Zak Whitbread to Norwich: 5-16-2012 released by Norwich

You are correct. The most points that Findley and Forest, Hull, or Burnley can finish with is 75.

 

So despite niggling injuries here and there Whitbread started 20 of 24 matches for Norwich since he returned December 28, with 2 substitute appearances as well.

 

But he backed out of a US camp and was subbed out early in three of Norwich's games. And in spite of that, this has probably been the healthiest stretch of his entire career.

I view him as a taller Gregg Berhalter who could be a useful player for the US, but in view of his lack of durability, he'd probably be wiser just to focus on his club career.

 

One of the 1st couple names Norwich linked with after attaining promotion is a CB

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...emier-League-article733946.html#ixzz1LyiDCiKo
​

 

I don't want to rain on Zak's parade, but an experienced CB is one of the best acquisitions a newly-promoted team like Norwich can make. Now, why they are linked to a 22-year-old is beyond me.

 

Just FYI: De Laet can actually play all three backline positions.

He's "the Belgian Spector".

 

Ah... I didn't know that Belgians are into voodoo.

 

Vital Norwich has been running a series of articles on the fates of various players now that the team has been promoted to the EPL. Whitbread's is a couple weeks old now, but I just saw it today.

What does the future hold for Zak Whitbread?

 

It's interesting that they view Zak as a "ball distributing" defender.

Tim Ream, Part Deux?

Except with a Premiership experience.

 

Whitbread is 4 years older than Ream... Shouldn't it be the other way around?

 

Well, Zak's Premiership experience is rather scant.

We'll see if he can keep a regular slot with Norwich. Lefties, as a rule, are harder to replace.

 

This is old news by now, but Norwich did end up signing De Laet on loan for the season.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/s...-loan-united's-de-laet-for-the-season?cc=5901

 

i dont have a link but now that this thread has been bumped i think i heard something about Norwich's coach saying they would play "Stoke ball" for the sake of survival and they werent gonna be pretty about it. If strictly for survival purposes, we could see this as a developing pattern as promoted teams will think survival will be more important.

 

Stoke has a lot of size though ... and Rory Delap.

Lawrie Sanchez's Fulham tried playing long ball without the required size (they actually sold Zat Knight that season) and were this close to going down.

Norwich doesn't look all that physically imposing on paper.

 

I think this is something often overlooked when people characterize the English game. Outside of the top 6 teams any one team can be relegated. It forces teams to play a rather ugly game than making slick passes. If you get a chance to check out a Chanpionship game you should, the style of play isn't necessarily Spanish, but more French or even Italian. The Premier league needs to consider relegation as a true fear for a lot of teams since it is the biggest TV deal in football. Teams need the money. I'd almost reckon to say that their should be a different approach to relegation.

 

They upped the parachute payments to the relegated teams with the latest TV contract.

 

a few different scenarios play out IMO. the league can be really weak some years with say 6 shockingly bad teams when any one of them can go down (the year Jozy was at Hull for instance), and then it can swing to extremely strong teams going up like when Newcastle and West Brom went up together. That drug a LOT of teams into it and two good teams (birmingham, blackpool) went down. the most traditional is the three promoted teams are heavy favorites go head straight back down. I think that will be the case this year. If QPR did all the wheeling and dealing they said they would they would have had a strong chance but for some unfathomable reason their owners arent opening the checkbook. Norwich is the only one making real moves, but even then i dont see them having much of a chance. Norwich have the strongest chance of all the teams. They need to make Carrow Road a fortress to stand a chance.

 

Why isn't anyone talking about this? Looks like Norwich is extending Zaks contract.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_7036257,00.html

 

Whitbread got the start, went 45 and scored the 2nd goal off a corner in a 7-0 beatdown of Gorleston of the 9th level of English football. This was the starting team:

Ruddy, Francomb, Whitbread, De Laet, Tierney, Adeyemi, Fox, Hoolahan, K Smith, C Martin, G Holt.

 

Me thinks someone is getting called into the Belgium match.

 

I never really followed this guys career. What are the chances of him excelling in the EPL? Should we expect him to play a prominent role in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers?

 

If healthy I expect he's involved. Prominent or not will depend on whether he can make an impression. Zak got to the Liverpool reserves and had a few carling cup appearances for the first team (I think). He's had terrible luck with injuries and had to go to the 2nd division and build back his career. But despite not being that young or experienced with the us team, it wouldnt shock me if he turns out to be our best center back for qualifying.

 

Norwich taking on Crystal Palace in a friendly today. Whitbread starts on the bench. It appears Leon Barnett and Ritchie De Laet (on loan from Man U) are currently ahead of Zak in the pecking order.

http://twitter.com/#!/NorwichCityFC

 

Whitbread came on in the 63rd minute against Crystal Palace in a friendly. Palace won 1-nil on a last minute goal. Not clear if Whitbread was at fault.

http://www.canaries.co.uk/page/NewsDetails/0,,10355~2402561,00.html

 

Whitbread's return to health last season pretty much coincided with a season-ending injury to Leon Barnett. Now that Barnett is back and Norwich picked up reinforcements for the EPL, it's unsurprising that Whitbread would begin the season on the bench.