The Final Stretch

The Final Stretch Of The Season

“Everybody is pulling in the right direction”. That is the message that is coming out of the Norwich camp from the likes of manager Chris Hughton and player Robert Snodgrass. A relieving message for many of the City fans who would have been sincerely concerned that there is growing unrest behind the scenes at Colney training ground.

After putting in three fantastic performances against Man City, West Ham and Tottenham and yielding four points, Norwich City can start to believe again that safety is where they shall lie after 38 games.

With key men Tettey and Howson regaining fitness and the fantastic partnership of Yobo and Bassong forming, Norwich should be a difficult team to face in the last 11 games of this season.

The main element going into the final stretch of the season is confidence. That psychological edge could be the difference of winning matches or coming away with a draw.

As fans ponder on the upcoming fixtures the main concern is in the attack. Star striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel has failed to score in the league since the opening day of the season. Alongside Gary Hooper who hasn’t contributed a goal in nine games. If the two regain their confidence and start firing on all cylinders that could be the difference between safety and relegation.

Looking at the form table, Norwich are sitting in 11th just below Manchester United. An encouraging sight when five fellow struggling teams are below them. The ability to pick up wins is going to be crucial over the next few weeks, home and away.

Looking over the fixture list, the next seven games are where the season is going to be decided for Norwich City. Ties like (h) to Stoke and (h) to Sunderland are where you can demonstrate your ability to pick up wins to stay in the league.

Norwich have arguably the toughest run in going into the final four games of the season yet no game is without its chance and those games cannot be discarded. A team with the will and desire will create chances and if the strikers regain their confidence, upsets against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United are not beyond comprehension.

I would hope as a fan that Norwich will build on the victory against Tottenham and emulate West Ham’s recent winning streak but as a neutral I would argue that Norwich City have as good a chance as any to secure the rights to call themselves a Premier League team next season.

Norwich City 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur

Norwich City 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur

Norwich had taken heart from the fantastic performances of late and finally converted one into a victory. A hard earned, well deserved three points to put in the bank and fuel the surge to safety. Spurs were not at their best, nor did they play like a team in the hunt for fourth spot. But credit to Norwich for capitalising on this and showing the teams around them that they are up for this relegation scrap.

Norwich perhaps edged the first half, which was 45 minutes overloaded with errors and poor judgement, offering little for both teams. An early substitution for Spurs as Capoue limped off with injury forced them to reshuffle their midfield with Chadli coming into the fray, maybe causing their game plan to be changed slightly.

It was not for lack of endeavour though as Norwich pressed and harassed Spurs high up the pitch, a component of their game rarely seen under the reign of manager Chris Hughton. An almost full strength side allowed Hughton to play with Tettey and Johnson holding whilst Fer pushed up the park and supported van Wolfswinkel where possible.

Tottenham’s wide players were rarely in the game. Full backs Martin and Ollson quelled the danger and allowed Snodgrass and Redmond to play with more freedom than they are used to. This provided a noticeable expansion in Norwich’s play. Something which is not usually seen due to Hughton’s insistence of being tight, compact and defensive.

Spurs did provide a threat with the in-form Adebayor. A constant shadow to Bassong, Adebayor chased the centre-backs and keeper and gave them no time to rest on the ball. He was not to have his chances until the second half but his hard work allowed Spurs to regain the ball often and force Norwich to rethink their approach.

Shortly after the restart Norwich found their first goal from a swift passing move which was started when van Wolfswinkel made a tidy interception on the half way line. Bradley Johnson played a perfectly weighted ball through to Snodgrass who curled the ball into the bottom corner. As a fan who watches every Norwich match it was a welcome sight to see a goal created from a through ball. One of the many shackles on Norwich City is their rigid approach to attacking. The through ball added a different dimension to City’s play and would certainly not have been in the minds of the Spurs defenders when preparing for the match.

The second half was a well battled and fast paced affair. If critical of Norwich it could be said that they relied too heavily on playing through Snodgrass which made them more susceptible to counter attacks when Spurs anticipated the move but credit to the defence which held firm and swept up most attacks that came their way.

Bradley Johnson was supremely unlucky not to have scored from a direct free kick. A shot reminiscent of Safri in the way it flew like a bullet and cannoned off of the bar, yet Johnson was unlucky to see it bounce on the line and out.

