0Amarillo<P><FONT color=#cccc00 size=4><EM>  º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ Amarillo ¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°<EM><FONT><P>ddMMyyyy0Falseen-US<P><FONT color=#cccc00 size=4><EM>  º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ Amarillo ¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°<EM><FONT><P>True

I remember us playing against Leicester and Arsenal (?) one season in pre-season, and other times when there have been two games. It seems to be protocol that the bigger team goes to the ground of the smaller team, perhaps to help the smaller team raise revenue. Now we are that bigger team, so we''re going to places like Coventry. I would imagine that Norwich v Peterborough at home wouldn''t be a very big crown puller, or wouldn''t make much money for the club anyway. Better to put something back in by playing there and helping them make a few quid from it. Ama

In seasons gone by, whenever Norwich played a team higher up the league it always felt like a big challenge and ''could we do it?'', especially away from home. You know, the usual pessimism that comes before any difficult game. (Even though, I think, we tended to struggle more against the so-called lesser teams!). Trips to the likes of Everton or Southampton were big days out against Prem teams where we didn''t expect to get anything from the game. As last season wore on and we became the team at the top - i.e. the team to beat, that pessimism was gradually replaced by confidence ahead of every game - ''we will win it!'' In the end we feared no-one. Or need not have done. Even at Everton I thought ''we could get something here''. Now that the intial euphoria of promotion has worn off, and I''m looking ahead to next season, It''s starting to dawn on me that we''re back where we were 3 or 4 years ago, psychologically. Suddenly, despite all the success, we''re the underdogs again, looking up towards the top of the league...! Its exciting, sure, but it takes me way back to the time when I moved from primary to secondary school, as an 11 year old. I well remember going from being in the oldest year to being in the youngest year again. All the confidence of knowing my way around, being one of the oldest replaced with awe as I looked up at the older kids and didn''t know my a**e from my elbow. Fortunately I didn''t get relegated from secondary school back to primary school, but grew into the new surroundings and after a few years was looking down at the new kids coming in again. Hopefully NCFC can do the same. Really, deep down, when Arsenal come to Carrow Road I know we shouldn''t expect anything. We should shrug our shoulders and enjoy the game, sing whether we''re winning or losing. But it doesn''t work like that does it? We''ll be there, hoping and wondering if we can cause a shock, just like we did a few years ago when the league leaders came to our place. Remember Man City (2-0) or Portsmouth (1-0) back then...? ...Maybe, just maybe...! Ama

Aye. Does Rotherham v Gillingham have greater prestige simply because its played in The Championship? And "Coca Cola" makes it actually sound more like reserve football. "The Coca Cola Championship". Ama

Re-branding - don''t you just love it. So we no longer have a league with divisions, we just have lots of leagues. The Premiership, The Championship, League One and League Two. And even though The Championship almost sounds like its grander than the Premiership a) I know where I''d rather be, still, and b) Gillingham v Rotherham is still Gillingham v Rotherham, even if its a Champioship game, he he. And, that has just produced 24 Championship managers at a stroke. Ama

Only this: http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=20870 Former Odense defender (same club as Steeno?). which doesn''t tell you very much about how good he is. But, Martin O''Neill thought he was worth £1.5m so that must mean something.... Ama

A screen is a great idea, but it couldn''t go between the Barclay and South Stands. Just angle your computer monitor so that it faces the window and try to see anything on it and you''ll see why. Remember for the majority of games the sun comes over the top of the River End and you''d see nothing at all on the screen. Hence it could only go down the other end.... Ama

Yup, and I particularly liked the quote "Dowie has failed this season by his own definition. He has failed to keep Palace in the first division - the job he was brought in to do". Made me chuckle. And perversely I always like to see the bigger teams fail. i.e. Leeds coming down, West Ham staying down with Sunderland etc. All adds spice and shakes things up a bit.... Ama

We all get our chance. This year was ours. I remember last year looking at Portsmouth flying high and thinking about how their fans must be feeling. Then this year I found out! So by the time the Hammers get promoted we may be back in the first division, it all goes around. Looking at the table, only 1 team has been in the first div longer than us... Sheff Utd. Every other team has experienced promotion or relegation over the past 9 years. Its what makes it all so interesting - the top few may be predicatble in the Prem, but everything else from there down through the divisions is up for grabs. Their time will come, as has ours. Ama

Yes, its because promotion from Div 3 to 2 is the most prestigous prize in domestic football, and so represents the climax of the domestic season. Or it could be the pitch or something else. Ama

Get settled in? Hmm, aren''t most players heading off to some beach somewhere about now? You could argue that its better to wait and let prices drop a little as pressure mounts on clubs to sell ahead of the new season. Unlike previous managers, Worthy has tended to leave it later rather than earlier. And he''s got better players in, so I''d truct him to know what he''s doing!! How late was Edworthy signed?!!!! Ama

Not that strange for him to be No.2. Look down the Prem at the reserve goalkeepers and there are some big names there! Odds are that he would get a game or two (can Green go another whole season without missing a game?). Plus, if (and its liekly I guess) we come down again, he''ll almost certainly be No.1 then. Sounds like he would be an excellent signing to me.

