The "old team" show the way

Watching Norwich play Watford last week, I felt Lambert had somehow ripped the heart out of the team in the name of change, and as a result the midfield looked like strangers to each other. One week later things look very different.

The return of Korey Smith to the side has brought back some bite and energy, whilst Sion Lappin showed his value with an excellent cross for our great winner in yesterday's match.

Of course we need to move on and develope the squad, but not at the expense of team spirit and not by moving players out of the starting eleven who know how to win games.

Been busy

Yes, I've been very busy with politics lately hoping another team in yellow can emulate Norwich's success.

I really do feel that the burden of leading the league for four months was starting to get to the players, but was delighted to see that with the pressure off at Bristol Rovers yesterday, Norwich really showed some class.

Let's hope they can do similarly next week in the final home game.

Oh do shut up Steve Claridge !

I really don't get Steve Claridge. He banged on and on last night on the Football League Show about how "Chris Martin made a meal of the contact he received" in the wake of the sending off of Leeds Tresor Kandol, without acknowledging in any way that the Leeds player had his hands on Martin's throat and Martin neither threw himself to the ground or exaggerated the contact he received.

Then again, Claridge has some form and must be feeling very daft as I seem to recall him saying last October that one thing was clear in League One, everyone is playing for second place as Leeds had won the League.

Oh dear Steve, egg on your face ?

Bad spell - Good results

In any season every team goes through peaks and troughs, and despite results seemingly saying otherwise, Norwich are in something of a trough at the moment.

In the last four matches Norwich have managed to pick up three points, the odd thing is, Nowich have been really poor in all of those games. In the three victories Norwich came from a goal behind to win 2-1, with ironically the only game lost being the one match that Norwich took the lead in.

The great thing about this trough is that Norwich are playing poorly but picking up good results, which is always the sign of a good team. I am sure that they will get through this, particularly as the pitches get a little easier underfoot and with a run of home matches coming up. But if Leeds and Charlton continue to slip up (and Charlton lost 2-1 to Bristol Rovers this evening) it could be that Norwich come through their "dodgy" spell in better shape than they went in to it.

It all goes to prove what a fascinating sport football is.

Supporting your local team

As many people who read my blogs will know, I follow two football teams. I know for many that is hard to comprehend, but for me the logic is simple. I became an Everton fan when I was seven. I didn't really choose to be an Everton fan, I tend to think I was chosen. I watched Match of the Day, saw Everton beat Liverpool 1-0, got very excited that the glory hunters at school would be very upset if I went in on the Monday morning saying I supported Everton, and that was that. the added bonus that as a seven year old Everton was easy to spell and I liked blue was an added attraction. However, as I got older, particularly entering my late teens, I could see what a major asset it is both financially and culturally to have a thriving local team who represent Norwich and Norfolk as a whole, and so after several years of casual attendance at Carrow Road, in 1992 I became a season ticket holder. And not for one moment have I regretted it.Although it is odd when Everton play Norwich to find myself supporting Everton, but those occasions (sadly) are not as common as they were.

So with Norwich announcing season ticket prices for this year will increase by about £1 a game, people really ought to be proud of what their local team have achieved. Okay, we're in League One, but to get 25,000 fans regularly, to get this consistently and to know that Norwich really could sell 30,000 tickets if they had the capacity really says a lot about the community feel of the club and the feel good factor that having a winning team can engender in the local community.

Last year, when bottom of the Championship, Norwich still had 25,000 people at the games, a point often ignored by the media, when it should be noted that Leeds had 22,000 fans last week and Charlton just 17,000. With a so called big club like Middlesbrough getting only 18,000 in the Championship, its about time people started to realise that actually Norwich realy does have the potential to be a bigger team than many so called big teams.

Where are the News of the World now ?

Lasy Sunday the News of the World reported that Norwich City would go in to administration on Thursday.

It's Friday now, and as 99.999% of the world already knew (except it seems on NotW journalist) Norwich are not in administration and have, in fact made another signing. It is prettty abvious to anyone with any sporting knowledge that clubs that are close to asministration do NOT make signings.

