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Into the Lion's Den D2 2017-18

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    19,000 people at Turf Moor on Sunday share your sentiment.

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      Originally posted by cantagalo View Post
      Thankfully, I couldn’t make it down last night. It would have been even harder to take being there in person.

      I think I’m going to have to accept that a side that can’t defend a two goal lead for two minutes is not going to make the play-offs. That makes 18 points lost from winning positions this season - enough to put us in second place. In this instance, we’d weathered the 20 minute storm after Smith came on and were looking the more likely to score. So what or who was to blame? The attacking substitutions? Watkins losing the ball taking on a man when he could have passed? Bentley’s increasingly erratic keeping? Woods giving the ball back after the first kick off? Sawyers’ feeble attempt at a tackle? You can tell I didn’t sleep very well, can’t you?

      All I know is that this happens too often to be bad luck or coincidence. Until we get smarter and tougher, all the beautiful football will count for very little.

      I have to say that Rangers battled well and certainly seem to be behind Holloway. It’s probably just as well for us that Matt Smith didn’t start.
      I guess the point is — and it's been made many times — there's a bunch of clubs clustered in the middle of this division, who have decent things about them, but also flaws. We're one of them, so are Brentford. You see us battling to the end in spite of losing 0–2 and many of the home fans leaving,* as something your players don't do enough. We, OTOH, envy your skills, tactics and organizational ability. Right now there's two points between us, it's how division two football is.

      On a detail: If Smith had come on earlier he'd have been knackered well before full-time. He's a final twenty-minute player. A tiring defence has problems shifting him but earlier in the game they just play around him.

      *Olly got major flak for calling out the fans on this. Better, he said, they should not come at all if they were going to leave early. He apologised this morning.
      Last edited by Amor de Cosmos; 28-11-2017, 19:24.

      Comment


        Yes, those are fair points. Both sides are currently where they deserve to be. They are good at different, but equally important, aspects of the game.

        I’m frustrated because we have a really talented but inexperienced bunch of players. Maybe by next season, if most of them are still there, they’ll have picked up the rudiments of game management and be able to protect a lead. Now I’m not advocating going full-on Warnock but there must be a balance to be struck somewhere.

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          Originally posted by Hot Orange View Post
          You did manage to do it the right way round against Ipswich on the opening day of 15/16, I recall with a shudder.
          Yes, we used to make a habit of late comebacks in those days. How the tables have turned. If we manage to take the lead against Fulham on Saturday, both players and fans are going to be nervous wrecks.

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            Eight games without a win now after our defeat at Cardiff last night, and the non surprising revelation at the AGM that the club is skint. We are now the third worst goalscorers in the division and have scored more than a single goal in a match on only three occasions. If this is transition, it may be a long and painful one.

            The season, in terms of a play-off place (which I genuinely never expected) looks all but over barring a miracle. True, it happened in 2015, but with a much stronger squad and more points at this stage. We're not likely to go down, but middle to lower half of the table sounds about right.

            Plus if Reading or Swansea still fancy shelling out a few million quid on a half arsed Nelson Oliveira, then they're welcome to him

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              Superb second half performance against a good Fulham side. And we even kept the lead with some sensible game management. Both teams played some wonderful passing football and it was a joy to watch. Top 10 finishes for both teams, I think.

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                How on earth are Norwich skint? Where did the parachute payments go?

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                  Barnsley have lost four in a row. All not well at Oakwell.

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                    Originally posted by Uncle Ethan View Post
                    How on earth are Norwich skint? Where did the parachute payments go?
                    http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/reco...city-1-5261729

                    An astronomical wage bill by the looks of it.

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                      Spiky derby at St Andrews, very weakly refereed. Harlee Dean finally walks, the thick wanker. Birmingham have given it a go but they really struggle to make chances. These teams seem to really dislike each other but at least they won't meet again next season.

