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"Still In Pret" ACN Pod 149
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There's a new head coach to attach unreasonable levels of expectation, attachment and hope to. We have a wee catch up about how we feel on the PC appointment, on the night the glorious, wonderful Kenny and his pals book their flights to the World Cup.
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Transcript
Welcome Philippe Clement as New Manager
00:00:22
Speaker
Welcome to the Long Come Norwich podcast, where fake cuffed followers feel cranky about our fumbling canaries and their frustrating chaos. It's time to focus closely after the facetiously calamitous chapter of Manning is closed, and we're now frivolously cavorting over the arrival of Philippe Clermont.
Claire's Initial Indifference and Growing Excitement
00:00:38
Speaker
Claire, are you all aboard the train? I am 100% totally on board the train after a very odd few hours from last night being very kind of indifferent about the yeah and that one not announcement, that when the news broke um and not really knowing an awful lot about the guy. Now I've pretty much spent the whole day when I should have been working, listening and reading to everything possible about him and I am now I think I'm actually in love with him.
Support and Expectations for Clement's Leadership
00:01:09
Speaker
i mean, he's he's gonna he is going to win us the league. Maybe not this year. But yeah, i' am I'm very much all aboard the Philippe Clement train. it's been It's been really enjoyable ah today ah via WhatsApp, just sort of watching, you know, watching a ah woman fall in love.
00:01:29
Speaker
There's no other way of putting it. Like we started out with, who's this then? Oh, that's a bit random. That's a bit left field. And then as the day got on, there were more and more kind of quotes and things that Claire was kind of copying and pasting into oh WhatsApp group. Yeah, I mean, it's not as big a turnaround as my sister who last night said, who?
00:01:46
Speaker
Like she didn't even know who he was at all. And then came home from work this evening, watched his interview and said, i think I love him. So there you go. It's not just me. Okay. So we've got a fully paid up passenger it's sitting in first class and the you know season ticket bought for the
Analyzing Clement's Past and Expectations for Norwich
00:02:02
Speaker
year.
00:02:02
Speaker
um Punt, are you did you have are you on the train or are you still like looking at your ticket working out if you can get the next one? I'm on the platform. I'm definitely on the platform. You've gone through the barriers. You've gone through the barriers and we now wet. Okay.
00:02:14
Speaker
Absolutely. um It's a really weird one to work out. The thing that I'm most positive about is that he seems like he's a really, really good starter. So if you look at like his record with every club, even the clubs that where it's gone wrong with Rangers ah you know kind of and and Monaco, they had a real uptick in form when he first joined them, which is clearly what Norwich need right now. opposite of Manning.
00:02:39
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. So he's he doesn't appear to be a slow starter. He appears to be quite a fast starter. I'm also really pleased with just how much of an imposing figure he is. And I think...
00:02:54
Speaker
I don't know what that should not get me excited about a new manager, right? You know, kind of it should be, ah you know, about, you know, kind of how good an orator they are, how good a tactician they are. But he's just a big bastard. You would not mess with the guy, would you?
00:03:06
Speaker
I love that he's tall. Well, I mean, know, it's, you are very pleased, Claire. I'm very pleased that you and your Claire, maybe it's a sibling thing that you're both very easily pleased. Liam Manning, like, he looked like a little hobbit when he was being interviewed. He did. He didn't really fill you with...
00:03:21
Speaker
He was always looking up, wasn't he? He looking up. Yeah, that's fair. very happy that that's not the case anymore. He even seemed to look up at Chris Gorham and and like, bless Chris, but mean, what is he? 5'9"?
00:03:32
Speaker
What Manning is, yeah. Well, Gorham can't be more than but he seemed to tower over Manning. Sorry, but I didn't mean to interrupt you with my frivolity. You're all right, my man. You're all right. I mean, look, he's got a really good pedigree. um I think a lot of his managerial performances ranges apart and perhaps the tail end of Monaco ah seem to be really positive.
Mixed Reactions to Clement's Appointment
00:03:51
Speaker
ah My concern is that ultimately, I don't know, like I really, really, really expected the club to go for someone tried and tested and you know maybe even to appease you know kind of um ah one of the Pinkham columnists who was you know kind of almost, oh, don't look down on the British lads. you know kind of I almost thought we'd we'd go Brit and that championship-ready coach.
00:04:21
Speaker
And we seem like we've gone like a grade above that, but we've gone with a manager who's very, very used to having successful teams and has got really high win percentages. And he's not picking that team up, is he? You know, he's not picking up a team that, you know has 55%, 60% win rate.
