Mick Dennis

‘Ghost games’ needed to conclude the season? Mick D describes the eeriness March 23, 2020 - Eddie Baily, West Ham’s chief scout, kept up a constant chorus of insistent instructions from the touchline. Everyone in the stadium heard every word. Unfortunately, every second word was an expletive. But, as the attendance was less than 300, Baily’s bawling didn’t offend too many. It was Wednesday, October 1st, ...
Mega-rich owners come with no guarantees of success. Plenty of examples of failure February 11, 2020 - Here are some comments from Twitter. All very recent. All genuine. All entirely predictable. “As things stand, our beloved old club is not rich enough to succeed in the modern game.” “It's the owners’ fault. You could stick any manager in, and we would still be getting the same issues ...
VAR or not VAR? How about we go radical and let refs and their assistants officiate? December 30, 2019 - VAR. I hate it. It is ludicrous that officials are determining offside by the position of an atom at the edge of a toenail, the furthermost tip of a hair, or some other nanoscopic extremity. Ruling out Teemu Pukki’s goal against Spurs, and rendering Mario Vrancic’s sublime pass irrelevant, was ...
MARTIN PETERS: A football genius – one that for five seasons we called our own December 22, 2019 - Two anecdotes say a lot about Martin Peters. Both require you to understand what the world was like more than forty years ago, when the A17 was even worse than now and when the coach carrying Norwich City to overnight hotels before away games rarely got out of low gears ...
DUNCAN FORBES 1941 – 2019 November 15, 2019 - Today we said goodbye to one of the greats. One of our greats. And it's fitting that his final journey included a funeral service at Carrow Road. Mick Dennis, who was a reporter on the Pink Un when Duncan Forbes was in his pomp, was asked by the family to ...
Farewell Big Dunc – the rock on which the modern version of Norwich City was built October 24, 2019 - Back in October 2013, when Big Dunc's diagnosis was first made public, our own Mick Dennis wrote a moving piece that captured perfectly the inextricable link between Duncan Forbes and Norwich City Football Club. Dunc was many things to many different people: fearless centre-back... warrior leader... wise old head... mentor... ...
“Something must be done!” But what is that something that will save future Burys? August 30, 2019 - Everyone with a Twitter account agrees about the expulsion of Bury Town from the Football League. Something must be done! Fans, MPs and journalists want: tougher rules about club owners more monitoring to stop clubs being run badly spread the money around more fairly oh, and an independent inquiry and, ...
Cut-price heroes on cusp of the Prem via a route both improbable and beautiful April 24, 2019 - Norwich City: W25, D13, L6. Sheff Utd: W25, D10, L9. Leeds Utd: W25, D7, L12. It is City’s draws that are taking them up. Effectively Daniel Farke’s cut-price heroes have drawn six games that Leeds lost. The very first match of the season set the tone. At St Andrew’s, Birmingham ...
I won’t boo Lambert. Not Sunday. Not ever. Not least because that’s what he wants February 6, 2019 - Delia Smith turned to Paul Lambert after they had watched Norwich City’s dismal defeat at Brentford and gave him a blunt, five-word summation of the task he had accepted a few hours previously. It was Wednesday, 19 August, 2009. Lambert became Norwich manager that day, but too late for him ...
A one-man victory parade on Wearside… dancing in the Gents at Pompey… this is why we do it January 22, 2019 - The most dismal week of the 2,340 odd that I have spent caring too much about Norwich City was in 2013, as October became November. On the Tuesday night, the lovely Mrs Dennis and I watched a 4-0 League Cup defeat at Old Trafford. Four days later we sampled the ...
Patient, precise and productive possession: the embodiment of Norwich City’s new DNA November 14, 2018 - Which is your favourite of the three best Norwich goals so far this season? The 18-pass move against Villa? City’s third goal in the romp at Hillsborough? Or the 97th-minute winner against Millwall? Those three exquisite moves all extoll the boldness and belief that is surging through the club we ...
