Another game day, another disappointment. But I wasn’t surprised. Were you?
We are a great advertisement for purveyors of certain chocolates. You know the ones with a soft centre. They look good but there’s nothing to get your teeth into, just that soft centre.
But I did feel sorry for Jaden Warner. On his home debut, he deserved better than to be ‘supported’ by full-backs who are decent going forward but can’t defend for toffee, and a centre-back partner who has made it very obvious why Fulham let him go.
A good team should be better than the sum of its individual parts, and in the last decade we’ve had that twice – the first time under Paul Lambert and then under Daniel Farke – but now we have a team that on paper should be pushing for a top six position. Unfortunately, they have to play on grass.
I asked the other guys who make up Martin’s Posse, for some thoughts and Alex B put this up for consideration.
“After 60 years of following City, it really seems after Sunday’s loss to Blackburn that we are at our lowest ebb in terms of both confidence and ability.
“Chris Sutton pointed out that Neil Adams was the interim sporting director, yet there’s nothing from the club.
“Webber wasn’t at the game (he was in Brazil apparently – Ed), and nothing about Wagner’s position being reviewed.
“Too little, too late. A comedy of errors left us three goals down. A Sara consolation, and a coach looking so far out of his depth. Something needs to happen soon”.
As Alex mentions, it was good to have Chris Sutton as the expert on the Sky commentary as he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. His comments after an hour were damning:
“Some of the Norwich guys are just going through the motions, especially when Blackburn have the ball. Too many outfield players not performing when the opposition have the ball”.
Gabriel Sara and Marcelino Nunez, both got a mention.
While agreeing with Sutton, it’s painfully obvious that this team needs a player in the mould of AlexTettey or Oliver Skipp. A good, solid defensive central midfielder would at least stop us from having that soft centre so beloved by opposition strike forces.
Let’s face it, how many times in the last ten games have two or three passes cut us wide open and led to a goal?
Blackburn comfortably did a job on Norwich on Sunday without their two first-choice centre-backs and without their only senior striker, who are all injured. And let’s not forget that on 54 minutes they became a ten-man team.
But still City couldn’t score until added on time. For me, there was not enough getting down the flanks and popping in crosses, and too much passing through the middle.
Placheta tried but there was no one in the middle to convert crosses. Yet still there was no place for Adam Idah. Okay, he’s not having a great season but when you are three down at home, is it not even worth considering another big unit up front especially when the opposition are down to ten?
Bizarre.
Ah well, only Cardiff to go before the international break. The club has some very big questions to ask and decisions to make over the next two weeks. Very big.
***
We know Marty will approve of this…
Idah is having an ok season considering the manager trying to play to the strengths of the two forwards who are out injured rather than those who are available. Sara is out of position, Hernandez has no end product where Placheta can at least cross a ball. So why not play him and Rowe with Idah and Hwang up front?
That may not be a good idea but at least it is an idea which the current owners and coach seem to be lacking.
A team which is less than the sum of it’s parts. These guys look as if they are playing for the data they are being measured on for performance rather than on what they do for the team. Wasteful in front of goal and too slow to react to attacking threats. Perhaps we need to roll back from playing a bunch of internationals who are on the back 9 of their careers and start with more youngsters. Watching Warden run out from the defensive line and completely cement a Blackburn player shows me there is hope. Sara is out of position and Sargent is a huge miss for his defensive work up the pitch. Rowe’s head dropped at the first sign of trouble. These people need some steel to go with their talent. Nunez is a luxury we can’t afford. Lungi and MacLean in the holding pair and Sara AMC might work.
Morning bernie your headline sums of for me exactly what we have been last 3 seasons don’t think I need to add to it you got it in a nutshell.
Compare the players currently available to Wagner with the squad Farke had at the start of the 2020-21 season and you will find a huge drop in overall quality. This was one option Farke could have put out in Wagner’s favourite 4-2-3-1 formation:
Krul
Aarons Hanley Klose Giannoulis
McLean Skipp
Dowell Buendia Cantwell
Pukki
Bench (from): Vrancic, Rupp, Stiepermann, Zimmerman, Idah, Tettey, Sorensen, McGovern.
I’m not ignoring Wagner’s failures, but the squad today contains far less talent than Farke’s.
And farke had cantwell hernandez and palceta
and didn’t play them much and got stick for it he bang right at the time jury’s out on placeta he’s iimproved bet duff barnes and gibson wouldn’t be in his side now ….