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                        Originally posted by tracteurgarçon View Post
                        http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/reco...city-1-5261729

                        An astronomical wage bill by the looks of it.
                        Mostly on wages. Ludicrous wages shelled out to crocks such as Stephen Naismith and Matt Jarvis. Overpriced fees to buy Timm Klose, Yanic Wildschut, Nelson Oliveira and more (the jury is out on Grant Hanley). The recruitment has been shocking for several seasons, and the team was only held together by a consistent, but ageing squad mostly assembled during the Paul Lambert years and Chris Hughton's first twelve months.

                        The outlay also includes paying off two CEOs, paying off Alex Neil and his crew, plus repayment of loans to the owners (albeit long term interest free). Scarily this is all despite the sales of Olsson, Redmond, Brady and Murphy who fetched close to £40m between them.

                        Then there is the fact that the owners, for all their good intentions, just don't have the capital to invest further. They have also stated previously that they have no intention to seek outside investment and wish to pass the club down to the family. We also have Ed Balls, who sometimes turns up as chairman when he's not appearing on the latest panel show, plugging his book, making an arse of himself on the dance floor, etc.

                        Fortunately we are not in debt due to the player sales but no promotion this season will mean more expensive outgoings (cheerio James Maddison) and the reliance on cheap imports plus the hope Daniel Farke can work miracles. He's having a tough run at the moment and nobody really knows how good he is, but for what he is having to work with, he's just keeping his head above water.

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                          Simon Hooper is a poor referee. Roberts should have been booked for his first tackle and given a straight red for his second.

                          Harlee Dean - yep, thick wanker is about right. But the saddest sight was Jota looking completely lost and being subbed at half-time. He's going to struggle to play to anything like his full potential in a Steve Cotterill team. So Birmingham have spent £6m and £40k a week on a complete misfit. Great planning.

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                            Villa have done the same with Hogan, most fans seem think he's a waste of space and it is true he hasn't got started because of injuries and loss of confidence. I disagree with the fans, he's a clever player, but he's never going to fit into a Steve Bruce team and until we get some creativity into midfield we won't see the best of him.

                            With all that I'm bewildered Bruce bought him and didn't bother reading the operating instructions. He's even played him wide which is a complete waste of time. He's on big wages as well and like nearly all the players who've left Brentford recently - apart from the money - he probably wishes he hadn't.

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                              Yes, while I confess to a certain schadenfreude at seeing our ex-players struggle, I hope that the lack of success of Hogan and Jota doesn’t ‘damage the brand’. If we can’t sell on players for top dollar our model collapses. Mind you, Tarkowski is doing and Gray did do well at Burnley so I think it says more about the clubs (and in particular, the managers*) they choose to go to.

                              * I’m not convinced the Brentford Three would have been much better under Harry but Cotterill is a disaster.

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by tracteurgarçon View Post
                                http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/reco...city-1-5261729

                                An astronomical wage bill by the looks of it.
                                Thanks (Edit: also to Arturo). What a mess. As I've said before I don't do the hate thing, as I have some great mates who are Norwich fans. Can't see them making it up this year. Division looks too strong. I wonder where they go from there.
                                Last edited by Uncle Ethan; 06-12-2017, 03:51.

                                Comment


                                  Likewise, I know a few Town fans and while it's nice to stay unbeaten in the derby, the local hype when the two clubs meet is becoming more unbearable with each season. I can't be doing with it.

                                  The one positive for us at the moment (apart from being in the black, albeit due to those player sales) is the fact that Stuart Webber and Daniel Farke are actively trying to tackle the recruitment issue and genuinely trying to make use of our academy. I think if we can make a little bit of progress this season and even get top half, then it's something to build on. It's going to be tough though and there isn't a fund we can dip into.

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                                    The soccer schools stuff Norwich have been doing is excellent, sending academy staff all round the region to schools and holiday clubs. Loads of kids here all wearing the training gear on their way to school. (The holiday clubs are a bargain too.) It's got to pay off eventually.

                                    But yeah, some terrible wastes of money undoing a lot of good work at City.

                                    If I may be so bold as to mention xG on this thread... Perhaps it's best behind a spoiler so as not to offend anyone...

