mozzaman

People being infected with positivity can only be a good thing. Bring on Fulham. Do you lot fight all the time in real life?

I always look forward to your insightful blogs Daniel. Not surprising that a cricket journo makes a superior footy writer. Sadly the decision to sack Hughton came just a few days too late for me, who amongst many others, handed back their away season tickets last week.

I don''t post on here much because doing so often seems like entering into a bar brawl with everyone else armed with bottles, when all I want to do is share a view on a point of mutual interest (NCFC). I''ve been an away season ticket holder for years but, amid much relief (to wallet and soul) I handed it back after the Southampton game. I agree with the OP. I''m no pant wetter. I''m fed up with miserable football played by the best squad we''ve ever had. Hughton out. Please.

Hi again, Some kind sir PMd me on Sat to say I could buy his 09/10 DVD, but I can''t open the email for some reason, so I can''t reply Despite fears of trolls taking over my email, please could that lovely person email me the details to azherbaijan@yahoo.co.uk Thanks again

Hi guys. A friend of mine would really like the 09/10 season review DVD, which is out of print and the club have no copies. Would anyone like to sell theirs for around £25 or perhaps would kindly make a copy and send it me, and costs could be covered. A few of us, over some sariusly noice champayne, want to do 08/09 - 11/12 seasons marathon session in the close season, for lack of anything better to do, but we lack the 09/10 season DVD. Please PM me if you can help. Really hope you can. Thanks all

Hi Nutty, Totally understand. It''s a battle of wills between a loud majority and a small minority who don''t want to be bullied into standing up. The only way around it is for those who insist on standing (me for example) to ask the club to give us seats near the back, while conversely those who insist on sitting asking to be sat near the front. After Swansea, I asked the club to arrange this for me, and I''ve been happily near the back, standing in no-ones way and getting involved. We must compromise so we all realise value for money and enjoy ourselves, in our different ways. As for the disabled Marvin, of course not. Disabled fans, and Norwich have a large cohort of which we can be proud, tend to be sat near the front anyway, therefore negating the problem I''m talking about. Please don''t muddy the waters on a genuine issue on which I think we all broadly agree, despite having different perspectives. This board often gets muddy with rancour and rubbish, and keen to avoid that here. As it goes, the more senior gentlemen with which my cohort has a brief verbal altercation with, have since bumped into my fiancee (at Stoke) and the air is cleared, I understand. I think we all regretted it, and, for our part, we have at least taken steps to avoid this in future by being seated higher up (behind them) in future.

No away supporters party for me. Got a stag do to go on. I suspect that the club engineer it so not too many of us go, as they can''t accommodate all 700+ of us. My letter arrived, just dated "March 2012", about 10 days ago, leaving very little time to plan for it and most of us are busy. Also, they planned it after the hardest home game to get tickets for - Man City. Many away season ticket holders either can''t afford to go to home games, and or can''t get there. In this case, there were few tickets available, and certainly none by the time my letter arrived. Not hugely impressed, but will keep my social diary empty come next April. Once bitten, twice shy.

Harry, you''re right. On your point about standing generally at away games, I can further elaborate on the problem. Away fans can very often spend several hundred pounds on that day on travel, tickets, food, extras and booze. Add to this, in my case particularly, that returning home full of vim and vigour after yet another big away performance, I tend to go on out and celebrate long into the night. Also, away games can take up a whole weekend. For example, I stayed with friends on Friday night in Cardiff before the Swansea game, returning to London at 10pm on Saturday. Essentially over 24 hours of travelling and planning for 90 minutes of football. As such, for 90 minutes of football we spend a fortune and a lot of time and effort getting to and fro. I, for one, make the most of the 90 minutes, singing hard and getting firmly into it. This involves standing for the duration. One doesn''t spend all that time, effort and money to sit quietly for 90 minutes. Therein lies the problem. I came to (verbal) blows with fellow, more senior, NCFC fans at Swansea when they insisted our little section should sit, whereas the rest of the 3000 away fans were standing. I regret the altercation, and my fiancee has since exchanged apologies (in Stoke), but it was unavoidable at the time. We moved elsewhere at half time and the 2nd half was immense for obvious reasons (team and fans were magnificent). Given that most of us want to stand, and in order to accommodate the many while placating the few, it could be suggested that those who need to sit through need or desire, ask to be allocated seats at the front. I wonder whether this is too much to ask though. At Swansea we were able to move as some of the Capital Canaries lot had some spare seats with them, but at other stadiums this may not be possible. I hate arguing with my own, but one doesn''t devote a weekend to 90 minutes of football, only to sit meekly throughout the game. Perhaps as I get older this view will change. I hope not. Anyway OTBC

