*We are top of the League, said we are top of the League*.
Well, we haven’t heard that in a while and of course our loyal band of regular away supporters weren’t at the Riverside to sing it, but would have belted it out with gusto had they been allowed inside the ground.
Plagiarism isn’t that as such if it’s accredited, so I’ll rob a phrase from Canary Lad on Gary’s piece yesterday: gritty, not pretty. That was probably the most boring game involving City I have seen in a long while, but how much does that really matter if we reap another prile of points?
As many of us have alluded to, the partnership between Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson is shaping up into something safe, sound and solid. It is largely this pairing that enables us to grind out a few 1-0s.
These guys palpably know what they are doing and I remain certain that Zimbo remains a good option in what is, for now, a covering role. But we need a fourth centre-back option coming in during January and Daniel Farke has hinted this is a possibility. To me, it’s a necessity.
Jordan Hugill struggled to make any impact on Saturday but if he was playing with shoulder ligament problems that isn’t really surprising. If he’s out even for a few weeks that leaves us as short in the striking department and doesn’t bear thinking about with Adam Idah out until well after Christmas and literally nobody apart from Teemu Pukki available as a realistic option.
There’s also the possibility of a Lukas Rupp hamstring strain and Todd Cantwell’s self-confessed “bad luck” continuing so while we will always be able to put out a decent starting XI, that old bench is looking a little thin in terms of significant occupancy right now.
Ironic in a way as Daniel Farke was prominent in a [successful] EFL bid to revert to five subs from nine. Not for the first time under Farke we had two keepers on the bench on Saturday.
As for the match itself, we will all surely realise that both penalties were nailed on. In realtime, I must honestly admit that I didn’t see Marcus Tavernier’s double touch on the first and I’m still not totally convinced after watching several replays. It seemed pretty faint and barely perceptible to me but it was an amazingly vigilant reaction from referee Tony Harrington.
Then for the second, Max Aarons was involved in a 1-2 with Emi Buendia that didn’t quite work out and he was heading away from goal when brought down by Boro sub Hayden Coulson.
I don’t know why Coulson did that because there was no need to – but I am sure glad he did. Up stepped the Goat – or the Ghost as he’s been known for the past few days – and sent Boro keeper Marcus Bettenelli the wrong way, just as cool as you like.
Colin wasn’t happy with Jacob Lungi Sorensen afterwards.
“For him [Mr Harrington] to say to me after the game he didn’t think Sam [Folarin] was going to catch the ball, and the ball was only going to go ten yards maximum when you look at it back, 15 at most, and Sam will be through. Why is he telling me that? Because he knows he [Sorensen] is completely wrong,” said Warnock. “They all know he should have got sent off. Why haven’t we got officials that know what they are doing. It is a disgrace.”
Sorry for all the parentheses but don’t blame me, it was Colinspeak.
Contrast that with the reaction of our Daniel:
“It feels like a massive win for us. Such an unbelievably tough place to come. They were eight unbeaten so that shows you the size of the task. Just conceding one goal. Neil Warnock teams are so hard to break down. I said in the build-up we had so many important players away on international duty. It was not possible for us to play Teemu Pukki from the start.
“Both penalties were fair to be awarded. But thankfully they [Boro] were unable to use their situation and Pukki was ice cold.”
Cool, calm and non-confrontational just as we have come to expect from the man. And I’m grateful that Daniel is forever the diplomat.
So we’re literally on the two points per game average after 12 matches and if we can keep this level of commitment up and get a few players back fit the footballing world could be our lobster.
And if we can keep singing that *we are top of the league* refrain until May we all know what that will mean.
So far, so good.
Hi Martin
Well that’s another tough game out of the way and yet another on the horizon Tuesaday with Stoke having their tails up after a good win against Huddersfield.
Now Farke has his 5 subs in place I just wonder if out loans out would have been different if that was the case from the start of the season just maybe Famewo, Sinina and Mccullum might have stayed as back up and a chance of getting game time at city we will never know.
Getting points playing against Warnocjs teams has been always a pleasant feeling and his comment saying he was interviewed when Rioch got the game was a surprise to hear.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay safe and stay healthy
Hi Alex
Good point about the loans had the increased subs quota been in place at the very beginning of the season.
To my mind the McCallum loan was always a strange decision whatever the circumstances and even without the element of hindsight it would appear to have been the wrong move. Surely he at least must be odds on for a January recall?
