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It was fairly pelting down when I got up this morning and so was not looking forward to the ride down to CR, but fortunately my daughter texted to say she would take us down and pick us up. By lunchtime the sun was out in any event but the lift saved my legs a bit. Home form has been pretty poor this season but we usually beat Rotherham so I was fully expecting three points as we kicked off towards the River End and it was quite a lively start with City getting staright on to the front foot. Hernandez got a roar out of the crowd as he spun away from his marker and made ground before picking out Pukki on the edge of the box. He was a split second too late in pulling the trigger however as the ball was blocked away for a corner. After some neat passing across the face of the visitors penalty area the ball fell to McCallum, who fizzed an effort goalwards that brought a fine diving save from Vickers in the Rotherham goal. From the resulting corner Sargent had the glimpse of an opening and his on target shot rebounded off the keeper and was hooked away before Pukki could pounce. Chances continued to come thick and fast as the visitors reeled under constant pressure and Pukki was again close when trying a first time effort as the ball came in from the City left. Once again a Rotherham defender got a vital block and the ball was scrambled away. A minute later Sara banged a low shot from about twenty five yards but it was a yard or two off target. It was very encouraging stuff with the home side creating more chances early doors than in the entirety of many recent home performances. Just before the quarter hour Pukki really should have opened the City account as a neat chip from Gabby Sara beat the offside trap and put him yards clear of the Rotherham defence. Once again vital split seconds were lost as he brought the ball under control and a defenders toe was enough to deflect the shot off target. He almost redeemed himself a couple of minutes later but having worked space he could only fire a cross shot a foot over the bar. We had seen little positive from the visitors but from about midway through the half they had managed to slow the pace of the game down and get some joy of their own with a series of throw ins and free kicks from their right wing and City were lucky to survive when a sharp low cross was fired well over from the centre of the goal and only six yards out. From my end it looked harder to miss than score. The game became much more of a midfield battle from then on although McCallum was unlucky to see his well struck effort from twenty yards, deflect just wide off a defenders head. When ref Simpson blew for halftime it felt like a satisfactory performance with just the deserved lead lacking. Looking at the other halftime scores around the country it seemed that a decent three points today would put us in a fairly strong position in the playoff race. From the off City continued to look dangerous although good chances were now harder to come by although Hernandez ought to have done better when put through by Sargent just before the hour mark. It appeared to me that a zig and a zag should have been enough to work a shooting opportunity but after further zigs and zags the door closed and a deflected ball was hoofed clear not far from the line. Then Marquinhos who had been fairly quiet up to now, zipped in a low effort that Vickers got a hand to and for all the world it looked like McCallum only had to make a connection to score but fell over his own feet and again the ball was scrambled for a corner. From this one Pukki had a clear opportunity as the ball came back to him near the edge of the box but somehow his shot beat everyone including the far post. To me this latest bout of play signalled that it wasn't going to be our day and the game became exceedingly tedious as the visitors milked the clock and the home side frustratingly couldn't put anything together. We had Idah for Pukki, Tzolis for Marquihos and Gianoullis for McCallum but it didn't look like making a difference. The crowd got annoyed with the time wasting but in Rotherham's position a point here is worth its weight in gold so who can blame them. The longer the game went on the less likely we looked like scoring but as we entered the last knockings, Tzolis burst into the box from the left and while a quick pass back to hiim from Idah might have served better, the City striker couldn't sort his feet out and the chance was gone. It pretty much summed up the whole experiencefor me today, lots of promise but no end product. There is still a possibility of a glorious end but in all honesty it would be totally undeserved in what has been a disappointing season. I really did expect more, perhaps recent seasons have spoiled me and I should get used to the brand of mediocrity that we can all see in front of us. Omo my MOM today, I thought he looked commanding throughout and Hugill never got a look in. The best thing about the day was that I got a lift home and my daughter had baked some nice sausage rolls for me. I was so hungry I ate one in the car and won the prize for the worlds messiest eater.

https://www.pinkun.com/news/23444277.norwich-city-david-wagner-fan-appeal-ahead-rotherham-duel/ This is at least the third time when DW has made a public appeal for the FCR natives to waken from their slumbers and 'create an atmosphere'. As we know all too well the previous appeals have met with a sullen response and the drab 'atmosphere' has persisted. In fact the only difference between the Smith and Wagner experiences is that the boos and jeers when targeted players like Dowell and Gibson give the ball away is (thankfully) not audible anymore under the present manager. That (though) is precisely it! Win, Lose or Draw sees the ground start to empty at an alarming rate from about 75 - 80 mins onwards. The reasons have been aired to death and are many and various but I feel it is hugely disappointing and embarrassing. Sure if the team are getting tonked then most grounds would see fans leaving early but we seem to be taking this to a whole new level. The malaise has even infected The Snakepit it seems which looks and sounds a pale shadow of it's former raucous self. What about today? Maybe, just maybe, the natives will finally emerge from their lethargy and at least set up something akin to a positive atmosphere but if they can't 'get up' for a match v a feisty rival in Sheff. Utd then why should they bother for an opponent 'who we should beat comfortably'?? If we should manage to make the play offs then fans need to get the old videos out and listen to the atmosphere at the first leg v Wolves in 2004. That is what will be required. If you can't be bothered then give your ticket to someone who can.

