Torpor, trepidation, maybe also an element of self-doubt if you will – I was not looking forward to the visit of Burnley on Sunday.
Leaving our warm and comfortable front room in the city and replacing tracky bottoms with Levis seemed like a monumental thing to achieve for a seemingly worthless purpose but I managed to cope with the procedure as I always do. I like to look half decent at a match and made the effort, not expecting any tangible reward for my endeavours.
Sombre isn’t a deep enough word for the mood of fellow NCFC supporters on my way to the ground. There was little of the usual banter, merely a heads-to-the-floor attitude demonstrated by everybody which roughly translated to “we’ve paid so we’re going to the game – we owe it to ourselves to do so”.
But once inside the Carra and seated, a team that looked a touch questionable began to give us collective Yellows something of interest to latch on to.
A couple of guys near me in the Barclay loudly voiced the question, “who the **** is Billy Gilmour”, which I have to say made us all laugh. Were we better off without the most-hyped young footballer of the season? Anybody at Carrow Road on Sunday would emphatically answer: Yes.
Dean Smith said afterwards: “We’re still fighting and I think today was important for not just ourselves, but our supporters as well. It’s still a mountain but we’ve got a few rungs up it now.“
Cheers Dean, I thought ladders rather than mountains had rungs, but I get your drift.
Teemu Pukki added: “We need to go into every game to win three points. We really want to stay in this league and we have to do what it takes. We know we have a good team with good players. It’s just up to us to show it every week and today we did. We need to show it next weekend as well in a tough game against Manchester United, but we need to go there to take points and we need all our players to do it.”
Well, I’ll tell you something Teemu. As long as you and your colleagues keep up that level of commitment we will remain right behind you. Too little too late? Of course, but from a personal point of view, I haven’t enjoyed a match as much in ages.
Only last week I wrote that I see no future for us next season but like Manic Street Preachers famously said: “We say what we like but reserve our right to change our minds any time we feel like it as well”.
Apart from a very late cameo from Brandon Williams, Mathias Normann was the only loanee to feature and he played exceptionally well, topped off with an intuitive assist for Pukki. The rest of those on show should be the core for next season and after Sunday’s performance, my levels of despondency have lifted. Not to the point of thinking we will walk the Championship, but at least I am now certain that we will be competitive.
To be fair to all concerned, referee Michael Oliver was as poor as usual and let an uncharacteristically tepid Burnley get away with some mildly nasty stuff, which was well below their usual standards.
We could hear Sean Dyche from the Upper Barclay but even he couldn’t motivate Maxwel Cornet to convert the far post sitter that set our collective hearts beating in triple time.
A draw against the poorest side I’ve seen in ages would have been unjust.
I’m not daft enough to think we will remain in the Premier League at season’s end but at least there were a few signs on display that Dean Smith might just be able to sort us out for the Championship campaign, at least if Stuart Webber keeps his nose away from recruitment issues anyway.
There’s no acknowledgement of an individual message in my post-match Inbox this time around but everybody had a common theme: “if only we could have played like that throughout the season”.
Just as you might think of quitting – and I really did – you get a performance like Sunday’s.
I’ll leave you with one of the finest pop songs of all time from a lad who grew up not that far from Kenny McLean:
Good morning Martin and it seems as though we’re getting an early taste of summer here in Norwich.
Where oh where has that intensity of performance been over the last few months?? I always read the match report on the BBC football website and if any of our players’ ratings were above 6, it was as rare as hens, teeth!! Then on reading the report yesterday morning, EVERY player was above 7 😃
We had no Gilmour and no Sargent, but it will be interesting to see if DS has the sense to keep the same steering 11 at OT on Saturday. If I was a betting man, I wouldn’t even put £1 on it. Gilmour is a luxury that we CANNOT afford and IMO, Sargent needs a season in the Championship to develop his game and learn to play with his teammates..
I wasn’t at the game (Covid) and only watched MotD2, but that was the first time this year that Pukki got anywhere near the service that he thrives on – Normann’s pass for the winner was superb.
Even in my wildest dreams, I fail to see us staying up and our looks more and more likely that the bottom 3 will start as they are until 22nd May.
Morning Ed
Early morning sun has gone and by the looks of the Mundesley skies I reckon it’s gonna be as dull a day as Burnley’s training session – take a look at the Burnley fansites cos the natives are not happy with Sean Dyche right now and I don’t blame them!
No, of course we won’t stay up but there’s nothing wrong in going down with a bit of dignity, and we showed plenty of that on Sunday.
