My Sunday morning Norwich City media digest is normally a short, sharp but comprehensive one during which I take in all I can from a rich variety of sources in order to keep my finger on the pulse of the Canary nation.
This process normally takes around half an hour, then I fight shy of matters football until Gary G’s MFW piece appears. Whenever time permits, which is almost always these days, I read this before beginning my own article for the Monday.
This process has paid rich dividends this season as otherwise I could quite easily have unconsciously copied Gary without knowing I’d done so on several occasions.
It has become sadly necessary to do this religiously this season because for the first time in some 35 years I have been unable to go to home matches, let alone enjoy one of my infrequent trips away, so can no longer write fearlessly from the heart about what I’ve seen, which is the cause of a major disadvantage to a writer such as myself who habitually likes to include a smidgeon of what his matchday mates think in articles as well.
Enough already.
Yesterday’s analysis taught me that while malcontent with the Club itself is still very much alive and well, a certain optimism about matters on the pitch is beginning to gather momentum. And a bloody good job too I sense MFW readers everywhere concurring.
None of us want to be miserable sods about the performance of the team as we are supporters first and foremost, whatever level of disrespect Lord Anthony Richens might choose to attach to us.
On Saturday we showed what we all wanted to see: a plethora of fight at what is not an easy place to go. I went to Millmoor many years ago and did not like the experience one little bit. I doubt it’s very much different at the New York Stadium, I’d have to ask one of the 2,000-plus Yellows who made the awkward journey to find out for sure.
There were flashes of good football on display as well and apart from his trip down suicide alley that led to the Rotherham equaliser I was impressed with what I saw from young Sr. Sara and kind of get the feeling that if we can keep him fit, Isaac Hayden might well prove key to our fortunes this season.
Even if I had been at the game I would probably have missed what I discerned from the highlights as a moment of inspired genius from Teemu Pukki. When the ball was clawed out by keeper Viktor Johansson from Josh Sargent’s wickedly deflected shot it was spinning like a dervish but Pukki somehow managed to get his right boot to it and dig it out for Aaron Ramsey to slot what proved to be the winner.
It really was one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” moments and is best seen from the reverse camera angle.
Mayor McPointing made a lot more sense than some others have recently when he said afterwards:
“There is a lot more to come from us.
“That’s been spoken about a lot, not putting games or teams to bed and dropping too many points – it’s true. If we drop points then we aren’t happy about it. The fans are the same.
“We have dropped too many points and we need to take responsibility for that as players, but we move on and this result feels good.”
Other results elsewhere combined to leave us in fourth position on 32 points from 20 matches, with Middlesbrough up next at Carrow Road for the final game before the yawn-inducing World Cup break. Qatar? No ta.
It’s not inconceivable that after Boro we could be reasonably safely ensconced in the play-off places and furthermore looking forward to the resumption with, dare I say it, a fully-fit squad.
And I for one will take that with a good heart, and here’s why.
We were never going to get shot of Smith and Shakespeare. That was a pipedream. Can you imagine Stuart Webber having to admit he was wrong by taking this step? No, me neither.
Can you contemplate the Board shelling out the level of compensation required to get rid of them and their imported acolytes? Again, not I.
So like it or lump it, we’re stuck with them and the only choice we have is to grudgingly accept it and get on with it.
So let’s enjoy the points we have on the board. I know I’m going to.
This rarely-aired gem of a Specials song from Jools Holland’s Hootenanny a few years back sums it up for me:
We are 4th, in touch with the top two, yes we’ve done it differently to the much loved Farkeball, but get real we’re not entitled to rinse this division every time we’re in it.
Hi Jinxy
Actually I couldn’t agree more – we have to fight for our right to party and at last we’re showing some signs of doing just that.
Farkeball is indeed gone, HMS Pi$$ the League stays in port and that’s how it is.
Cheers
So true, Martin!
As a fellow miserabilist Martin I agree, having been at the game Wednesday it was so much better in terms of shape structure and endeavour. If the quality comes along as well then things maybe looking up. I only saw the brief highlights from Saturday but was able to listen to a fair chunk of the game on radio Norfolk. Again it sounded like a more structured and resolute performance. So fair play to Dean Smith 7 points from 9 is a good haul another 3 on Saturday and the World Cup break will leave the canary nation in a reasonably good space.
