Wycombe boss Gary Waddock has promised his Chairboys side will come out fighting against City at the weekend, as Paul Lambert prepares to return to his first English club as a manager.
The Buckinghamshire club are deep in the relegation mire, having taken one point from their last possible 12.
Monday saw them go down 5-2 at home to Brighton, despite leading 2-1 at half-time. But the former Aldershot chief issued a war cry ahead of the Canaries encounter, even though most people will have it down as an away banker.
“I am a fighter. I am a winner and it doesn’t change what I’m trying to achieve here. I am not going to lie down and die – no chance.”
And Waddock insisted he will not let his under-performing players drag him down, promising to replace them with players who are up for the fight.
Owner Steve Hayes has already made it clear that Waddock will have cash to spend when the transfer window opens and the Wanderers boss says ‘leaders of men’ are at the top of his shopping list.
“In the situation we are in we have to have leaders and characters, people who are going to fight and scrap.
“We are too nice. We have got to be nasty and I’ve got to make some decisions that are going to be difficult.
“You don’t become a bad team or a bad coach or manager overnight. I will work extremely hard to turn this around.”
Waddock did, however, refuse to commit to how many players he wants to add to his ranks. But he conceded that attracting fresh blood to a club that is low on confidence and belief is not going to be easy.
“It’s all very well the window opening but you have got to attract players and get them in and that’s easier said than done.”
But the Norwich clash this weekend – which is expected to go ahead as Wycombe enjoy undersoil heating – will be at the forefront of his mind.
Even a point against the high-flying Canaries will be a step in the right direction…
Yeovil and Brighton were both relegation rivals but Saturday’s encounter starts a tough January with matches against Leeds and Charlton to follow.
But Waddock is refusing to adopt a negative stance and has called for his troops to stand up and be counted.
“That’s why the club wanted promotion,” he added, speaking to the Bucks Free Press.
“They wanted to play against the likes of Norwich, Leeds and Charlton. Why fear them? That’s the type of game that this football club wanted but we have to put up a better showing than we have done.
“Norwich is a big game, it was always going to be.I don’t know how the players are going to respond and react to it – but it won’t be for the want of trying from the coaching side.
“Confidence is low but it is a case of rolling your sleeves up time – Have we got enough characters, leaders within the group to do that only time will tell.”
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