What an absolutely brilliant weekend it turned out to be. So often this season we’ve looked at the different possibilities and all so often the worse case has come to fruition, but against QPR on Saturday everything was well, perfect.

The sun was shining which was a good start, there was a free seat in the beer garden down Riverside and from the minute I sat in my seat just in time for Dion to come out for his warm-up I knew we had this one in the bag.

The atmosphere inside Carrow Road was electric on Saturday, it really was superb. If we could generate the same buzz and sheer volume for every home game it would surely be worth a few points alone next season (granted it would also be nice if we were to bare witness to the sort of performance we had against QPR every week as well, but one step at a time!).

In a lot of ways the build up to the game was reminiscent of the Stockport game a few seasons ago when Malky Mackay’s far post header booked our place in the play-offs and eventual date with destiny at the Millennium Stadium, and then sure enough Lee Camp rushes out and flattens Ched Evans after only four minutes in a foul eerily similar to that committed by Andy Dibble in the Stockport goal that day. I was a little surprised to see Damion Stewart given his marching orders instead but I wasn’t going to complain and Ched’s crisp volley just a couple of minutes later gave us the perfect start.

From that moment on there was only ever going to be one winner - and what a fantastic sight it is seeing the opposition forced into a double substitution within the opening ten minutes!

The lap of “honour” after the game was emotional as expected, but much to my surprise I managed to hold it together all afternoon. I thoroughly expected to be in tears either before or after the game, but my masculinity survived to fight another day and I’m putting that down as another victory.

I did have one nagging worry in the back of my mind on the way back to the County Hall car park though - what the hell are we going to next season without Dion and potentially no Ched, Hucks, Fozzy or Doc either?

With that in mind, now that our Championship status is secure Glenn Roeder has said he will be sitting down with all of the out-of-contract players to discuss the future.

The three most high-profile such players are obviously Darren Huckerby, Mark Fotheringham and Gary Doherty. In my opinion all three deserve new deals after their performances this season, all have made it pretty clear that they want to stay and I think at least two of them will probably still be here come August.

Come on Glenn, do the decent thing and get them signed on.

Delighted for Dion

I was absolutely delighted to see Dion pick up the Player of the Season award. At 39 years of age he has undoubtedly been our best player in the last two seasons and a joy to watch.

I could write about Dion for hours but people far more talented than me have already done that (and in case you’ve not read it yet you can read Alex’s tribute to Dion here), so I’ll keep it brief:

Thank you Dion. You have been a fantastic servant to the club in the time you have been with us, a real class act and a model professional for over 20 years. If that cheeky 50-yard effort had gone in on Saturday there is a real possibility that several roofing companies would now be busy working away at Carrow Road. Our loss is definitely Sky Sports’ gain.

And finally…

As I sat down to write this column the news came through that Aviva are to replace Flybe as club sponsors for the next three years in a deal described as being worth a “seven-figure sum” to the club and the new kit was launched.

It sounds like a good deal for the club so for my money it’s a good thing. Aviva are a large local company so on that score it sounds good all round but my first impression of the new kit is that it just looks a little too much like the last “Proton” strip we had with that funny collar thing. I’m sure it’ll grow on me though so I’m bound to be ordering it as soon as I can just like I always do.

Oh and that goalkeeper kit looks horrible. Can anyone remember the last time we had a “nice” kit? I’m struggling here…

There are two ways to look at the Championship this season. Either you believe the league is the most competitive (i.e. best) it has been in years, or you think it is the weakest it has been in years. There isn’t an awful lot of middle ground.

Both viewpoints stem from the fact that this season more than any other any team really can beat any other, which is demonstrated by the likelihood that the team finishing in the final play-off position this season will do so with the lowest points total in years, whereas the team occupying the third relegation place will have the highest.

I’d better get it out of the way early on; I think the Championship in general is shocking this season. Very few teams have impressed me and although you would have got incredible odds on the top six being occupied in early April by Bristol City, Stoke, Hull, Watford, West Brom and Wolves - and with just five points separating the top five to boot - that doesn’t mean the league is particularly strong.

The best thing you can say about the Championship this season is that it is almost impossible to make any meaningful predictions. But has that stopped me? Not a jot.

Based on my last little session with the BBC Predictor (which is well worth a play if you haven’t had a go yet), our friends from down the road will finish sixth on 67 points. I have the Canaries down to finish fifteenth on 57 points - just ten fewer. The third relegated team (which at the moment I think will be Blackpool) have 51. I don’t have the stats to hand but I doubt there has been a season this tight for a long, long time.

The real question is whether or not next season will be any better. Let’s take a look at the likely runners and riders (bit late for a Grand National pun I know but bare with me I’ve not been very well) and try to find out:

The teams coming down from the Premier League are almost always instantly installed as favourites to bounce straight back helped in no small part by the parachute payments they receive, but in reality at least one such team struggles (see Sheffield United for further details).

