Dion Dublin today strode straight back onto centre stage and, as ever, wasted little or no time in hitting nail after nail on the head.
The 38-year-old has, of course, missed City's last three games due to suspension. But now he's back – just in time for tomorrow's home clash with Scunthorpe United on which all manner of events could potentially hang.
It is not, in short, any time for faint hearts. Cue Dion.
Was it a depressed drssing room? ?No.? How would he sum up Norwich's position? ?Embarrassing.? Who has been City's best player thus far this season ?Gary Doherty.? Do the players owe the manager a performance? ?Definitely.?
Big, strong and direct answers to some big questions that hang over the Norfolk club – now sat in 21st place after those four defeats on the spin.
And if anyone was looking for the players to stand up and bear much of the blame for what has happened of late, then Dublin was your man. He wasn't hiding behind anyone – or seeking to hang the manager out to dry.
?It's not a depressed dressing room – no, it's not,? said Dublin. ?It's a dressing room that knows that things need to change; its a dressing room that's going to have to take responsibility for the actions that they have done in the last few games.?
The belief in themselves – and the manager – was still there. ?Most definitely,? said Dublin. ?That's the only answer I can give to that. It's a very positive dressing room.
?We know what we've got to do; we know we've got to do it tomorrow. We can't wait any longer because we're in a position that is embarrassing, to be honest.
?It's completely unacceptable that we're so low in the table. Completely. And it's just down to us – the players.
?Yes, the manager picks the team and the formation but its the players that go out there and try and uphold what he's told us to do.
?And we haven't done it. At all. We should be embarrassed – we shouldn't be down there and we're the ones that should be taking the flak.?
United score first tomorrow night and you fear that the flak will fly in all manner of directions – once again it will be time for big characters. Big characters. Which is why in the grander scheme of things a certain official at The Valley may mave much to answer for.
?It's been difficult,? said the veteran City star, quizzed as to how tough it has been to watch events unfold from the sidelines after that failed appeal to get his suspension overturned.
Actually 'unfold' is probably too tame a term; events collapsed completely at Molineux in his absence and unravelled again in the second-half against Wednesday on Saturday.
?I've been fortunate that it's only been a week for me because of the midweek games – so very frustrated. But it's over now and I can forget that and the three games that I've missed and look forward to the three games that I hope to be involved in.?
Speaking for the first time about events at Charlton, it was no surprise to find Dublin at odds with Mr Singh's version of events – the intent to head-butt Danny Mills.
?I can't believe it, but it happened – I did get sent off. The referee made the decision and stood by it. I thought it was wrong, but what do you do? You appeal; you don't win. But that's what happens sometimes in football.
?Now we've got to look forward – if we keep looking back tothings like that, we're all going to be very depressed. That's all done and dusted. Deal with the consequences and move forward.?
Moving forward all but demands a big result tomorrow night – three points that will start to turn a badly leaking ship away from some pretty sharp rocks.
?We want to turn things round for the manager; we want to turn things round for the fans because they pay good money to come and watch us play and we haven't played at all.
?And we want to turn it round for ourselves so we feel better in the morning. It's so much nicer in the morning when you wake up and you've had a good game.?
Where Dublin ends up playing – or, indeed, even if he starts playing – is just one of a 101 possibilities facing all concerned tomorrow night, some of which are none too clever if Peter Grant's 'Sicknote Three' fail to make kick-off.
Does he hand Darel Russell a return? How does he fit Darren Huckerby and Simon Lappin into the same side if he fancies giving 4-4-2 a whirl? Does he keep faith with new-boy Ian Murray now that he appears more settled at centre-half? All these questions will be sat on the manager's desk this evening.
But somewhere, somehow, Dublin has to figure. It is one of the more alarming aspects of this whole sorry autumn as to just how rudderless they look in his absence.
?I am eligible now for selection, so that's as far as I will go on that one,? said Dublin, asked whether he might not fancy himself back in his preferred slot of centre-forward given Norwich's sorry run in front of goal.
?There has been a bit of bad luck for the forwards, but we need to supply more – and when we get the chance, we need to take the chances.?
He was far too old in the tooth to ask anything of the supporters – other than to take heart from his confidence. Events on the pitch will, as ever, dictate much of what happens off it.
?I can understand their frustrations; I can understand their actions. But performances like that are not done on purpose,? said Dublin, treading thet traditional tight-rope of player-supporter relations.
?They are free to air their views. And they do work from Monday to Friday in order to come to a game and watch their team perform to a certain standard – and our standard hasn't been high enough.
?But stick by us because I am confident in our ability – that we are going to turn it round.?
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