Hi Andy
I heard a fair bit on Norfolk as well and Rivo made good listening as always.
It would be great to enjoy/endure the WC break in good spirits and as I said I reckon that’s all we can really ask for right now.
Cheers
Hi Martin
Had a busy weekend so missed all the city game and most of the Spurs games and the England V Sri Lanka that comes from moving house on a Friday.
I was pleased with city scraping for a WIN but reading Matt Taylor’s comments seems he thinks they should have had a penalty and the Ref was against them welcome to the club I say.
Another Matt Taylor comment was that poor Refereeing sets certain supporters to do things they wouldn’t normally do ie missile thrown at officials or invading the pitch both not right by me, but Mr Taylor says he can understand their frustration but in no way condone them doing it.
So one supporter gets caught and will get a ban the other will melt into the crowd and no one will surrender him to the local fuzz, not in that area anyway and it was only by luck many others didn’t follow suit.
As you say we are stuck with DS&SS for a long hard season and can they bring us much needed success begrudgingly I hope so but don’t expect it and their supporters will say we are shortsighted.
Injuries apart and all teams have them it’s been more by luck that most of the wins have been enforced changes, Gary said he still doesn’t know his best team after 12 months I would have hoped he does but it really doesn’t look like it.
Ramsey looks good but I prefer T.C in the side gives a bit of unpredictability and has started to work his socks off but it’s possible done to money play him no weekly payment don’t and a few grand goes into the Villains Coffers.
Anyway thanks for a good read on a dull wet Monday in Blackpool and rumours up here is City interested in Yates and Bree both good championship players but not sure either would grace the next level but what do I know, Manchester United might buy Aaron’s for £15m+ and Santa might find someone to buy other alias Smith and Jones
Hi Alex
Matt Taylor’s post match comments were very blinkered and I agree about the *no surrender* of the pitch encroacher but slinging bottles is not on.
Was Saturday’s our best team? Add a fit Nunez to the squad and I qould suggest that it might well be, certainly in terms of the XVIII anyway.
The lad Bree does look half tidy I will agree and I’d still like to see some defensive cover brought in, particularly at CB.
Cheers
Spot on again Martin, are you secretly living rent free in my head?
I was in discussion with the two ST holders in front of me last Wednesday at the game and we were definitely seeing some green shoots, I said to them on that occasion “we all have opinions but ultimately we all want the same thing”.
My first action at the final whistle on Saturday was to What’s App my mate with the words ‘That will do’ so as you say, let’s just enjoy the points.
I also went to Millmoor some years ago but unlike you I thoroughly enjoyed the day, we drew 4-4 in a pulsating game which saw their manager Ronnie Moore sent off for a slight disagreement with Leon Mckenzie in the tunnel at half time. The town at that time was very run down, the pre match pub was ‘spit and sawdust’ and the atmosphere was hostile to say the least. I’ve since been to the NY Stadium which is a decent ground and I must say the whole area has improved considerably although it’s still a typical S.Yorks ‘welcome’ so three points there is not to be sniffed at.
Hi Bob
I did the MFW Rotherham preview and focused on the 4-4 you were lucky enough to have been at. It’s still on the home page so take a look if you get the chance.
Messing with Leon was not a clever thing to do, as one of our midfielders found out shortly before he was shown the door!
I’ve friends in Sheffield and the place has a fair bit going for it in many ways but I would agree that in a football sense *welcoming* is never the first word that comes to mind in that part of the world.
Cheers
A good read Martin. It’s always pleasant reading about a victory.
Particularly pleasing were the individual performances of several players. Its heartening to see Sam Mcallum growing into his role, complimenting Max Aarons, who had probably his best outing in a long long time.
Pukki, although he failed to hit the target showed his usual cleverness and set up the winner. McLean, in his preferred position popped up with a goal.
A mention too for Aaron Ramsey, who is building a decent number of goals and assists to his name. He’s starting to look the part.
As per usual captain cock up made a guest appearance resulting in a goal which could have proved very costly.
With the growing g concerns over the financial situation at the club and the uncertainty over the Attanasio investment its imperative that the club remains in touch with the peak because promotion appears to be a total necessity of we are to avoid meltdown. Therefore I’m looking forward to Saturday and hoping for a performance to savour and a result to match.
