Alex Neil grinds out win as Norwich dig and defend deep to beat Swansea

Neil was forced to abandon his footballing principles to find a win

THE manager who stuck to his beliefs was beaten by the manager who abandoned his as Norwich moved away from the relegation trapdoor and pulled Swansea closer to it.

 

Jonny Howson's 70th-minute header proved to be enough for the Canaries to enjoy a first Premier League win since September 12. It also meant Swansea have still won just once since seeing off Manchester United in August.

Yet it was the way Norwich achieved that victory was perhaps just as significant. Manager Alex Neil decided to defend deep and counter attack and the results were often horrific, with a 'pass' from Martin Olsson that dropped 30 yards from any team-mate a prime example.

Garry Monk's men, stifled in the final third, managed not a single shot on target.

"Fair play to the gaffer for sticking his neck out and going that way," said midfielder Gary O'Neil. "It's always easy to stick to what you believe. Today he has gone against that and we've managed to grind out a very big one-nil.

"It's a difficult one for the fans to watch when you're letting them have the ball and trying to fill gaps. It's not the most pleasing on the eye. But we needed points. Good performances aren't going to keep you up; points are."

Neil outlined his thinking afterwards. "What you tend to find is most the attacking teams who want to go and be offensive and dominate possession at this stage of the season are at the bottom of the table, unless you've got the best players in the league," he said.

Dieumerci Mbokani made a difference off the bench, providing the assist for Howson's goal

"For us, it was about adapting and trying to make sure that today was more about the points than the performance, which is probably the first time since I've been here that that's been the case."

It is a lesson Monk must learn himself if he is to keep his job. "I want to see the team winning and playing at their best," he said.

"I understand that football is a tough business and a cruel business as well. It is very cut-throat and you are working to very thin margins."