susie b

Thanks for clarifying Super Shaun.

Not true to what, Super Shaun?

Looks like the game may be a bit too early to see a start for Matteo, though.  He''s only just back in training I believe.

Rover, are you actually coming to the game?  If so you might want to organise other things to do in Norwich for the afternoon as I feel sure that our lads won''t bother to turn up at all as they know there is absolutely no point.  How can they possibly compete with the likes of those you have mentioned?  Seriously, with so much at stake I don''t imagine it will be the best of matches but I don''t think this will be one where our effort levels will be anything other than 100% plus!

Shropshire Canary, I just wanted to say how exactly you have summed up things as I see them from my perspective too.  I''m sure that most, if not all, of us feel the same way as you do.  Even the thought of us being relegated, IF it happens, and the Binners possibly going the other way, IF it happens, does nothing to make me feel the slightest bit different.  In fact it would make me more so, if that''s possible!

Personally I thought that Bents was our best player when we played Portsmouth so it does seem strange that he has only featured as a sub once since then; however, if there is some sort of a problem then I would imagine that Worthy is going to deal with it in the proper manner (or has already done so) rather than in a very public way as e.g. in the case of Bellars and Souness.  I have the feeling we may well see him back in action this weekend, if not from the start then at least from the bench.  In my opinion we could do with his creativity.

Just a small point: one of Leon''s offsides was a shocking decision as he was in his own half when the lino flagged!  Disgraceful for supposed top class officials...but, yes, he drifted off far too often...again!

Yes - this was a good point for us.  Chelsea would have liked one there a few weeks ago!!!

Only my opinion of course but I thought Holty had one of his least effective games yesterday.  A couple of times in the second half he got stuck in and dispossessed Man City players, but apart from that there were several times when I was screaming at him to close down men in the middle...but he didn''t, allowing them far too much time and space to do what they wanted with the ball, including running into the space in front of him and to the sides of him.  I really want to see him get stuck in so much more instead of marking space which is costing us dear.  (I''m not saying he''s the only one who does this, just that he stuck out for me in yesterday''s game).

Sorry, I thought Matty S had a good game tonight.  Ok, he didn''t have many (if any) goal opportunities but he held the ball up well and particularly laid it off well, usually finding another man in a green shirt!  He also did a lot of hard work harrying and chasing out in the middle of the park.  Deserves to feature again on Saturday, I think!

I thought we did look better for about the first ten minutes, then we conceded and looked unsteady to say the least.  Our usual first half performance then followed.  Perhaps there''s something in what Crystal Palace are doing, i.e. playing 4-5-1, and catching their opponents on the break.  This would possibly suit us right now as we could congest the midfield and hopefully see out the first half without conceding.  Imagine going into a second half with 0 against the opposition''s name!!!  How about trying: Green, Eddy, Flem, Charlie, Drury, Jonson or Bentley, Francis, Safri, Holt, Hucks, McKenzie...and then putting Matty S on in the second half for one of the midfielders?  Just a thought!

I know how you feel, funny old game!  Remember the game against the Binners at FCR last season though.  How did we feel by half time and how much sweeter was the feeling at the final whistle?  (I wouldn''t want us to keep doing it though, but it seems we have got the habit at the moment.  Prozac anyone?)

I might of course be wrong here but I think we''ll find out later on that Hucks was carrying a knee injury after the tackle on him fairly early on in the first half.  After treatment it was obviously decided that he wanted to carry on and could do so, but it was clear that there was blood on his kneecap and, from then on, he seemed tentative about taking the full back on and about getting involved in anything that might have resulted in making it worse.  (I hope for his sake that he doesn''t get those nasty fluid sacs around his kneecap like I did recently.  If he does he will not be playing on Saturday, I fear).

Pete, welcome back from me too!  I''ve just got back from a long weekend at Centerparcs where I won at tennis, table tennis, badminton and adventure golf...but I couldn''t make some of those less palatable results at the weekend change and go for us!  Sorry!  A win tonight would make things much better though, wouldn''t it?  And as for Saturday...bring on Blackburn.  Can''t wait, and I''ll bet you can''t either.