Gary Hooper was fantastic at powering past the Spurs defence and slotting the ball across for Tettey to caress into the open goal, however a combination of bad luck and mistiming saw the ball sail harmlessly across the face of the goal.

Norwich’s performance could be described as resolute, dogged and yet still progressive. A good balance of expansive play using the pace of Redmond and the crossing ability of Snodgrass, with the ever energetic van Wolfswinkel and then Hooper offering a target at all times. The midfield offered a good blend of energy and shape, closing the Spurs players down well and forcing errors higher up the pitch. The defence were reliable and allowed the players to play with more confidence as the game progressed, always causing Tottenham problems.

This was a game for Hughton to celebrate. He got the tactics spot on and reaped the rewards. He was unlucky not to see his side go on to score two or three but it was a win that will send the confidence of the players sky high.

Next up is Aston Villa away. Another game that procuring points from is an absolute must. Hughton must not allow the hard work of today go to waste and aim to replicate the ten match unbeaten run his Norwich side went on last season. Anything is possible in football, confidence is key.

Hughton - We Have A Problem

Hughton - We Have A Problem

Someone had to act. It was essential. Norwich have won only one of their last 11 league games and are hovering dangerously over the red line. The red line that some say is “worse than death”. Cue the words of warning from the Chief Executive David Mcnally. It was he who had uttered the statement which die-hard football fans would construe as nothing less than a battle cry.

The Norwich faithful have been phoning local radio debate show “Canary Call” venting their displeasure that Hughton hasn’t been dressed down from the powers above and imminently sacked.

Mcnally has finally acted upon this. Declaring to national media in no uncertain terms that “the situation is being monitored very closely”. Is this a cryptic message to the fans that Hughton’s days are numbered?

What may be argued however is that there are nine other teams in trouble. Amongst those nine are teams that are changing their manager quicker than they change clean underwear. Fulham have replaced their relegation saviour with a new… relegation saviour, Felix Magath. Rene Meulensteen was offered only 17 games to turn around a side in freefall. he hasn’t provided the injection of success that was expected and as such hasn’t been given the courtesy of the rest of the season to make his mark.

Is this an argument that suggests that ridding the canaries of Hughton would not make a difference to their fortunes?

According to David Mcnally, Chris Hughton is “100% positive” he will ensure the points to safety for Norwich City. Should the loyal fans feel at ease that such an experienced manager is so confident that they will be in the premier league next season?

Personally, I’m in the camp that longs for consistency. A club that doesn’t change managers at the first sign of danger, a club that does show faith in their manager when he goes through a bad spell. However, I also yearn for a manager that shows passion and commitment. A manager that invests himself in the club and listens to the fans. A manager that plays inventive football and formulate an attacking style. Sadly, I don’t perceive Hughton as the man that fits. He’s a good manager, but I don’t see him as a Norwich City manager.

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If, by some phenomenally unlikely possibility you yearn to read more you can head on over to www.lastwordonsports.com and I will be contributing over on their football column. Articles will once again mainly concern Norwich City's state of affairs so give it a read and keep coming back on here!

West Ham vs Norwich City - The Aftermath

West Ham United vs Norwich City - The Aftermath

So there we are. Another fixture come and gone, another three points fallen by the wayside. Hughton's men, forever the gentlemen allowed West Ham to continue their fantastic run of form and emerge from the six-pointer victorious.

Questions are being asked as to why Hughton brought Redmond off when he was proving to be the driving force in City's attack, and why Elmander was swapped for an ever energetic Hooper when he's never shown the same prowess in front of goal. Was Mr nice guy offering a share of the spoils to a West Ham side who were only in the game due to their fantastic keeper and Norwich's lack of conviction in front of goal.

As the full-time whistle came and went, the City faithful were screaming for Hughton to be dismissed on the spot. And really, who can blame them? 

Norwich have four less points than last season at this stage, which may not seem a huge difference however in the premier league points on the board are like gold dust. Some will argue it's recoverable but in the dark depths of fans minds their is the ever-looming prospect of five potential losses in the final fixtures of the season.

Another issue is the state in which Norwich have conducted themselves on the pitch this year. No confidence, poor goal difference and a distinct lack of goals to their name. We haven't got in the faces of our opposition or grabbed matches by the scruff of the neck and for those reasons, Hughton it's a no from me.