I too had no idea Colin was interviewed for the job either but Rioch was a bit of a Sgt Major type too so that kind of character must have been what they were looking for at the time.
Don’t the games come thick and fast just now – time for a prayer or two to the Football Gods in respect of injuries I feel.
Cheers
Good morning Martin on what looks like being a sunny but chilly day. Still, I’d far rather that than the almost incessant rain that we endured during October,
Great headline from Gary as usual.
Hard to believe that we’re top of the Championship, but my goodness isn’t it congested behind us. Stoke in 7th are only 3 points behind and I see that Bristol are now up to 3rd.
Yes indeed, our away fans would have completely lost their voices by the time they returned to Norfolk on Saturday after thousands of renditions of – ‘We are top of the League!!’ We mustn’t forget that DF has been denied his ‘Olés’ after each victory as well!!
Interesting that referee on Saturday spotted the double strike on the Boro penalty and then didn’t Sorensen off. Had he done, I think it would have been very harsh. Still, it gave Colin the opportunity to have a rant at the referee, but as MB said in his report, we should have had a 2nd penalty when McLean was felled in the box.
Justifiably, lots of praise for Hanley’s performance (and Gibson) on Saturday and he made some incredibly important blocks throughout the game and especially in the latter stages when Boro were trying to equalise. I see both he and Krul were in the team of the week, as was Fry from Boro. Our defence certainly looks a lot more solid in recent games.
If there is such a thing – after Stoke, we have a slightly easier run of games until we play Watford on Boxing Day. I’m not really surprised to see how the ‘wheels have come off’ at Reading after their blistering start.
At least we won’t have to face the ‘Son of a Gunn!!’ on Tuesday, as he’s injured.
One of the things that has really impressed me this season, which is so different to last season is that the team appears so much fitter and plays until the final whistle!! 😀
Morning Ed
Frost, J, is still very much in the City and shows little signs of departing just yet. As for the headline I reckon our Gary has surpassed himself with the pictures today – Warnock looks as if he’s about to froth at the mouth.
The top of the table is indeed very compact and there will obviously be some ups and downs on the ladder as the match schedule continues. Quite probably on a round to round basis I would imagine.
Yes we do seem very fit with a high level of stamina but for all the mockery of possession stats from some quarters that can surely only serve to tire the oppo towards the end. We also seem to pick up more than our fair share of injuries in training which may or may not be connected to intensity levels of course.
Boro’s Dael Fry looked a very, very capable young defender on Saturday
Thanks as always.
Tavernier didn’t have a leg to stand on. That’s becoming quite a thing this year. In an odd way if all pens had gone in we might well have drawn both rather than a 1-0 either way. 3 pints better than 2.
Colin upset , what’s not to like, and we now go to Stoke for another tough game, oh and a reunion with Angus.
Ah a typo , points obviously , but thinking about it …pints will do.
I saw it too but as I would always agree that 3 pints are better than 2 unless you’re driving I didn’t comment 🙂
No Angus, he’s injured.
Ha!
Beat me too it by minutes 🙂
You obviously didn’t pick up on my ‘Son of a Gunn’:-D comment in my post!!
Ha!
Ole clever clogs picked up on the Angus injury on Friday and had to alter the MFW Stoke preview because of it!
Actually I really feel sorry for Angus as I’m sure he would have loved to play against us. Hopefully he’ll be at the ground for the chance to catch up with some old mates but ankle ligament ruptures can be more than a tad painful as I know from personal experience so he might not fancy even a short journey at this early stage.
As he’s out I think his loyalties on the night will lie with us 🙂
Hi Bernie
Yeah, the Fulham penalty against Everton went down the same route as well so that’s three in a month while I can’t remember the last time it happened previously!
I’m afraid our Angus is medium-term injured so he won’t be playing tomorrow – check out our MFW preview later on.
Cheers mate
I was convinced that there was a double hit for the Boro penalty either (thankfully there’s no equivalent of the cricket snickometer) but the taker’s own reaction, unlike his team mates, probably confirmed it for me.
Hi Gary
Yes, Tavernier definitely appeared to know that he’d stuffed up but I didn’t notice that until the initial replay – I missed it in real time.
I do wonder though if Simon Hooper would have reacted in the same way as Tony Harrington – who rather strangely seems to live in Hartlepool!
