The Expert

You get the feeling that Glenn Roeder is going to do it one way and one way only.

His way.

Questions were raised in some quarters ? myself included – when the City boss didn't name Dion Dublin and Darel Russell in his starting line-up in last week's 2-1 defeat by West Brom.

After all, sticking the two players who have been more consistent than any of the others this season ? and who rightly subsequently turned out to be numbers one and two in …

I think it would be fair to say that Glenn Roeder has made a few surprise team selections in Norwich's last two matches.

Deploying Jamie Cureton being on the right flank against Ipswich wasn't ideal, but it would certainly be amiss to criticise the manager for selecting what undoubtedly was a very attacking line-up.

However, after singling out Alex Pearce and Jason Shackell for praise and saying that the pair had been ?magnificent? in the 2-0 victory over …

First things first.

The starting line-up.

Jason Shackell in for Alex Pearce?

Good call.

Pearce had a nightmare at Ipswich last week ? although in he certainly wasn't alone ? and Shackell hadn't done much wrong to warrant receiving the axe for the local derby anyway.

 
Mo Camara in for Ryan Bertrand? No debate required. Bertrand was injured with a hamstring strain and Camara, as we have seen, is a capable …

I'd hazard a guess and suggest that if there's one thing that irritates football supporters more than anything else, then it's hearing players proclaiming precisely what is needed on any given match-day and stating exactly how they're going to go about providing it, only to subsequently produce nothing of the sort…

You know what I'm talking about.

Players seemingly at one with their fans, saying all the right things beforehand, apparently …

Difficult to know where to start after that?

But try this fragmented summation for size?

Less energy than their opponents, less invention, less craft, less passion, less determination, less organisation, a considerably inferior ability than their opponents to pass the ball to someone wearing the same coloured shirt, second-best all over the park, toothless in attack, shoddy and unconvincing at the back?. etc, etc, etc

You'll get the picture, and you'll …

Not so long ago, when the Canaries were not so much perched happily and singing sweetly but seemingly flat on their backs and as stiff as a board at the bottom of the Championship table, no doubt more than one or two City supporters would have peered ahead at the fixture list and figured that the worst case scenario could easily unfold in front of their very eyes in a few months time…

Culminating with confirmed relegation for Norwich?against Ipswich? at Portman Road? with …

A win and a defeat for the Canaries from their previous two games didn't even tell half the story.

As anyone who witnessed their two performances would have to concur, the Canaries were excellent against Colchester and Bristol City, and not only did they provide their supporters with plenty to get excited about but they also re-emphasised their true capabilities.

After all, when you can take care of whatever the bottom team in the division can throw at you one …

There's not much that Glenn Roeder can say to his troops ahead of tomorrow's visit of Burnley – except to ask them for more from the same mould as in these last two matches.

The 5-1 demolition of Colchester was followed by arguably an even better display at Bristol City last week – despite the result – and if the Canaries can only muster half the standards they reached at Ashton Gate in these remaining five matches they'll not go far wrong.

There was, …

In their previous match against Colchester, the Canaries delivered a polished 90-minute performance.

It was, of course, against the league's weakest team that had relatively nothing to play for save professional pride, but nevertheless City impressed on the day with a credible work ethic and, in particular, their creativity in the final third of the pitch.

In fact, given the relative mediocrity of the standard of football in the Coca-Cola Championship, it …

When the Canaries last made the marathon trek to this neck of the woods they arguably produced their best away performance of the campaign.

Two Ched Evans goals were enough to cause what still remained a shock result to some extent at Cardiff that day despite City having won their two previous games and extended their unbeaten run to 11 matches, but no-one could deny that Norwich were full value for their three points over the course of the game.

Of course it all …

When the Canaries last made the marathon trek to this neck of the woods they arguably produced their best away performance of the campaign.

Two Ched Evans goals were enough to cause what still remained a shock result to some extent at Cardiff that day despite City having won their two previous games and extended their unbeaten run to 11 matches, but no-one could deny that Norwich were full value for their three points over the course of the game.

Of course it all …

There will, of course, be those that will point to this victory and declare that it was against the worst team in the division, one that leaks goals for fun and one that will be playing in the third division next season when all is said and done.

And under normal circumstances it would be difficult to offer up any sort of argument to that.

Except this was anything but normal circumstances – as well we know it.

Now just consider the irreparable damage that could …

Think of the Carling Cup, FA Cup, Champions League and World Cup all rolled into one, and that's just about the magnitude of the importance of the game for the Canaries tomorrow.

Well, at least that's certainly how 25,000 City supporters will be feeling right now with their team precariously perched just three points above the drop zone and having suffered an alarming drop in form recently.

It doesn't need building up this one, because with hardly the …

Performances are relative. And more often than not, they're comparable to the most recent effort.

What can pass off as credible on one day can easily be derided on others.

It just depends on circumstance.

It would explain why many people would have been reasonably happy with the Canaries' display against Stoke last Tuesday night despite City having ultimately suffered a 1-0 defeat.

Because the 1,800 or so supporters that made …

To paraphrase the seminal Beatles track, ?All we are saying?is give us a goal.?

Having not scored in their last two matches the Canaries have now worryingly slipped back to within just a couple of defeats form the dreaded pull of the drop zone.

Glenn Roeder has already voiced his concerns at his side's lack of goals, and the fact that only third from bottom Leicester have a lower 'goals scored' tally with just one less than City's 35 strikes in the …

?You're only as good as your last game.? How many times have you heard that particular saying?

It is a little inaccurate though, as every team can have an off day.

After all, when Manchester United were surprisingly dumped out the FA Cup at Old Trafford at the hands of Portsmouth last weekend, it didn't subsequently mean that they weren't very good any more.

Likewise with Chelsea. True Barnsley did a number on them, but they're still …

?Out-played, out-fought, out-thought…?

Just some of the quotes emanating from the City camp after they had just delivered 90 minutes of? well?completely unacceptable football at the Rioch Arena at the weekend.

And that's the worrying thing here, because ?bad days at the office? ? (there's another one) ? are now becoming something of a more frequent event.

City have taken just five points from their last six matches and it's safe to say …

You need look no further than the Norwich dug-out these days for a sign of just how far the Carnies have come under Glenn Roeder.

With the greatest of respect, when you see a line of fresh faced and inexperienced teenagers warming the bench it doesn't suggest that there is exactly a keenly contested competition for places in the team.

This problem has been there for quite a while, but whereas the previous regime struggled to tempt players to come and join the …

After being subjected to the Coca-Cola Championship's version of water torture from a Watford side that plays non-stop, in your face, route one, tedious football, tomorrow's trip to Coventry should in theory feel like a visit to a children's tea party.

If City can credibly withstand the very 'best' that Aidy Boothroyd title-chasing Neanderthals can throw at them to the point whereby come the final stages of the game they were actually playing the type of …

In a catchweight contest there's usually only one outcome.

The big guy usually bullies the small guy into submission.

Sometimes though, the little guy decides that enough is enough and fights back.

The Canaries went into the game last night with both a distinct height and weight disadvantage to their title-chasing hosts, and there was nothing new in terms of the onslaught they were subjected to for the majority of the first half.

Everyone knows …