Norwich City

Thanks to a first-half penalty from Robbie Brady, Hull City earned their first Premier League win of the season, defeating Norwich City 1-0 at home.

Despite playing the majority of the game with 10 men, Hull defended gallantly throughout this one and frustrated Norwich's attack a great deal in the process.

The Tigers afforded the Canaries few goalscoring opportunities, and when they did, goalkeeper Allan McGregor was there to snuff out any chance.

Unsurprisingly, it was Norwich that looked likelier to score early.

Making his starting debut for Norwich, youngster Leroy Fer almost got the scoring underway after just three minutes. Some strong buildup play on the right flank saw Fer fly high in the air at the back post, but he was unable to control his header.

It sailed by the right post in what would turn out to be a huge miss indeed.

The Canaries would see another strong goalscoring chance fall their way on 10 minutes when Nathan Redmond found some space, but McGregor made a great save.

After that, it was all about Hull City.

The Tigers nearly opened the scoring on 15 minutes when Sone Aluko played a perfect backheel through to Tom Huddlestone. The summer signing couldn't keep his shot down, however, and John Ruddy watched the ball sail over the bar.

On the 20-minute mark, defender Michael Turner was adjudged to have given away a penalty for climbing on striker Sone Aluko, with replays showing that there was minimal contact between the pair.

Robbie Brady stepped up for the home team, and after a few nervous moments as the referee changed the spot of the ball, banged home the opening goal of the match as well as Hull's EPL year.

However, whatever advantage they had at that moment was quickly undone when Yannick Sagbo was shown a straight red card at the other end of the field only six minutes after the opening goal. The striker appeared to headbutt a Norwich player right in front of the referee and there was no other outcome for the forward than to take an earlier trip to the sheds than he had expected.

Nathan Redmond came deceptively close to equalizing the score right on half-time, but his free-kick from outside the area just missed to the near post, allowing the Tigers to take their 1-0 lead into the interval.

Norwich came out of half-time with a renewed sense of determination and aggression, but they could not find a way through a staunch Hull City defensive unit.

Jonathan Howson came close with a couple of chances, but they were either comfortably saved by McGregor or wide of the mark—leading to a growing frustration amongst Canaries fans.

That was only exaggerated further when Alexander Tettey wasted a great goalscoring chance in the 63rd minute after a wonderful pass from Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

The striker would get a chance for himself in the 66th minute when he got on the end of a wonderful cross from the left, but his attempt was superbly saved.

While Norwich continued to press, they could not break the Tigers' goal.

Few real goalscoring chances emerged for the Canaries and, despite three attacking substitutions, a slew of possession and total shots, they could not get through McGregor and the Tigers defense, giving Hull a very well-deserved first win of the new season.

Steve Bruce will be a very happy man indeed, while Chris Hughton will not, continuing Norwich's incredibly poor run of form away from Carrow Road.

  

Key Player Grades

Allan McGregor, GK, Hull City: A

Despite ostensibly being the lesser of the two teams and then being undermanned for most of the match, Hull City weren't really that outplayed by Norwich City. As a result, McGregor wasn't called into action as often as many might have thought.

However, when he was called into action, he stepped up in big way.

McGregor made several strong saves throughout the first half (with one against Redmond in particular) and his incredible second-half reflex save on Van Wolfswinkel was key in the result. He could very well be one of the best signings of the summer if given the chance this year.

Nathan Redmond, LW, Norwich City: B

One of the few players who offered any real attacking threat, Redmond was very strong on the left wing and a constant problem for the Tigers when on the field.

The left-winger was very strong cutting in on either foot in the middle of the field and forced several strong defensive actions from Hull City as a result. 

Really strong performance, indeed.

  

Tom Huddlestone, CM, Hull City: B

Given his status as the club's record signing over the summer, there was lots of expectation surrounding Huddlestone coming into this one. While he didn't set the world on fire in the middle, the former Tottenham Hotspur man was still rather impressive.

Once Hull were reduced to 10 men, they adopted a much deeper position in defense and midfield, no longer seeing as much possession and chances as they did earlier.

Huddlestone held his shape very well in the middle of the field and did exceptionally well to shut down the space that Fer and others tried to find for themselves.