I look at it this way. Greeno is going to play in the Prem from now on. If we stay up next season that might be with us for a while longer. If we come down he''ll leave. So to have a decent no.2 would be an excellent piece of business. Plus, odds are that Green will miss a game or games at some point next season, surely? (Although hopefully not!). I''m hoping that Worthy builds a squad such that even if we come back down and lose the best few players, will still be stronger than the squad that has taken us up this year. i.e. avoid veteran players who''ll be off after a year, leaving us no better off! Ama

The binman in Lovejoy was wearing an Ipswich shirt wasn''t he?

Here are his stats: http://www.soccerbase.com/footballlive/?MIval=players_details&playerid=19579 not much to go on, but a decent ratio! I''m always worried when a 31 year old has made about 10 appearances per year.... not exactly an ever-present is he? NAAAH! Too risky. Ama

I agree. This ''proven'' thing seems odd to me, it seems to fail as often as it works. Too often ''proven'' means they are on their way down with little motivation to work for the team, something that Nigel has built his teams on. I''d rather sign players on the way up who are good enough and hungry. True, they might be expensive although what you pay in transfer fees you might recoup in wages. Look at Drury, Francis and McKenzie. Not expensive, but players most people would start with in the Prem. Ama

Erm, not. Look back at this article by Royle: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/3113181.stm What stands out for me: "I wouldn''t say the division is any stronger or weaker than last season. "But I don''t believe there is any difference between the top of the First Division and the bottom eight in the Premiership." ....Except of course if Norwich happen to be at the top if it.... "It was because of our defensive frailties that we didn''t make it [02/03] and I have moved to do something about that by signing three defensive players to improve the side," said Royle, who has added George Santos from Grimsby and Drissa Diallo (Burnley) to his defence, as well as goalkeeper Kelvin Davis from Wimbledon. ....which shows what a quality manager he is, doesn''t it! and: "People say we were unlucky to just miss out [in 02/03] but that doesn''t cut with me." Is this the same Royle that bemoans their luck after every loss? He makes Chris Kamara look like he''s talking sense! Ama

Given that he is one of the best defenders in the first division (he must be, he plays in the best side in the first division), I should think he''ll get a new contract at Ipswich. In the first division. Ama

Yeah, right! Not. What next, swap McVeigh for v. Nistelrooy? Oh please. I do think that Green will be playing in the Prem from now on. So for as long as we stay there he will stay with us. Ama

Don''t underestimate the strength of the TEAM as opposed to the individual players. I''ve noticed that all of our defence have made mistakes this season, or been left behind by opposition strikers. But, if you look, most of the time another defender has been back covering for them, or someone like Holt.They work for each other and cover each others'' backs and that''s very valuable. So, several of them don''t measure up individually, but together they can be quite organised. The best evidence for me was the Everton game where we did pretty well as I recall. Ama

Harper has been playing for Portsmouth, at least going by the pic in the paper this week of them beating Leeds... unless someone looking very much like him had nicked his shirt! I think he/Cooper would be okay, not outstanding in the Prem, but ok, and would improve on what we''ve got on the right wing..... err, Rivers? Hendo playing out of position? Ama

Reading this article about Dhinsa''s interest at Coventry got me thinking: ==================== http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/nationwide/story.jsp?story=515940 Jojar Dhinsa last night confirmed plans for a takeover of his hometown club. The 29-year-old Dhinsa is the chairman and chief executive of the Reading-based Athlone Group whose fortune is reported to stand at £40m, and is being backed in part by a consortium of Russian oil tycoons. He intends to open talks with the City chairman, Mike McGinnity, at the end of the season with a view to completing his buy-out within the next year. "Roman Abramovich put £150m to £200m into Chelsea, and there''s no reason why we can''t match that or even beat it," Dhinsa said. "I see no reason why we can''t be challenging at the top of the Premiership or in European competitions within the next two or three years." The takeover would hinge on completion of the new 32,500-seater stadium, the centre-piece of the £113m Coventry Arena development being built in the Foleshill area of the city where Dhinsa grew up. "I had contemplated involvement at Leeds and also Leicester," he added. "But Coventry is my home town, and I''m passionate about the club as well as the city as a whole. "Football clubs have to be run sensibly like any other business, but it''s the passion of the fans which ultimately counts." ========================= Now that made me wonder how you could be ''passionate'' about your hometown club, but still consider investing somewhere else. Isn''t that like being a devout Christian but still interested in participating in other religions. Its mutually exclusive isn''t it? And that''s before we consider the chameleon-like Colin Davey! Ama

Just reading about the pits to be dug around the new pitch to accommodate ''lensmen''. Personally, I can''t think of anything better than to dig big pits and put the media people in them. About 6 feet deep should do it. Then we can fill them in again. ;-) Ama

Not a glamour tie? But it features Norwich City of the Premiership. I didn''t hear that when we played Prem teams over the last couple of pre-seasons! Short of playing other European teams (and remember, we will just have been abroad), we need teams who will give us a good workout, and perhaps who have a style of play that we think will be a good warmup game for us. Forest would have been a good such one as well. Our perspective has changed, we need to keep up! Ama

Sadly, no. Iwan has been superb for the last few years, but I don''t think he''d cut it in the first division next year, let alone the Prem. It would be great to see him stay at City in some other capacity, but not as a player. Ama

We can still sing it! "When we win the title This is what we''ll sing We are Norwich Super Norwich Worthy is our King!" The season isn''t over, there''s still the title to fight for. And although that''s second to getting promotion, its still a big deal given that we''ve been top since, erm... when was it Joe? Ama