00:04:37
Speaker
um So I'll be very interested in terms of his personality, his, hopefully his ability to pick up, you know kind of a beleaguered squad, which, you know, kind of you'd hope they're rejuvenated by Saturday, but, you know, this is going to be a slow burn, I think, isn't it?
00:04:51
Speaker
So, um yeah, no, on the whole, quite excited, but um there's just this smidgens of doubt. I would, I would put it that way. But Tom, you were, you were the the one in our WhatsApp group who at least, at at least initially um wasn't particularly positive about the appointment.
00:05:10
Speaker
No, I am nowhere near as in love as... ah that's it that's sort of That's reasonable, though. i mean... Yeah. cut yeah You are the most effusive that I've seen of any Norwich fan, Claire. I'm very giddy.
00:05:24
Speaker
By not feeling positive about it um there have I have been kind of um apparently that means I'm delusional. ah ah You know, Norwich fans who are not over the moon, Norwich fans that don't realise that we're the 20, we're 23rd in the championship, Norwich fans that, you know, who did you expect?
00:05:42
Speaker
You know, I'm, I'm, I'm underwhelmed because he wouldn't, if I'd have, as I think I said to you last night, if I'd have written 50 manager names down,
00:05:53
Speaker
he wouldn't have come into my head. Now that doesn't mean he won't be a roaring success. And that doesn't mean after watching 90 minutes of his football on, on Saturday, mean, his football, he's got what three, three and a bit sessions.
00:06:05
Speaker
Um, it doesn't mean I'm not going to fall in love with him and, and Philip Clemence, the yellow army, et cetera, cetera. But I, what I really, really, really wanted this time was,
00:06:17
Speaker
really tried and tested. Like I did not want to have to look at stats and win percentages to convince myself. I didn't want to give myself, you know, I really wanted to be able to just see black and white you know, had it been O'Neill, for example, I would have, which we all thought, you know, and obviously he was the front runner and we know that the club were keen on him and we know that he was interviewed, et cetera. So it wasn't nonsense that we, that we all thought that was likely.
00:06:44
Speaker
i Had it been him, i would have been much happier probably, than I feel right now about Philippe Clement, just purely because ah i've you know I've seen it. I've seen his press conferences. I've seen what he's like on a touchline. I know he's done 100 games in England.
00:07:03
Speaker
I know he's done delegation battles. you know that there are i am 100% ready to get on board with Philippe Clement and probably out of all of out of some of the names listed,
00:07:16
Speaker
I mean, I'm
Clement's Vision for Transforming Player Mindset
00:07:18
Speaker
um no more, and you know, I wouldn't be more more keen on Chaloner. You know i wouldn't be more keen on a couple of the other names that I'm not not able to say. You know, of the kind of unknown quantities, he is probably the most preferred one, yeah.
00:07:32
Speaker
But, I mean, ah my concern is is going back to the win percentages, Claire, that that Pump was just talking about. Yeah.
00:07:43
Speaker
he hasn't, and, and pump was talking about being a good orator and and needing to, you know, I'd be fascinated to know what is his first speech to the team bin today at Colney, you know, we're recording this on Tuesday evening, in the 18th November. Um, because he, he clearly can't go in and rinse and repeat what he's done at these other clubs.
00:08:04
Speaker
Bruges are used to winning titles. Again, you know, we're up there. didn't win it very often, but, You know, they're a bigger team in in Belgium than Norwich are in England. You know, Rangers are used to finishing second at worst.
00:08:16
Speaker
This is a very, very different, like Monaco, likewise, you know, yeah, they don't win it every year. There's PSJ and all the rest of it, but there's still Monaco, right? It's the European stalwart. So he he has not he has not had a he's not had to pick up a bunch of massively unconfident losers who are used to losing.
00:08:38
Speaker
So like you know he needs to turn them into feeling like they're winners again, Claire. and yeah what What is it that you've seen that makes you think he could do that? He's already identified that in his seven-minute interview that I saw this evening. He's already said, you can see the players have got no confidence. People that would have had it previously have suddenly not got any.
00:08:59
Speaker
And he's watched, he says, every game we've played, which I find quite incredible. But that's what he said. so i think You must have been watching him on like Time 6 or something. Yeah. don't how he squeezed that in.
00:09:10
Speaker
Poor man as well. um Mind you, it was pretty much the same every week. So maybe he only needed to watch a couple. um i think I think, yes, okay, we're in a very different position to those teams. Although I would argue with Genk that...