“You don’t know what you’re doing!” Except they do, and generally refs make fewer errors than players September 6, 2018 - Graham Poll was refereeing an evening game at Everton. When he arrived at Goodison, long before kick-off, he headed straight out onto the pitch; part of his pre-match ritual was always to take an early look at the playing surface and re-familiarise himself with the layout of the stands, the ...
MUSIC WEEK – From Welch Huw and his dodgy fags to the Gobstoppers Glee Club… June 6, 2018 - Belatedly, I must both thank and blame Huw, the Welsh lothario with whom I shared a flat on Thorpe Road in Norwich — in the days shortly after cave paintings. When Huw moved out, he took his record player with him, and the three of us who were left as ...
Because you’re Wes. April 26, 2018 - Paul Lambert unwittingly provided a pithy summary of the Wes Hoolahan conundrum long before either of them had any connection with Norwich City. Lambert signed the mercurial midfielder for Scottish club Livingston in January 2006 — a controversial deal, marked by insults — and said: “He's got a great left ...
Nobody can claim our board put prudence before ambition. They took a punt. That’s why we are where we are November 27, 2017 - A true tragedy in the NCFC “family” has surely reminded us all that football is just a sport. This might not be the place to talk about such things, but I can’t consider much else at the moment; the death of Simon Thomas’s wife, Gemma, at 40, just three days ...
On Tales 3 day, Mick D looks back to the years and men who shaped the future of Norwich City FC October 4, 2017 - Part of the fun of compiling Tales From The City books comes when two or more contributors give accounts of the same events or deal with the same subject. Together they provide a much more complete picture. When I was editing Tales 3, for instance, I realised that Terry Allcock, ...
Tales From The City volume 3: There is more that unites us than divides us September 22, 2017 - The stirring victory at Sheffield United was followed by their supporters abusing Norwich directors, assaulting our fans and tweeting incendiary messages. I’ve reported the worst Tweets to South Yorkshire Police. And, as the Yellow Army mustered three days later at Brentford — where the only danger was that those of ...
The reaction of the rival sets of fans to the table of diners at The Crabtree told the story August 9, 2017 - It was just a pub meal: a group of colleagues dining together, along with two of their partners and a couple of friends. Norwich fans who saw the happy group at the big table at The Crabtree, in Fulham on Saturday night, took very little notice. But every Fulham supporter ...
Not a club in chaos, but one where the flaws have been identified, acknowledged and addressed March 12, 2017 - Delia and Michael are among the most experienced in the country at running a football club. And they are determined to “give us our Norwich back” — to ensure that once again it is a club rooted in its community, is a good employer and achieves as much on the ...
Handing the reins to Tom is not about nepotism; it’s about D&M doing what they think best for this club November 24, 2016 - Many newspapers were chasing Delia and Michael to “do a piece” to mark the 20th anniversary of their becoming City’s majority shareholders. The hack pack would not be put off the scent until they talked to someone, and Henry is a lovely guy, so …
Tales From The City 2 Live: Mix with the great n’ good, and watch Ed as his ‘Strictly’ fate is revealed live October 4, 2016 - There’s no City match at the weekend, but there is a big fixture at Carrow Road on Sunday (9 Oct): the launch of Tales From The City volume 2.
Debt-free… small profits… not skint… ‘wretched’ transfer window… investors… Mick spills a few beans September 12, 2016 - In that summer of 2014, Norwich sold seven and bought 16. They spent £2.7m more on the new men than they got for the ones who left. They offered handsome incentives to keep players at Carrow Road and entice others to join them.
Ed Balls: bullish, pugnacious, political bruiser, man of princple but, above all, a proper City fan December 27, 2015 - Ed is formidably bright and disarmingly charming in person — but didn’t earn his reputation as a political bruiser by ducking a fight. I expect the new chairman to be our pugnacious champion in meetings with the Premier League and others.
It’s time for the negativity to stop. Russ, Alex et al have done more than enough to be spared the moans September 22, 2015 - Brendan Rogers has been able to spend £312.8 million in three years but even before that wantonness, the inequalities of resources had grown and grown, so that Liverpool have won nine of the last 11 meetings with Norwich.
