Unfortunately, our Martin is still incommunicado and so into the breach today steps Bernie Own with a pre-international break guest blog. He looks at where we are, what’s gone wrong, and what it will take (if anything) for Mr Wagner’s tenure to last into 2024. All yours, Bernie. *** After the Coventry game we are […]
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Three in, one out, and a tidy net profit on a busy old day at Carrow Road
After a frenzied day of activity at Carrow Road – a rarity here on Transfer Deadline Day – the upshot was three in and one out and a net profit of what could eventually rise to £20 million. So an absolutely outstanding day if you’re an owner or a bean counter, but what about if […]
Who’s up for a pint in the Lion and Castle?
One announcement made by Norwich City over the weekend tended to fly under the radar as we were engulfed with the predictable close-season flood of rumours concerning who’s arriving, who’s leaving, and Turkey’s top two [sorry Besiktas fans, it’s true] continuing to fight over Milot Rashica. We’re opening a pub in the Lower Barclay. That’s […]
CITY v PRESTON NE (A) – THE PREVIEW
David Wagner is set to take charge of his first league outing this weekend as Norwich City’s head coach, facing Ryan Lowe’s Preston North End. After a home defeat to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup in his first competitive game, Wagner will be desperate to begin his league campaign in a more positive fashion, […]
ACADEMY – January report card for the Under-18s and Under-U21s
Despite some setbacks, 2022 was a hugely encouraging year for the young Canaries, with them making it into their first-ever PL2 Division 2 Play-Off campaign and many players committing their futures to the club. However, the most satisfying thing was seeing Jon Rowe, Jon Tomkinson, Tony Springett and Liam Gibbs making their full debuts for […]
Three points… the Russ mystery… Deano’s lovable 1-0s… and still no brick!
I have never thought of South Wales as a particularly mysterious place – anything but in fact as the folks I met there through work journeys to a long-gone powder coating factory just outside Newport in the late 1980s were as straight as they come, saying what they thought with great clarity. Everything about the […]
How can we unconditionally support an approach that we don’t fully understand?
As the criticism of Dean Smith’s Norwich intensifies, perhaps it’s natural that shots are fired back towards the dissenting voices. There has been a narrative playing out in some quarters that City supporters are unappreciative, expecting too much, and acting like spoilt, petulant children. That accusation is easy to shrug off when it comes from […]
And the new Norwich City manager is… (we still don’t know)
Managerial speculation, gossip and counter gossip. It’s all a bit wearying. Especially that which is spouted by some of the more lowbrow media outlets with their endless references to their ‘sources’. In other words, if they stick their grubby paws into the guessing game lucky dip and get it right, they can blag and boast […]
Premier League survival one point at a time? Or is the tide turning too slowly?
Oh, Josh 🙁 For all the whys and wherefores of team selections, formations and substitutions that did or didn’t happen, the main reason we’re not dissecting our first win of the season this morning is that poor ol’ Josh, when faced with an open goal from 25 yards, horribly under-hit it. Really horribly. He’ll not […]
MATCH REPORT: No City heroes as Hornets make it five on the spin against Canaries
‘You got me monologuing. The words are from the villain ‘Syndrome’ in the Disney Pixar Film ‘The Incredibles’, but could equally be applied to Daniel Farke after his pre-match press conference this week. Regrettably, there were no superheroes at Carrow Road today, nor anything Incredible. Despite his passionate defence of his players, Farke made changes […]
“The way football changes so quickly is crazy!”: Andrew Omobamidele talks to MFW
15 days ago Andrew Omobamidele hadn’t started a senior game of football. Tonight, he starts in a game that could see him become a Premier League player. “The way football changes so quickly is just crazy,” says the 18-year-old as he sits down with MyFootballWriter. “Two or three weeks before you could just be training with […]
How and why City’s midfielders now become ‘full-backs’ in possession
One of the more interesting aspects of Norwich City’s tactical setup this season has been the movement of their central midfielders in possession. Oliver Skipp and Kenny McLean are regularly seen receiving possession and covering in deep full-back positions. So, how does this work and why do they do it? The first thing to note […]
If (still a big if) City go up, how do they ‘Premier League-proof’ themselves?
If City do reach the ‘promised land’, how do they ensure they are well equipped to survive? In 2019, Daniel Farke’s City secured promotion to the Premier League playing a brand of football that was foreign to many in Norfolk. Expansive, attractive and progressive were the buzzwords used to describe Farkeball at that moment in […]
VIDEO: City to sign Spurs’ Oliver Skipp on loan
All the Young Dudes…
Most of us think the life of a professional footballer consists of being rewarded with huge wages for doing something you enjoy for a living, holidaying on yachts, consorting with models, and generally exploiting la dolce vita to the full. While much of that is true – yes Beckham, Rooney, Balotelli I’m calling you out […]
Time for a major re-set. The very future of the game we love is at stake right now
I’ve been lucky enough to be allowed to write about the game I love for 10 years now but I don’t think I’ve ever felt as disillusioned with it as I currently do. Before the pandemic the combination of live football to write about and a tight word limit meant that I never had the […]
How much are you missing matchday buddies? Oh for the day when we reunite
As the prospect of seeing real, live football seems to disappear ever further from our cognisance, I thought I might pose the MFW community a question: do you miss your casual matchday mates and if so, how much? You could [like me] sit in a Barclay rag, tag and bobtail of lifetime friends, relatively new […]
Going Deutsch: how outside of the box thinking brought City back to the Prem
Heads dejectedly in their hands, City’s deflated players trudge back towards the tunnel, the boos from the travelling Canaries fans echoing in their ears. It’s Saturday 4th March 2017, the squad with a wage bill in excess of £50 million has just lost 5-1 to Sheffield Wednesday, all but confirming that they will miss out […]
Southgate’s decision testament to his shrewd principles and Angus’ Championship brilliance
Bravo Gareth Southgate. With resources wearing thin, injuries pervasive, and a daunting test against Neymar’s Brazil awaiting, England’s dignified manager was bold. The selection of City’s Angus Gunn revealed a manifold number of things, not least Southgate’s meritocratic values and Gunn’s growing precocity as our increasingly dependable number one. Angus deserves this. His call-up represents […]
Now time to put the fears and grievances aside and throw our weight behind Team Adams?
I hate to be one who blames Adams when City lose and give everyone else, apart from him, credit when we win but Saturday had the knowledge of Mike Phelan stamped all over it. We kept it tight when we needed to and pressed them all over the park.