Derby we know are already relegated and I’m expecting Fulham and Bolton to join the Rams in falling through the trap door. Based on my predictions the three relegated teams will be replacing West Brom, Stoke and Watford in the division. Overall I’d say the Championship gets the better end of that particular deal.

Stoke’s main aim you would think would be ensuring they don’t ‘do a Derby’, whereas West Brom and Watford should in theory be better suited to life in the top-flight this time around.

The leap from League One to the Championship would appear to be almost as steep if this season is anything to go by. Of the three teams promoted last season Bristol City have confounded everybody by currently sitting top of the pile. Unfortunately I think they are suffering from pre-promotion jitters at the moment, which is why I think they will ultimately miss out this campaign.

Scunthorpe have consistently struggled and Blackpool have been yo-yoing between the relegation zone and mid-table for most of the season, which is why believe they will both be doomed come 4^th May.

Replacing the Iron, the Seasiders and Colchester will most likely be Swansea, Carlisle and my pick of the play-off chasers, Nottingham Forest.

Swansea and Forest have Championship setups already at the Liberty Stadium and the City Ground, so I think it is fair to think they will do considerably better than Scunthorpe. Carlisle are a bit of a mystery to me in truth. They have done very well in League One, but would they be able to make the grade in the Championship? Who knows?

The eighteen remaining clubs are all pretty much of a muchness and will be separated by just 16 points according to my predictions come the end of the season. All the signs indicate that 2008/09 will be very similar to 2007/08, albeit hopefully with one significant difference - the Canaries challenging at the right end of the table.

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 12^th, 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

Unfortunately, or fortunately, we will probably be losing up to 15 players in the new season, including the six loans.

So said Glenn Roeder in the Pink’un this week. The six loan players (Alex Pearce, Mo Camara, Kieran Gibbs, James Henry, Ryan Bertrand and Ched Evans) are therefore givens but who else will be either making a hasty dash for, or bundled out of, the door marked “Exit!”?

I’ve had a little think, and if I was a betting man I wouldn’t stray too far away from this collection of heroes and misfits (I’ll leave you to do the categorising):

Dion Dublin. The veteran forward has already made his intentions to retire at the end of the season clear enabling him to spend more time practicing the saxophone and doing media work, so Dion is an obvious “lock” for one of the places.

Since returning to the club where he started his career, City’s number 9 has made nearly 60 appearances, scored 10 times, and was voted second in last season’s Player of the Season awards (my vote was obviously not enough).

Darren Huckerby. The two-time Player of the Season is also out of contract at the end of the current campaign, and the noises coming from his agent suggest he won’t be plying his trade around here next year (although to be fair the same agent said there was no chance of him playing for the Canaries in the first place).

Judging by Roeder’s previous comments you have to believe that he doesn’t think Hucks will still be here either, but, as I’ve said in the past, I just hope he gets the chance to go out with a bang.

Ryan Jarvis. Shipped off on loan to Notts County in League Two, Jarvis senior is another out of contract at the end of the season and few would bet on his return.

As I said a couple of weeks ago being labeled the “next big thing” probably hasn’t done Ryan too many favours, but the chances are he’ll have someone close to hand to comfort him in the shape of…

Rossi Jarvis. I don’t anticipate it being a very happy Jarvis household this summer in the slightest.

Juan Valesco. The Spanish right-back was signed on a short-term deal recently, and is probably therefore a decent shout to fill one of the positions on the “hit list” - unless he gets a chance to shine in the meantime of course.

Simon Lappin. There aren’t too many of Peter Grant’s signings left, and I think that after the summer there’ll be at least one less.

Matthew Halliday. Halliday signed a new one-year extension to his contract last summer, but I’m not expecting it to be renewed.

Robert Eagle. He of long, floppy blond hair fame signed a one-year extension to his contract last summer, and like Halliday, I doubt his will be renewed.

Bally Smart. Smart is another youngster who is out of contract in the summer, and since returning from his loan spell at MK Dons has never really got close to the first team.

I think it is probably fair to say only a few would be missed, and would leave us with a starting eleven probably consisting of: Marshall, Drury, Doherty, Shackell, Otsemobor, Pattison, Russell, Fotheringham, Croft, Cureton, Martin.

On the surface that doesn’t seem too bad, but who would be on the bench? You can see why Roeder faces such a difficult task.

You’ll also notice I’ve made a few presumptions in there, including the very large one that Gary Doherty and Mark Fotheringham have signed new contracts. Both have made positive statements about their desire to stay but it remains to be seen whether or not they actually sign on the dotted line.

Nugent decides not to become a temporary tractor boy.

I was surprised but not particularly disappointed to hear that Portsmouth striker David Nugent has decided to stay on the South Coast and play for Pompey’s reserves rather than join Jim Magilton’s promotion seeking Tractor Boys on loan.

