Reality check? Being brought back down to earth? Or simply being faced by a hard-working, typical Tony Mowbray side who had weighed us up before kick off and stuck with their plan to press consistently hard, play to their strengths and ride their luck at times?
The choice, dear MFW readers, is yours.
Personally, I feel that the latter option wins the day because unlike, might I suggest, Millwall or Boro, Blackburn were well worth their point and I would say fair play to them. They gave as good as they got [especially in the physical sense] and they could have stolen a win as much as we could – despite Teemu Pukki and Emi Buendia having eminently convertible chances at the end.
There were negatives and positives on Saturday of course and I’ll start with events at Carrow Road.
Positives? A fine finish from Kenny McLean as we stepped it up a gear in the second half. He took that superbly well, did the Mayor, who said after the game:
“These things happen and you can’t be perfect all the time but recently we’ve been near-perfect with the way we’ve been playing. It’s a point on the board and 28 from the last 30 isn’t a bad return. If we do the same again I think we’ll be sitting nicely”.
The performance of Jacob Sorensen. I thought he was great when he came on and was unlucky not to score late on. The performances of Olly Skipp and Max Aarons, who both stood out to me again in this match. And the way we battled throughout despite the tired legs.
Now, obviously, onto the negatives. The injuries of course.
Dimitris Giannoulis got an elbow in the face, had lengthy treatment and recovered for a couple of minutes, even putting over a decent cross or two before he had to go off after what I presume were the after effects of a concussive injury. Knowing a bit how these procedures work [as we all do by now] I’d guess he won’t be permitted to join the Greek travelling party. I would never deny a player his right to play for his country but in this case it might, in a perverse way, prove beneficial for NCFC as we enter the run-in.
Referee Keith Stroud could have looked much more closely at the original clash but being Stroud he wouldn’t, would he? He’s alongside Simon Hooper and Darren England in my book – as in not fit for purpose.
Ben Gibson’s incident when running out close to the left-side goalpost at the Barclay end looked far worse. There was no contact with anybody but he rolled his ankle and the stretcher procedure tells me that’s ligaments and in this case a season-ender. Oh $hit.
I’m no medico and it’s too early to judge in any case but let’s hope it’s not as bad as some of us suspect it might be. Daniel Farke will inform us in all good time of course and we must all hope for the best as I’m not sure how the final eight matches might pan out without him. If Grant Hanley and Zimbo can see out eight games each we’ll be fine but it’s certainly worrying from my point of view.
Away from ourselves there was a negative. Watford breezed past Birmingham to emerge just eight points behind us in the table.
But the positives on Saturday far outweighed that.
Despite an Ivan Toney penalty, Brentford were pegged back by Forest. The Bees will not be relevant to our season from this point.
And for the first time ever in my life I want to buy Mick McCarthy a drink. It could be John Smiths, It could be Smethwicks. It might even be Greene King but I don’t care if it’s Evian water. Mick, it’s on me for the pleasure of seeing the scoreline *Swansea City 0, Cardiff City 1*
I’ll treat Aiden Flint too if you like – that was a very encouraging result from our point of view and one that will serve to get us over the line.
That EFL Championship table looks just fine to me right now.
It was a funny old Saturday in football terms, as hunters of magic mushrooms growing under trees in Georgia USA would relate to.
Usual good read Mr P as usual, Yea full credit to Blackbum, deserved what they got, after listening to Mowbray I was not surprised but did expect them to fade away in the last 15 minutes or so.
Not that we didn’t have chances, their keeper pulled off a couple of good saves, which would have killed the game right off. credit to him for that. Would like to have seen the 10 game mark, but still 10 games unbeaten is still some mighty achievement.
The injury to Gibson is worrying, could be a season-ender as you say, but sure Zimmo will not let us down, wasn’t that long ago he was the first name after Krul on the sheet and a fans hero. He can handle this of that I am 100% sure.
My only point on the game, I thought Hugill could have been brought on to partner Pukki, with Pukkii taking the number 10 role. Would have been a change of both personnel and tactics. But that is not a complaint, just a thought doesn’t really matter.