Hi Chris
Max has never let us down but I agree he got a bit of his sparkle back on Saturday and from what we know of him probably not with a move to Man U on his mind.
McLean does look far better doing his *box-to-box* thing as you say.
I would dearly love some insight into current thinking across the pond. I won’t get any, but it would be fascinating nonetheless!
Cheers
Marty, I guess life is full of should’ve and could’ve and that was true of Danny as a manager, given the money he would’ve taken City to the next level and then been tempted away along with our better players. Smudger does things differently and he was never going to succeed where Danny failed. So with limited funds and a squad that needed overhauling we’ve got what we’ve got. We want more of the Danny dash and verve but we’ve got Smudger’s steady approach. Just wish he had a tad more charisma.
Hi Cutty
Fair point about Farke. You don’t hear it mentioned all that often but it remains true nevertheless.
Charisma may yet shine through from the South American recruits – sometimes I forget how young both still are.
Cheers
Good to see you commenting here, Herr Cutz.
Martin’s writing is good stuff, as ever.
Superb song and one of those that it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a poor version of. The Dualers, Prince Buster and The Specials have all done it brilliantly.
I really hope that in 18 months’ time I look back to the first part of this season with contrition for the level of doubt I have had over the managerial and coaching ability of S&S. I hope that I will realise that they had to put us through a bit of pain to get us to where we need to be.
In the meantime, I will just hope that we develop into a team that can play well for 95 minutes per game rather than 20. When we look good, we look very good-let’s have more of this.
I too went to Millmoor in the 80s. I think it was the first game of the season after they had been promoted and we had been relegated and they stuffed us about 4-0. Grim doesn’t begin to describe it!
Hi Don
Obviously the song has taken on a whole new poignancy for me very recently.
You are not alone with demonstrating a lack of faith in S&S of course.
These days I think you have to keep it up for 100 minutes – ask Rotherham.
Did the Specials ever do anything bad?
Cheers
I was at that game. I particularly remember the toilets (basic doesnt come into it) and the fact that we played Muzinic and Barham as full backs. Not a successful experiment. Think the score was 4:1. 29th August 1981 so Canary Citizen reliably informs me. Our goal from Greg Shepherd, who I had totally forgotten. Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end.
Bloody glad they did!
Hi Sue
Just as a piece of trivia, Greg Shepherd joined Norfolk Police when he retired from the game.
Last I heard he was on the Broadsbeat team, but that was 30 years ago now!
Cheers
I find it a little bit bothering your last games over reliance of Teemu. In both of your goals Teemu played a significant role again. Some goals should also come without him, otherwise Norwich options are too limited. Its actually been now 5 last games like that. There is just 1 game before world cup break, so at least in theory there is time to balance it more.
I watched the Norwich-QPR game and it was a good game. Norwich should have deserved 1 goal win. The part of the song that your club plays when players walk to pitch sounded familiar to me so after some thinking and checking it is actually a song of finnish band called HIM and song name is Right here in my arms. I do know that in sports happenings all around a world Darudes Sandstorm is playing all the time, its another finnish song but that other song at least I dont remember hearing in football games before. Nice choice, maybe coincidence or purposely choice because of Teemu, who surely has not chosen it.
Hi 1×2
I look forward to your posts as i always seem to learn something new and this time it was the music 🙂
Teemu’s touch was brilliant for Ramsey’s goal – it shows just how unselfish and clear-thinking he is and why he should go on to play for a few years yet as we have agreed a couple of times before – pace isn’t everything.
Kiitos
I can say exactly the same about your articles Martin. I was supposed to comment on your Nosferatu article but forgot. Hungarian Bela Lugosi is huge legend of course, at the same time there were other horror/sci-fi movie actors/actresses. 1 happened to be a finn, which has been completely unknown in Finland until the last decade. Movie and tv character Vampira was finnish actress Maila Niemi. She used the name Maila Nurmi and claimed to be a daughter of long distance runner legend Paavo Nurmi which of course was not true but surely helped her to make a career as a Hollywood actress. She was very close friends with James Dean or even the closest one and americans actually claimed her to have cursed James and that actually caused his death. That was of course nonsense, but it seems obvious that people were kind of scared of her. Her actress career ended right after Dean died, no one didnt dare or want to hire her anymore. Anyway an interesting person, no matter the nationalities. There was just published a book about her, im planning to listen to it because so many things seemed to happen to her. Just remembering, she claimed to have a child with Orson Welles which was adopted by another family or she was forced to give her baby away.
