Is Saturday's game potentially season defining?

[chaileyjem]

For me yes it's vital to get a good result. I think these two sides will finish in the top four so doing better in the head-to-heads counts.
Can't help thinking that if we had just scored one goal at home to Boro in December (made it 1-3 instead of 0-3) we would have gone up on goals scored! One bloody goal! They all count.

Or equally 1 goal in the 17 games we drew. and the 3 other games we lost by fewer than 2 goals. Why not them ? All would have made the difference. Because there wasn't much difference.

 

[SeagullinExile]

Norwich are having a wobble, with the fans unhappy with AN. As someone on their forum says: ‘Alex Neil has a garage of flash cars but doesn’t know how to drive them’

They've just had a tough match against Leeds...and lost when they should have won easily.

They are leaking goals like no ones business.

However

We know in this league anything can happen and they do have quality players all over the pitch. The key for me will be how well we deal with their wingers Brady and Hoolahan.
The battle between Hoolahan and Anthony will be fascinating and could be the tipping point in the game.

I believe this is a great chance for us to beat a team that is expected to be challenging for the top two, you can probably add Hudders and sneeky Sheff Wed as well - they are only 4 pts behind us so it's all very tight!

I believe we'll win, one thing we cannot afford to do is lose - even at this stage of the season.

Really?

Decent post until the last bit!

Way too early to say either way.

 

[Seagull]

Or equally 1 goal in the 17 games we drew. and the 3 other games we lost by fewer than 2 goals. Why not them ? All would have made the difference. Because there wasn't much difference.

Well the answer to that is that it makes double the difference if they're an immediate rival, even when losing the game as in that case.

 

[chaileyjem]

Well the answer to that is that it makes double the difference if they're an immediate rival, even when losing the game as in that case.

Yes. of course. But It was still a single goal and The margins were so fine it really didn't matter who it was against. 1 more goal scored or conceded v Boro away or Burnley H or Hull A would have made just as much difference as 1 goal more v Wolves(H) Or (A), Preston (H) or (A), Derby(H) or (A), Cardiff (H), and so on.

 

[casbom]

Really?

Decent post until the last bit!

Way too early to say either way.

Ok granted, probably a bit over the top - however losing would not be good. We could find ourselves in 4th place with Sheff Wed only 1 pt behind us, and we have to go to Bristol the following week which won't be easy!

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Why does nobody ever say it was because of our record against the poorer teams. If we'd avoided defeat against Rotherham away we'd have been promoted. Thats all it would have needed. So why not them. ?
Its such fine margins that to say it was "draws", the draws in the big games when it could have been just two more goals in any game at any point, one less leg stuck out by Connor Goldson, one fewer red card, one less left back injury, one less rubbish referee so focusing on a single game really doesn't really make sense.

They all matter.

But it would be naive to think that all teams will not drop 'silly' points throughout the season.

Effectively the games against top teams give the opportunity of pulling away hence the phrase 6 pointer.

I hear what your saying, but stand by my opinion that we need to improve our record vs top 6.


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[Easy 10]

If the perceived wisdom is that Newcastle are going to romp away with the title, and Naarch are very likely to be 2nd (both theories I largely subscribe to), then our two head-to-heads with them ARE going to be season-defining for us, if we are seriously gunning for 2nd. Two 6-pointers = a potential 12 point swing. Not to be sniffed at.

 

[chaileyjem]

They all matter.

But it would be naive to think that all teams will not drop 'silly' points throughout the season.

Effectively the games against top teams give the opportunity of pulling away hence the phrase 6 pointer.

I hear what your saying, but stand by my opinion that we need to improve our record vs top 6.


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Goes without saying that beating Norwich won't hurt our chances *this* season and if we're half a dozen points adrift then from top 2 or play offs then those six pointers would obviously have hurt us (if we'd failed in em).
But if we end up missing out simply on goal difference then once again it will be one of dozens of things we could/should have done differently. I'll start now if you like. Bruno's pass back v Preston.
but not merely "beating the top sides" or "draws" etc.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Goes without saying that beating Norwich won't hurt our chances *this* season and if we're half a dozen points adrift then from top 2 or play offs then those six pointers would obviously have hurt us (if we'd failed in em).
But if we end up missing out simply on goal difference then once again it will be one of dozens of things we could/should have done differently. I'll start now if you like. Bruno's pass back v Preston.
but not merely "beating the top sides" or "draws" etc.

As I said they all matter.

But surely you can't deny depriving our opponents of points is a big help.

Anyway, I thought Stocko miscontrolled it........ ;-)

 

[Peter Grummit]

If the perceived wisdom is that Newcastle are going to romp away with the title, and Naarch are very likely to be 2nd (both theories I largely subscribe to), then our two head-to-heads with them ARE going to be season-defining for us, if we are seriously gunning for 2nd. Two 6-pointers = a potential 12 point swing. Not to be sniffed at.

This is largely my view. Put another way, I don't see too many, if any, other teams finishing above us this season. Wednesday, Derby and Villa have the squads, but Wednesday we've already beaten and we have an 11 point start on the other 2.

