A lump in the throat quickly became a tear in the eye as those lads – off the back of 94 gruelling minutes – somehow managed to edge themselves ahead in the most thrilling of circumstances; McGeehan’s badge thumping summing up the mood to perfection.
Archives for April 2013
A dearth of quality in the attacking third goes ignored as the 'Hughton out' brigade again find its voice
Typically, the resulting inquest has pretty much laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of Chris Hughton; his pragmatic approach – especially away from home – again coming under intense scrutiny. But, while it’s normal for those at the top of the pyramid to take the wrap when things go belly-up, it seems a little bizarre that the players have been almost absolved of any responsibility.
Canary Faithful faced with yet another anxious week ahead of Lambert’s return as the Toon Army hit full relegation panic mode
“Even if that’s a draw – a draw here is always a very tough ask. But we knew we had to impose ourselves, but what we came up against was a Stoke side back to their most direct.”
Canary Faithful faced with yet another anxious week ahead of Lambert's return as the Toon Army hit full relegation panic mode
“Even if that’s a draw – a draw here is always a very tough ask. But we knew we had to impose ourselves, but what we came up against was a Stoke side back to their most direct.”
City's no-show at the Britannia brings into even sharper focus next week's six-pointer with the Villa
The league table would have looked even worse for City but for Emerson Boyce’s 90th minute own-goal at the DW Stadium, one that saw Tottenham earn a point from a game that looked to be heading the way of the Latics. In short, that late twist at the DW may have a greater bearing on the final outcome than events – or non-events – at the Britannia.
Under-fire Pulis reveals the same ambition as City boss Hughton – to get across that 40-point finishing line as soon as possible
“I personally think we will be safe with 40, and our goal difference is good, so that’s almost an extra point for us. The sooner we get to that then the more relaxed we will be, and with a lot more smiles on people’s faces. The pressure comes off.”
As Ryan Bennett awaits trial by the FA over Twitter comments, the question now is… to tweet, or not to tweet
All in all a little bit of a mess for a young man who, on Saturday, turned in a tremendous Man-of-the-Match performance that included notching the all-important first goal; such is the life of a professional footballer. From hero to zero in the space of four days.
Darren Eadie joins Ed on a journey through the 90s – all the way from Chippenham to the Fine City
“Norwich have always had that reputation. With respect to that, Gordon Bennett was brilliant. I think his title was Youth Development Officer. He helped me a great deal, and not just with regard to the football – he even helped me set up my first bank account, and that’s the one I still use today!”
David Conn’s latest tome on the madness of Premier League finances merely confirms the level of achievement at Carrow Road
The point about taking in all that his research offers is just how important Premier League survival remains to a host of clubs; for whom relegation to the Championship is all-but a kiss of death given the extent to which their finances rest on sloughing about in that Premier League trough.
Love it or loathe it, an afternoon of happy-clapping takes City to the brink of Premier League safety
The Club, in their own attempt to fire up the atmosphere, were handed a trump card in the form of the Under-18s, and even minus the clappers their pre-match ovation would have been of the rousing variety. As it happened the lads played their part in proceedings perfectly and were ably by a trio of legends – Messrs Eadie, Dublin and Huckerby all still proving capable of playing a Carrow Road blinder.
Bennetts R and E push City to within touching distance of the finishing line courtesy of a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over the doomed Royals
Norwich have that all-important momentum; wind back in their sails; three, huge points nailed on the door. Premiership survival could, of course, be guaranteed in the home game against Aston Villa…
Adkins keeping the faith that Reading can deliver a miracle as Hughton insists that all will be well on the back of the Arsenal effort
“We go to Norwich with a positive mindset,” he stressed. “And the boys have worked really hard on the training ground. I’ve been pleased again and it has been highlighted that we’ve got to get three points.”
As City prepare for the mother of all 'must win' games, the Under 18s serve up the perfect aperitif
One hopes their call for the #Yellarmy to create a cauldron will have the desired effect – although it would be good to think that unequivocal backing of the Yellow Army would be a given on such occasions regardless. It’d certainly be helpful if the dissenters could find it in themselves to ‘button it’ from 2:45 to 5:00 on Saturday afternoon.
John Polston and Ed take us behind the scenes of the legendary Class of 92/93, including THAT night against Vitesse
“Vitesse played very well in the first half of that first game, in Norwich. In fact, it was unbelievable, and a real shock to our systems. It was 0—0 at half time and we all came in, sat down, looked at each other and thought, ‘OK, what are we doing here?’…”
With five to go, and the race for safety hotting up, now is the time for cool heads… on and off the pitch
The sense of injustice we all felt post-Stadium of Light was certainly back, and back with a vengeance. Whether that feeling of being shafted is as justified now as it felt at 17:00 on Saturday – with the adrenalin still pumping – remains to be seen, but to watch those three points slip through the fingers in such agonising fashion was painful either way.
Hughton blasts Emirates officials for ‘almost criminal’ decisions that cost City three, huge points and will keep the nerves fraying
“Nobody really appeals for it. Is there some contact? Yes, there is; does he [Kamara] play the ball? Yes, he does. But for a linesman to give it from that distance away… I think it’s almost criminal. On a day when we deserved so much more.”
Hughton blasts Emirates officials for 'almost criminal' decisions that cost City three, huge points and will keep the nerves fraying
“Nobody really appeals for it. Is there some contact? Yes, there is; does he [Kamara] play the ball? Yes, he does. But for a linesman to give it from that distance away… I think it’s almost criminal. On a day when we deserved so much more.”
City suffer late heartbreak at the Emirates as the wave of a flag signals away-day disaster for Hughton's men
The game’s pivotal moment came on 84 minutes when, from a hotly disputed corner – Snodgrass looking as though he’d successfully shepherded the ball out for a goal-kick – the ensuing scramble resulted in Kamara harshly being adjudged to have pulled Giroud’s shirt.
While some question the current path, there are clubs (some not far away) of whom City are still the envy
The simmering discontent over Chris Hughton’s management style has taken on a life of its own of late – Twitter and the message-boards affording the dissenters a disproportionately loud voice – but the depth of feeling of some was brought home to me over me pre-match drink last Saturday.
As part of the famed Class of '92/93, Mark Walton recalls City's best ever Premier League season
“… David Williams was the best coach I ever had the pleasure to work for, or with, and his impact on Norwich City should never be underestimated, as in my eyes, he was the man who should have taken more plaudits for the club’s success than anyone.”