Whether or not these next 10 days before the (h) game to Tottenham will see a change in the City management remains to be seen, but failing a change in personnel our current manager needs to show some passion and disregard to his negative mindset and get the team raring to go and in the frame of mind to roll over some teams in the coming weeks.

Six Pointer - Norwich City vs West Ham United

West Ham United vs Norwich City

Ground: Upton Park

Referee: Michael Oliver

Referee's stats: 17 Matches, Red Cards: 2, Yellow Cards: 65

Stat - Michael Oliver has produced an average of 3.82 yellow cards per game this season.

Norwich City go into this game high on confidence from their valiant display against Man City just three days ago. They also venture into this match with the knowledge that they have only lost one of the last nine league meetings with West Ham United.

Between these two teams, they have both kept the most amount of clean sheets in the bottom half. Their only downfall is the lack of goals the other end of the pitch. Norwich have also failed to bring on a substitute who has subsequently scored at all this season.

With both sides perceived as very defensive, the preview on paper does not make for a very exciting prospect. However, with both teams desperate for a win this matchup may prove to surprise a few.

Neither side will want to concede early so my prediction is that it will begin a very tight affair and if a goal comes it will probably be from a set-piece. This also has the feel of a game that will open up in the second half as both teams will want the win and shouldn't be content with a draw.

Score Prediction 1:2

odds @ 15/1 bet365.com

Football clubs being run like a business? Rubbish!

Football clubs being run like a business? Rubbish!

Football clubs are forever being referred to as a business. Board level decisions are referred to as key business decisions and the board are heralded as heroes if they get results. In essence that is indeed what they are, but yet do they co-exist with businesses that operate in the real world? I'm not sure Larry Page will be watching intently for the next vacancy to arise at a premier league football club.

In the realms of actual businesses, the key elements of their plans are to become sustainable, sensible and cost-effective. Obviously this does not account for all businesses however it is the general consensus as a reaction to the financial state of the country.  I hasten to add that football clubs hold none of those attributes in their current state. How many businesses would secure investment when their net spend year on year outweighed their income, with their purchase of assets draining cash through wages each week. Also, how many businesses would accept a change of management every few months as is the way with most football clubs these days.

Football clubs and business are never going to gel. One of the major reasons for this is customer base. Football clubs are very restricted, with the exception of the elite clubs, to their customer base. Their target market will only be where they are located. The elite clubs are those who have mass followings over multiple continents and can expand their merchandise, advertising and products worldwide and generate a respectable level of income for their spending, however smaller clubs rely on creditors who have an emotional investment in the club, for example Simon Jordan owning Crystal Palace. It wasn't an investment he was likely to see any return from, he was the main person responsible for pumping cash into Palace to maintain their Cash flow purely because he wanted them to do well.

This brings another major reason into play, emotion. One bit of advice I always hear in regards to important business decisions is to eliminate any emotion. Football clubs are the antithesis of this. Emotion is the sole reason these entities exist. Fans pay their money because they love their club, it gives them something to stand for and something to believe in. A tangible entity that they can believe in and use to express themselves. The fans are the lifeblood of all clubs and without them they couldn't survive, therefore emotion plays a big part in any decision made.

Businesses can start up with the intention of targeting a local market, but their success can depend on their scalability. Being able to expand and grow are some of the key attributes to a successful business. Using Norwich City as an example, they cannot expand and grow into an elite worldwide club whilst becoming a sustainable, cost-effective business. If they were going to become an elite club, they would need a new stadium, world-class players, success on the field and marketable foreign players that would extract interest from overseas. How would they primarily raise the finances for this? and secondly how would they see a return on the investment?

Perhaps the people involved in football should face up to the reality that they operate in an industry which is separate to any other. They should admit that they are not in touch with the real world and that they are all financially safe in one of the most cut-throat industries in the world. They are not quite up to speed with business and they have a lot of catching up to do.

Excerpts from the diary of Chris Hughton - Part 3

Diary of Chris Hughton - Part 3

So proud of my team yesterday, did everything I told them to in training, keep calm and give it to Redmond. Felt a little apprehensive before the game, my good friend Jonas pulled up with an injury, as did Robert Snodgrass. Told Anthony Pilkington if he scored I would pay for his haircuts for life, I always like to have a daring scenario in place before an important game.

