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People, just sit back and bask in the glory that is this City side. And relish what the Bennetts and the Howsons are adding…

10th April 2012 By Mick Dennis 18 Comments

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Antony Costa, the lumpy looking bloke who used to be in the ‘boy band’ Blue, added to my euphoria as I drove home after witnessing the miracle of White Hart Lane.

He telephoned talkSPORT to complain that Spurs were rubbish and proceeded to trash Luka Modric.

“I don’t know why Modric’s in the team,” he bleated. “I looked it up in Wikipedia and he’s only, like, scored us 12 goals!”

Well, Antony, I’ve looked you up in Wikipedia and it describes you as an actor, so you just can’t trust it. But you’ve got no future as a football analyst either if you think Modric’s contribution can or should be measured in goals.

Another Tottenham ‘supporter’ rang the show to complain: “We’ve got no forwards!”

No, that’s right. None at all. Other than Adebayor, Saha and Defoe. Unless you count the attacking wide players and forward-minded midfielders like Lennon, Bale and Van der Vaart.

And so the London club’s supporters were exposed as whingeing ingrates with a grossly-inflated sense of entitlement. Just like fans of all clubs, in fact, including some of our own.

Astonishingly, even at this blissful moment, in this wondrous campaign, in this soul-lifting three-season romp, there are people who call themselves Norwich supporters who carp and cavil.

There has been a debate on message boards about whether City fans have “a right to boo.” But that is the wrong issue, surely.

Of course people who pay to watch Norwich have a right to boo. Even keyboard warriors who stay at home have a right to boo.

But the real question is why would you want to? Why would you look for negatives at Norwich City now?

It is like winning the Lottery and moaning that it wasn’t the Euro Millions.

Why would you seek something to criticise, when as I write, Norwich are 56 places higher than when Paul Lambert took over?

Why boo, when after being at its lowest ebb for very nearly half a century, the great club in the fine city is now palpably well run, brilliantly managed and achieving epic performances?

And yet, after Norwich had beaten Wolves – I repeat, after a game we had won – somebody abused Steve Morison vilely in the Gunn Club. Chief executive David McNally reacted by saying that current players will not visit the Gunn Club for the rest of the season.

Does the abuser frequently behave offensively in public, towards ordinary members of the public? Or did he think that, as a fan, he had “a right” to launch a verbal assault on a player?

Again, perhaps a more apposite question is why would any genuine supporter wish to decry any of our players this season?

Morison doesn’t chase bad passes or lost causes. But he is sometimes asked to play the thankless lone striker role and he has thumped in nine goals in his first Premier League campaign, three seasons after playing in the Conference.

There has been criticism as well of Elliott Ward, most of it based on simplistic, glib appraisals.

Wardy has been injured for much of the season and was probably hurried back when others also sustained knocks. Then, against Wolves, he played in a back three – and so let’s properly ponder his role in that formation.

As the central player in ‘the three’, Ward was the obvious and frequent recipient of passes, both from goalkeeper John Ruddy and from midfield players under pressure. But, without full-backs, Ward was denied the option of laying the ball off sideways to the flanks. Wolves were working hard to shut off forward options as well.

So, usually, Ward had to attempt a difficult, threaded forward pass or just hump the ball up-field. And, whichever course he selected, there were grumbles from fans.

How did he respond? In the next home game, against Everton, Ward made more clearances than any other player in the Premier League that weekend.

And while we are considering playing with three centre-backs, I could not believe how swift some Yellow Army troupers were to lambast Paul Lambert for using that system at Fulham.

The deployment worked, to some extent, at Chelsea, back in August, and it seemed to me that our manager had a specific reason for trying it at Craven Cottage seven months later.

It enabled him to ease Ryan Bennett into the team without dropping either Ward or Zak Whitbread. Bennett was able to make the step up from the Championship for his Premier League debut with two others sharing his centre-back role.

