You have to feel for Dean Smith.
He knew he was signing up for what many deemed a mission impossible, but his own professional pride and some carefully chosen words by Stuart Webber were enough to convince him that there was enough quality in this squad for it to achieve 17th place or better.
There isn’t and we won’t.
He didn’t of course expect for said squad to be ravaged by illness and injury to the extent it has, and he certainly didn’t expect to be picking a team at Selhurst Park that was without all of its best players, included two goalkeepers on the bench and was still one short of a full complement.
As tends to be the case when you’re rock bottom, we’re in the full grip of Murphy’s Law. Anything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong and when we think we’ve ticked the entire list of potential disasters, we then go and discover some new ones.
It’s gut-wrenching. Joy-less.
So I should really start by saluting the 2000+ loyal, hardy foot soldiers who made the trip to Selhurst Park. If only City’s players could display similar levels of commitment.
Because for all the injury and illness woes and however threadbare our squad is, there were points to be had at Palace yesterday. They too were minus some big names and, as a result, fielded a side that had an unfamiliar look to it. But this City team has forgotten how to win; even how to draw.
From the second that Kenny McLean made that ill-judged challenge and Will Hughes used his public school drama lessons to good effect, the die was cast.
Six minutes.
From that moment onward, not a single player in yellow and green believed they could anything from that game. And the fans knew too… we’ve seen the film many times before. Just like watching Elf for the umpteenth time, knowing the ending but without the warm, fuzzy feeling.
After what had been a bright opening, the cock-ups began. Stray passes, missed tackles, lost 50/50s and that general befuddlement of the brain that occurs when things start to go awry.
That goal number two came just 22 seconds after Jacob Sorensen had missed a very presentable chance at the other end summed up the Class of 2021-22. Carelessness at both ends of the pitch and hot-knife-through-butter syndrome in the middle third. The perfect recipe for disaster.
Goal number three shortly after was inevitable I’m afraid, and that was Palace finished for the day. Job done.
City’s huffing and puffing of the second half simply had to be better than the first and it was, but that was all it was. A couple of half-decent chances came and went, as is our wont, but this was Palace in cruise control. Never troubled and never even the slightest hint of a stirring comeback.
Not saying things are grim, but in order to entertain themselves, the travelling Y’Army had to pretend to celebrate a goal. And while it’s gallows humour at its finest, one can only imagine the dispiriting effect it must have had on the players.
Talking of whom, the one whose display has attracted the most attention yesterday was one Billy Gilmour, who was on the receiving end of a song from some City fans who were suggesting, in industrial terms, that he be returned to his parent club.
Now it’s clear the young Scot hasn’t been the fledgling superstar we desperately wanted him to be, nor is he the international superstar that Chelsea fans already believe him to be, but some of the abuse he is taking from certain quarters at the moment leaves a distinctly bitter taste.
For all his current failings, and there are a few (too loose with his passing, too easy to bypass etc), he never hides. Yesterday, at 3-0 down Gilmour was still demanding the ball and trying to make things happen – even if it didn’t. Unlike others, not least his fellow Scot in the centre of that midfield who, despite being the senior pro of the two, seems to get a free pass.
In a team that badly lacks leaders and those with a voice, the least we should expect of the experienced internationals in the team is that they use that experience to help lead the younger players through these troubled waters. Not to concede a stupid penalty after six minutes and then hide for most of the second half.
But the problems Dean Smith faces are multi-dimensional. It’s a team that can’t defend, create or score and none of us should get too carried away by the fact that we’re still only three points adrift of 17th place. The fact we have played more games than anyone else, apart from Newcastle, and can’t score a goal for love nor money means our goose is well and truly cooked.
Maybe a fleeting sign of what’s to come in the second half of the season came in the form of young Jonathan Rowe’s late and lively cameo. We’re already in what-do-we-have-to-lose territory, so why not give some game time to those youngsters who may well be leading the Championship charge next season.
Whether the rest of us have the stomach to go through it all again when we know how dispiriting the prize is, is an altogether different question.
Leicester away next. Hey ho.
If ever a business needed a root and branch change it’s Norwich City.
If our owners cling on much longer we are going to lose a whole generation of fans.
For the first time in nearly sixty years I’m not looking forward to going to watch Norwich because never before have they been so completely out of their depth.