Thanks
Hi Martin, loved the Arthur Daly reference near the end! (Lobster, for those who never watched Minder).
Only seen the extended highlights on YouTube, and I agree it’s difficult to see the double touch on their penalty, but even Colin seems to accept that decision. Funny, there was another one in the Premier League yesterday, and Pukki’s earlier in the season. Are pitches being over-watered, or are the players’ studs not up to the job these days? At least we’re not back in the old days when the groundsman had to come on at the Baseball Ground and repainted the penalty spot in one game because the pitch was so cut up.
Hi Jim
Yeah Minder was great. Funnily enough I had a white Capri just like Terry McCann’s and my mate Smiffy had an old Jag the same colour as Arfur Daley’s. You can imagine what the boys up the pub made of that, especially if we ever parked next to each other.
Seamus made a great point on Gary’s article yesterday that if Colin had ordered the pitch to be over watered to slow us down it sure backfired on him!
The old Baseball Ground was like a field that had had bullocks on it all summer. I only went there once but I couldn’t believe the sorry state of it.
As for studs players of this generation have far more choices than you or I ever did so I really don’t know the answer to that one in all honesty.
Cheers
Isn’t it great to have a defensive midfielder (Skipp) who wins more than 50% of his tackles .It must give his team mates so much confidence ,especially when he emerges from most bf his bruising encounters with a smile on his face !A true successor to Nobby Stiles?
Hi MftS
Yes Skipp has been marvellous for us, he really has. About time we got a good loanee from Spurs – the last one was grasshoppper Naughton and that seems like yonks ago now, although Kyle’s still playing.
Olly’s taller and has better teeth and hair than Nobby but I doubt he’ll ever win a World Cup, unfortunately!
Thanks
Hi Martin;
Didn’t a certain Mr Harry Kane come from Spurs after Naughton??
(Not that you’d have noticed given his performances for NCFC!!!)
O T B C
To be honest I thought HK was a washout for us – he managed to stuff up a 1 on 1 with the West Ham keeper, promptly got injured and that was that!
I have no words to describe Marcus Edwards [I bet Daniel’s got a few though] but I must balance that with the permanents we got from White Hart Lane back in the day as in Crooky, Cully, Mark Bowen, John Polston and the great Martin Peters. Oh and Garry Brooke but you can’t win ’em all.
I’m beginning to think we still owe Tottenham a favour 🙂
So we’re top of the league without, so far, playing our previous Championship level of brilliant flair football.
I wonder whether we’re going to hit those heights this season. The style has certainly changed and my nerves are less shredded with less of the risky playing out from the back. I doubt Hanley and Gibson will ever be described as ball playing CBs, but clearing pressure with a hoof has never seemed a bad thing to me. Without doing any research, I feel that a lot of successful teams win more games 1-0 than 4-0.
If we do rip through teams with the elan of two years ago, the increased steadfastness at the back should make us a better bet for long term success.
I hope this feeling of optimism is still in place by 9.00pm on Tuesday night!
Hi Don
I agree with all of that, especially your last sentence.
My only caveat is that when we do hoof it away there is nobody up front to hold it up except the Stieperdude and he’s a bit, erm, patchy in that respect.
Gibson isn’t bad when it comes to playing it out actually.
Cheers
I use to be a fell walker when I lived in North Yorkshire. Getting onto the high peaks was hard graft but the views when you get there are magnificent. And so it is with football, being at the top is great, yeah it’s early days, and yeah someone will rain on our parade, then there’s injuries, transfers, bad luck, next season in the Prem? And so on. But right now I’m enjoying it, ‘We are top of the league’
Hi Cutty
I was a fell walker myself a couple of times after too much cider. Parts of North Yorkshire are indeed beautiful and Harrogate is a lovely town.
Trouble is with the matches coming so thick and fast we don’t really have that much time to wallow in the joy of a win for very long.
Cheers pal
Hi Martin
Brecon and Snowdonia was choice for country walks a few times when I was stationed at RAF Hereford Credon Hill not part of the SAS Sterling Lines, and then for a few months at RAF Valley went out with the Mountain Rescue teams.
Don’t think Farke is getting too much training done with all these games coming think and fast after resting between them and sorting slight knocks.
Just hope we can get at least a draw tomorrow night and maybe we will see our up and coming young striker from the U23 on the bench if Hugill is out injured.
