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I take my 11 year daughter alot, and even in the city stand I'm shocked by some of the f and c words I hear, but she won't stop it.

Waheyyy!

If nothing else this proves we don't have anything to worry about https://totalfootballanalysis.com/match-analysis/norwich-city-reading-efl-championship-tactical-analysis I only saw the last 20 mins. or so but it did seem we were throwing speculative crosses in at an alarming rate (result of Jordan coming on?) Also leaving huge gaps in MF during extra time. And Marco's leg waving 'tackle' just before the goal ... grrr. That's showbiz folks. We go again.

Thank you all for the numerous suggestions. After much pondering, here’s my six picks. Tottenham vs Huddersfield - home win. Burnley vs Cardiff - home win (my pick). Atletico Madrid vs Celta de Vigo - home win. SPAL vs Juventus - away win. Ajax vs Excelsior - home win. Chievo vs Napoli - away win.

The tattoo needle is unquestionably the sharpest item in this piece ....

Thanks for reminding me - I'd have forgotton! Zimmermann for me too.

"Suffolk friends..."

Are you kidding? We’d just scored twice to convert what was looking to be a disappointing defeat, into a leading position. This via 2 goals within a few minutes of each other, in the last stages of the game, towards the end of an incredible season with the title in our sights, when every win is bringing the dream that bit closer, that bit more quickly. Not celebrate wildly? “You cannot be serious!” If you were, I’d have to wonder to what set of standards in your mind you hold players and fans - i.e. the people who make football a reality. If I were to be uncharitable I’d fear it might be a purely theoretical, academically generated framework with little relation or relevance to football - or human life - as they are actually lived.

My views exactly - it's a shame we can't calculate the points his great blocks/ interceptions have saved us!

I'm guilty of blurting out the occasional expletive. I definitely use Carrow Road as place to let out all my pent up anger; usually directed at the referee. It's easy to forget that it will have an impact on the people around us and, on reflection, it is not the kind of behaviour I want to demonstrate - especially in front of children. Thanks for calling this out. I think a lot of us on here could do with being a little bit more thoughtful in our choice of words.

Thought it was more to do with how well Reading played against us than the fact we didn’t have Buendía. We still created numerous chances and should have won the game but i can’t remember seeing a better containing and defensive display at Carrow rd than the other night. Took a special strike to finally get through. That said we are most definitely a better team with Buendía in the side and who knows, he may have been able to create something special earlier in the game to have got us level/in front and won us the game. Harsh on the effort and display the 11 that were on the pitch put in to say we only draw and lose because Buendía doesn’t play. POTS is very very close for me between Pukki and Buendía but I’ll vote Pukki as it’s true you’re only as good as your strikers and he’s been immense. Yes he’s had the best creativity in the championship behind him but he still has to put them away and his conversion rate is fantastic, not to mention his general all round play. Pukki Buendia Aarons/Zimmerman

Great OP, really well thought through and balanced. Good stuff, keep it up.

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

So we've moved on to Krul now, Marco will be relieved. 😎

I too wish for the club to fulfil my promotion creams.

I sat in section G last night row EE there was a bloke about 2 rows behind us constantly shouting ,commenting on the game and shouting the F word and C word loudly , to his right there was a Dad and his daughter roughly about 10 years old ,I know it always happens but this was over the top .felt sorry for the family people in the stand .

Play emi as it will be a six pointer for top spot, we'll have enough quality to see off the likes of palace and Newcastle without him 😁

What element of the stats makes it so obvious to you that the game finished 2-1? I am seeing the complete opposite. Even the XGs point to a comfortable home win, something you used to highlight our apparently false league position earlier on in the season... Why so negative?

I think you get a harsh rep and normally have a valid point. I don't always agree, but I can usually see your point. In this instance, I don't even understand your point and I'm not entirely sure you do. We lose focus after scoring, like every other team that has existed, ever? It's well known that all teams are most vulnerable when they score. This is not a City phenomenon. I agree they could have handled their one goal lead better, because they ultimately lost it but I believe that has zero to do with the celebrations when the goal went in. When you score a goal there is always a joyous celebration, when you score a goal that appears to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and puts one foot into the Premiership I think that can go a step further. I didn't see any poor play, lack of concentration or celebrations in the following 10 minutes that makes any suggestion - what-so-ever - that the (deserved) exuberant celebrations were in any way to blame for us losing the lead. Sometimes the other team scores...

...along come 1p5wich 😁

Wigan wont be trying that hard. It's not as if we are Leeds.

The celebrations had nothing to do with their equaliser. We still managed to play decent football at 2-1 and it should have been all over but for Rhodes's failure to convert a point blank header. The constant messing around with the back 4 didn't help; Aarons switched to left mid, Lewis off, Godfrey switched to LB, Aarons back at RB, a cold Klose on. We lost our shape and our cool such was the excitement.

