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Whatever happened to P Boyle. Another one for our Plymouth Brethren…

12th September 2008 By theexpert Leave a Comment

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?Ah yes, Plymouth.

The place that bore witness to one of the worst individual performances from a player in a yellow shirt, and also where the Canaries' effort as a team just over a year later sank to equally low depths.

Poor Patrick Boyle.

Remember him?

A whole-hearted young full-back without a doubt. Someone that possessed bundles of energy and enthusiasm and, no doubt, the potential to earn a living in the game if not necessarily one at the top end.

But after literally losing the plot down at Home Park a couple of years ago in an unforgettable ten minute spell as a result of seemingly being intent on constantly passing the ball straight to the feet of the opposition centre-forwards every time he received the ball, and only being saved from yet more misery courtesy of what can only be described as a ?mercy substitution? long before the half-time whistle had sounded, Plymouth will no doubt be a place that he won't forget in a hurry.

As won't the eleven players that masqueraded as a Norwich team in the corresponding fixture last season.

What is it with this place?

For a handful of City players, the trip down to the South Coast last term effectively proved to be the beginning of the end of their Norwich careers.

The likes of Messrs Brellier, Martin, Lappin, Murray, Srtihavka, Brown, Spillane and Shackell would all feature again on Glenn Roeder's squad list – if not necessarily his teamsheet – at some stage or other in games following that 3-0 drubbing, but it wouldn't be overstating things to suggest that for some of them their cards had well and truly been marked.

Wind the clock forward a year, and the blunt fact-of-the-matter being that for a variety of reasons none of the above mentioned will be lacing their boots in the away team dressing-room at Home Park tomorrow.

But I digress.

Because despite the fact that the City boss is still waiting for his side to record their first victory this season – just as he was in the corresponding fixture at Plymouth last term – the circumstances in which the Canaries prepare for tomorrow's encounter with that of almost a year ago couldn't be more different.

Now there is an evident confidence amongst the players. The team is playing a hi-tempo, short passing game and there is an impressive determination to succeed. All of which is a far cry from last year's debacle.

And on current form you sense that Paul Sturrock's men might just be ripe for the taking tomorrow, providing, that is, that City can continue where they left off against Birmingham at Carrow Road two weeks ago and that Plymouth maintain their own sorry start to the campaign that sees them sit beneath a winless Norwich in the table.

However, without wishing to come across as the king of all party-pooper's, just a gentle word of warning and a timely reminder for us to try to keep things in perspective here.

Because there has been noises in some quarters mentioning promotion.

Erm?. OK.

Given some of the attacking football we have seen this term, nothing wrong at all with remaining optimistic and confident.

And the arrival of new boy Antoine Sibierski means that the ?jigsaw? is now no longer missing its final piece.

But just suppose it doesn't all go according to plan tomorrow? What if City do not trample all over the Pilgrims in the manner many of us might have allowed ourselves to expect and Sibierski doesn't grab a hat-trick of headed goals in the process?

What then..? Where then..?

Let's not get too carried away shall we, until there's evidence in terms of points on the board as opposed to just promising displays?

Of course, the Canaries might do precisely that and earn this first elusive victory that they deserve tomorrow.

And if so then we can genuinely rub our hands together in eager anticipation for more of the same against QPR on Wednesday night, and then again against Sheffield United next Saturday, and then at Barnsley a week later?.

But this is no ordinary away game, don't forget.

This is Plymouth


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