It''s not just Lawro either...Sky are advertising the game as Manchester City v Norwich.  I asked where our ''City'' had gone to, and no one could give me a sensible answer.  Perhaps an e-mail to Sky might be in order!

Tommy Miller is a plausible guess Mr Rosario.  He is a good player and if, as you say, he is stalling on a new contract then it could just be that you have found the man Worthy was looking at.  Bent would surely be too expensive, Liverpool are reported to be looking at Bowditch, and Kuqi and the expensive member of Argentina''s highboard diving team would surely not enable Worthy to tick all of his necessary boxes...so perhaps Miller it is then.  (I would not be disappointed if it was!)

Some of us seem again to be rather quick to jump on young Mr. Bentley''s back, in my opinion.  I think he''s done ok for us and believe that we look a better side with him on the pitch.  If we were to get him on a full time basis I think that he would go on to improve still further as he matures (not just in footballing terms) and would be a real asset to the club.  Sometimes it''s all too easy to forget that he was 20 just a few weeks ago. 

Whether Flem is back up or central to our plans over the next two seasons, he is one of the fittest, most dedicated players we''ve got, and a really good ambassador too.  Knowing he would bleed green and yellow if cut makes me, for one, very glad that he''s staying. By the way, natalie, I think you''ll find that our Flem is a Halifax lad - at least he sounds it if you hear him speak!

Am I alone here?  I''m not dreading the next home game...on the contrary, I''m really looking forward to it, as I have to all our games this season.  I felt far more nervous and uptight last season than this, possibly because I realise how tough it is now and because I feel, despite not achieving the first win yet, we have moved up a level in our overall play therefore things look a bit better for the future than they did, say, three or four years ago.  And as for not having a team to believe in, surely it depends what you are setting your sights upon.  I''d take 17th come May if they offered it now...I think most of us would, but what I do believe is that the players we have here are trying their hardest to keep us up, and, to help their effort, we need to keep showing that we believe in them.  If we don''t then the whole thing becomes much much harder than it already is, surely?

Think I''m right in saying that Malky has been crocked a fair bit since joining the (un)''appy Hammers so having him right now wouldn''t help us.  (Believe there''s a doubt already that he might not be fit for Scotland''s next match next month).  Still, that doesn''t answer your question Canary Boy.  I''m not sure I can because only time will tell really.  I just wish we had known that the Preston game was the last chance we would have to say goodbye to him properly at FCR.  That would have been more fitting for such a well-liked player. 

DD, I''m sure people are concerned about Holty''s injury (especially XXL on his way home to Hong Kong!), but we have a reasonable amount of cover in that department I think, but little real cover in defence if Charlie and El Capitano are crocked.  However, you might be right with your comment anyway.  If Worthy''s hand is forced though it will be very interesting to see what he does, though.

I know he hasn''t had the best of starts at West brom but IMO Earnshaw might have been the sort of player we need, although possibly too similar to Leon (?)  He has real pace, runs at defenders for fun, and has a great eye for goal.  Someone I met at the weekend (Cardiff fan) said that she was mystified as to why he went to WBA because she didn''t think their style of play would suit him.  So far she seems to be right...although he doesn''t seem to have had too much of a chance there yet.  (Too pricey for us anyway, so no point in wishing).  

Don''t you mean ''in his own lunchtime'', Vince?  (I''m sure he won''t mind me saying that seeing as he''s now a major personality!!!)

Let''s face it, what do women talk about in the pub?  Footie and shopping.  And if you''re not down the pub this is the next best thing for footie and shopping!!!

I just can''t imagine Paul Jewell going there right now with Wigan going great guns in the fizzy.  (Would be a bit like Worthy being poached by, say, Wolves or Leeds a year ago).  Doesn''t seem a better prospect than what he''s got right now, IMO.