From the corner of my eye I saw Wesley Hoolahan give me the finger when I decided to bring Ricky on instead of him, must remember not to sell him in the summer as well, he will be shown not to mess with me. 

Was disappointed we didn't get a goal at the end, in honesty we have been woeful in front of goal this season, I shouldn't have allowed my attacking coach to go off and pursue his life-long dream of reforming The Jam. 

Looking forward to tuesday I think I may tinker with my wingers and frontmen but not before i've drafted an email to David concerning my contract renewal. If any times a good time it'll be now, and with any luck i'll have a five year guarantee to my name by valentine's day.

As tuesday approaches, i'll wait on whether or not Andy Carroll will feature in the west ham side. They shouldn't prove to be much of an issue to beat, as long as Luciano stays fit. I feel he will have a big part to play, even if it's putting the keeper off with a daring warm-up routine.

But for now I am going to bask in the glory of a clean sheet against Man City, and aim for a replica result on Tuesday, with any luck I could have the result trademarked against my name, watch this space.

A tale of two cities

Norwich City 0 - 0 Manchester City

A point gained in both camps, this match tested the defensive strengths of one City and the attacking depth of the other. Manchester City were without star striker Sergio Aguero and in front of goal it showed as they provided only one clear cut chance in the whole ninety, when Alvaro Negredo headed onto the bar. 

Norwich however, provided a defensive performance which was pulled straight from the top-drawer. A performance you may not come to expect from a team with a -18 goal difference.

From the outset, Norwich had two defining characteristics, solid defending and terrible passing. The team remained compact throughout and forced Manchester City out wide and dealt with all crosses that were fired at them. New centre back pairing, Bassong and Yobo were phenomenal, maintaining order amongst the back line and Yobo, displaying a calming influence on Bassong who did not so often attempt his usual blasé approach to defending.  

What Norwich lacked in composure on the ball, they more than made up for in resolute defending, structure and shape. Manchester City never really looked like playing the killer ball and credit has to be given to Hughton for getting the tactics spot on. 

A small gripe however, Norwich were unable to keep possession and continually gave it away putting themselves under pressure. A few times Norwich won the ball in progressive areas and hesitated, leading to a squandered opportunity. This really has been a story of our season and something that needs to be addressed in the summer if not immediately. The difference between winning and losing in the premier league is sometimes that instinct to look forward and spot a killer through ball, or to win the ball up high and counter your opposition. Paul Merson, one of the panel from "Soccer Saturday" dubbed Norwich as a "nice team" and someone who he, were he a manager would "love to play". Norwich as a team needs to get in the oppositions faces, prove that we're not a nice, laid back team and we are a team to play and achieve in the top division.

In the final five minutes of the match, Norwich were oh so close to scoring a winner, it may have been against the run of play, but to keep the best team in England at bay for 90 minutes some would argue wouldn't be undeserved. Had van Wolfswinkel got his foot on the end of Redmonds cross, or Pilkington had kept his shot an inch lower we may have been celebrating our greatest win this season, but we put a point on the board, proved to Manchester City that we won't pamper their ego's, nor their goal difference, and we proved to the teams around us that we want to stay in this division. That, I believe are huge positives to take out of the game and on to tuesday against West Ham.

Loans - Good or Bad?

Jacob Murphy to Swindon?

Norwich City up-and-comer Jacob Murphy has been linked with a loan move to Swindon town. The pressing question for me is, are loan moves really that good for the players?

Without an expert insight I cannot definitively comment however from my perspective you can look at it from a different angle. Lets say Jacob Murphy does go to Swindon, will he surrounded by the mentality of winners? the mentality of players who want to be at the very top and play for their countries? Perhaps not. For starters, Swindon town are host to one Nile Ranger, possibly the best example of an anti-pro. Surrounded by players of his calibre, Mr Murphy may not be in the company that can provide him with the route to success that will be surrounding him in droves at Norwich City.

Take Nathan Redmond, a regular player for the England under-21's and the potential to play for England seniors one day, he is the perfect role model for someone like Jacob Murphy to be playing with, study his progress and envision himself taking the same path.

The other point is the facilities he will be using for his development. I would hazard a guess that Colney training ground offer a higher level of services than Swindon towns training ground. The budget that Norwich have for staffing is likely to outweigh that of Swindon's and therefore are more likely to have a higher level of physio's, sports scientists etc. This environment should be put to use to accelerate the talents of the youth players and, even if it means keeping them behind the scenes, refining them into premier league standard players.

