Premier League season, 2021 / 2022

Well said, Rob. It's always amazed me that Robbie refuses to recognise the impact of injuries on our results in the PL. Playing with only 1 CB much of the time and having to shift DMs to cover was not the problem, apparently, it was DF's total intransigence about tactics.

As for 'the lack of change since then' he asserts, there is intransigence but it's not DF espousing it. The defensive improvement is both obvious and statistically supported, but for Robbie, nothing has changed.

Much will depend on whether Oli Skipp returns or who his replacement might be as well as what other players are recruited, but it's not hard for me to see how the whole team has improved, even with the loss of Buendia. SW has an opportunity this time to really make a difference and how well he does is what will determine our chances this time.

 

Shouldn't "FACT" appear somewhere there, twice? Otherwise someone might mistake it all for opinion ......

Well, at least I seem to have made my opinion clear for once (though, if I remember correctly, I did say the injuries were a factor, but a vastly over-stated one). I wonder what the excuse is going to be this time. I guess Emi's leaving is a start .......

Re. the defensive "improvement", you say it's statistically supported, by which I think you must mean we conceded fewer goals this season in the Championship than in 2018-19. In contrast, xGa tells a rather different story. On that measure, both Infogol and Experimental 3-6-1, for example, show a deterioration, by 10% and 4% respectively.

 

It's the actual goals that count Robbie, not the imaginary ones.

 

The main reasons we got relegated last time , I believe to be fairly obvious to most Norwich fans.

1. Unfortunate number of injuries throughout most of the season.
2. Lack of proper investment in players
3 Players that were recruited ( on the cheap) failed to live up to expectations.( the one exception being Byram who I personally thought was excellent)
Drmic, Amadou, Duda, Rupp ,Fahrmann, Roberts, Byram
4. The squad that won us promotion was largely very young and inexperienced, and it is hardly surprising that most failed to make the step up, with the only exceptions being Cantwell and Krull .As much as I was disappointed to see Buendia leave to join Villa, he has it all to prove in the Premiership.
5. Inexperienced manager

I was already resigned to losing Buendia and Aarons during the transfer window, but my main concern which Rick has already mentioned, is whether we will be more successful this time with recruiting the right kind of players , that will not only fill the gaps for those that leave , but will strengthen the squad as a whole, thus making us less susceptible to injuries.
I am not at all confident that we will not be relegated, but as a fan , I can only live in hope , as the odds will once again be very much stacked against us,

 

The Gunn signing is very astute, If Krul has a good tournament he will probably attract attention from a side playing European football and at his age it could be his last chance of such an adventure and pay rise .
IF we go down which is pretty likely he may not have the appetite for another Championship season so Gunny would be perfectly placed to take over the gloves for the future.

The only way we will be paying anything like £10m is if he breaks back into the England set up which would mean he's living up to his full potential.

 

Norwich rip up sponsorship deal with Asian betting firm .

Norwich City: Premier League club says sorry and cancels controversial sponsor deal - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57424206

 

Agree with this, but part of me can't help feeling (hoping) That Krul would be happy to see out his career with us.

On the issue with add ons I can't see how we lose. Say Gunn plays for England again, yes we may have to pay Southampton a few million more, but his value would increase significantly more than any extra we would have to pay.

I'm struggling to see a downside to the Gunn signing

 

The club's 'honour' has been restored, but at what cost?

 

that'll knock a few bob off the transfer budget. Lets hope the clubs virtue signalling has a positive result, although I doubt it.

 

Wow, "mutual termination" of the BK8 deal, from an official club statement.

Fair play to the club for listening to fans. Wonder what that cost!

 

Another thing overlooked by all those injuries. Tetty and Amadou had to fill in as CB's so our DFs were also makeshift fill ins.

 

It was a critical error by SW not to bring in another CB in the summer after Klose's injury and then again in January.

 

It will be difficult to get another one in before the new season , the last 2 sponsors were gambling firms .

The best ones for me were Colmans but they were bought up and moved put of the city and Lotus .

Maybe The Chip Inn can stump up the cash ?

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57424206
Sponsorship news

Sorry old news

 

Pinkun reporting no financial penalty to NCFC for cancelling the contract. So just need to find a suitable replacement and plug as much of the sponsorship funding gap as possible

 

Interesting to see the BBC's take on it Bure.

 

We didn't need any pseudo-justificatory "explanations" from Kensell. Why didn't he simply hold up his hands and say "It was a bad misjudgement which we realise has tarnished the reputation of the club." Restoring the reputation cannot be done with words, just actions from now on. First step would be to come clean on who OKed the deal.

 

Too true Rick; that's why I'm predicting relegation next May.

 

You come across like a man that goes to a Santa's grotto just to tell all the kids it's a man with a fake beard and father Christmas isn't real .