00:09:25
Speaker
They weren't doing great when he went in. And he, in the second season, was there. They won the league, which is quite impressive and was apparently quite a shock for everybody. So I think he is a winner. ah I don't think it matters that he's not come in at the bottom of the championship before and picked up a team there in relegation because...
00:09:45
Speaker
Our team should not be there. We are better than this and we have got better players than this. And I think he's got the motivational capability and the persona and he is imposing and he is a leader. I think he was captain of his teams possibly, but he's definitely a leader the way he comes across.
00:10:05
Speaker
I think he's the absolute antithesis. to Manning, in my personal opinion of what I've seen so far. He's got some character about him. i think the players are going to just sort of sit up and listen.
00:10:18
Speaker
I doubt he's done a PowerPoint presentation of, you know, how to win a game. I think he's just going to go in there and and tell them and show them and get on with it. So, I mean, obviously at the moment we haven't seen it in action and when we lose the first three games,
00:10:34
Speaker
Yeah. When, not if, when. She's gone straight to when. She's in love with him. but Yeah, I'm in love with him at the moment. He's in my good picks at the moment. Well, let's let's try and let's try and get into tangibles then. So, Punt, what do we have to see at Birmingham, given how little time he's going to have?
Challenges Ahead: Birmingham Match and Tactical Needs
00:10:51
Speaker
ah let's Let's see if we can future cast a few green shoots that whilst he might not have enough time to revolutionise our style of play, he might not have enough time to even get us into a position to win a game, which is a tricky game. So i speaking to a Blues fan today. Apparently there's the big stadium unveiling on um Thursday this week as well.
00:11:11
Speaker
um There's a new kind of sports quarter in Birmingham of which there's loads of stuff, one of which being a new Birmingham City Stadium. So the place is going to be absolutely jumping and buzzing. I think it's 125-year anniversary celebrations as well.
00:11:23
Speaker
So like is it's a real it's going to be a massive atmosphere, nearly a sellout and nearly your home sellout, and is what what my my friend george um ah Jordan was telling me. and So ah that's the tricky place to go.
00:11:36
Speaker
um What are you looking for? Let's say it is still a defeat. you know Worst case scenario, it's still a defeat. Hang on, mate. You've predicted like a 4-0 win every pod.
00:11:47
Speaker
We're going to lose. It's going to be defeat. No, no, no. It's in order to frame the question. Of course, I'm guaranteeing a 4-0 win on Saturday. but But if if if for the sake of this thought experiment, if we do lose 2-1,
00:12:04
Speaker
what are the three things that when we come to pot about, you know, the Birmingham game that you go, i would be really heartened if I'm able to say Sunday night, they've done da-da-da-da-da-da. What sort of thing do you think you might have time to instill in instilling them?
00:12:18
Speaker
Oh, three things. So actually I was going to go for one thing. So I will start with that. And I think you start with one and Claire can be thinking about hers. There you go. So I'm going to go for structure because, and I mean structure in terms of attacking phases, because that is what Norwich have lacked.
00:12:34
Speaker
time after time after time this season. We haven't looked like we've got ah you know a proper system in place whereby we can feed Sargent or we can feed Chris Goran or we can feed McCarma or Ante Cernach or whatever it might be. Chance creation was a real issue.
00:12:49
Speaker
Clement has come out and and been really clear, like you know look, we're going to press, we're going to play aggressively, we're going to play attacking football. Look, it takes a little bit of time to get a team at their optimal in terms of going forward, but I think it's such a low bar in terms of our attacking output that we should start to see green shoots. We should look, he's quite fortunate that he's got Sargent and Chris Goran, you know, fit from the off, you know, kind of, and and they're ready to go and they've got some level of understanding. So for me, it it would be that we have coherent ideas about how we're going to create chances. We have probably someone in midfield who's able to thread those balls as well, you know, and we've said it on this pod before, but,
00:13:31
Speaker
we couldn't see the logic around why Jacob Wright wasn't playing more football. I think that's probably, you know, kind of if you're a coach, look, Jacob Wright is the kind of footballer that when you kind of just see him and see how he, it's really weird to say this, but...
00:13:46
Speaker
It's how he runs. He just looks like a footballer. He's just got that that kind of, you know, he just looks like he's going to be good at football. He's that kid, you know, kind of in in a kind of in PE where you just, you know, look at him and go, fucker. Like, he's brilliant at every sport. um He's that guy.