Wembley a fitting reward for the Yellow Army who were there when the dark depths were plummeted May 29, 2015 - As Malcolm Robertson said in his MyFootballWriter piece ahead of Wembley, you have to experience the crushing lows to value the vaunting highs. And, as Delia told the TV audience, Wembley was particularly rewarding for us because so many of us carry scars from dismal disappointments.
With a serious young Scot on the rudder, right now the austere approach works for the Canaries March 26, 2015 - It is certainly true that Neil is willing to change his men and alter how they are deployed. In Scotland he preferred 4-1-4-1. With Norwich, he has had success with 4-2-3-1, the much-loved diamond (4-1-2-1-1) and several variants of the 4-4-1-1 he went with against Forest.
Still twenty-one games to go, everything to play for. So, let’s be having you! We can do this! January 11, 2015 - There appeared to be a lot of confusion about how we should reorganise. Alex Neil was in the technical area, but Phelan, Three Lungs and goal-keeping coach Tony Parks were giving instructions too and Russ Martin, the skipper, made at least two return trips to the side of the pitch ...
City board plan to have new man in place before Saturday’s trip to league leaders Bournemouth January 5, 2015 - McNally’s normal modus operandi is to consult senior players. He ignores extreme opinions but seeks to gauge the consensus of the sensible. Then he asks the manager what plans there are to address flaws or failings.
Silence from the board suggests that, for the short-term at least, Adams will remain in City hotseat December 2, 2014 - It needs to be remembered that the Barclay and Snake Pit were magnificent during Saturday's game. The support was loud and stirring. From my season ticket seat in the Community Upper, it provided goose bump moments.
Let’s do things differently this time round. Let the City debate be constructive and without acrimony October 28, 2014 - If you think Delia and Michael don’t really care or understand, then you and I will never agree and I can’t be bothered with you. It would be like trying to reason with nutters who swear Elvis is working at the Vauxhall Caravan Park on the Acle New Road. If, ...
No pain, no gain. City now reaping the reward of Bowkett and McNally’s frugality September 18, 2014 - The first time I heard McNally speak in public – at a meeting of the Capital Canaries days after that 7-1 humbling by Lambert’s Colchester in August 2009 – he banged on about needing to reduce debts. He spoke more about that than anything else.
Of many Molineux bad days, Sunday was one of the worst. And not because of what occurred on the green stuff August 12, 2014 - The light touch of the Wolves stewards – only enforcing the law (and it is a law) where the standers were being deliberately inconsiderate to others – was helpful to the majority of supporters. We all care about the same team. We all give our money, our time and our ...
Lots of ‘ifs’ but if the cards are played right we could yet see the Y’Army frowns turn to smiles July 30, 2014 - One of the enduring myths about last season is that Chris Hughton didn't play to RVW's strengths. I am not trying to resurrect the Hughton argument. I lost that one and don't want to be divisive ahead of a campaign when unity in the stands will be especially important.
The wait is over. Neil Adams aims for a return to ‘attacking, attractive and winning football’ May 22, 2014 - Adams only earned one point from those games but the club hierarchy was impressed with the way he tackled a formidable run of fixtures – and also how he dealt with two undisclosed disciplinary issues within the squad.
The West Brom debacle, a brief meeting with the board, and the die was cast for Hughton April 7, 2014 - Only a dark hurt deep in his eyes betrayed the bleakness Hughton was feeling. Only private, whispered conversations revealed Delia’s mood. She was in pieces, but with practised sincerity, she produced smile after smile as countless fans asked her to be in their “selfies”.
Boils down to expectations. And for those who think change guarantees improvement… March 11, 2014 - Norwich were winning. Bringing Howson on would enable a switch to the 4-2-3-1 system which was so effective in a run of games before it was abandoned with disastrous results to accommodate Wes at Villa Park.
The bad blood between Villa and City makes Wes’s desire to move to the second city ever more unlikely January 23, 2014 - I understand that the only circumstances in which they might be prepared to part with Hoolahan in this transfer window is if they could sign someone better at his sort of role – operating centrally just behind the main striker.
