You don’t have to be a Bristol Rovers fan to love a pirate. Whatever our generation, surely we all love a buccaneer. Captain Morgan, Bluebeard, Blackbeard. Maybe Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Or even Long John Silver as portrayed by that old ham Robert Newton in the 1950s. I loved those old black and white repeats when I was a kid back in the day.
So what’s that got to do with Norwich City? Okay here we go.
In 1960 the band Johnny Kidd and the Pirates released a classic called Shakin’ All Over. Which I guess is exactly what many of us City supporters are doing right now. More of those particular Pirates later.
So with cutlass to the ready, a ration of grog and a little help from bos’un Alex B – who sometimes masquerades under his real name of Alex Bain as an excellent MFW guest blogger – I’m bold enough to stand on the foredeck and give my views on our final octet of encounters.
Over to the bo’sun first though.
“The next game at Middlesbrough will be a tough nut to crack but are we seeing them start to fall apart and suspensions could be their downfall. Pulis has not been quite the same since his long-term number two retired a couple of years ago
“The three toughest games to come will be Middlesbrough, Stoke and Villa. Boro are scrapping to finish in the playoffs and can’t afford many more slip ups.
“Stoke’s season could be over by the time we play them if they don’t win all their games.
“Villa will be an interesting away game. City should gave secured promotion by then and just maybe Villa will have secured a play-off place.”
Thanks for that bos’un. So here’s my two cents…
Middlesbrough are off colour but there is still the Pulis factor to consider. I would take a draw.
QPR and Reading at home I can pretty much lump together. Should be six points from those two.
Stoke are off the pace and I back us to win there. We owe ’em one as well.
Blackburn at home has to be a no-brainer. Win. Wigan away: not a no-brainer but still a win nevertheless.
In Penney’s world we’re now on 94 points.
A reinvigorated, Bruce-inspired Wednesday will be very much up for it and I only expect a home draw.
Villa away – I don’t fancy it. Zilch.
So if our Yorkshire friends can top 95 points fair play to either or (hopefully not) both of them.
And with cutlass back in belt I’m back to The Pirates. When Johnny Kidd died in 1966 the backing band, featuring one of the most able guitarists I’ve ever heard in Mick Green, carried on alone and released a few albums with little commercial success but continued to coin it in on the live circuit. God they were a great band to watch with a pint in your hand.
On an album called Skull Wars there was a track called We’re All in it Together .
That title couldn’t sum up the Norwich City community better.
Don’t be afraid to send MFW your perceptions of how the season will end – we’d love to hear from you – even if only to get us collectively through the boredom of the international break!
*Thanks to Alex B for his unintentional-ish input.
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Many thanks
You raise some interesting points Martin and yes Johnny Depp was excellent in the ‘Pirates’ films.
Back to the topic of your article and I’m in agreement re 94 points total. We’ve come through some tough skirmishes recently, both with the elements and the opposition. The lashing rain both at CR V Swansea and at the NY V Rotherham did us no favours for our style of slick passing football and as for some of the tackles being dished out by the Rotherham players ……. It seemed to be the only they were able to stop Buendia. Hopefully, the weather should be more benign over the remaining weeks of the season and ‘normal service will be resumed’ so that our play will prove too much for the majority of our opponents.
Let’s hope all of our players on International duty return unscathed and ready to push the team towards the ultimate goal of the ‘P’ word – winning the title would be the ‘cherry on top of the cake!!!’
I love SW’s pragmatic approach when he admits that we may well get ‘battered’ by the top 6 or so teams, but that we should be able to get enough points from the teams currently below 12th in the PL to deserve a 2nd season in the PL.
I’m longing to hear some of the MotD pundits describe some of our goals and THAT flick from Buendia was exceptional.
Perhaps we should rename him ‘Herr Flick??’
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Hi Ed
Yeah I reverted to a long-ago childhood state of mind while enjoying the Pirates of the Caribbean series!
As for Stuart Webber’s comments I agree with you. The great thing about SW is that it isn’t smoke and mirrors. What you see (and hear) tends to be what you get.
I actually went for 95 points – we must be worth a draw at home to Wednesday.
When it comes to MotD we’ll always be little old Norwich. That’s the way of their world.
Like the idea of Herr Flick. I put cheese in my ears every time Chris Wilder opens his mouth!
Thank you.
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You’re ignoring my advice of a couple of weeks ago, Martin!
So am I, of course….
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Ha!
I didn’t particularly want to write this (okay. I did really) but I thought I’d have a go before somebody else did.
I blame Alex B!
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Saturday Morning Mr P are trying to muck my week up again ? more than this dam Break, only good point England are a little more worthwhile watching. Your theme of Pirates reminds me of the old Joke.
“A vicar walks past the garden, where Jonny was playing pirates, Vicar stops and says “hello Jonny, you playing Pirates,” Jonny says “yes Vicar” The vicar replies “where are your Buccaneers, Jonny ?” Jonny replies “Under my bucking hat Vicar”
I’ll get me coat.
I posted a couple of times believe we could afford to drop 4 points, that would still give us one point lead if Sheffield somehow won all their games. unlikely but could happen. Like you I have that last game at Vanilla Park as the loss, by all accounts they will be pushing for Play-offs. Middlesbro and Stoke are mine for the draw but which one..
After a shot or two of coffee laced grog , I still cannot make my mind up which one. after another grog, I have the answer, City will carry on this winning run, winning every game and break the 100 point mark all problems solved “hic hic. ” We mere humans can’t work it out…only super computers can, all I the results I have seen (about a dozen) have City winnng the title, which causes me to have a bout of the collwobbles, and worry.
I cannot say I like the current version of the Premiership, nowhere near what I did at it’s inauguration, if it wasn’t for the remarkable achievement, of winning this league, the sheer pride in my club and of course the Money, I would enjoy life in the championship for simply the football, I even enjoyed L1 all those years ago.
