My Football Writer Norwich City news… comment… analysis
Norwich City – news, comment and analysis
No-one likes a smart-Alec, so I'll only brush on my pre-match thoughts that basically alluded to the fact that regardless of how well they keep playing, victories are going to be hard to come by for the Canaries until a target-man arrives.
Because insomuch as where Norwich's overall display against Birmingham should be placed in what is already a pretty impressive list, Saturday's performance undoubtedly goes straight to the top.
City bossed and …
Canary keeper David Marshall was rightly all smiles this weekend after his early contender for 'Save of the Season' ensured that Norwich's excellent efforts against league leaders Birmingham did not go wholly unrewarded.
For while Glenn Roeder's men might still be scrabbling around for their first win of the new season, there was little disgrace to be had in the manner of yesterday's 1-1 draw with the in-form Blues.
The performance was the best yet; it …
City boss Glenn Roeder has added another centre-half to tomorrow's shopping list after confirming that the Canaries had agreed a fee with Wolves for Jasn Shackell.
The 24-year-old is understood to be in Wolverhampton for talks this weekend. Should he come through a Molineux medical unscathed, he will be rolled out as a Wolves player tomorrow ahead of this summer's transfer window closing at midnight on Monday.
Announcing his impending exit following yesterday's …
Canary keeper David Marshall rescued a big point for the Canaries this afternoon as his superb, spreading save denied Birmingham's master-marksman Kevin Phillips a 90th minute winner and ensured that Norwich's mighty efforts didn't go wholly unrewarded.
To lose in such a heart-breaking fashion as Phillips found himself alone with just the keeper to beat would have been cruel indeed after Darel Russell had once more pulled a home point out of the fire with a sure, …
One surprise and one nigh-on certainty – that was the story of Glenn Roeder's team selection ahead of this afternoon's home clash with early pace-setters Birmingham City.
The surprise was the disappearance of on-loan teenager Elliot Omozusi.
Less of a surprise when it emerged that the England Under-19 right-back had picked up a slight thigh strain in training yesterday and would, therefore, be sitting the Blues clash out.
At least at full-back, Canary …
That explained a lot. For as the Canaries headed into battle today with Archibald-Henville on the bench, it only begged one question… where was Shacks?
In Wolverhampton for a medical, was the short answer.
And, indeed, the gaffer confirmed as much afterwards.
“We've accepted an offer from Wolves to allow him to speak to them today,” said Roeder to the Press an hour after this afternoon's 1-1 draw with Blues.
Mick McCarthy had been hanging …
At the time of writing there is still no sign of City boss Glenn Roeder being any closer to adding a target man to his squad.
Now I'm not going to go down the road of debating the why's and wherefore's of how long it's taken and whether or not he should have abandoned perusing the targets off his “A” list and instead focused his attention on lists “B” or even “C” when he realised that the wheels of the old transfer machine weren't spinning quite as quickly as he …
City boss Glenn Roeder this morning appeared in a defiant and determined mood as the $64 million dollar question was duly delivered at Colney.
A big target man?
“I will get one – I will get one that we feel comfortable with,” vowed Roeder this morning, ever mindful that the clock was now firmly ticking down towards Monday's summer transfer deadline.
Granted an extra 24 hours grace this year given that the 31st falls on a Sunday this year, Roeder's …
The week before the season started, a friend asked me how I thought City would fare.
As The World's Most Non-Committal Columnist�, I of course said I had no idea, though I did try to elaborate on that by considering what Donald Rumsfeld would term the 'known unknowns': how long it might take the team to gel, the possibility of injuries, and in particular the occurrence or not of a turning point.<br …
Former City loan star Martin 'Tiny' Taylor admitted for the first time this week that he was on the verge of joining the Canaries last season as he prepares for his first trip back to Carrow Road this weekend.
After a 'goal' on his debut against Ipswich Town last November, Taylor never looked back during his month-long spell and if it wasn't for Karren Brady playing hard ball, he would be a fully-fledged Canary by now, playing against the Blues this …
City keeper David Marshall will not be short of a familiar face or two as early pace-setters Birmingham City roll into Norfolk this weekend.