Hi Lad
I hoped Blackburn would fade too, but they didn’t and for once we were looking a bit leggy towards the end ourselves. Their keeper Kaminski was excellent as you say.
Maybe Hugill would have helped out in a defensive way when Gallagher came on?
Of course Zimbo won’t let us down but it’s vital that he and Hanley stay fit for the final eight matches. Fingers crossed!
Cheers
You forgot to mention the tackles on EMI which it had been him doing the foul would have got him a card.
All refs are corrupt and stupid.
Who knows VAR might have worked in our favour. OTBC
Hi Kingpike
Every side we play tries to wind up Emi. Don’t think I didn’t notice it once more, I just kind of take it as a given and have become a bit blasé about it I guess. An unwanted compliment to a highly skilled player I would say.
I hope you’re wrong about referees, but I do wonder myself sometimes.
Thanks
Totally agree with everything there Martin.
On the day Blackburn were well worth their point, but why did Todd throw his arms up to concede the free kick which they equalised from?
As for the referee, given how quick he was in our match against ‘Boro to ensure Emi got sent off for a “non-challenge”, he didn’t even talk to the Blackburn player who did the GBH thing on Giannoulis. Had that been in the Premier League, Blackburn would have had to play with 10 men….and surely we would then have prevailed….
Watford are looking ominous, but they do have most of those at the top of the league to play…..unfortunately we also know what usually happens when we meet them.
Still, it remains ours to lose….and if we emerge after the Preston game with another victory then surely we will be all but there??
O T B C
Hi John
A win against Preston seems a bit iffy considering how many players are away on international duty so I’m taking nothing for granted.
As much as we SO deserve the title my only real consideration is the gap between ourselves and Swansea if I’m honest 🙂
In what passes for my mind I reckon that if we d*ck Huddersfield, Derby and Reading then we’ve done the job. Substitute QPR for Derby if you wish!
Cheers
Your comments on the three Ref’s are spot on. I will often read reports from other championship games and your ‘Triumvirate’ certainly are a shining example of how not to for those learning the art of refereeing.
I’m with you on Sorensen, he’s so dependable and just what we need for the run in and next season. Ben Gibson has been fantastic but Zimbo will relish his opportunity so I don’t think we need to be too concerned, after all I reckon we need 87 points to secure promotion so just a win and a draw from the final 8 games.
I expect us to win the lot!.
Hi Colin
I must admit I’ve been as confident as you – since the *depths of Derby* anyway.
But winning the lot? Nah, that won’t happen even if only because the EFL have ruined our chances by declining to put back the Preston game. More to come from me on that situation later in the week.
On refs I enjoyed a televised FA Cup footballing feast yesterday when I couldn’t have cared less which team won and simply enjoyed two entertaining games. Mark Clattenburg stood out as an outstanding official.
Cheers
So we’re still top with an increased gap between us an 3rd. The Binners lost again. Connor Southwell gave Savage a savaging on 606. A good weekend.
Hi Don
Our MFW alumni Connor showed real maturity in dealing with Lily, for sure.
The gap to third is the key to the door but as I said to John [above] we merit the title.
Cheers mate
Good morning Martin on this lovely sunny morning here in Norwich..
Interesting that both Mowbray and Colin have done a number on us, though Blackburn certainly have their GK and the woodwork to thank for limiting us to only one goal.
I wonder if fatigue played a part in our slightly below par performance, as that was our 3rd game in 6 days and followed our 5 🌟 performance against Forest.
As you rightly say, 28 points from a possible 30 is nothing short of incredible and I defy anyone from the ‘Canary Nation’ to disagree.
As you and and others have said, the main concern after Saturday is the injury to Gibson and could well be the end of his season. I expect we’ll get an update from DF as soon as possible.
I see Preston have dispensed with the services of AN and McAvoy is in temporary charger, but I’m not ‘holding my breath, on the fixture being moved back a day.
At least DF and the players can sit with their ‘feet up on the sofa’ for a day or two during the International break and have a rest from the relentless schedule.