I really hope we can keep Pukki as he’ll get a lot more chances in the Championship and that’s for sure.
Cheers
Hi Martin
An old late 60’s song comes to mind this morning The Tears of a Clown or could it be the Laughter of a Clown.
The Tears of a Clown for what could have been or still might be if the players can hold on to this improvement but as you say too little to late
The Laughter of a Clown hiding the anguish of how badly city have preformed in most games and in the direction of ridicule that the owners are taking this club.
Sunday started with an unexpected 2 hours of playing with my Grandson mainly dinosaur and his two new favourites are green and yellow purchased from the Blackpool Zoo on Saturday but they won their battles with all his others and I was told it was an omen for the game.
My Burnley neighbours said that it was a long journey for the team after their exploits during the week but did say it was a very under par performance from their team but did wonder how so many fouls where allowed to go unpunished by Oliver especially by Rodriguez and how their Dutch mountain hasn’t adapted to English football.
All in all it was a great performance from a city team that might be finding some small level of consistency.
Sky cameras not once zoomed in on the owners even after the winning goal but a paper found another way to knock city again and the reports line about her telling him how to keep his scotch egg moist in the middle sums up what the media thinks of city a play thing for a want to be chef.
Roll on ManUre we are ready for you but it’s a long journey as my Burnley friends say.
Hi Alex
Obviously I didn’t hear the Sky commentary or any other but I did read about the Scotch egg comment. Why anybody would be bothered to make one themselves is beyond me. I’m no food snob but Jollyes pet stores on Sweetbriar has an M&S next door and I always treat myself to their Scotch eggs when I’m there 🙂
Mr Oliver was his usual atrocious self and I would add Brownhill and Westwood to your list of unpunished serial offenders.
You might care to tell your Burnley friends that some wit on Lancs Live yesterday referred to them as Downhill and Deadwood.
Cheers
Morning Mr P. So glad I took the late offer of a couple of tickets, in the Lower Aviva Stand with large iron support , thankfully not across either goal . As you say a little too late, but one never knows, so hold the fat lady back until at least one more match is over.
As to the Ref,sure his shirt was Claret, in perhaps a match against one of the big boys, Rodriguez & Co would have seen at least two yellows. But didn’t not expect anything from any team old gravel voice puts out. It was always going to be the bully boys, and get the ball into the box as much as possible and by means fair or foul. One of the teams I truely detest.
Cannot fault anyone, nor pick a MOTM, I groaned when I saw McClean on the team sheet, he has the right to ram my words down my throat. He put in a heck of a show, but then as did all the other 10+
A little ring rusty for especially Giannoulis, clearly seen they had tageted his side, he was up agaisnt a player who used to be very good, Lennon, who doesn’t look anywhere near that.
I would not criticse a player or write them off, but we didn’t miss Gilmore one iota, in truth he is still learning his trade, but with this run in of games, they are not for a lad learning.. Normannn, certainly not a boy learning his trade, a sublime through ball to Pukki, who appearing to find suddenly his old touch . Lees-Melou had without much doubt his finest outing, he looked totally cream crackered when he was subbed off. Byram certainly felt the challenge from the two who sandwiched him, did not look good for a while. Hanley the capstone yet again, Gibson had a point to prove. Krul being Krul telling the crowd to throw the ball higher up the terrace, wasting few more seconds to delay a corner.
Several times the old nerves got jittery, as they peppered our box, any score they might have made would seem gossly unfair, the worst side I have seen for a long while.
A long overdue victory, I am keeping any levels of hope firmly in check, using the old adage one game at a time. Although being honest I do not see a Steve McQueen great escape, leap-frogging anyone.
I asked in Gary’s post yesterday, how close was Pukki to the area in or just out when fouled ? From where we sat it looked to be just inside the area. But with the ref already setting up in the Burnley camp, made a few around us ask about the no action from their 12th man
Don’t know if we will be offered tickets again but big thank to my sons team coach for the loan.
The foul on Pukki was definitely just outside the box, one of the few things Oliver got right. I sit on the River End, and was screaming for a penalty, but it was clear on MOTD2 that it was six inches outside.
I enjoyed the game so much that I watched the whole thing again last night, and it looked even better!
thanks Jim. we knew it was in or very very close . a bigger club would have got that. thank gawd it wasn’t our area hey ? Yep totally enjoyed it
I reckon the PL elite despise Burnley as much as they do us 🙂
I’m sure they do. They’ll be pleased that the only drawback from our win is that it gives “Frank Lampard’s Everton” much needed breathing space.