Bela Lugosi was a massive star after he starred as Dracula and I think he played Igor in one of the early Universal Studios Frankenstein movies.
The only actor to truly be on a level with him in the horror genre was probably Lon Chaney Jr, who was the Werewolf amongst others.
I just read about Maila Niemi/Nurmi online and she sounds like quite a femme fatale!
Paavo Nurmi and Lasse Viren remain Finland’s best-known sportsmen to anybody aged over 50 in the UK by a long, long way.
Another enjoyable piece Mr P. yes a lot better, all round, the odd mistake which really happens to any player in any game. I believe Sara more than made up for that bad pass. But still at the end of the day it wasn’t a top 6 team we were up against. Although we have had a few rip snorters up North, remember the 4-4 draw . up there. A win is a win and better than some we have seen.
Shame so much attention was given to the Ref and the Olympic Dive attempt. Having watched a couple of other games where penalties were not given (especially Trent Arnold), think the decision was correct. Rotherham as a club will surely get a hefty fine for the bottle throwing and invasion by the one. And there was me thinking all the past heated games were down to Ronnie Moore.
Mark Rivo Rivers (mentioned above) is a delight to listen to, his quips are honest and very funny. Like Pukki going past the defender ” in a wheelchair” and “defender using a zimmer frame.” How Goreham doesn’t burst out laughing I don’t know.
I am already wrong in my guess for the total for these last 4 games Stoke, QPR, Rotherham with Middlesbro to go. I could not see more than 4. already 7,points… 2 wins & draw with home game to come. we could end up with 10points from possible 12. not a bad haul at all. Still not a top 6 team amongst them (think QPR were) so I am not needing a tissue and my own room just yet.
Still an improvement and long may that continue.
Hi Lad
The standard of refereeing seems to have been poorer than ever in the Championship this season and I can’t really put my finger on exactly why.
I’m sure Chris G, true professional that he is, has a good old giggle off air.
I’ve never been one to try and guess results and I’m too old to start now 🙂
Cheers
QPR we’re, and still are, a top six team during that run, so maybe not quite as bad as you implied.
Good afternoon, Martin.
A really good three points at a very hard place to go. And Rotherham were extremely unlucky to lose at Burnley the other night.
Is it me or is this league the craziest ever?
Watford lose at home to Coventry, while Sheffield United thump champions elect Burnley and then QPR lose at home to WBA 😜
And it is in more than just hope that the team can return after the World Cup all fit and raring to go, I think we have seen one or two promising things in the last few games.
I thought leaving Cantwell out on Saturday was bonkers, but Smith’s gamble paid off. Perhaps he wanted more physical strength in the side at Rotherham and if so, it was a good call.
The Rotherham manager needs a trip to Specsavers, a definite penalty? My A**e as Jim Royal would have said, it was a dive Tom Daley would have been proud of.
Just to prove I am not saying that through yella and green glasses, sorry Grant but your “tackle” on the Stoke forward last week was a stonewall penalty.
One thing though Deano and Stuart, have we all noticed that it really is reaping rewards having a proper left footed fullback and a genuine holding midfielder.
Just think where we could have been had we started the season with them. A loan and Bali Mumba?
It is that sarcasm again Stuart, it just gets you when you least expect it😂
Loved that Teemu Pukki squirrelling of the ball for Ramsey’s winner. Both the latter and our own mayor of Norwich are developing the knack of being on hand in the box for 2nd balls and the skills to finish off. It was quite clear on the highlights that Teemu dug the ball out for Ramsey to score and, in my opinion, he ought to appeal against the non-award of an assist. Defensive wise for their goal admittedly it was from a massive Sara pass to the opposition but in our pen area with two of our lads backing off I thought one of them should have closed their goalscorer down.
Hi Roger
I didn’t pick up on Pukki”s assist [it was indeed just that as you say] in real time but I saw it first replay and it was an excellent piece of work.
