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"Guarantees" ACN Pod 98
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SEASON PREVIEW TIME - We won a place in the championship! Clare, Lawny and Tom are chatting XI for Cardiff, Pre Season Wrap Up and make some guarantees for the upcoming season that you can count on definitely happening, yup.
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Transcript
Season Predictions and Pre-Season Performance
00:00:23
Speaker
Welcome to Long Come Knowledge Podcast, a precious, prescient precursor to the Predictable Promotion Parade, where our predilection for prattling predictions are primed for this season preview. I'm joined by Claire and Lornie for this one, so let's get at it. First up, pre-season pant wetting. We've played about 90 minutes of decent football, but unfortunately that was spread over seven friendlies. Claire, are you in camp, it's about the minutes in the legs, or camp regulation battle?
00:00:52
Speaker
Most definitely camp A. To be honest, I've barely paid any attention to pre-season. I haven't watched a single game live. I've seen some of the highlights, but it's absolutely just to get the fitness there, play around with a few things, see who's going to come to the fore like a camp well has. And yeah, I'm not panicking at all yet. Yeah, I completely agree with regards to the panic levels.
00:01:20
Speaker
With regards to the teams we've played, I think it's interesting that beating one Champions League team is really instructive and counts, and then losing to the other one doesn't, or vice versa. If a pre-season game against a Champions League opponent matters, then effectively we're 50-50. What about you, Lorne? You obviously are now
00:01:47
Speaker
in a coaching position and you've presumably got some pre-season coming up or you're in some pre-season with Galston with their youth set up, how much do you think coaches are going to care about actual results?
00:02:02
Speaker
I think it's going to make for a boring podcast, but I completely agree with Claire. It's very much getting minutes in the legs of the players, minutes in the tank or minutes under the belt, depending on what your preference is. I do think there is a slight concern in terms of we look utterly toothless, but that is caveat by the fact that
00:02:25
Speaker
He hasn't been playing what I would presume is his strongest 11 at any point. So it's very much about experimentation, getting some players fit, for example, Eda, getting some young lads, some experience, and just, as Clay said, getting fitness at this stage. So it's nowhere near panic stations.
00:02:48
Speaker
like Claire, I've barely watched any of it. And that opinion is based on what other people have said, principally Michael Bailey. But yeah, it's not a concern, is it? And if you get five games in and you still haven't created much, then you can panic. But for right now. Yeah. I get the understand. We'll kind of come to the style element in a second. But
00:03:15
Speaker
When I have watched most of it, I've paid for the past when it's been available. I couldn't see today's game and also based on the lineup, it looked like if I was going to miss one, that was the one to miss. But looking at things like the Celtic game, effectively, it was an offside goal and a youth, a young player making a mistake. Likewise, in other friendlies, we've conceded through someone just sort of switching off.
00:03:40
Speaker
And the mental side of the game is just as much important to learn and get used to as the other side of the game. And also, you don't have a fixed back five that are talking to each other and talking to each other through the game yet.
Listener Questions and Dean Smith's Style
00:03:53
Speaker
But I'm actually going to mix up our format. We usually sort of do listening questions all in a row. But the way that they spread throughout the planned agenda, I actually thought it made sense that we would kind of pick them off one by one as we talk through it.
00:04:09
Speaker
There was a really interesting question that I thought that came in with regards to whether or not Dean Smith has a style of play. So to credit the person, Elizabeth Coldwell on Twitter says, does Dean Smith have a style of play but I've missed it? Have a style of play but is waiting for new players for it to gel? Or is fitness not style of play that's important in preseason? Stop making a fuss about it. Now on that third point,
00:04:37
Speaker
I, we've kind of done the results thing, doesn't matter. I think the reason that people are so concerned about not seeing a pattern in pre-season is that they, they are not basically, they're including what they saw at the end of last season. Now, my point on this is that you, you, you kind of have to give Smith Shakespeare and the coaching set up a bit of a pass on not having a defined style as frustrating as we found it at the end of last season.
00:05:04
Speaker
Because they were literally in a situation where they were there to try and save our season and nothing was working. So why would you keep doing the same thing? So they did have to change formation, they did have to change plan. So Claire, specifically to that question, do you think there is a style of play that is going to be, do you think that it's capable for Dean Smith to implement one?
00:05:31
Speaker
Of course, I'm sure he must have a style that he prefers to play with, otherwise he wouldn't have got where he is in management. I think a lot of people, like you said, are going off the back of last season and thinking he didn't have a clue. But, you know, the guy came in to a very difficult situation when we did have a very distinct way of playing that wasn't working in the Premier League. I think he did happen upon a way that worked when Ida started playing.
00:05:59
Speaker
and then unfortunately got injured. So that may have actually materialised into quite a good way of playing. Perhaps that's what he's going to go for, something like that this season. I don't think he's played his best 11 in pre-season, so it's difficult for us to know possibly what his plan is. And obviously we've got players to come in that we haven't seen before, like Hayden and Sara. So hopefully they're the players that he has identified that he needed.
