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So far, so good Glenn. But there's plenty of work still to do…

7th December 2007 By Tom Haylett Leave a Comment

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Be honest here, when Glenn Roeder was appointed as City boss back at the end of October, who would have predicted a return of 10 points from seven games?

To an outsider, it may not sound like anything to write home about but you wouldn't have got me betting a single penny on such an outcome.

The Canaries were in such dire straits and in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom of the Championship that I believed any sort of turnaround ? if at all – would be slow and sometimes painful.

Many people, myself included, were predicting a season of turmoil and one bookmaker had Norwich as even money ? and red-hot favourites – to drop into the third tier of English football.

But here we are, with the season not even past the half-way mark and the Canaries find themselves only one day away from hauling themselves out of the dreaded drop zone altogether ? if they can secure victory over Bryan Robson's rather blunt Blades at Carrow Road tomorrow.

Even if they don't clock up their fourth win in five games this weekend, it has still been a remarkable turnaround from a team that looked so devoid of ideas and confidence, Harry Houdini would have done well to get them playing again.

But Roeder has done exactly that and it is a pleasure to be watching the Canaries again at the moment.

Don't get me wrong, Tuesday's win over Plymouth wasn't a vintage performance by any means, but City know how to win games of football again and that is something that shouldn't be taken for granted. The 51-year-old Canary chief has to take a hell of a lot of credit for his achievements so far.

Yes, the players have upped their game significantly since the dark days under Peter Grant, but, in all fairness, they should be doing that anyway.

The team spirit and togetherness that the City squad are now demonstrating is there for all to see; if anyone witnessed the aftermath of David Marshall's double penalty save at Blackpool, you'll know exactly what I mean.

They celebrated the Scot's magnificent efforts like they had brought the FA Cup to Norfolk and for me, it was then, and only then, I realised that the Canaries were onto a good thing here. For this, we have Roeder to thank.

He has instilled a steely determination in the players and they are once again playing with a smile on their face; it just goes to show that for all their fame and fortune, the modern footballer needs an arm round his shoulder sometimes.

Words can go a long way and in Roeder, City seem to have someone who is a master in man-management. After a career in which he has come in for his fair share of criticism from the East End and Tyneside, maybe now he will get the plaudits he deserves.

But before we all get too carried away ? and I'm fully aware you're thinking I'm trying to drum up support for some sort of Glenn Roeder fan club ? there is still a lot of hard work ahead.

In my humble opinion, just how far City can climb this season depends largely on the futures of Messrs Taylor, Pattison, Camara and Evans.

Their impact has given the club an almighty boost and it is vital that all of them are allowed to stay beyond January. Whilst their arrivals have clearly added a welcome freshness to the place, their departures could have the opposite effect.

Pattison ? with his wonderful half-Geordie, half-South African accent ? has added some much-needed bite and quality to the midfield and, as for Taylor; his impact has been well documented. We all know what he can do.

Master Ched Evans looks to be a real star in the making and the fact that many of the Canary faithful have not really noticed the impact of Mo Camara is a good thing ? he has quietly, but effectively gone about his job.

The loss of any of these players would feel like a backward step and the momentum that has been built up in recent weeks must continue. Suddenly the fans believe in the team again and the players will surely pick up on that.

I wouldn't go as far to say the feel good factor is back but whilst the ground is still full and the decibel levels inside Carrow Road continue to rise, City have half a chance.

But it just goes to show how low the Canaries had sunk that, despite a real upturn in fortunes, they still find themselves in the bottom three.

So, on a sobering note Glenn, you've still got plenty of work to do before we can start dreaming of safety or even a fanciful late push for the play-offs.

But keep it up, you're doing a bl**dy fine job.


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Filed Under: Tom Haylett

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