Spot on there Jason, as I’ve said more than once before.
We could see from the Barclay that the incident was outside the box – one of those occasions where I’d say distance gives a better perspective.
Hi Lad
*One of the teams I truly detest* – and so do many of their own supporters from what I’ve been reading over the last 48 hours!
Lennon did nothing, a shadow of his former self as you say.
I agree with you about Gibson [who proved his point] and Lees-Melou too – and Krul was in full effect in the manner you suggest 🙂
No we won’t get away with it but at least Steve McQueen has nicked a bike and having a go at the barbed wire.
Cheers
Krul was certainly employing his time-wasting tactics, but he worries me with the amount of time he holds the ball in his hands. When I watched Sky’s full match re-run, I started timing him, using the timer in the top left. It was mostly around 12 seconds, but he did manage 18 seconds on one occasion. The permitted time is 7 seconds.
It’s a good job Michael Oliver (and most other referees can’t count)!
Yeah that’s true. Now you’ve mentioned it I would agree that Krul probably deserved a booking.
I didn’t notice it in realtime though so maybe I was harsh on Mr Oliver. We all know what Krul will do as he’s the min games expert.
As ever Martin, it’s the hope that does for you, isn’t it?
You can only beat what’s put in front of you, and on that point, just how poor were Burnley??
I too was full of trepidation on the walk to the ground, and, seeing the Burnley players warming up, the mood just didn’t improve. They looked typical Burnley, big, rugged, no prisoners taken.
Then what?? For once we didn’t revert to type, we actually played as a team, and for once this season looked the part.
The whole starting 11 played well, yes; even traffic marshall McLean – who had surely his best game of the season. As for Gilmour – we just looked so much more cohesive without him
If only they’d managed to do this since Christmas then we’d have had a much better chance of another season with the rich kids of the Premier League.
3 more points on Saturday, and I’ll really be rueing the decision to step away next season!
O T B C
Hi John
Yes, I agree with you at every turn.
I’ve felt like packing it in a couple of times over the years as I have no desire to prop up the Delia regime but have never quite been able to go through with it.
She knows how many feel like you and I do but trades on it.
While I’m sorry you have quit – games like Sunday’s make it all kind of worthwhile – I fully understand your sensibilities.
Maybe you might get a membership just in case?
Thanks as always
Yes; membership is a definite….
And even now, particularly after Sunday, I’m questioning my decision…..
I bl00dy well knew you’d think again 🙂 🙂 🙂
Another excellent song.
It’s been a long time since I looked forward to a game so little. I was convinced we would lose heavily and it would be the usual men against boys stuff. I’m so delighted to have been so wrong and the display was as good as it could have been. I said recently that our midfield must be the worst ever seen in the EPL; I was wrong about that too-Burnley’s is.
All I want for the remainder of the season is a similarly acceptable level of performance and effort so that my doom about next season’s prospect lifts.
Hi Don
Yeah I’m not all metal. Another band I regret not seeing live & I had enough chances.
I fully agree with you about what passed for the Burnley midfield as the pairing were easily swamped for most of the time.
We’ll have to play them twice next season too – yuck!
Cheers
4 from 6. The start of the last chance saloon breakout, or a false dawn. Why do Norwich do this to us ?
Because they do, Bernie. Because they do.
I agree Martin the performance on Sunday was a breath of fresh air.
As I said on here yesterday Milot, Teemu, Pierre and Keiran all performed well.
This has to be the key to the rest of this season, laying down foundations for next.
I am like you, I do not see this next foray into the Championship like the last two, but I feel we will be competitive.
We must keep Teemu and Grant if we can, to lose either could scupper promotion hopes. I do hope Tim Krul stays as well but a lot may depend on his World Cup thoughts.
There were some signs on Sunday of how maybe Dean Smith will want us to play next season. Many City managers have had to resort to a kind of “winning second ball football” Dave Stringer in his last year and Nigel Worthington when he took over but I expect to see that football evolve once Dean Smith gets his own players in.
Once we won the ball on Sunday we were much more positive with it for many a game. So good to see.
But as many have said it was Burnley who look to me to be joining us and Watford in the Championship next season.
A much bigger test will come on Saturday against dear old Manchester United. But I just want to see the same effort from the boys.
On an another note Martin I have noticed that the Championship, League One, League Two have a full programme of traditional fixtures on Good Friday and Easter Monday why doesn’t the EPL ? Anyone know why ?
It seems to me another great tradition dispensed with for financial reasons again.