00:06:29
Speaker
to play the way he wants to play. So I'm still open to sort of waiting to see what happens. I haven't made my mind up, as some people seem to have done. I would add to that as well that if we could see a very distinguished style of play, then the rest of the championship can see that as well. And there is an element of not showing your hand
00:06:51
Speaker
too early. Why would Dean Smith play the style of football in friendlies that are going to be watched by the rest of the championship scouting teams when he's got ample opportunity to work on that on the training ground? I can completely get why he wouldn't necessarily do that at this stage and it wouldn't be apparent the way we were looking to attack teams because he wouldn't want that to be apparent
00:07:18
Speaker
Well, I'm going to add in another question, Claire. So Cadon on Twitter has said, how many points clear at the top of the table will Dean Smith need to reach before fans remember that FARC's tactics were too narrow and predictable for top flight football with the budget we had? So I'm going to use that question to launch into the other side of things with Smith, which is, you know, as we talked about on our season review pod a few weeks ago, there does seem to be a bit of a
00:07:48
Speaker
um, commitment issue or not wanting to get hurt again or rebound. But do you think that, that, that Kadahn, what they're referring to there, they've got to be of a point that until, until, until effectively something massive has happened results wise, he's just not Daniel Farkas. So it doesn't matter what he does. He's not, he's not going to get to win people over. Yeah. I think you'd have to sort of feel sorry for whoever came in after
00:08:13
Speaker
after Daniel Farko because the love was so huge for him and the way that we played, you know, he promised us beautiful football and he gave us that beautiful football, even though it didn't work in the Premier League, but because of it working in the Championship, we kind of forgave him for that a little bit, whereas Dean Smith doesn't have that in the, you know, in the tank as it were. So I do feel sorry for him and he came into such a difficult situation and
00:08:42
Speaker
I think we just need to give him a chance, give him sort of three, four months to see what happens now. If it's not working then, then sure, you know, he's not the man for us. But I don't think we can say that yet. I honestly don't. And I've had massive arguments with my sister about this because she really does not like him at all. And she made her mind up at the end of last season. And on the way home from the last game, we had a very big row. But yeah, I'm just I'm keen to give him a chance
00:09:11
Speaker
get the players in. I'm hoping some more still come in because I think we certainly need some. We've got gaps in places and let's just give them a chance. Let's see what happens in the next few months and then make a decision. Well, on that gaps in places, I mean, all the rhetoric that we're hearing and seeing is that only the outdoor is going to swing, that we're not, the whole budget has gone on Sara. So
00:09:39
Speaker
there isn't going to be anywhere else. Potentially with these Malou, there might be a loan that comes in, kind of in mid field, but I think they probably want to take a look at Serenson and maybe Gibbs in the first couple of games, first three or four games to see what they've got there and also maybe get through most of August.
Season Expectations and Lineup Predictions
00:10:02
Speaker
and see whether or not Sarva and Hayden are on track to play any meaningful minutes this side of Christmas. Because I think that will also affect whether or not they take the plunge with either adding a loan with an expectation to get some minutes from the parent club or spend a bit more.
00:10:21
Speaker
So on the Dean Smith side of things, I've softened a lot my position on him. I mean, I was sick of watching Norwich lose and he was very much a part of not being able to get a win and not being able to get anything enjoyable to watch. However, I really have mellowed on it. I'm willing to completely write off
00:10:42
Speaker
last season has a situation that almost any coach would have really struggled to get that team to play football in a way just mentally they were so checked out and it was so difficult obviously with the with the covid and the either injury etc etc i just i'm sick of thinking about it obviously to talk about it and i'm and i really do want to give him almost like
00:11:07
Speaker
you know, a new start and that can't be Cardiff, Wigan and Birmingham in the car. It has to be five to 10 games. You have to because it takes that long because Cardiff might play out of their skin. Wigan, the referee might do something crazy and a changed side against Birmingham, you know, might then
00:11:29
Speaker
you know, anything can happen when you jumble the teams up because it's in the cup. So to then say our three games and we've only, you know, drawn one and lost two or whatever, you see clearly can't do it. You think, well, no, because teams change and they evolve and three games is too small. This is it. He lost the first five games of the season we won and he had a very average season before that. So we were
00:11:52
Speaker
probably very undecided about him at that point as well. Well, when we stood, when Laurie and I stood at Portally Road and were one nil down, we very much were having a conversation of, I don't know how long you've got here, Daniel, because you haven't pulled up any trees. And, you know, we're throwing youngsters on it right back. And this young Max lad who's clearly too young to be thrown into the line and standing here, what are you playing at?
00:12:17
Speaker
And so that was actually something I noted down to bring up was that, you know, in the previous championship seasons, we started slowing in and won the league. So I personally really am going to have a word with myself if I start to get too irritated after the first three or four games. I'm going to try and give him eight to 10 games before I go, do you know what? You've had, you have had a false preseason. You've, okay, you've been, you've
00:12:47
Speaker
You might be unlucky as kind on the fact that you've signed two crock players because maybe you wanted players who weren't crocked. But you've known well in advance who's going to be available to you in August, right? That cannot be under any debate, so you should be able to get them playing in a way that you're happy to put your name to. What do you think, Lorne? How long should it be until we say you've had your chance now?
00:13:14
Speaker
It's difficult to put a time frame on it, I think, because, as you said earlier on, it depends so much on the context of how we're playing, injuries, how the games have gone, how the rest of the division has gone, who we've got in. There's a lot of variables that aren't necessarily under Dean Smith's control. That said, at some point you do have to make the decision
00:13:41
Speaker
I would be surprised if we are completely out of the promotion picture, even if that's just like playoffs at Christmas. So I wouldn't be doing anything before Christmas. And at that point you're then thinking, well, do we need to make a change before the January transfer window? So I wouldn't be, I wouldn't be considering it until December unless all of those contextual things have gone in Dean Smith's favor and we're still rubbish.