On the surface it would seem to be yet another example of the modern Premier League footballer preferring to kick their heels in the ressies picking up their pay-cheque rather than going out and playing first-team football somewhere.

One thing that can’t be denied though is Ipswich going for a player of Nugent’s ilk is a definite statement of intent, and if they don’t go up this year will almost certainly be there or thereabouts next term. Something for us all to look forward to then.

Play-Offs for the Canaries? Not this season I’m afraid.

You may recall that a few weeks ago I made some predictions about the rest of our games for this season, where I said that I felt as few as 68 or 69 points could be needed for a play-off place. That’s looking like being nearer the normal 73-75 mark now.

Here’s where we are compared to where I thought we would be:

9^th February - Cardiff City (A). My prediction: Draw. Actual result: Norwich win.

12^th February - Hull City (H). My prediction: Norwich to win. Actual result: Draw.

16^th February - Leicester City (A). My prediction: Norwich to win. Actual result: Leicester win.

23^rd February - Barnsley (H). My prediction: Norwich to win. Actual result: Norwich win.

1^st March - Blackpool (H). My prediction: Norwich to win. Actual result: Blackpool win.

4^th March - Watford (A). My prediction: Watford to win. Actual result: Draw.

According to my predictions we should be sitting on 51 points by now with ten games to go (which would put us somewhere around tenth), but we actually have 46.

It was always going to be a long-shot given our ridiculously bad start to the season, but I’d settle for a nice mid-table finish now to be perfectly honest, and then onwards and upwards to next season.

Which leads us nicely onto…

Season Ticket sales something to be proud of.

The club announced that over 18,000 season tickets have so far been sold for next season with some pride, and rightly so

Norwich City supporters are often praised for their loyalty and support by the club, but following the lacklustre last couple of years we have endured it is a real achievement to sell just 3,000 less season tickets than the average gate enjoyed by our friends down the road - and all whilst they are having a good time of it as well.

Until next week…

OTBC

Who do you think will be shown the exit door this summer? Are you on the 18,000 that have already renewed their season ticket? Can City still make the play-offs? Does it matter? Let me know what you think…

City boss and future knight of the realm Glenn Roeder has made it clear that a proven goalscorer is right at the top of his list of priorities when he begins his summer restructure at the club. Always one to try and help out where possible, for this week’s column I’ve put together a bit of a shortlist of potential targets for him to work through with Messrs Smith, Jones, Turner and Doncaster:

Bobby Zamora (West Ham United).

What’s the story? The former City trainee has missed most of the season with a serious ankle injury, and is only now making a return to first-team duties at Upton Park.

Zamora shot to fame at Brighton and Hove Albion where his impressive goalscoring record of 76 goals in just 125 games persuaded then Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle to fork out £1.5m for his services in the summer of 2003. The following January he joined the club he supported as a boy as part of the deal that saw Jermain Defoe move to White Hart Lane.

27 year-old Zamora has scored a total of 113 career goals in 271 games - a ratio of 2.4 games per goal.

How much would he cost? Weekend reports linked Birmingham City with a £4m move for the man rejected by the Canaries as a youngster. So that seems to be the going rate.

Verdict: If that £4m figure is about right there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that Zamora will make his way to Norfolk - and that’s even before trying to convince him that his immediate future lies outside the Premier League. Unlikely then.

Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United).

What’s the story? The 26 year-old Nigerian-born striker has been continually linked with a loan move to Carrow Road this season, and has hardly played for Kevin Keegan’s struggling Toon Army.

Ameobi has been at the club since the age of 13 when he was spotted playing for his local youth side, and made his debut for the Magpies in September 2000 against Chelsea at St James Park.

He has scored 28 career goals in 168 games - a disappointing ratio of 6 games per goal, although many of those appearances have come from the substitute’s bench.

How much would he cost? A difficult one to forecast as Premier League strikers seem to be going for ridiculous money these days. I would think somewhere around the £2.5m mark would be reasonable but it could easily be anywhere between £1.5-£3.5m.

Verdict: Ameobi could be lethal at Championship level, and I can see him as a potential replacement for Dion Dublin. If the transfer fee itself wasn’t a problem, his wages probably would be. Has anyone seen his house on MTV Cribs? It’s massive.

Freddy Eastwood (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

What’s the story? The former Southend United star was linked with a move to Norwich before joining Wolves, but for some reason has failed to establish himself in Mick McCarthy’s side.

The Welshman has 6 caps and scored 24 goals for the Shrimpers in the Championship a couple of seasons ago. He has scored a total of 84 career goals in 178 games which a ratio of 2.1 games per goal - although that does include his time at non-league Grays Athletic.

Eastwood is famously a member of the Romani community and was often seen exercising his horse on the A127 in Essex on the morning of a match day when playing for Southend.

The 24 year-old Welsh international got off to a blistering start at Molineux, picking up the Player of the Month award for August, but since then has fallen behind Andy Keogh, Jay Bothroyd, Kevin Kyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake in the pecking order.