Forget injuries, Palace were without three of their best players.
After next season in the championship we’ll be back to pre Lambert days.
To think we thought it was bad under Chase, at least we competed.
The treatment of Billy Gilmour was appalling and demonstrates how low this club has fallen.
But surely we were missing at least double that number?? Krul, Aarons; Hanley; Normann; Rashica; Pukki……. Palace’s were fit enough for their bench; we had 2 keepers on ours and even then were one short.
Surely the chiefs at the club cannot allow Saturday’s game to go ahead??
O T B C
The quality of their three players was greater than the sum of ours.
Felt a bit for Gilmour. Not because he’s been particularly good (although certainly no worse than some of the dross that Webber has brought in) but because it has all the hallmarks of the wrong player at the wrong club at the wrong time. I don’t think he’s been helped by the endless media hype which has built up the fans expectations to unrealistic levels, although this is no excuse for any abuse that’s he’s received.
If the fans are going to get vocal, then save it for the man who bought him, and those higher up the chain as well. It’s one thing to be in a relegation scrap (and I’ve seen plenty) but to be so utterly abject from day one of the season after so much promise from last season is very hard to take. This season so far ranks as one of my most depressing to watch, and that includes the end of the Chase years, Bryan Hamilton’s tenure, plus relegation to League One. It feels like we’re chucking everything away that we’ve built.
As for those morons who targeted Adam Idah – utter shame on you and get lost please.
Hello Gary, I hope that all your colleagues and my fellow contributors are enjoying some well earned downtime and have had, football notwithstanding a fine festive season.
My other half ranked as she vacated the house prior to yesterday’s game that I should simply watch a comedy film or that old classic where eagles dare, my favourite complete with Eastwood and Burton and the blondest moat German looking nazi I’ve ever witnessed.
She had seen my agonised expression upon hearing the team news and knew full well what was to follow.
5 minutes of parity was all we could muster before the main object of Gary’s ire intervened with a naive and lazy semi contact on a standard Premier league cheat resulting in a penalty. The type we don’t get.
We can point to the patched up nature of the team but in reality a first team regular had effectively cost us the game. I never felt the same slight element of hope that we get when krul faces a spot kick. Gunn is such a poor replacement.
What followed was a litany of weak and sloppy midfield play, yes, gilmour was a regular culprit in that regard and the game threatened to go all arsenally on us. Which it swiftly did.
The anger surfaced as our shower trooped off. I cursed loudly and put the kettle on.
Bizarrely I reappeared for the second half. Palace, depleted themselves saw no reason to push matters further and played within themselves in order to conserve energy for harder assignments to come.
This has been misconstrued in some quarters as a revival of sorts. Mercifully no more damage was done to our disgraceful goal difference.
Whosoever decreed that idah was the main back up to pukki in the summer is an idiot. Likewise the person or person who signed off the signatures of Sargent and gunn.
In fairness, I liked the effort and professionalism shown by byram, who must have had to relearn much of his trade. Also placheta who continuously puts in the effort and desire so lacking in most of his team mates. Jonathan Rowe also did himself no harm. Good to see. The cook will already be rubbing her hands at the prospect of another payday to come.
Much has been made about the behaviour of our support during and after the game. The sound of camels backs cracking could be heard all the way from Croydon.
After a record breaking run of hammering, humiliations, derision and scorn. Allied to the realisation that yet again we’ve been conned will do that to ant support. Us Norfolk types hold on to our anger quietly for ages but when it goes, by farke it goes. Expect worse.
The national response to lille old norwich, delias soft centred club baring its teeth is telling. Similar fan discontent happens regularly and nothing is said. They don’t like it when we don’t conform to the stereotype. Farke them all. I like it. I want to see some edge to the club.
This season isn’t just poor, it’s a disgrace and a fraud. Why should people stand for it?
Brilliant comment. I’m the same. People are angry and rightly so. Let it boil over. The experiment, this model of self sustaining doesn’t work. I want change, it’s gone beyond now.
When team keeps on loosing, its very difficult to change it. Im more sure that your recruitment had huge luck with Pukki and Buendia and this summer transfers already sounded mad. Person who was behind Pukki recruitment is now in Middlesbrough?