The loan system is fantastic to get players first team football and give them experience of playing in front of larger crowds. Building transferrable skills that can be taken back to the parent club and then applied to the first team playing in front of approximately 27 000 fans. But is it the best way to hone talent into that which can compete with the very best?

I am swaying towards the idea of teams creating a 'B' team which can compete in the division below, as they do in Spain. The idea to create a league where the fringe players and young players can blend together and compete against other teams of a relative standard at the same intensity of the first team would, I believe, be very beneficial to the Jacob Murphy's of our country.

But that's just my opinion, what do you think?

Excerpts from the diary of Chris Hughton - Part 2

Diary of Chris Hughton - Part 2

It's wednesday morning and i'm deep in preparation for saturdays match. Javier came up and told me he liked my tie in the car-park today so i'm considering putting him in the heart of midfield again. I never usually allow such methods to select my team however everyone is encouraging me to be more adventurous so I just thought why not!

To my big relief Bradley Johnson has had his three match ban rescinded. This is good because on a serious note I can now pack out the midfield with my most defensive minded players this weekend because i've got a goal-difference to protect. It will be interesting to see what sort of team Manchester City put out this weekend but i'm sure we will be able to play to their strengths and display what a fantastic team they are.

I decided to go for a quick walk over to the training ground to see how the lads were getting on. Luciano just pulled off a 45 yard wonder-strike so I feel he's in serious contention for bench again. I didn't stay out there too long because I wanted to be first in the lunch queue, its casserole day today.

Back to the videos in the afternoon and i'm astounded at how good Manchester City are, I must make a mental note to tell the press of their strengths and how I have done my homework and know what a good team they are. I must say i'm a little nervous about saturday but as long as the goal difference looks healthy saturday night there will be a lot of positives to take from the game...

About the blog

About this blog.

This blog is going to be my way of venting/celebrating alongside Norwich City. I'm 19 and have been a season ticket holder since the days of league one!

So far, none of the articles have been edited or checked over, they've just been posted as i've typed them. I would love to hear feedback, good/bad/constructive or insulting. It'll help me improve which is also what this blog is for.

Laudrup Sacked, Hughton to follow?

Is Laudrup the man to replace Hughton?

Swansea City announced last night that they have parted company with their manager Michael Laudrup. With their league results falling and the amount of losses accumulating the chairman deemed it time for him to leave. Another manager who is now available for appointment. Does this mean Norwich have finally got a realistic candidate to replace Hughton should they deem necessary?

Michael Laudrup was the man to lead Swansea to their first major trophy in decades, winning the league cup final and taking them into the Europa League. Surely this would be a feat worthy of some job safety? Apparently not in the world of football. The culture within football at this current time appears to be that managers are given a very short span of time to provide a quick fix to the clubs league form and provide as many wins as they can to keep the team in safety. Failure to do so will result in an imminent loss of job and no time to rebuild a team or club for a long-term project.

Stability is a word that is not necessarily attributed to football, especially with the back-room staff and managers. However, when you look at the teams which have kept their manager for numerous years, one thing you will begin to see is an element of stability at the club. When you take Arsene Wenger, he has been manager of Arsenal for almost the same amount of time as all 19 other managers combined have been at their respective clubs. This is a phenomenal achievement but it also points an argument that stability with a manager leads to a more stable club and potentially more stable place in the league. I believe the bigger clubs of this division are beginning to realise this, Alan Pardew for instance has been awarded an 8 year contract with Newcastle and Chelsea have re-appointed José Mourinho who says he wants to stay at Chelsea for the remainder of his career. I feel that these are the first clubs who are realising that stability is more likely to bring success over the long term.

The one thing about football clubs is that you will never have the same group of players that you did maybe one/two seasons ago. With the squad being an ever-changing part of the club, it is difficult for managers who are on short-term contracts to identify where they can build the basis of their team from. Because of the short-term nature of both the managers and the players, more often than not they look directly to the players who have been at the club the longest. What this then means is that they are very limited in the approach they can take because they are restricted to sometimes unadaptable players who are used to playing in a set way. These players then don't want to see change and then turn on the manager. This is something which happened to AvB at Chelsea. The experienced players didn't respond to his "revolution" and therefore his was driven out.