How much would he cost? I reckon a bid of around £2m would get the attention of McCarthy for a player signed for £1.5m last summer.

Verdict: I see Eastwood as the perfect long-term replacement for Jamie Cureton, but could the two play in the same side? I don’t see any reason why not.

Martin Paterson (Scunthorpe United).

What’s the story? Paterson started his career at Stoke City, and after a successful loan spell at Grimsby Town was signed by Scunthorpe last summer to replace Billy Sharp.

The Canaries reportedly had an £850k bid for 20 year-old Paterson rejected in January, prompting their Chairman to say that it would take a bid of “£5m” to prize-away his main asset.

In November, Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington included Paterson in his squad for the friendly matches against Denmark and Spain.

Paterson has scored 12 goals for Scunthorpe this season and a total 19 career goals in 63 games - a ratio of 3.3 games per goal.

How much would he cost? Somehow I don’t think it would take that £5m to nab Paterson - especially if the Iron are relegated to League One. Somewhere around £1.5m should do it.

Verdict: He has proven his worth at Championship level, and could be another replacement for Cureton.

And the best of the rest:

Izale McLeod (Charlton Athletic). Another linked with a move to Norwich this season, McLeod has struggled to settle at the Valley and could be a cheaper alternative at around £1m.

Shefki Kuqi (Crystal Palace). The former Ipswich man has been transfer listed for allegedly making naughty gestures at his own supporters when he was substituted against Wolves recently. I suspect he could be picked up for less than £1m - but would supporters be able to forgive and forget his Tractor Boy past?

Ched Evans (Manchester City). The general consensus of opinion is that The Ched will be heading back to Eastlands at the end of the season. Sven Goran Eriksson has some pretty impressive strikers already in his locker though - and you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll be adding to them over the summer, so why not go back in for Ched? I’ve no idea how much he would cost, but it’s got to be worth the question hasn’t it?

So there you have it Glenn, I hope that helps. For what it’s worth I’d try and get Freddy Eastwood and Ched Evans, but if it wasn’t obvious before it seems fairly certain now that a big, big investment is going to be needed over the summer to fill the many vacancies left in the City squad.

Chairman Roger Munby has come out this week and promised to back Roeder in the market this summer, so it’s bound to be an exciting time.

And we’ll be getting a new kit. I’m looking forward to the summer already.

Until next week…

OTBC

Since last weekend’s defeat at the Monster Munch Arena brought our thirteen game unbeaten run to a screeching halt talk on the message boards has centred mainly on the exclusion of Darren Huckerby from the squad.

At this point I should make absolutely crystal clear that I love Hucks, and when I get my turn to do My NCFC will profess him to be my favourite Canary ever but let’s be honest here; The chances of him still being at the club next season are pretty slim. Glenn Roeder has come out and said that he thinks he will be on the move and Darren - or rather his agent - has said the same.

On his day he can still skin defenders and turn his full back inside out, but the problem is that “his” days seem to be growing fewer and farther between, and Hucks must know that.

Don’t get me wrong if he ends up in MLS as I expect (or pretty much anywhere for that matter) I will be right in line to grab myself one of their shirts with “Huckerby” on the back - provided they are available in sizes suitable for the “larger” gentleman of course - I’m just trying to be realistic.

That leaves Roeder with a difficult decision to make. On the one side he’s got an absolute fan favourite in Darren Huckerby, a man who is has rightly been ordained as a fully-fledged Canary legend. One of the best players to wear the yellow and green of all time. One that, “on his day” is more than a handful for most if not all Championship defences.

The heart says that if this will indeed be his last season playing in this part of the world he deserves a proper send-off. A chance to say goodbye in the “right way” if you like.

And then there’s the other side of the coin and the option of playing a loan signing; we’ll use Kieran Gibbs as an example.

If Roeder suspects Huckerby won’t be around come August then he needs to start planning for the future. The immediate problem there of course is that come August, Gibbs won’t be here in all likelihood either, so what makes him the better option?

In short I suspect it is just simply the hope that the host club (in Gibbs’ case Arsenal and Arsene Wenger in particular) see how their little diamond has been polished and allow the next generation of Mini-Gunners to learn their craft in Norfolk.

It’s an unfortunate fact but I guess that’s modern football in the Championship for you. Rightly or wrongly the immediate needs of this football club are more likely than not going to result in a trip along the loan route and Roeder is going to have to continually try and find the balance between immediate results and longer-term stability.

From http://www.bartleby.com/:

Between a rock and a hard place: Faced with two equally dangerous or difficult choices or circumstances: “Trying to please two supervisors is like being between a rock and a hard place.”

Yep, that sounds about right.

Good luck Ryan

Ryan Jarvis has signalled this week that he believes his future lies away from Carrow Road. I’ve never been one of the Fakenham youngster’s biggest fans, and as such I have to say I think it’s probably a bit overdue if that is the case.