While we perceive ourselves as ‘massive’, in reality we’re a small(ish) fish in the Premier League pond January 7, 2014 - City got the best “value per point” in the entire Premier League last season under Hughton. Finishing 11th cost just over £500,000 per point. Compare that with Chelsea, who blew £5m a point!
Is sacking the manager the answer? History tells us City fans should be careful what they wish for November 3, 2013 - The most successful manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, was loathed by fans and very nearly kicked out – before turning things around just a tad. A year ago Arsenal fans were telling Arsene Wenger he didn’t know what he was doing. Now they top the table.
The legend known as “Big Dunc” – the rock upon which the modern version of Norwich City was built October 17, 2013 - He seemed indestructible, so the news that his brain has been dying, one cell at a time, is crushingly sad. But I am fortune enough to have a personal recollection which has made me smile down the years and which is help at this most mournful of times.
Epic victory at Watford but flaws in playing 4-4-2 laid bare to those who still wish for ‘two up top’ September 27, 2013 - Hughton is not inherently cautious or defensive. How could ten different Tottenham managers have valued his coaching if he does not prize attacking play? Yes, he likes an organised defence. And he believed that was the area which needed improving when he took over at Norwich.
Let’s not be fooled by the weekend’s stats; the only ones that counted meant a deserved point for City August 20, 2013 - There were more misleading stats from the game. One set said Everton had enjoyed 67 per cent of the possession: an extraordinary figure for a visiting team. Opta, the company used by the Press Association and the BBC, later declared Everton’s possession to have been only 56 per cent – ...
Farewell to a legend. Holty’s role in restoring the pride of the Canary Nation will never be forgotten July 9, 2013 - I can’t think of him without remembering the demolition derbies. In the first, at our place, Holty’s hat-trick epitomised his attacking qualities: never giving defenders time to think or room to move, always ready to indulge in low-level illegality to better an opponent, always alert to an opportunity, always striking ...
While Chelsea fans opted to exit stage left as defeat loomed, the Yellow Army stood firm… as always; loyalty never in question May 14, 2013 - How could Chelsea fans stomp out on their kids? How could they become so sated by success, so flush with a sense of entitlement that they wouldn’t stay to the finish and applaud teenagers? It will never be like that at Norwich. We remember what failure feels like, so when ...
Minus the yellow-tinted spectacles, Chris Foy’s Stadium of Light performance may have bordered on the acceptable March 18, 2013 - If Sunderland had won, Norwich would now be 15th, with confidence crushed. As it is, it is Sunderland who are 15th, four points above the drop zone and with belief of supporters and probably players deflated. As I have said on this site, Norwich will always have to chisel out ...
While the goals remain elusive and the finishing line in the distance there is still every reason for the Canary Nation to keep the faith… March 14, 2013 - I think of games under Glenn Roeder when Darel Russell was pressed into service as a striker. I shudder at the recollection of the string of genuine(ish) forwards upon who we invested our hopes: men like Elvis Hammond, Chris Brown and Paul Dalglish. I think of players in other positions ...
Time for a few home – and away – truths about the club we love so dearly; we will forever have to fight for our Premier League lives… February 4, 2013 - Here is a truth which some will find unpalatable: as long as we live, Norwich will always have to scrap for every Premier League point. And any point earned away from home will be a good one...
Few Canaries divide opinion like Steve Morison, but the anti-brigade’s refusal to accept his qualities leaves a bad taste January 8, 2013 - I’VE had two spats with Norwich fans at recent matches. My wife tried to stop me, but sometimes I am so angered by some of the glass-half-empty contingent that I cannot bite my tongue. Both rows centred on Steve Morison. At West Brom, a guy behind me made a highly ...
Lambert gave us three, exhilerating years at the helm; he moved on; so have we. Expect no sentiment on Saturday. October 23, 2012 - Looking back now, there are some lessons ahead of City’s reunion with Lambert. We certainly need to remember how we got him before we allow ourselves to be consumed with angst about how we lost him. And we need to realise that, once he moves on, there is no sentiment ...
