What is the strategy ?

At the weekend against Doncaster a lacklustre very poor Norwich team eaked out a somewhat lucky win against a poor Doncaster team. Everyone left Carrow Road happy, but not entirely happy. The phrase I used to my brother who came to the match with me was "it's a good sign when you win when you play bad". Who was I fooling. The fact is that Norwich play bad most of the time, only turning on the style against top 6 sides (Wolves, Birmingham, Sheffield United).

So the question is, what is the strategy now ? The truth is, as the EDP and Radio Norfolk comentary made clear, Norwich were not worth their 3-1 loss on Tuesday against Derby. The team turned up for just 20 minutes and were second best for 70 minutes and deserved to lose by more than two goals.

A simple way to afford to pay for Leroy Lita

At half time today in the Doncaster game, I deceided to get myself a drink. knowing that there would be some sort of queue at the bar, I went down to the bar three minutes early. And what time did I finally get my drinks order ? Four minutes before half time.

Why was this ?

One till was broken, one bar had only one person serving (whilst lots of car park stewards stood around drinking - now there is a good use of resources) whilst my plans to have a drink were eventually curtailed as like many others I realised that there was no way I could drink my drink and get back to my seat for the start of the game (you can't take alcohol back to your seat.

So in a bizarre way Norwich City turned us in to low spending tea-totallers. The potential, if they got the correct amount of staff in and working equipment, to sell inordinate amounts of drinks and snacks at half time is completely wasted. However much income is lost to the club by the pathetic way the business managers at Norwich actually serve us, the customers.

Piss poor, like the performance for 83 minutes today. At least we won 2-1, and at least I saved some money by not having a drink.

Huckerby is back

Isn't it just brilliant to see that Darren Huckerby's son is not only a Norwich fan, he is a junior Norwich player and he can also score five goals against the scum.

Read the EDP report HERE.

Oh what a night

I can't remember a match I have so not looked forward to as much as tonight's game against Wolves. I friend of mine, also a season ticket holder, told me today he was relieved to be going to the theatre (to see the excellent Steve Coogan who I saw on stage last night) and not to the match whilst my good friend Andy who sits near me was on urgent business in Edinburgh and was almost revelling in not having to go.

Oh how wrong we all were.

Anyone who thinks that football is boring would have been proved wrong by a pulsating exciting match the like of which you cannot see for several seasons at a time. The game had everything.

Omozuzi had a 30 yard shot touched over the bar, Clingan scored in a comedy moment from the keeper who caught the ball and fell in to the net, Leroy Lita scored an excellent hat-trick, Wolves were reduced to 10 men, and all in all we were thoroughly entertain.

Bloody marvellous and very well done indeed to the team.

Now lets not mess it up against Doncaster at the weekend.

Bad to worse ?

Another Saturday, another defeat, but worse than that, we seem to be going backawards in our development.

Towards the end of last season we went to Bristol City when they were flying high in second place in the league, and we played them off the park, only being consigned to defeat by one of the most bizarre ferereeing decisions of the year. But despite the defeat then, the performance gave the fans hope that things were really getting better.

Sadly, from my spies at the game, Norwich seemed moer toothless than ever and lack a create spark. Six months on, despite Roeder's clear out, were looking worse than ever.

Norwich vs Derby Match Fixing Allegations

It was a bit of a shock to hear that the Norwich versus Derby game, the only home league games I have missed in about three years, is the game that is being investigated because of strange betting patterns in the far east.

As I didn't go, I cannot comment in detail. But the one overriding thing people said to me was that as soon as Otsemobor was injured, followed by the odd decision to push Sammy Clingan, who was dictating the match, to right back and bring on Fotheringham, it was clear to Norwich fans that they were not going to score.

Perhaps the betting syndicates in the far east were also aware that Norwich lost to a 10 man QPR side only a couple of weeks before ? Or perhaps they realised like city fans that Roeder does not have a clue.

Are Norwich fans starting to tire of Glen Roeder ?

In the summer Glen Roeder had something of a clearout. He got rid of fans favourite Darren Huckerby whilst people raining from physios, coaches and scouts were also shipped out of the club, many of whom had given the club years of great service. Even the kit man lost his job. Quite how his role affected Norwich's performance on the pitch was never explained, but to many people, however harsh, it was a sign that Glen Roeder was a man with a plan. it was rather unpalatable, but like any medicine, we were made to feel it would make us better.

Sadly, there is always a reaction though to a foul tasting medicine when it seemingly has no affect.

Twelve months on from the disastrous start we had under Peter Grant, Norwich are barely any better off, sit only just above the relegation zone and the harsh fact is that people are now starting to question Glen Roeder's abilities and whether he is not so much a man with a plan, but a man who makes lots of changes in order to make it seem like he is doing lots.

Clearly, on the pitch, he is not making the club any better. Norwich's best players were bought in under the previous regime (Russell stands out every game) and more and more people are muttering that Roeder has upset too many people and the team is still worryingly fragile.

What difference does 12 months make ? Very little.

Saved by the traffic

Given my difficulties in getting in to Norwich today meaning I missed the match (read a full account of it on my other blog HERE), I am somewhat surprised to feel in hindsight that it was a blessing in disguise given that Norwich played a great proportion of the game against 10 men (as they did against QPR) and lost (like they did against QPR).

As one of my friends who went to the match said in his text "Bloody Poor". Too right !

Central Defensive Crisis

Oh dear. I didn't read the EDP or Evening News this week and with their website being under reconstruction I have been out of touch with the defensive crisis we are facing today.

After discussing over lunch with a colleague how solid Jonathan Grounds and Elliott Omozuzi looked at the heart of defence in the last home game against Sheffield United I was somewhat surprised then to pick up and old copy of the Evening News in the staffroom at work only to read that Jonathan Grounds had been recalled from his loan by Middlesbrough.

This leaves us with only Omozuzi able to play at centre half. The chances are now that Adam Drury may have to play centre half, but given his weakness in the air, it is likely to make what was a solid looking defence in to a shaky one.

The only good news from the defensive problems is that with Omozuzi having to play at centre half, Roeder will have to play Otsemobor at right back. The options he gives the team with his pace and the way he links up with Lee Croft means that Croft will have a better game and new loan signing Leroy Lita can be guaranteed at least half decent service in to the box down the right.

Leroy Lita - A signing to excite fans

I was slightly taken aback and excited today to see that Norwich have signed Leroy lita from Reading on an initial one month loan.

Lita, to me, seems like a fantastic prospect, has done well for England U21's, has scored lots of goals at Championship level and could be that extra spark that Norwich desperately need.