00:14:09
Speaker
Because my point on this is I think there is a possibility, and why I want to keep my powder dry on this is there's a real possibility that those being really negative and worried, and whilst I like joining in with kind of the jokey side, the boundary side of announced regulation and what have you, seriously, I am not in any way concerned about where we stand because we haven't played any meaningful minutes yet.
00:14:38
Speaker
There is an opportunity that anyone who is being really negative could look very silly come May when we have walked the league, which, if you look at the squad, and again, we get conditioned into thinking this is how good the Norwich squad is against Premier League opposition every week. I did some research into who we're facing on Saturday, and I'm not going to give it the preface with the greatest respect. I have never heard of most of their players.
00:15:09
Speaker
Right? And that is what we are now moving into. And part of that is because I didn't really pay much attention to the championship last year. But, because we weren't in it, but also because they are championship and league one players that have been assembled in Cardiff, and we'll come on to that in a minute. And that's what we're up against most weeks. So there's four or five teams with a similar sort of
00:15:36
Speaker
team dynamic to City and that there are some Premier League in between these sort of players. The likes of Sheffield United, Borough have got a couple of decent players, you know, Ted Jonnyhouse or what have you. Stoke have made a couple of interesting signings. West Brom, probably the most obvious of that crop of players. Watford have still got some Premier League players. It's not knocking around as of Burnley. So there's some good teams in there, but there are 12 to 14 teams who
00:16:01
Speaker
we probably should be beating even if we're only medium. If our best player on the pitch only has an eight out of 10 and the rest are between six and seven, we should still have enough to beat most of the teams in the championship. Just look at the squats. That should be the way it happens. So a lot of it is about mentality. And that's what I think is really important for the fans. Obviously, it's a lot easier if we win on Saturday to do this. But from Wigan at home and Birmingham at home,
00:16:29
Speaker
I really do think that fans have to try and treat it as a blank piece of paper this season and say, right, OK, new manager. Because it's mad that we even think that, Lordy, you're talking about, oh, we shouldn't make a change for Christmas. We haven't even played a game yet. And we're already talking about, when are we going to sack the manager? I think we need to try and give him the benefit, the doubt, for as long as we can. So let's move on to the 11th of Cardiff, Claire. And look into your crystal ball.
00:16:54
Speaker
And please tell us, I mean, you're a person of science, a radiographer, so obviously you believe in crystal balls. Tell us, tell us who the 11 is going to be. Okay, is this including injuries and stuff? Yeah. Well, no, no, no, we, yes, yes, the actual, you've seen the team sheet, obviously. So just tell us, tell us what we're going to be reading. Yeah, no, no. Who is going to be in the team on Dean Smith's team sheet at two o'clock on Saturday? Okay.
00:17:22
Speaker
It was actually a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. We've got a lot of attacking players, but I've gone cruel, although it's very close between him and Angus. And then obviously Max, Amabamadeli, Grant Hanley, Yannoulis. And then I've gone with Kenny and I think I'd like Gibbs to play. He looks promising and I think we should give him a go.
00:17:48
Speaker
And then I've gone with Sanani, Todd Cantwell, Roshika and Pookie. That's interesting because that's different to mine. That is interesting. What about, what about, otherwise it would be boring. What about you, Lornos?
00:18:04
Speaker
I'd go fairly similar. I agree that Gibbs is probably the most exciting thing, apart from potentially Cantwell, to come out of this pre-season. But I would play Sorenson over Gibbs in midfield, and I wouldn't play Sonani. I would go with either O'Neal, either, or Sargent, and I couldn't choose between them, having not seen pre-season.
00:18:30
Speaker
I'd potentially, just based on what I know of the players from seasons gone by, go with ONL just because we lack any sort of pace. So you wouldn't have Reshitsa in there? Yeah. So instead of Tsunami, I'd have... Oh, I see. I thought that was your three. Right. Okay. Right. I think I'd probably go ONL just for the pure pace element. Yeah. But other than that, it would be the same.
00:18:57
Speaker
Okay, so yes, I've not seen enough in the friendlies I've seen of Sonani too. I think he deserves a good shout because he's played a lot of minutes in the championship for a team who finished in the top six and, you know, were going well, you know, had a playoff run last year. So he deserves to be there or thereabouts. But I think it will be, as you said,
00:19:18
Speaker
I think you got the back five right, although there was... Handley did hobble off, didn't he? So I haven't seen... Yeah, but they said he's going to be fit. Brilliant. I hadn't seen an update, so if that's confirmed, then brilliant. You could lose a limb and he'd be fit. Well, quite, yeah. I mean, who's going to go and tell him he's not playing, right? But yeah, I think that would be the back five. And it's one of those things, again, this is the kind of point I was making earlier, that back five in the championship,
00:19:43
Speaker
is going to be a top three back five. You know, there are not a lot of things that are going to be recorded and played back to you in May because it means very little. It's already been proven though that that back five was a top back five in the championship twice. So pretty much. Yeah. I'm a Vamedelius superb in the championship. We've seen it. Max Ahrens is superb in the Premier League. We've seen it. And Krull is a really good goalkeeper and Gunn in the championship is a really good goalkeeper.
