We can go into 5th place saturday if we win....

[Papa Lazarou]

Lua Lua - 4 weeks I heard
Ulloa - Mid-december according to Oscar recently
Orlandi - Been on bench last two games so hopefully some minutes on Sat if appropriate
Buckley - Also sounded close to a return so within 1-2 weeks
CMS - December, but I reckon January
Hoskins - Who?

Also, Andrews back in next couple of weeks.

Oh yes, forgot Andrews.

So, realistically we need to 'get through' the next 2 or 3 weeks with the current team and then we have vastly more options. Oscar could get us playing some delightful football from Christmas onwards.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Do people not think JFC and Ince deserve to keep their places on merit?

 

[KZNSeagull]

What do you mean, "if we win"? When we win surely!

 

[T soprano]

...by 2 goals..........for a few hours.

Reading are playing Forest on Friday night so 6th place for a few hours is a possibility if we beat Bournemouth

 

[KZNSeagull]

Do people not think JFC and Ince deserve to keep their places on merit?

I suspect that they will keep their places.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Be typical for us to win away at Wigan and then say lose at Bournemouth......

We don't have a very good record against Bournemouth and it is on Sky.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

We don't have a very good record against Bournemouth and it is on Sky.

Both indicators of a bad performance. At least it's not in October!

 

[Napper]

Bridcutt needs more help than that, he's good but he can't do it ALL. We'd get completely overrun in midfield without a Crofts / Ince in there to help out.

Having all those splendid forwards on the field is all well and good - but you need to get hold of the ball first.

and not to mention crofts has 5 in 15 so at this rate is on for 15 over the season. You cant leave him out

 

[Papa Lazarou]

and not to mention crofts has 5 in 15 so at this rate is on for 15 over the season. You cant leave him out

He's back to the Andrew Crofts we and Norwich loved. I wonder what was up with him last season.

Edit: Actually to answer my own question - under Oscar we do commit more midfield players forward in attack than we did last season.

 

[Napper]

Reading are playing Forest on Friday night so 6th place for a few hours is a possibility if we beat Bournemouth

and Reading dont win

 

[Rod Marsh]

Discounting form and fitness I would argue that our best front six is Ulloa, Buckley, Lua Lua, Orlandi, Bridcutt and Agustien.

 

[Simster]

and then scrape a 0-0 v Barnsley

midweek at the Amex against a team we should beat = tediocre draw.

Nailed. On.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

It's quite extraordinary, isn't it.

To have the following:
A new manager
A manager with no prior experience of English football.
A manager who has had very little time to influence the team in their style (apart from what appeared to be nearly "long ball" in the first few games)
A team set in their previous managers mould who were all (in general) huge fans of the previous manager.
A summer of disruption
A complete injury CRISIS.
Not really played that well at all (which was completely understandable)
Not one player signed who you would honestly say was the managers "choice". (I refuse to believe Oscar came in and said "do you know who I REALLY like? Keith Andrews and Leroy Lita)
Massive backroom and matchday staff turnaround.

And yet, we are still in touch coming into December. Even if we were about 8 points off the playoffs I'd have been accepting and happy....but to be where we are is bizarre but very pleasing.

 

[Napper]

looking at fixtures saturday then every chance with a win we will be 6th or 7th Sat night

Teams above us up to 5th -

Fri
Forest v Reading

Sat
Blackburn v Leeds

Sun
Wigan v Derby

Cant see Reading / Leeds and Derby all winning . In fact can make a case for none of them winning meaning 6th place Sat evening / Sunday papers.

Take a point Saturday though

 

[Simster]

And yet, we are still in touch coming into December. Even if we were about 8 points off the playoffs I'd have been accepting and happy....but to be where we are is bizarre but very pleasing.

It is extraordinary. Three weeks ago, Mellotron was on here telling us it was way too early to write off the play-offs when we were 6 points off the pace. I thought that gap was only going to get bigger, and quickly. Obviously he was right and I was wrong, but surely even the most optimistic amongst us must be shocked at the speed of this turnaround - 3 straight wins, 2 of which were away and one against the cup holders and promotion favourites. Four points from Bournemouth and Barnsley and we will be well set. I for one am gobsmacked.

 

[Mellotron]

Not really played that well at all (which was completely understandable).

I don't completely agree with this. You know I was a massive fan of Gus, and we've been far more workmanlike, but I also think we've been more effective. The same team we put out on Saturday - under Gus - probably wouldn't have scored. Crofts wouldn't have been that far up the pitch.

 

[Mellotron]

It is extraordinary. Three weeks ago, Mellotron was on here telling us it was way too early to write off the play-offs when we were 6 points off the pace. I thought that gap was only going to get bigger, and quickly. Obviously he was right and I was wrong, but surely even the most optimistic amongst us must be shocked at the speed of this turnaround - 3 straight wins, 2 of which were away and one against the cup holders and promotion favourites. Four points from Bournemouth and Barnsley and we will be well set. I for one am gobsmacked.

I didn't expect us to have 9 points from 9, but did think it was a little early for all the doom and gloom. I reckon we'll still have setbacks along the way, but we do have a very good set of players here, and I reckon a pretty good manager.

 

[nwgull]

What's the latest on the injured players?

Kazenga Lua-Lua - I see that he was tweeting about training / running sessions - I assume on the anti-grav treadmill
Ulloa - not sure- I assume he's on the anti-grav treadmill as well
Orlandi - must be close to a return
Buckley - not sure
CMS - still a while off, but training
Hoskins - no idea

KLL tweeted about running yesterday along with a pic of him in outdoor training gear and boots, so looks like he's making good progress.

Not read anything about the others, although it's 8 weeks to the day since Ulloa got injured, so he should be off the anti-gravity treadmill and running normally by now.

 

[Icy Gull]

We don't have a very good record against Bournemouth and it is on Sky.

For this reason I don't feel confident. Bournemouth are on an iffy run, we are on a great run and it's a local derby (whether we like it or not) and on Sky. I'd settle for a draw right now.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

KLL tweeted about running yesterday along with a pic of him in outdoor training gear and boots, so looks like he's making good progress.

Not read anything about the others, although it's 8 weeks to the day since Ulloa got injured, so he should be off the anti-gravity treadmill and running normally by now.

We can but hope. I'd expect a Injury Update on the homepage sometime this week.