That's entertainment

What an incredibly exciting game today against Brentford. All the ingredients were there, missed chances, great saves, hitting the post, some incredible tackling, and the obligatory numpty of a referee. I noted before the game that this was only the second game the referee had been in charge of this year, and boy did it show.

Whilst I can't disagree with the red card for Grant Holt, the player he kicked was sliding towards him with both feet in front of him. Had Holt not raised his legs, he would have been kicked. So why not at least book the Brent ford player for intent ? Also why were Brentford players allowed to repeatedly shirt pull, but Russell was booked for "repeated foul play", despite the fact that the other tackles the referee was pointing out were in fact committed by Korey Smith. Heaven forbid I should suggest the referee could not tell two black players apart, but it is ridiculous to get the confused. And why was a Brentford player allowed to raise his hands to the neck of a Norwch player without a card being produced ?

Still, a great late goal from Martin, another good cameo from Olli Johnson, and despite a three game ban for Holt, al looks good.

Small club with a small club mentality put in their place

I know a few Colchester fans, and I had always liked the club, the good family reputation that goes with the club and the town of Colchester too. This week, however, my attitude towards the club has changed somewhat.

Whilst I can understand them feeling aggrieved at the loss of Paul Lambert to Norwich at the start of the season, the pathetic statement emanating from the Colchester board have shown them to be very small minded. Comments that they would rather see empty seats than sell them to Norwich fans, banning people from Norfolk from buying tickets for the match, taking back tickets from those who had already bought them and a series of other puerile actions and comments do nothing for their reputation.

A Colchester fan was sat near me in the Norwich home terracing for the first day of the season 7-1 Colchester win. He suffered no hassle, was not ejected fromthe ground, and Norwich fans showed a degree of maturity sadly missing from Colchester in recent days.

I love the way that Colchester justified their actions by stating that they had sold all their tickets to Colchester fans so that was one of the reasons they would not sell them to Norwich fans. Of course they ignore the fact that several hudnred seats today in the home terracing will have had Suffolk, Essex and London based Norwich fans sat in them.

So to the game. Five nil to Norwich and Norwich missed a penalty too. Norwich's silence on the way that Colchester behaved this week was the right decision. Let the football do the talking, and it did.

A  team with a small club mentality is likely to remain a small club. That's a shame as the decent Colchester fans I know deserve better.

Sell Carrow Road and suffer a slow lingering death

Norwich are, according to the EDP, considering a plan to sell Carrow Road and lease it back, in order to clear the clubs debts. In my view, this is utter folly and is like many PFI projects that happen around the country these days, in other words, a short term solution that costs far more money in the long run.

On Wednesday Radio Five have a piece about Stockport and their imminent demise. Stockport, according to their supporters trust, have no one willing to buy the club because their only asset, their ground, is not owned by them any more. The advice from Stockport is that no club should ever consider selling their ground as a sensible option. It is a short term fix but costs the club much more in the long run.

Should the City board follow this route then they ought perhaps to look at other clubs in England that have done this and name more than one where it has proved to be successful ?

Grow up Walsall

Walsall have made them seem like a small club with a small ground and a small mentality in the last few days.

The referee decided on 28th December to call off the Walsall vs Norwich game because he felt that with part of the pitch frozen solid, whilst the rest of the pitch was softr, this would cause a problem for players and could lead to injury.

Despite this obvious concern, Walsall maintain that it was Norwich manager Paul lambert who called the game off, and small minded Walsall stewards, unable to take responsibility for their own clubs inability to defrost or protect their pitch, told Norwich fans who had travelled to the game that it was the Paul Lambert who called the game off. Pathetic.

Everyone knows it is the referees decision. If Walsall had laid down some matting or some form of protection to that frozen corner of the pitch overnight, the game could have gone ahead. Don't criticise Norwich for your own clubs failings. Small clb, small minds. Grown up Walsall.