You know it’s your day when for the first time in living memory an opponent’s successfully converted penalty kick is chalked off because it was deemed a double-hit.
Not for the first time this season, a moment of good fortune tilted the odds in City’s favour, and from thereon in it felt like it had to be City’s day.
All the rotten luck of 2019-20 and the full-scale roll out of Murphy’s law across the Canary Nation seems to have been noted and we’re now cashing in those credits.
That’s how it feels.
In reality, yesterday’s win had as much to do with a gritty, obdurate and determined team performance that was (once again) epitomised by this big old lump of Dumfries granite that Daniel Farke has embedded in the heart of City’s defence.
If there’s one fixture in the calendar that’s made for Grant Hanley it’s Middlesbrough (a) – at least it is for as long as said Teessiders are managed by one N. Warnock. A day when brawn and fearlessness are just as crucial as skill and technique.
It seems ages ago now, but it was in the early days of the Farke/Webber era that Hanley was brought in following that dreadful 4-0 hammering away at Millwall. Not unsurprisingly, a centre-back pairing of Russell Martin and Marcel Franke was run ragged that day and by way of some drastic but expensive surgery, it was to Tyneside they turned.
A wage structure that through necessity was of the shoestring variety was pushed to its limit to bring the Scot to Norfolk, but while he’s never going to win points for artistic impression it’s proven to be money well spent – even if that hasn’t always looked the case.
In his first season here – the James Maddison season – Hanley played 34 games, which included the best assist ever in that home draw with you-know-who, but since then his time here has been dominated more by injuries than excellence on the pitch.
He was a largely peripheral figure in the Championship winning season, while Christoph Zimmermann and Ben Godfrey were the main incumbents, and played a total of just 10 games across the whole campaign.
When called upon, he never let Farke down but that was about it, with an overriding feeling of him never being 100 per cent fit. His season was summed up by the red card he received in the FA Cup game against Portsmouth in one of his rare opportunities to impress.
Injury issues were to plague his Premier League season too, but it was also one that got off to the worst possible start imaginable. A fit Hanley lined up in the opener at Anfield but the season was just seven minutes old when he sliced Divock Origi’s cross into his own net.
That sinking feeling that we and he felt as that ball fizzed past Tim Krul was to become all too familiar in the 12 months that followed, but it was Hanley’s belief that arguably took the biggest hit.
The picture of him with his head in his hands was a difficult one to shake off, as were the online noises citing Hanley as unfit for purpose in the Premier League.
As it transpired it was another injury-affected season for the Scot as City walked the tightrope of rarely having two fit centre-backs. When called upon Hanley did his usual of giving it his all but almost always from the point of playing catch-up in terms of fitness.
If we’ve learned anything over the last three-and-a-bit seasons, it’s that he’s not one who’s able to hit the ground running after a lay-off. We even saw that in the first few games of this season. He needs to be fit, match fit and with minutes under his belt.
Then you have a player. A really good player.
And he’s been driven onto even greater heights by finally having a defensive partner who’s not only cut from similar cloth but who’s crucially left-footed. As a pairing, it works.
Ben Gibson, like Hanley but for different reasons, has been desperately short of game-time over the last couple of seasons and has too taken time to adjust to the tempo of the 2020-21 Championship, but now looks like he’s arrived.
With both of them up to speed and, crucially, fit, I’d argue this is the best, most solid, centre-back pairing we’ve had for the best part of a decade. The type of centre-back pairing that’s the cornerstone of a third clean sheet on the bounce.
A third clean sheet on the bounce! Think about it.
Despite Boro’s clearly defined strength under Warnock being their ability to defend from a rock-solid base, they tested City yesterday and under that type of intensity we’ve all too often wilted.
Not so right now. Not with Tim Krul, Hanley and Gibson literally calling the shots.
And while Krul can lay no direct claim for Boro’s pen being ruled out, there’s no doubting his ability to get in the mind of every penalty-taker he faces, even before the game starts.
His reputation from the spot goes before him and coupled with his ability to find a few carefully chosen words prior to the kick being taken, he’s now become a formidable opponent from 12 yards.