If you were there, and you have eyes in your head, you will have witnessed the beginning of a very special Norwich City career. Bennett oozes class.

In all my years of watching top class players, I have seen very few defenders with the anticipation, vision and caressing touch to turn interceptions into short passes to team-mates in space.

Bobby Moore used to do it. Franco Baresi is doing it less these days. Gerard Pique can do it, but prefers to carry the ball forward.

Ryan Bennett, our Ryan Bennett, does it instinctively, and has the courage to do it at White Hart Lane against a team which, whatever bleating former boy band members believe, was stuffed full of internationals.

I believe the January acquisition of Bennett and Jonny Howson marked the beginning of the next chapter of the remarkable story of Lambert’s Norwich.

I expect our manager has already presented the club with his list of summer targets. I’d guess that there will be five or six names on the list, all of a similar quality to Bennett and Howson: young men with the talent and temperament to thrive in the Premier League and justify that football cliché about ‘taking us to the next level…’

These are heady days folks. Of course you can boo, if that is your thing.

But me? I intend to smile inanely and chuckle to myself, much as I have been doing since White Hart Lane.


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Filed Under: Column, Mick Dennis

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Comments

  1. YellowPeril says

    10th April 2012 at 11:21 pm

    I hope the person who “had a go” at Morrison gets banned. We all have the right to our opinions and bantering etc..is part of the game. But that kind of behaviour is completely without logic as well as stupid and nasty.

    Reply
  2. cityboy says

    11th April 2012 at 5:56 am

    i moan a bit when things are not quite right in the game, but never boo the team because as you say it is a negative responce and the players and managment do not deserve it,great season and in general lambert and the players deserve the success they have been bringing to norwich.

    Reply
  3. Pul Lancaster says

    11th April 2012 at 7:36 am

    THats a really good article and food for thought for all fans especially those that think they see but don’t understand – and includes me at times

    Reply
  4. EdCL says

    11th April 2012 at 7:59 am

    Concur 100%. Booing your own team and being rude and abusive to our own players? Well here’s a way to fix that annoying creaky door in your kitchen, set your house on fire, that’ll sort it out!

    Yes, no matter how well the side does and the team progresses, there are those that joy in the negative, finding fault and determining to belittle both players and fellow fans from a lofty position of “knowing better”.

    If a player hits a long pass? Play it short!

    If we play short, fast passes? Get it upfield!

    If Paul Lambert picks A, B and C? Why oh why (to the football ‘critic’, a mere “why” will never suffice, it has to be “why oh why”) hasn’t he picked D, E and F?

    If we win? We should hsve won bigger and better.

    If Morison scores twice? Well, he should have got three.

    If we won the League Cup? Tsk, should have been the FA Cup. Micky Mouse trophy anyway. We’ll probably get relegated now.

    The settings on such ‘fans’ are infinite-for every step forward and achievement the club realises, these fans are always ahead of the game, they were in League 1, they are today.

    I wish they would do themselves a favour and pass on the obvious pain they feel in supporting the club by means of letting those that enjoy and appreciate the chance to do so go in their place.

    I’m sure they’ll cope with the terrible burden that these poor souls have had to carry for so long and which we mere mortals can neither see nor appreciate.

    OTBC!

    Reply
  5. Jack Frost says

    11th April 2012 at 8:36 am

    Great article Mick.
    Personally. I’m in dreamland!
    My biggest problem is living 200 miles from The Fine City and tying up pre booking accommodation and getting tickets for games.
    That’s the only downside of supporting such a successful club.
    I’ll live with that.
    OTBC!

    Reply
  6. Dr OTBC says

    11th April 2012 at 9:20 am

    Well said, these are special times for us and the future is looking very bright. If you like moaning go and watch that outfit down the A140, plenty of booing opportunities there.

