Martin Penney

Jordan Hugill has justifiably grabbed most of the headlines this morning following City’s clinical 2-0 despatch of Bristol City at a rainy and windswept Carrow Road last night. But it really was the ultimate team performance as Hugill was at pains to point out himself after the final whistle. As was Daniel Farke: “He [Hugill] […]

There is much to admire about Wales. The superb band that are Manic Street Preachers, the awesome and atmospheric beauty of Lake Bala and the wonderful Treaddur Bay just down the road from Holyhead come instantly to mind as does the warmth and unique humour of the Welsh people I’ve had the good fortune to […]

On the surface that seemed to be the most unremarkable match in many ways – a fairly routine 2-0 win over a Coventry City side who were certainly up for it but were never able to offer much of a cutting edge after an early double from Kenny McLean and Jordan Hugill. Sure we were […]

A thing of beauty is a joy forever, we are told by somebody no less eloquent than the famous pre-Victorian Romantic poet John Keats. No, I haven’t read the poem itself but that line has kind of stuck in my mind – and has rarely been better deployed than when considering Emi Buendia’s wonder strike […]

History repeats itself. I gave the UEA the privilege of my *studying* the subject there way back when and I’m sure that MFW’s Martin MacBlain, who teaches the subject at a high level in Bristol, would agree with me. No, I haven’t had time to ask him but I’d bet he does. This time last […]

Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes, the old idiom goes. Well despite our rather low-key 0-1 to defeat to Watford on Saturday evening’s *Sky Special* there is something else certain right now: the Canary nation will awake on January 1 to discover that we are still very much top of the league. Sure we might not […]

I’ve enjoyed a very chequered career when it comes to pub games. When it comes to Pool I was pretty decent and played regularly for a couple of pub teams over the years. I was no Maltese Joe but handy enough I’d like to think. My ideal wasted afternoon, after I’d retired, was spent in […]

If the City legend that is Darren Huckerby says it, then it would be churlish of me to disagree. As, unlike Hucks, I’ve got more than 280 characters at my disposal I will add that there have been far too many of this type of performance this season for there to be any element of […]

I’m pretty sure that not many Norwich City supporters would immediately associate themselves with the customs and history of the Royal Welsh Regiment. Except myself of course who for some inexplicable reason knows the connection between the regiment and the Canaries: the Goat. For any MFW readers interested in regimental mascots. for some incomprehensible reason […]

After a match like last night’s against Chris Hughton’s Nottingham Forest, it would be very easy to say that we did just enough for our 2-1 win, with *barely enough* doubtless the phrase of choice for those of a pessimistic disposition. I’ll push the boat out a little bit more than that and air the […]

Football is infamous for its cliches and buzzwords both ancient and modern, from *over the moon* and *sick as a parrot* through to *expressing yourself* and *taking one for the team*. Saturday’s game against Sheffield Wednesday concentrated the Canary nation on one of the more modern terms: *quality*. The first piece of quality was provided […]

All good things come to an end so it’s time to wave goodbye to our 10-game unbeaten run. That streak had to finish some time of course and with our lamentable injury tally, I’m surprised it didn’t happen earlier. As for the match itself, it surely must be said that on the day Luton were […]

I’m a great fan of The Jam. Always was, always will be. They were more of a singles band but on, I think, their third album *Setting Sons* [the one with The Eton Rifles on it] there was a track called *Saturday’s Kids*. Obviously, it featured trenchant Paul Weller lyrics about said kids living in […]

Queen’s second album and in my opinion their most progressive and certainly the best, the eponymous Queen II, didn’t have a side one and a side two. It had side white and side black instead, possibly for artistic reasons or more likely gimmickry. It was the 1970s after all. I very much doubt Emi Buendia has […]

*We are top of the League, said we are top of the League*. Well, we haven’t heard that in a while and of course our loyal band of regular away supporters weren’t at the Riverside to sing it, but would have belted it out with gusto had they been allowed inside the ground. Plagiarism isn’t […]

On this chilly, miserable November Monday morning, I thought I’d cast my eye back on the events of a week without EFL Championship fixtures to pontificate about in a kind of That Was The Week That Was [TW3] style – and it’s not all doom and gloom by any manner of means. We saw the departure of […]

One of my favourite film creations back in the day was Cool Hand Luke, immortalised by Paul Newman as the title character in the movie. Well after Saturday I reckon Daniel Farke could play the role – with a slightly different accent of course. What a brave decision, which Daniel himself described as a *hunch*, […]