Premier League season, 2021 / 2022

Sky will soon alter that

 

Opening game against Liverpool has been selected for Live coverage on SKY, 5:30pm KO August 14th

Also City will play King's Lynn on 16th July at The Walks in a pre-season friendly 7pm followed by Lincoln City (July 20 @ 2.30pm) & Huddersfield Town (July 23 @ 2.15pm) at Lotus Training Centre.

They return for pre-season testing on July 7th & 8th with first on-field session to take place on July 9th

 

Well that didn't take long for Sky to alter things.
Another Saturday night ruined for me.
I love 3pm ko's.
A game in the afternoon and a good night out to follow.

 

Farke's new contract

https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/canaries-daniel-farke-contract-update-8072150

 

I have really warmed to DF, after initially having reservations.
Onwards and upwards

 

Now I know he’s not of premier league quality, but… credit where it’s due

https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwic...os2020-selection-jose-mourinho-praise-8072466

 

Not bad for a lower league clogger from Dunmfries. Let's sell him while he is worth at least a quarter mil.

 

You're joking surely? He's so poor we'd have to pay a rival
a quarter of a million just to take him off our hands!

 

How many substitutes will there be allowed next season?

 

Premier League teams will no longer be allowed five substitutes per game from a substitutes’ bench of nine. Instead the 2020/21 season will see a return to a maximum of three substitutes permitted from a bench of seven in pre-coronavirus times.

Those short drink breaks also scrapped.

Changes to VAR inbound don't sound like the problems will be sorted. Extra attention on keepers coming off their line for penalties. Offside calls will remain as blunt and tedious as previous, though AR's instructed to refrain from raising flag till passage of play over.

Handball changes sound incredibly vague too... "

IFAB have amended the handball law to ensure an accidental handball will only be punished if it occurs “immediately” before a goal is scored.
“It is not an offence if, after an accidental handball, the ball travels some distance (pass or dribble) and/or there are several passes before the goal or goal-scoring opportunity,” read a statement from IFAB.
The handball rule was clarified last season to state that any goal scored or created with the use of the hand or arm will be disallowed – even if it is accidental. It does not consider intent by a player.
If the ball hits a player who has made their body "unnaturally bigger" then a foul will be awarded. IFAB determine that a hand/arm above shoulder height is rarely a “natural position” with some exceptions such as when a player is falling permitted.
IFAB says that having the hand/arm above shoulder height is rarely a "natural" position and a player is "taking a risk" by having the hand/arm in that position.
Extra leeway will be permitted when it comes to ricocheted handballs when it comes off a nearby player of if they cannot see the ball."​

Imagine the arguments about what is "accidental" hand ball and how far is far enough for the ball to travel before a goal is scored. Associations rightly want to protect refs and avoid confrontation on the pitch but then they release wishy-washy, grey rules around things like handball that will no doubt ramp up the controversy.

 

Euro 2020 is demonstrating that the problems with VAR in this country are primarily due to the PGMOL's cranky implementation of VAR, not VAR itself. On the continent, VAR has always been seen simply as an aid for the match referee, not something which takes responsibility for some decisions out of the match referee's hands. Hence, for example, much more use of the pitch side monitor on the continent compared to what we have seen in EPL matches. What we are witnessing now is the PGMOL being coerced into adopting that "continental" approach, which should mean we see a big improvement next season.

 

Let's hope so.

 

Looks like the new shirt sponsor is going to be Lotus:

https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwich-city/norwich-city-to-announce-lotus-as-new-sponsor-8075494

That should please a lot of people.

 

Interesting line on stadium expansion:

Quote from the minutes of #NCFC's first supporter panel meeting: "(Danny Casey, Head of Ticketing) explained two plans are in situ to extend the capacity in the City Stand which have different time lengths and costs, but it can cost around £40-50m to get another 6000-7000 seats."

 

That is actually less than I would have expected, and hopefully implemented in the get near future. Would pay for itself in about ten years by my maths, so long as all, or at least most, of the seats are occupied.

 

I haven't got one foe the past couple of years, I think I'd like a Lotus one

There's a song by Aphrodite's Child called 'All the Seats were Occupied' - off the album 666 which was a concept album based off the Book of Revelation- anyway your comment reminded me of it

 

No foes in two years? That's the price you pay for being so reasonable zog

 

One would hope so, although I imagine the people who run English football are not very happy at fans seeing VAR being implemented effectively 'as an aid for the match referee' rather than the painful circus they've made of it in the UK.

The sports administrators could just dig in their heels. It's not unknown.

 

Hanley injury update:

"Norwich City can confirm Grant Hanley has sustained a hamstring injury following Scotland's recent UEFA Euro 2020 game against Croatia. The defender limped from the field of play in the 33rd minute of the game. Scans have revealed a hamstring injury, with Hanley set to be out of action for approximately four to five weeks."

Five weeks would mean a return two weeks before the Liverpool game.

 

Hopefully get some fitness up before that match