Stand up and take the applause, Mr Johnson. You led by example and proved to all present that City are back… September 3, 2012 - Instead, as the magnificent travelling fans yelled themselves hoarse and the players dug in for the draw which was the very least their endeavour and enterprise deserved, there was an almost palpable sense of: "We'll be all right!"
Chris Hughton is a thoroughly decent, football man who has long deserved a decent board to work for. Welcome to Norwich… June 7, 2012 - He contrived to guide Birmingham into the play-offs, but you can see why Norwich – stable, Premier League, well-run Norwich – present Hughton with an opportunity. It will be a change to work somewhere sane. The calm man, who has shown time and time again that he can steady a ...
When the dust finally settles, see this for what it is – a fiercely driven man and one, burning ambition to get to the very top his trade. June 1, 2012 - I could blather on about "sources" or bury you in coded cliches, but instead I assert baldy that I know for an absolute fact that Lambert understood and accepted the need for Norwich to keep the spending brakes on for two more seasons....
People, just sit back and bask in the glory that is this City side. And relish what the Bennetts and the Howsons are adding… April 10, 2012 - Of course people who pay to watch Norwich have a right to boo. Even keyboard warriors who stay at home have a right to boo. But the real question is why would you want to? Why would you look for negatives at Norwich City now? It is like winning the ...
Let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture, even if Sir Paul can’t… March 7, 2012 - I always rage at the moaners and the snipers who, even this season, can find something to make themselves miserable before they phone Radio Norfolk or log-in to message boards. Yet Lambert was less able to deal with the [Manchester United] defeat than any of them. You’ve got to love ...
What do back-to-back away wins tell us about Paul Lambert’s Canaries? That we’re not a Blackpool. Simple as. January 17, 2012 - The changed football landscape meant that clubs like Norwich could never again compete at the very top of the English game on equal terms. But, there are no other clubs exactly like Norwich, with fans who stay so loyal and so passionate in the third tier. Certainly there are no ...
One lengthy interview in Yellows later and I have ever more reason to trust in our manager, Paul Lambert… December 13, 2011 - “People say staying up is success, and I can understand that and agree but I don’t want the players to think that is enough. I want to drive them on. Sir Alex Ferguson must have a bad back, from lifting trophies but he still wants more. So I want to ...
Make no mistake, we will always, always freakin love Grant Holt. But, likewise, in Paul Lambert we trust… October 5, 2011 - Those who warned that he would need men with Premier League experience in the top division should think about the Sunderland defence who were so bemused and confused as Norwich City constructed that Barcelona-esque second goal against them...
Not for the first time, what follows won’t make me Mr Popular. But the man in the middle is just that. A man. September 13, 2011 - I don’t expect anyone – not one person – to agree with this column, but if I only write populist stuff on this site, I’d there would be no point in contributing. You can get your fill of one-eyed jingoism on message boards....
Please, my illustrious colleagues in the Press, can we for once look a little harder and see how our diamonds sparkle… August 15, 2011 - De Laet will be one of the Premier League’s top performers this season. I saw enough of him in pre-season to be certain of that. He is a pro-active defender, blisteringly quick, intelligent and with a healthy hatred of ceding an inch.
A quick plug for FourFourTwo. A worthy beach read adorned by the words of our Commander-In-Chief June 29, 2011 - “It will be extremely tough, we know that, and I’m not going to make a rash prediction but we are going to enjoy it and if we can stay in the league it will be incredible..." Lambert tells FourFourTwo Magazine.
To stick in the summer – or to twist again in the winter? That’s the real teaser. But in Paul Lambert, we trust… May 29, 2011 - I spoke to Worthy recently. He was full of praise for Lambert and genuinely full of hope and support for Norwich. But he believes that, if he had been allowed to buy Dean Ashton in the summer instead of in the January, City would have stayed up. The board, at ...
I, for one, am banking on an extended stay in the top flight of English football. It is the very least we all deserve… May 9, 2011 - The fact that Lambert’s City have never suffered back-to-back defeats is not a statistical anomaly or a happy co-incidence. And all those last-gasp goals were not a fluke or a freak. Lambert’s City bounce back from reverses and don’t know when they are beaten because of sort of players he ...
