OK I know I'm a confirmed 'outer' and

some of you will say you've heard it all before but I just wrote this in response to something else so I thought I'd post it so wrathers can waste a minute or two reading it then another one or two having a pop at me again!

If you think we played excellently at Palace all I can say is that you are easily satisfied.
A major problem is that Hughton's constant 'bigging up' of other teams seems to be making everybody believe how good they are. Palace are dreadful. Fulham are dreadful. Sunderland are dreadful. They are so bad, in fact, that Hughton might even keep us above them and in the league.
However, I'd like to see more ambition than that in our third Prem season. We have amazing support, have increased our player budget/wage bill and have won the Youth Cup yet still we strive only to survive. Hughton aims low.
The Man Utd game was interesting: they were without van Persie, Rooney, Valencia, Januzaj and Rafael - if ever the Champions can be said to be 'there for the taking' this was it. And after a poor first 10 minutes City went for it, realising, it seemed, that they could dominate. However, a goal did not come and half time was reached at 0-0. An opportunity for the manager to galvanise his team, to encourage them to believe that they could stand toe-to-toe with the mighty Red Devils and win the game, roared on by the home support?
No. As it turns out an opportunity for David Moyes to tweak his line up by bringing on Welbeck for Giggs- a change to which City were totally incapable of responding. Hughton's team lost the initiative badly after the break and not for the first time (or even the twenty-first) he stood helplessly on the line utterly incapable of influencing the action; his greatest weakness as a manager. When Hooper was withdrawn (as a precaution)he was replaced with van Wolfswinkel; like for like. When Snodgrass came off he was replaced by Murphy; like for like.
Only with 2 minutes remaining, when Elmander, came on, was any attempt made to change City's shape/approach. Too little, too late.
We are being crippled by our manager's caution and exaggerated respect for opponents.
Amazingly, to me at least, some people insist on saying he's doing a good job - buying into his belief that all the other teams 'can hurt you in so many ways'. I wonder if it's because he comes across as such a nice guy. Underneath that front, I suspect, he is extremely stubborn and maybe even a touch arrogant, believing that he is right at all times.
I have always considered Steve Bruce a mercenary who goes from club to club at the drop of a hat. But this season ,looking at the way he's got Hull playing, I am beginning to respect him. This is no gung-ho Holloway style Blackpool adventure. Hull are mean at the back but also play without fear, realising that there are quite a few pretty poor sides in this league (Norwich included, I'm afraid, at the moment).
That's more like what I would like to see and I am not prepared, like so many others, to say we played well when we didn't.

Posted By: BillySteele on January 3rd 2014 at 11:45:48

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