Random thoughts on yesterday (warning: lengthy)

1. Really proud of how we played - but that wasn't a football match. Inside, I quite like how Stamford Bridge looks - quite intimate, for such a big stadium - but outside, it's like a theme park. And the WWF-style announcing of the Chelsea players before the game was positively dystopian. Bottom line? At the highest level, it isn't a sport any more: it's a business and entertainment, with the same teams always winning. And yesterday, it was Lions v Christians: though the Christians did more than enough to get the thumbs up from any watching Caesars.

2. Etuhu - shocking against Blackpool - was a revelation yesterday, as was Hughes. Bit disappointed with Lappin; but from St Mirren to Stamford Bridge is, to be fair, an enormous step up. As for the criticism on here of Brown: look, it's early days. No, he doesn't look to be anything much (we're hardly talking crapness of Coney, Beckford, Akinbiyi or Keith Scott proportions, mind) - but he was up against Chelsea, for heavens sake! You need real class and experience to make use of the scraps you get in games like that, and it's ridiculous to expect him to get much change out of a top Premiership side. Give it time: we'll see how he turns out.

3. You know what's really frustrating about having such a thin squad? Being forced to play people out of position, that's what. If we only had a 2nd decent central defender available, we could play Dion up front, which I'm sure he'd prefer (he's been immense at the back in any case, though) - and if only we had decent cover for Earnie, we wouldn't have to play Hucks up front, where he invariably, and through no real fault of his own, gets shackled. Against both Blackpool and Chelsea, our attacking options were transformed once we moved him out wide: it would've been a monumental gamble to start with Martin alongside Brown, but maybe Grant should've considered it?

4. 4-0 was unbelievably harsh (4-0! We always lose 4-0!); that said though, finishing demands class, which we just didn't quite have. I also couldn't help but feel Chelsea were playing within themselves for much of the game: Mourinho wasn't happy during the 1st half, and them being forced to bring Essien on was a tribute to how well we were doing. But I always had the sense that, even if we'd scored, they'd have been able to move through the gears with no trouble - and to be honest, I started clockwatching once they'd scored their second, as I knew the scoreline was likely to mount: which, in the end, it did.

5. Overall, we're in the very early stages of a new Norwich City beginning to take shape. Grant can't work miracles: he has to build the squad gradually, and will need plenty of luck on the way. Plus, without either parachute payments or Mandaric-style investment, it's going to be phenomenally difficult even to gatecrash the top 6. Assuming we stay up, which surely we will, we're part of a group of several clubs (us, Coventry, Palace, Plymouth, Wednesday, and that lot down the road) all trying to move into contention without being able to throw much money at it: it'll be tough, very tough even, but it'll be fun seeing how Grant gets on, and I'm beginning to warm to him.

I get the sense he understands the club very well, and if we do succeed, he'll find the right balance between grit and the kind of positive football we've always prided ourselves on. Plus, he won't stand for the sort of complacency which certain previous managers have practically encouraged. Grant's making the changes we all called for - so give him the time to do so, and hopefully, fingers crossed, he can get us back in the hunt and enjoying much better times over the next couple of years.

Proud of you, lads. OTBC!

Posted By: thebigfeller, Feb 18, 17:04:41