Norwich City 2 - West Bromwich Albion 0

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Ratings submitted so far: 9

Brendan Clegg:

Another awful away result where we pretty much gifted points to the opposition.

Losing Fellows to illness was a blow and I guess tactically the decision to play Reach over Weimann was understandable.

It went like so many of our away game failures. We start really strongly, so dominant that you think we can’t lose the game. But there’s that safety first lack of ambition… we don’t play the cross or shoot, we come backwards from promising situations. You look at the stats that matter and there’s just nothing there for a team in control, and then we concede a cheap goal - almost always on the counter where despite not getting people into the box we don’t get back and are punished.

In this case there were 3 errors - a silly pass from Okay, Kipre criminally square and appealing for an offside that was nowhere near and Palmer should’ve done better.

And then, as we always see, absolutely no idea how to get back into it. We play for traps that the opponent don’t need to walk into. Pass it sideways and backwards, show no ambition and then are totally flat footed and almost comatose when we lose it.

Okay was having a mare and came off. Reach was just miles of Championship level and an absolute liability. Others were sloppy and careless. The only saving grace was that we didn’t concede more, through fortune more than anything.

At least Corberan made the right and obvious change at half time with Reach coming off, and again we dominated it. We also did take more risks, got crosses in, got shots at goal. If we were to turn it around it had to be in that 20 minute spell after the break but unfortunately neither Swift, Wallace or Asante could take their chances - Swift had a couple where he really should’ve done better and Asante had a header that he had to work the keeper from a lot better.

Dike for Asante felt like the last roll of the dice - I wasn’t massively convinced by this and would have left BTA on somehow but it was irrelevant in the end as Norwich broke to score a second after another sloppy straight pass was cut out and neither Swift or Wallace thought they should track back.

There was still time for Dike and Weimann to spurn decent openings - a free header at the back post planted straight at the keeper and a cutback sliced over.

And so off we trudged after another cheap loss away. It will cost us a playoff place if Corberan continues this approach - the facts clearly show we can’t keep clean sheets or score goals. Even a few draws would be okay and there is enough in quality, experience and wages frankly to be getting results on the road. It’s relegation form away.

I thought we really missed Fellows for his end product and proactivity because it’s not been coached out of him yet, and it’s the kind of away game in January that for about the 3rd year in a row you know you don’t lose if Matt Phillips is on the pitch, or if you have a dynamic quality replacement instead of a bit of an over the hill bargain buy. I fear we’ll lose players in Jan than more likely sign anyone.

• Palmer - 6 Made some okay saves and you wouldn’t say he should save a 1v1 but he’ll be disappointed
• Furlong - 5 Some of his passing was awful and looked leggy
• Kipre - 6 Very poor for the goal and didn’t look comfortable
• Bartley - 6 Okay, some questionable decisions
• Townsend - 5 Looked in trouble with Reach in front of him, better after the break and got crosses in.
• Okay - 4 Didn’t look right from the off. Worrying.
• Mowatt - 7 I thought he ran the show and I thought he was entitled to make the pass for their 2nd, looking for Weimann to protect it better.
• Wallace - 5 Effort was there but some of his decisions today were awful. The lashed shot when we had 3 over after a good run, the left footed swinger, the tackle that could easily have been a red.
• Swift - 5 Typical him. Looked dangerous but ultimately wasn’t. Not enough energy. Missed big chances.
• Reach - 4 Really really poor. Targeted and vulnerable. Bullied.
• BTA - 6 Running and effort. Great finish but it was hand ball. I’d have kept him on, didn’t look tired.

• Chalobah - 6 Did okay but we never look as in control with him there.
• Weimann - 5 Better than Reach, at least had some sort of impact.
• Dike - 5 It’s gonna be 10 games before he’s anywhere near.

Pipa and Taylor you can’t really mark.