Not quite dead yet, but certainly having CPR

I was doing a first aid course the other day and it occurred to me that Norwich City were much like the victims (yes I know they are plastic and not real) I was working on.

Thankfully, because of Barnsley's inability to hold on to a lead, Norwich are still alive, just, but undergoing CPR and, in my opinion, look more likely not to survive.

Consistently crap referees

I think every football fan accepts that referees will not get it right 100% of the time, and once in a while you know they will miss a clear penalty. But for Norwich to be cursed by referees on such consistent basis who simply refuse to give cast iron penalties seems to be turning the whole question of referees competence in to a joke.

Again today two clear penalties and another one which falls under the category of "I've seen them given", were ignored by the ref who seemed in one case to be the only person (along with his assistant) in the ground who missed a blatant handball where even the Watford player's reaction was to look shocked as he listened for the expectant whistle.

As to the game, a well deserved win and an example of how Norwich can play when the press the opposition and don't sit back letting the other team dictate play.

Clingan Fears

I saw the Northern Ireland game on Sky the other day and was again impressed by Sammy Clingan who really does not appear to be out of his depth on the international stage and seems set to move on to bigger and better things next year irrespective of whether Norwich stay up or not. But every tackle he went for I was holding my breath desperately hoping that he wouldn't get an injury.

It is, of course, great that Norwich players get recognised on the international stage, but it can also cause real problems when smaller teams like Norwich could potentially lose there star players to injury and do not have the resources or large squad to cover for him.

Lappin up the praise

I was always a fan of Simon Lappin, a player in the Steen Needergard mould who knows his limits, does not try to do things he cannot do, and works hard and rarely turns in a poor performance. Yet after one game last year, Glenn Roeder decided he was never to play for Norwich again and would be got rid off.

So today, faced with a suspended Darrel Russell (and please don't start me on the idiocy of Darrel Russel getting himself sent off by petulantly arguing with the ref), and the clear fact that Mark Fotheringham is not fit to wear a Norwich shirt after his reaction to management and fans a couple of weeks ago, Bryan Gunn faced something of a dilemma. Step forward after 16 months out Simon Lappin.

Now I was not at the game, but according to all reports Lappin had a great game in the centre of midfield, and I am not surprised.

So well done Bryan Gunn and well done to Simon Lappin and welcome back.

Staying up thanks to Reading

The funny thing is about Norwich's recent good form is that it further highlights the club's reliance on loan signings and as one colleague pointed out, we "may I Reading a large favour" if we stay up.

With goals earlier in the season from Leroy Lita, and now from Mooney, it may well be thanks to Reading that Norwich stay in the league.

Now I doubt there are many people who would have said that 10 years ago.

I knew yesterady was going to be a bad day

We got the bus in to Norwich yesterday (£7 return for two people - it would have been cheaper to drive), and although I was not going to the match in real hope of a result, listening to fellow Norwich fans rewriting history on the bus really did tell me that it was going to be a bad day.

One so called fan, in particular, took great delight in telling a Coventry fan on the bus that "Delia Smith makes Robert Chase look like a saint". Now as bad as thing get at Norwich City, not for one moment can any logical clear minded fan believe that Delia's involvement with Norwich can be equated with Robert Chase's rule.

Chase took us from 3rd place and in Europe to relegation and being literally 30 minutes from being wound up by creditors, and where would the club be without Delia, her husband and Geoffrey Watling now ? There would be no club.

Yes, things are pretty awful at the club right now, but for any fan to suggest the Robert Chase would sort it out really does seem to be blind to the facts.

As to the match, oh dear. Pretty spineless, a lack of direction, apart from Hoolahan there is no creativity and sadly it is clear to everyone that we are doomed.

Jason Shackell back at Carrow Road

Well if nothing else, the return of Jason Shackell to Norwich on loan from Wolves until the end of the season will keep the block who sits behind me quiet as he has moaned since September about why he was let go.

For me the problem is that Shackell is inconsistent, is a very poor distributor of the ball and since the Premiership season where he played against Manchester United and marked Rooney out of the game, I cannot remember him have a good game.

I certainly wish him luck on his return and in many ways it is the perfect signing as at least he knows the team, he knows the training ground, and he knows about relegation fights.