00:14:03
Speaker
I think we need him on the ball a bit more. and And I think what he'd probably give us, which we've talked about with Mattson and Topic and probably Kenny to a lesser extent as well, is that he will play with a pace that neither of the out and you know all three of them can't play with. you know kind of He wants to move the ball quickly. He might want to move it sideways, you know kind of but he he wants to play with a bit more zip.
00:14:25
Speaker
So I think you know if we get those two things in tandem, could be on to a winner.
Speculation on Clement's Immediate Impact
00:14:30
Speaker
Well, that so that's a really good tangible. I think you've given us two things there. I think the structure side of things is difficult for him to instil in the amount of time he's got. Now, we understand, I think, that he did take take a session today. So in theory, he's got Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday travel. Especially if there's players away still as well.
00:14:48
Speaker
Well, yeah, Kenny's on the pitch as we as we are helen i think recording this. and So, you know, yeah there is a there is the outside... There's an outside chance that we might see a bit of a Clement structure.
00:15:00
Speaker
But obviously but yeah depending on how the game goes and the brittle confidence we know the players have got, um if Birmingham score in the first half, how quickly do they revert back to type? And and and that kind of goes out the window.
00:15:13
Speaker
and But I do think... It would be, it would be um i think you can almost say it would be surprising if Jacob Wright doesn't come straight into the starting 11 just because there's, if you are, the the overwhelming majority of coaches start with a blank sheet of paper.
00:15:28
Speaker
they And you just cut you can't imagine that in training he is not pinging balls around and showing that kind of academy quality that he's clearly got. So if if you if you spend yeah with the players that he's got available who are fit and who who he's working with this week, yeah um I'd be surprised if Wright doesn't look one of the most capable players in at the club.
00:15:48
Speaker
and And I do think that is the sort of thing that with three sessions and a few arm around the shoulder conversations behind closed doors, you could get in his ear and say, look, I was an international midfielder. Do you know what? You're not doing enough.
00:16:00
Speaker
You're not playing fast enough. Get a bit of zip in your game. I don't care if you give the ball away. I want you to keep being brave and keep going forward and keep playing quickly. And I want you to be my metronome. you yeah And also, as I said to you on, think it was Claire who who shared and that he's got a rigid formation that he always sticks to, which which doesn't include having someone behind a two, which I think are...
00:16:19
Speaker
maybe he changes it in in when we sign more players in January, but for the the the players who are available now, it's screaming out to have two up front. But maybe he says to right, you're that number 10 that we're missing. You know, you play in a Madison style role, like you go up there and cause chaos and don't worry, Kenny and Topic or Kenny and Mattson or whatever will sit in front of the back four.
00:16:42
Speaker
You go and make things happen and and feed and feed Sarge, feed Matty out wide, feed McCalmer out wide if feed he continues that ridiculousness of playing McCalmer out wide. So what what do you think, Claire? Do you think we you think there's something else that we might look for as a green shoot alongside structure and and the fact that Jacob Wright is going to start and score twice?
00:17:03
Speaker
i don't Yeah, I don't think he's going to have an awful lot of time to actually change too much in terms of formation and everything. I think it's all going to be more of a mental side of things. He's going to take away a bit of the fear that they've been going out with.
00:17:16
Speaker
he's he's just going to he He just looks like he's going to just be in charge and I think that's going to help the players on the pitch. I don't think he's going to sort of turn around and tell them you're supposed to be figuring this out. I think he's going to figure it out.
00:17:29
Speaker
So I think he's just going to give them the freedom to go out and play with less fear. And maybe that's something he can do in the next few days. um Just that, I think, I mean, you you know, new manager bounce, I think it's just a natural thing anyway. So hopefully...
00:17:44
Speaker
that will just come into play. So I don't think there's going to be an awful lot in terms of being able to actually turn things around the way we actually are playing. I think so much of it just seems to be lack of confidence recently. You know, we we did get into good positions and had chances and just didn't finish them off in the final third. So maybe that's the thing that changes in the next few games quickly, just the mental side of it.
