The traditional measure of any foreign signing is ‘looks good but can he do it on a cold Tuesday night at Millwall’, or words to that effect. This question was asked of the entire Norwich squad and for the third game running, they were found to be wanting. City started brightly and had several attempts […]
MATCH REPORT
MATCH REPORT: Off-colour City outsmarted by Colin’s recently wounded Teessiders
After a break for FA Cup action it was back to Carrow Road for the serious business of the league once again. After some gloomy injury forecasts, there was a relatively familiar look to the City line up – a debut for Dimitris Giannoulous the main point for discussion. But the brooding figure of City […]
MATCH REPORT: Canaries = a boa constrictor… an irresistible force… remorseless
A return to a blustery Carrow Road. For me, completely alien, sitting as I am in Dubai watching the game on beIN Sports with Arabic commentary replacing the usual dulcet tones of Chris Goreham. From the start, it looked like Bristol came to play a game of football, rather than the 10 men behind the […]
MATCH REPORT: City overcome a lively Barnsley with Emi the match-winner
A New Year, and an entertaining contest at Carrow Road topped by a wonderful Emi Buendia goal. Long may it continue. Tim Krul made his long-anticipated return from injury after Michael McGovern was effectively ruled out for the rest of the season. Ben Gibson replaced Christoph Zimmermann in defence. Barnsley started in an aggressive and energetic manner. A […]
MATCH REPORT: Two points dropped as City stumble against Warburton’s battlers
It was almost as if City were trying to distill a whole 12 months of football into a single 90 minutes at Carrow Road tonight. Dominant in possession, an injury to a crucial player, marginal decisions going against them, and a frustrating concession out of nothing. Daniel Farke made just the one change, preferring Mario […]
MATCH REPORT: Watford’s latest new manager succeeds with the age-old 4-4-2
Christmas is a time of great traditions. The Queen’s speech, turkey and all the trimmings, and a Boxing Day defeat for Norwich City. And this year it never felt as though it was going to be any different. Watford, with another new manager, began the game in the unfashionable 4-4-2 formation, Troy Deeney and Andre […]
MATCH REPORT: City stay top at Christmas thanks to Cantwell/Buendia masterclass
It gets difficult to write about this current Norwich side. For opposition managers, they present an almost unplayable proposition. That is not to say that they will blow any team away, more that whatever tactics are employed against them, they possess the nous to find a way to win. In the first half, Cardiff stood off […]
MATCH REPORT: Farke’s Plan B comes to the rescue as the City juggernaut rolls on
The unrelenting juggernaut that is the Championship continued again last night, and ended with the Canaries firmly in the driving seat. The game began with City pressing extremely high up the pitch; three Norwich attackers in the penalty area at one point. Daniel Farke had obviously seen something in his preparation and three times in quick […]
MATCH REPORT: City survive a stern test at Ewood on the day Pukki makes it 50 in 100
Last week I reported on the efforts of Tony Pulis’ team to suffocate Norwich. This week the free scoring Blackburn tried a different tack, but the result was the same. Daniel Farke elected to bring Alex Tettey into the team that won in midweek and deploy Mario Vrancic further up the pitch, in place of […]
MATCH REPORT: City leave it late but two Vrancic-inspired goals reward the 2000
The Tony Pulis bus rolled into Carrow Road this afternoon and parked itself obdurately in NR1. Pulis deployed what has become the go-to playbook for visitors this season. Pack the box with players. Tick. Frustrate Buendia. Tick. Hit on the break. Tick. Wednesday played with five across the back, and three more players only yards […]
MATCH REPORT: No luck for the black and purple as the Canaries come up short
The footballing gods seem to have been against Norwich City for quite some time now. Last night was the time that they finally got their revenge. The injury crisis has been well documented over the last few weeks and on the back of a ten-match unbeaten run, it was only a matter of time before […]
MATCH REPORT: City’s walking wounded suffer late heartbreak but still earn a point
The long list of casualties reeled out by Daniel Farke at his pre-match news conference was never going to win any prizes for the shock of the week. Quite how deep he would have to plunge into the depths of City’s young talent was, perhaps, the deciding factor at Carrow Road. Norwich started in full […]
MATCH REPORT: City hang on for three points in a Potteries nerve-shredder
It’s never a good sign when all of the talk before a game is over who is not playing, and the net result of a crazy, crazy night at Stoke is that this is likely to continue for a few more weeks yet. As expected Lukas Rupp didn’t make the starting XI, but Daniel Farke […]