The delights of being last on MOTD, I certainly would not bother tuning into and have not for years, the sight of jug lugs only reminds of a wing nut, that I may have forgot to tighten somewhere.
Still we can all get a Bucking Hat to pull over our Buccaneers, if we don’t want to listen
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Hi Martin
Despite having Shakin all over on my in-car playlist, I don’t have “shivers down my backbone” nor “tremors in my thigh bone” over concerns about going up. I’m more in line with the Animals “we gotta get out of this place”!
I’m also with Ian Dury in having “Reasons to be Cheerful” – no not “the smile of a parrot” but having owners who care, a clever director of football, a great head coach, and a team of talented players who know how to win.
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I like that comment Jim.
We gotta get out of this place is perfectly apt really – and with SW and DF at the helm we are sailing ever closer to that objective.
The most salient point therein is that we know how to win – under nearly every circumstance. I realise the piratical theme was a bit tacky but their way of life was the original who dares wins. And by God we’ve done our collective selves proud in that respect.
And as for Ian Dury and the Blockheads – they were sublime live if not always so on record. I hope you got to see them.
There are too many lines from Dury for me to quote but the one that sticks with me is from What a Waste: “I could be the ticket man at Fulham Broadway Station”.
Nobody did irony better.
Thanks as usual.
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Yes. Martin, that’s my favourite Ian Dury line as well!
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“I’m just the singer in a six piece band – first night nerves every one night stand” from the same song runs it close for me:-)
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Ian Dury/Blockheads, the Forum, Kentish Town, 1999. Rammed. Sadly Dury not a well man but still in good voice. Best gig ever. Those Ipswich fans @ Reading after Nelson scored, Dury had a line for them – first line of Plaistow Patricia.
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Ha!
Love the PP reference.
Check out the spoken intro to the live Sex & Drugs on (I think) Stiff’s Live Stiffs. It sums up the Binners perfectly.
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Hi Lad
The Little Johnny jokes are classics that cannot be repeated in our current pc-led society. However I can cheerfully recall the one about the cat and also the one about the person with reduced stature.
You had to put a certain accent on while recounting them – mine was always old-school Cockney for Johnny’s responses. That world has departed, for good or ill.
Even our self-anointed pub comedian Trev, who is a master of his art, is sotto voce these days in case he inadvertently upsets anybody. But he still makes us all laugh.
The “Johnny” jokes were never racist or sexist but simply cannot be repeated in any form of open area these days. Mind you my kids know them all.
I’m normally on MFW on a Monday but during international breaks things change.
I agree with your assessment of MotD. When Sky coverage began there were lights, fireworks, bells and whistles plus the sight of the “Sky Strikers” – a band of USA-style cheerleaders who often froze their pom-poms off in January.
We’ll probably drop more than four points before season’s end but Iwan’s article in the EDP yesterday was very insightful regarding the psychology of a dressing room trying to play catch-up.
Sure nobody truly likes the ethics of the PL, but……….
Thanks as always.
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A good read Martin as usual glad I could help.
Johnny Kidd and the Pirates a great live band and their highest charter single could sum up the season so far for me “I”ll never get over you”.
This is turning out to be a memorable season in Style of Football, Academy players making a name in the first team and a Manager /Coach proving the doubters wrong that he could adapt to Championship football and possibly next season might be a tougher learning curve for Team Farke if and when city clinch promotion who will doubt they can do it.
Being a bit early but I will predict that next week it will be Middlesbrough 1 City 2 but will reserve that as my final choice till after the international break hoping all players return fit and ready for the last leg.
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Hi Alex and cheers for your input.
International breaks are always thin soil for NCFC writers as you will certainly know. And of course we want all our players back unharmed. I guess international managers at all levels are far more cognitive of this these days, so let’s hope for the best in our case.
I never saw Johnny Kidd – I was nine when he died – but I’ve seen The Pirates at Dingwalls, the Brecknock and the Marquee. They supported UFO at Chalk Farm Roundhouse and blew them away. RIP Mick Green, and indeed Frank Farley.
Thank you.
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Great column as always Martin.
I cannot disagree with any of your forecasts, and whilst I would take the draw next Saturday, how sweet a win would be. It will mean having to score the first goal since Pulis is the master of holding on to a slender lead. If we were to win, will he see the season out at ‘Boro I wonder…..
Just as long as we don’t have to go to Villa Park needing anything, although given the way this group have (so far) coped with everything thrown at them,I’m sure they will find a way.
Given that both other protagonists have to go to Preston, I’m sure they will drop more points than us.
How brilliant would it be to clinch promotion at Stoke, and the title at home to Blackburn – and all this from one who is usually the pessimist!!!
O T B C
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Hi John
I’m traditionally a pessimist too, but I don’t feel like that with this squad, which has so much going for it.
Because of that Pulis factor we might even see that rarest of beasts – the 0-0 draw. I genuinely cannot remember the last time we featured in one of those.
I agree with you that it would be (very) much better not to need anything from Villa!
Thanks as always
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Leitner in v. Boro & we can win that. Just need to change the team to suit the opposition…..we can beat Villa too. Sure: if we need to win that last game there is a huge stress factor. But on paper and form over the season we have nothing to fear.
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Hi Richard
Were Leitner to come in for presumably McLean (and I quite see where you’re coming from with that suggestion) that would still leave Tettey and Vrancic out of the equation altogether. I gain great confidence from the strength of our bench. All seven of them would be full internationals if McGovern, Klose, Hanley, Tettey, Vrancic, McLean and Rhodes are chosen.
Of course Boro and Villa are both beatable and we’re certainly not a side that exhibits fear.
Thank you.
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