00:18:08
Speaker
Well, one thing that we'll always remember about ah Manning's ah era um is that he turn he publicly blamed the players' decision-making and the players having to take responsibility and players not doing what he was what
Reflecting on Manning's Tenure and Transition to Clement
00:18:25
Speaker
they were asked. so really early and and it was because of the if we'd have lost the same number of games away as at home if it had been more evenly spread out I don't think that would have happened and I think that what did for Manning was where he lost his games and and and he he may still have a job if all eight points were at home and he may well still have a job and do you really think so yeah well but the I can't I can't see that
00:18:50
Speaker
Well, the the the the point I was going to make was I don't think he so only would have had eight points. That's the thing. And he would have had more goodwill. You're right about that. He would have had so much more goodwill. The players would have been that much less worried about if we can see the goal, this place is going to turn. we know they you know To be fair, i think I still think that the fans, and I think it's tremendous that he went on record to to agree. notly didn't say, i agree with Piggy, but he did you know I think it's brilliant that he did come out so promptly and say, look, the fans really did on the whilst we were playing, whilst we weren't losing, the fans were tremendous because we were um in terms of you know, Carrow Road considering the form has been so supportive of the players to try and not make it a players thing.
00:19:31
Speaker
and But if if if we, instead of Portsmouth, we beat Middlesbrough, instead of and ah drawing with with and Coventry, we draw with Millwall or whatever.
00:19:45
Speaker
then just maybe we don't go on quite such a negative spiral of confidence generally.
Anticipation for Clement's Influence and Upcoming Transfers
00:19:51
Speaker
and I don't know. It might make no difference at all because it's cumulatively, it's the net confidence the players have. But I don't know, yeah you know, met putting in a terrible performance in front of 24,
00:20:01
Speaker
three, 24,000 of your fans is probably a bit different to doing it in front of 2,200 in terms of the spot like that's under. And also, you know, they know full weather on this run. So it'll be very interesting come this next home game that Philippe Clermont's got the opportunity to win the first point at home for Norwich, which you would not think he would have the opportunity to do in late November. That's nice.
00:20:25
Speaker
Do you think, though, that also it's not it's not just the factors that you talked about as well, but actually he was almost on a hiding to nothing in terms of the environment that he was given in so much as, you know, we sold that snake to that lot, you know, and and actually, you know, that was universally um badly received. It's probably the best way to put it.
00:20:46
Speaker
um And then you had the stadium stuff. Like the club have not helped him out, have they? you know In any way, you know, kind of really. And um that's not me making excuses. His football was particularly bland. As I've said, you know, kind of previously, the way in which that you know the team, you know, over a 90 minute so kind of went about chance creation was just so worrying. The fact that he was tactically relatively inflexible and, you know, kind of out-thought in almost every game that he coached Norwich, you know, kind of... eat
00:21:18
Speaker
All of those are massive factors. But, you know, he certainly wasn't given an environment to thrive in. They definitely factored in. they Yeah, I don't think they're the ah reason, but they definitely factored in. But I think that's kind of a good thing for Clement is that he's now got.
00:21:34
Speaker
They kind of know where our faults are in terms of the squad already. He's got six weeks to try and get something out of what he's got already. And then we can add and they've told him they're going to spend.
00:21:44
Speaker
And he's going to, I think he's going to be pretty involved in saying who he wants in or certainly the type of player that he wants in. So I think in terms of that, that's lucky lucky for him. Whereas Manning didn't really have that. He kind of got the players in. he was new as well.
00:21:59
Speaker
right off you go and then was like oh shit this isn't gonna work I haven't got the right you know the right people here so I think yeah it's definitely a good time to get somebody new in it's gonna be it's still gonna be tough like I'm getting carried away because I've got excited about everything I've read but we are still very you know, we've got a long, long way to go. I'm like thinking, are we going to get promotion? Cause I'm so excited today. Of course we're not.
00:22:28
Speaker
We've got to get out of the relegation zone first and foremost, but I have every faith currently that he will be able to turn things around quickly and then get the reinforcements in to really push on.
00:22:40
Speaker
Hopefully. Well, In terms of getting out of the relegation zone, that is quite important to do quickly.
Urgency for Improvements to Avoid Relegation
00:22:48
Speaker
What do you think, Punt, he you know Claire mentioned going up to the transfer window opening at the end of the year.
00:22:54
Speaker
What do you think he needs to, what what point return with the troops he's got available to him do you think is par for what you would be expecting as ah ah say say a C plus come come January time?
00:23:06
Speaker
what What do you think his minimum return is? For pass. You ask me that without any kind of... I don't have any idea how many games we're playing. I i think it's some. from the next... Some. Cheers, mate. Well, then you know we will definitely get some points and maybe even some at home.
