Inspirational Hughton, or a Smokescreen Victory?

An interesting statistic popped up prior to the Stoke game - Norwich had scored the least goals and had the least attempts on goal in the entire league; yet if the league were to be decided by possession in the opponents half, we would be sixth. That more or less paints the picture of our start to the season. It's not that our overall play is too defensive, it's a distinct lack of threat in the final third that creates a worryingly limited number of chances.

The Brittania remains a tough place to pick up points, so credit where credit is due for Hughton. A fantastic first half performance saw us dictate the tempo of the game, hold on to possession, and pass it around comfortably. What it didn't provide, however, was an influx of chances. A great victory it was, resulting in a much needed three points following a set of strong results from the leagues 'lesser' sides this weekend - but a lingering sense of struggle in front of goal continues to burden Hughton.

Which is why the exclusion of Hooper on the back of a cup-brace was so questionable. A goal-scorer high on confidence and a team finding goals hard to come by appeared a perfect blend, did it not? Regardless, Hooper remained benched for ninety minutes, whilst RVW again produced minimal involvement and had all-too-regular problems with his ball control. As I reiterate from last week, the Wolf needs dropping. It's Hooper's turn for me. 

A goal however did come, through the impressive Howson - who's willingness to have a go (and usually a decent one, at that) is of great value in a side with creativity issues. Alongside Fer, the centre midfield pairing look extremely competent. Even Alex Tettey, who I've heavily criticised in the past, looked sturdy and deserved of his place in front of the back four. On the left, Pilkington was a dangerous addition to the side and looked comfortable alongside Olssen, who for me should be a regular starter following a confident display once given the opportunity to impress. 

At the back, Turner, Ryan Bennett and Russell Martin gave exceptional defensive shifts in the absence of Bassong - which was very pleasing indeed. As a collective, we've previously been known to expect almost inevitable defeat when faced with a Bassong-shaped hole in the back-line. Now it's a very different story, with both Martin and Bennett capable of stepping-up, and Turner leading by example. A clean-sheet which was rarely threatened, given the circumstances, signals a significant reduction in the reliance placed on individuals. Squad depth has improved dramatically without drastic changes to defensive personnel - credit to the coaching staff must be given for that.

With the high number of quality individual displays mentioned above, Snodgrass is the last player you would expect to under-perform - or so would have been said last season. This time round, he's had a woeful start to the campaign, which continued today. More often than not, his final ball was terrible, regularly wasting opportunities to carve out chances. Last season, we saw Snodgrass dancing round players with apparent ease, a sense of excitement when he received the ball at his feet, something very few of our players possessed. Now it's become more likely to see him fall to the floor. With (hopefully) the return of Redmond imminent, and following a positive Pilkington performance, I would like to see those two given a chance down the flanks. The modern-day winger is capable of playing from either side, with these two no exception to such a high level of expectation. Likewise with RVW, a potential spell on the sidelines could help Snodgrass find his form again. It worked with Hoolahan under Lambert, it even proved successful for Gary Doherty. Players need to know their place isn't guaranteed.

So, was that a superb Hughton-inspired three-points, or simply a smokescreen for a bleak start to the season? Regardless, a victory away at Stoke is a significant achievement that Hughton set out to produce, and secured the result. He's bought himself both time and confidence amongst the fans today, relieving pressure and giving the table (albeit insignificant this early on) a much healthier outlook. The quality on display from the vast majority of our side, alongside the commitment, desire and effort that they showed today, at very least puts an end to the talk of Hughton having 'lost the dressing room'. These players are still very much here to play for him, and that's exactly what they will do.

The next few games provide strong challenges for Hughton, and it will be interesting to see his approach. The likes of Chelsea provide an opportunity for Hughton to win a large section of the fans over, and assert his authority - he should be, and now will be, allowed to do so. I would like to see some bold decisions made during that time, mind. A few senior players dropped to the bench, with a full run of games for Gary Hooper, would be a meaningful start in my opinion. For the meantime, we can enjoy the rarity of a Norwich win away from home, which puts us level on points with Manchester United - a fact that couldn't be less relevant, seeing as United have already played Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City, but it's not often we get to mention it. European tour, anyone?