My Football Writer Norwich City news… comment… analysis
Norwich City – news, comment and analysis
City boss Bryan Gunn this morning formally unveiled signings No 11 and No 12 for the summer and admitted that his 2009-2010 jigsaw was all-but complete.
?For this week??
With Barcelona B striker Goran Maric to one side and Danish centre-half Jens Berthel Askou to the other ? with Bosnian-born Dane Dario Dumic acting as a dual interpreter ? the City chief reflected on another good week's work transfer-wise as the Norfolk side prepare for their final dress rehearsal of …
City boss Bryan Gunn today made it a nice, round dozen for the summer as the Canaries duly signed both Danish defender Jens Berthel Askou and Serbian striker Goran Maric.
The two triallists, therefore, become the manager's 11th and 12th new faces in what has proved to be a prolific, six weeks transfer-wise.
If the arrival of Matt Gill on a free transfer from Exeter City was something of a low-key start to the window, Gunn has barely paused for breath since as he …
City boss Bryan Gunn was this morning breathing a sigh of relief after his new vice-skipper Michael Nelson was knocked unconscious for “10 to 15 seconds” in the midst of Norwich's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Victim of a second-half clash of heads, Nelson required five minutes of treatment and a stretcher-borne exit complete with neck brace as the Canaries' unbeaten summer continued at one of their least favourite playing haunts.
On the one hand it was proof, if …
New City winger Simon Whaley will top up his game-time again tonight as the Canaries travel to Selhurst Park for their penultimate pre-season game of the summer.
The 24-year-old former Preston star managed to get 45 minutes under his belt in the 1-1 draw with a Manchester United XI on Saturday; tonight and further opportunity knocks against Neil Warnock's Palace outfit – one that comes complete with a certain A Lee at its head.
With just Saturday's home clash with …
It is very difficult to judge the mood of a Norfolk Nation – or rather, a Canary Nation – from just one, pre-season friendly.
Albeit one watched by 13,000 people eight days into the summer holidays.
And nor can any conclusions ever really be drawn from the result. What does a 1-1 draw with a bunch of Old Trafford kids actually mean in the grander scheme of things? That the Canaries are about to rip League One to pieces on the basis that they didn't get ripped apart by …
City's man-of-the-moment Tom Adeyemi admitted yesterday that he's targeting a starting berth for the season opener against Colchester in less than two weeks time.
And if he scores many more like his first-half thunderbolt against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester Utd XI yesterday, Canary chief Bryan Gunn will find it hard to leave him on the sidelines.
The former Norwich School pupil was the standout player in the first 45 but with Stephen Hughes, Owain …
City boss Bryan Gunn last night paid tribute to rising star Tom Adeyemi after his thunderbolt earned a 1-1 draw with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester Utd XI.
Adeyemi really was the star of the show in the first-half and his goal apart, he looked the part in the engine room alongside Owain Tudur Jones.
Showing guile and energy, he was the standout player for the first 45 at least and to shine when in direct opposition with some of the country's finest prospects …
City boss Bryan Gunn was a happy man this afternoon as he finally bolted “the big one” into his 2009-2010 plans – last season's leading scorer in League Two, Shrewsbury Town's Grant Holt.
The six-foot frontman this afternoon became Gunn's tenth signing of an increasingly frenetic summer – his fourth of the day after this morning's unveiling of Simon Whaley, Rhoys Wiggins and Ben Alnwick.
Holt, 28, has signed a three-year deal with an option after moving …
City boss Bryan Gunn tonight admitted that he would happily start the season tomorrow with the players now at his disposal.
Well, maybe just one more…
Grant Holt's arrival for a reported ?400,000 late this afternoon made it ten new faces the Canary chief has now collected this summer; nine of whom are on full-time deals with the Norfolk club.
Only one – Spurs keeper Ben Alnwick – is at Carrow Road on loan.
And if that is a break with recent …
City supporters have, it appears, two other Holts to thank for today's arrival of 'the big one' – Shrewsbury Town's leading goalscorwer Grant Holt.
Formerly, of course, of Nottingham Forest where he was a team-mate of that other Holt, Gary.
