• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

My Football Writer

My Football Writer Norwich City news… comment… analysis

Norwich City – news, comment and analysis

Find the best betting sites
  • Home
  • About us
  • The Team
  • Archives Index
  • Patreon
  • ADVERTISE
  • Contact us

Same old, same old, I'm afraid. All looking good until that final third…

31st August 2008 By theexpert Leave a Comment

Please share

No-one likes a smart-Alec, so I'll only brush on my pre-match thoughts that basically alluded to the fact that regardless of how well they keep playing, victories are going to be hard to come by for the Canaries until a target-man arrives.

Because insomuch as where Norwich's overall display against Birmingham should be placed in what is already a pretty impressive list, Saturday's performance undoubtedly goes straight to the top.

City bossed and bullied a team that had won each of its previous three league games to such an extent on Saturday that even Alex McCleish admitted afterwards that he was happy to take a point from the encounter.

It was an honest appraisal indeed from the Blues' boss, and especially so considering that those two late sitters that were squandered by messers McSheffrey and Phillips would have still been fresh in McCleish's mind at the post-match interview.

Had either of the Birmingham strikers converted their golden goal-scoring chances so late on in the game though to maintain Birmingham's 100% start to the campaign, it would have been the cruellest of blows for the Canaries who, given the amount of energy they had expended and manner in which they had imposed themselves on their opponents would have been full value for a victory themselves.

Now then, there obviously comes a point whereby tremendous team performances have to be converted into league points, otherwise City are soon going to find themselves deep up to their necks in the smelly brown stuff.

Because it's one thing lauding over a terrific display at Coventry, a dominant performance against Blackpool, a superb comeback at Cardiff and an excellent demonstration of determination and vigour against the league leaders, but very much another when the blunt fact-of-the matter being that none of the above games were won and City sit in 19th place in the table with just three points on the board.

And that's where I have to refer back to my concerns of the lack of physical presence in attack again, I'm afraid.

Because in two thirds of the pitch Norwich look the business.

They are solid and assured in goal and the back, they are industrious, competitive and energetic in midfield, and there's decent movement and running from the strikers.

On Saturday, Norwich passed the ball quickly and accurately and they also exploited spaces out wide much better than they had done in previous matches, and it would also be reasonable to suggest that there is an evident belief and confidence present in the side.

But ? aside from the commendable efforts of makeshift striker Darel Russell ? there is still nothing in the final third or in and around the penalty-box from a physical point of view and there isn't anyone to hit in the air or to pick out with crosses from out wide when the opportunity to really hurt the opposition manifests.

In all fairness, and considering the manner in which the Canaries' have acquitted themselves this season – particularly so at the weekend – it's much easier to maintain the belief that sooner or later their fortunes will change and they will come good not only in terms of the manner of their play but also with results ? (based on the law of averages as much as anything else, as well as the old footballing adages that state that things eventually even themselves out over the course of a season and you generally get what you deserve…) – than it would be if we hadn't witnessed such impressive standards of football.

But if we are to ultimately be saying the same things after the next match in a fortnight's time say, then it might be a completely different story.

Hopefully it won't come to that, and Norwich will put a struggling Plymouth side to the sword to finally get their 2008-09 campaign properly up and running, but until then ? (or more to the point, unless City boss Glenn Roeder can finally locate and secure his ?last piece of the jigsaw?) – as pleased as any of us can claim to be right now, those nagging doubts are going to continue linger for a couple more weeks.


Please share

Filed Under: Column, The Expert

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

FIND MY FOOTBALL WRITER ON

As featured on NewsNow: Norwich City news” style=

Norwich City News 24/7

#NCFC LATEST

arg_norwich 🇦🇷Norwich_Arg⭐⭐⭐ @arg_norwich ·
2h

¡HOY JUEGA EL MÁXIMO GOLEADOR HISTÓRICO DEL NORWICH Y DE FINLANDIA!

¡HOY JUEGA TEEMU PUKKI 🇫🇮!

🏆 Clasificación para la Euro 2024
🆚 Irlanda del Norte
🏟️ Windsor Park
⏰ 15.45 PM 🇦🇷 19.45 PM 🇬🇧
📺 STAR +

#NCFC 🔰

Reply on Twitter 1639833084953542656 Retweet on Twitter 1639833084953542656 Like on Twitter 1639833084953542656 Twitter 1639833084953542656
mattjohnson333 Matt Johnson @mattjohnson333 ·
4h

#ncfc

Reply on Twitter 1639803627559608321 Retweet on Twitter 1639803627559608321 Like on Twitter 1639803627559608321 1 Twitter 1639803627559608321
mattjohnson333 Matt Johnson @mattjohnson333 ·
5h

It’s ridiculous how good of a game #GTAV is. People complain how it’s been around since ps3 but for me, the fact it’s still going strong on ps5 is ridiculous. Still so so so much to do on it. Has negatives but what doesn’t. Had a great laugh with the #ncfc lads tonight.

Reply on Twitter 1639801806715772929 Retweet on Twitter 1639801806715772929 Like on Twitter 1639801806715772929 1 Twitter 1639801806715772929
klobo15 Klobo @klobo15 ·
6h

Happy Youssef Safri Thunderbastard Day #ncfc

Reply on Twitter 1639781036040093696 Retweet on Twitter 1639781036040093696 Like on Twitter 1639781036040093696 Twitter 1639781036040093696
socialseas Edd Hind-Ozan @socialseas ·
6h

Do we get money #ncfc folk? https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/25/reece-james-england-ukraine-southgate-euro-2024-qualifier?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Reply on Twitter 1639780126245244929 Retweet on Twitter 1639780126245244929 Like on Twitter 1639780126245244929 Twitter 1639780126245244929
Load More...

Copyright © 2023 21VC Ltd | All rights reserved | Not to be reproduced without prior permission.

Disclaimer: The information on this website consists of personal opinions. Whilst we have taken all reasonable steps to ensure that the information contained on these Web pages is accurate and correct at the time of writing we do not accept any liability whatsover for any loss or damage caused by reliance on this information.

We do not accept any responsibility for information contained in other websites to which this site links. We strongly advise users to check any information before acting or relying on it.

Developed and Hosted by