After another monumental effort from the away fans again at Spurs, I want to say to all my fellow away season-ticket holders and everyone else who has come to the odd away game: Thanks, it''s been a pleasure, and long may it continue. We''ve been all around the country in various states of disrepair, and each time there have been 2 constants. Quality performance by a brilliant NCFC side, and absolute dedication from the away support. The banter has been brilliant on almost every away occasion. At Spurs, the away fans were even louder and more boisterous than ever, and I was hugely proud to be in their company once more. I shall be renewing my away season ticket for next season without thought. OTBC

Agreed Yellowbeagle. The Villa and Everton fans I met this year all seemed a little tired of having very little to aim at. While I would accept mid table "mediocrity" for several seasons, rather than away trips to Walsall and Huddersfield, I have wondered whether it would get a bit tiresome. However, I suspect at Norwich this won''t happen and we won''t turn into Villa (miserable place). And right now it''s great fun so no need to worry.

Hmm, OP has a point. I love my away season ticket because of the atmos we bring and the people I see/meet at each away game. It is a genuinely fun day (apart from Stoke which was poo) regardless of the result and well worth every one of the many many pennies we spend on this commitment. I avoid Carrow Rd, because, well, I just get bored at home games. I agree with the OP, few seem to be enjoying themselves. Not a criticism, just an observation that affects my decision as to where I go to watch Norwich play. If it was more fun and less formulaic (get to ground after 1-2 pints, sit down for 90 minutes in occasionally interrupted silence, groan at half time about the queues, that Wilbraham isn''t good enough etc etc), I would try and vie for the remaining home tickets. But it isn''t.

guys, grow up. If you don''t like each other and really want to tell each other about how much you don''t like each other, please, for the sake of the rest of us, private message each other. your school playground to-ing and fro-ing is of no interest to us. Back to a fallout we ARE interested in. Hmmm. There are bloggers talking about a very specific fall out between Morison and Lambo during and after the Leicester game in which he was miles of the pace and the mark of effort required. Firm money going on him not really featuring again for us. There has always been no love lost between him and Holt (some who have met Holt can confirm this). Evidence really mounting up. On the plus side, Wilbers is looking in great Nick. I hope he''s used to ruffle up Stoke on Saturday. I can hardly wait. Looking forward to seeing my fellow away season ticket holders there. We''re going to need to make some serious noise to drown them out, not that it''s ever been an issue at away games.

"Not over expectation at all. More looking at the weaknesses in the squad and discussing how we can improve upon them." I have the same problem. As an away season ticket holder I''ve seen a lot of the players this season and my long drunken journeys home have been almost always happy. Including, for example, when returning from Everton. However, a good result doesn''t preclude my right/propensity to cast a critical eye. One can simultaneously be generally happy with the status quo (I''ve never been happier) and critical of the finer aspects that aren''t working so well. Even us Norwich fans are capable of this. On every single thread discussing a negative feature, you tend to get the same crap from the same people, criticising people who come up with really interesting perspectives on things that aren''t working so well. So, in the spirit of the OP''s post, I would agree. The bad result on Wednesday had been coming. In many of the away games we have been lucky, allowing us to overlook the obvious frailties. Johnson has been made to look average on several occasions this season. Only against Sunderland did it contribute to us getting drilled. Referring back to the Everton game (in which Surman was for the first time absolutely superb), Johnson was fairly "poo" in the time he was on the pitch, culminating in him falling over for the Everton equaliser. The OP is right. Johnson, despite looking excellent in preseason I thought, has neither the skill or pace required to be a decent midfield player. Us away ST holders have been saying this for a while. He''s nothing without his tackling, and on countless occassions he missed his tackles. What good is a player only good at tackling who misses his tackles? Not much. Can''t wait to see Jonny Howson. OTBC