Another thing I have noticed as a result of the AvB case, is that he is reportedly still being paid by Chelsea. What sort of incentive is there for a manager if he is still being paid from a club he was sacked from? Clubs offer managers contracts which, if they are sacked whilst still under contract, the club are contractually obliged to pay out the remainder of the contract. So in essence, there is no incentive other than pride and will for the job for the manager to do well. Coming back to the Laudrup situation, one could theorise that he felt that whatever happened after winning the cup, he had credentials worthy of another job and therefore didn't need to worry so much what happened with Swansea City. Looking at the facts, after the cup final the results fell from 33% matches won to 23%. The loss percentage also increased by 21%. This is not something that could ever be asserted and proven to a definite but it is just a theory.

And then, based on this theory I would have to argue that no, Laudrup wouldn't be the man to replace Hughton. Chris Hughton is a manager who I feel could give stability to a club. My issue with him is that his fundamental principles don't lie alongside mine. I as a supporter want to see us adopt the Bayern Munich approach. Press high and win the ball in the attacking third, rest in possession and create through passing, as opposed to the constant "ball to the wing and cross". My belief is that Hughton would be a successful manager with another team, he would bring stability to another team, I just do not feel he is the right fit at Norwich.

Excerpts from the diary of Chris Hughton Part 1

Cardiff City 2 - 1 Norwich City

A Chris Hughton delusion Special

Fresh from a scintillating 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle, my spirits were sky-high going into the game against Cardiff. Training this week had been fantastic, capped by Wes Hoolahan singing my praises on the eve on the transfer deadline. None of my players wanted to leave which was a huge bonus, it will allow me to continue my rotation of the squad for the remainder of the season and offer me the maximum amount of options for my continued formation changes.

Just the other day I had Luciano Becchio in my office, I told him how impressed I was with him in training, and as a special reward he could view the game from the bench as opposed from the comfort of his home. He was so overjoyed at this he ran straight home to inform his family. I haven't seen him since so i'm sure he's waiting to thank me on saturday.

As the match was approaching, their was an increased intensity in friday's training. This prompted me to run to my office with unconfined joy as I'd had a phenomenal stroke of brilliance for my formation which I was sure the opposition would never guess... 4-4-2!

Now, i'm not a stupid man and I was aware that the fans haven't been too happy with my famed 4-5-1 approach so I was certain that this would get them back on-side. I was unsure, however that my strikers would enjoy this as they had been enjoying so many chances with my former tactics. I decided that I would approach them cautiously and see what they thought and to my surprise they took the news rather well! I then got to work on counter-balancing the midfield so we wouldn't seem too promiscuous going into the match.

Match-day came and I was mildly surprised to see us venture forward and grab the first goal, something I hadn't planned so come half time I instructed the team to defend for their lives and not be too adventurous in the second half. My team talk was a success! within six minutes we were back to where we've been for most of the season, playing catch-up... my favourite.

My raging bull, Bradley Johnson, who had played a sublime pass to me (yes, me!) during a slick passing move against Newcastle last tuesday, was back in the side after being wrongly accused of an over-zealous attempt at instigating a wrestling match with Loic Remy. To celebrate, i dropped Leroy Fer and paired him up with the equally defensive Alex Tettey. Someone who I admire due to his reluctance to power forward and create attacking opportunities.

The full-time whistle came. To my team, I offer a hearty congratulations for a fine attempt at trying to scrape a draw, and commiserations for not being able to achieve the point we so desired. My congratulations go to Cardiff for picking up three points, a feat which they shall soon learn is delusionary, three points won't win you the race for survival. 

And now, I look to Man City, watch this space...

Hoolahan's Transfer Woes

Hoolahan Transfer Saga

Should he stay or go?

Wes Hoolahan
source: the sun

Wesley Hoolahan has been at Norwich City since 2008 and since then has seen the sharpest rise in the clubs fortunes in recent history. He has been a pivotal member of the squad throughout the Paul Lambert era and has remained as a talisman of the club throughout the so far unsuccessful Chris Hughton era. He is perhaps one of the players left at the club, alongside Russell Martin who can remind the Carrow Road faithful of the fantastic three seasons which saw them rise from the lowly depths of league one to the soaring heights of the premier league with back to back promotions.