If DF doesn’t win Manager of the Month, then the voting is DEFINITELY rigged!! 😳
Hi Ed
That was definitely fatigue setting in as you say and I’m sure we will be no better off in that respect when we face Preston given international duty.
Poor old Daniel is sure to miss out on MotM again – Watford’s Xisco has won every match in March so probably deserves it anyway.
Hope your ankle is right ‘n’ proper by now – maybe you, Gary, myself and Ben Gibson could compare notes some day!
Cheers
If anyone should be taken to task over the challenge on Giannulis it is the assistant referee who had a clear view no more than 10 yards away. In the instant Stroud would have to rely on his assistant’s judgement. Interestingly nobody from City has made any great fuss about the challenge and the club’s official report calls it a clash of heads. I also got the impression that he may have hurt his right knee in falling awkwardly but we’ll see what the club tell us.
I wasn’t surprised at our performance (for once I can even refer you pack to Gary’s preview on Friday and prove I’m not just saying that with the benefit of hindsight!)
Trouble is you could also go back to the pre-season preview when I had Blackburn as one of my top 6. Only about 10 places out on that one then…. maybe next year, not that we’ll care.
We had 4 consecutive draws towards the end of our last promotion season when we were looking a bit flat. Let’s hope we snap out of it at PNE, with Alex Neil gone.
Hi Keith
In the heat of the moment I didn’t see where the lino was but after watching a replay afterwards I think you’re absolutely right.
Clash of heads? My ar$e.
I hate making predictions, especially pre-season ones. If I get a minute I’ll look up mine and probably turn boiled lobster red when I do!
We’ll all have our own theories on what we need to do for automatic and I’ll repeat mine as I said to John [above]:
In what passes for my mind I reckon that if we d*ck Huddersfield, Derby and Reading then we’ve done the job. Substitute QPR for Derby if you wish!
Thanks as always
Morning Martin good read as usual blackburn made us work for that point had luck been in would have been 3 im. suprised ipshite havent had old pork pie as their manager shame 😊 if Gibson has ligament damage could Be a doubt for start of Next season which leave us short at ch again see old bottle of pop Down Road has gone flat Swansea finaley getting nil pua and as earlier Said watford would Be our Main challenges could carrow rd v them be title decider ? Keep well mate
Hiya Kev
Yes ligaments are fecking terrible as Gary said yesterday. I’ve broken both my ankles with associated collateral damage and know what it’s like – months, mate, months. You can walk with sticks about three weeks afterwards but as for getting on the grass? Forget it.
I had weeks worth of physio the second time, which is how I met Tim Sheppard who was absolutely top dollar.
Hopefully Ben’s isn’t a break – it didn’t look like it – but we’ll simply have to wait and see.
So now you know why I get the service lift [up, not down] to D block 🙂
Cheers mate
Hi Martin. Mr Stroud surprised me, as he didn’t find a reason to book Emi even once, let alone twice, though I’m sure he tried to. Emi behaved impeccably, despite some of the treatment meted out to him. Stroud certainly seemed to have limited vision when it came to some of Blackburn’s tackles.
Having said that, credit to Tony Mowbray. For an ex-binner he is a very good tactician, maybe they should try to get him when Mr Cook inevitably bites the dust, though he’s probably got more sense than to pick up that poisoned chalice. He said before the game that he would shut us down, and he pretty much did just that. I’m going to put Emi’s wasted opportunity at the end down to lack of sleep because of the new arrival.
If memories serve me well Mowbray and Venus turned then down on two occasions once just before taking over at Coventry and again when they took over at Celtic so possibly they aren’t interested in going back
We’ve made a couple of bad managerial appointments over the years but they completely trump us in that respect.
Good luck to Paul Cook – he’ll need it.
😂😂😂 “a couple” that’s being very kind Martin.
OK I’ll come clean: Gunny, Rioch, Hamilton, Grant, Roeder plus Adams and Neil to a lesser extent. Even then I’ve probably forgotten one!
Hi Jim
I can’t argue with anything you’ve said so I won’t.
