I feel lucky. Despite not being able to see Norwich play at Carrow Road since February 2020, I’ve had the chance to go into the stadium, walk on the pitch, take a good, long look around and contemplate the events of the last year. Like someone rescued from a desert grabbing a first drink of […]
Martin Betts
Ignore the ill-educated who attempt to heap scorn on our club’s huge achievement
The view within the Norwich-supporting bubble is a very different one to that being espoused by fans of other clubs across the country. Forget the rather bizarre and twisted perception that our country cousins down the A140 currently have of the world following the takeover by new American investors. With just five games remaining we […]
Down to the bare bones but, crucially, still with an intact back four to offer the ballast
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 […]
All hail the *five* super-subs (unless we’re in the Prem… in which case it’s a terrible idea)
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 […]
Together we can make football great again – in spite of those making the decisions
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 […]
Disney heroes… hideous monsters … speeding rhinos… and fairytale endings
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Time to show your mettle. Still 42 matches left of what could yet be a golden season
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 […]
An early-season tipping point already approaching for Webber and Farke?
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 […]
City struggling for rhythm, form & oomph but (so far) earning points along the way
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 […]
Who’s up for a small-scale, socially distant, Covid-secure ‘welcome home’ party?
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 […]
Football predictions, especially of a yellow hue, are a mug’s game. So… here goes
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 […]
Hugill brings with him a Plan B – something denied Herr Farke in the Premier League
“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) […]