00:23:23
Speaker
the Yeah, Claire, if you could give me the opposition as well, that be wonderful. It's about 10 games, I think, before... 30 points so we we are playing and bro oxford keypr um win-win Well, of two. Yeah, we'll both of those. Brum, Oxford, QPR. That's three teams.
00:23:48
Speaker
Okay. No, sorry. I thought I didn't hear say Brum. We'll we'll beat Oxford. We'll beat QPR. We will draw. So back-to-back home wins next week. Wow. Back-to-back home wins and a draw on Saturday. That will be absolute promotion. Well, we we're well we're out we're out of the bottom three. if if we get If we basically get more than the points we've got already in the next week...
00:24:07
Speaker
yeah then i'm i think we probably believe seven points seven points to this week look come on that's okay so brum oxford qpr watford blades that's a very good ah basement battle um yeah i don't fancy whatford qpr again ah Then we get into the new year. right So one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. We've got nine. We've got nine games. So it is about 10.
00:24:34
Speaker
We've got nine games ah before the first of January's game. We should keep going. Look, I think if we went roughly a point and a half a game, that would be ah a brilliant return, wouldn't it? you know kind of So if if we're looking at what, 14, 15 points between now and you know first of January and then going into a window, I think that would give us a real...
Midfield Challenges and Strategic Enhancements
00:24:53
Speaker
Yeah.
00:24:57
Speaker
ah but we've talked about this squad being imb balanceance before so i'll kind of throw it back to you guys what do you think he he needs you know if you're philip clement coming in looking at this squad right now what kind of individual positions or characters do you think this squad needs We know we need a number 10.
00:25:15
Speaker
We need a 10. I still think we need an eight. I don't think we've got the right person to play alongside Kenny yet. So hopefully he can get Mattson playing up to a decent level or he can get Topic to, you know, play as well as Topic has played in bits of games. Do you think Kenny's an automatic starter at the moment?
00:25:35
Speaker
Or do you think he's maybe more of a left back in midfield? ah Well, it depends on who's available. So at the moment he might still have to play left back. Yeah. depending on who's available at the weekend. But no, if we've got full backs available, ken Kenny is at the moment an automatic starter because Mattson, Topic, well, Wright at the moment, under Manning, Wright doesn't, I mean, I feel like Wright's had a really rough deal.
00:25:59
Speaker
I think he would, I think at the moment you have to say on form this season, of course, Kenny's an automatic starter because Mattson and Topic haven't done anywhere near as much good things as Kenny has.
00:26:10
Speaker
and And as we said two or three pods ago, um we Kenny shouldn't still be our best midfielder. Like, you know, that shouldn't still be the case, but it's because the players we've brought in have taken so long to hit the ground running. they've Toppitch has shown physicality and striding up the pitch in flashes.
00:26:29
Speaker
Mattson only goes sideways and backwards, um looks technically sound, but is has been at fault for goals and has looked so, like just physically so what Is that another because of the way he was being made to play? like we which is In fairness, Kenny's been at fault for goals this season. you know kind off Nothing like the same. I'd kind of disagree with that. well I think there's at least two or three you can attribute to Kenny. But at the same time... and The last home game wasn't on him. The Leicester one wasn't on him.
00:26:58
Speaker
But that comes back to Claire's point around, is that the way they're being asked to play? Is it like not necessarily the individuals concerned here and we're trying to attribute blame where actually maybe... Again, it's structure, it's systems, isn't it?
00:27:10
Speaker
So if if if he can get a tune out of either Topic or Mattson, then he doesn't necessarily need another rate. He can spend all the money on a 10. Likewise, if he can get... right playing as a baller, then Kenny is then um either sweeper or left back or and or he can get right playing in that 10.
00:27:30
Speaker
then you Then you can buy another six, you can buy another eight whatever, and then Topic or Mattson gets injured. It's not the end of the world. um At the moment, that the the the amount of the amount of energy and effort being extolled and the amount of positivity is in such short supply that I feel like you know, he is, he's starting at such a low base that there, there's very few players who you could say like Schwartow is probably the only one who you could say is in any kind of form.
00:28:01
Speaker
And, you know, Chris Goran has, you know, probably pretty good return in terms of how few minutes he's played. Like he he probably is net up in terms of like good versus bad things he's done on the pitch for Norwich, but i mean, he's hardly been on the pitch and he's mostly been involved in losing efforts and,
00:28:17
Speaker
So, you know, he looks like he knows where the goal is. and I love his scrappy dude jumping up and up and down and charging all over the shot. I mean, I love his energy. So, yeah, Schwarzau and Kvisko are probably the only ones who could regress from where we are, right? Apparently, Clemon likes a bustling centre-forward. So, he's got a couple of those. We've got two playing at the same time. Yeah.
