It may not have been the performance we’d hoped for but I don’t think too many City fans will be unhappy with last night’s point. While performance levels are far currently removed from those we’ve become accustomed to in the second tier under Daniel Farke, the fact City are jogging along nicely at not far […]
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BRENTFORD PREVIEW: Expected goals… Keira Knightley… and a draw?
I’m not huge on using stats when writing about football matches because [*cliché klaxon*] “there’s only one stat that really counts”, especially when looking back over a game, but they do occasionally make for interesting reading when trying to forecast what could happen in an upcoming game or when looking further down the track. And […]
WE MEET AGAIN… Brentford FC
Tonight we enjoy a trip to one of our oldest rivals, Brentford FC. One of London’s less fashionable clubs, The Bees are on the up with a new stadium off the pitch and an exciting young team on it. They have been in the promotion mix for the last few seasons and all under a […]
Why Mario should remain City’s super-sub… for now
Mario Vrancic has found himself with a somewhat niche role as a super-sub in City’s side. Mario Vrancic is a player who has divided opinion since his arrival from SV Dormstadt 98 in the summer of 2017. Once the poster boy of Farkeball, Vrancic found his first few months in England tough as he was […]
All Hallows Eve… vintage combos… another defensive cock-up… and Idah naivety
Many folks are preparing their Hallow’een cauldrons for the weekend. We’re not doing it this year cos of Covid and actually refer to it within the family as All Hallows Eve cos we’re not fans of premeditated American stuff designed for the supermarkets to make yet more money. But if neighbourhood trick or treaters come […]
City again leave it until Vrancic time to claim the points against feisty Wycombe
That City came within a whisker (or three whiskers) of earning three draws and three points this week, as opposed to nine, is a reminder of just how fine the margins are. And that City are just a point from second place in the Championship while operating at only around 50 percent of their potential […]
WYCOMBE PREVIEW: Cold Blooded Hearts… Anthony McNamee… and The Beast
Well if ever an MFW preview was made for me this is the one. Which is probably why I volunteered for it in the first place. Now how does a singer in a half-decent rock ‘n’ roll covers band who plays [apparently – I couldn’t confirm it at time of writing] a bit of rhythm […]
WE MEET AGAIN… Wycombe Wanderers
Next up are the League One playoff winners, Wycombe Wanderers. You have to feel a bit sorry for Wycombe. The final at Wembley would have, should have, been the biggest game in the club’s history. Especially as the 2-1 victory came at the expense of near neighbours Oxford United. The fact no fans were there […]
Time for Daniel to get Les Enfants Terribles, and the rest of the band, playing in tune
Talent needs talent. It can shine even when among dull objects, but not half as much as it can when radiating against something equally as bright. Would John Lennon’s star have ascended as far as it did if he had played with Maroon 5 rather than the Fab Four? Or Noel Gallagher if he’d been […]
The return of the Dereham Deco… Todd’s tuning back in
Relief. That was the emotion I felt when the transfer window finally slammed shut last Friday night. With only two of our five ‘crown jewels’ exiting stage left, I believe most Norwich City fans would have been relatively happy with that figure if asked in June. The reality is we knew we were going to […]
Even for those who don’t love a stat… 73% possession and 23 shots is impressive!
Please Daniel, is there any chance of this becoming a regular experience? You surely know what I mean – winning by the odd late, late goal and keeping up the improvement in performance levels on a virtually game by game basis. This grinding out of results is becoming very popular with us supporters, you know. […]
Mario to the rescue as City make it two wins on the spin against Karanka’s stiflers
Two late winners in the space of four days. We could get used to this. This one had a clean sheet chucked in for good measure. Yet for long spells this had Derby written all over it as Aitor Karanka did what Aitor Karanka does, which is set up a team with the intended aim […]
BIRMINGHAM PREVIEW… a Tuesday night under the Carrow Road lights
A Tuesday night under the Carrow Road lights sounds perfect doesn’t it? That glare of the floodlights in the night sky as you approach the stadium, then shining like a million spotlights as you walk up the steps from the concourse into our Carrow Road amphitheatre. Magnificent, right? At least, it would be if we […]
WE MEET AGAIN… Birmingham City
Next to visit Carrow Road is the second city under-achievers Birmingham City and a return to a Championship favourite – The midweek fixture. When thinking back to past games between the two it is hard to look beyond the Play-off final of 2002 but as we shall see there have been plenty of important clashes […]
Crisis management Man U / Liverpool style – muscle in the form of an olive branch
‘Never let a good crisis go to waste’ – Winston Churchill I never expected to begin a piece of writing about Norwich City with a Churchill quote but so much of what we have seen in 2020 in this country resonates with this quote, including within football. Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting the […]
The knives may have been out at half-time, but who doesn’t love an ugly win?
At half time on Saturday, I had both my kriss and kukri out, sharpened and most certainly ready for theoretical action against our current management. What an abysmal first 45 minutes it was and I defy anybody to argue against that. We were awful. Tim Krul? What can you say? If first goalscorer Freddie Ladapo’s […]
Three points from a losing position. Fortune favouring City. Very weird times indeed
Those who genuinely believed this was going to be a straightforward Project Return were always destined for disappointment. The Championship isn’t like that. We should know. And having one of the most, if not the most, technically able squad in the Championship counts for nothing. We should know that too. Yet we never learn. The […]
ROTHERHAM PREVIEW – The spirit of Worthy’s heroes of 2003/04 needed tomorrow
Damien Francis’ late leveller and a helter-skelter 4-4 draw at Millmoor will forever hold a place in Norwich City’s storied 2003/04 promotion almanack. In simpler times – and a season that first ignited my 17-year love affair with City – the travelling fans swayed like daffodils under the Yorkshire lights as Francis, a key cog […]
WE MEET AGAIN… Rotherham United
Big games, historic matches, significant milestones, and player connections. I’ll delve into moments in time where our respective clubs have meet, looking at trends, quirks, and key talking points, all of which have helped contribute towards Norwich’s rich and colourful history. One to appeal to the nostalgic side in us, so enjoy the memories… Next […]
Premier League rejects the first “sugar-coated cyanide pill” but there’ll be another
The fragile foundations on which the English football pyramid has stood for 150 years or more have been rocked by COVID-19 – yet it is the base of the structure looking more insecure than its pinnacle. The national game, beyond the riches of the Premier League, finds itself in a rather precarious situation. The first […]