Hi Alan
We had great times under Farke also under Stringer, Bond, Brown and Lampard, we’ve also had poor times under more managers since the Smith and Jones era than I care to remember.
Times and finances have changed the landscape in club ownership yet City have idolistic owners that can’t or will not change their stance on how a modern club needs to be run.
Looking back on Farke’s first season team selection shows the potential he had and those he recruited with Kieran Scott leading the way.
Since KS departed for Middlesbrough we haven’t really had that leader in recruitment it’s more like a Lucky Dip Lottery ticket hoping you get a couple of numbers for a winner.
Nunez looks a lost Sole and out of Plaice in this Dab squad for me he should play just behind a front two possibly along side Sara, but and it’s a big one Sorensen needs to get fit and play as a DM.
If Leeds are still interested in McLean for £4m please take it as Mr Reliable isn’t so reliable
Lampard??? Blimey I missed that.
Should have read Lambert 🤣🤣🤣🤣
😁
Like you Bernie I saw the Sunday result coming. This Saturday I happened to be with 4-5 friends who are all season ticket holders at a wonderful Firework night and I predicted a repeat of Nigel Worthington’s last game 1-4.
Okay I was one out but the prediction was reasonable.
As you say Blackburn were actually down to their third choice centre back pairing at one point. And still we didn’t make any real inroads to getting back to the game, Sara’s goal being nothing more than a very poor consolation prize.
Duffy was awful, Stacey seems to have joined the current malaise of players we have at Carrow Road, Dimi🍺 I am sure nipped off to The Lion and Castle a few times during the game for a swift pint or two. He certainly wasn’t at left back when we needed him that’s for sure. But a well done to Jaden Warner who was clearly the best of our defenders. Sadly this season that doesn’t take a lot of effort.
Our midfield was all over the place. Holding midfielder anyone? I give up🤬
Hwang, okay he ran around but whatever are the club playing at with Adam Idah? Okay he is finding it difficult this season. Some say he isn’t good enough others say he doesn’t fit into Wagner’s system. Both points are valid.
They give the boy a five year contract then lose Sarge and Barnes with injury but he still can’t get a regular place in the team, he may not have deserved a starting place but not getting on the pitch on Sunday was ridiculous 3-0 down and you keep a player who has at least scored a few goals this season on the bench.
Up front, toothless. I know Teemu Pukki didn’t have in anyway a great season last year but I knew it was the end of an era and we will miss him terribly. That was shown on Sunday massively.
At the club we have no Sporting Director at this moment in time.
Ben Knapper is on holiday as seemingly Arsenal are playing hardball, Stuart Webber is in Brazil to watch the Grand Prix or scouting for us, take your pick and Neil Adams has the title but god forbid he would be allowed to make a decision.
All this is unfair to the fans going to Cardiff and David Wagner himself. Neither deep down think we have any chance of winning.
So we are not making a decision on Wagner because of Arsenal? I bet it will be Knapper’s first act to sack DW. Wagner is gone. I don’t think a 3-0 win on Saturday however unlikely would save him now.
But our amateurish way of running a club is there for all to see. The 3 points on offer at Cardiff may be vital come the end of the season, either end of the table but like Blackburn the club are prepared to throw them away because they cannot make a decisive decision.
Best head for The Lion and Castle hey Delia?🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
Finally anyone thinking we are really a self-funding club look at the club’s accounts that were disclosed at the AGM.
The Emperor’s new clothes.
On a separate note Bernie I just want to let Martin know that I am thinking of him and his family at this dreadful time🌹
I know a lot of fellow supporters that I have spoken to are also shocked and wish to send their good wishes too💛💚
ONTBC
Thanks Tim , I will pass on your kind thoughts to Martin’s partner.
Hi Bernie
Just read this up date on the changes at the Club curtesy of Connor on the EDP makes a little interesting reading.
https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwich-city/23906819.ben-knapper-accelerate-norwich-city-arrival-amid-poor-form/
We are now also being informed that one Frank Lampard could step into the Coaching position, Personally not for me but would he take on a job without the promise of money to spend, can we see Wagner depart before the Cardiff game especially with it being stated that he will be in charge.
Nice piece. Makes for good reading, and makes eminent sense. Everything points a to club that’s lost its way, and none of us inside or outside the club know jhow to fix it.