OTBC
Hi Tim
I fully remember Dave Stringer forced to play Flecky and Foxy through the middle with them being told to win the second ball. That’s what happens when you have no height up front, of course.
Quite what we’ll do at the theatre of currently pretty poor B movies I have no idea but you never know. If we could win it will still be too little too late but even so…
I can’t answer your Easter fixtures query I’m afraid!
Cheers
No idea on the fixtures Tim, but back in 71/72 during the Saunders promotion season, I see that we played Sat/Mon/Tue!!! Can you imagine todays’ professional footballers having to play 3 games in just 4 days, and even shock; horror….2 in 2???
Mind you, last season with the last international break, some of our guys were pretty close!
O T B C
I once read that shortly before WWII we played both Christmas Day and Boxing Day and only one of those matches was at home – in the days when squad rotation wasn’t even a concept!
Hi John
Charlton, QPR, and Bristol City if I recall correctly.
Cheers
Respect to you sir!
No; I suspect that like me, Gerry collects programmes…..and this season they have highlighted what happened 50 years ago!
I actually created an MFW article from an old programme I had retained as I took both my adolescents to see the mighty Crewe and kept it as some kind of souvenir of the day.
I once had godzillions of programmes but sold them to a newsagent in Costessey along with a few other NCFC-related items when we needed a declutter – OK Mrs P told me to get rid and retrospectively she was right.
I’ve still got all three modern day League Cup ones though.
Marty, if the team had the same dedication as you and the other attendees this season might have been more successful. But there is some glimmer of hope for next season, may be we can steer clear of joining the Binners in Div One.
Hi Cutty
Thanks to Shrewsbury on Saturday at least the Binners won’t be joining us in the feast of fun that is the Championship this time around.
I saw enough hopeful signs on Sunday that we might be on the upper side of okay next season and I sincerely hope so.
Cheers
The best display I have seen this season and makes me optimistic for next season all be it in the championship. We must keep Pukki and Hanley though. Nobody has mentioned McDowell who had probably his best game in a yellow shirt.
Loved the song which I hadn’t heard for years.
Hi Dorset
I really should have mentioned Kieran Dowell as there’s definitely a player in there somewhere. He’s not really been selected very often this season which could be for reasons that thee and me know nothing of or simply that Farke and Smith have been missing a trick.
Glad you enjoyed the clip of Roddy Frame and this version of his interchangeable cohorts. I reckon they should have enjoyed much more commercial success than they did.
Cheers
Roddy Mcdowell? Surely you mean John mcdowell ?
Planet of the Apes was quite good to watch as a kid actually!
What a beautiful combination goal that Normann-Pukki goal was. Overall it was even game and Cornet actually had scoring chance which can be called as he should have scored. Pukki in Burnley shirt would have won that game for Burnley, same can be said about game before that and only thing what Brighton completely lacked was player like Teemu. Teemu would score 20+ goals in premier league in ok premier league club, which means club which does not play against relegation whole season.
Celta Vigo is realistic transfer, Teemu will surely get higher salary offers from other clubs, but still its realistic because their squad is good and their salary cap is 65 million and they are stable la liga club. It will also interest his family and for sure they will not show red card on that. Spain is destination where they sure prefer to live. Only sure thing is that this is Teemus last season in Norwich, your club already knows that.
Norwich next game seems to be against Manchester United. ManU must win that game, absolutely must. Ralf Rangnick is again 1 of Teemus ex managers/ coaches. Premier league already have saved Newcastle, 100% sure they will save Everton too and already in game Burnley-Everton, premier league did a lot to help Everton to win it but failed.
Hi 1×2
I still think Pukki will leave us but Dean Smith is putting out tentative noises that Norwich are trying to keep him. As we’ve mentioned between us several times since Christmas I too feel he will move on and with all our most sincere and best wishes.
For myself I’ve lived in central Mallorca on and off over a period of a few years and completely understand why a move to Celta Vigo would be of interest to Teemu and his young family but this will surely be his last contract and he must choose wisely.
Nobody at Norwich would wish him anything other than the very best.
Kiitos
Hi Martin we have a one option to keep him I expect that will happen can’t see us letting him get away
Hi Kev
I hope you are right but I have my doubts. I’d love to keep Teemu.
Cheers
How nice to read a positive match report for a change. From very low expectations heading to the ground, we were left pleasantly surprised by what transpired.
We carried a threat from the start, and but for Pope and the crossbar would have scored more.
Smith rejigged his midfield and for once it worked. McLean, Dowell, Gibson all excelled, as did Pukki and Hanley but in reality there were no passengers or weak links.
