Martin Betts

If anyone’s ever wondered what bare bones look like then they will just have to wait for City’s team sheet on Saturday to get a glimpse. Coping without a full compliment of players has been a recurring theme of Norwich’s season thus far, starting with the League Cup match at Kenilworth Road where the Canaries […]

There will be big smiles on some managers’ faces as they rub their hands together in collective glee after getting news of the decision to increase the number of substitutions per game. Daniel Farke is likely to be one of the happiest in the Championship now that he has the opportunity to make five changes […]

You can feel change in the air – not just in politics or everyday life, but across the footballing landscape. We’re not just talking Trump here, but Marcus Rashford, playing away at Westminster, turning Boris Johnson inside out before smashing home two tremendous strikes against the Conservatives to win free school meals for needy families […]

Beauty and the Beast. A story of love between a hideous monster and a beautiful and majestic royal. Currently showing in Norwich to empty houses, starring Grant Hanley and Emi Buendia. This may seem rather a cruel piece of casting for my Disney remake but if we’re going to enjoy a slightly emotional and heart-warming […]

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 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 […]

Do you know when your mettle is being tested? It’s really rather subtle. It’s not a timed written examination nor does it involve a large cotton swab being shoved unceremoniously up your nose after being forced to endure a 450-mile round trip. It’s about spirit and resilience. An ability to cope well with difficulties. In […]

Turning points. Moments in time that have significance as markers ahead of a sudden or dramatic turn of events. It sums up the modern game that increasing numbers of Norwich fans are already beginning to think we’re approaching one of these after only three games. If I was happy to paint a diverse range of […]

Which type of glasses do you prefer? Empty, half-full, or rose tinted? Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon offered more options than Specsavers. Many were left rubbing their eyes in disbelief as not only did we have a crowd to witness an entertaining, if often quality-free, four-goal clash, but Norwich twice came from behind to salvage […]

Monkeys are irresistible creatures, aren’t they? Mischievous. Cute. Entertaining. They are one of nature’s entertainers. Unless you have one on your back. Then they are an annoyance. Draining. Morale sapping. It came as something of a relief when Norwich City took the opportunity against Huddersfield to throw off the one it’s been grappling with since […]

I hate making footballing predictions. They make me anxious. The thought of being constantly reminded of my ineptitude and poked with a sharp stick whittled from my own pathetic punditry is enough to make me avoid making rash statements. As for second guessing Norwich’s fortunes? Mug’s game. Last season I wouldn’t have hesitated for a […]

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” This was Mike Tyson’s brutal but beautifully observed critique of his potential challengers while he was in his menacing mid-eighties pomp. Considering how Norwich City was repeatedly left nursing a bloodied nose when toe to toe with some of the Premier League heavyweights (and, to be honest, lightweights) […]