Norwich have a lot of very good players. But they don't have our team ethic and spirit. And in Hughton we have a far better manager. Hoolahan is a real danger, and he was rested against Leeds. Brady also very good, but he played 120 mins and missed a penalty. I wonder if they will start Naismith, again very decent at this level. Jerome versus Duffy should be an epic aerial clash.

One Machiavellian fear I have is that if we win, Neil will get the boot and a better manager may get more out of their highly paid squad across the rest of the season. There's no reason why we can't win, but for this reason, I won't be too upset with a draw.

PG

 

[Machiavelli]

We need to be taking points off any of the teams in the top six this season, as this will definitely help the points tally, and give us something that we defintely lacked last season.
At least we've beaten one side in the top six this season (Huddersfield) so far. Beating Norwich would be a great result in the context of the whole season UTA!!

I suspect that come the end of the season, far more important than a home win vs Hudds will be an away win vs Sheff Wed.

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Forget the points permutations - on that basis it is not season defining.

It's about the psychology. Norwich is a similar sized city, a club with a similar size stadium and fan base, but a club which has nearly always had the edge over us, including in recent seasons by buying our best players, poaching marquee signings from under our noses and generally being at least half a division ahead of us.

Putting one over them would be HUGE. A changing of the guards. A statement that we are more than a match for them. It could well give us the belief we need to finish the job this time.

Norwich have proved that they are often too good for the championship but usually not good enough to maintain their status as a premiership club - they are serial failures in that league. When we finally get there, I'd like to think we'll make a better fist of staying there.

 

[Machiavelli]

As I said they all matter.

But surely you can't deny depriving our opponents of points is a big help.

Anyway, I thought Stocko miscontrolled it........ ;-)

Both Bruno and Stockdale made two mistakes for that goal:
-- Bruno, the badly misjudged back heel, followed by the panicked miscontrolled back pass
-- Stockdale, 'chesting' the ball with his right nipple and then, bizarrely, running towards our bench, rather than blocking the goal.
It was most unlike both of them. Between them, they've chalked up roughly 120 appearances since the start of last season, and have been spectacularly good. Just goes to show, that even our guardian and flair-meister/capitane supreme are prone to two consecutive mistakes.

 

[Machiavelli]

This is largely my view. Put another way, I don't see too many, if any, other teams finishing above us this season. Wednesday, Derby and Villa have the squads, but Wednesday we've already beaten and we have an 11 point start on the other 2.

Norwich have a lot of very good players. But they don't have our team ethic and spirit. And in Hughton we have a far better manager. Hoolahan is a real danger, and he was rested against Leeds. Brady also very good, but he played 120 mins and missed a penalty. I wonder if they will start Naismith, again very decent at this level. Jerome versus Duffy should be an epic aerial clash.

One Machiavellian fear I have is that if we win, Neil will get the boot and a better manager may get more out of their highly paid squad across the rest of the season. There's no reason why we can't win, but for this reason, I won't be too upset with a draw.

PG

Fear ye not. That's not how the script has been written. He'll go soon after the January transfer window.

And we'll all live happily ever after

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Both Bruno and Stockdale made two mistakes for that goal:
-- Bruno, the badly misjudged back heel, followed by the panicked miscontrolled back pass
-- Stockdale, 'chesting' the ball with his right nipple and then, bizarrely, running towards our bench, rather than blocking the goal.
It was most unlike both of them. Between them, they've chalked up roughly 120 appearances since the start of last season, and have been spectacularly good. Just goes to show, that even our guardian and flair-meister/capitane supreme are prone to two consecutive mistakes.

Yes. My comment was tongue in cheek (hence [emoji6]), as I was responding to it being attributed to Bruno when it was, IMO, down to both of them.


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[neilbard]

I think it is season-defining. When you look back at last season you think of points dropped at home to Burnely and Boro as being key.

This!
We only managed to beat one top six side all last season and after defeat by Boro we then proceeded to lose the next three games

 

[Hazwaz]

In December Norwich have Villa on the Tues and Huddersfield on the Friday,both at home but still difficult week

 

[Stat Brother]

Definitely not, not now I've looked through the fixture list.

The Albion's season will be defined from 21.01.17 to 04.02.17.

Excluding FA Cup congestion we have:-

Wednesday
Newcastle
Huddersfield
Brentford.

We follow those games with a run of 6 potentially 'easier' fixtures.
If the team aren't playing catch up after Brentford they'll be well set.

 

[ManOfSussex]

In my mind at least, I have now reached the conclusion that the Norwich game is potentially season defining.

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Forget the points permutations - on that basis it is not season defining.

It's about the psychology. Norwich is a similar sized city, a club with a similar size stadium and fan base, but a club which has nearly always had the edge over us, including in recent seasons by buying our best players, poaching marquee signings from under our noses and generally being at least half a division ahead of us.

Putting one over them would be HUGE. A changing of the guards. A statement that we are more than a match for them. It could well give us the belief we need to finish the job this time.

Norwich have proved that they are often too good for the championship but usually not good enough to maintain their status as a premiership club - they are serial failures in that league. When we finally get there, I'd like to think we'll make a better fist of staying there.