00:28:38
Speaker
has he got three? Has he got three? Chuck Jovan in there as well. Yeah. Well, I was referring to Jovan. I thought you meant... Yeah, he's bustling, but he's sort of bustling at sort five foot three.
00:28:50
Speaker
sort of Yeah, so I think the i think midfield is the is that is the massive is the massive issue. We might have the talent to not need to massively reinforce it, but...
00:29:01
Speaker
the You can only go on form. You hope as an ex-international midfielder, you hope that is the area that he is maybe able to cast his spells. Is he you fielder i thought you was his offender he's a I thought he was I thought he was a defensive midfielder.
00:29:16
Speaker
No, he's a centre-back. I think he might have done both. I thought he was like a four, like an old-fashioned four. We're just saying numbers now, aren't we? I don't know what anything means anymore.
00:29:27
Speaker
No, yes, anyway, I mean, like i the I haven't got a lot of love for midfield. Defender, it says here. Okay. ah But the, yeah, maybe he can get the defensive side of Topic up or whatever.
00:29:43
Speaker
and Maybe he can work with Menich to make him less, you know, clown-like on the ball. Oh, no, a I lie. Centre-back and defensive midfielder, it says in Wicke. There you There you go. man CB slash CDM on Football Manager. they came but Basically, that um you you can tell their ah listeners in real time how long it took me to edit the Wikipedia.
00:30:02
Speaker
and and Sorry. myself i'm that i'm that I'm that basic. I have to do that.
Varied Optimism and Fan Engagement with Clement's Era
00:30:08
Speaker
um So, yeah, look, we... we I think it's fair to say that we are a mixed bag. Claire is c claraire is in love.
00:30:14
Speaker
Punt is, you know, he's gone through the ticket barriers. I've basically decided to have a second coffee before going through the ticket barriers just to make sure there isn't like a more direct train that that actually is going to get me to my destination faster. I'm not sure that is the one I want to board. You're still in prep, mate. You're still choosing your sandwich. Yeah, no, and that's what i'm saying. I've gone back. I've gone back for a second lunch. You're going to get left behind, Tom.
00:30:37
Speaker
Well, no, I won't because i'm i'm more than happy to I'm more than happy to pay for like a taxi to get me to the next station head ahead of ahead of the train. i don't i'm I'm going on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to, mean, I'm genuinely really looking forward to a a clever fresh start.
00:30:55
Speaker
It's going to be great to sing some new songs. I was trying to work out what his songs would be. um Well, it still scans with like, we've got super, we've got super Philippe Clermont.
00:31:07
Speaker
There you go. I don't know. I don't really know. I think Philippe Clermont's green and yellow army will do for now, won't it? well Yeah, but that doesn't scan either. That's the wrong... Well, it has to. it has to there's no You can't not have that song. That's just a given. Well, anyway, I'll report back as to what what it is that is starting the nightclub. All right, well, get mate. Can I ask you both a question, though, before like we maybe depart?
00:31:32
Speaker
Because we talked an awful lot about Manning and Zoe Weber and Ben Knapper. And that Ben Knapper has been allowed to lead this process as far as we're concerned. But I'd be really interested to hear your both of your thoughts because everyone's been swept up in the positivity of ah or no negativity, I guess, depending on and how full your glass is um around a new head coach appointment.
00:31:55
Speaker
Where are you both at with Ben Knapper now? Well, we haven't kicked a ball. We haven't signed a player. I haven't changed in the slightest. Okay. I always always said he was he should have one more turn. so You did. I think it's all on this. it so No, i just think it's... She's in love with Philippe. I'm not in love with Ben Napper. Yeah, she's in love with Philippe and Ben's going to get all the chances he needs to...
00:32:23
Speaker
I think it's, it' by all accounts from what I've read, it's quite a coup that we've managed to get a manager of his status to come to us in our position. Have you read that from non-Norwich fans though?
00:32:33
Speaker
Yes. haven't seen any non- i hadn't seen any journalists From other teams, not, yeah, plenty. Okay. They're like, they're stunned that we've got him. I have spent less time today on mission. Yeah, I've spent far too much time. I was very, very, very surprised at the Pinken kind of Rangers fan in Summit, which I've only watched like five, six minutes of. But the first five or six minutes, this guy is all in on Philippe Clermont. Yeah, they love him.