Leroy Fer, CAM, Norwich City: B

When given the opportunity to run in open space, Fer showed why there's so much hype around him this summer at Norwich City. The youngster was dynamic and creative with the ball at his feet, but he struggled to find space once Hull started defending more and more as the game wore on.

Though Fer would obviously love to have another go at his headed chance in the opening minutes, it's hard to fault him on the match that he played.

Against a frustrating defense, Fer was pretty solid.

Full Player Grades

Hull City

Pos.	Player	Grade
GK	Allan McGregor	A
LB	Maynor Figueroa	C
LCB	Curtis Davies	B-
RCB	James Chester	C+
RB	Ahmed Elmohamady	B-
LM	Jake Livermore	B-
CM	Tom Huddlestone	B
RM	Robert Koren (OFF—83')	C+
LF	Robbie Brady (OFF—79')	B
CF	Yannick Sagbo	F
RF	Sone Aluko (OFF—72')	B
SUB	Danny Graham (ON—72')	N/A*
SUB	George Boyd (ON—79')	N/A*
SUB	Liam Rosenior (ON—83')	N/A*

* No grade available due to limited playing time. 

Norwich City

Pos.	Player	Grade
GK	John Ruddy	B-
LB	Javier Garrido	C-
LCB	Russell Martin	B-
RCB	Michael Turner	C+
RB	Steven Whittaker	B-
LW	Nathan Redmond (OFF—72')	B
DCM	Bradley Johnson (OFF—45')	C
DCM	Alexander Tettery (OFF—64')	C+
RW	Jonathan Howson	B
CAM	Leroy Fer	B
CF	Ricky van Wolfswinkel	B+
SUB	Robert Snodgrass (ON—45')	C
SUB	Johan Elmander (ON—64')	C+
SUB	Wes Hoolahan (ON—72')	N/A*

* No grade available due to limited playing time. 

What's Next?

Hull City will face the very difficult prospect of taking on Manchester City on August 31 at the Etihad Stadium whereas Norwich City are at home to Southampton.

Hit me up on Twitter for more sports goodness @dantalintyre

Norwich City added to their firepower once again this week, with Swedish striker Johan Elmander becoming the latest forward to come through the doors at Carrow Road.

It was a move that wasn't met with universal approval from all Canaries fans, with question marks over Elmander's age and goalscoring record drawing a lot of attention from a minority of supporters.

However, although the move won't make the footballing world rub their eyes in disbelief in the fashion that the capture of Ricky van Wolfswinkel did earlier in the summer, it could be argued that it's another very astute piece of business from Chris Hughton, who is slowly but surely starting to build his own team now.

After observing Norwich City's opening day draw with Everton, it became apparent that the Canaries were short of a truly physical presence at the sharp end of the pitch, and in the shape of Elmander, they now have someone who fits that particular bill to perfection.

The loss of Grant Holt, both as a talisman and as a sheer battler, was always going to be a difficult hole to fill, but Elmander is just about as close to Holt as you are likely to get.

Apart from the fact that the pair look like long-lost brothers, the two strikers even play in the same all-action fashion, and Elmander's arrival should go some way to easing the significance of Holt's departure.

Against Everton, the aforementioned van Wolfswinkel faced a tough introduction to English football, and in truth, Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka were able to deal with him quite comfortably. 

As such, the ball kept coming back when Norwich played it up to their lone striker, and that inevitably resulted in the Blues occupying the majority of the possession. 

Such a scenario wasn't the Dutchman's fault. It just isn't his game to battle it out with two towering centre halves.

Instead, van Wolfswinkel is far happier looking to get in behind, and that is why the presence of someone like Elmander could prove to be key in determining how successful the Canaries are as an attacking force this season.

Elmander is far more suited to the so-called "dirty side" of the game, and his ability to win flick-ons and hold the ball up will give Norwich a much-needed outlet.

Furthermore, the Swede is capable of providing a magnificent option to come off the bench of the last 20 minutes, and you can be rest assured that tiring defenders will not relish the thought of coming up against such a committed player in the closing stages of matches. 

Admittedly, Elmander's goalscoring record isn't ground-breaking, but you get the feeling that his season will revolve more around bringing others into play rather than being expected to hit the back of the net on a regular basis.