Media in Finland doubt very much that Teemu would be injured or having covid. Interesting that Pukki, Aarons and Cantwell all happened to be out suddenly same time and likely they are not playing in next game either?
You’ve made a good point about recruitment. It’ll be interesting to see how Middlesbrough fair with their future signings.
Maybe we could have done better by signing promising players from the championship.
Hi 1×2
A few of my friends said exactly the same about the absence of Pukki, Cantwell and Aarons yesterday as yourself today.
Sadly I suspect you are all correct.
Have a read of MFW tomorrow and you’ll see what I mean!
I still don’t believe S & S would have signed up unless they were promised some new, better, players in the window.
Well this season can’t get any worse, can it?
I remember writing weeks ago ( I don’t write on here very often having gone through 64 yrs of up’s and down’s ) that DF had to go and S&J had to go. OK the first happened, we turned a corner for 4 games and I wrote again to show the number of points we could obtain based on previous 8 games, enough to stay up!!
The second never happened and never will. So basically after 64 yrs my hopes have gone. As many people like me feel sympathy for DF and Dean Smith, we should all have sympathy for each other. Whilst I can’t attend games I follow as cleanly as I always have, but I feel that disappearing now.
As many realise money is what’s needed and under the current ownership it ain’t there and wont be.
.
Oh for my first season 1957/58 FA Cup Semi, having beaten Man Utd & Spurs on the way. All my school mates were Man Utd & Spurs what a season, looking back on the long journey including watching Inter Milan at Carrow Road, there are some good memories, But this has to be the worse time ever.
Watching Match of the Day I can’t believe what I see, inept in every part, the last 2 games 8 goals conceded, how many just inside the post, goalkeeping position! the last CP goal the angle, how the hell did that go in, this is not just a dig at Gunn. The same applies to all positions, the positional play is appalling, I can’t believe with all DS & CS experience this can happen, even with any 11 players, on the field, but then to single out and watch just one player, sorry Idah take it from me find another job because you ain’t going to make it playing as a centre forward.
Ok, got that off my chest, bring on Leicester, on the bight side Madders is playing some good stuff, he should have plenty of room to look even better.
If ever our recruitment needed scrutinizing it is now it has been shambolic, to say the least. Yes, John F and Gary can keep blaming Delia and, yes, I know they don’t invest heavily but nor did Robert Chase and we were so much better then because our recruitment was so much better – selling Chris Sutton to Blackburn and Tim Sherwood was the end of that era but that was self-funding on reflection.
But the cr@p we buy at the minute isn’t worth a lot is it, and also how can teams like Brentford look so much better than us when we finished above them in the Championship? They bought Ajer, our main target. And we got Kabak on loan right at the end of the window and what good has he been? We can self-fund if we make better decisions in recruitment and, I’m sorry, Stuart Webber has to go. He is no good at recruitment! Training grounds and infrastructure, yes, but transfers and player recruitment, NO!
Hi Gary,
“Joy-less” is the perfect summary. The moment the opposition scores it is all over. I have the (mis)fortune of seeing every game living in Spain and watching on DAZN. Of course, I miss going to Carrow Road but not as much this season, there is such an air of predictability to the way every game will go. Let’s do our best to stay positive and hopefully when the injured players come back it may get better!
I called it 3-0 on here yesterday and was proved right, though it was looking like it was going to be more.
Dean Smith must be wondering what to do. What can he do? It’s a complete mess. Players are in and out, partly due to form and partly due to COVID. None of this helps, but we are very much a team in name only. Confidence is absolutely shot. Everybody will want to play against Norwich City and it will be the last season they play them in most cases as we are heading for the DeliaZone™ again.
Normally The Championship is our – or should `I say the board’s – comfort zone where they don’t have to deal and play against those clubs in the evil EPL. However, the club is so disjointed League One may be where we ultimately land and that cannot be allowed to happen.
The only upside to this debacle is if pressure is applied to Smith & Jones, but too many fans still think they are like a soft toy, fluffy and wonderful whereas they are old and out of touch.
Norwich City. The neutrals favourite to comedy status. Nobody likes us, but we do care. Don’t we?
That last result//performance had all the signs of re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic! So difficult to find any positives other than eleven bodies did line up for the start of the match; trouble was they were only cardboard cutouts rather than professional footballers!
Gary I suspect even you are struggling to find a different set of words to describe/comment on the current state of affairs. Can it get any worse?