Disagree, he should have been in midfield where he had just had a very good game v Blackburn. It’s not his fault that every time we have an injury the poor guy has to fill the void. I bet he would love to have a game in one position, midfield for a good run. DW should have blooded Warner today and kept the shape from Friday. Poor team selection cost us today.

Robert Rosario. OTBC

Be grateful you can go to matches, there are so many people that can't, for whatever reason. You are representing more than just yourself - you are representing the thousands of people around the world too far away to get to games, you are representing the thousands of folk in Norfolk who can't get to matches through age or infirmity. In short, recognise your responsibility and pull your fingers out.

I think Gunn has come on leaps and bounds this year. Krul was in his prime a few years ago. Gunn is some years off his prime but is performing well already. I'd happily take him forward into the next season - wherever that is

The club desperately needs stadium expansion so groups of (particularly young) mates can buy tickets together in a part of the ground they are not going to be treated like escapees from a lunatic asylum for supporting the team. The vast majority of our regular support are aging and go largely out of habit. I get Wagner's attempts but realistically it'snot going to work.

Well, there is that 😉 But given they've bizarrely chosen to end the voting with 10% of the season still to go, and given that Sara didn't really start playing until halfway through, at best he can surely only be Player Of 40% Of The Season. And even 90% is usually deemed unacceptable on here...

I didn't see what he said but if we'd taken one of our gilt edged chances nobody would be complaining about the performance.

Ricardo, absolutely. Just feels like we're going to enter a Norwich low. The Circadian circles of joy and Meh. I've a season Ticket, my 12 and 15 Yr old are on the waiting list. They went today. It's there incessant babbling of Norwich during the week that keeps me focused and interested. They can't wait for their turn. Poor souls.

Two clean sheets, and created plenty of chances too. I appreciate that the extra 2 points would've been nice and mentally it's good to be in the top 6 tonight. But this is competitive sport, not a Norwich fairy tale.

How ridiculous. Nothing much changed. We are still a point off 6th, and a point off 5th (we were two points before the game). There are no winnable games. Ask any supporter before Friday who we will get one point from and who we will get three points from. Blackburn one point, Rotherham 3 points. Look how the others did today. Stop whining.

I have much sympathy for Sarg. Some players have a preferred position and can't really play effectively anywhere else. Do many top strikers get asked to play out wide often? Did Rush? Harland? Kane? Clearly not putting Sarg in the same bracket as those players but you get the point. We've seen it time and time again this season - play him up top and he looks dangerous. Play him out wide and he's mainly anonymous. I find it hard to blame him.

Ipswich didn't.

Lol. Yeah, it was a lack of McLean that stopped us winning today. Jesus.

Every single diagonal went sailing out of play. Was depressing to watch. Kenny does a lot right and is massively underappreciated at the best of times. Like Jordan Henderson for England/Liverpool

Wouldn't mind if he goes in the summer. He is not a patch on what Krull was a few years ago. We need to replace and improve on all 11 current players, although I realise that cannot and will not happen. We do need better players in all positions, unfortunately.

If we can't beat Rotherham at home we don't deserve to go up

Whoever invented predictive text should funk king rot in hello.

I really get frustrated that Sarge never gets the front man gig. It’s his actual position. He’s not a winger or a second striker/ yet we persist in playing him there - I think he would score if allowed to play in his own position

I know I bang on about Lungi but he really is under-rated. Slots in anywhere across the back four or holding midfield without a fuss and does a decent job nine times out of ten. Quality player.

The pandemic was life re-affirming in many ways and that we should be more grateful for things. Life is so fragile, wars, famine, pandemics - so there is every reason to be grateful for the good things in life. Food on the table, friends and family, good weather, or whatever - and I would include in that the ability to go to a football match. I'm sorry you feel that you just think "I pay my money, I get the seat" as if that is all there is to it. When I used to go regularly to CR, it was an event to get up for, it was about getting mentally prepared for it as if I was going on the pitch myself, it was about performing at my best as a supporter and giving it all I had. Imo supporting the team is a responsibility, not a choice, yes you pay your money and you take your seat, but as soon as you do that, you are part of the occasion. The other thing about the pandemic is that it brought home how interconnected we all are and how we all rely on others - same is true when you are part of a football club. You are not a single entity going into the ground, you become part of the whole as soon as you go through the turnstile. How many people in the world support Norwich City, do you think? Probably at least 100,000.......500,000 plus, maybe? Only 26,000 odd can get into CR.....so you that go are the lucky ones and every single person that goes should make the most of it - on behalf of all those that can't go.