That responsibility instead lies with the likes of van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper, and although Elmander may not go on to grab the headlines in the manner that those two could conceivably do, he may just turn out to be every bit as important. 

Follow Andy Ward on Twitter

Norwich City have announced the acquisition of Sweden striker Johan Elmander on season-long loan from Turkish giants Galatasaray.

The move, confirmed Wednesday afternoon, is subject to “paperwork and international clearance,” according to the club’s official website.

Speaking about the player, already unveiled at Carrow Road, Canaries boss Chris Hughton expressed his delight at being able to bring in a player of Elmander’s experience, “not only at club and Premier League level, but as a current international.”

The 32-year-old has so far been capped 71 times for Sweden and has scored 19 goals, two of which have come in the current round of World Cup qualifiers.

Elmander will likely play a support role to Ricky Van Wolfswinkel at Norwich, operating either just behind the Dutchman or on the right of midfield where Elliott Bennett played last weekend against Everton. He is also unafraid to get involved in the defensive side of the game and will add a well-rounded element to the Norwich attack.

Gary Hooper—signed from Celtic last month—will also get a chance to nail down regular minutes, but the 25-year-old is currently recovering from a calf injury and may only start on the bench on Saturday away to Hull.

Elmander, who won two league and cup doubles with Galatasaray, has said he is “happy” at agreeing to the Norwich move and is “looking forward to starting training with the lads and to playing some games also.”

He added, in his interview with Canaries.co.uk, “I know Norwich City has great fans and there’s a great atmosphere in the stadium, plus I know a couple of players here already, too.

Between 2008 and 2011 Elmander made 92 Premier League appearances for Bolton Wanderers, tallying 18 times. One of those goals, scored away to Wolves in November 2010, was voted Greatest Premier League Goal ever by a Guardian poll.

Elmander is Hughton’s eighth signing of the summer, following Van Wolfswinkel, Hooper, Javier Garrido, Leroy Fer, Carlo Nash, Nathan Redmond and Martin Olsson to Carrow Road.

It was a good Premier League debut for Dutch striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel by all accounts.

The new Norwich City No. 9, signed from Sporting Lisbon this summer for a club-record fee, showed his predatory instincts with a fabulous header to salvage a point for the Canaries in their opening-day draw against Everton. Van Wolfswinkel's 71st-minute goal meant that along with a new season came a new scoring hero to celebrate for the Carrow Road faithful.

Nonetheless, here comes the caveat.

For while van Wolfswinkel may well have hit the ground running, I will willingly stick my neck on the line and predict it to not last for too long. Whilst I admire some of the signings made by Chris Hughton this summer—in particular the dynamic Dutch international midfielder Leroy Fer and young, fleet-footed winger Nathan Redmond—the signing of van Wolfswinkel is one that I believe was unnecessary and makes the Dutchman somewhat overvalued.

At £8.8 million, according to Transfermarkt, "The Wolf" arrived this summer for a considerable outlay, charged with taking over from cult hero Grant Holt, who was moved on to recently relegated Wigan, despite having been a key component in the Canaries lineup during their two years in the Premier League. Strong and uncompromising, Holt led the line well under both Paul Lambert and later Hughton.

So there is no doubt that Norwich did need to sign a replacement. I just have grave reservations about whether van Wolswinkel was the right man for the job.

Much has been made of his opening-day goal in the draw with Everton, but aside from that and the rather positive highlights on Match of the Day, where van Wolfswinkel was eulogised over, his overall game left little to the imagination.

For the large part, in spite of his goal, Norwich's expensive new acquisition was unnoticeable. Perhaps Canaries fans will see that as unfair, but snuffed out by Everton's defensive pairing of Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin, he barely had a kick. That he made only seven passes during his 90 minutes on the pitch (according to FourFourTwo StatsZone), one of which came from kickoff, is telling.

There were some signs of intelligent movement and a first touch which was decent, if not great, but little of the joie de vivre or panache one expects to see from a new striker on his debut at a new club, especially one costing such a princely sum. Whilst a willing runner, there is little of Holt's aggression, nor his willingness to get involved physically with defenders. Little edge.

