My Football Writer Norwich City news… comment… analysis
Norwich City – news, comment and analysis
If City boss Peter Grant were allowed one extra wish for tomorrow's opening Championship home clash against Southampton over and above his first three points of the new season, it might well revolve around his Czech new-boy David Strihavka.
For while there is every chance that Chris Brown will – rightly – getting the starting nod alongside Jamie Cureton for the Saints game, you still sense that the Canary manager would like nothing better if Strihavka could, for example, mark …
Simon Lappin – City's latest master-blaster – can now look forward to a mid-week trip to the Spotland home of Rochdale after his stunning strike in round one of the Carling Cup booked the Canaries a trip to Matty Golks' old manor in round two.
The 24-year-old bagged another peach for his collection on Tuesday night with that 25-yard, top corner effort against Barnet in the midst of that first-half blitz against the League Two minnows.
If it never quite the heights …
City striker Chris Brown today vowed to put his battered bonce back on the line for the boss as the Canaries geared up for their first Championship home game of the season against Southampton this Saturday.
Brown, 22, has undoubtedly provided some of the biggest plus points of the summer thus far – his performances thoroughly meriting his starting place ahead of Czech new-boy David Strihavka.
And the one-time Sunderland starlet has also proved he has the heart for the …
Adam Drury and Frenchman Julien Brellier were the two big injury doubts ahead of this weekend's Carrow Road clash with Southampton – about Darren Huckerby there was no doubt at all.
He won't be available.
“Bumps and knocks? Adam and Julien – there's still a bit of a concern,” revealed City boss Peter Grant at Colney this morning.
Drury injured his ankle in Tuesday night's 5-2 Carling Cup win against Barnet; Brellier appears to be struggling with …
The Canaries tonight brought the shutters down on training sessions at Colney – barring the general public from watching Peter Grant's men go through their pre-match paces.
Announcing the potentially controversial move on the club's own website this evening, the club insisted that it had ended its traditional open door policy with reluctance but the advance of both new media technology and the advent of 'citizen journalism' had forced this move upon them.
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For all the positives that emerged, Saturday's performance at Preston was still worrying it has to be said.
Despite the admirable defending and energy and bite that permeated throughout the side, the manner in which City set their stall out to make themselves difficult to break down meant that they were only ever going to take a maximum of one point from the encounter at Deepdale.
True, Norwich did everything and more that was asked of them from a defensive point of …
Winning the Championship title by a canter is no easy feat. Particularly in your first full season of management; particularly when your new employers ask you to start work on nigh-on the bottom rung of the ladder.
Which is why you have to give Roy Keane every credit for the feats he achieved at Sunderland last season. This Saturday's 1-0 win over Spurs wasn't the worst start in the world, either.
And just as much as he appeared to morph into this ultra-dedicated, …
It was certainly a case of home, sweet home for returning hero Jamie Cureton last night as the Canary youth product admitted it was a special moment to be back doing what he loves ? scoring goals at Carrow Road.
He opened the scoring after just two minutes of the 5-2 Carling Cup triumph over Barnet with his first touch of the game and went on to add another just 15 minutes later. In truth, Cureton should have gone on to bag a hat-trick but he wasn't in the mood to complain.<br …
Despite the thumping 5-2 Carling Cup success over Barnet last night, City boss Peter Grant was far from happy afterwards, labelling their performance 'unprofessional'.
To be fair, the Canaries were looking red-hot in the first half after a blistering start which saw them net five times in 30 minutes, but Grant read the riot act after a lacklustre second half showing ? in which the Bees clawed two goals back to give the scoreline some respectability.
City never …
Gordon Barnet! What a funny old game that was…
In fact, it was so peculiar that Stan has just spent the last hour musing over what on earth were the contents of the half-time team talk. What in Iwan's name went on in the dressing room that can explain the proceedings?
Stan can only imagine that the obviously buoyed up and joyous players arrived at the changing rooms to be met by a furious looking Wee Peter and Big Bald Jim.
