Norwich 1-2-2 in their last 5. Only Rovers has been more hapless. Millwall matches them. That's not the result you need against a relegation candidate if you want to sneak into the playoffs. Too bad, they were hanging close for a while there.
Not sure it's preferable to punk out before the playoffs, but they've not had much luck v Luton or Boro, tho until last week they were at least able to keep them close. Regardless... gonna have to hope for better luck next year.
That's the spirit! The odd thing is, if Norwich could simply defeat (unmotivated, #13) Swansea at home, travel to (motivated, #7) West Brom and win, and close the season by defeating (by then already relegated, #23) Blackpool at home, Norwich would almost certainly make the promotion playoffs. Two 'easy' home matches and a difficult road match, but a draw at West Brom (and 7 points) might be enough, if other results break well. Can't give up just yet, and with Dike out, we should all be rooting for Sargent.
I admire your optimism (and would like extend to you an exclusive Big Soccer offer to get in on the ground floor of my BS-Coin! In these troubling times of inflation and global uncertainty, the BS-Coin offers a destruction of... I mean a safe haven for your wealth unfettered from the law of economics! PM me for details!) The last few games of the EFL Champs line up for some good Promotion Playoff 6 Pointers! Rovers close out with Norwich and Millwall. They look destine to fail, but do have an extra game to play on the rest of the pack (As do W. Brom). If Burnley are already on vacation, they have a shot, but W Brom have S'land, Sheffield (perhaps also on vacation) N'wich and Swansea (as you note, nothing much to play for). Millwall has #23 and 24 before their very possibly game-for-all-the-marbles with Rovers... The pack is very tight, but Norwich haven't put together 3 wins since end of Jan, and haven't been top six for like 8 or 9 weeks yet. I'd love for them to pull a miracle-in-the-coal-mine, but I'm afraid the canary song you hear right now is not the song of a bird soaring to greater heights - this year, at least...
Reached halftime down 0-2 and playing with ten men. No, I’m not joking. “We’ve got ‘em just where we want ’em!” Okay, now I’m joking.
They lost away to an angry WBA that was expected to be fighting for promotion this season but started terribly and even though they did very well post-break, it just was not enough. Next game they host an already-dead Blackpool and should win to finish around #10. Not bad.
It was a nice goal for Sarge. Conflicted because I would take Norwich and Albion up over the alternatives.
Too bad Norwich couldn't make a run of it. Sarge has done well enough you'd have to think Norwich would have kept him in promotion - even if bringing in other attackers - but even at #10 on the EFL scoring list, I'm not sure he's quite done well enough to leverage a transfer up.
FYP With 13 goals and 2 assists in 40 league games, he's a "meh" player at this level and clubs will only spend money on - and pay EPL wages to - a difference-making player, which he manifestly isn't. At 23 and with another 2 seasons on his contract, unless he has a breakout season next year, this is his level.
I'm always hesistant to conclude that a player as young as Sargent still is has already maxed his level...but he's already played ~9000 minutes in the Bundesliga, EPL and Championship and hasn't shown much improvement in the 4.5 years since he got his Bundesliga debut.
Sargent isn't star material, but not just in the Championship but also in the Premier League there is room for him. PL rosters are not full of stars, there are plenty of role players. For our purposes, however, it's better that he start/play/score in the Championship than he sit/sit/sit in the Premier League.
I understand and entirely agree with the "start" and "play" bits. It's the "scoring" bit that I don't get
I mean, I've been as big a Josh-is-the-next-sliced-bread skeptic as most, but Josh will now easily kick around the upper reaches of the EFLCh if he wants - and could break out any time between now a retirement and get a move up. He most certainly is not racing the clock as dramatically as that. I'll be surprised if he moves up outside of getting on a promoted team, but a couple of top-10 goal scoring seasons would not hurt his chances.
There's a lot you don't get. @freisland isn't sure Sargent is qualified, you're sure he isn't, but I am just as sure he is. Sargent has scored goals - 12 with an xG of 11.5 - and yes of course he should/could have had more, but he also played many games out wide. There are a lot more lesser players in the Premier League than you may be willing to admit, EPL wages or not. There's a lot of filler. There are a lot of players who have never been in the top ten of anything. Sargent is not a standout like Mitrovic or Akpom, but that doesn't make him inadequate. Still, I would rather have him playing than not, and it's hard to imagine him getting serious minutes in the Premier League. To play (regularly) is the thing.
Oh, absolutely, not everyone on an EPL roster is some phenomenal player. And I think current Sargent wouldn't be out of place being on one of those rosters. But I don't think he'd have much of anything to contribute, like many of the other lesser players that are on those rosters. He's not a dynamic player, isn't a standout athlete and doesn't really have any other qualities that stand out, either (to my eye, anyway). I'd rather see him go to a different league (perhaps the Eredivisie) where he could at least round out his game. But it seems unlikely that he'd take the pay cut commensurate with such a move, and he also seems like the type that thinks English soccer is the tops.
Let's do like the Englishmen, define the Championship as the second best league in the world, and be glad most of our players end there.
Sargent isn't elite but is very useful. With Pukki leaving the starting striker role is his to lose next year. I'd like to see him nail down the number 9 role and score close to 20 goals next year. Then he can move up with Norwich or move to the EPL or back to Germany.