatening incidents of Bournemouth attacking, including Kruls save frpm solanke, should never have made the highlights reel as both were offside. The casual observer would have been forgiven for thinking Bournemouth dominated the match. The stats shown at the end of the highlights told a different story with regards to possession, shots, corners etc.
The Hernandez cameo, perhaps the most exciting aspect of the afternoon was almost entirely overlooked.
I’ve since watched the extended highlights, including Hernandez skinning smith down the left and beating him all ends up on the byline forcing a last ditch clearance in the six yard box. Bizarrely the bbc omitted this.
One might even accuse the bbc of bias or a hidden agenda if one was inclined to be cynical.
We can now look forward to the Manchester United game with cautious optimism. The returns of tettey, Hernandez, Krul and trybull and the rumoured recovery of Ben Godfrey offer a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. However, the sudden return to form of rashford is a cause for concern.
Oh, for another centre half.
Hi Chris
I don’t think you necessarily have to be a cynic to accuse the BBC of bias or having a hidden agenda – and it doesn’t just affect MotD, of course.
Of course, you’re right when you mention the very poor highlight selection. As I said to Colin B earlier, it’s very difficult to assess a game you haven’t been to but with a combination of Chris Goreham, the post-match stats and as many national media reports as you care to absorb you will surely get a more accurate idea of how the match panned out than that presented on MotD.
It will be interesting to see how the ying and yang of substance and style works out against United – I very much agree with you about Rashford being a huge threat to us.
I’m really looking forward to this one.
Thanks a lot.