What as in each team scored two goals so it was a draw? I'll collect my analysts fee later😎

It's almost a shame they didn't get Arsene Wenger instead of PL. AW could have had Nicky Butt as his coaching assistant.

I have noticed an increasing amount of football posts on this Brexit forum lately, it needs to stop.

Get their early claim your window and then have plenty of fluid with you those windows don’t lick themselves

I'm going out on a limb here and saying- that goal had nothing to do with how we celebrated.

That's a great line for the next time I break wind in front of the vicar!

I'd agree with you in that example. I think for me personally I'm keen not to try and regulate what people can and can't say at the match even if I might not like some of it. I've always hated the 'we shoot burglers' or the 'Kicked his f*cking head in' chants but wouldn't tell someone they couldn't sing them because of me. I've also had someone tell me to pipe down the Jarrold despite him spending the entire game with his headphones in so I've certainly come across those who seem to think the world revolves around what they want to hear. What concerns me more than the words used is often the tone- some purple faced bloke spitting with rage because we didn't get a freekick is far more intimidating and concerning to me even if they watch their P's and Q's than someone saying '****s sake ref' and leaving it at that.

There was nothing whatsoever unusual or over the top about those celebrations, given the position we are currently in and the 88 minutes leading up to that goal, it was a huge huge moment. Don’t recall you complaining about our celebrations either during the Millwall game, Bolton game, Forest game, Blackburn game, literally multiple games this season. Not to mention previous years where pandemonium has followed a crucial goal. And by the way, all of the goals where the craziest celebrations have followed have been when we take the lead (I.e one goal lead), because that is when the tide of the game has turned? What on earth are you talking about ‘it was only 2-1’? That’s precisely why the celebrations were wild, we went from 1 to 3 points in that moment. Did you see the Derby game under Lambert, taking a 3-2 lead? The Portsmouth game when we secured promotion? 1-goal lead... It’s as if you don’t even like football!

What happened to Matchday Magazine? Are we back to programmes again? I can't keep up with all this terminology.

Shock horror. Young, inexperienced manager plucked from a lower division Scottish side fails in his first attempt at managing a side in the English Premier League despite having one of the bigger budgets available to him (not.) AN is proving to be more than useful at the gig despite the fact that the "tinkerman" came unstuck at Carrow Road. On the whole the wee man was good for NCFC and gave us one of the better days of recent years. A simple amount of perspective can be gleaned from the fact that he has achieved more in the time since he has been a manager in England than a certain Paul Lambert has done during that period. In fact, if the binners wanted to go for an ex-city man then it's my opinion that they would have done better to have got AN rather than the present chancer and furthermore that he would have made a much better fist of getting that club out of the clag than Lambert has done, although that's probably not a difficult assumption.

I thought he came down during the second half after a game changing event happened (Howson getting sent off).

Taking kids to a football match does make you think differently about your own and others behaviour. Remember taking my daughter to her first game (away v Birmingham) she was absolutely terrified when she heard the noise from the supporters inside the bar area. I just hadn’t thought about how intimidating an atmosphere it is for young kids. It was all good spirits and pre match chanting but a shock to her. When I take my young son now I have to be careful with my own language and do wince a bit when I hear some of the more extreme expletives from others around us.

True we’re in terrible form. Only 25 points out the last 27 available, what went wrong ?

Zimmerman for me

I must admit that watching the game I was surprised at the incredible looking celebrations where everyone went over to the sidelines and players/subs/trainers etc jumping all over each other after the second goal. It was dramatic and it was fantastiuc to get those two goals, but it was only 2-1 and I can only think that the euphoria was there because we had turned the game round so dramatically - but it was only 2-1....

Gave us one of the best memories in recent times, with the play off final win but can't really say there was much more than that. KC is right about transfers... He was terrible at picking players and paid well over the odds for them! Perhaps more the board's fault for handing out huge contracts, but Neil oversaw these signings and we're still paying for one or two of them now! He seemingly had no ability to develop players and he didn't trust in youth, instead preferring seasoned veterans who, for the most part, were useless for us. One thing I will say is that he gives the most dull interviews after a match and always looks completely pi$$ed off whether his team has won or not... Take from that what you will!

It was a very good save, but who can say? I do recall Krul making an excellent double stop away recently (maybe Millwall)?

He was supposed to be watching from the stands, but came down at half time and told Phelan to sling his hook, and went into the dugout for the second half to take over from the sidelines. Seems more a determination to win and innate competitiveness, more than 'ego' to me, but that's what happened.

