Carl Baker vs. Norwich (1 Viewer)

[Adam Jones]

What a shocker. You could count the number of passes he completed with the fingers on one hand. He has no vision, no pace, a dreadful first touch, terrible control, and (worst of all) no work ethic. Not at all worth the shirt on his back this afternoon. Gael Bigirimana, however, looked very bright indeed. Brighter than Conor Thomas to my mind, and also brighter than Gary McSheffrey, who again allowed the game to pass him by for the most part. I appreciate that there have been a lot of people singing Bigirimana's praises so far during pre-season, but this afternoon was my first glimpse of him in action, and the hype is richly deserved in some cases. He can certainly pick a pass, and he's not afraid to run at defenders. He's a little raw, yes, but a superb prospect for a club like us. Clingan was metronomic during the first half, and Keogh lead superbly at the back, but there were very few positives to take from that second half this afternoon...

 

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[you're an idiot]

Agree with most of your post but had Conor Thomas been involved in the 1st half when we possession was 80/20 in our favour as opposed to 2nd half when it was 80/20 in Norwich's favour I think your comments would be more favourable towards Thomas. Bigirimana, much like any other city player (consistent Clingan excluded), faded in the 2nd half but his quality was obvious.

I'm worried for the new season though, we lacked penetration (something that his been highlighted throughout the pre-season) and, unless the midfield is going to pitch in in a major way, I don't see where the goals are going to come from!

 

[Adam Jones]

No, I quite agree with you. I'm not trying to say that Thomas is a poor player by any stretch of the imagination. He has an eye for a killer pass, he's fantastic on the ball, and I rate him highly as a prospect for the future of the club. I think he could have a role to play for us this season, and I thoroughly welcome him back to the club. I thought the first half was a real credit to Thorn's tactics. The passing was slick and the tempo was fast, we used plenty of width and really had asked questions of a very capable side. There were a good few occasions where we were only inches away with the all-important final ball, and we'd have had a clear opening. Goals are a major concern, certainly. Eastwood showed some deft touches for me today, and there was plenty of movement from him; Jutkiewicz held the ball up well, but lacked the kind of instinct and vision that made King so effective, and was isolated when he moved into the channels. McSheffrey is one of my biggest concerns. For a player who used to be good for 10-15 goals a season, he's barely managing 10-15 touches a game at times now. I think it was evident that Paul Lambert had asked his side to show more competitiveness in the second period, and they really upped their game. They were much more physical, faster to close us down, and we could scarcely get the ball off them for most of the half. We simply don't have the players to show that same kind of competitive edge. We looked a yard off the pace throughout a lot of the match to me, and that was amongst the biggest concerns.

 

[Jack Griffin]

What concerened me was that the side looked rubbish in the 2nd half against the Norwich reserves. Maybe the fitness levels are below where they should be?

 

[SydneySkyBlue]

I don't want to sound like a broken record but what are the chances of Bigi being our stand out player in the opening games and him then being poached before the transfer window even closes? I may be getting ahead of myself but if I was a scout for a rival club I'd be eyeing up our youngsters safe in the knowledge that the board are more than willing to sell. I'm very concerned with these mugs in charge.

 

[skybluegod]

What concerened me was that the side looked rubbish in the 2nd half against the Norwich reserves. Maybe the fitness levels are below where they should be?

they were'nt norwich resereves some a lot of them were first teamers

 

[Kuklinski]

Give him some credit, the lad must have been shattered after playing Norwich all by himself.

 

[Jack Griffin]

they were'nt norwich resereves some a lot of them were first teamers

TBH, I made an assumption there, so in fact our defence got cut up in 30 seconds by the Norwich reserves then? Either way it looks flakey.

 

[Lord_Nampil]

I wish our reserves had Morison naughton surman hoolhan Jackson Johnson and co in it!!!

 

[bamalamafizzfazz]

TBH, I made an assumption there, so in fact our defence got cut up in 30 seconds by the Norwich reserves then? Either way it looks flakey.

The point you have missed is that unlike City, Norwich have a full squad and I would say I had heard of most of their players. We were undone by the monster Grant Holt for that opening goal.

 

[Kuklinski]

I wish our reserves had Morison naughton surman hoolhan Jackson Johnson and co in it!!!

I'd prefer them in the 1st team.

 

[Lord_Nampil]

I'd prefer them in the 1st team.

I think I would too! All are quality and there second side was better than there first team!