00:20:11
Speaker
So, likewise, McCallum, the jury's slightly out, however, you know, if Dimmy stays fit, Byron could also go over there, you know, for the five minutes of the season, he's fit, bless him. And so, you know, I'm not worried about that. I think McLean is first name on the team sheet, and I can't wait to see Cantwell, this play of the season, if he maintains being
00:20:35
Speaker
one of Norwich's best players for the course of the season we will get promoted because when your best player is in the position he plays and has the amount of technical ability because we've seen how because for Todd Campbell to have a good game he has to really really hurt because he can't have like a six and a half and I'll say a good game because we've seen the heights he hits
00:20:55
Speaker
So therefore, if the perceived wisdom is Campbell's having a really good season, that means he's scoring and assisting goals. And that means, therefore, that we are going to be towards the top end of the table. And I think it will be, I think he will go 4-4-2. I think he's going to go 4-4-2, and I think he's going to play Hoogle and Pooke up front.
00:21:15
Speaker
and go with Sorensen and McLean and play camp well out wide and play with sheets out wide. And it's going to be a bit confusing. We're not sure about camping on the wing. Is it going to be a hula hand kind of comparison?
00:21:28
Speaker
And then I reckon he'll have kind of a positional change and go to kind of 4-3-3 in the second half when we're losing 1-0. That's what I can imagine. But we'll see what happens once we get there. And so let's look into Cardiff then. They finished 18th last season. They've bought eight players over the summers. So quite the different approach to us.
00:21:50
Speaker
Reading on their kind of team news today, Ryan Walsop is going to be, they had a bit of a goalkeeping battle in pre-season, he is likely to be the number one with Marlon Romeo, Cedric Keeper and Jamelu Collins, three new players in a back four in front of him.
00:22:06
Speaker
And then they haven't got the striker that Steve Morrison has said all summer that they need and that's that's not gonna be in place before Friday Sorry before Saturday So hopefully that plays into Norridge's hands that it's a new back five combination unlike our settled team They won't have any number nine their captains out injured their two best young players Cole and Davis are both out Sounds a bit
Significance of First Game and Player Impact
00:22:27
Speaker
along come Norridge. Yeah, doesn't it? They also have They also have a blue Adams who is obviously former Norridge
00:22:34
Speaker
with Morrison on the bench. So let's quickly touch on that. Thoughts, feelings about Steve Morrison, Claire? What, generally? Well, yeah, because obviously it's not often that we're going to come up against former Norwich players a couple of times this season. So I think we should touch on how you hit. It was an odd sort of, it was almost a combative time he spent at Norwich, wasn't it?
00:23:04
Speaker
Yeah, he always seemed quite angry, didn't he? Yeah. But at the same time, he was pretty, pretty good. I was at that Arsenal game when it was three all and I remember, he scored, didn't he, I think. Yeah, he did. Very impressive celebration. Yeah, I liked him as a player at Norwich, I have to say, but he did always seem a bit pissed off about everything. Yeah, technically, he wasn't there along with some of the other players we had in forward positions, but he was
00:23:33
Speaker
He was in an old-fashioned number nine, and I was fond of his combativeness really. So yeah, in terms of the on-come knowledge style, Elegant Lorny, this is a perfect time to play them, so we'll probably lose, right?
00:23:51
Speaker
Well, yeah, potentially. But then it reminded me very much of the Huddersfield game when we got relegated last time, first game of the season. It felt very much the same. I think the first goal, to be a real cliche, but the first goal of the season is going to be really, really important in terms of the mood going forward. And if we score first, I can see us winning comfortably. And if we don't score first, I can see us losing embarrassingly.
00:24:18
Speaker
It could go anything, but that's the joy of the championship. That's why I'm much more excited about this season than I was last season because it's that sort of league where anyone can beat anyone and it doesn't really matter what the names on the team sheet are and whether or not Tom Parsley has heard of them. Anyone can beat anyone and that's the exciting thing about this division and sometimes that means that you win games you don't expect and sometimes it means you lose at Cardiff on the opening day.
00:24:44
Speaker
So on that point in the first goal, I agree. Claire, who do you if you could choose, we go one nil up after half an hour. If you could choose anyone, who would it be? Who do you think would give us the biggest lift would have the best narrative? Obviously, Tim Cruell scoring would be amazing. But you know, who do you think would help us and help our mood as a fan base the best? Yeah, that whole story is just
00:25:10
Speaker
wonderful. If he is as good as he looks like he's been in pre-season and he comes back to being the real Todd Cantwell, what a story. It's like we've signed possibly one of the best championship players possible all over again for nothing. We've replaced Emmy with Todd. Yeah, actually properly this time. Yeah, it would be incredible. And I think, yeah, if Todd scores, then that's it. Lift off.
00:25:40
Speaker
Especially if it's something like a free kick or something particularly skillful. Just a flick over his shoulder and I don't know, something twinkly. Twinkly, yeah. If Gorham is mentioning a twinkly finish on Saturday, we'll know we're off. What about you, Lawton?
00:25:59
Speaker
I like that idea. I was actually thinking about this earlier on today, and my first thought was either Sargent or Ida, just because you'd get the strikers who maybe don't expect to score up and running. Rachitsa would be a good shout, because it might be a case of him feeling like, I can be here and enjoy it. And I really, really want Pookie to get to 100 goals for the club.
