If it was all smiles again at Carrow Road on Saturday, then there wasn't much doubt as to who was sporting one of the biggest – home-again striker Jamie Cureton.
Whatever transpired between the 33-year-old one-time Canary starlet and former boss Glenn Roeder is probably best left buried in the mists of time as all concerned look to move swiftly on.
But there is little doubt that the pair weren't on exactly the same wavelength and that had the Canaries, for example, nicked a scrappy win against Charlton last Tuesday night, then there would have been every chance that Cureton would still have been at Barnsley this weekend – and not kissing his beloved City badge in front of a gleeful Carrow Road after bagging the crucial second goal against the Tykes.
Whether this weekend would have seen Roeder himself finally fall from grace – that any win against the Addicks the other night would have done little but delay the inevitable – is something for others to ponder.
As it was the dice rolled, Darren Ambrose scored that sixth minute winner and Roeder was out of the door 24 hours later as Cureton headed home to where his heart is – to where his one-time team-mate Bryan Gunn was waiting with the welcome mat.
And, of course, a new job title as the 'player recruitment officer' became the man 'in charge of first team affairs'.
The fact that Gunn – the former Sheriff of Norwich – had immediately made Cureton such a 'wanted man' was music to his ears. Little surprise, therefore, to find Cureton straight into the team and straight onto the score-sheet as the goals and the good-will flowed again in that 4-0 dismissal of Barnsley.
“He said he wanted me back, he believed in me and there was a good chance of me being involved and playing,” Cureton told the Eastern Daily Press afterwards.
With Italian striker Arturo Lupoli continually linked to moves away from Carrow Road – Reggina and Siena back home in Italy were today's name in the frame; Southampton also did the rounds last week – Cureton's strike instincts could yet be sorely needed over the next 18 games. Particularly if the transfer window fails to yield much by way of strike fruit.
Simply being made to feel welcome and wanted made all the difference, said Cureton, as he slipped back onto the goal trail again with that deft, second-half lob.
“He wanted me to be a part of the team and that's all I have needed to hear, that I'm wanted and people want me around the place and people want me to play for Norwich.
“And that was it. He told me that the moment he was given the job, which was late on Wednesday – it is the simplest thing to do but it has probably given me the biggest boost I have had all season.
“It's a simple thing, but when you're told they believe in you that's all you need. It was then down to me to go out and prove him right – hopefully I've done that.”
It would appear that simply being handed that freedom to express themselves on the pitch was one of the biggest factors in Norwich's much-improved second-half performance – a rationale that would, you suspect, equally apply to Wes Hoolahan who had a ball flitting about wherever he fancied.
A yoke had been lifted off the shoulders of at least two players – and, indeed, arguably 24,500 supporters as chairman Roger Munby pointedly noted the 'transformational' atmosphere around the place before disappearing off to talk short-lists with the board.
They were also due to meet Gunn himself to discuss his own, potential place on said short-list.
“Players felt the manager [Roeder] didn't have faith in the team,” said Cureton. “We weren't allowed to play with freedom but under caretaker manager Bryan Gunn I felt wanted again.”
And that's all there was to it. Play with freedom and without fear and let the results flow…
Leave a Reply