Burnley, following their win over Everton were strangely poor. True, its hard to look polished when producing the crap they call football but still, the looked well short.
Upon leaving the stadium at the final whistle wearing a huge grin, I was greeted by the sun. Perfect.
Hi Chris
I left my seat with 30 seconds of ET remaining so had time to give the boys a fist pump – I’d like to think Grant Hanley saw me but he probably didn’t!
You’re right about Burnley – they were truly awful apart from Pope and Tarkowski and the lad who played alongside him at the back.
Their fans were totally despondent on the walk towards the station.
Cheers.
For all those who have felt like ‘giving up’ , myself included, the reality is, it’s impossible. Not to bother anymore is a worse fate than clinging on to whatever we can find to cling on to. Sunday may be a one off we’ll have to wait and see but that 90 minutes seems to have washed away so much despair and given all fans a glimmer of hopefulness.
Instead of music I was reminded of a poem I like by Langston Hughes, here’s the 1st verse but they all sum up how miserable our footy had become.
I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn’t,
So I jumped in and sank.
I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn’t a-been so cold
I might’ve sunk and died.
Hi Colin
I hadn’t heard of Langston Hughes before but having a couple of spare minutes I thought I’d have a quick Wiki to discover who he was.
It wasn’t that quick a read in the end as his biog fascinated me and I read the lot. He must have been a contemporary of MLK I guess. Some geezer.
Feel free to add some poetry the next time you comment on MFW!
Thanks for the education – I’ll seek out some other stuff by him when I get the chance.
Pleased you’ve found him too.
His work has fascinated me for some years. He championed poor down-trodden black people, I’m none of those but admire him greatly.
His most famous quoted saying is “Hold fast to your dreams for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly”, perhaps Dean Smith will recite this at 2.55pm at Old Trafford this Saturday. I guess it’s a verse all us Canary faithful should take note of!
Not everybody has a *favourite poet* these days but one I grew up with and got to love was Wilfred Owen.
If your mates are anything like mine poetry isn’t a regular topic in the pub!
Fascinating to discover Langston Hughes – thank you.
My book of first world war poems is a treasured keep sake from my Dad, who was a part-time historian of the Great War.
Wilfred Owen’s powerful and poignant poetry is sadly most relevant again today.
Saturday at OT promises to be a Yellow & Green affair. We have our problems but what an unholy mess the richest club in England has become.
With the boys down the pub an occasional cheeky limerick is our limit.
I’ve actually quoted Owen in an MFW article a couple of times – once credited and once as an unacknowledged aside.
Sixty years later he inspired an entire album by The Jam – Setting Sons.
The other WWI poet I learned about was Rupert Brooke, although I couldn’t relate to his output as much as I could to that of Owen.
It’s such a shame that he died when he did – he almost made it through WWI – and I imagine he would have became even more of a man than fate allowed him to be.
Others I like are Dylan Thomas, John Betjeman and Philip Larkin.
The match certainly sounded fantastic on Radio 5 Live that’s for sure, and I enjoyed Sky’s extended highlights plus the MOTD coverage including Shearer’s compliments for the team.
I don’t know who is planning to sign Normann, but if its nobody inspiring, he could have a really wicked season with us next time out, whichever league we’re in, he could really put himself in the shop window. Loved his pass to Super-Teemu, and PL-M’s goal was hopefully a floodgate opened.
I’d like to see Rowe get a whole 45 minutes where he is told to do what Mike Walker apparently told Eadie to do against Bayern Munich years ago, run at, through, round them and tie Man United in knots! Cannot see who could be replaced in Sunday’s line-up against Burnley though.
Smashing way to play football, good stuff lads!
COYYs !!
Morning Kev
I reckon that performance gave everybody a lift, however we followed it.
Normann was excellent but he’s heavily hinted that he isn’t prepared to play in the Championship and equally we have no commitment to buy him on relegation, not that we could afford him under those circumstances anyway.
As you say, it was a good performance all round.
Cheers
It was nice – unexpectedly nice – but as the old album of adages makes pains to point out: ‘One swallow doesn’t make a summer’. We needed a lot more swallows earlier on before we could truly feel the sun on our faces. Then we could bask beautifully like Brentford.
Hi Trunchy
I returned from your neck of the woods this morning after a couple of lovely days in the Mundesley sunshine but even I have to work sometime, although at my time of life I question why I still do!
Brentford, to me, are unlikely survivors and I doubt they’ll repeat it next season but nevertheless fair play to them.
There are many teams in the PL I dislike more than the West London boys.
Cheers