It’s no coincidence that none of the last three penalties he’s faced have counted.
Of course, it takes more than a trio of wise older heads to conjure up a win on Teesside, and while it wasn’t a performance of beauty and there were a few horror shows (sorry Stiepi, I’m looking at you), there was enough quality on show in that second half to earn the points.
Teemu Pukki for Jordan Hugill was, as it turns out, an enforced change but also one that made us a far more effective attacking force. There was no way Pukki, on this occasion, was going to either slip or miss.
So, a fifth consecutive 1-0 win over Middlesbrough, one that brings to an end their 10 league game unbeaten run and inflicts on them their first home defeat of the season.
Oh, and we upset Colin… again. And went top of the league.
Not a bad day.
(Now watch us bomb at Stoke).
OTBC
Hi Gary
I enjoyed the Hanley eulogy until the very last sentence 🙂
I think you are spot on about Hanley needing games to get up to speed, a lot of players do. I suspect Hugill is another; the trouble is he isn’t going to get them unless Farke finds a way of playing both him and Pukki.
Hanley strikes me as Malky Mk II – a rock in the Championship but not a good enough footballer for the PL. Two years in a row Malky won the Championship (Ok Div One the first time) and in both cases his contract wasn’t renewed. Only the third time did Watford take him with them and then he struggled. As far as I know nobody has shown much interest in returning Hanley to the PL; there must be a reason.
One real positive yesterday was Placheta. He seemed to be given a bit of freedom to roam in the second half, perhaps recognising that their full back could match him for pace. He looks lively though and capable of springing the odd surprise against a packed defence. As everyone observes he just needs to decide what to do with the ball when he’s done the hard bit.
Morning Mr G and others. I was a little worried about this a restart. would have seen a point as a good one. That determination not to lose seems to be filling up in the squad. Gritty, not pretty, but still 3 points. Cannot ask for more against a Colin side. mentioning the man, he has been around the block a few times, he knows how to play, managers game, he has said everything, blamed everything over the years, so who takes him seriously for his rants anymore? I thought his outburst was more to do with a double kick penalty, but now it was about not getting a player sent off. Which for me was OTT in this case and not really sportsmanship, but seeing as he lost you sort of expect.
If I remember rightly, when Pukki slipped on taking a spot-kick he touched the ball twice, but his shot sailed over that bar, so nothing made of it
I like Hanley, not a pretty footballer, but can hit a 40yard pass sometimes, I believe he is just what is needed in this league, Now with a new a partner with him, we are seeing just what a stalwart he can be.
Guy raised a good question on Radio, Any training injuries, why we seem to get so many, I have held the view that with all the science involved in fitness of players, I wonder if they are pushing things a little too far. Seeing Forbes, Stringer Cross and crew scale Mousehold until vomiting at the top, that was always good enough for heavier pitches, lead-weighted wet ball going through 90 minutes of a more manly tough game. Injuries did not seem so many, there were some but not at the same rate. Or am I forgetting in a romantic look back ?
This is spot on. Surely better to have a squad full of fit players who can win the game inside 75 mins rather than a team made up of whoever’s available that have to battle it out to the 96th minute every week?!
Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson, rewind the clock about eighteen years and it’s the up to date version of Malky and Fleming. That’s all.
Hi Gary
A good interesting read
Hanley if I remember on his early days at Blackburn was of interest to Man U, Liverpool and a few other top clubs but I read at the time it was a lack of mobility that turned out to be the reason no one took a chance with him.
I really can’t understand that he gets up and down the park and yeah his pace isn’t great but his reading of the game is good and with a more pacey partner we have a solid defence in the making.
Warnock with his Sorensen should have gone remark was in bad taste if another manager had said that about one of his players the blue touch paper would have burst into flames, but he had to deflect some of the blame away from his team especially with another remark about the Ref being Riley mk2.
A win is a win no matter how it comes so more of the same.
Tuesday Stoke without Gunny Jr and with them starting to put a few in the old onion bag plus conceding a few of late this could be an interesting encounter let’s hope that no new injuries are announced but Hugill could be out for a few weeks if his shoulder is ligament damage.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay safe and stay healthy
Pleased to see an article praising Mr Hanley Gary.