                                    [Spoiler] Ipswich are, on this measure, the team who are furthest above expectations. That is, if results were only based on the chances they've created and the chances they've allowed against them, they would be in the relegation zone, not 7th. Most xG folk would suggest this means they will inevitably move down the table. But this many games in there has to be a reason for that. It can't just be high form with all the matches and injuries by this stage. For me, the goalkeeper is definitely not an average standard one for the league. He is a class act and saves things you simply don't believe are possible. The other thing is extremely clinical forwards - all of them (except Sears). I don't think this is just a form thing - I think Ipswich have excellent players in those positions and will happily play a direct, low possession game to suit it. [/spoiler]

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                                      Nigel Adkins is the new man at Hull, I sense another relegation on the cards.

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                                        I'm not sure it'd make much difference who was there. The owners seem to be intent on stuffing as much of the parachute payments in their suitcases as they can get away with. It's another Oyston situation.

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                                          Well that was inevitable, Norwich get their first win in eight and their first home win since September 9th as soon as they play us. They knew exactly what to do after the interval, flood the midfield, high press, Maddison and Olivera played well and we were just utter horseshit. At one all I joked "bring Nuhiu on and play long ball" and that is exactly what we did and worse still it seemed to be our only tactic in the latter stages. We've spent all this money, charged £39 for Bristol City, giant cake balls, mysterious taxi firms sponsoring the club and we end up using the same tactics that we did in the Stuart Gray era three years ago before New Era Wednesday started.

                                          Play offs have gone, we're closer to relegation now. Change the fucking manager, get someone new in who can restructure our ageing and slow squad. Then admit it's not losing face to change the fucking strategy overall, especially as the chairman admits next season will be harder under FFP. We are in so much trouble if all this carries on.

                                          Comment


                                            Originally posted by Antepli Ejderha View Post
                                            Nigel Adkins is the new man at Hull, I sense another relegation on the cards.
                                            Not if they play like they did for half an hour in the second half after we took the lead, though I can’t work out how much was the Adkins effect and how much our own ineptitude. We eventually settled, made it 3-2 and were very close to an equaliser but that’s now 21 points lost from winning positions.

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                                              Originally posted by longeared View Post
                                              Well that was inevitable, Norwich get their first win in eight and their first home win since September 9th as soon as they play us. They knew exactly what to do after the interval, flood the midfield, high press, Maddison and Olivera played well and we were just utter horseshit. At one all I joked "bring Nuhiu on and play long ball" and that is exactly what we did and worse still it seemed to be our only tactic in the latter stages. We've spent all this money, charged £39 for Bristol City, giant cake balls, mysterious taxi firms sponsoring the club and we end up using the same tactics that we did in the Stuart Gray era three years ago before New Era Wednesday started.

                                              Play offs have gone, we're closer to relegation now. Change the fucking manager, get someone new in who can restructure our ageing and slow squad. Then admit it's not losing face to change the fucking strategy overall, especially as the chairman admits next season will be harder under FFP. We are in so much trouble if all this carries on.
                                              I'll post my thoughts in the matchgoing thread later, but yeah...they were bad.

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                                                Anther toothless display at home. A dominating first-half when, once again, we didn't manage a serious shot on goal. Leeds figured us out (which isn't too difficult) and did the necessaries after the break. Things are getting serious now. Once again this is the time of year when the club traditionally loses its nerve and makes a panic-driven change of manager. I really hope they don't do it again as that's not the problem, or not the main one anyway. Nine regulars out injured today, and no money are bigger issues. Next week we're at Birmingham, scene of our last away win in February, if we don't get something the knives will be out for Olly big-time.

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                                                  A predictable home loss to Derby, although 0-3 flatters them (they only had three shots on target).

                                                  We're away at Brentford and then Fulham next, so that will be seven losses in a row. The players we have at the moment are unfortunately just not good enough and relegation is looking quite possible.

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                                                    With ten minutes left tonight Sky cut to our beloved chairman laughing. We're not. Look at all those empty seats, that's what we think of the way he's running the club. There is absolutely no fucking way there were 23k there tonight.

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