Back in Carlisle a third Holt was making the headlines this evening. Grant's brother, Steven. A long-distance Canary fan; one heading south as we speak to see his bro make his Carrow Road debut tomorrow against a …
City boss Bryan Gunn this morning bolted signings No7, No8 and No9 into his plans for the 2009-2010 season – and remained very coy as to whether Grant Holt would yet become No10 of a hectic week on the transfer merry-go-round.
With Stephen Hughes and Paul McVeigh occupying slots Nos 5 and 6, it was left to Preston winger Simon Whaley and Palace prosepct Rhoys Wiggins to fill the 7 and 8 berths; Spurs No3 keeper Ben Alnwick being this morning's surprise arrival in at No9.
<br …
Not for the first time this summer, Neil Warnock and the Croydon Advertiser proved the best source of Norwich City news as the Eagles boss revealed last night that he had agreed a compensation package with the Canaries for their Welsh Under-21 left-back prospect Rhoys Wiggins.
?We've accepted an offer from Norwich for Rhoys,? was the simple line that launched news of Bryan Gunn's sixth signing of the summer following yesterday's arrival of midfielder Stephen …
In what promises to be a frantic few days at Carrow Road, City boss Bryan Gunn today completed another piece of his transfer jigsaw by wrapping up the signing of Stephen Hughes on a three-year deal.
After the player's agent revealed that the former Rangers, Leicester and Motherwell man was Norfolk-bound, it was a matter of when and not if but today's news will still come as a huge boost.
The fact that the out-of-contract midfielder was being chased by …
The Scotsman newspaper today claimed that midfielder Stephen Hughes has become Bryan Gunn's fifth signing of the summer – agreeing a three-year deal “last night”.
And on a reported ?7,000 a week, to boot.
The paper quoted the player's agent at length; suggesting that the 26-year-old had decided that the time was now ripe for a return south of the border and that Norwich's ambition matched that of his own.
“There was a lot of interest in Stephen …
There was a sense today of a little lull before another transfer storm as the Canaries waited on Simon Whaley's medical before unveiling their fifth signing of the summer whilst off at the Ricoh Stadium, Coventry boss Chris Coleman sensed his move for Sammy Clingan was – finally – coming to the boil.
The 25-year-old Northern Ireland international was – one suspects – not due to be still at Colney when Norwich boss Bryan Gunn returned from the club's eight-day tour of …
There are many reasons why every Norwich fan has a right to feel miserable.
A forthcoming pre-season friendly against Wigan Athletic, a poxy little club who just a few years ago would have been falling over themselves to get City to their place for a warm-up match.
Then there's the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. It might end in a visit to Wembley but it's a bit like getting a ticket to watch a tribute band. It's not really the real thing and is basically, a …
City boss Bryan Gunn could find himself armed with, potentially, at least three new players as he prepares to entertain a Manchester United XI at Carrow Road this Saturday.
Preston winger Simon Whaley looks all-but done and dusted given that he is now reported to be having a medical in Norwich today.
Of more interest, however, will be the fate of the two, real discoveries of the Canaries' pre-season tour to Scotland – Serbian striker Goran Maric and Danish centre-half …
Goran Maric's hopes of earning a full-time deal in Norfolk grew again overnight as the 25-year-old Serb grabbed the only goal in City's latest 1-0 tour win.
And as Bryan Gunn's quest to secure the services of a big, physical No9 continues, so the Canary chief admitted after yesterday's narrow victory over Scottish Premier League outfit St Johnstone that he liked what he saw in the one-time Celta Vigo star.
“He's a very physical player – as we saw on …
City boss Bryan Gunn is keeping his powder dry on the captaincy front as the Canaries racked up their second 1-0 tour win of the week this afternoon over Scottish Premier League opponents St Johnstone.
The on-trial Serbian striker Goran Maric grabbed the game's only goal midway through the first period to continue City's perfect start to pre-season; four games, four wins; 13 goals for, just two against.
In that same period, the City chief has already employed …
The official Preston North End site this afternoon confirmed that they had agreed a transfer fee with the Canaries for winger Simon Whaley.
The 24-year-old one-time Bury winger was now free to talk to City with regard to his personal terms and was reported to be en route north to team up with City boss Bryan Gunn at the club's tour base at St Andrew's University.
“Simon was left out of the squads to face Chorley and Bamber Bridge on Tuesday night and travelled …