I read that GA the former Aston Villa player has gone on record to suggest that Chelsea should recall Gilmour in January as he is playing alongside second rate players. Maybe those words should be posted on the changing room walls to inlicit a response from those who next wear the shirt. They need a large intake of fire in their bellies to demonstrate to us supporters that they do care, do want to play well, do want to score, do want to defend but most all want to play with pride in the Club that pays their wages however small they are in comparison with others.
DS in a previous “presser” described his squad as “good enough to succeed”. Time to prove they are not hollow words methinks.
Happy New Year to all canary supporters far and wide.
Tomorrow’s game between Everton and Newcastle has already been called off. A quick look at the Premiere League injuries web site reveals Everton have 9 listed, one with a common cold, two unspecified “illness”, the rest regular injuries. Newcastle’s list is more problematic- they list 13, but two are suspensions (tough, whose fault is that?), and four have unspecified “illness”, all four of which have the same statement against them- “Difficult in the preparation. We have a mixture of injuries and Covid cases. The squad is stretched.”
Leicester have 10, Norwich have 11, so given two of Newcastle’s are self-inflicted (suspension) and four are very vague about the problem, why are we and Leicester not able to get the game postponed? It really is one rule for us, and another for them. Sorry, my paranoia is showing.
I really doubt Jim that Leicester want this game off Jim.
I bet had Place been playing Everton, Villa or West Ham they would have made a concerted effort to have the City game called off.
Whoever is to blame for this debacle to some extent is for another day. We were without 8 starters yesterday plus Rupp and Omobamidele would have played had they been available.
Paul Merson said yesterday that Chelsea should have their game called off because they were without their 3 regular strikers !!! I have a lot of time for Merse’s opinion but jeez why did no one on the Sky say we were without nearly all our first team.
Yes, Tim, you’re probably right that Leicester will be happy to play it, after all, they beat Liverpool, but Brendan Rogers has wanted other games called off recently because of their situation with injuries, and hasn’t been successful.
I still think it’s who you are, not what your situation is.
Nailed it completely!!!
When – and I do mean when – we go down, what will be the point of trying to get promoted again? The club have proved themselves definitively unworthy of being there. They are a laughing stock and for professional athletes that must hurt. Can you imagine the queue at the exit door in January? I bet you 10 players have been onto their agents saying. ‘For Christ’s sake get me outta there!’ And who would want to come here anyway? Next season could be very interesting. It wouldn’t take much to slide down another division next year. Dangerous times.
I hope ten players have asked to leave as they have proved twice their not up to it and give Neil Adams the money can’t do any worse can he ? I also predict ed 30 on Martin’s piece and earlier had said that man u was first of five defeats on the trot can’t see the end of the losses at the moment but we can’t blame s and j for lack of passion and fight on the field perhaps off it .
Joy- LESS, Frustrating, Disappointing, BUT EXPECTED. a few words I can use safely, without getting reprimanded.
I have given up expecting anything better, Having an Amazon account, I could not be bothered to turn the TV, instead, I watched something close to what City are lately….. The Walking Dead.
Been an ardent supporter since the beginning of the 1962 season. I have seen some dross, but this takes the biscuit for me. Years, ago we could vote with our feet, not so easy now with the weight of money already paid. What more can be said? That many on here have not said? Even repeated post after post. So not going to bother anymore. Only to say
Another Tragic disappointment, served up by owners so out of touch with the modern management of a club, hanging on to pie dream, that may work in League 2 if you were lucky. Not in this mega-money league, hundreds of us fans could see it, but not this duo and the rest of the board. Are they simply YES-Men in that room? It is looking more likely they are.
I am sick of hearing people say there are no investors out there, But how the hell do we know? When stipulations are placed on what any prospective new owner can and can’t do, is it any wonder the interest is scarce?
Expect nothing more while this pipe-dream is continued, the little pot of gold has been wasted, now with – just 1 asset that can be sold the production line has dried up earlier than expected, although it was pretty clear to many.
