• 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

Lambert trusting that the two-week break will ‘galvanise’ his troops ahead of the Gunners clash after a relentless autumn

8th November 2011 By Rick Waghorn Leave a Comment

Please share

City boss Paul Lambert is banking on the two-week international break ‘galvanising’ his troops ahead of their next, big Premiership task – halting a resurgent Arsenal side in their tracks at Carrow Road in the lunch-time kick-off on November 19th.

Before then his Premier League new-boys have the chance to re-group and re-charge after this weekend’s 3-2 away defeat at Aston Villa which brought a ‘relentless’ spell of games to a close.

It will also give one of this autumn’s real star turns – midfield tyro Bradley Johnson – the chance to clear his head and see one or two less stars after exiting early in the Villa game with a head knock.

He, certainly, will benefit from the international break as the Canaries look to kick on again in the live, TV clash with the Gunners.

“The break will galvanise us again and the first game back will be Arsenal which will be another mammoth task,” admitted Lambert, hard on the heels of Saturday’s away reverse.

Johnson’s unscheduled exit and the decision to pair club skipper Grant Holt alongside Steve Morison from the start – at the expense of David Fox – together ensured that the Canaries were a different-looking beast to the one that been unchanged for the previous six games.

The decision to go with the two big men up top, said Lambert, was based on the hope that they would give the Villa back two of Richard Dunne and James Collins rather more to think about than the lone striker of previous weeks.

The sacrifice came in the shape of an extra, protective body in the heart of that midfield. And once a dazed Johnson disappeared, so it was a wholly new-look centre two that was left to try and stem the service to the flying Gabby Agbonlahor.

“We just thought we needed another striker up there – especially coming up against the two, centre-backs that Aston Villa have got and I made the decision that I thought was the right one,” Lambert explained to BBC Radio Norfolk afterwards.

His best-laid plans, however, didn’t legislate for losing his midfield engine room before the break.

“Losing Jonno [Johnson] was a blow with a head knock,” said the City chief, who towed a cautious line as the midfielder’s memory briefly deserted him.

On the basis of you don’t what you’ve got till it’s gone, his exit didn’t help the Canary cause.

“He’s a good player – he’s been in exceptional form for us and he’s done really, really well for us. But if you get a bit of concussion and you can’t remember then it’s safer to bring him off.”

As much as the game might be remembered for the ghastly back-pass from Leon Barnett that sold John Ruddy so short, there were still positives to be had – not least the eye for a goal that Anthony Pilkington brings to the party.

That peach of a free-kick was his fourth goal of a blossoming campaign; he looks the Premiership part – he has the frame, the gait and the touch of a top flight player.

The other big point came from the opposition – in the sense that the performance of Agbonlahor away on the Villa left merely confirmed the wisdom of Lambert’s decision to invest in both pace and width with the summer arrivals of both Pilkington and Elliott Bennett.

“You’ve got to have pace and legs to get about the football pitch,” said Lambert, with Agbonlahor having all too much of both for City’s liking.

Morison’s third goal of the season off a perfect, hanging cross from his new striker partner Holt at least ensured that Villa had to work for their win – even if, on this occasion, Norwich failed to conjure up their traditional last-gasp leveller.

“We gave them a fright – I’m quite sure if you asked Alex [McLeish] he’d say we gave them a fright. And if we keep that spirit and keep playing the way that we’re playing, hopefully, we’ll be OK.”


Please share

Filed Under: Latest news

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

bluesfocus Blues Focus @bluesfocus ·
26m

🔎 The lowdown on recently linked Danel Sinani

✍️ @Mc1Eddie

#BCFC #NCFC https://bluesfocus.co.uk/2023/01/27/the-lowdown-on-norwichs-danel-sinani/

Reply on Twitter 1618940687373963264 Retweet on Twitter 1618940687373963264 Like on Twitter 1618940687373963264 Twitter 1618940687373963264
tommykerrison Thomas @tommykerrison ·
37m

Sounds like this was always the plan 🇺🇸🇺🇸#ncfc

Reply on Twitter 1618937985252339719 Retweet on Twitter 1618937985252339719 Like on Twitter 1618937985252339719 Twitter 1618937985252339719
beerlightweight Steve of Norwich ™️ @beerlightweight ·
48m

Actually it's 27 seasons in the same seat....#ncfc

Reply on Twitter 1618935233746972672 Retweet on Twitter 1618935233746972672 Like on Twitter 1618935233746972672 3 Twitter 1618935233746972672
canarycitizens Canary Citizens @canarycitizens ·
48m

Are the Attanasios about to get more involved in #NCFC?

Good explanation of what's going on here by @SamSeaman8.
https://www.pinkun.com/news/23280000.explained-norwich-citys-general-meeting-allot-shares/

Reply on Twitter 1618935097310470144 Retweet on Twitter 1618935097310470144 Like on Twitter 1618935097310470144 1 Twitter 1618935097310470144
saund65 Canaries Caption It @saund65 ·
52m

Whatever is in the #NCFC pipeline, show some love for these good folks.

Reply on Twitter 1618934170994225152 Retweet on Twitter 1618934170994225152 Like on Twitter 1618934170994225152 3 Twitter 1618934170994225152
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