00:26:29
Speaker
I would be delighted with any of those five. I think all of them, well, I'd be like if anyone scored, but I'd be delighted with any of those because I think it would be good for morale generally if any of those players. If Pookie scored, then it would be like, right, you know, this is Norwich off we go again kind of thing. I think it's like, you know, business as usual. So that would also be very positive, even though it's kind of, you know, if it comes up on the soccer Saturday, video printer, you know, Pookie 16 or whatever.
00:26:58
Speaker
You will be able to hear the eyes roll around the foot. Norridge, you're winning the championship and Pinky scoring goals. In other news, water is wet. Another one I'll toss in, be Liam Gibbs.
00:27:15
Speaker
Smith doesn't, Smith doesn't strike me as the sort of person to do anything as interesting as starting him or even giving him minutes. I think we've got enough midfielder's fear that he probably won't want to, unless we are two or three goals up. In my point of view, that would be fantastic man management. If we are two goals clear and in control,
00:27:40
Speaker
a 12-minute cameo would be brilliant. It'd be like, there you go. There's your taste of championship football. We're in a game that we're controlling. Go on and basically be defensively minded. Keep moving the ball. Kenny will shout and point and tell you where to stand. You know, the bit you understand of it. So that would be perfect. That's the only scenario in which I think we would see him on Saturday. But I share your views. He has an excitement. He could be another one that's
00:28:09
Speaker
and another young, maybe this will be the season when I'm with Amadelli and Gibbs being the next youngsters that look sceptre to earn us plenty of money in 18 months time. And then you've got Rowe obviously, who could potentially be involved? He seems to have had a quiet pre-season. I didn't think he did too much
00:28:31
Speaker
to get excited about from what I've seen of him. But I mean, I was very, very excited for him in the Premier League. I mean, he looked to have that X Factor unpredictability. And again, this is why and of course, any any kind of predictions, any any proclamations, you can look silly about, you know, everything I say makes me look silly because I'm an idiot. But
00:28:52
Speaker
Absolutely, no dissent when you said that. The fact you've got receipts, the fact you've got Roe, the fact you've got Cantwell, the fact you've got Gibbs, the fact you've got Sargent, Hugel, Pookie... Hernandez. Hernandez. Kieran Dowell. Kieran Dowell. Half of them can be rubbish this season and we can win the league.
00:29:18
Speaker
Do you know what I mean? That is a really good championship squad. It doesn't mean that we'll win it. Of course it doesn't. We could get relegated with that squad. Of course that's physically possible, but I think that will be the thing that does for Smith if after 12 games we're not in the top three. I just think the fact is you just have to look at the team sheet, and in the majority of cases, when we make a substitution away from home, the home fans will not be saying who,
00:29:47
Speaker
because everyone knows who most of our squad is because they just won the league two years ago and they've been on match today every now and again getting beaten 3-4-0 last year. Do you know what I mean? It's a mentality thing that we need to fix, not the playing squad. I'm not that worried about what we've got. We just need to get people up and running. So speaking of getting up and running, I want predictions, please, for this weekend. What's the score going to be, Claire Bear Thomas? Oh, gosh.
00:30:15
Speaker
I think it will be one all. We never do that well on the first day of the season, really. Yeah, so I'm not going to get too excited. I'm just going to go with a steady draw to start the season off and we'll try and pick up... With the camp well goal, right? With the camp well goal. Maybe we'll score first and then they'll disappointingly equalise. Yeah. All right then, Lully, advances on that.
00:30:42
Speaker
I think it's probably a good show. I will go for a rampant 4-0 win that papers over all of the cracks and then we lose the next four. That's fantastic. I'm going 3-0. All three goals in the first half. That's a heavy defeat. Raising out of the block. No, no, we're going to win 3-0.
00:31:06
Speaker
Racing racing out of the blocks and will be three up after 36 minutes And and we'll see out the game comfortably Because I I do you know, of course, there's a long come knowledge, but there's been a lot of transition in Cardiff And they weren't in a great place last year at all. So I think we're gonna I just think we're gonna have too much for them and so I think we're gonna be three now and That moves us nicely on to predictions for the season
00:31:35
Speaker
So you kind of said you think win one lose for the next four, and it will be set together for the first home game, which is nice. So I'm going to come to you first, Claire. Firstly, where will Norwich finish? And secondly, who will win the league? Because obviously that might be the same thing.
00:31:53
Speaker
I've thought about this and half of me thinks, yeah, of course we're going to win the league. We've done it before, twice, recently. We've still got really good squad, really good players. We've still got Pookie. We've still got Max. And I think
00:32:09
Speaker
last time I actually did the predictions for the Sky Sport website I did say first through gritted teeth and I got it right but this time no I don't think we are going to win the league. I think we'll finish in third in the playoffs and not necessarily win the playoffs either and I'm not
00:32:33
Speaker
I wouldn't be particularly bothered because I'm not sure I want to go back to the Premier League in a hurry. Not yet anyway. So I will go with third. And who will win the league? I have not got a clue. Could be anybody. There's no real standout team I don't think.
00:32:52
Speaker
Burnley seemed to have sold every player they had, and I'm not sure that, I mean, I think they have bought a few in, but I don't know if they're decent replacements. Watford are probably a bit like us, but I don't know. I honestly don't know who's going to win it if it's not us. Sorry. That's fine. You've given us, you've told us exactly what's going to happen on Saturday's lineup, so you've done a bit of predicting. Go on then, what about you, Loni?
