OK, which of 3 high profile summer departures last year did we miss the most - Earnshaw, Etuhu or Safri?
In my view we haven't really been able to replace any of them yet! You could say that Cureton replaced Earnie, Russell replaced Etuhu and Fotheringham replaced Safri. Are any of the replacements better players?
Earnshaw or Cureton? There is no doubt that JC is more passionate about City and he ended the season as top scorer. However, he did miss an awful lot of very presentable chances. Yes, he scored some very good goals indeed and scored numerous important and winning goals. However, the fact that he once dyed his hair green does not mean he is above criticism (Wiz!!). I have no doubt that Earnshaw would have scored at least 10 more goals had he played the same number of goals. Therefore, you can say that we have certainly missed Earnshaw.
Etuhu or Russell? Slightly different kind of players so perhaps a bit more unfair to compare them. Etuhu is much more a box to box type of player whilst Russell is an in your face hard tackling midfielder. It is fair to say that Etuhu would have scored more goals than Russell and probably been suspended less but Russell without doubt gives you more effort and commitment. On this one, I would say we have missed Etuhu's ability to pop up with a goal but Russell overall gives you a little bit more.
Safri or Fotheringham? Although both holding players they are slightly different kind of players. Safri was very much a ball winner who could use the ball well at times but for me never got involved in the final third of the pitch. Fotheringham looks to get his foot on the ball and try and play. Whilst is no Ian Crook he is certainly up there with Mulryne in terms of his passing. Unfortunately, he doesn't make that killer pass often enough. He is the only midfielder we have who can actually get hold of a game by the scruff of the neck and dictate play (as he did against Southampton, Coventry and WBA). Also, we look a lot worse without him on the pitch. All of this equally applies to Safri who on his day is as good a midfielder as you will see in the Championship. Neither player scores anywhere near enough goals though. On this one, I would say that Fozzie has been an adequate replacement but no more.
In my view, we have missed Earnie the most?
What do you think?
Earnshaw has definitely been the biggest miss. Didn't matter how we were playing as team you'd always fancy him to get a goal from somewhere. He was a reliable goalscorer. Cureton is a very very very long way off that standard.
Fozzie is a decent player but he doesn't have quite the same quality as Safri, he is more of a leader though. Tough one but I prefer Safri from a football point of view.
Etuhu is always a tricky one, I want to believe that there's a cracking player in there somewhere. He's got excellent physical attributes and on his day he can be immense in this league but he doesn't hit that form often enough. Russell doesn't have the same pace/power but he never stops working and his performance levels are consistently decent. I'd have to go for Russell.
Good thread
I think we have missed Etuhu most. Not just because of his goals but also his height in both penalty areas. So many times last season we would see Etuhu clear the ball from the near post area when we were defending set plays. I believe a lot of our problems this season were through our team not being big enough. When we defend set plays we don't have enough height throughout the side and when we have our own set plays we have been easy to mark for the same reasons. With Dublin gone it's even more important that we get a bigger physical presence next season.
We missed Earnshaw too. Whatever we think of him he had a tremendous scoring record for us. Cureton didn't match that this season.
When Fotheringham played we didn't really miss Safri but when he was out we certainly did. Wouldn't it have been nice to have both!
I can't help thinking that a player who had the best attributes of both Russell and Etuhu would be awesome!
nutty nigel wrote: I can't help thinking that a player who had the best attributes of both Russell and Etuhu would be awesome!
I was just thinking the exact same thing. Any way of merging them together somehow...?
Graham Humphrey wrote: nutty nigel wrote: I can't help thinking that a player who had the best attributes of both Russell and Etuhu would be awesome! I was just thinking the exact same thing. Any way of merging them together somehow...?
who did we miss most last season? the same players we ave missed for 12 months and 3 years respectively... Craig Fleming and Malky Mackay.. a partnership that spent years playing together, had experiance and chipped in with goals too... funny how since they have both left the club we have hit a downward spiral isnt it?
Defence wins Football matches...
jas :)
We missed Earnshaw's goals for sure; with a 20 goal a season striker we would not have been farting around the relegation dogfight like we were.
But we also missed a Malky-like leader at the back just as much. I am not so anti the the Doc as many on here (in fact I think he is OK at this level) but neither he nor the frankly appalling at times Shackell are ever going to be that man. We did have a potential replacement for a bit but let that slip through our fingers for whatever reason, but I hope we finally address the leadership at the back issue this summer.
Here’s what I wrote about Dickson Etuhu in the Capital Canaries Column at the start of this season: -
And finally, a word on Dickson Etuhu. Or maybe a word on each of the three different Dicksons that I saw playing for Norwich over the last couple of years.
The first Dickson I saw was Quality Dickson. He had pace and power. He scored goals and tackled. He got up and down the pitch. He turned up for one game in five though, but when he did, he bullied the Chelsea midfield or he scored a Berkampesque goal, curling one in from miles out against Cardiff, and really looked the part.
The second Dickson I saw was Dreadful Dickson. He ambled around. He was never there, and he always seemed distracted. He turned up for the games that Quality Dickson did not fancy. Dreadful Dickson stood five yards off David Jones as he equalised for Derby at Carrow Road last season. Dreadful Dickson walked off to sarcastic applause at Luton, and clapped back thinking we were pleased with his work that evening.
The last Dickson I saw was End of Season Dickson. We first caught a glimpse of End of Season Dickson in a Preston shirt as he stormed through Iwan’s last match at Carrow Road, and as if by magic, he appeared towards the end of last years campaign. A scout in the stand, a buy out clause, clubs sniffing around, agents talking to him and the new mega Sky deal just around the corner are just a few of the reasons for the appearance of End of Season Dickson at Norwich.
Did Peter Grant get him playing, or was it that huge "Prem Sale" poster? With all due respect to our manager’s motivational abilities, my vote goes to that sign in the shop window.
Look on the bright side. We got £1.5 million for a player who turned up when he felt like it. End of Season Dickson would have soon turned back into Dreadful Dickson, seeing his mates raking in fifteen grand a week and sulking that he had not got his dream move to the Prem.
We are much better off without him
Dickson Etuhu without a shadow of a doubt..
He scored goals, worked up and down, tackled hard and his imposing figure would strike fear into many a player!
Earnshaw as well, if given the same chances as Cureton he would have easily had around 25 this season and would have been challenging for play-offs at least..
Safri, hardly missed, Fozzie does exactly the same job and just as well.. He just looks worse as playing with Russel who is half the player of Etuhu
Trent Canary wrote:Etuhu, but for Etuhu read Damian Francis.
Good call. A player we have truly never replaced.
Earnshaw.
Hes simply a goal machine at this level and will score a sackful for Notts Forest (if he does sign for them)
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