Dean Smith is a good manager at a club who thought they could beat the system. As a write this on the train to Sheffield, with a group of excitable young Norwich fans sipping from their first lager cans of the day, it’s difficult to see – on the surface at least – anyone unhappy […]
Our club as an heirloom? No wonder NCFC and modern football are irreconcilable
Going over the Haven Bridge in Great Yarmouth one sunny lunchtime in the 1996/97 season, on the way to Carrow Road for the first time, I asked my grandad who Norwich were playing that day. He said, “Bolton Wanderers.” I replied, “Belton!?”, pretty surprised that the Wild Duck Holiday Park had a professional football team […]
Madders outgrew us in super-quick time but the money must be used (and spent) wisely
Thud. Thud. Thud. Followed by wheeling away doing the aeroplane celebration, innocently singing It’s Coming Home as I heard it on the radio in the car. That is one of my first real footballing memories. It was the summer of Euro ‘96 and I was kicking a ball against the side of the house Dad was […]
Season over. Another important footnote in recent Norwich history, and time to take stock
Farke out or shut the Farke up? Luckily, we’ve not quite got to that stage yet, but with the season already over in early March there is no hiding or masking of the fact that that is bitterly disappointing and not what any of us was hoping or expecting at the start of the Championship […]
An ode to Wessi. Sam Jermy on how RoI’s loss has, and continues to be, City’s gain
I briefly had a taste of what it’s like to be in close quarters with Wes Hoolahan, and like so many defenders in the past decade, just get sidestepped with ease. Okay I’ll admit I wasn’t on the football pitch but meandering up Queen Street in the Fine City just a day or two after […]
DERBY PREVIEW: Sam J looks ahead with DCFCFanTV to tomorrow’s clash of the in-formers
This week, in order to get an inside track on all things Derby County we have been chatting to the good folk of DCFCFanTV: Hi guys, so what’s it like being a Derby County fan? Why do you always seem to be up there looking good for promotion and then fade away or never quite […]
ROBINS PREVIEW: Sam chats with TMS’s Simon Mann ahead of City’s clash with Bristol’s high-flyers
After the hostility of Sheffield United fans last weekend, it was nice to have a friendly chat with a Bristol City fan ahead of this Saturday. I spoke to Simon Mann, who has been a regular commentator on Test Match Special since 1996. Here’s what he had to say: Hi Simon, firstly I’m going to […]
True strength, whether referring to football fans or a squad of City players, comes from diversity
This column may ruffle a few feathers; I am completely comfortable with that. Unfortunately, throughout my life I seem compelled to state my honest opinion… some would argue far too often. But whatever facet of life we’re focusing on – whether it be relationships with your loved ones, politics or simply going to the football […]
The pain of losing ‘one of our own’ cuts deep, but it doesn’t signal the end of days at Carrow Road
I can sense St. James’ Park lurking behind me outside my window, as I write this. It’s hard to ignore it, as it sits atop what a Norfolk man would baulk at and say is a bloody big hill. Surrounded by a park and moors to the west and to the north, and the promise […]
Is a healthy balance sheet the only measure of success? No debt and a profit have taken us to tier two
It will take more than a couple of wins against Cardiff and Wigan to fix these various situations City have found themselves in. Meek acceptance of the status quo, being grateful it’s not worse and nobody asking the pertinent questions just adds to the cacophony of disgruntled voices from both sides of the broad church […]
I'm going to play safe and settle for a bore draw on Sunday – unless Mr Lafferty has other plans for us all…
Blackburn was a great example of how we *could* play this season. Wes and Naismith were nothing short of exquisite, as was Murphy, and with the fluidity of our attacking midfielders supporting AN Other up front we will be able to create a boatload of chances…
Small-time or shrewd? No more hesitation – now is the time for City to act big in the transfer market
For what it’s worth, Robbie Brady has turned out to be a great buy… but even then we dallied about upping our initial bid in small increments even though Steve Bruce and Hull had named their price.
From Sunderland to Wembley via the Boro faithful: the play-off final story of MFW's Sam Jermy
An electric atmosphere was helped by chants of ‘On The Ball City’, ‘Follow Follow Follow’ and a cheeky ‘This train’s too big for you!’ to the clutch of Boro fans at the end of the train. Then, a sea of yellow and red, streamlining into what is a magnificent stadium fit for a World Cup final…..and it was our cup final, the first in 30 years at Wembley.
Almost too good to go up. For all the riches on offer the Championship offers punters all the fun of the fair
Who else in this league could afford to have the likes of Gary Hooper and Nathan Redmond on the bench? I would say none. Even among the ‘regular’ subs, Declan Rudd is another promising England youth international and Carlos Cuellar has years of top flight experience.
Optimism aplenty amongst Y'Army but a tricky one today against the high-flying and bullish Hornets
Although it was played down post-Wolves, there is a bit of a symbolic achievement attached to successfully clambering back in the play-off places in mid-February, especially when you have been hovering outside of it since November.
City are now on a roll, and are certainly not on the skids, as they charge headlong into the Valley
I was pleased to be able to watch a weekend game at Carrow Road for a change, and when I saw the line-up it took me five minutes or so to try and figure out Alex Neil’s intended formation. As it turned out the 4-2-3-1 deployed worked a treat on the day.
A massive task but can Alex Neil's arrival have the galvanising effect required for a promotion push?
The size of the step up is a big one, but I’m hoping, rather than expecting, he will have the galvanizing effect that Gary Rowett has had on a Birmingham side that has been rising up the table since their young boss joined from Burton Albion.
After the gloom of the Riverside, City have now reached a crossroads that will define the rest of this season
Adams has some tough decisions to make looking ahead to the Forest game, and indeed the next few weeks, but I would seriously think of giving Carlos Cuellar or Ignasi Miquel a chance at centre-back on Saturday.
C'mon City. We can do this! With Adams' squad showing promise and desire, Norfolk expects
Seeing John Ruddy launch the ball to Josh Murphy and then watch him hare towards the goal was more Roy of the Rovers than Blackburn Rovers. And that’s exactly why most of us go and watch football – sheer entertainment!
A return to old fashioned values of passion and pride offer hope in City's return to the second tier
You want someone suitably qualified for the job, and I feel that as a First Division winner with Everton, experience of playing in the Premier League, and more recently taking a then largely unknown quantity to Stamford Bridge and winning the FA Youth Cup, Neil Adams certainly doesn’t have a bad CV.