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One moment in time when hope was re-born. About 4.35pm this Saturday…

25th August 2008 By Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

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At approximately 4.25pm, on Saturday 23 August 2008, most of Stan's worst fears were coming to pass.

We were two-down against another very ordinary side. We had missed a penalty. Our players were huffing and puffing, but without any real sense that they knew where a goal would be coming from …ever.

The bottom of the league was staring us in the face, with only Derby competing with us for that coveted chumps of month award. Stan shook his head and sent a text: 'We having nothing in front of goal, I just can't see us scoring…'.

Ten minutes later and the world had changed. Arturo Lupoli had finally done what we all hoped he would. HE SCORED A GOAL. And then, HE SCORED ANOTHER ONE.

And so, despite us having just two points from three games and a big monster call Brum appearing round the corner ('There's only one Tiny Taylor…'), Stan spent the weekend in a relatively happy mood.

Team Roeder had shown it had spirit, that it wasn't just about future potential and technical ability. More importantly, Lupoli had put a demon to the sword and at least chipped a splintered edge into that big blunt attack of ours.

 
At 4.45 pm, on Saturday 23 August 2008, Stan found a straw to cling to.

As for the game more generally, it serves us best to talk about a few players.

Let us talk about Rusty. Now, Roeder appears to have a lot of time for Rusty as a bloke. Simultaneously, Roeder also seems to prefer Clinghan to the fans' favourite in the middle of the park.

As such, Rusty's appearances this season have tended to see him out of position. Even so, his fight and commitment – his will to win – are invaluable, especially if we are set for another season of struggle. On Saturday, as a make-shift centre forward, he did us proud.

Of course, Stan hopes that one or two 'proper' target men will soon be arriving to turn a hard season into a hopeful one. In the meantime, Rusty deserves all the plaudits we can offer.

What of King Wes, or Prince Wes, as Stan has decided after his rather poor performance on Saturday. Without doubt, he has the skill, craft and guile to unlock most teams in our division. He also, and this is really the closest he gets to a Hucks comparison, provides us with a problem.

By playing 'inside' rather than on the wing, he serves to narrow our play, especially if his being counted as a winger discounts a Crofty start.

Now this may sometimes work. If our forwards are full of movement and brimming with confidence, it may herald the odd Arsenal-like performance. But, more often than not, it leads us down a cul-de-sac. The answer, to play with width as well as with a tricky craftsman behind the front two, may be provided in the shape of Bell.

As it is, Wes needs to either widen his game, or Roeder needs to hold his breath and stick with 'One who is not his own' – Lee Croft.

So, let's talk about Crofty. We all know his short-comings. If he starts a game, he often fades or flits in and out of it. Moreover, he is – after Patty and the new fitness coach – the worst shooter at the club. But what he does provide is width and zip.

In recent games – MK Dons, Blackpool and Cardiff – his being on the pitch has made a difference.

On Saturday, he set up both of Lupoli's goal. By stretching the opposition to the flanks, room opens up for more intricate moves down the middle. It also gives Foz with someone to pass to other than the man standing five yards ahead of him. It may mean exposing the centre midfield and defence to a little more pressure, but it also gives us at least the semblance of a cutting edge.

Overall, then, great comeback by the lads and a great day for Lupoli. Maybe he will fall in love with us, tell Fiorentina to stick it and come join us.

What we need is a new terrace legend, a maverick goalscorer who loves our club rather than just seeing it as stepping stone along their own individual career path. It is, as a crack-addled QPR fan once sang, time for heroes …


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Will the next block of seating be opened up soon? @NorwichCityFC @NorwichCityWFC #HerGameToo #ncfc #otbc 💛💚💛💚

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Nice, this. The sort of gesture that is hugely appreciated.

Hopefully the Yellow Army can fill the allocation! 💛👊🏼

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Great gesture. Typical this is the one away game, bar Boro, I can’t make it to tho so won’t benefit despite being there most weeks 🤣 but it’s really good to see the club pushing these sort of things, it goes a long way for us as fans! #NCFC

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