Yup, this is making me nervous. thats 3 times now Lambert has made it clear that the current squad “needs a hand” or that its “down to the club to get the players” in the last few days. Has he had a disagreement with McNally over how ambitious we are in this transfer window. Did the missing out on Frimpong pee him off? Lambert has kept his counsel on almost everything in the last 2 and a half years. I just hope that he is working the angle with the board, rather than voicing his displeasure with the reaction he got from the board when he presented his shortlist

I was at the game yesterday and I saw it as a poor performance from Wessy, rather than a lack of commitment (can you imagine any Norwich player not showing up under Lambert?) He was really poor. Often facing the wrong way, not looking up to receive the ball (this might be why you level the commitment allegation at him) which i suspect was the result of knocked confidence after bad game, poor distribution, choosing wrong options etc. It also must be said that with Villa''s big defence he had neither the requisite strength or pace to better them, rendering him ineffective. He just looked really poor, giving the ball away and missing his tackles. My french girlfriend who was with me said "le quattorze il est chiant". Indeed. He should have come off for Jackson a little before he did . Re Fox, who is incedentally my favourite player, his distribution was also very poor which seems to have been missed by some on here. Low on confidence too it seems. I hope that Lambert can work his magic with Hoolahan to prevent another performance like this.

Spot on LDC. I assumed it had to be nervousness or ludicrously high expectations that takes the atmosphere and some of the fun out of it. MisterChops, I, and many others, were really happy with result yesterday, and frankly staggered at the progress City are making under McNally/Lambo. The result, good or bad, makes no odds to my interest/concern in the declining atmos at Carrow Road (perversely as our fortunes improve commensurately). There is never a good time to raise a point that is incidental to the result, but do let me know when I am allowed to and I will post accordingly. In fact, I genuinely believe that with a bit more gusto from the fans, we might have improved on our immense 3 3 draw, so, either way, these points are relevant and right to be raised at this time. So, to my final point. My friend and I, who long gave up our season tickets because we now live so far from Norwich, decided on getting away season tickets rather than take home ones when they were offered, because going to away games is just, well, more fun. Amazing characters, excellent chat, peculiar beer and locals, but most importantly, everyone is getting stuck into the singing for a full 90 and everyone is having such a good time. Even when we lose (Man U, Chelsea) win (bolton) or draw (Wigan). We figured at the start of the season, what would we rather? Hand wringing at Nervous Carrow Road, or fearless, fun and atmospheric away games, where the result is genuinely incidental to the effort of both players and fans. The away season ticket, with associated costs, costs over 4 times as much as the home one. But it offers far better value for money due to the atmosphere and subsequent enjoyment. It would wager that it also contributes result that we got (Liverpool, Bolton) and the results we could have got (ManU). Fearless fans, fearless players, astounding results. I just wish I knew how to translate the fearless frivolity of away games into home games.

anyway, back to the thread guys. the first half atmos was inexcusable. I am an away season ticket holder, i get to about 5 home games a season by virtue of living a long way from Norwich, and I watch all the other home games on the intersnet. It was church-mouse quiet all the first half on "sky ukraine" and i was texting my mates there asking what was going on? Booing at half time. What the f*ck. I know the gene pool is pretty low in Norfolk, being a product of the same, but seriously, there was no one booing at leyton orient away in league 1 when we lost, no one booing before we turned it on against huddersfield in league one, so what gives people the right to be such thick pig sh*t heads when we''re in the prem?? I''m never ashamed to be with the away crowd, as I am every other week, but people at carra p*ss me off. After 80 mins you guys woke up. Fancy turning up at 3pm? The players did. How about you guys did the same?

