Norwich v Preston North End 8 November 2008

There are games when you appreciate getting a draw. And then there are games when you know you should have won the game and a draw let the other team off the hook.

If you’d offered me two all after 3 minutes I would have probably taken it. City went one down in the 3rd minute to a shocking defensive cock up when they had ample opportunity to clear the ball. Blind panic set in and of course, ex Norwich striker, Chris Brown hammered the ball home at odds of 8/1 for the first goal scorer. Incidentally, the system of backing the ex Norwich striker to score the first goal often pays dividends.

For ten minutes or so the game was dire. Until that is City got into their stride and Lita jumped high to equalise from a corner 15 minutes in. From then on for the rest of the half it was all Norwich and had a few good chances. Unfortunately, none were converted and at half time the score was one all.

After the break Norwich continued to play well and soon scored to go two one up. Kennedy bundled the ball in from a free kick.

After this I would like to say Norwich dominated for the rest of the game and went on to score another three. But I can’t. They were shocking. What happened? Well the one thing consistent about Norwich is their inconsistency. For the rest of the game they continued to try and give Preston an equaliser and then on 79 minutes, Darryl Russel was bizarrely sent off. Apparently for a off the ball push on a Preston player. From the Jarrold Stand, this looked harsh to say the least. But since the incident was by the dug outs, it was difficult to judge. There didn’t appear to be any complaint from the bench. A minute later, Preston equalised. From then on it was ten man Norwich clinging on to the final whistle and a point.

Performances like this are unacceptable. A footy game is 90 minutes long. Not 30, not 60. 90 Minutes. Until City can learn to play for 90 minutes then they will continue to struggle. Roeder was forced into his substitutions today, Doherty come on for Stefanovic when he went off in a leg brace midway through the first half and Siberski was replaced by Curteon just before the break after a knock. Crofty had a good game but looked totally knackered was replaced by Patterson. Roeder really needs to do something though to get a more consistent approach. This is his team. He is the manager. He needs to motivate them.

Man of the match – David Bell. Played well throughout for his first start.

Has Delia Smith Taken Norwich City as Far as She Can?

There is an opinion with many Norwich fans that the time has come for Delia Smith to hand over the reigns to someone else. She’s taken the club as far as she can and it’s time for some new blood to come in a a) shake it up a bit and b) invest shed loads of cash to improve the team.

On the one hand, I’m fairly resigned to the view that the grass is not greener on the other side. Just look at QPR. On the other, something needs to change – playing consistently well on the pitch would be a good start. We need a manager who can motivate the players to perform week in week out, inspiring them to achieve their very best. For me, Roeder hasn’t achieved this yet. We’ve seen what they guys are capable of against Birmingham and Wolves.

But there are fundamental problems with the structure of football in this country. And unless that changes, I don’t see the situation improving – not with this board or any other which may or not be round the corner. And that’s me speaking as an eternal optimist!! The Premiership is cash driven so much so that only four clubs realistically have a chance of winning the league. Then there about half a dozen clubs who will consistently finish mid table, maybe sneaking a place in Europe. Then there are the bottom eight or so, who would struggle in the Championship but so far have been lucky enough to keep their heads above water in the Premiership and cling on to a valuable spot.

So what about Norwich? What would promotion bring? In their favour, the board are doing the best they can with the cash they have at their disposal. Being realistic, they are probably not trying to run the club into the ground. Like Mike Ashley at Newcastle, everything’s good while the team is playing well. But as soon as the going get tough, many fans find it difficult to stick with what they’ve got. It’s understandable. We all want success. But getting up and staying up are two different issues. A team like Norwich would always struggle in the top flight unless an extremely rich benefactor came in.

However, like anything, in the end, it’s a game of risk and chance – both on and off the pitch. We took risks in 2003/4 getting Huckerby and Crouch in. We need that inspired gamble now. Unfortunately given the state of football with inflated wages and average championship strikers warming benches in the Premiership, it’s unlikely to happen. Which players would we bring in?

Getting promoted to the premiership from the championship is a) a lottery and b) a merry-go-round. However well they’re playing at the moment, Hull, Stoke and West Brom will be relegated in the next couple of years. Portsmouth will be down at some stage, as will Wigan and Fulham.

I would say around 70% of the clubs in the Championship reckon they have a right to be in the Premiership. None of them are consistent, all are beatable.

