City keeper Joe Lewis today welcomed the appointment of new Canary boss Glenn Roeder as the 51-year-old former Newcastle chief got his feet under the table at Colney, drawing up his battle plan for Sunday's big East Anglian derby.
Lewis – currently on loan at Morecambe – suffered a horrific shoulder and head injury in a collision with Shrimps' defender Chris O'Grady nearly two weeks ago at Rotherham, but the 20-year-old is now on the way to making a full recovery and has offered his full backing to the newly-installed City manager.
“He's got the experience of getting teams out of trouble which obviously Norwich are in at the moment,” said Lewis.
“Hopefully he will lift the players and it is a great time to get the new manager in, ahead of two massive games against Ipswich and Watford.
“I think he'll have the respect of the players and that is very important. He's been there and done it and it seems like he speaks a lot of sense and talks to you on a level you can understand. I think it will be a good appointment.”
Whether the young stopper was implying that Roeder's predecessor lacked the above qualities is for people like us to speculate. But it was interesting to hear him talk about Roeder being a players' manager and possessing good communication skills.
One of the many criticisms of Peter Grant was his insistence on over-complicating matters and a knack of singling out certain players in the media. As far as Lewis is concerned, a change of management was needed if the Canaries are to drag themselves out of their current predicament.
“I think it was time for a change,” added the boyhood Canary fan.
“Everybody realised we were struggling but we've got the new manager in now and he's got a lot of experience, he's a Premier League manager.”
The Broome-born keeper is clearly optimistic about the start of a new era at Carrow Road and in the more immediate future, he's hoping to be back between the sticks within the next two weeks.
The gash on his head is almost as good as new and if it wasn't for his shoulder complaint, Lewis would be back in the Morecambe team this weekend ? a quick recovery by anyone's standards, especially after the initial fears for his safety when the sickening injury occurred; Shrimps' assistant manager Mark Lillis even described it as the worst injury he had seen in 30 years of being involved in football.
“It's getting there. The cut is actually healing up nicely and it's just the shoulder that is giving me problems now and what's holding me up,” said Lewis.
“It was a subluxation of my shoulder which means a partial dislocation of the joint between my shoulder blade and collarbone.
“There is nothing much they can really do about it and it is just a matter of waiting but I'm hoping I can be back in around two weeks. But if it wasn't for the shoulder I'd be back playing this Saturday.
“I'll have to wear a 'Petr Cech' hat when I come back, just to protect the skin, but I've done a little bit of training and it wasn't too much of a distraction.”
And despite his latest setback, was he still enjoying life beside the sea?
“I'm loving it at Morecambe. It is first-team football which is what I've been waiting for so it has been brilliant for me and we had a good cup run as well which was an added bonus.
“What has been great as well is the performances of the team. We were expected to struggle this season by some people but we are comfortably in mid-table, playing good football and hopefully we can push on further from there.
“I've been very pleased with my own form as well. It took a few games to settle in, with new players around you and everything but I didn't have a great deal to do so it was nice to start that way.”
It will certainly do Lewis no harm to learn his trade in the school of hard knocks that is League Two. It has long been said that the reserve team setup at Norwich is nothing more than a waste of time for young talents like Lewis and let's face it, what are you going to learn against Grays Athletic's second string?
But in English football's fourth tier, you learn the hard way ? and fast.
“There is a physical nature in League Two, no doubt about it. I was warned before I started that there will be some big lads and it is very much hussle and bussle,” revealed the Canary youth product.
“In reserve team football, if a cross comes in, nine times out of ten you just collect it but you have to be on your toes in this league. The forwards will put you under a lot more pressure. But I'm really enjoying it and you get used to it quickly.”
Add his recent call-up to the England Under-21 squad for the double-header against Montenegro and Bulgaria and it has certainly been an eventful few months for the promising keeper.
“The experience with England was great. I didn't expect to play but to be recognised as one of the top three keepers in the country at my age group was brilliant.
“Training with the likes of Steven Taylor, who has been in the senior squad, and people like James Milner and Tom Huddlestone was a great experience. They're top Premier League players and you try and raise your game to be up there with them. I learnt a lot.”
If he keeps progressing at this rate then surely new City boss Roeder will want to take a closer look at his young goalkeeper but with David Marshall one of only a few bright lights for the Canaries this season, he may still be a way off being a first-team regular.
As for the prospect of a return to Norfolk when his loan expires on December 31, Lewis is still in the dark ? although he has not ruled out staying in Lancashire for an extended period.
“I haven't spoken to anyone at Norwich recently as to whether I'll be staying on at Morecambe or coming back. I would certainly like to stay here, especially if I'm going to go back to Norwich and sit on the bench or not even be in the squad. Morecambe would like me to stay and I'm certainly enjoying myself.
“But we'll have to see, I'll look to speak to the new manager within the next week or so and we'll see where we go from there.”
Tom Haylett
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