I believe we have seen a team that’s firmly bound for the Premier League this summer. Strewth, that was magnificent… April 22, 2011 - In the five years I have contributed to this website I have tried to use my columns to address long-term, strategic issues. This time, indulge me. I need to write about one game: one moment in the long history of a famous club from a fine city. Strewth, it was ...
Lambert’s star rises ever further in the mighty footballing firmament. Boy, was that good… March 10, 2011 - I thought City’s display at Barnsley was a new high-point, because the team put in the hard yards to make their dominance total. But that marvellous manifestation of Lambert’s ethos was eclipsed by the splendour of what occurred at the Walkers.
Back from the brink and boldly looking to the future – a timely salute to Messrs Bowkett and McNally January 19, 2011 - It was not the sort of triumph that leads to an open-topped bus parade, but perhaps it should have been recognised by some sort of celebration, because at this year’s AGM chairman lan Bowkett admitted that, without that rescheduling: “We would not be standing here today...”
Lambert might sit uneasily in the midst of this world of instant ‘news’, but he’ll more than do for me. January 12, 2011 - Our Scot has more tricks than Paul Daniels. In three decades of watching the best teams all over the world, I had never seen any coach use five different formations during one game until Lambert did it against Sheffield United...
Mr Lambert and Mr Holt I salute you both, but I also salute the men of honest toil in the middle November 29, 2010 - The team spirit the pugnacious Scot has fostered and his tactical awareness have made it a joy to watch our team. In particular, his fondness for the use of attack-minded players in bold substitutions has cheered the soul and harvested the points.
A diamond is clearly Lambert’s best friend. Oh, and sorry Simon – I admit I got that one wrong October 8, 2010 - Now, with Surman injured, Lappin is first choice. He cannot assume he will remain first pick. But, as he has demonstrated amply, he has the character and ability (and, yes athleticism) to prove people wrong.
Bellars’ arrival at Cardiff is a seminal moment. But don’t forget that we’ve got Messrs Lambert and Holt… August 18, 2010 - It is a division in which the cliché about anyone being able to beat anyone else “on their day” is accurate. I think Bellamy will give Cardiff numerous good days, but I think Lambert and Holt will give us enough, as well.
Fry’s arrival is a welcome one. But don’t lose sight of the bigger picture… August 16, 2010 - Fry’s appointment is a harmless bit of PR. And the modern-day Oscar Wilde responded by immediately putting the club’s badge on his Twitter picture. But I think it is much more significant that, seven months after appointing Deloitte to “help the club consider their options”, there is still no sign ...
Like last time, the trip to Adams Park proved to be a watershed moment for the Canaries May 5, 2010 - There have been many significant milestones along the route back to the Championship but the trip to Adams Park on the second day of 2010 was surely the first moment when Paul Lambert’s troops were able to see where the road ahead might lead.
No noise from the Norwich boys? It’s quite the opposite these days thanks very much! April 7, 2010 - Norwich fell flat on their face at the start of the marathon, staggered a bit when they picked themselves up, but then put in an extraordinary effort during the hard miles and are entering the final straight as clear leaders. The pack are chasing and Norwich might falter a bit. ...
It’s time to take a step back and look at the facts. City’s form is simply awesome March 9, 2010 - After taking ten points from the first nine games of the season, City have harvested a truly astonishing 65 from the subsequent 26. That is an average of 2.5 points a game, and that is more than a geeky stat. It is a valid measure of excellence. An average of ...
Stroppy? Yes. Gracious? Not so much. Do we love him? Of course! January 20, 2010 - It wasn’t very gracious, perhaps. And I know I’ve spent a good few years extolling the virtues of Norwich being an upright, socially responsible club. But seeing our manager being a not-particularly-good winner was much more fun than all those seasons of trying to be a good loser.