In truth, Roberto Martinez's side were untroubled for the large part by Norwich's new man, and his inability to suitably hold on to possession allowed Everton to win the ball back on more than a couple of occasions, indirectly playing its part in the Toffees' registering more passes than any other side on the opening weekend—before Manchester City's 4-0 win over Newcastle on Monday evening.

Yes he scored. Perhaps that's the sign of a good striker, scoring whilst doing very little. But Norwich, a side for whom a mediocre season could see them relegated, need more than that. They need an outlet, someone to play up to who can hold the ball and give the defence some respite while maybe beating a man once every so often. On Saturday, van Wolfswinkel showed rarely that he would give them that, attempting just one take-on, and being tackled in the process. 

Which begs the question as to whether or not goals will be enough. 

For a striker who needs chances to be created for him and who offers little in the buildup, you need to see a sizeable return. In a striker costing as much as he has to a club like Norwich, even more so.

And whilst van Wolfswinkel's career figures aren't bad in Holland and Portugal, you have to take into account the relative strength of those leagues. Thus, while tallies in his last five seasons of eight, 11, 15, 14 and 14 (league goals) for Vitesse Arnhem, Utrecht and Sporting Lisbon are by no means bad, they're hardly prolific. Throw in his penchant for penalty-taking, which boosts the aforementioned totals, and does his penalty-box prowess override that which he lacks outside the box?

Finally—and this is my big worry for Norwich this season—in both he and fellow new signing Gary Hooper, Hughton has put many of his eggs in the same basket, purchasing a new strike partnership for a team which looked more accomplished playing 4-5-1 last season.

Moreover, with the likes of Wes Hoolahan, Robert Snodgrass, Anthony Pilkington, Johnny Howson, Alexander Tettey, Bradley Johnson, Elliott Bennett, and the aforementioned Fer and Redmond, their current playing staff seems better equipped to playing that way again.

Thus, does Hughton set about changing to a 4-4-2 formation and pairing his two poachers, or will they be vying for a single spot? If it's the former, expect the Canaries to be more open and for their relative obdurateness to diminish.

If it's the latter, then surely he has overspent on his forward line.

Additionally, if they do end up sticking with 4-5-1, I'd back Hooper, a player whose lowest league total in the last five years stands at 19 and who has that bit more bite to his game both inside and outside the penalty area to supplant van Wolfswinkel as first choice.

As I've mentioned previously, I think Norwich have done good business this summer with some of their signings—I cannot overstate how much of a coup I reckon Fer to be—and Chris Hughton is a decent manager with enough at his disposal to secure a mid-table finish once again.

However, despite his goalscoring debut, at £8.5 million Ricky van Wolfswinkel was overpriced, and his lack of an all-round game could hinder Norwich as the season ticks by.

Therefore, don't be surprised if he flounders as the 2013-14 Premier League season continues.

OK, in case you couldn't tell it from my title—I’m excited.

Norwich have seen some fantastic arrivals during the summer, players of the calibre of Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Leroy Fer and Nathan Redmond.

The pundits say that we are in for another season of struggle, but that disregards the work that chief executive David McNally and manager Chris Hughton have put in behind the scenes.

The defence was a big area of improvement last season, with 10 clean sheets, and the close season provided us with an opportunity to improve our attacking options.

It seems the club has taken it. Norwich can move to the next level with the additions to the squad, with the only area of weakness being a lack of a No. 10 or attacking midfielder to play with RvW. I expect such a player to be signed before this transfer window slams shut on us.

Only 41 goals were scored last season, but with the additions of Gary Hooper and RvW that shouldn’t be a problem this season. In Redmond, we have a player with real pace that could prove a perfect complement for Robert Snodgrass.

Central midfield is a similar story, with a partnership likely to be fostered between Bradley Johnson and Fer. Johnson had a fine season for us in 2012-13, but he perhaps lacked a goal-getter alongside him. That problem looks to have been solved.

At the back, Sebastien Bassong and Michael Turner will continue their excellent work from last season. Martin Olsson is another new signing who has impressed in preseason. Many people believe that he will do enough to hold off the challenge from Javier Garrido for a place in the team.

They can play together, however, when a more defensive shape is sought, as evidenced by the preseason matches.

Norwich missed goalkeeper John Ruddy when he was out injured last season. The England man will be hoping for an injury-free campaign. He is one of several Canaries players in whom other clubs have expressed an interest.