Anfield.

well I don''t know. abandon our reserve games and put the reserve team into europe while the1st team focus on the PL. Any progress in the competition would be a bonus!

1. To start with, Norwich currently sit in 9th place in the Premier League going into this game and haven''t rolled over like many teams do when coming up to the Premiership. What have you made of your season so far? With a manager like Lambert, and the young, ravenous team he ha built, it was really hard to know what expectations were at the start of the season. Suffice to say, we are all well pleased with results and performances. But for a few penalty decisions and sred cards, we could have had an even better start. 2. You played some great football over the past couple of seasons and it looks like you''re not going to change the style of play you''ve become accustomed to under Paul Lambert in the big league. How important do you think this is for continuing your progression and success? We have in fact changed our style quite a bit. For example, I went to Huddersfield away in League 1 and we were expansive in our passing game and super attacking, leaving the defence prone to attacks that don''t come like they do in the PL. Old Trafford away this season, we played a super defensive system, allowing for long balls and quick breaks. We had several chances, and the containment plan almost worked. We have a great underlying passing style, but Lambert and Culverhouse use pragmatism, taking each opposition on their merits and playing accordingly. A mix of the tried and tested and sensible pragmatism. We''re progressing well. 3. We know a thing or two about Scottish managers and you seem to have some manager in Paul Lambert. Thinking back, what were your initial thoughts when you managed to pluck him away from Colchester United after that horrible defeat, and did you ever expect him to achieve what he has so far? No real expectations. Things were so bad we were reeling. I was happy about Bryan Gunn being ousted, both for Norwich and for him, but beyond that many of us knew very little about Lambert. 4. Given that you are newly promoted to Premiership, you''ve had some great success over the past couple of seasons and with some style. What would you deem a successful season this season? Staying up. 5. We''ve seen a lot of your support from Norwich travelling to your away games and you seem to really enjoy your days out. What''s it like being back in the Premiership? What does it mean to you? 6. It''s been 6 years since you were last in the Premiership, did you expect it to take this long to return? What''s it been like for you with two relegations and double promotions within such a short space of time? Relegations felt inevitable with the decline the club was in. It was terrible to watch the club overrun with idiots, mercenaries, incompetents and conceited gits. The change-around, with new executive leadership (new Chief exec and team - the key to our success) and management, was rapid and welcome. League 1 was great, winning games and playing well was a welcome respite. Last season was a dream. These are good times. With Norwich, the steep declines and constant let downs colour the subsequent achievements. We savour them all the more. 7. How confident are you of achieving your aims this season? We will stay up. 8. Will you miss your derby game this season, or is it great to gloat about being back in the Premiership? Both. I''d like them to join us next year so we can better our goal difference. 9. I can''t not mention that Delia moment. What do you think of when you see it replayed on TV and talked about by other fans? Bah, got thick skin to this now. Everybody loves Norwich, where I live and work in London. Hugs in bars and clubs from strangers when I ever wear my Norwich hoodie. Delia has a lot to do with this. She can do whatever she wants. To 98% of us, she is a heroine. 10. Onto the fixture, then. The last time Norwich beat Liverpool was at Anfield on the last game before the Kop was reconstructed. Any memories of that day? I was only a wee pecker and remember David James frustrating you. Can''t help here. A fraction too young 11. To restore a little bit of Anfield faith, you haven''t beaten us since! But after your cracking display at Manchester United which was great to see, and a good win this weekend, you must fancy your chances? No one knows what is going to happen on Sat. With Norwich, not even Norwich fans could have predicted some of the results we have pulled off. One thing for certain, we will play well and the game will be epic. That seems to be a constant in our games. 12. Grant Holt was brilliant last season for you but hasn''t managed to hit those heights yet this season. Is it a case of sleeping giant or is it too much for him so far? He will have some input this year. The guy''s a hero and will get/take his chance this season. In the current run though, he will be a sub to see the games home. It will take injuries or a bad run for this to change. 13. What players do you see as your dangermen, and similarly, what players of ours are you worried about? Hoolahan, Morison, and the wingers. Fox if his distribution is as good as it can be. Johnson will annoy the crap out of whoever he is assigned to. 14. Norwich City have quite a good record of players passing through and going onto having high profile careers and we''ve even had some pass through our ranks such as the likes of Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy. What did you make of Dani Pacheco last season, and what hopes do you have for Daniel Ayala? Pacheco was great for us but can''t see him getting into this season''s team. Ayala, to early to say. 15. Do you have any fond memories of previous fixtures with Liverpool? The Jarvis goal from last time around. 16. We''ve heard some familiar soungs being sung from the Norwich crowd this season. What songs are we expecting to hear this Saturday from your travelling faithful? On the Ball City, EIEIEIO, Just can''t get enough (although Im not sure why we sing this, its not really our song) 17. What do you make of Liverpool this season? How do you rate our recent summer signings? Top 6 is well possible this season. You looked excellent going forward against Man U. Suarez encapsulates the best and worst of the premiership. Diving and irritating, but great with the ball at his feet. I hope your young and expensive signings come good for you - seems like a sensible policy for the future to buy the likes of Henderson etc. 18. A pretty obligatory question but out of our current squad, barring Gerrard and Suarez, what player would you most like to see in your team? Adam and Bellamy. I''d love to see him here again. I remember him scoring a lovely header against Oxford at the Manor Ground many years ago and feel in love, as it were. A swansong would be pretty glorious. 19. What do you think your weak links are, and where do you see ours being? I think we could get behind your defence with surprising ease with our pace and gameplan. Our weakness, defence. Its good, but not that good and pretty makeshift. 20. What type of game are you expecting this weekend? Rapid, competitive, goals. 21. Finally, what''s your score prediction for the game? We could get a point, but will probably lose by the odd goal. It''s so hard to say with the New Norwich

