Strike

Rex and Drayton Green from http://www.norwich.vitalfootball.co.uk have kindly agreed to answer a few questions about Norwich's current season. 1.Firstly, can you tell how long have you been a Norwich City fan? Rex: 48 years. Drayton: 45 years 2. Thoughts on the season you are having? Satisfied? Rex: I knew this would be a difficult season even without a change of manager. That we have recovered from a very shaky start to be tenth at Christmas has exceeded my expectations. However, you can never be satisfied. Sometimes even winning the Champions League is not good enough. Drayton: More than satisfied. Before WBA game it looked like we could avoid a season of being close to relegation. Maybe we still can 3. Last time you faced Chelsea, it ended in a 4-1 win for the Blues. What has changed since then at Norwich? Rex: The team has continued to grow. The style of play is quite different from the way we played under Paul Lambert. Last time round, we were still learning and had vulnerabilities. This time, we are tighter and more focused. Ruddy is out, a big miss, Bunn is a worthy replacement even though he is still developing. The game could go any way. Drayton: I was there at that game. We have a better defence, the team are playing in harmony with CH 's tactics and we are also playing with self believe that we can beat anybody irrespective of the players in it and how much they cost. 4. Who has been your best player so far? Rex: I think Wes Hoolahan shades it but we don't really have best players. We have the honour of having scored the best team goal of the Premier League with 29 passes (I think). Drayton: The team as a whole but in defence Bassong has been immense and in terms of creativity we have been on a great rum since Hooohan has been in the team. 5. What do you think about Chelsea's season so far? Rex: A remarkable turnaround after some astounding decisions by the higher echelons. You have a team that is awesome, when everyone is on song. I hope, for our sake, somebody has an off day. Drayton: Seems up and down and maybe lacking stability due to managers situation. Maybe slightly below expectations 6. Thoughts about Rafa Benitez? Rex: Master tactician, could be prickly. That may upset some of the more sensitive stars. Drayton: Desperate for a job and happy to take flack to get one. He is a good manager and if allowed to run things his way maybe will get a top 3 place. 7. If you could have one player from Chelsea who would it be? Rex: Don't tell the others. I would be in lots of trouble. Lampard. Drayton: We need a striker but you have many attacking midfielders so I would take Mata 8. Predict the scoreline for today's game. Rex: In my heart 2-1 to us. In my nightmares, we score first then you slot 5 past us. Realistically, close. Score draw (2-2) or narrow loss (1-2). Drayton: 2 2

@CHOULO19, i have opposition views from two Norwich fans on http://www.norwich.vitalfootball.co.uk i'll PM it to you, mate?

streams will be there. mostly european. just not aired by ESPN-Asia

F*** THIS! Sunderland ManC being aired. ESPN, I hate you.

exactly and there has been no news of which game will be replacing it. it better be cfc norwich. if they don't air it, it'll be like the 10th game this season not aired here

The Stupid TV Schedule has Arsenal vs West Ham on.anyone know if it'll be aired live in India?

nope. this is a really good deal if we can pull it off. by spending virtually nothing, we've got a striker till the summer and it is important mainly because, whenever we are stuck in games, rafa will have the option of switching to 2 strikers up top. if we sign Villa on loan, recall Essien and sign Walcott on the cheap, i'd go bonkers. HG quota filled, class striker in, midfield depth solved.

highly unlikely in January. Villa, if available would be a brilliant short-term option before buying Falcao or Cavani in the summer

i am worried though. no good striker available atm. we won't be buying cavani or falcao for sure. not when rafa is around anyway. huntelaar signed a new contract. we will be going for the likes of Wilfried Bony etc. also, with Sturridge gone, we are one player short in the HG quota which makes the Walcott move all the more sensible. No better British talent available atm

Lmao! the only time he really rotated was for the Leeds tie. rest of the games it's just been the same squad with the same setup also, as someone already mentioned, we went behind in the CWC final and he made 3 like-for-like changes. no backup tactic. no flexibility in his system . and btw Piazon played under RDM as well. started the LC tie vs United. and as for Marin. only 1 start for the club in a League Cup tie against Championship opposition and was removed after 50 mins. also, about Luiz in midfield. It's been coming. Mikel and Ramires' suspension, Oriol and Lamps' injury meant the move was necessary. rafa deserves little credit for that but you definitely can't hail him for a move necessitated rather than decided. tbf, Benitez is growing on me. the team is responding to him. playing better football as well but i won't get my hopes up. it was a great win on Sunday but it was an under 21 Villa team playing a 3 man defence. they looked like headless chicken in the second half. he will deliver top 4 finish and then i hope we try and get in a world class manager like Pep or Jose. Benitez should be given an extension only if we don't get those 2