You’re right about the Rotherham goal too – Hanley races across to the other side only to join Gibson in backing off, something we’ve done a bit too often latel.y.
Cheers
Hi Tim
I guess the Championship has been this crazy before but probably when we weren’t in it and subsequently I wasn’t following it too closely!
Me too on the Cantwell omission. Is Smith already planning for when he’s no longer here?
I’ve never met Mr Webber but I think he’d understand sarcasm all too well.
Particularly if the words *part timer* and *mountain* were used in the same sentence.
Cheers
Martin, most of the time everyone was complaining about Webber being half way up a mountain, he was actually here and working. I know, because my son spoke to him at the Nest a couple of times when coaching for the CSF.
Hi Jim
That’s the fairest of fair comment, especially given the source!
The thing with Webber though is that he seems impervious to question, let alone criticism, and that doesn’t really go down too well with the Canary masses.
Personally I don’t care what he does during the WC break but if he’d approached it differently the local media would doubtless have backed him in his charitable aims – and so would a significant number of our supporters.
Gripe over.
Cheers
Excellent stuff Martin.
Are so many of us going to have to eat humble pie? I sincerely hope so….but then again.
Yes, there does seem to be a decent team in there somewhere, but boy oh boy, it’s taking a long time to appear. It does help enormously when you actually play people in their preferred positions, and have a left footed left back. (I’m still wondering why Brandon Williams never preferred right-back!!), but will that be because of DS. & CS, or in spite of them?
3 points on Saturday and things could look decidedly more rosy..
As for the referees, how come Burnley got a penalty against us, but we didn’t on Saturday despite the “offence” being even more obvious?
O T B C
Hi John
Humble Pie? Now there’s a decent band!
It’s the fluency that’s evasive. We can play some really good stuff at times and at last it is starting to count for something.
The refereeing conundrum I cannot help with. Yet more footballing inconsistency!
Cheers
For what it’s worth, Simon Mayo starts his radio show every weekday afternoon with Prince Buster & Jool’s rendition of ‘Enjoy Yourself’ – both when he was on R2 and now on Greatest Hits. For me that has meant that the song has come to signify the time to close my WFH laptop and relax, so very nice to hear it in an alternate context!
My own health issues have kept me largely housebound for the past couple of years, and have reduced my ‘exiled supporter’ trips to the Fine City from around 5-6 a season to nil. Watching on from afar, especially with the horror shows of the Premier seasons, has left me feeling disconnected and dispassionate about the team, and there has been precious little happening on the pitch this year to change this. The good results all seem to have been eked out rather than ever being comfortable, and the bad results come with a grim sense of inevitability. Even the double header against Luton (my birth town) and Watford (my Dad’s team) produced little more than a ‘meh’ reaction, and that’s what worries me most about the current situation. As you say we can fantasize about having a more inspirational team in the dugout, but getting rid of managers early doors isn’t the Nice Old Norwich way, is it? One can’t help but wonder what Mr Attanasio must be making of it all, having not heard a peep from him since his purchase went through. The last few months have hardly been the rollicking endorsement of UK Soccer that his bank manager must have been hoping for…
Hi Ross
I empathise because I was one of those lucky guys who never had a day off school [well, not for medical reasons 🙂 ] or work in his life.
So when my current status was conferred on me literally overnight with no warning I quickly developed the same feelings as yourself in terms of disconnection. The passion is still there, although the level of it fluctuates.
When you feel at rock bottom in yourself, it probably exacerbates your perceptions of the situation at NCFC, although seeing that many of us feel the same way cheers me in a bleak sort of way, as in I’m keeping medical matters in perspective after all.
You’r right about *Nice Old Norwich* although how far that extends I am not sure as people have been quitting some of the admin roles at quite a high rate and there’s always a reason for that.
Something tells me that Mark Attanasio probably bosses his bank manager!
Thanks for your comment and I wish you all the very best.
Thanks for the Simon Mayo info – I didn’t have a clue!
Hakkinen, Raikkonen, and a load of world class Rally drivers, Martin!
Hi Dan
You’re absoloutely right of course.
I used to love F1 back in the day but haven’t followed it for years – I’m not keen on what it has become tbh.
Great to hear from you 🙂
Cheers