Keeping hold of Ruddy and Snodgrass has been as important as any new signing. It breeds confidence in what we can achieve this season.

An assault on the top half of the table is the minimum that we should be aiming for. But if we can add another central defender and attacking midfielder to the squad, we could finish in the top eight.

After all, West Brom managed to finish there last season—also against the odds.

Follow James Kent on Twitter and Facebook.

The signing of Martin Olsson may not have attracted the headlines that some of Norwich City's other impressive summer captures have generated, but the Swedish international's move from Blackburn Rovers could turn out to be an inspired piece of business.

The left-back provides a much-needed injection of genuine pace into a Canaries team that desperately lacked such a quality last season, and at the age of just 25, Olsson is a player that still has time on his side to develop.

Early indications in preseason suggest that Olsson has already started to formulate a promising link-up with fellow new recruit Nathan Redmond on the left-hand side, and if that relationship can continue to blossom, Norwich should have plenty of potency from that avenue.

In last Tuesday's friendly against Real Sociedad, Olsson produced an accomplished first-half display, and his willingness to overlap time and time again was a welcome sight.

Although Javier Garrido didn't do much wrong last season, I believe that his reluctance to take risks and offer an option on the left played a part in City's inability to score goals. 

Admittedly, those instructions may have come from the manager, but there was always a suggestion that the Spaniard was somehow playing within himself.

Moments of brilliance, such as the assist for Anthony Pilkington's famous winner against Manchester United, showed that Garrido is capable unlocking opposing defences. However, those moments were too few and far between for someone of his ability.

Olsson's athleticism and enthusiasm to get up and down provides a completely different alternative to Garrido, and that variety can only be good news for Chris Hughton.

An attacking full-back can seriously enhance a team's attacking threat, and in the shape of Olsson, Norwich City now have someone that can do just that.

With the quality, and of course the sheer amount of money that has been spent on the likes of Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper, Norwich City need to find a way of providing the aforementioned players with a consistent supply line of chances.

No matter how good they are, if the Canaries are unable to provide their strikers with any service, they simply will not score goals and that is why the inclusion of Olsson is a priority.

Only time will tell if Chris Hughton feels the same way.

Follow Andy Ward on Twitter

It has been a fun and frantic summer for Norwich City fans so far. And one of the more exciting signings that has come in the door is that of Ricky van Wolfswinkel. The Dutch striker certainly has plenty of quality and should do very well if he is supplied with the right service.

However, Norwich are still lacking the all-star attacking midfielder to play off him. How well he does in the coming season will depend a lot in manager Chris Hughton’s ability to recruit that player. But let’s focus on van Wolfswinkel for now and what he will bring to the Canaries.

It seems an obvious point, but the first thing he will bring to the club is goals.

And no one can say Norwich don’t need them after scoring only 41 times last season with a top scorer who managed only eight goals. The Dutch striker has proved what he can do both in Holland and Portugal. In fact, his last two seasons in Portugal have been very impressive since he has scored 45 goals over two seasons in all competitions.

If he can replicate a 20-25 goal return next season in England, then I’m sure Norwich City fans will be ecstatic. The player has also been part of the Dutch team since 2010, although he is yet to establish himself as a regular in the side.

I think it’s fair to say van Wolfswinkel is a fantastic player, and Norwich fans should be very optimistic about what he can achieve. It can surely only help him to have the presence of a fellow Dutchman in Leroy Fer, and the two of them together could prove to be key for the Canaries.

The key thing for Norwich is to adapt their game to accommodate the new signings and play in a way that will suit them and get the best out of van Wolfswinkel. I would expect the Dutch forward to be played as a lone striker, which means players will need to get close to him when attacking opportunities present themselves.

It’s also fair to say he will expect to be provided service in possession-style football, which may mean that Norwich have to change their style a bit. The Canaries were simply too direct last season, and they didn’t maintain possession enough. They simply must improve in these areas.

It’s all very well talking about what van Wolfswinkel can do for Norwich, but the club must also consider what it can do for him.

I also think Hughton will need to adapt his style to a more attacking mentality to make the most of the striker. If Norwich City can successfully do those things, then they will have a very good striker on their hands who should do some very good things.   

Follow James Kent on Twitter and Facebook.