Poyet has lots of work to do (From The Argus)

Poyet has lots of work to do

1:30pm Wednesday 25th November 2009

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Norwich 4 - Albion 1

Gus Poyet will have to get to grips with the defensive frailties if Albion are going to climb away from trouble.

There was plenty of promise again going forward at a blustery Carrow Road last night.

But they were blown away by a slick Norwich side, conceding goals once more which were largely of their own making.

That is seven they have let in now in successive defeats, albeit against quality opponents. Only Tranmere have a worse defensive record, which is why the Seagulls are where they are.

Poyet made only one change to the team beaten comfortably at home by pacesetters Leeds on Saturday and it was forced upon him.

Nicky Forster sustained a knock against the Yorkshiremen so Albion’s leading marksman was spared the hostile welcome traditionally reserved for former Ipswich players by the Norwich supporters.

Instead Liam Dickinson came in for his first start under Poyet against the club interested in signing him before he joined the Seagulls from Derby in the summer.

Dickinson’s promotion from the bench brought him together for the first time with Glenn Murray.

Gavin Hoyte was named among the replacements at the expense of David Livermore following a three-match suspension and the extension of his loan from Arsenal.

Norwich manager Paul Lambert kept faith with the line-up which extended their unbeaten League run to five games in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Southampton.

Albion made a terrible start, conceding inside three minutes.

Falling behind so early was bad enough when the occasion demanded quietening a big and vociferous home crowd and a team in rampant recent form in front of their own fans.

What made it worse was the manner of Norwich’s swift breakthrough. It must have infuriated Poyet and his assistant, Mauricio Taricco.

The Seagulls have let in so many goals already this season from long balls over the top of the defence.

That is what happened for Leeds’ second at Withdean, much to the annoyance of the South American managerial partner- ship, but a similar thing happened again, Jens Berthel Askou’s punt from midway inside his own half sailed over the heads of James Tunnicliffe and Grant Holt.

Andrew Whing failed to deal with the situation and Holt clipped an angled left-foot effort over Graeme Smith for his 15th of the season.

Albion have also proved incapable so far this season of dealing with such adversities. Their response in this instance was, for a while at least, encouraging and they should have been back on level terms within five minutes.

Elliott Bennett’s pass deflected off Gary Doherty into the path of Dickinson. He cut inside and had a clear sight of goal but shot just wide.

For all the promise going forward, Poyet’s side continued to look vulnerable at the back and it was no great suprise when their deficit doubled midway through the first half.

They caused their own problems once more by first failing to clear their lines before Dean Cox lost possession just outside his own area.

West Hoolahan capitalised, the mercurial Irishman skipping through to slot his tenth of the season from his attacking midfield role through the legs of Tommy Elphick and past Smith.

Matters threatened to get even worse for Albion in the 29th minute when a tackle by Cox with his foot raised caused consternation. Darel Russell jumped out of the way of it but an ugly flare-up ensued, involving 20 players.

Referee Keith Hill consulted both of his assistants before showing yellow cards to Cox, Russell and Crofts. So much for Albion’s much-improved disciplinary record in the first three matches under Poyet.

Holt had a third goal for Norwich disallowed before the break, his looping header from Smith’s cross coinciding with a push on Whing.

Norwich went for the kill after the break as Albion struggled to deal with a succession of corners. From one of them Doherty’s twisting header was blocked on the line by Dicker.

Moments later Smith made a smart stop from Holt’s shot after Kevin McLeod, brought on for Cox for the second half, had given possession away cheaply.

The save from Smith was given extra significance when Albion, against the run of play, reduced the arrears in the 61st minute.

A miscued shot from Dicker fell to Murray on the far side of the box and his toe-poke across the face of goal was swept in from close range by Tunnicliffe.

The Seagulls were not back in the hunt for long. Seven minutes later, Lappin’s inswinging free-kick prompted an aerial melee and the unsighted Elphick unwittingly deflected into his own net as he dived full-length.

Chris Martin fired Norwich’s fourth eight minutes from time, the ball rebounding kindly into his path from Crofts’ challenge on Holt.

A crumb of consolation of sorts was another booking for Murray, which conveniently rules him out of Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Rushden when he might well have been rested.

Albion (4-4-2): Smith; Whing (Hoyte, 86), Elphick, Tunnicliffe, El-Abd; Bennett, Dicker, Crofts, Cox (McLeod, 46); Murray (Davies, 85), Dickinson. Subs not used: Pelling, Navarro, Hart, Virgo.

Goals: Tunnicliffe (61).

Yellow Cards: Cox (29, foul), Crofts (29, unsporting behaviour), Murray (58, foul), El-Abd (88, foul).

Norwich: (4-1-2-1-2): Forster; Otsemobor, Doherty, Askou, Drury; Russell (Adeyemi, 86); K Smith (Hughes, 71), Lappin; Hoolahan; Martin, Holt (McDonald, 83). Subs not used: Theokiltos, Nelson, McVeigh, Dawkin.

Goals: Holt (3), Hoolahan (22), Elphick (68, own goal), Martin (82).

Yellow Cards: Doherty (14, foul), Russell (29, unsporting behaviour).

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