To my mind being labelled “the next big thing” at such a young age was something he could never come to terms with and I hope he manages to get his career back on track at Notts County, for as much as he’ll probably be able to eat out off his Premiership goal against Liverpool for a while, that won’t pay the bills forever. Chris Martin please take note…

Roeder’s Taylor-made plans in ruins?

Martin Taylor looks as though he has trained his way into Alex McCleish and Birmingham City’s longer-term thoughts.

Roeder had indicated that there might be a deal to be had in the summer for the former loanee and player of the month for November, but Tiny has got his head down and worked hard at St. Andrews, and was rewarded with a starting berth against West Ham recently - which could well signal the end of the Canary boss’ mission to bring him back to the club.

I’m not as disappointed about this turn of events as I thought I anticipated being, although Tiny was a massive signing for us. His departure coincided with a timely return to form of Jason Shackell and the man that divides supporters more than any other, Gary Doherty.

Get well soon Gazza

I was saddened to hear of Paul Gascoigne being detained under the mental health act this week, if not entirely unsurprised.

On the pitch an absolute genius, off it injury problems along with reported alcoholism and depression issues hindered his career, earning him a reputation as one of English footballs most “wasted” talents.

When I was growing up Gazza to me was one of those love- to-hate players. If you’re not old enough to remember him in his prime just think Robbie Savage only with amazing talent and skill. There was a kid at my school who wanted to be him so much he even used to cry like him, and I wish that was a joke!

I’m not going to get into the whole “rise and fall of Gazza” debate as those type of articles to me always make it sound as if the person concerned has died, which of course he hasn’t. He just needs some serious help - which has probably been the case for a long time.

Until next week…

OTBC

What are your thoughts on the Huckerby situation? Is there more to it than meets the eye? Have we seen the last of Ryan Jarvis? Can we still get Tiny? Does it matter? Have you got any sympathy for Gazza? As always let me know what you think…

Picture the scene. It`s Sunday 17th April 2008 and Ipswich Town are hosting Norwich City in the derby at Portman Road. Goals from Dion Dublin, Darren Huckerby and Chris Brown (yes, that Chris Brown) give the Canaries a well deserved 3-0 victory over their old rivals to tie up the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League.

Have I been taking something I shouldn`t? Well I did have a headache on Monday and didn`t wait the full four hours between doses of ibuprofen but apart from that no I`m clean, man. I`ve just been back playing on my Xbox 360 during most of my spare time lately and that was the joyous occasion I celebrated earlier in the week.

Sat on the sofa with Charlie on my lap (he`s our dog - I told you I`m clean, man) I know it`s only a game - and it really is this time - it`s not like when Mrs. Guru uses those evil words in an effort to comfort me after a defeat (not that we`ve seen one of those for a while thanks to Sir Glenn Roeder) - but I still find myself leaping up and punching the air in delight at trouncing the “enemy” to win the league.

The dog looked a little perplexed in response to the subsequent “Premier League, at Portman Road” song to say the least but I don`t care I enjoyed it, and City are back in the big-time.

Granted there were no open-top bus journeys through the city to enjoy and for some reason no trophy presentations but it was exciting all the same.

I mean, we even had a cup run! A cup run people! We made the fifth round of the FA Cup where we lost out to Bolton (after extra time) and it took Chelsea to knock us out of the FA Cup in the quarter final.

Over the summer the squad is strengthened by precisely zero new signings, but I did manage to persuade Dion and Hucks to stay on for another year each so have a go Glenn it might work!

First game of the Premier League season that follows sees the mighty Yellows travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal. The team struggles for long periods but a break away and a Darel Russell strike kicks-off the 2008/2009 campaign in the best possible style.

I`m not a geek or anything (quite clearly) but I often think the world would be a better place if football was more like it was in video games, don`t you agree?

There`s still plenty of realism despite my shock win at the Emirates - Derby are rubbish for example - but it`s so much more innocent and fun. It`s the way football should be. Played.

It depends on the game of course, and I really don`t want to be dragged in to the whole “this game is better than that game is better than that genre etc” debate that has been had a thousand times before but I will confirm that I was always a die-hard Pro Evolution Soccer fan until this season and leave it there - but at least you don`t need to worry about agents or clubs trying to “tap up” your players in video games.

Gone are the suggestions of a 39th Premier League match (which even Sepp Blatter thinks is a bad idea, and he`s the one who suggested the World Cup be played on artificial pitches in 2010 for goodness sake).

You don`t need to think about misbehaving players during pre-season trips to Malaga either. Or WAGs. Or what time you need to leave home if you`re going to make a midday kick-off at Ninian Park.

There is something undeniably genius about seeing little digitized versions of our Canary favourites (even if some of them like Ched Evans don`t exist), and it never fails to tickle me that Wayne Rooney doesn`t look quite as hairy as he does in real-life and Carlos Tevez looks even more like an extra from the Wesley Snipes film “Blade”. It`s great.