As for the Binners, Paul Cook has a real job on his hands with that gig. Although I’m roughly 42 miles away from Portaloo Road if there’s a Southerly wind I can smell the decay coming from there. If I’m in Mundesley I still get a faint whiff from a range of 65 miles.
But that’s their problem, not ours.
For all my moans about Delia over the years I thank my lucky stars we don’t have Marcus Evans in charge here. And to think they were waving £20 notes at us not so long ago!
Cheers
Hi Martin
Well Hoolihan and Francomb both scored for their clubs on Saturday so ex city players over 30 still can turn it on.
Mowbray gets lots of credit to the way Blackburn play but I just wonder how much comes down to his partner in crime and ex Ipshite cohort Mark Venus.
Maybe the Stretcher was a cautionary thing just to make sure Gibson didn’t put any pressure on a possibly season ending injury but speculation is only that and we will all wait with bated breath for the prognosis from Herr Farke.
PNE are in a bit of free fall and I suppose we can expect them to lift their game when city comes calling, A-N has git sacked after 4 season when never finishing in the bottom half of the table, city supporters moan about selling players but PNE have sold their best players without recruiting replacements so his squad is short in quality and depth due to the board making those decisions.
Trevor Hemmings PNE is a Billionaire owner and last year purchased Cork City as a feeder club to Preston he also own Trust Inns, bought and sold Pontins, 3 Blackpool Piers
Wintergardens and Tower and lost £700m+ in the collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland and is very much like Joe Lewis of Spurs.
City had a tough few weeks like many in this league it never stops we can only hope that both players recover well and are fit to play come PNE, Sorensen has proved adequate at LB but at a push he has also covered at CB for his previous club and Country and Xavi might get a chance to show he is good enough for this league and possibly the PL.
ODI tomorrow, Friday and Sunday and a few International football games I might get round to viewing.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay Safe and Stay Healthy 🙏
Great piece as always Martin.
With Brentford drawing and Swansea losing a point was another step towards promotion.
I wasn’t entirely surprised that Mowbray did a number on us, but on another day one of the shots that hit the woodwork would have gone in or Emi would have hit his late chance first time and probably scored.
The news has come in as you feared that Ben Gibson is out for the season. Terrible for us and so sad for Ben who has been superb all season. But while Zimbo hasn’t hit his form of two years ago
( courtesy of Mr Haller perhaps) he hasn’t let us down.
Watford do look dangerous but I feel we are due a win against them, so here’s hoping. The truth is promotion is the aim, especially in this coronavirus pandemic. The long term financial future of the club would be secured for the next 3-4 years with promotion.
Also if we did win the league this season it wouldn’t be like two years ago. I think it was Keith the Liverpool fan who came on here last year who was rightly worried that Liverpool would be denied their first Premier League win in 30 years due to covid.
It seemed to most of us contributors were genuinely worried that the return of football was extremely unwise, and I think football dodged a bullet because as it turned out covid thankfully didn’t affect younger people as we feared. Though a couple of Newcastle players may beg to differ.
But what it did do was stopping (sensible) supporters celebrating their teams achievements as we did two years ago, and as I said to Keith Liverpool’s celebrations were severely muted just as ours will be come May if we do achieve another Championship.
Though I am sure Kenny has some MD20/20 already on order !!!
On the subject of referee’s Martin one I thought was a great referee was Roger Kirkpatrick, us kids called called him Mr Pickwick due to his girth.
OTBC
Hi Tim
I remember Kirkpatrick as well, as I do the legendary Jack Taylor, then later on Mark Halsey and the Italian guy who took no $hit from anyone – Gianluigi Collina. He looked like a James Bond villain but to watch him interviewed was a privilege. Maybe the most high-profile ref of all time without deliberately drawing attention to himself?
The covid points you make are interesting. I’ll come clean and say I had my AZ jab last week and felt like a sack of $hite for 36 hours afterwards. But that’s how it goes and I’ll be back for my second in June. Apart from my son I know of nobody else who has suffered side-effects beyond a sore arm – it must be in the Penney family genes.