So, what’s the answer? Buggered if I know.

Norwich v Doncaster 25 October 2008

It was almost a question of back to square one here. But City managed to scrape a win here. I’m not sure how given the first eighty minutes of nonsense.

For most of the game, City looked terrible. Where was the repeat of Tuesday’s performance against Wolves? Ok, we all know Norwich pretty well and we realised that this probably wouldn’t happen. But this was bottom of the table strugglers Donacaster Rovers at Carrow Road today. We should have done better.

The away fans were really lively, singing their Yorkshire hearts out. And when they went one up with 15 minutes to go from yet another penalty given away by City, they were ecstatic. In fact they were getting right on my nerves. And I would have done almost anything to shut them up. And with five minutes to go, they were silenced by a lucky deflection off Antoine Siberski’s head. One all.

Up to the eightyth minute the football from both sides had been dire. But Norwich decided on 80 minutes that that was the time to start playing football. And with Sibierski’s goal it was no more than Norwich deserved. And with four minutes of added time, there was a chance that Norwich could get a late winner. And a late winner they duly got. Lita cooly slotting home for a lovely victory in stoppage time. And I did feel a slight twinge of sadness for the travelling Doncaster fans. But not the away fan sitting behind us who celebrated a little too much when Doncaster scored the first goal.

So all in all a good win. Much needed. But still not playing anywhere near consistently enough for me. There are difficult games coming up against Derby County and Burnley, both away, over the next week. I don’t fancy us to get any points from those two games so we’ll be up against it again when Preston make the trip to Carrow Road in two weeks.

Norwich v Wolverhampton Wanderers Tuesday 21 October 2008

Now you’re talkin ….

Norwich 5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2

A good win, coming hard on the heels of a disappointing away loss at Bristol City on Saturday.

I was in two minds whether to go to this game. I wasn’t feeling fantastic and had an early start to consider for the following day. But struggle along to Carrow Road I did and was grateful for the result. A good win with a hattrick from Leroy Lita with Sammy Clingan and Lee Croft adding others.

Goals are a bit like busses I suppose. We’ve not looked like scoring for so many matches now. So when five do come along you wonder why there have been problems in other games. But then again, if you look at the goals again, at least three were total gifts from the visitors. The first bundled into the back of his own net by the keeper, the second was almost certainly an own goal, and the third a gift to Lita.

And why is it, Norwich can up their game for the table toppers – Wolves today, Birmingham last month. It really shows what this team is capable of given the right attitude.

Norwich went into the break two one in front. This in itself was disappointing with Wolves getting a late goal. But it was shortly 3-1 after the break but City gave yet another penalty away – the second at home this season and 6 all told. This can’t be all bad luck. But City took their chances well. And to be the table toppers 5-2 is no mean effort.

Let’s try and keep this up with the visit of Doncaster on Saturday.

Match Fixing at the Football

I never thought I would ever see the day when Norwich City would be involved in a match fixing scandal. But this is what I read is the case today. Question’s in the House of Commons, investigations by the FA, individuals betting on Norwich to win a game … who would have though it. Betting on Norwich City to win a game – they must be insane!

So the allegations put it that during half time of the Norwich v Derby game on Saturday 4th October, there were irregular betting patterns in the far east which saw Norwich odds of winning tumble from 5.5 (9/2 in old money) down to around 1.66 (4/6). This would seem odd in that Norwich were one down and looked unlikely to get one back let alone two.

In terms of the facts of the game, shortly after the half time re-start with Norwich one down, Roy Carroll was sent off for obstructing a Leroy Lita scoring opportunity giving Norwich an equaliser and the opportunity of playing against ten men for the remainder of the match. Then shortly before time, a David Marshall/Adam Drury collision gifted Derby a goal at the River End. Neither of these incidents looked suspicious to me – nothing I’ve not seen before. Derby win 2-1.

Anyway, the FA must be allowed to complete their investigations. There is no implication here that anyone at Norwich or Derby were involved. At all. Ever. But the Singaporean betting companies involved are refusing to co-operate. So the chances of getting to the bottom of this seem remote.