Yes, the Stowmarket twosome can have all the pats on the back they like/want for a well-run club, the fact remains the NCFC is a little club being kept little. And will never be anything different, I will still throw my support behind the manager and team. but that is where that ends. Massive changes are needed before we become what they see the club as forever
I think our main problem is midfield. If we had someone like Skipp adding cover to a defence of Krul, Byram, Aarons, Hanley and Andy O, and if we had someone like Buendia to create chances for Pukki we might not be in such a mess. I do not condone blaming Gilmour. He will be a good player in time and his main problem at the minute is that he has been over hyped and he cannot operate on his own. I have long questioned McLean. I do not see what special talent he brings to the team. He doesn’t tackle or intercept as well as Tettey or Skipp, he does not have a strong physical threat, he is not capable of adding goals like Bradley Johnson, he does not have the creative skills of a Houlahan or Buendia, he doesn’t win headers as well as Stieperman and he certainly doesn’t have the range of passing of an Ian Crook, he is not blessed with great speed. I am sure that he is a really nice guy. I expect he is fun to have in the dressing room. He always does a fair bit of running around. I am sure that he tries his best. But do his qualities make him a Premier League player? I doubted him in the Championship and I was really hoping to see a good replacement for him this year. I was really pleased he wanted to go back to Rangers. I was hoping he would get his dream move. Unfortunately, I doubt anyone would pay money for him otherwise I would suggest selling him. I really hope he makes me eat my words. I hate to be negative. Nothing would please me more than him showing exceptional form, cutting out the sloppy mistakes and going on a blistering goal streak. Can I see it happening? Well, I live in hope.
He’s the best in the world at demolishing stuff in various Costa’s on the south side of the city!!
At last Sue, someone with views akin to my own. Unfortunately Gilmour isn’t able to carry him to the same extent as Skipp was last season.
I went to the local government building to get my Florida driver’s license instead of watching this game. Amazingly, it was probably more enjoyable.
For us to have succeeded we needed everything to go for us. That has certainly not happened.
However, for me the recruitment has been poor. Larger amounts of money was available but its misuse was highlighted for me by Wil Hughes yesterday. A 10 million pound buy, less or the same as some of our purchases, and you cannot begin to compare his impact with that of Tzolis and Sargent. Decent premier league players were available at our prices and with experience rather than ones for the future. This should have been the future and we needed to recruit specifically for it.
We were told regularly that increased physicality was needed. Again this was abundantly clear at Palace where we were out muscled constantly. What happened to that problem being solved?
Certainly we are missing many players and Normann and Rashica in particular of the new recruits but we have created too many problems for ourselves with another bad summer.
Personally I would love to see Gilmour go back to Chelsea straight away I don’t think he’s all that way way overrated no wonder Farke wouldn’t play him . Loans will never be our answer with the exception of skip of course .
My point is upon reflection say we had 2oo million quid to invest say Would you really want Stuart Webber investing that for you ??? Because I can tell you I for one sure wouldn’t and I bet Delia wouldn’t in hindsight .
some great teams are better than the sum of their parts. It appears to me that our team is not as good as the parts that make it up. Players not in optimal positions. square pegs in round and triangular holes.
its not that the players are poor, its that they are being asked to do stuff thats not natural to them.
We are struggling to play decent defensive midfielders, right wingers and a no 10, because we dont have any at the club. We ask square pegs to ain round holes. Cant build a roof with wall bricks.
Hiya Gary hope you have still got half a smile after the past few days bud!
This was my thoughts this morning on a fb post
The only winners in this are television!
Money talks the powers that be who should be running football(not the ones who pay to dictate)should have called off all games after first case.
Teams like Norwich struggle even without covid with stupid money the big clubs get, so what chance when we have half our side out with covid symptoms?
Yes we have been awful in December but put back players missing that would have been fit then look at the picture I’m sure it would have been different(don’t even get me started on VAR calls in December)
It’s like running the NHS with trainee’s who have limited or no experience
Gilmore seems to believe the media hype around him a OK player in a good side but not cut out to be in the trenches in a battle against everyone and his best m8 who want to see the back of little ol’ Norwich!
Good piece as ever Gary.
What next ? I mean, would we splash some cash on say three £5m plus players with heavyish wages during January in hope ? I think probably not, in preparation for the inevitable.
DF 5 points from 11 games, DS so far 5 points from 8 games, either way not enough.
A couple of work mates at the beginning of this season went for £10 at 200/1 for NCFC to score 19 or less….
Those barracking individual players, need to take a serious look at themselves.