Main priorities. a ST, a CM AND a replacement for Sturridge. My pick - Walcott and Essien loan return - unsure about backup striker

inter - 82 points and 75 goals in the 09-10 on the way to the treble. using Milito, Balotelli and Eto'o in attack. in the CL, of course he had to be negative. he had a Inter team of Muntari, Cambiasso etc in midfield working their socks off to supply for Sneijder, Eto'o etc. can't say he was negative there. he won the treble and Benitez inherited the team and did squat. Madrid - he's playing negative football in Madrid? maybe against Barca but nowhere else. they were attacking with a good tempo against even Bayern last season.

so basically, your argument is based on your notion that mourinho is a whore and not that Rafa is a good manager. That's enough for me. i have no opinion of Mourinho's off-the-pitch antics so, No point taking this further

regardless. What about their respective projects at Inter? Mourinho is miles ahead in terms of getting the best out of his squad. also, you say Mourinho was as defensive as Benitez. i don't see how. we romped to the league title in 04-05. in his first game he played Eidur and Didier up top and we won 1-0 through Eidur scoring off a Didier knock-down. Benitez predominantly always tried to shore up the midfield rather than attack for the win. evident by his league forms. also, his title challenge in 08-09 was only because of Fernando Torres' free-scoring run. or else Liverpoop would be stuck in 3rd-4th as ever. Mourinho's team, inspite of having Makelele in the middle, had Lampard, Robben, Didier, Eidur, Duff attacking. in 04-05 and then Cole instead of Eidur/Duff in 05-06. Benitez played hard-working wingers like Kuyt etc. don't see how Mourinho is more negative than Rafa tbh

Benitez took over Mourinho's Inter team. we all know how that went not saying benitez is bad coach but he can't be compared to mourinho. different level altogether. mourinho's tactics, mindgames, knowledge of personnel is way ahead of benitez. benitez also has a negative approach which while useful in the CL, is hardly good for us in the league. his 2nd game in charge, he played Bertrand in left midfield replacing Juan Mata to gain that extra bit of solidity. at what cost? 3 shots the whole game. Mourinho also has the image of being a defensive coach but that is mainly about Protecting leads. mourinho's teams would turn the screws until they take the lead and then remain solid and tight

yes. you basically made the point anyway. Rafa better than Jose? :D i had a good laugh reading that

Let me begin by saying, firstly, Mourinho took a Porto team to Champions League glory, then came to Chelsea and got us to be the best team in the league for 2 years and if it weren't for the Luis Garcia ghost goal or the 2007 shootout loss, we would have been within touching distance of a CL back then. he went to Inter, got the players performing. Eto'o for Ibra + 56mil. what a masterstroke. Sneijder - world beater then. Got Cambiasso, Lucio etc dig deep and pull off Another Champions League win Just because he's stuck with a Madrid team full of players who are not playing for the team, doesn't mean that he suddenly turned into a bad manager. Compare him to Rafa and you've got a total mismatch. Plus, Rafa - never accepted by fans. Plus, Jose would get total control of transfers.Plus Rafa would just be a puppet strung by Gourlay and Emenalo. Plus, Mourinho will have the burning desire to win the CL at Chelsea. that'll keep him going.

wtf? are you seriously saying that Rafael Benitez is a better option than Mourinho? MIND=BLOWN

pity guzan though. and also, the midfield overpowered villa. won the ball back whenever villa tried to string 2 passes together important that we don't get carried away now. top 4 is the objective and rafa should take it game by game and see if we can challenge for the title. manchester clubs are shit so we might have an outside chance

wouldn't say "Ruthless". missed a couple of sitters. Moses especially. through on goal with all the time in the world. although in hindsight, i am glad he missed because then the ball fell to Lampard

anyone has a pic of the scoreboard?

Jurgen Klopp. will he leave Borussia? he's building his own dynasty there anyway, it's irrelevant. Jurgen Klopp won't get total control of the first team affairs. he will be puppet-stringed by gourlay and emenalo. would love to see a manager in charge of transfers - pep or jose. Joachim Loew is simply a bigger name than Klopp. Similar to Klopp in many ways but Loew commands more respect and has built up a goodish reputation. he'll have more of an impact here. hence he is 3rd

The Managerial Shortlist should look something like this imo 1. The Special One 2. Pep 3. Joachim Loew 4. Rafael Benitez 1. Jose - Under fire in Madrid and wants to return to England. Loves Chelsea and would like to build a 2nd team here. World Class Manager. Adored by the fans. Respected by the players. Proven in the Premier League and I think he'll be determined to win the Champions League at Chelsea 2. Pep - Pep's lack of Premiership experience puts him 2nd for me but still, he's a world class manager. took over an out-of-sorts Barcelona team and the first thing he did was sell Ronaldinho and Deco. Built his own team and stamped his authority at Barca with 3 league titles and 2 CL wins. 3. Loew - He's been a national team manager but a very active one at that. Can build a team of fast skilful players playing to a quick counter-attacking strategy. 4. Rafa - Last resort - Rafa. Good experience and proven especially in the CL. a little negative(defensive) in his approach maybe but that is useful in CL games where we have to keep things tight. Sadly not a World Class manager

i have my hopes up that pep wants a change of scenery and mourinho wants to come back to England