It’s very simple... If either Sheff Utd or Leeds lose tomorrow, and we beat Wigan on Sunday, then we will have either a 9 or 10 point gap with just 4 games to go. Our rivals would only be able to get 12 points maximum from the remaining games. The unstoppable Buendía will be available for the last 3 games too. Just think about that for a minute. I am not in the slightest bit concerned, we will be promoted, it’s our season!

History tell us we will be promoted as champions. Looking back at the last 30 years of this division (any further back and we had less than 24 teams, so points are not as easily comparable), there has only been one occasion where a team that was leading after 38 games (let alone 41) was not promoted (3.33%). In other instances, it was the title for 90% of teams (27/30), auto promotion for one (3.33%) and play-off promotion for one (3.33%) Taking into account the number of points we lead by, no team with a lead of more than 4 points failed to win the title from this point. Basically, we would be setting ridiculous records if we don't go up from here. I am not worried. I think if the team wins 2 games out of 5 we will be up as champions.

Yes canaryking ONLY not worried like the rest of posters. Draw one game and we are fckued

You've obviously played in goal at a high standard and never conceded a soft goal 😂🤦‍♂️, saying that they werent soft goals. Both very good finishes

Emi was missed in so many ways it was palpable I thought. Those players playing off him , like Stiepermann , Onel and Pukki suddenly didn't look so effective. It certainly wasn't all about Cantwell (although I doubt he will start against Wigan) but losing a quick footed, pacey, skillful player , absolutely brimming with confidence was always going to be tough. Games change on moments. Last night the game had a few big moments and for once , unlike for example Middlesbrough , they didn't all work in our favour. I reckon we need 6 points from 5 games . If I was to rank our chances of victory in the five i would say home to Blackburn most likely , away to Villa least likely. The others who knows. We have now lost to Preston , and drawn against Reading. Leeds have lost to QPR, and Sheff Utd lost at home to Bristol City. If we don't make it we should be shot. But anyone expecting to be promoted with 5 or even three games to go is deluded.

To the tune of '3 Lions on the shirt' : They’re going down, They’re going down, They’re going, Ipswich going down Noone seems to know how to score, Their build-up play’s a bore They just know, They were so sure, That Hurst was gonna save the day, In some miracle way, But he didn’t know how to play, 'Cause I remember Donkeys on their shirts, Lambert f*cking steaming, Relegation certs, 10 years now and counting. So many jokes, so many sneers, Cos Marcus Evans’s arrears, Will keep them down, For years and years, But I still see that hat-trick by Holt , And Johnson’s thunderbolt, Pukki belting the ball, Hernandez scoring Donkeys on your shirt, Portman Road is empty, Your pitch is made of dirt No hope of returning. They’re going down They’re going Ipswich going down

Have to say that our run-in looks no harder than it did before, though - if we can’t get the necessary points from we don’t deserve to go up. It’s astonishing how one small setback (and only a draw, not defeat) is getting some people so vexed, as if we’ve never done anything but win. I can see lots of gnashing and wailing ahead if we - God forbid - get a draw (or worse) come Sunday...but we’d still be favourites and a minimum of 4pts from 3rd.

To be honest it was one of those false results that lower teams often pick up towards the end of a season. I was reminded of our 2-2 draw at Wolves last season. We were far superior and they had something to hold onto after the breakaway goal. Six or seven more points will be enough.

Yes, but this season we've done the same and we're... wait for it... six points clear at the top of the f*cking league. Most teams set up to allow us possession, and we beat most of them because we're the best team in the league. It's not like Reading kept us at arm's length all night, we had 25 shots on goal! Pukki missed three good chances, Rhodes missed a sitter, Hernandez pulled a great save out of the keeper, we had two excellent penalty shouts turned down (Trybull first half, Pukki second half)… and plenty more besides. And we didn't try anything different for an hour because it was working. Even not playing near our best, we were still creating chances and raining shots down on their goal. And this off the back of having employed the same system, and ten of the same players, for eight consecutive matches, all of which we won. And your Stiepermann fetish is quite disturbing.

He is a potentially world class centre back. At the top level he is a tall, fast, two-footed, calm, ball-playing, strong in the air, highly competitive, level-headed, English Centre back. A rare - and therefore highly valuable - commodity. He will command - by some distance - the highest value of any of our players. What may occur upon promotion is that Klose signs a new contract and - when confronted by superior teams - we play with 3 centre backs, allowing Godfrey the slightly libero role. Godfrey would be wasted in midfield. There are many other players who can be found, bought or used at CDM, it requires positional discipline, but his gifts at centre back demand that he stay there. From a purely business point of view - we are self-sustaining let us not forget - our best asset must be placed in the best shop window. A fabulous player. Enjoy him now. Parma