On our loans outward seems Famewo has got a slight a knock at Charlton, Soto and Adshead are getting good reviews so the future looks bright
It should have read Creadon Hill RAF Herefird now part of the SAS training camp the Sterling Lines
Having just seen DF’s injury update I’m wondering if we could borrow a couple of PTI’s from Hereford or Lympstone.
This cruel luck seems endless.
Yes we do have a hotshot in the under-23s as in Tyrese Omatoye but he’s just 18. Mind you he got a hat-trick against Newport County in that competition [Papa John’s?} that I can never recall the full name of. I guess he’s a possible but he’s not training with the first team squad to my knowledge – yet!
I stayed at Valley [not the RAF base, obviously] for a couple of nights while working in Ruabon and the indigenous mix of Welsh folks and Scousers were great company actually. Very friendly and I had a few good frames of pool with some of them.
Anyone from the base wore civvies and didn’t declare themselves although I’m sure there must have been a few in the mix.
One of those nights we were at home to Forest and I remember phoning the old Canary phone line from the payphone in the hotel/pub for the result [1-1] – shows how long ago it must have been!
Terese is injured, too!!!!
Archant’s Dave Freezer reckons there’s a fair chance young striker Tom Dickson-Peters from the under-23s might get a place on the bench. Oh well we’ve all got to start somewhere but I wouldn’t personally choose Stoke away in November BCD 🙂
Loathe him or hate him, Colin knows what he’s doing, and those are three golden points in my view.
No surprise that Hanley and Fry were named as centre backs in the Championship team if the week. Considering each would have been man of the match for his side it was more entertaining at times than you might expect.
From the moment Sorensen was, quite rightly, booked a number of Boro players seemed to be trying to fall over or collide with him. Fair play to Harrington for being wise to it; he was equally unsympathetic to Buendia’s likeness for a tumble when he loses out. He looks like a decent ref, allows robust but fair challenges. Sadly he’ll have to start waving a lot more cards around if he wants to make it in the PL.
As for double-touch penalties, isn’t the best just to run up fast and hammer the thing?
Hi Keith
Actually I don’t loathe Colin – he loves to play the pantomime dame and doesn’t strike me as a nasty individual; more one with a big gob that opens a little too often. I saw him on telly while he was out of work relatively recently and he came across as really quite okay.
As I’ve said elsewhere above, young Fry looked really good to me too.
Having just read DF’s injury update we’ll be lucky to fill the bench tomorrow. I had no idea at all about the Kenny McLean injury.
It looks like we’ll have a decent starting XI with Vrancic, McGovern, Zimbo and Josh Martin the only *names* on the bench as Tettey might well have to replace Rupp. And after that the Lord knows who we’ll be able to field against Coventry on Saturday.
Oh well, c’est la vie at Norwich City. Unfortunately.
Cheers
Thanks Martin (and commenters);
That was surely a pretty complete away performance, and to come away from ‘Boro being top of the league something I’d hardly dare to contemplate.
But (and being Norwich there always is a but!), we are certainly racking things up on the injury front. We keep hearing that we’ve not reached the performance heights of 2 years ago, but when you look at our injury list, it’s surely hardly surprising. And why is it that (almost) all of the injuries are for 10 or 12 weeks? Yes, we’re putting the players through many more matches in a short space of time, plus of course the pointless international break, but do other clubs suffer so much as NCFC?
Is it the training?? Are they wearing the wrong slippers?? (I refuse to call them boots nowadays)…
Anyway, onwards to Stioke on a wet Tuesday evening – which apparently sorts the men from the boys. With players like Hanley, Gibson and Krul in the team now I don’t think we’ll be intimidated as we may have been in the past.
O T B C
Hi John
Although we have nobody who stars for Brazil, Spain, France or even dear old England we have quite a large international contingent and these extra fixtures can really take a toll.
Not many, if any, clubs in the Championship have to wave away so many players away for a fortnight as we do.
It’s so ironic that all returned to Colney safe and well [except Adam Idah of course] but we have lost a few since. Is it the training? I’m beginning to think it might be in the sense that there is literally too much of it. Players like Tettey and Hanley know what they’re all about in that respect but I’m sure some of the less experienced do as they’re instructed regardless and youngsters like Max and Bali put everything in as they clearly love it.
But I could be completely wrong and it’s all bad luck. Somehow I doubt that myself as it seems to happen far too often for my liking. I wouldn’t know – the last time I watched a training session was under Dave Stringer at Trowse!