And then there`s Football Manager. Good lord no, I can`t go there…

Good Luck Bates

Back in the room and it was a shame to see Matthew Bates need to return to Middlesbrough following yet another serious knee injury. Three major surgeries in eighteen months is an awful lot to deal with for anyone let alone someone so young, so I hope he makes a full recovery.

As the saying goes though one man`s loss is another man`s gain but what it does mean of course is we are now short of cover at right-back once again. Overall Jon Otsemobor has impressed me this season but I do think he has probably suffered somewhat from not having any meaningful competition for his place - just look at what it did for Lee Croft.

Predictions

If you read last week`s “Goat” (and why wouldn`t you have done?) you`ll know that I made a few predictions on how I thought the rest of the season would pan-out.

I went for a draw at Cardiff and a win for the Canaries against Hull City so a four point haul overall, which is exactly what we got (even if the results were the wrong way around).

Leicester away this weekend and although I doubt we`ll see much pretty flee-flowing football at the Walkers Stadium (have you seen the state of the pitch?) I predict a win for the Yellows. In fact if my predictions are correct we won`t see the side drop another point between now and the trip to Vicarage Road to face Watford on Tuesday 4th March.

That would be nice wouldn`t it?

OTBC

After the last-gasp 1-0 win over Preston North End last Saturday moved the Canaries closer to the play-offs than the relegation zone for the first time since probably August, some fans have started to dream that a repeat of the 2001/2002 season could be on the cards.

Glenn Roeder’s men currently sit thirteenth in the Championship on 38 points after thirty games. At the same point in the play-off campaign we had 50 points and were only outside of the play-off places on goal difference.

On that basis you’d say it looked a little bleak at best until you dig a little deeper into that league table, and realise that with just seven matches to go we had slipped to tenth and were 6 points adrift of the play-offs. So if you’re an optimist (and don’t tell anyone but I’m quickly becoming one) you could say we’ve got one more point to make up and nine more games to do it in. Well that sounds do-able. Doesn’t it?

Momentum is a big thing in the Championship. Every year a team seems to come from nowhere to break into the play-off picture. We did it before in 2002, why not again now?

The division is probably tighter this year than it has been for many a year. The old adage of any team being able to beat any other has certainly held true this term. 75 points is about the norm for a play-off place, but given the unpredictably of this year’s table it is entirely possible that the team finishing 6^th could have as little as 68 or 69 points.

If that is proven to be the case we need to pick up 30 odd points from our remaining 16 matches - an average of just under 2 points per game. On current form we’re pretty much on that now, but can we sustain a realistic push for glory and a possible day out at Wembley?

This is how I think the rest of our season will pan out:

9^th February - Cardiff City (A). My prediction: Draw.

12^th February - Hull City (H). My prediction: Norwich to win.

16^th February - Leicester City (A). My prediction: Norwich to win.

23^rd February - Barnsley (H). My prediction: Norwich to win.

1^st March - Blackpool (H). My prediction: Norwich to win.

4^th March - Watford (A). My prediction: Watford to win.

8^th March - Coventry City (A). My prediction: Draw.

11^th March - Stoke City (H). My prediction: Draw.

15^th March - Sheffield Utd (A). My prediction: Sheffield Utd to win.

22^nd March - Colchester Utd (H). My prediction: Norwich to win.

29^th March - Bristol City (A). My prediction: Bristol City to win.

5^th April - Burnley (H). My prediction: Norwich to win.

13^th April - Ipswich Town (A). My prediction: Draw.

19^th April - West Brom (H). My prediction: Draw.

26^th April - Queens Park Rangers (H). My prediction: Norwich to win.

4^th May - Sheffield Wed (A). My prediction: Draw.

Assuming I manage to get all of those predictions right - and if you’ve read much of my other ramblings you’ll know I’ve got a bit of a hit/miss record when it comes to predictions which is a little disappointing for a self-appointed Guru I must admit - we’ll pick up an extra 27 points to finish with 65.

If my predictions are correct February will be a good month (with a possible manager of the month award thrown in for good measure), March will yield only two victories but fear not - after Bristol City we will complete the season with a five game undefeated run.

If anything I think I may have been a little optimistic seeing as I’ve only got us down to lose three more times between now and the end of the season, but it doesn’t take much of a mathematical genius to work out that if a few of those draws are turned into wins, and a few more defeats are thrown in we could still be looking at the high 60s come the beginning of May so it’s not impossible by any means.

One thing’s for sure though and that’s that our home form is absolutely vital. My predictions have us taking 21 points from a possible 24 at Carrow Road, which would be no mean feat in itself.

A 65-point haul last time round was good enough for a 12^th place finish. This season it’ll probably be good for 10^th-12^th - somewhere around where we are at the moment in other words.

First up on the run-in is Cardiff away. Ninian Park is always a difficult place to get a result and their manager Dave Jones has just won the manager of the month award for January, so here’s hoping the infamous manager of the month curse continues for another month at least.