00:33:21
Speaker
I genuinely think it could be anywhere from 12th to 1st. It really could go in any of those directions. As Claire says, there's no standout team where you think, oh, well, they're going to walk away with the division. You'd assume that we should be top six, given the squad that we've got and Dean Smith's record at this level previously and our experience in this division recently.
00:33:49
Speaker
but I just there's something there feels like there's something off about the whole club at the moment and it might just be that we aren't over the fact that Farc has gone yet and that rift is still there and it just feels a bit broken after the Premier League being shit as it always is so I'm not very confident and I if I had to put money on us finishing in one particular position right now I would say eighth
00:34:21
Speaker
I don't know if he's still the manager if we finish eighth. I mean, depending on if we're eighth and three points off sixth, then obviously you keep him until it's mathematically not possible.
Club Expectations and Merchandise Discussion
00:34:32
Speaker
But I think in the summer you might then go, if we spent all the season in the top six and then finished eighth, then yeah, you'd probably say,
00:34:40
Speaker
you go again, but if you are bouncing between 7th and 12th all season, I don't think that the owners would accept that with the squad and the investment that's been made in the squad and the need financially to go back up even if we don't like the Premier League because we don't win any games there. So I think we'll finish top three. I have looked at the other squads. I've looked at
00:35:04
Speaker
you know, some other prediction stuff. I think we should have enough to finish top three, but obviously in a topsy-turvy division, I don't think it is so difficult to pick one particular position. I think West Brom, of all the teams I've looked at, whose changes they've made, West Brom to me feel like they've got momentum. And again, in terms of the savviness around the club and the set up and the fans, they know what going up through this division is like.
00:35:30
Speaker
They've still got Steve Bruce as their manager. I think he's a savvy operator at this level, tactically he knows how to set up a championship team. I think the top two will be one of the relegated teams and I think Norwich have got the best chance for three of them if we start fast. I don't think
00:35:57
Speaker
I don't think Norwich mentally will recover from a slow start because of that rift that you just mentioned. I think we need to start with three wins in the first five. There was an interesting post that wasn't a response to our questions on Twitter, but it was a Pinkham post and I haven't been on the Pinkham for years.
00:36:19
Speaker
that someone kind of screenshotted it. And it was a really, really good point that was made, which was that people seem to be so desperate to be cross and negative and toxic. And they've got a season ticket holder for the first time either in a while or whatever I think they said. And they're looking forward to going to the football for escapism and effectively just being there and accepting the ups and downs. And we've been spoiled as a fan base that we expect to win all the time and where we are now. And we expect to lose all the time when we go up and we're not happy.
00:36:49
Speaker
that there is, because of Twitter and Facebook and social media, there is a column inches for everyone to fill all the time. So you've got to dissect and defeat. Whereas I think only five or six, well, basically pre Farka, I think as a fan base, if we lost, we basically tried not to think about football until the next game, if you know what I mean. We didn't talk about it every day until the next game, which kind of social media almost forces you into doing, if you know what I mean. So I can, I thought that
00:37:18
Speaker
which has got loads and loads of likes on the social media platform, ironically, that I saw it on. But this season, I'm really going to try and take a positive mindset because I just think there's enough negativity in the world generally not to sound trite, but there is so much to be miserable about. Norridge being rubbish is not the end of the world, actually. And if we are rubbish, then we will moan about it on this podcast.
00:37:46
Speaker
But, uh, I'm, I really do not want it to spin into calling out players and being super, you know, if sniff isn't the right guy, he's not the right guy. It's not his fault. He's pretty sure he's going to do his best. I'm fairly confident that him and Shakespeare are genuinely going to try as hard as I can. So let's, let's just try and try and be as positive as we can until it becomes on, you know, impossible to, to still have a cup half full attitude towards those two.
00:38:13
Speaker
I asked both of you to prepare something before today's poll. I want you to guarantee our listeners something, or more than one if you want. So give me something guaranteed Claire, that you declare will happen between now and then. That Gabrielle Sarah will score
00:38:34
Speaker
at least one header, if not many, many headers. He has got some leap on him. He looks like Blima Ronaldo on YouTube, so my expectations are ridiculously high now. And yes, he's going to score a lot of headers. That is my prediction. Excellent. Lorni? No, it's not a prediction, that's a guarantee. Guarantee, sorry, that is my guarantee. I guarantee that Hayden will not play one minute of football.
00:39:03
Speaker
Oh, we spent too much time together. My one was, I guarantee that one of Hayden or Sarah will make fewer than five stars. Yeah, Hayden will definitely be my favourite for that. On a positive side, I'm going to guarantee that Pookie gets to 100 goals for the club. How many is he on now? 80 something. Let's go with that, yeah. I'll find out while you talk more about what your guarantee is. Yeah, so I wrote that one, but I didn't want to be
00:39:33
Speaker
be too miserable. I guarantee that we will lose the borough at home but beat them away. Wilder seems to have our number at Carrow Road but I can see us having loads of momentum and beating them for the return fixture and him being particularly furious about it. I think he's a horrible little man.
00:39:55
Speaker
I celebrate Wilder losing almost as much as Ipswich losing. So wherever Wilder goes, I want your team to fail. I might cancel my season ticket if he was appointed boss. He's horrible. The other thing I really need to just get on record, Mr and Mrs Sky Sports, please can you move the West Brom home game to the Sunday and get that for Sky coverage in September?
