I think it would be fair to say that Glenn Roeder has made a few surprise team selections in Norwich's last two matches.
Deploying Jamie Cureton being on the right flank against Ipswich wasn't ideal, but it would certainly be amiss to criticise the manager for selecting what undoubtedly was a very attacking line-up.
However, after singling out Alex Pearce and Jason Shackell for praise and saying that the pair had been ?magnificent? in the 2-0 victory over Burnley, and this after also commending them a week earlier at Bristol City, he suddenly demoted Shackell to the bench for the local derby with Ipswich for no apparent reason.
Then last week in the home game against West Brom, City supporters were incredulous to discover that neither Dion Dublin nor Darel Russell were starting the game. The City boss said afterward that he thought that Russell hadn't been at his best lately and felt that he needed a rest, and there was no comment asked for nor given regarding Dublin's omission.
But with just two weeks of the campaign remaining, having enjoyed a full six days rest after the game at Ipswich, with no mid-week game to follow and an opportunity to finally secure Championship status for another season ? albeit against the league leaders ? you'd have thought the players would hardly be in need of a breather.
When Russell was introduced to the action last week he looked no different to at any other time this season ? in essence the same energetic and dynamic midfielder that he has been throughout the campaign. Dublin, in particular, is also an interesting case in point.
Because don't forget that when he arrived here at Carrow Road we were basically informed that he would struggle to play many back-to-back games, with mid-week matches following an appearance the previous Saturday being a definite no-no.
Yet nowadays he plays just as often as everybody else.
So it was strange that he wasn't include from the start against the Baggies as well, especially when you consider that both of West Boom's centre-backs ? Leon Barnett and Neil Clement ? are not noted for their aerial strength.
Incidentally, when Dublin was introduced to the action he dominated the pair of them in the air.
Maybe it's paranoia on my part. But this must-win match against QPR tomorrow has severely affected the thought process and dominated the very core of my existence this week to the extent that instead of focusing on the positives ? of which there were many last week ? the negative voice inside my head has reigned supreme..?
Just, I'm sure, as it has for 25,000-odd also equally-worried Canary fans this week.
So before I finally manage to drag my thoughts to the actual game itself, let's hope and pray that the ?ideal? team is deployed tomorrow.
Of which, barring injury, illness or whatever, and based around Roeder's one winger policy, surely has to be?
Marshall; Otsemobor, Doherty, Shackell, Camara (assuming Bertrand is still out); Huckerby, Russell, Fotheringham, Pattison; Dublin, Evans.
A team that is surely more capable than capable of winning the game tomorrow?
Anyway, with that now off my chest, what are we looking for from Norwich tomorrow?
Well, precisely the same second-half attitude and drive that saw City dominate the Champions-elect after the break last Saturday?Oh, but with someone finally managing to steer the ball between the posts and under the crossbar when clean through on goal, or when the approach play has been of a sufficiently impressive nature to warrant being rewarded with a goal of course.
In short, someone?anyone?to convert even a tiny fraction of all the bloody chances into goals, in what is City's biggest game – arguably even bigger – since we all travelled to West London on the final day of the Premiership campaign expecting to witness Norwich comfortably take care of business against a Fulham side that had nothing left to play for.
On that day at Craven Cottage City simply couldn't handle the pressure and they folded like a pack of cards, and tomorrow they face a Queens Park Rangers side in a similar situation to Fulham in that they aren't affected by events at either end of the table. Time, therefore, for City to redress the balance so to speak at three o'clock at Carrow Road tomorrow and deliver a victory.
Because we could then confine this abysmal season to dustbin once and for all, and Glenn Roeder can finally then begin to properly concentrate on how he's going to make it a whole lot better next term.
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