'Who the hell do you lot …
City boss Peter Grant will be hoping lightning cannot strike twice in tonight's Carling Cup tie against Barnet ? the venue for City's shock exit in the competition in only Grant's second outing as a player back in 1997.
Not signed in time for the first leg ? which Mike Walker's side won 2-1 ? his second appearance in the Canary colours came on that fateful night in North London where, despite City leading 1-0 on the night, the Bees fought back to score three second …
Ok, there is a hell of a long way to go yet and the idea might sound rather fanciful, but according to Canary full-back Jon Otsemobor, there is no reason why Peter Grant's side can't emulate the side of '85 and go all the way in the Carling Cup.
It all kicks off tomorrow night at Carrow Road with a 1st Round tie against League Two Barnet and whilst last season's Final was contested by two of the so-called big four ? Arsenal and Chelsea ? tomorrow just could be the …
Slowly but surely, everything is getting back to normal at Colney after bbq-gate last week, although City boss Peter Grant confirmed this morning that whilst the worst looks to have passed, he is not counting any chickens just yet.
Just when he thought he would have a near-enough fully-fit squad to choose from ? Darren Huckerby and Jimmy Smith apart ? ahead of Saturday's opener at Preston, the virus struck; timing of the very worst kind.
But whilst there is some …
And they're off? Sort of!
As you may be aware Stan isn't the biggest fan of pre-season friendlies and increasingly, after today at least, isn't the biggest fan of season curtain-raisers…
Taking a cursory glance down the rather peculiar list of results that emerged from the first Saturday of the season, who'd in honesty be willing to place any serious money on them being indicative of what will follow over the next nine months.
Will West Brom …
You always get a pretty good idea of what level you're at against Preston. It's one of those ?benchmark? type of games.
Because Preston never actually tear the division apart so to speak, but they always seem to linger around those top six places and are a tough enough team to beat on their own patch.
The Canaries haven't exactly enjoyed success in abundance at Deepdale in recent seasons. And they haven't really delivered performances that have merited …
New Canary skipper Jason Shackell didn't quite go as far as 'Job, well done…' more 'Job done…' after the Canaries racked up their first point of the new season on the back of yesterday's 0-0 draw at Preston North End.
It was never pretty; on occasion, Norwich rode their luck in familiar fashion – in less familiar fashion, however, their luck held. And if fortune favours those that dig in a little harder, then they rightly deserved a share of the …
New Canary keeper David Marshall appeared quietly satisfied by Saturday's events – another clean-sheet, another sure-footed, sure-handed effort at the heart of that City rearguard.
“It's a tough place to go,” said the 22-year-old after this weekend's 0-0 draw at Deepdale.
“Last season we lost here, so we looked to do better than last year. And a point's better than nothing. Maybe disappointed in terms of going forward, but I think we would have lost that …
As ever, City boss Peter Grant refused to shy away from his side's failings. There still ought be a 'Work in Progress' sign stuck somewhere in the midst of his new-look Canary outfit.
But given the last two trips to Deepdale had yielded a big, fat zilch for the ever-faithful travelling support, yesterday's opening point was not to be sniffed at.
They might only have ben left with little more than Darel Russell's hopeful header to cling to in terms of …
With all the Darren Carter and Ryan Shawcross comings and goings – or rather, goings, but not comings – it's been bit of a busy week or so.
The kind of busy week which, amidst the usual pre-season 'hullabaloo', can led to certain events not getting much of a mention by part-time columnists such as your dear old Stanley.
The event which your man here refers to is the departure of Youssef Safri.
Safri's departure is of note for three reasons, which …
Tucked in the backroom of a city pub earlier this week, Rick and the boys who pen the Stanley column line up the pints and chew over the pre-season as the big kick-off hovers into view.
The very first podcast in a season-long adventure comes for free – for the next one it'll be a perk for subscribers only. At just ?1.50 a month we're pretty much giving it away… well, we've got to pay the bar bill somehow.
Will Dickson shine at the stadium of light? What went …