Agreed. He was my MOTM last night. His distribution and eye for a pass is something we haven''t had for a while. There was one 50 yard crossfield ball from right to left that had me drooling. We’re not going to win on Saturday but I think we’re going to play well. Key man will be Fox: the ability to create something out of nothing with a pass may be the best we can hope for again ManU. I just hope we have the composure to finish it off (there were 2 very poor finishes last night, one of them was Wes who looked a little nervous at the start).

all weekend bender. 5am finish sat am, before the game, followed by 10am finish on sun am. i''m a total waste of space at work, and there''s a golf ball growing on my tonsils. im pretty sure im incontinent too. won''t report back if this is true or not. SO WORTH IT! Away season ticket in the bag too. Yes Yes.

doing my bit. taking a team of 5

" Walking the league last season, pulling off so many results with late goals, giving the binners a good spanking - twice, and now this. iI would be too much to dream that we beat Portsmouth after QPR had lost at Watford. Then 90mins (or 96 for us !) from possibly lifting the title on the last day. It could never happen, could it .............. ? " 20/1 says it will! I was talked into this optimism and subsequent bet yesterday. My initial reaction was "dream on", but on closer inspection, far far stranger things have happened. Fingers crossed. Im wearing my 99-00 home socks in bed at night now. Every little helps. OTBC

warnock''s got to be alittle worried. QPR are stuttering, and need a point out of either Watford or Leeds to ensure they are champions should Norwich win both their games. I''ve just stuck on a tenner at 20-1 for Norwich to win the league. If a stingy git like me is prepared to do this, there must be a strong chance of this happening. no wonder warnock is wingeing, this could be a spectacular fall from grace for QPR, notwithstanding any point deduction.