Reading the latest set of accounts is not for the faint of heart. To me, they’re terrifying. January 11, 2010 - When I talk to people involved in club takeovers, they say that Norwich City’s overall indebtedness remains the big problem. If you want to buy a football club, there are much better deals to be had. The frightening finances confirm that Peter Cullum was trying it on when he asked ...
Why, ideally, the Saddlers will get all they deserve come January 12th… December 30, 2009 - For Walsall – and, unbelievably, some City fans – to criticise Paul Lambert for the postponement of the game at the Banks' Stadium was just plain wrong.
The simple reason why David Sullivan is not Norfolk-bound. Not now, not ever. November 25, 2009 - I once spent nearly six hours in the back of a Bentley with David Sullivan’s partner, Eve, and that is why he probably won’t buy Norwich City. Perhaps I’d better explain.
Why I'll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with The Doc every time. Never hides, never hides. October 2, 2009 - While I am retracting criticisms of City players, it’s time to own up that I was horribly wrong about Simon Lappin and marginally mistaken about Chris Martin. I made up my mind about them both on that horrible night at QPR two seasons ago which proved to be the last ...
Seven lessons for us all to cling to after four roller-coaster days on the City trail August 12, 2009 - Heavens, that was better! The numb fatalism before the start at Yeovil was replaced by nerve-shredding tension as the home side pummelled the City defence for a 20-minute spell in the first-half. Then came that glorious second-half romp, with all four Norwich goals scored in front of the terrace on ...
City are where there are because they deserve to be. Charlton (a) proved that point. May 5, 2009 - January 8th, 1994. FA Cup Third Round day. The mood of Norwich City fans standing at Adams Park, Wycombe, is fraught because our club is in turmoil.Mike Walker, who led a swash-buckling crusade into Europe a few months earlier, has just decamped to Everton.City attack the goal behind which the ...
When the players feel our lurve, tap into our force… anything is still possible. March 4, 2009 - My wife spent the last 20 minutes repeating: ?I can't watch...?My son, who was prevented from attending by work, begged me to keep my mobile phone line to him open so that he could hear the Yellow Army singing. I shouted my voice into a hoarse croak.Those who went to ...
A genius one week, an idiot the next. Welcome to the glorious world of management, Gunny… January 21, 2009 - So we've got the Sheriff and a Crook. All we need is the loan arranger to sort us out a biggish striker...Bryan Gunn has not earned the job of managing Norwich City on the strength of the second-half of his one match in caretaker control. It is because of his ...
For me, replacing Glenn now with any Tom, Dick or Paul would be insane… January 6, 2009 - As the crass campaign to get rid of Glenn Roeder gathers support from destructive Pink Un posters and embittered writers, it is time to tell what I know about events when Peter Grant quit 15 months ago. Norwich City, you recall, were at their lowest ebb for more than 40 ...
City two players short of a decent picnic; alas, it’s the two that matter most. Up top. December 13, 2008 - Matches at the Madejski have provided a fairly accurate gauge of Norwich City's place in the football hierarchy in recent seasons. In September 2002 I was lost in the vast car park for about a fortnight after an evening game there. I'd had to park my motor so far from ...
A tale for our troubled times; of one great Scot and a man called Aidy… November 14, 2008 - Malky Mackay could be Watford manager by the time Norwich visit Vicarage Road on 10 December ? and I hope City fans who make the trip have a good look around. The place is a decrepit shambles. The ancient wooden stand (to your left as you sit in the away ...
Are a couple of digestives a price worth paying for peace in our time? October 10, 2008 - Let me tell you about Neville Chamberlain. No, not that one. Not the Prime Minister who thought he'd done a deal with Adolf Hitler for "peace in our time". Another Neville Chamberlain is president of the Norfolk Referees' Association, a good old boy who has put in several decades of ...
Is it not high time for a question or two to be pinged in the Towergate direction? September 5, 2008 - We all trot out the figures so glibly, don't we? Frank Lampard's new deal pays him ?6.7 million a year. Dimitar Berbatov cost ?30.75 million. Manchester City's new owners might spend a billion. The sums are so huge that they are beyond comprehension. So we don't really think about them ...