    Reply
  7. Susie says

    11th April 2012 at 10:52 am

    Hear, hear Mick! I walked out of the 1-7 debacle in tears 32 months ago. Saturday there were tears of joy at WHL. What an amazing time to be a Norwich City fan and how lucky we are to have Paul Lambert. It will be very interesting to see who is on that list of his. Any inkling? OTBC.

    Reply
  8. Canaryglen says

    11th April 2012 at 12:05 pm

    Top article Mick – you described my feelings on Ward v Wolverhampton perfectly. Despite 3 or 4 passes going astray and growing discontent from the sidelines, he never hid, and continued to collect the ball as per Lambert’s obvious instructions. The lad has got courage by the bucketload.
    Heady days

    Reply
  9. abraham says

    11th April 2012 at 12:08 pm

    Excellent article as usual from Mick.

    Anyone who cant rejoice in the remarkable turnaround at NCFC needs to look at themselves.

    Reply
  10. Chris Riches says

    11th April 2012 at 1:11 pm

    Mick… I salute you! What a great read :))

    I cannot fault a single word.

    (I am NOT Mick Dennis!)

    Reply
  11. Martin L says

    11th April 2012 at 5:05 pm

    What an excellent article. I’ve supported City since 1959 when I was too young to know what I was letting myself in for! In my opinion, these are the best times we have known in those 53 years.
    1988/9 and 1992-1994 were great times too but I honestly believe we have a stronger squad now (although we had a few class individuals in those days). We also have stronger support and a great feeling of togetherness. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s to enjoy the good times while they last.

    Reply
  12. Wire canary says

    11th April 2012 at 5:50 pm

    Excellent article mick … as a loyal season ticket holder who lives near Liverpool and has to travel a lot I have questioned the same things at times but in Lambert we trust and your article spot on !!! Of course we have the odd moan we wouldnt be human if we didnt … But i am So proud wearing my shirt amongst the red and blues of Manchester and Liverpool up here 🙂 we should all be proud and enjoying it … Otbc !!!

    Reply
  13. David Bowen says

    11th April 2012 at 7:09 pm

    Great article Mick, talk about halcyon days! What do these Canary Callers expect? Numbskulls, the lot of them!

    Reply
  14. ALOLEL says

    11th April 2012 at 9:07 pm

    Excellent stuff Mick, as always.

    Its heady, its almost dreamland – and we should enjoy every second.

    Everyone has a right to their opinions, ignorance is a poor excuse, but is generally the reason.

    OTBC, follow, follow, follow.

    Reply
  15. A fine city says

    12th April 2012 at 5:49 pm

    It truly is a great time to be a Norwich fan, but don’t get too defensive Mick. I too abhor the post-match behaviour you describe towards Morison, and the booing – if it actually happens – but let’s not go to the opposite extreme and regard anyone who voices a word of criticism about the way someone has played as being out of order. Supporters can be delighted with where the team is at, how the club is run and how fantastic PL is, and still think a player could have done better in a game.

    Reply
  16. Chopper Harry says

    12th April 2012 at 7:52 pm

    One of those rare moments when an article sums up exactly how I feel. Absolutely love this – “It is like winning the Lottery and moaning that it wasn’t the Euro Millions.”.

    Reply
  17. Tom East says

    13th April 2012 at 11:24 am

    Good point on Bennett being eased in at Fulham. I thought a similar thing myself but if you’re playing three at the back, surely you have to have more than one up front.

    Still, that’s not me moaning just an observation. I was amazed to hear people moaning about Lambert changing it every week at Fulham. Surely that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been successful. Often promoted teams who have had a successful first half of the season drop away as other teams works them out. That hasn’t happened with Norwich as we play a number of different formations.

    Reply
  18. Matt w says

    19th April 2012 at 4:20 pm

    All very true – football fans and pundits have for some time fallen into the rut of judging players, teams and managers by the last pass/shot/game rather than in the round. I remember hearing Charlton fans on 606 saying how Curbishley should go for not taking them to the ‘next level’. I hope we have none of that squit this end.

    Reply

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