00:40:25
Speaker
because otherwise I won't be able to go. And I think that could be it could be like first versus fourth or second versus fifth by then. So I really do need that game move. Thank you. I think he's scored 78. 78. So you think he's going to score 22 this season? 22. Yeah, I think you're right. The league, the league, that council league and cup is just basically competitive games, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's doable. His nine goals off 200 in his career.
00:40:53
Speaker
So I say, I say you can definitely do that. I mean, we're only going to play about three cup games. So you probably won't be playing in the, you'll probably be on the bench. Okay. Well, there you go.
00:41:04
Speaker
you've got some guarantees, you've got some predictions there, so you really can't make out like we haven't told you what's going to happen this season. In terms of the the rest of the questions we had, they did kind of follow along the lines of the things we've already kind of discussed. What I wanted to touch on was one that was, why do we always sell out away shirts from Paul Woodrow. Now that is a good
00:41:29
Speaker
Good point. I went into the store and bought two shirts today. I got the Coaches shirt, which is lovely. The navy blue one. That is really nice. I'm going to take that on holiday on Tuesday. I also bought the Home shirt. I think we should really just... We haven't obviously potted since the shirts came out. Claire, how in love are you with the shirts we've been provided with so far? Yeah, they're spectacular. I love both of them. The Home shirt, yeah.
00:41:56
Speaker
Keep your shirts delicious as well. I'm seeing it in person today for the first time. I've had a bit of a heads up about what the shirts were going to be.
00:42:07
Speaker
Yeah, from a very random source, but it's been proved correct. And I know what the third one's going to be, but I'm not going to say. Is it as good? Well, by all accounts, it sounds a bit out there, but I'm waiting to see what it's like. It's a bit sort of, what could I say, maybe a bit psychedelic, possibly. But the other two predictions were right. So I'm confident that this one is as well.
00:42:34
Speaker
I do love them. I love the fact that it's gone a bit retro back to the 80s, the home shirt, and really, I love a v-neck football shirt. That's the only downside to the to the away shirt. I love the colour. I wear maroon all day at work. So, you know, it's a colour that I
00:42:51
Speaker
having my heart anyway. But I think it's a really nice shirt, apart from the fact that it's round neck. I don't like round neck. You do radiography for Sainsbury's, don't you? Well, we do look exactly like Sainsbury's staff. And when we go, we've got a little Sainsbury's by our work. So often we get mistaken for the staff. Can you tell me where the flower is? I reckon the same thing probably happens in reverse as well for the Sainsbury's staff. There's not so many Sainsbury's staff in X-rays. They're quite a bit asked to do X-rays.
00:43:21
Speaker
I was quite disappointed with the away shirt. Really? Yeah and I thought about this a bit and I think it's probably because I absolutely love the home shirt. I think it's possibly our best ever home shirt and then John Pump persuaded me to believe that the away shirt was going to be the same design but white and green. Yeah because he said to someone who we will not know him at the club
00:43:51
Speaker
who I know full well, never gives anything away and prides himself on not doing so. But he said, he asked this person at the club, is it reverse, basically white with green pinstripes on the away one? And I checked back on the wording and he chuckled. And Punk basically got there for it. He basically just chuckled at you. That doesn't mean that you're right. And I thought fully into that as well. So when it was that, I was immediately disappointed.
00:44:18
Speaker
I knew it was going to be like the invincible shirt, so I was, yeah. But it is sold out. I mean, I don't think I would have got it. It sold out? They're sold out of large. I mean, so that same source was mentioned a couple of days ago.
00:44:38
Speaker
that it has done really well. As it surprised them, they didn't have enough stock in like the normal kind of adult sizes because, yeah, so there's only the... I can wear a kid's shirt, so that's fine. Would have done even better if it had been white with green pinstripes. Yeah, okay, Lorny. So, one more question. I want to just pick your brains on, please, Claire.
00:44:59
Speaker
From the Unfanked Kitchen, do you think we are more likely to keep the characters of the dressing room such as Owen and Hugo? And a good point, I think, would we have done better last season? Would that make a difference if we had more of the bands and vibes of those guys? 100%, yes. I'm a firm believer in that. I've still not got over the fact that we let Malkie and Ewen go when we got promoted in 2005, was it? Because you need that character
00:45:29
Speaker
the humour, you just need to have that, I think, to have a successful side. And we just seem to take that out completely. Everyone was so serious last season. Yeah, so yeah, definitely. We should definitely keep them. I know that the pre-season videos are there too. There's a bit of PR, it's basically a puff piece. But I don't know, it does seem like
00:45:55
Speaker
The smiles, there was a picture today on the hit bench of the senior lads not involved, like Camp Wellham and Max and Dal. The smiles, they just seem broader. They do, they genuinely seem more genuine. They seem to be a happier bunch of people compared to last season. I know they were losing last season, but they're still very well played footballers getting to kick a ball around for a living. So they tend to be pretty happy with life in the week.
00:46:23
Speaker
that you compare that to even the preseason stuff, it really does seem to be a very, very positive place at the moment. And I hope therefore that they have kind of shaken off the losing mentality as a result. What about you, Lordy? I was really hoping we would hold on to Hugel and Onel for this promotion push. What about you?
00:46:44
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. I think that character and that uplifting-ness, especially in the Premier League season, where you're going to be beaten all the time, seems really important. He's got a Norwich City tattoo. Why would you not want someone with a Norwich City tattoo? Which he's very keen to show off at any moment. I can think of quite a few people with Norwich City tattoos who I wouldn't want in the squad. Specifically someone who plays international football with a Norwich City tattoo. I should have maybe added that as an asterisk.