As I said to Jim D [above] stud length is up to the player but at least they have a choice that you or I never did. Mind you with respect I guess very few of our generation were high speed athletes so it didn’t matter quite so much for us 🙂
A little late in writing, still suffering the 4th week of vile attack gout in my feet, A hard earned win, if little lucky with Boro’s slip. Didn’t that happen to The Goat ? But his sailed way over.
I still have a little soft spot for Colin, the media love him and he rarely disappoints, his football may be a little old hat but he still gets results, As to his mon and groan I honestly thought it was going to be about the penalty. Not watching the game, I do remember Chris Goreham saying that Sorenson was a tad lucky to stay on. I believe that he was changed a little later. Not sure as tablets I am on make me more dopey than usual.
Stoke will be a test, if the defence can hold out we should be OK, they don’t seem to rely on their back four too much. they can score.. May sport a tenner to watch that one, if I stay awake.
Had a thought that Dr Mic could be used as a stand-in striker or am I out of it completely. He was a striker were he ?
Canary Caller made a good point about injuries in training, I do feel they go a tad too far with all the science, Big Dunc did not have the science, he had St James hill. and a railway sleeper sweat box, he did OK. Heavy pitches,& Balls (that’s the football type) and certainly a lot harder men.
I was taught to try and keep a little in reserve when playing, that came from Alan A Court a city trainer. Wonder if that should be considered in the new set up.
Enough of my drug induced ramblings
Hi Lad
Farke has said this very day that both Drmic and Leitner could legally play but reinforced that he wants them to find a new club in January so it ain’t gonna happen.
I can’t recall Alan a’Court although I do remember Alan a’Dale who was one of Robin Hood’s buddies. Alan the minstrel was certainly a *forest fan* anyway.
Four weeks is far too long to suffer from gout – get on antacids as I said last time around – no mind-bending effects from them!
And thanks for the gritty not pretty line about Boro that I shamelessly robbed.
Thanks as always
A tough game with an excellent result. The referee got some decisions right and others wrong for both sides. I’m surprised that Mr Warnock still fails to realise that will happen after all his years in football. He cannot believe all the decisions will go his way, surely. Maybe he should look at the mistakes he made and those of his players.
Farke is so different that it even more clearly highlights Warnock’s failings.
It is strange how we now accept changes to the rules part way through the season and between leagues. It would be interesting to get views on the rights and wrongs of that and how far it could go before it becomes unacceptable.
Given our indifferent start with the first four games it is amazing that the team have bedded down so effectively. We look like we have made some good signings for the first team and also have some players out on loan, who are performing well. The future is looking rosey.
Another tough game this week. The way we are grinding out positive results I am hopeful the team can get at least a draw at Stoke. Let’s hope we get no more injuries or yellow cards as we are getting threadbare on the subs bench.
OTBC
Hi Colin
*The future is looking rosey*.
Well it was until the latest injury bulletin from Citadel Colney anyway. Basically we’ll now have to scrape together what we can in terms of available personnel for the next six weeks and see what January brings in terms of signings, recalls and most importantly player returns.
When we get the likes of Dowell, Byram, Onel and the others back we’ll be good to go but until then it appears like all hands to the pump.
If we can hang on in the top six until then I’m sure we’ll be fine.
Cheers
“That was probably the most boring game involving City I have seen in a long while”
I thought it was quite entertaining, if a little lacking in end product. I guess the result helped.
Hi Dave
I think if you were take out the two penalty incidents you would find yourself with very little left but as you suggest, the result added an element of excitement all on its own.
Thanks
Good morning, Martin. Great article and I hope all is well.
I had the privilege to play golf a few years ago, with what turned out to be, a former chairman of a first division football club. Naturally the conversation quickly turned to football and I was asking him about the job and who he had interviewed over the years.
His response was that every single person he had interviewed, whether successful or not, had been an absolute gentleman.
Apart from one;
Who was described as ‘a really nasty piece of work’.
Hope you’re all well.
Hi Martin
That’s an interesting golfing anecdote to be sure. A photographer mate of mine is a member at Mottram Hall in Cheshire where Sir Alex and some of the United backroom team used to play – maybe they still do for all I know.
He picked up some juicy scraps of info without even having to prod for them!
Yes we’re all good and I hope you and yours are too. I’ll write over the holidays when hopefully you’re a little less hectic.
Cheers