Just when you thought it was safe…
I think I may have made a bit of a whoopsy. Like many City fans I’d all but put the 2007/2008 season to bed and was looking forward to a summer of lazing around the park and (hopefully) enjoying some sunshine. A tad premature it would seem.
After a tremendous thirteen game unbeaten run which lifted us from 5 points adrift at the bottom of the table to the dizzy heights of 12th, four defeats in the last six matches have moved the Canaries back to within just 5 points of the relegation zone.
Coupled with the fact that most teams below us have at least one game in hand, our goal difference is pretty shoddy and the run-in includes matches against Bristol City, West Brom and Burnley - not to mention the small matter of the derby against Ipswich - and you might be excused for thinking that things are starting to become a little tense again.
Not if you’re name’s Glenn Roeder. After the midweek defeat to Stoke the manager was asked if he was now starting to look over his shoulder. His reply was as concise as always:
You might be, but I’m not. I only look forward. People who spend their life looking behind them, spend their life picking themselves up off the floor.
I might not be spending my life looking behind me but I won’t lie to you; I’m definitely taking an occasional glance.
You can’t blame Roeder for trying to keep everyone positive, but like it or not we’re back in a relegation battle. It’s one I think we will win, but it’s a relegation battle all the same.
The most worrying thing for me is how teams around us seem to be hitting form just we are losing ours.
Preston beat Wolves midweek due to a hotly-disputed penalty. Sheffield Wednesday won at Colchester. Barnsley battered Ipswich (the sole piece of good news on the night). Everywhere you look teams are grounding out results and picking up points.
Southampton and Leicester appear to be in freefall, and with Colchester and to a lesser degree Scunthorpe seemingly near-as consigned to League One already on the surface it looks like being one of ourselves, the Saints, the Foxes, Sheffield Wednesday or Coventry to fill that third and final relegation place. Actually it could be anyone in the bottom half couldn’t it?
I’m sure we’ll be ok. I think we’ll be ok. Ok I can see us limping over the line. I just pray that it’s all sorted by the time we go to Hillsborough. We all know what happens the last time we went away on the last day of the season needing a win to avoid relegation.
City’s Greatest Ever XI sure to get tongues wagging
The club’s “Greatest Ever” event looks like being a lot of fun (even if some of the “musical” acts are not quite to my taste).
Understandably some big names made the shortlist, but for my eleven I thought it only fair that I limit my selections to players I am familiar with, so anyone who played for the Canaries prior to around 1988 didn’t stand too much of a chance. I’ve made a couple of exceptions in the case of Kevin Keelan and Graham Paddon, as I’ve seen enough of them on video to (I think) make a fair call.
My Eleven: Keelan, Bowen, Culverhouse, Watson, Mackay, Crook, Paddon, Eadie, Huckerby, Fleck, Roberts.
Manager: Mike Walker. Probably not the most popular choice but I’ve had to go with the manager who has been most successful during my lifetime, and in my opinion that has to be Walker.
If you haven’t had your vote yet you can do so at canaries.co.uk/greatestever.
Thanks for the memories Flem
Former captain Craig Fleming announced his retirement from the game this week following an ankle injury, and looks like being another in the long line of players who stay in the area after hanging up their boots. He told the Pink’Un:
I thought about other things, like the restaurant business, but fitness is what I know, it’s what I’ve done for so long as a footballer so it’s a logical step.
Football is obviously my first love, but I am not about to leave Norfolk because I am not prepared to move our children around the country to follow jobs. I’d still love to be involved, but not if it involves moving away.
I’ve got to be honest; during the Fleming/Mackay years I was always a Malky man, but nobody could deny the commitment and dedication Fleming showed to the cause.
Fair play to you Flem. All the best.
Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner
There was the unmistaken sound of a nail being well and truly hit on the head this week when Glenn Roeder said that he felt Chris Martin and Michael Spillane have had it “too easy” and been told too many good things about themselves.
Roeder has thrown down gauntlet after gauntlet to the young players at the club since he took over, and if there’s one thing that the loan signings have shown us it is that, for whatever reason, our own youngsters are on the whole just not up to it at present.
Let’s hope the message has finally sunk in. I would so much rather be writing and thinking about the next Joe Lewis or Jason Shackell than another Ryan Jarvis or Ian Henderson.
And finally…
The site has a poll running at the moment for who you would vote for as Player of the Season. For what it’s worth my vote would, without question, go to Dion Dublin.
The man has been an absolute giant this season, and without him. In fact no. I don’t even want to think where we might be if it wasn’t for Mr. Dublin. It’s just way too scary. So come on people, I implore you to do the right thing - vote for Dion!
Until next week…
OTBC