00:33:01
Speaker
Yeah. Well, he definitely loves him. I have also read some other Rangers fans who weren't quite as... um weren't quite as complimentary. But what they said is, and this is to compare like um candidates, um one person said Yondahl Thomason signed Todd Cantwell.
00:33:20
Speaker
Philip Clement got rid of Todd Cantwell. I was like, oh, nice. That's all you need to know, isn't it? Well, look, well that that the The most important thing is that everyone rallies behind Philippe Clement.
00:33:36
Speaker
We are Philippe Clement's yellow and green army. And we are coming up on, you know, three in theory. mean, if you youd look at the start of the season, and you had just said Birmingham, Oxford, KPR. Yeah.
00:33:49
Speaker
Yeah, we'll have seven points from them. Like seven points now feels like insane form. um That seems like a mad thing to try and to try and ask for. But, you know, we we we have to kind of live in in hope.
00:34:04
Speaker
What's your guarantee for philip Philippe Clement's first scoreline, Clare?
00:34:12
Speaker
I don't think we'll win given that, yeah, Birmingham is a tough place to go and like what you said about it being a bit of a celebration everything. So I'll go with a plucky one-all draw.
00:34:24
Speaker
And would that make you happy? Yes, because it's better than losing. It's a start. And then he'll win back-to-back home games and we'll be... That's how we get our seven points. Okay, cool.
00:34:38
Speaker
Puntilicious? I was going to go for a draw as well, but I'll go 2-2. Jacob Wright will score a 94th minute free Oh, Limbs. The mood will be buoyed.
00:34:51
Speaker
Very nice. I've just realised that 2-2 was Birmingham City, Limbs, with O'Neill,
Reflections on Match Experiences and Future Hopes
00:34:57
Speaker
wasn't it? O'Neill, yeah. ah i I always do this. I thought I was ticking off another ground. I've been there.
00:35:03
Speaker
Went with morning. ah like i'm so i can i always I always think that I'm doing another one. And then what happens is someone someone like that will say something. I'll be like, oh yeah, i remember celebrating there. Oh no, I've done it. Oh no. So anyway, unlucky. Oh well.
00:35:17
Speaker
i So I'm not ticking off another one. i I can't tell you what my number is because I keep forgetting grounds I've visited. and But anyway, I'm going 4-0 and ah I think the ah it's crucial to get that early goal that Sarge is going to get.
00:35:32
Speaker
Matty gets the second one. i think a right free kick. madison-esque with three nil at halftime and he does the opposite of manning and we uh get on the front foot instead of sitting in ah on our three nil lead in the second half and we add a fourth on the hour mark and it's just a possession around birmingham for the rest of the game um and yeah fantastic it's gonna be it's gonna be a fantastic fantastic start to the clement era um and i for one am We'll be giving him my full-throated support and fully behind. And you'll be in love with him. So will be getting the train home?
00:36:07
Speaker
No, I'll be driving a piggy wagon. and So, yeah, i will ah I'll have my fingers crossed that my nonsense ah will eventually come true. But, yeah, like the the important thing is we see some green shoots. The important thing is we see something that looks like some form of identity, see the same chance created three times maybe, you know see the players,
00:36:31
Speaker
act, you know, behaviours, dare I say, are that of more front-footedness and more aggression. And I think we have to, I really do think we have to hope and pray for for no early early setback.
00:36:43
Speaker
You know, we we really need to not have someone limping off after 20 minutes or or be 2-0 down after 25. Like, you know, whether it's Kenny, Mattson, Darling, Kvetchovic, like someone doesn't make a ah rick and in the first, you know, eight minutes and and then...
00:36:59
Speaker
you know, Gorham and all the rest of the commentators to say, well, if he didn't know the size of the chask he's taken on, he'll know it now. You know, we need to avoid that line basically. And then it will have been ah positive Saturday.
Closing Thoughts and Farewells
00:37:10
Speaker
Right.
00:37:11
Speaker
Enjoy the rest of the week reading salaciously all of the things why Clement is wonderful. See if you can get yourself as in love with him as Claire does. I'll be honest. She's already there. So I'm not, I'm not sure you're going to get there. She's going be, you know, it's going proposals by. I'm enjoying it before it all gets my bubble is first.
00:37:28
Speaker
Yeah, okay. So see if you can fill your bubble up like Claire. Punt, I acknowledge you exist. Everyone else, do mind how you go.