Of course there will be no City Hall balcony job this time around. I understand that as much as Keith the Liverpool fan must have done at the time. It’s desperately disappointing for all concerned in both cases.
A cynical mate of mine reckons Norwich City Council would have banned the bus parade in any case because of fears over ancient diesel engines and climate change. I dunno if I agree with him or not on that one!
Thanks – great comment.
Yes I saw Wessi’s goal on Quest. He’s still got it, hasn’t he?
Latest on Gibbo is that the swelling is too bad for an accurate scan and Michael Bailey of The Athletic unfortunately echoes me by suggesting his season is over.
With my many Irish connections I’ve actually seen Cork City play at Turners Cross – against Cobh Ramblers about 25 years ago. When they’d just turned professional anyway.
I’d no idea Hemmings had *bought them* as a feeder club but we got Adam Idah from the Rebel county for peanuts so I’m not complaining. I believe Wessi started out at Shelbourne for what it might be worth.
I’ll be following the cricket too – not much significant football to watch for a while.
Cheers mate
On Cork being a feeder club I think there were a couple of players PNE wanted and lost out to bigger clubs so he being a Businessman decided he could help his own club plus sell and make big profits from others, also get reports on other promises players in that league.
I just think back to the days of Shamilton & his *links* with Parma. Ugh.
Thought that was because of The ale 👌😊
The beer helps me through the pain barrier mate 🙂
Martin most people I know reported feeling bad for 36 to 48 hours after the jab with flu like symptoms and feeling a little sick. Worse reaction if you had COVID as you already had anti- bodies. Quite a few had to go to bed.
Hi Seamus
I think one or two of the folks I know probably felt bad but wouldn’t admit it just to keep up their rufty-tufty image!
Cheers
Ah well can’t win them all. Still at least we didn’t lode like our cricketers , or the Welsh rugby team . Now that give me a grin.
Hi Bernie
*Can’t win ’em all* is spot on.
I love rugby but have only watched the England games this time around. Believe it or not I favour Wales over France, but not by enough to care.
Cheers
Good read and I agree with all your points. Hopefully Gibson can be fit again for the start of next season and has signed permanently for us. I hope this isn’t the start of another run of injuries.
It is looking like the Title is between Watford and us. Swansea may well have blown it with their defeat to Cardiff. I’m sure that we have a few more wins in us as our squad is strong. I think we can put out a strong enough team to beat Presto with a bench full of our returning international players.
Hi Colin
I think you’re right with your concept of the bench and who might occupy it.
Personally I’ll be interested to see if Andrew Omobamidele is on there or whether Farke will rely on Tettey and Sorensen for cover at centre back.
Cheers
A good read Martin, as usual.
We never quite hit the heights Saturday. The usual signs of early malaise such as Kruls kicking game going to pot and a surfeit of sloppy fannying around at the back served as a portent of things to come.
Regarding Blackburn, that particular leopard never changes its spots, and if boris is serious about protecting the Nhs he would do worse than advise against playing the wretched outfit. Past memories of Mulryne, Johnsen and Leitner being kicked into oblivion still rankle. The flying elbow on Gianoulis was disguised but still a clear attempt to wound. The animal responsible then feigned injury to his own thick head which proved sufficient to con that prat Stroud. Die caste. Carte Blanche to kick with impunity. I loathe Mowbray an black urn.
McLean took his goal well but nobody else appeared on their A game, endeavour aplenty but a tired effort all round. I’m still not convinced Dowell is the answer to number ten. We missed Rupp hugely on the day. Stiepi time? Maybe.
Hi Chris
Maybe a few of ours had their international heads on – you’re right to highlight Krul’s poor distribution in the first half of course – he’s always so reliable usually.
As for the Giannoulis incident he’s been declared fit enough to join up with the Greece squad which slightly surprises me tbh.
I too can imagine Mogga inwardly praising the lad who flattened him. The Blackburn player who was so good that I can’t even recall his name!
And yes, we did miss Rupp – and more than I thought we would.
Cheers