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Big lessons to be had from Hammers game? Er, no. Not yet.

2nd August 2007 By Rick Waghorn Leave a Comment

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Most of the times headlines are done for fun; you try – and usually fail – to get something witty and pithy into the short space that the gods of website design have allowed you.

Which is why Safri's move to Southampton this afternoon was such a bonus; after Tuesday night's fun and games, it screamed out 'Sinner to Saint…' Thereafter, it's just a race to see who can get their first. Fair play to the official site. They won.

But, for me, the headline that stands out more than most this week concerns Julien Brellier. It is neither witty, nor pithy particularly. But does sum up pretty much where we are right now team-wise – waiting for Norwich's 'International Man of Mystery' to make his mark.

Of course, after today's events he pretty much has that central holding role to himself – unless, of course, working on his two round pegs for every round hole policy of late, City boss Peter Grant opts to fill the wages hole that Safri left with something similar.

Even so, that central midfield job remains – for now – Brellier's to lose. Put each and everyone on a level playing field fitness-wise and everything points to Brellier and AN Other starting at Deepdale. Darel Russell would be your likely best 'fit' if we work on 4-4-2 being the order of the day.

And yet for a man about so much is likely to be based, we currently know next to nothing about his likely impact on Norwich's Championship prospects.

In the minds of Messrs Grant and Duffy, the Frenchman is a cornerstone of all that is about to unfold over the next ten months. And yet – depending on his level of involvement in the Vitesse game tomorrow night – we could all head to Deepdale a week on Saturday in blissful ignorance as to what, exactly, one of the biggest pieces in Norwich's 2007-2008 jigsaw actually looks like.

At least with the other notable absentee – Darren Huckerby – we all know what his lordship can bring to the party.

Even his name on the team-sheet will cause many a manager – albeit at this level – to think twice about their own team-shape. And once an opposition side gets pulled in that direction, so – inevitably – that leaves greater space for others to exploit.

Put the on-going absence of both players together and it is a very dangerous game to start drawing all manner of conclusions from Tuesday night's 2-1 home defeat by West Ham United.

Now suggest that there is, in every probability, a third cornerstone still missing and the guessing game gets ever more tricky.

Grant has done little to discourage the notion that a further, defensive addition is – in an ideal world – en route. There was a line in amidst Darel Russell's arrival on Monday that suggested that City's next target – a loan – was unlikely to be made available until a week before the season starts. Which, basically, means this weekend.

And that having handed Adam Drury a new, four-year deal and having long since earmarked Jon Otsemobor as you first-choice right-back for the forthcoming campaign, it isn't exactly rocket science working out what's coming next.

Not when that No5 shirt has sat their vacant all summer.

Which is why I might be tempted to forgive Gary Doherty a minor indiscretion or two.

Because as he looks along that back line and sees Adam with his bright, new shiny contract, Otsemobor making a good early impression for himself and Jason Shackell beaming with pride at his new armband, he knows who the likely fall-guy is.

I don't care what profession you are in; you can be a brick-layer, a bookie or a banker. But if you go to work every morning expecting to see someone else sat in your seat, re-arranging the pencils on your desk, lifting up your trowel, it can't be easy.

And, yes, you give it your all; yes, you pull out every extra last stop; but, boy, have you got one eye staring firmly over your shoulder as you wait for the next young, Premiership prospect to roll into view. One who isn't let out to play in the hope of winning a first team place; he's let out to play, to play. Period.

So, look back at the Hammers game and you could argue that of Norwich's likely spine this season – 60 per cent of it was missing. Of the remaining 40%, David Marshall excelled himself and Shackell did OK.

He was just sat in the midst of a defensive unit still one player short of a Championship picnic; sat in the midst of a defensive unit still one player short of stopping – or else tracking – the kind of runs that Lee Bowyer almost scored from.

And while you can easily argue that since when has Darren Huckerby ever been the tip of anyone's spine – that surely, traditionally, that physical role would be the on-going debate surrounding Strihavka, Brown and Dublin – the fact of the matter is that as Paul Simpson lays out his team-shape for August 11, his central focus defensively will be countering Huckerby.

As far as he is concerned, he's the tip of that spine – even if it leaves Norwich all hunched up and veering off to the left somewhere.

So who knows, is the short answer. Who knows what this season is about to offer on the basis of Tuesday night's runaround.

Me? I'll stick to where I was three, four weeks ago. Norwich still look as if they will be competitive; where that lands them come May is then down to just how competitive the competition is this season – and luck.

That and whether the managerial magic dust that rubs off the Grant-Duffy combo offers a covering of the two-inch shag-pile kind as opposed to the merest, Hammy-like sprinkling.


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Filed Under: Column, Rick Waghorn

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