I have always rated Hanley, so I distinctly remember getting a text off my mate Nick just before the ill-fated Project Crapstart started telling me that Grant was out for the season.
I said to myself thats it, we are relegated for sure. It was like the feeling you have as you step into the dentist’s chair.
I know that may sound defeatist but we were already without Zimmerman and Klose was an unknown factor going forward. As it happened Timm was valiant in his efforts but the damage was done.
Hanley is not slow, to me he is deceptively fast once he gets going, lets be honest he was playing so well before lockdown so I still think with the right partner he could do a job in the Premiership.
Yesterday the Boro pitch looked like it was holding a lot of water – several players slipped over – it could have been a simple case of several days of really wet weather in the North East but I wondered whether Warnock had the pitch over watered to stop our pass and move football. It would be delicious if that tactic caused their penalty takers slip and double hit
Good one Seamus.
I used to work up there and believe me the rain cacks down on Teesside big time so we can’t necessarily blame Colin for the pitch.
But it would be sweet if you are right – and I suspect you very well might be 🙂
A very good piece on Grant Hanley who is in the old fashioned mould of Stringer / Forbes. Notice he doesn’t go too far forward with the ball without punting it up field which is fine by me. It offers something different other than the sometimes risky, complex way of playing out from the back. I love his bravery, honesty ( and I’m sure he recognises his own weaknesses ) and commitment to the cause despite never quite looking 100 % fit. In my eyes, he’s a proper defender and ideal for this championship campaign.
Couldn’t agree more Gary about Hanley,Gibson and Krul long may they all stay fit. A lot of money was paided out by Everton and Newcastle for Godfrey and Lewis and yet we look far more solid without them….Happy days all round.
It’s also nice to read about a Norwich football match again without the political leftwing socialist
slant of some of the recent articles 😉
Good read good go see praise for hanley we still zonal marking which got us promoted last time with only 6defeats people still moaned get real then zonal didnt work last year but we didnt have the players to make it work godfrey never a center half for me got caught out many times as center halfs go its good Money for us keep well
Exacta mundo gary i am so happy we have a decent and i mean decent centre back pairing proper centre backs , that means so much to me especially since last year but even the title winning season before are achilles heel has been our defence and it has took this long to address it but they seem to have learnt from it which is important farke as much as i berated him after last season he seems to be learning too for that i can only take my hat off to him as long as you learn from mistakes that makes you a better man .
Id rather have a more solid unit who scores less than what we have had before and hopefully this could be the beginning of something ;))
Pleased to see a fit Hanley back in the team. I’ve thought he was our best centre back for a couple of years as he attacks the ball coming into the box which makes us more secure.
Regarding his premiership qualities the only time we managed to defend last year was when he came back before lockdown. When he wasn’t there after lockdown we looked a mess at the back.
Good to see somebody else values him as highly as I do Gary.
Good article particularly about Hanley. I think that Sorensen at left back has helped solidify the defence as he does not get forward as much as our other left backs have done over the last three seasons. Farkeball 1.0 was based on both full backs getting well up field and the front three becoming quite narrow to free up space for the full backs. That led to us being open to quick counter attacks. Farkeball 2.0 seems a bit more conservative. It will be interesting to see if that changes when either Mumba or Quintilla return to fitness.
If we can keep 15 clean sheets out of the remaining 34 games I think we ought to make the top two. Given the injuries to Idah and Hugill we are short of strikers. Not sure if we could play Dr Mic.
Given the knock to players’ confidence as a result of last season it is really remarkable that we are top of the league. Refreshing the squad will have helped but a lot of credit goes to the players and staff.
Another tough midweek game. Despite a big squad we had to field two goalkeepers in the subs. We may well regret having so many young players out on loan. Shame we could not get a work permit for Soto as he is scoring a lot of goals.
So a quarter of the season gone and there is a lot to be positive about.
OTBC
Stay safe everyone. Let’s all get the vaccine an£ be able to get back to Carrow Road.
Canny man that Webber, 40 million in the bank and the defence vastly improved.