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Can Bell be the spark to re-light City's fire? Will it be asking too much, too soon?

18th September 2008 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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If you judge the mood of the Canary faithful right, after last night's despiriting 1-0 home defeat by a ten-man Queen's Park Rangers they are in sore need of a pick-me-up.

Three points from this weekend's home clash with Sheffield United would do; before that, however, the sight of the forgotten man of City's frantic transfer summer pulling on a Canary shirt for the first time would be equally welcome.

Whether or not David Bell is fit enough to add a cutting edge to City's play in time to blunt the Blades will have to wait until tomorrow's pre-match Press conference.

There is, however, a pressing need for the Norfolk side to discover some devil to their forward play; to try and ruffle a few more feathers than they did against Rangers.

Yes, they were big; yes, they were strong; yes, they were well-organised and drilled. But that all said, the home side never really got at 'em – a cardinal sin for a home side at the best of times, let alone when you enjoy a one-man advantage on your opponents for the better part of an hour.

Not everyone is going to prove as hapless as Plymouth. The being the Championship, they promptly go away to Watford and win on Tuesday night. You go figure..

Speaking ahead of that trip to Home Park, Roeder suggested that Bell was still “a few weeks” away from his Canary debut following that long and protracted switch from crisis-hit Luton over the summer. For a reported ?600,000. Which, in strictly transfer fee terms only, makes him pretty much Roeder's most expensive buy of the summer.

Others may overshadow that in terms of loan fees and wages, but it is clear that Bell remains a big piece of the manager's 2008-2009 jigsaw.

Whether on the basis of needs must, Roeder will be tempted to rush the final stages of his recovery through in time for the United game is another matter. What is certain is that Norwich need to find far more edge to their play in the final third if they themselves are to move out of the bottom third of the Championship table.

“Bell's training,” were two words last Friday that most City punters would be all-too pleased to hear. The sting was in the tail.

“But he's a few weeks away…'

To sweeten the pill, Roeder did suggest that the 24-year-old winger would be worth the wait after watching him go to work close up over the last couple of weeks.

“I've been very impressed in what I've seen so far of him in training,” added the City chief.

“And there's no better way of judging a player than having him in front of you, if you want. In a training session; seeing the qualities that a player's got.”

Bell was clearly watched at length last season – in particular in the final half of the season when he joined Leicester City on loan. There he more than held his own in his new, Championship surroundings and but for the Foxes disappearance into League One on the final day of the season might well have stayed at the Walkers Stadium as the financially-crippled Hatters desperately looked to off-load their highest earner.

Leicester's loss will, hopefully, prove to be Norwich's gain as and when Bell finally embarks on his Carrow Road career having arrived in the summer with an ankle injury attached.

“You think you see things when you see them play for their previous club,” said Roeder. “And, hopefully, it's proved right. But what I've seen in training, David Bell playing for us is something to look forward to.”

They do, said Roeder last night, owe the supporters a big performance after a pretty flat night at the office against that well-drilled Rangers side.

They also have to take any criticism firmly on the chin.

“We've got to be men about it, not boys. Take any criticism that comes our way now on the chin and we've got two days now to prepare for a home game against Sheffield United.

“[We need to] come out here and give our fans – who were brilliant tonight – a home win.”

Whether or not to throw Bell into the fray ahead of schedule is just one of a number of big decisions facing Roeder; to stick with Arturo Lupoli alongside Antoine Sibierski after pulling him off at half-time; and, who, exactly to play alongside Dejan Stefanovic in the expected absence of the luckless John Kennedy.

Last night and on-loan Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Grounds made his debut. Naturally left-sided, it left City slightly unbalanced with two, natural left footers in the heart of that defence.

All of which might see on-loan Spurs Reserve skipper Troy Archibald-Henville make his first start; alternatively, Elliot Omosuzi could switch inside allowing the invariably direct running of Jon Otsemobor to return to the manager's thinking. Gary Doherty remains weeks away from returning from his own ankle injury.


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