Questions now arise as to why he would launch such a foul-mouthed attack on the club which has seemingly served him so well. As a footballer I can only imagine you can be seeking a balance with your career, a good wage, stability and a good relationship with your fans. Whilst we don't know what goes on behind the scenes it would appear that Hoolahan had it all and, when reaching the twilight of his career it raises serious questions to what has caused this outburst.

First reactions could point to the relationship with the manager. Hughton has failed to instil Hoolahan as a first team member and has used him sporadically over the course of the season. He has also, to mine and many fans disbelief, played Hoolahan continually out of position and has put him in what I and many others perceive to be positions which highlight the weaknesses in his game rather than play to his strengths. Pace and power have never been attributes you would come to expect from Hoolahan, rather deft skills, creative passing and weaving runs. So, why was Hughton so intent on playing him as a flat CM or LM where his strengths lie in playing CAM.

Other high profile Norwich players from the Paul Lambert era have expressly said the reason they left was due to Hughton's lack of positivity with his tactics and his reluctance to venture further than a rigid 4-5-1 or the occasional 4-2-3-1. It will have come as a shock to many of these players who have been used to season after season of dropping all structure and going all out for the win, and more often than not succeeding. 

The Hoolahan saga has however, served as a timely reminder to players that the club still holds a degree of power. Over past seasons we've seen numerous high profile players leave due to the promise of a better contract, or holding their present club to ransom for want of a pay rise. Yet, Norwich have stuck to their guns and maintained that Hoolahan is not for sale and that he shall remain a Norwich player until the club say otherwise. The effects of this decision remain to be seen, so we as Norwich fans have to hope this does not have a detrimental effect on the rest of the team and their bid for premier league survival. Failure to stay up could see a dash for the exit for a large number of current City stars so we have to pray that as a team they can get past their issues and start getting some points on the board.

Hughton Facing Sack?

Hughton staring down the barrel?

Under Pressure Chris Hughton
source: edp24

Norwich City are now 24 games into the season and hovering a mere two points above the relegation zone. Compared to this time last season, Norwich had played three more games, yet had picked up eight more points. When you think that over the summer Hughton was gifted over £20million pounds worth of investment in his squad, it doesn't appear to be an adequate return.

From the fans perspective, this season has not seen the transition to a free-flowing attacking side which they expected following the signings of Nathan Redmond, Gary Hooper and marquee signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel. The atmosphere around the club has perceptively gone into freefall; long serving players seem intent on ousting themselves from a club where they are revered by the fans and this January transfer window has seen only two loan signings, both of whom weren't able to get a first team game from their parent clubs.

Today has seen a further setback in Hughton's bid for survival, a 2-0 defeat in what was a spirited effort, albeit a failed one. Once again Norwich have been the victims of their own shortcomings, failing to score more than one goal for the 21st time this season. Many factors have attributed to this. mis-firing strikers, negative approach and on occasions a lack of desire in the final third.

One wonders however, whether there are any suitable candidates that could replace Hughton and do a better job with the 14 games that are left. Roberto Di Matteo perhaps? the man that guided Chelsea to that infamous champions league triumph, or one of the premier league managers that have been added to the scrapheap over the course of this unforgiving campaign. 

Malky Mackay appears to be one of the names on the fans lips, however just as the case is with Hughton he was all too often accused of a defensive approach and not utilising the attacking strengths of his team in order to win football matches.

What can be seen is that Hughton has attempted to change his perception of a one dimensional approach by adopting the 4-4-2 formation as opposed to his much slated 4-5-1 formation that he appeared to religiously abide by earlier on in the season. This however, has not seen an improvement in the teams state of affairs and so you may have to look beyond the formation to see where the attacking mindset has been lost. The midfield, for one has been changed from the Lambert "gung-ho" approach to a set of four/five players that will play in shape and move the ball across the pitch to create crossing opportunities to the wing players. My personal take on this is that the players aren't being coached to look for the spaces to attack and be creative, instead to have a conservative approach to attack which seems to only result in a goal on average under one a game.

It remains to be seen whether Mcnally is looking to give Hughton the sack, however I sadly have to admit that I feel his time is up and that his conservative approach is damaging the fantastic position the club has created for itself over the past four years. I would personally like to see an innovative thinking strategist who is not afraid to take a risk where possible and someone who really wants to succeed in the premier league.