Where’s this season going? God knows – and he’ll tells us all at Christmas… August 19, 2008 - A Stoke fan telephoned BBC Radio Five Live's '606' show to give his assessment of the club's Premier League debut. He said: "We played quite well really, but we conceded three quick goals..." Poor, sad sap. An entire summer's exultant expectation had been deflated in 11 minutes at Bolton. But ...
Have I any questions for Mr Cullum? No, because I think I know the answers… July 10, 2008 - Time for a Cullum column. Let's start with some questions for the man who wants to buy our club. Peter Cullum is the joint 40th richest bloke in Britain and a bit of a philanthropist. He's a former Norwich Boys player and a Carrow Road box holder. He wants to ...
Of Hucks and Dion, D’Urso and Clattenburg. And why I’m so proud to be a Yella’ May 7, 2008 - It was partly our fault that Darren Huckerby did not get a proper send-off ? me and the 3,199 other punters who went to Hillsborough. But most of the blame goes to Dion Dublin... When DD made his elaborate and prolonged exit in the 67th minute, he thoroughly deserved the ...
Only the hard of heart and the strong of mind should read on. It’s too depressing… April 1, 2008 - The 19 days last summer when the Norwich City squad was denuded of its quality seemed bad enough at the time. Now, as the Championship's worst ever season limps to its conclusion, we can see the real cost of those destructive days. On June 29, Robert Earnshaw completed his move ...
A toast – to the sheer pragmatism of Mr Roeder and the skills of Mr Huckerby February 19, 2008 - It is safe to assume that City will be in the Championship next season. But instead of suffering disappointment, let's pause, think about that sentence for a while and give relieved and grateful thanks. Yes, it was depressing at Leicester. What a badly-designed, poorly-finished dump the Walkers Stadium is, and ...
Roeder just the man to give one or two a kick up the Rs. And on that subject… January 17, 2008 - Memo to self: Don't write anything about QPR in the Daily Express for a while. In a column for that newspaper, I deplored the arrival of all that new money at Loftus Road and said the London outfit did not deserve their good fortune. The article provoked a bigger response ...
If anyone dares to think we’re out of the woods then, please, think again… December 21, 2007 - In a review of the year recorded for BBC radio 5-Live, I was asked my wish for 2008. I replied: "For Norwich to still be in the Championship when it ends...".They probably wanted something a bit more profound: something that related to a bigger, sporting picture. But the only thing ...
As much as I hate to admit it, don’t expect to sleep soundly between now and May… November 8, 2007 - Some people still don't get it. There are still some City fans who do not comprehend the gravity of the desperately chronic situation.There are people saying: "The best we can hope for now is mid-table mediocrity." Mid-table? Mediocrity?How I wish Norwich could harbour such lofty aspirations.Let's all be clear about ...
I cannot remember a more miserable performance than at Loftus Road October 10, 2007 - Peter Grant proved the adage that nothing becomes a man so much as the manner of his leaving. A decent man did the decent thing.But the team he has left behind is grievously short of decent players and in genuine danger of relegation to football's third tier. Are Norwich too ...
I have, I admit, one nagging fear this season. Actually after Wolves, I have several… October 7, 2007 - My fear for Norwich City ? the gnawing doubt which is corroding my hopes and beliefs ? began to fester and ferment as I watched Nottingham Forest against Leeds back in August.It was an interesting fixture to cover for the Daily Express, with two former European Cup finalist teams competing ...
On Spotland form, we need a loan ranger – or three. Hit the phones, Gunny… September 6, 2007 - Bryan Gunn won't be wearing a mask, but he must become the loan arranger ? and pronto!Gunny played a key role in City's summer purchases, and he'll have to get busy again now helping to set up loan deals to get more players in, because the clear message from the ...
High time for me to stir the pot a little as Delia returns to her second passion July 5, 2007 - Delia Smith has started filming her new television cookery series and, at the same time, Andrew and Sharon Turner have begun stirring things up at Carrow Road.So, as the Turners scrutinise every aspect of the football club's business, and Delia apparently turns her concentration elsewhere, are we witnessing the end ...

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