00:47:14
Speaker
But yes, I think wider point, the harmony of the squad is always going to be vital whether or not you're winning. It's even more important when you're losing. So to keep them around last season feels like a mistake in hindsight, and it's nice that they're back. Well, it has been referenced in multiple interviews, the lift that those lads coming back have given the squad.
00:47:43
Speaker
And I think going back to what we said before, Campbell is like a new player. He wasn't fit and firing at all last season. So he is a new addition to the squad. And as far as I'm concerned, unlike some idiots on social media, it doesn't matter why, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it's his fault, it doesn't matter if it's Weber's fault, it doesn't matter if it was Farka, it doesn't matter if it was all three. It doesn't matter if there was a real reason or if really it's all his fault and didn't have his head straight.
00:48:08
Speaker
He's here, he's playing, he seems to be keen and committed. He's obviously bought in enough that when the social media person hands him a phone and says, will you do us a quick thing for reals, he doesn't say, jog on, I need to go and warm down. He said, actually, yeah, I'll do it. You know, I'll do a quick three second thing into the camera. Little things like that are things that you don't do if you're not brought into it because you think, no, I can't be bothered. You go and ask someone else, go and ask teammates.
00:48:35
Speaker
Um, so yeah, I think that, that is a sign that we have got that freshness that we wanted. And maybe what we didn't realize at the season review, when we were talking about wanting freshness to get rid of that losing feeling actually started closer to home. We had these, these loaning players, the, you know, the, the more senior ones in Hubel and Odell and, and Toddy to come back in and give everyone a lift. And maybe that is what's going to get us going. Any final thoughts going, going into, going into the season, uh, Claire or anything that you haven't got off your chest you'd like to?
00:49:06
Speaker
Um, no, I don't think, I think, no, I think we've covered everything. I haven't got anything else. I'm very happy to hear it. You've got any additional notes you want to give our whole listenership? Am I right in thinking there's no VAR still in the championship?
00:49:24
Speaker
How wonderful is that? The fact that you can go to a game and know that if knowledge score you can glance quickly at the assistant referee and if their flag is down you can celebrate the goal and it's not going to be taken away from you in 10 minutes time. Was there VAR against Celtic? There's VAR going to be in the playoffs last year so they're probably going to be in the playoffs again this year. And that's why we want to finish eighth.
00:49:52
Speaker
So we just never ever have to involve ourselves with that absolute travesty of a thing ever again. I'm just looking. I can't see. Um, I can't see it confirmed actually. There was talk about it. It looks like we'll be introducing the championship only. This is from February. Um, but it hasn't been, I'm sure it hasn't been. Okay. Well, we'll have to see because we can't, I can't easily Google it. So sorry.
00:50:21
Speaker
Yeah, see, it says it again in May, it says VAR set to be used in Championship for the first time. This is not podcast gold, but I mean, you know, sometimes you've just got to record yourself looking things up on the internet. Absolutely. And if there is a VAR on the Championship, then we should all boycott immediately because it's awesome. Well, at the very time, we stood up to this sort of stuff.
00:50:43
Speaker
Yeah. If we're one of the big boys in the championship, it might be all right for us. No, it's the greater good. We've got to, even if it benefits us, we have to say no. Yeah. Well, I don't want there to be a boycott for you, Laurie, because you're buying my spare season ticket for the first game. So if you could start the boycott after that, that would be really helpful. Well, if you don't want me to boycott, you better insist that I wasn't there and join me in the campaign beforehand.
00:51:12
Speaker
Okay, let me know where campaign headquarters are and I will tell you. I thought it was, I thought the VAR was happening this season, so I would be over the moon if it isn't because I hate it, after being an advocate for bringing it in. How are they going to have enough people at Stockley Park to look at all of those games?
00:51:35
Speaker
Well, I don't know. And also, I would have thought some of the teams would have needed a loan to put the technology in. I think that's the main reason that it hasn't been adopted lower down the pyramid anyway, because it costs so much money to put in. So the Premier League or the Championship would have to pay for people to put it in. Obviously, it's a requirement to put it in if you go up to the Premier League, but you've got the cash to pay for it. OK, well, we don't know the answer to that. But hopefully, the answer is that we haven't
00:52:04
Speaker
We haven't got a deal with VAR. And on that sort of bombshell of confusion, I think that's a lovely place to wrap it up, really. Thank you so much for your time, Claire. Really, really nice chatting with you. Lorny, I acknowledge you exist. I haven't mentioned that Pont isn't here. You probably clocked by him at this point that he isn't going to make an appearance. And he can't manage his calendar. But he has got to the 98th podcast before double booking himself to the extent that he can't make an appearance.
00:52:33
Speaker
We will get Punt's thoughts on the season after the first games have been played and we'll be back with you very soon. So just to reiterate what I said before, enjoy the game for those of you heading to Wales for it. But I think from an ACM point of view, we really should try and stay as positive as we can until there's a genuine reason to worry. We've had slow August and September and won this league twice.
00:52:59
Speaker
So let's get behind the team, treat them like a new team, even though there are quite a few familiar faces, and let's give them the benefit of our doubt. And fingers crossed for a season full of joyful escapism that we can follow intently. We'll be here, whatever is served up, you can count on us, mind how you go.