Hats off to those of you making the long trip west to South Wales. I’m sure you would all like to join me in thanking the league for arranging a midday kick-off for what is probably one of the longest journeys of the calendar…and all because of the egg-chasing as well, but I digress.

If you’d said to me in October after watching the debacle that was Queens Park Rangers (A) on Sky that we could finish mid-table I’d have ripped your arm off as I’m sure would a lot of others. That doesn’t mean I don’t think we can make the play-offs, I just think it unlikely.

The odds on City getting promoted with most online bookies are around the 14/1 mark (the highest odds I’ve seen this week are 16/1). Contrast now with the tale-end days of Peter Grant’s reign when we were odds on favourites for relegation and it’s easy to see why I’d “settle” for mid-table, which I think is much more realistic.

The fact there is a debate to be had in the first place is testament to the job Roeder and his team have done thus far, and is precisely why all of a sudden it’s a good time to be a Norwich City supporter again.

OTBC.

What do you think? Can City reach the play-offs? What is a realistic points target between now and the end of the campaign? As always please let me know your thoughts and opinions…

The transfer window has now slammed shut and City boss Glenn Roeder has seen a big turnover in his playing staff shipping out nine, adding one permanent and seven new or extended loan players to the Canary squad.

Those are some pretty big numbers but does it mean that the squad stronger now than it was way back at Christmas (which feels like a lifetime ago now)?

In the goalkeeping department we’ve seen no new arrivals but the departures of Paul Gallacher (released) and hot-prospect Joe Lewis  to Peterborough United for £400,000 have left the squad two keepers down on this time last month.

There may be a lot of potential sitting in the academy but if just for sheer numbers alone I’d say that the position has been weakened. Any injury to David Marshall or Matthew Gilks could cause some big problems.

The Defence has seen the biggest overhaul and has been the centre of most attention. Ian Murray was released and Simon Lappin sent on loan to Motherwell, which made room for Mo Camara to extend his stay from Derby County until the end of the season, Ryan Bertrand to come in from Chelsea and Alex Pearce from Reading, also until the end of the season.

There’s also “emergency” loanee Matthew Bates from Middlesbrough who will be with the Canaries until 28th April - although Boro have a 24 hour recall option after the first month.

I think it’s fair to say the biggest talking point in the window was a certain Martin Taylor. Hours of talk and thousands of words have been spent on the pursuit of “Tiny”. I was still confident he would sign until the Bates signing was announced and then a few short hours later it was revealed that Bolton had won the chase for Gary Cahill’s signature, leaving Alex McLeish short of defensive options of his own.

The much-improved form of Jason Shackell and Gary Doherty over the last few weeks may well have had a bearing on the final outcome, and Roeder has been quoted in the press as saying a deal could still be done in the summer. We’ll have to just wait and see on that one (Anyone else getting déjà vu?).

There can be no question as far as I am concerned that the defence is stronger now than it was a month ago. There is competition for places across the back four which should keep everyone on their toes - and hopefully ensure the only thing Doherty wraps himself round is his starting place.

It’s a similar story in midfield. The hapless Julien Brellier is now plying his trade elsewhere and Jimmy Smith’s loan deal has come to an end (which I have included in the “going out” column but maybe that’s a little unfair), but coming in is Matty Pattison from Newcastle on a permanent deal, James Henry from Reading and Kieran Gibbs from Arsenal on emergency loans until 28th April.

I spoke about Pattison in an earlier column (Guru’s Goat: The January transfer window), so I won’t go over old ground there.

Henry from Reading has been described on canaries.co.uk as “one of the brightest prospects to come out of the Reading academy” and is a right-winger, adding more options and giving the excellent Lee Croft something else to think about.

I see Kieran Gibbs as an ideal replacement for Smith, although according to myfootballwriter.com his best position is possibly wide left - adding yet more competition to a position where Ryan Bertrand has more often than not found himself occupying of late.

So what does that mean for Darren Huckerby? The talismanic front man has struggled to shake off a hip injury this season and coupled with a drop of form has been in and out of the team, and now has potentially three others to get passed if he is to reclaim his place in the side - assuming Roeder sticks with his “one winger” policy - and that the winger is not Croft of Henry bombing down the right hand side.

Hucks is out of contract in the summer and rumours of a move Stateside to join the MLS refuse to go away. He has been quoted in the past as saying Norwich will be his last English club, and I have no reason to doubt that. I just hope we get to see him somewhere near his best before he leaves in the summer, which I think he will.

In theory supplying chances for the front-line should no longer be a problem; however taking said chances is another story, which is why the attacking department still makes me nervous.

I think it is fair to say that we haven’t lost an awful lot of goals releasing David Strihavka, loaning Ryan Jarvis to Notts County and selling Chris Brown to Preston for £400,000, but with only Ched Evans coming in - albeit until the end of the season now - I can see us continuing to struggle for goals and our over-reliance on Dion Dublin continues to be a cause for concern.