I think @Mr.Carrow has hit the nail on the head here, actually. Having such a high percentage of season ticket holders is both a blessing and a curse. There are so many factors at play here, including (but not limited to) the impact of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, apathy with the current ownership model/inability to compete at PL level, the ageing fanbase... which inevitably leads to one or two thousand seats or so being vacant for most games. Stadium expansion, coupled with attractive ticket pricing for under-25s, would lead to a new generation of supporters getting access to the team which they're currently not able to. Whether the Attanasios have the money and the desire to bankroll that remains to be seen, but it is definitely an issue currently.

So he plays better and more consistently than every other player in the squad, and that's a 'minimum' expectation? There are none so blind as those that will not see... And another one! He was decent under Smith, probably our best player, which isn't saying much but is still relative to the performances of his peers. He played way better than expectation at left-back when both Dimi and Sam were injured, was decent in his usual midfield role, and has now adapted again to play a DM role way better than could have been expected. The blinkered attitude of some of our fans towards Kenny's strengths and abilities is quite staggering.

I will try to tut-tut at a higher volume👍

For what it’s worth I do care about promotion. Therefore I care about the playoffs as it’s our only chance. I want to go up.

My dad always buys a programme. Then realises he's forgotten his glasses, so can't read it until he gets home. Moving to a digital version just means he will buy it the day before, and then forget to take his phone instead. Don't ever get old.

We didn't win because we missed at least three big chances. We only needed one goal today. The subs didn't help and we missed leadership on the pitch especially towards the end of the game when we weren't exactly driving forward. Big chance missed today but a win on Friday could put us back in contention. It's away so there's a chance...

As I left the ground I was told Sarge had won MOM. I thought they were joking ?

He did so well to miss the target from that range. A shocking signing.

Gunn will have his own reasons for his reaction and fair enough but maybe he was equally annoyed at what he saw unfold ahead of him? Professional football isn't about putting effort in, if it were I could run around for 90 minutes, puke my guts up and say yeah I've done a great job. We were poor in terms of creativity, urgency and quality in the final 3rd. It doesn't justify booing but when the manager calls for support you are perfectly entitled to react after a performance like that.

Hope they go down tbh.

I mean he didn't offer any less than Sargent when he came on (not saying much, I know) so it astounds me he gets the level of personal vitriol he does from people around me.

No It also shows how poor the quality has been in the championship this year that we are even in with a shout of the playoffs.

Opposition Teams watch our home games, play the high press , mark man to man and park the bus when needed - then try to grab the odd goal on the break - fact is its too easy to block us out at home and until we get proper replacements for Emi, Skipp and now Pukki the home misery will continue.

Frustrating but the overall performance was pretty decent. Plenty of turns left in the race for 5th and 6th.

So that's a net loss of...

Rotherham deserve credit for a resolute defence, but they also had some luck keeping some good shots out. We needed a little bit of magic to break them down; sadly it wasn't forthcoming. I don't see much reason to be down on our squad today.

You get a winning formula you should stick with it. Sorenson should have stayed in midfield with Gibbs further forward. Why tinker. And please no more Pukku and Sarg. Pukki now s/b a super sub so we get some creativity on the pitch not that we have anyone!)

Play like that every week and we'd have easily been in the top six. Created plenty. Just one of those days. The booing is more cumulative frustration than today's performance.

I need to get over it but still can’t believe we had people wanting Farke out and the level that out football now is at.

Vrancic, Rupp, or Stiepi would have been licking their lips in a situation like this just to hit passes that dislodge defences.

Pukki off. Idah on.

Don’t worry, according to the majority on here he’s never been a footballer.

Club are slammed for not communicating enough, and when they do, its misguided. Jeez,

I remember when I was a teenager 3-4 of us could and would get tickets in the Lower Barclay, it was great fun. As I got older when I came back to Norfolk I’d meet a mate or two to go to the game and we’d end up in the Jarrold as it was hard to get seats together in the Barclay and to me the atmosphere was always pretty flat there over the years. I’m not even sure if you can get tickets together in the Barclay nowadays, I haven’t been able to when I’ve looked apart from occasional pretty poor view ones. So tend to go to the South stand and it’s as similarly flat as I’ve always remembered it I think. If you are a group of younger supporters looking to get together and give some vocal support I’m not sure that’s possible in the usual places anymore? How do we create the next generation of passionate fans? It’s been a problem ongoing for a long while I think, a large % of season tickets is a blessing and a curse IMO.

Strange reaction to what is mostly a creditable tribute to Teemu Pukki.

Also, you might be interested to know that the French word for attending a sporting event is 'assister'. I've always liked that, the idea that you are helping. I guess supporter has the same idea. I just think that when you have to pay so much money it encourages the idea that you are there to be entertained, to 'get your money's worth', rather than the idea that you are there to play a part in the afternoon's activity.

I agree with you, but I'm afraid that when clubs started charging £30+ for people to attend football matches they changed fans into consumers. That's why it's changed.

Spot on. However, I thought the Barclay in particular and the snakepit did a grand job in creating an atmosphere last game at home. Try sitting in the River end, an absolute morgue. I however, will be as loud as ever and as usual will lose my voice by the end