Match fixing in football seems a bizarre thing. Could one or two players affect the result of a game. David Neilson a former Norwich player has admitted just this. So could this be the tip of an iceberg. It happened in cricket. You can see how it would happen in gambling sports such as Horse and Greyhound racing. But betting is integral to these spots isn’t it. But we need to understand that gambling runs sports these days. Look at the adverts on Sky. The advent of Betfair has made it so much easier to manipulate the markets, unfortunately. I would never advocate removing the ability of the betting exchanges – I hate bookmakers. But has the time come to review the amounts being staked?

Norwich v Derby County 4 October 2008

Man alive. If there was one side I wanted City to beat this season, it was Derby County. Particularly with Stephen Bywater in goal – the villain of the piece when Derby visted Carrow Road two season’s ago.

But yet again, Norwich do themselves no favours when, against ten men, they still can’t kill the game off.

Bywater didn’t start the game. Roy Carroll was sent off just after the break which led to a tasty penalty put adeptly away by Sammy Clingan. This made the game one all and set very nicely for a Norwich win.

But it wasn’t to be. City conspired to play terrible football and on the day it only looked like they would be one winner. And you couldn’t make up the cock up which led to Derby’s second. Marshall and Drury collided to give Nathan Ellington a free shot which he put away with aplomb.

After the recent loss at a struggling Southampton (where by all accounts City played well but still not good enough to get a goal) and draw at Barnsley, we could have done with a win here. It was not to be.

Norwich v Sheffield Utd 20 September 2008

They say a win is a win. And this was a win. One nil in fact. Deserved? Well Norwich won. That’s all I can say.

To score in stoppage time is always good. But after a game as every bit as dire as the QPR effort, to see Lee Croft slide the ball into the net on 90 minutes was fantastic. Particularly as United should have wrapped up the game with a few minutes to go themselves. It can be a cruel game at the best of times.

Norwich are still not creating chances despite the goal. It needs to happen and happen soon. Otherwise we will be looking a mid table or lower. I do not relish the prospects of a relegation battle later in the season when it seems so difficult to score.

Norwich v QPR Wednesday 17 September 2008

When the opposition goes down to ten men, why do Norwich always struggle? To lose at home is not good at any stage. But to lose one nil to a ten man QPR is simply not acceptable.

After Norwich’s fantastic display against Birmingham and a rare away win at Plymouth Argyle last week, it’s really disappointing to sit through this drivel on a Wednesday evening.

City lacked ideas and clearly don’t know how to operate in the final third. Until we can find some more creativity and a striker who isn’t afraid of getting a chance in, then I’m not sure how it’s going to go for the rest of the season.

QPR certainly should have been the better side on paper given the amount invested by Laksmi Mitta, Bernie Eccleston and Flavio Briatore. It was a typical performance from an Ian Dowie side. But clearly the Formula One style cash hasn’t managed to pick a Chelsea squad yet.

This is disappointing to say the least. Dejan Stefanovic continues to impress at the back.

Norwich v Birmingham 20 August 2008

Ahhhh, this is more like it boys. Final result, one all but the performance on the pitch showed us what City are capable of.

This match at Carrow Road was probably the best I’ve seen in the Championship since Nigel Worthington’s promotion season in 2003/4. Norwich were skillful against a significantly more expensive Birmingham City side full of talent.

In actual fact, Norwich should probably have lost the game. Birmingham didn’t put their chances away as they should have done. But this is not to take anything away from the boys in yellow and green. They put plenty of effort in all round and Stefanovic is looking rock solid at the back. The only nagging doubt is our inability to create final ball chances. Darryl Russell provided the equaliser again – two goals in two home game, not bad from a central midfielder.

Keep this up and we will be in the play off’s for sure, if not automatic promotion!

Norwich v Blackpool 16 August 2008

Was a shame not to be at today’s first game of the season but I’d already booked tickets for V 2008 at Chelmsford before the fixtures came out. Was hoping for a relatively straightforward three points at Carrow Road.

At Chelmsford, with my 14 year old daughter and some mates, we saw the likes of

Muse
Sterophonics
Duffy
The Hoosiers
Shed Seven

My first festival and what a great day. Took my 14 year old daughter, a massive Muse fan. With the right line up I would definitely go again.

Back on the pitch, in their new strips sponsored by Aviva (Norwich Union of course!) I got the text informing me that we were one down from a penalty. I feared the worst. But Daryl Russel to the rescue and salvaged a point. Not good enough today against a side that could go down.

Poor start …