Last season’s Championship top-scorer Jamie Cureton has been firing blanks as of late and like most City fans I’m hoping he can find the form he showed at the beginning of the season - and if he could stay onside a little more frequently all the better.

Overall I think the squad is stronger now than it was a month ago - however with all these emergency loanees due to return to their clubs on 28th April it does make you wonder who will actually be left to play the final game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday in the first week of May, but that’s for another time.

It’s also worth remembering that further emergency loans from the Premier League can be made in about another week’s time, so the excitement might not be over yet. Just let me catch my breath first.

OTBC

Do you think the squad is stronger now? Are you worried about the lack of goals? Where is Darren Huckerby is going to fit in between now and the end of the season? Let me know what you think…

The main debate in Canary circles this week has been around City fan and former Waveney Districtcouncillor Iain Walpole’s “revolutionary” idea for supporters to set-up a “Norwich City Kitty”, with the money going into a separate transfer pot.

For those of you who haven’t come across it the details were published in Wednesday’s Eastern Daily Press (and is also available online at edp24.co.uk), but the idea is you set up a direct debit and pay in a monthly amount.

To quote the EDP:

On the basic premise that even a £5 a month contribution from just 25pc of City’s average home gate would, with interest, create a healthy six-figure lump sum exclusively for the use of the manager in buying players - and (Walpole) believes there is scope for getting past the £1m barrier.

This isn’t an original idea by any stretch of the imagination. Most of us have at one time or another sat round in the pub and wondered just what we might be able to do if everyone at a game donated £100 for example. The difference this time it would seem is that somebody actually wants to follow that through and take it to the next level.

I suppose for that reason alone Mr Walpole should probably be applauded. After all he is actively trying to generate income for the club. However as always there’s a “but”. A big one.

Believe it or not I don’t like to be cynical, and any plan which could potentially bring more money into the club should be investigated, but I don’t think this one will ever get off the ground.

I’ve read people refer to it as nothing more than a modern-day equivalent of shaking a bucket. I’d be inclined to agree with that but that’s not necessarily the problem as far as I’m concerned.

Apparently a lot of people ignore a direct debit of £20 or less leaving their account each month so in theory people should be able to afford it. Some people took particular exception to that statement, including me until Mrs Guru asked me yesterday morning why I had just received a statement for a mobile phone I’ve not used for over a year. On that basis I can personally vouch that I seemingly don’t miss £15.77 going to 02 every month for no apparent reason so I can have no complaints there.

My problem starts with these statements:

This will over a period of time relieve the club/directors of the burden of trying to compete with the mega rich clubs, both the club and the supporters benefit by getting what they want: a good team and prudent management of the club.

Well you certainly can’t knock the optimism here, but I think it naïve in the extreme to think a scheme such as this could ever allow the club to compete with the “mega rich clubs” such as Chelsea, Manchester United et al. I want to be wrong I really do, but I just can’t see it somehow.

The club would receive funds for transfers when the manager had identified a target and wished to put in a bid. We would not want to know who, what or why, just how much was needed for the manager to capture his target’s signature.

Really? You don’t think people would demand their money back if the player was a flop? What if that player turned out to be the next Andy Hughes (and by that I mean not the most popular with the Canary faithful. I for one didn’t think he was a bad as all the fuss).

And finally:

In the past many clubs have raised funds to save their club, buy a player, or build a stand, but this has always been done by collections at matches, auctions and events. All of these money raising methods are all well and good, apart from one major flaw: people get bored with them and become apathetic to the whole fundraising scheme. It then became very clear that what was needed was sustained and committed ongoing funding.

The first part of that is probably fair enough, but in my opinion a fundraising scheme that in no small part relies on people “forgetting” they are taking part is fundamentally flawed.

And what are 19,000 some-odd season ticket holders doing if not providing “sustained and committed ongoing funding”?

As I’ve said before I am not a season ticket holder. I get to probably 10/12 games a season, so there are people who fork out an awful lot more than I do following our team, but by my reckoning I still spend upwards of £1000 per season.

If you are one of the people who have a season ticket you could be looking at double that amount. Add an away season ticket to the mix and what, double again? That is a hell of a commitment you’re already making.

Norwich City Football Club is not a charity. It is a company with a multi-million pound turnover. We are always being told what a well run business it is, what fantastic community schemes it runs (which countless awards and nominations would backup) and what incredible loyal support it has. I think the fans do enough as it is.

This couldn’t happen for that and a myriad of other reasons. I could list all of them but I’ll wait until I’ve seen the answers to the dozens of other questions I’ve seen and read of the scheme so far to do with tax implications, administration fees etc before doing so if you don’t mind.

Do you think it’s a good idea? Would you be willing to contribute yourself? Am I being too quick to criticise? Let me know your thoughts.