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Roeder admits City are no nearer cracking that big target man nut; nor is he talking about Shola

15th August 2008 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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City boss Glenn Roeder this morning offered no immediate prospect of a big, brute of a strapping centre-forward walking through the door at Colney.

Whether one was about to walk through the gates at Portman Road was not a subject he was about to be drawn on following yesterday's widespread reports that Newcastle United's Shola Amobi was Ipswich Town-bound on the back of a reported ?2 million fee being agreed between the two clubs for Norwich's long-time strike target.

“I'm not prepared to talk about that,” was Roeder's guarded response to the inevitable question at Colney today.

The impression remained that the whole Ameobi saga had another twist or two to come before he was paraded at Portman Road with his new Town shirt held aloft.

Agreeing fees between two clubs can only be the start of the fun and games; next up are the players and their agents. Who knows what the 26-year-old might demand of Town owner Marcus Evans in order to drop out of the Premiership?

But as that story continued to unfold south of the border, so was he any closer to landing his prized fish? “No – not really, if I'm being honest,” said the City chief, with Rosenborg's Steffen Iversen still sat resolutely on the wrong side of the North Sea to ride to Norwich's goal-scoring rescue.

Roeder was, however, quick to maintain that not all hope was lost; the irons were still thrust in the fire; one of them had to deliver.

“It doesn't mean that the few that we've got in mind have gone away completely either – it's just proving difficult.”

He didn't have all his eggs in one basket; it wasn't Iversen or bust.

“We have two or three options – and we're trying to land one of those two or three options. They will all bring the same kind of qualities to the team.

“And, I think, all are of a similar amount of experience and ability. With Arturo being 21 and OJ 18 and Curo's 31 we need what I call an experienced man. We don't need what I call a kid – a youngster as our target man.

“We want someone with experience; what I call a seasoned professional.”

As for a date, an ETA – how long was a peice of string?

“Sooner rather than later for me. We're on the telephone every day – trying to force a breakthrough. It's not for the lack of trying, that's for sure.”

In the meantime, however, the Canary faithful ae left to keep their fingers firmly crossed that all the pretty, pretty passing football that has been on show in City's opening two games leads to something rather more concrete than a hatful of missed chances.

Against a team that are widely expected to struggle badly this season, a goal is the very least a Carrow Road full house will be looking for. The Canary chief admits however that until his side also have someone that's six-foot plus to aim at, Norwich are going to have to rely on the likes of Wes Hoolahan to pick a pocket or two with his passing. They are not about to batter anyone's door down.

“We can't really vary our game until we have that target man,” admitted the City chief, a fact that became increasingly – and painfully – obvious in the latter stages of Tuesday night's first round Carling Cup exit to MK Dons.

“The guy that's happy to play with his back to goal and let the others run off him. Because both Jamie [Cureton] and Arturo [Lupoli] – and to some extent OJ [Koroma] – are much more dangerous when they are just making little runs off the last defender and getting played in rather than coming to feet and bringing the others into play.”

There is a rich irony afoot here; that all too often over the last few seasons supporters have been impatient to see their team retrn to playing more football, not less. Now minus that option of a big target man, there is a growing feeling that City need to be prepared to play less football on occasion and vary their play by going long and direct if they are to make an impression on the top half of the table.

Roeder was giving very few clues away team-wise; indeed, he was even pondering not telling the team themselves lest anyone should be of a mind to speak to ex-Canary keeper Matty Gilks and give the game away.

Instead, he would wait till an hour before kick-off and let everyone discover their fate then.

He did, however, suggest that those that missed the trip to stadium:mk would be back in contention; the one genuine doubt remains Ryan Bertrand.

“I don't think there are any problems from Tuesday ad we'll have a count up this morning among the ones that missed Tuesday,” he added, with both Dejan Stefanovic and John Kennedy expected to return in the heart of that City defence.

Bertrand would again be the subject of a late fitness test. “He's trained with the second group, the reserve group this week, said Roeder, keepng him out of a behind-closed-doors game with Peterborough United.

“I didn't risk him for that,” he said. Whether he'll risk him for tomorrow with Adam Drury now back on the firing line is just one of all manner of questions that tomorrow's opening home game will strive to answer.


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