As I scrolled through Twitter on my break from work on Wednesday afternoon, reflecting on what was a hard-fought but largely deserved victory for City the previous night, that resonant yellow and green icon caught my eye on the left-hand side of the screen. As anticipated, it was a tweet from Norwich City. The club’s […]
Farke’s developing City side can learn from Southgate’s fearless young lions
As I miserably trudged out of The Murderers pub at around quarter to ten on Wednesday evening, drenched in sweat and submerged in spilt beer – thanks, Kieran Trippier – I couldn’t help but take note of a few of the conversations that were unfolding around me. ‘That was our chance. We won’t get a […]
Unity a necessity over summer months as top brass continue to construct the squad they desire
Last Sunday should have functioned as a pleasant, enjoyable and relatively harmonious day out to round off what was been an unequivocally underwhelming season. On a personal level, it represented a day off revision, a day out in the Sheffield sun, an opportunity to meet some old schoolmates in their own university city and enjoy […]
Performances dwindling, fans polarised and City’s future at a crossroads… but we must remain loyal to Webber & Farke
On my train back from the capital on Easter Monday after witnessing what was a wretched, desolate City performance, my Twitter timeline became saturated with references to this now notorious Stuart Webber interview. Obviously, having been at the game and not in possession of a DAB radio, I hadn’t heard what our Sporting Director had […]
Good Friday test awaits as City welcome a side who represent everything they should aspire to be next season
For a range of different reasons, I’m quite looking forward to Good Friday this year. I’ve got the day off work from my local pub. The morning marks my first cricket net of the season. In the evening, a night out – albeit down the less desirable direction of the A47 in Great Yarmouth – […]
Goal fests, meeting Gunny and an unexpected night in a Travelodge: a week in the life of a travelling City fan
Of all the weeks to spend travelling the country watching 270 minutes of football, last week probably wasn’t the one I should have chosen. It wasn’t entirely self-inflicted. Indeed, it was the popularly known ‘Beast from the East’ that influenced the timing of events, rendering that Barnsley away game a regrettable postponement and leading to […]
Eleven days, four winnable-looking games. Is it too early to write this season off just yet?
It’s been an odd season for City. It had started so brightly: that late, great Nelson Oliviera equaliser in the west London sunshine on opening day capped off an enterprising attacking performance, instilling those present with a fervent sense of optimism that Daniel Farke was capable of leading something special in his maiden season in […]
This City side is the epitome of hard-work and mental resilience, and is capable of going a long way
For the half-a-dozen strong group of mid-twenty-year olds stood a few rows behind me at Molineux, Wednesday night’s events would serve to prove rather interesting indeed. For twenty-five minutes of relative optimism, they sung. For many of those minutes they complained, berating the remaining 600 travelling fans for failing to join in with their laudable […]
Savvy, grounded, hungry and articulate: Maddison really is something special and appears destined for greatness
At 2pm last Monday, the doorbell sounded. I wasn’t in, instead sat at the library working on both a dissertation and an article for this very website. My housemate was, however, and he knew exactly what had arrived. In a rush of blood, the week before, he had impetuously decided to bid for James Maddison’s […]
Not just about the big names. Solidity has arrived thanks to one G C Hanley
August 26 was a dark day. The date may have little meaning for many of you reading. Indeed, many City fans may have been competing in a local cricket league, on a family holiday somewhere exotic, or instead merely enjoying the summer sun more domestically and perhaps listening to the eloquent Chris Goreham narrating City’s […]
Forget Pritchard, forget Delia, forget talk of a ‘relegation battle’ – now is the time to unite behind this City side
Like a fine wine, sometimes three points really do get better with age. Sometimes, just sometimes, you do not come to realise the significance of a victory until you have sat back objectively and dwelled on it, relinquishing the emotion-fuelled and partisan antics undertaken the day before and instead dispassionately reflecting on it in isolation. […]
How would City be faring had the powers that be acted differently in the spring?
It’s 2018. The footballing festivities have reached their conclusion and the annual FA Cup third round weekend has just been contested. Manchester City are dominant in the Premier League. Theresa May is Prime Minister. Brexit is still happening. Everything, apart from one thing, remains the same. Alan Irvine is in charge of Norwich City. Meanwhile, […]
A new year victory but Burton was a sobering reminder of what life will be like without Pritchard and Maddison
It’s half past four in Staffordshire. Darkness has descended and there is a tangible winter chill in the air. In Burton, there is a football match ensuing. The game is seventy minutes in at the Pirelli Stadium, a somewhat insalubrious location and one where Norwich City’s travelling faithful have so far seen their loyal support […]
If Nelson’s petulance fails to engender a radical change in attitude then Webber and Farke must sell
It is well-documented that Norfolk boasts a proud record of nurturing Nelsons. Two hundred and twelve years on from that pivotal naval victory off the coast of south-west Spain at Trafalgar, memories of our own Horatio are still employed, appropriated and instrumentalised as a means of evoking popular notions of both local pride and national […]
Huddersfield comparisons must end as we accept Project Farke is taking a very different path
It’s been over 750 days since Huddersfield Town appointed David Wagner. 750 days characterised by turbulence, progression and eventual jubilation, culminating in that calm Christoph Schindler penalty at Wembley to send Wagner’s side – and the 40,000 crammed behind that same goal that Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond penetrated two years earlier – into delirium. […]
Southgate’s decision testament to his shrewd principles and Angus’ Championship brilliance
Bravo Gareth Southgate. With resources wearing thin, injuries pervasive, and a daunting test against Neymar’s Brazil awaiting, England’s dignified manager was bold. The selection of City’s Angus Gunn revealed a manifold number of things, not least Southgate’s meritocratic values and Gunn’s growing precocity as our increasingly dependable number one. Angus deserves this. His call-up represents […]
From ecstasy to agony: trials and tribulations of following new-look City a reminder of work still to be done
The alarm sounds. You wake up. You rise, make yourself breakfast, have a coffee and jump in the shower. You scan your wardrobe for your desired yellow and green garment and throw it on. Tickets? Check. Railcard? Got it. The away day has started. Whether it be Durham or Acle, expectations are high as you […]
Fourteen days, four away games and four wins: why supporting City home and away is always, always worth it
As I stood on my seat at The Riverside 13 days ago, bellowing that evocative cry of ‘Yellows’ at the top of my voice, I was confused. For the third time in ten days, City had won away. For us 423 travelling fans, Daniel Farke’s endearing side had successfully executed another tenacious defensive performance, assiduously […]
City’s South Yorkshire resilience testament to Daniel Farke’s growing shrewdness and pragmatism. But still a work in progress
It’s been a painful year. A year of despondence, disillusionment and augmenting pessimism; a year of declining expectations and of seemingly unrelenting suffering. A year of woe. A year of sorrow. A year of hurt. 364 days is what it’s taken. Fifteen away games attended, three points accumulated, and zero wins obtained. The country has […]
Inexperience, incompetence and Championship naivety painfully reigned supreme at the New Den
The time was 05:30, the Norfolk sun was rising, and I was sat in my local watching Floyd Mayweather masterfully dismantle a spirited boxing debut by Conor McGregor. Despite the Irishman’s rapid deterioration of energy following his opening six-minute assault, it was an entertaining contest. Both landed punches. McGregor so boldly almost lasted the distance. […]