For just as Canary striker Arturo Lupoli will share a joke with his ex-Arsenal Youth team-mates Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and Sebastian Larsson, so the Canary No1 will have the likes of ex-Scotland boss Alex McLeish and Blues striker James McFadden for company.
Throw in on-loan Celtic centre-half John Kennedy and Canary skipper Mark …
It was the 'significant' result that Glenn clearly didn't want.
Because if Rosenborg's attitude towards City's continuing chase of their star striker Steffen Iversen was 'resolute' going into tonight's UFA Cup second round, second leg tie with Swedish neighbours Djurgaardens, it'll be a damn sight more resolute now after his lordship bagged a hat-trick this evening in their 5-0 romp through to the third round.
The 32-year-old kicked …
I've never really been into watching England. To be fair, when the Euros/World Cup is on (and England are actually competing) you can't help but get a bit carried away by it all.
But I'd honestly rather watch paint dry than waste my time watching these friendly internationals.
Last week's 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic was as lacklustre a Three Lions performance (I caught a glimpse of the highlights) as I've ever seen. It all begs the question, do …
City chief Glenn Roeder will face a real test of his transfer resolve over the next few days as this summer's transfer window prepares to slam shut on the striker-light Canaries.
On the one hand does he hold out and hold out for the certain someone that he wants; on the other, does recognise that sometimes needs must and looks to haul in anyone who can fill that last, big hole in his 2008-2009 jigsaw?
Speaking ahead of last weekend's trip to Cardiff, …
City's on-loan defender John Kennedy today refused to rule out an extended Carrow Road stay and, at the same time, admitted that he is thriving in his new Norfolk surroundings.
While goals have been hard to come by at one end of the pitch, Glenn Roeder's men have a steely determination at the other and the new central defensive partnership of Kennedy and Dejan Stefanovic has been extremely impressive.
The days when Gary Doherty and Jason Shackell were …
Two, in-form Arsenal 'old' boys will come face-to-face again at Carrow Road this weekend – their names once again up in lights after disappearing virtually without trace last season.
The ups and downs of Arturo Lupoli's strike career have already been well-documented.
For having spurned the chance to extend his stay at the Gunners in favour of a long-term contract with Serie A giants Fiorentina last summer, so the 21-year-old found himself farmed out …
At approximately 4.25pm, on Saturday 23 August 2008, most of Stan's worst fears were coming to pass.
We were two-down against another very ordinary side. We had missed a penalty. Our players were huffing and puffing, but without any real sense that they knew where a goal would be coming from …ever.
The bottom of the league was staring us in the face, with only Derby competing with us for that coveted chumps of month award. Stan shook his head and sent a …
City boss Glenn Roeder has fired a warning shot across the bows of midfield playmaker Wes Hoolahan after the 26-year-old failed to re-appear for the second-half at Ninian Park this weekend.
For in the run-up to Ross McCormack's third minute opener, the Canary chief appeared to see the former Blackpool ace come all-too close to shirking a challenge.
Not on, was the manager's forceful verdict afterwards. Hoolahan's card had been marked.
“Wes Hoolahan …
City midfielder Matty Pattison insisted that saturday's 2-2 draw with Cardiff City was a “massive” result for the Norfolk club after the Canaries finally discovered their scoring touch.
Two goals in less than five minutes from on-loan Fiorentina striker Arturo Lupoli turned the contest on its head after the game appeared to be following an all-too familiar script with Ross McCormack's own double strike putting the Bluebirds firmly in command.
They could, of course, …
As an advert for Championship football, Saturday's encounter pretty much summed it all up perfectly.
A league in which mis-placed passing and sloppy play considerably outweighs instances of the opposite, where every team is capable of beating any other, and when games certainly aren't over until the final whistle.
If the Fat Lady wasn't exactly belting out a number at with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining Ninian Park she was sure as hell warming up …