2022-23 Season

This may be the case but Connor Southwell also confirmed on the PinkUn podcast today that they had a productive sit down meeting with Norwich execs on Thursday last week to sort through things, bridges being repaired. Perhaps not to the level they were but building

 

Wagner can clearly talk the talk; let's hope he can walk the walk. Personally, I'm optimistic for the first time in a long time.

 

Give it a couple of weeks

 

The sensible policy, which seems to be what the club is implementing, is to treat all local media with equal fairness; no favouritism, no privileged access. In the case of Monday's event, Radio Norfolk got extended interviews with Wagner and Webber, the Pink'Un ran the full video, and the club did a "behind the scenes" video which scotched the idea that anyone was being "excluded".

 

The media black outs usually coinside with bad performances on the pitch .

It looks like hiding and the mantra Ignore the noise

 

This is interesting, either injuries or a big defensive shakeup coming?

 

Is Pukki angling for a move to Shef Utd in this video? Named a fair few of their players

 

According to the official site, Gibson is nearing fitness and might be available for Coventry. Byram will need a another 5-6 weeks but Josh is back. DW says:

"We are more than excited. We had a good week, three days of training, one day of double session. Not a whole lot of time but hopefully we can show some progression tomorrow. Every day helps to get used to each other a little bit more, to assess the picture. But, as I say, work isn't done in a week. We have to take it step by step and we will do. Everybody is excited, you can feel it in training. In the meetings, when we speak about how we like to play football, how we like to defend, everybody is on board."

I'm having difficulty remembering Smith ever talking about the players being 'excited' about the football they were being asked to play. DW seems to like what he's seen in McLean: “Kenny brings everything to play this role. He needs to play in a position where he can play long and short passes. He is a very intelligent player. He has everything and is a top pro.”

 

I think Teemu could be a Buendia he has a smart enough football brain, playing just behind the striker

 

Strange that one of the most significant revelations in the Webber/Wagner interview should go unremarked on here -- namely that the objective of promotion with a team capable of survival has been jettisoned for the more attainable one of promotion, full stop. Wagner is working to a different, more manageable brief compared to Smith. In practical terms, that's back (for the time being at least) to thinking of ourselves as a top 26 club, not a top 17 one. Also what it means from a practical point of view is that, unlike DS, DW doesn't have to try and create on EPL silk purse from an EFL sow's ear.

 

One league's sows ear is another man's Rolls Royce in the division we are currently in .

Perhaps the pigs were Shaky & his mate Deano?

 

The reason "Wagner is working to a different, more manageable brief compared to Smith" is because Smith failed to keep us in contention for automatic promotion. Webber also bears some responsibility for recruitment of players like Rashica, Normann and Lees-Melou who grabbed a chance to play in the PL and then buggered off after relegation, Rashica having done the same at Werder Bremen the year before. Wagner now has 19 games in which to make the play-offs with the players he has inherited from Smith.

He has grasped the nettle immediately and worked out a tactical approach which suits our players and the position we're in, namely 'hunting down a play-off place' with exciting attacking tactics. Should we manage promotion, I would rather we concentrate on players suited to the system and willing to battle for every ball rather than high priced technically gifted players who lack the commitment to fight for survival.

 

As Rick points out, the change back to top 26 instead of top 17 is a direct result of Smith's failure to achieve his remit, not only of keeping us in the Prem (probably impossible), but also of building a team capable of promotion. If Wagner's remit is more manageable, it is because Smith wasn't up to the job.

This decision, though, began with Webber and therefore he must also face some criticism. Either he didn't recognise the sheer size of the change of moving away from Farke's 'ideological' approach to Smith's 'pragmatic' approach in terms of playing style and its effect on the players, or he chose to make that decision in full knowledge of the breach it would create. His appointment of Wagner suggests that he may have realised that he made a significant error.

However we read this, though, there is no escaping the fact that Smith's appointment was a mistake and he has had a disastrous effect on the 'project', and that you were wrong about him, at least in terms of Norwich.

Humility is not one of the seven deadly sins, Robbie.

 

Kenny McLean on his new role:

https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/23259316.norwich-city-kenny-mclean-loving-new-midfield-role/

 

I have met a number of truly humble people in my life Gozo, and I can tell you that it would never for a moment have crossed any of their minds to preach humility to another.

 

In my humble opinion, Robbie stop being a douche

 

I agree Zog. Should have just said "hypocrite" .........

 

bahahaha

 

We've scored 20% of our league goals this season within the last two games...

 

Oh and Ipswich appear to have begun their second half of the season implosion again. They hung on for a bit longer this year. If they don't go up this year, that'll leave some scars