Jarroldstander

Two penalties and a tap in doesn''t automatically get you man of the match!! Here''s who I thought should have got it..... http://nick-sportsjunkie.blogspot.com/2010/12/city-taking-michael-giving-man-of-match.html I blog about Norwich City after every home game and the away games I go to. Any feedback or comments appreciated.

He''s signing for the New York Yankees today, thankfully not our Russell Martin! On the subject of the City number two, it''s great to see him rated so highly on the Activia list or whatever it is. He''s been my favourite player this season and that goal against Reading was awesome! I even paid far too much money on eBay for that shirt and am proud to own it. When I think of the crap we''ve had at right back in recent years (Otsemobor!) I''m thrilled with R Martin. OK so he got turned inside out by Max Gradel when Leeds came to town, but I still rate him very highly.

I blog about Norwich after every home game and the away games that I watch, I also collect City stuff and blog about other sports. Check it out at www.nick-sportsjunkie.blogspot.com. Here is the posting for the Middlesbrough game: Well that was a hard earned three points if ever there was one! While I applaud Norwich City’s 1-0 win over Middlesbrough this afternoon, I’ve got to say that it worries me that a team as poor as today’s visitors were effectively still in the game until the last minute. On Tuesday City took the lead against Crystal Palace a couple of minutes before half-time and then wilted after the break. Today, City finally took one of several chances to open the scoring in the 44th minute – and then did exactly the same thing – they wilted. After handing Crystal Palace their first away goals and first three points on the road this season on Tuesday, a better side than Middlesbrough would have sniffed out at least a point at Carrow Road today. Thankfully though, Middlesbrough where really, really poor and no ambition about them at all – yet the fact is, City switched off after the break yet again. Twitter king Stephen Fry was introduced to the crowd before the game and he along with every City fan would have been surprised to see the big changes in midfield. Paul Lambert mixed up the men across the middle, resting Wes Hoolahan and Korey Smith from the midfield and giving starts to David Fox and Anthony McNamee. Elliot Ward was thankfully back in the centre of defence and both he and Leon Barnett easily had the measure of Leroy Lita and Kris Boyd. Boyd, in particular, was very disappointing – and to think I wrote in my betting column at the start of the season that he was the man likely to lead Boro back up to the Premier League. That looks like being a million miles away now and under the temporary stewardship of Steve Agnew, Boro have plenty of immediate problems to address. For City though, our spine is really solid with Ward and Barnett a couple of rocks, John Ruddy doing little wrong between the sticks and Grant Holt his usual battering ram. Simeon Jackson’s pace was really noticeable today and against powerful centre halves like David Wheater who lack a bit of pace, he really does shine. In midfield, though, City are a mixed bag. McNamee was given the man of the match award and caused plenty of blood-twisting in those Boro defenders’ legs, but Fox is certainly nowhere near as combative as Korey Smith. Simon Lappin continues to look solid on the left and I don’t know how Glenn Roeder or Bryan Gunn ever overlooked him, but Andrew Crofts often looks like he’s working all on his own in midfield. I really rate Crofts – the best player in a City shirt by miles this season, I don’t know what we’d do without him. When I think of the volatile indiscipline of Darel Russell, the limited talent of Mark Fotheringham or the ineffectiveness of Matty Pattison, all of whom have graced the Carrow Road midfield in the last three years, Crofts is in a different world and I for one am so thankful he’s there in midfield pulling the strings Crofts is the best City midfielder since Sammy Clingan and that’s saying something. I rated Sammy for the way he took City games by the scruff of the neck and I rate Crofts for the same reason. He should have opened the scoring a few minutes before Jackson’s goal, but hit the inside of the post. I saw the replay of Jackson’s goal at half-time and I’m still convinced he was offside. All in all though, today was a much needed win after the collapse against Palace. We’ve won four and lost three at home, kept three clean sheet in the last four games against three teams who were pre-season favourites for the title, yet still I’m convinced we’re punching above our weight. October ends with a tough trip to Cardiff and November just looks gruesome however you look at it. City could get 15 points from games against Burnley, Millwall, Reading, Leeds and Ipswich. Or they could get 0. I guess that what makes following this team so unpredictable.

Holding crisis talks with chairman at the moment which is a shame as Boro were simply awful against Leeds on Saturday. Last thing we need is a team of players fighting for their futures. Saying that though, we should be able to pick up three points against them.

Steven Smith was bloody awful. Everyime he got the ball he got rid of it straight away, he had no confidence and looked like a rabbit caught in headlights.

...is the best ever in my opinion. Really good feel to it, love the nostalgia towards the back and think it offers good value for away fans. I hope it''s Darren Eadie''s dream team tonight! Anyone else agree that the programme is better than ever. Loved the small-sized Premier League 04/05 ones too, but this one is a really good one. And I know they''ve changed the company this season who produces it. I think it''s really classy.

Jeez, they''re at it again! I sit in the Jarrold Stand, fairly near the middle near those padded yellow seats for corporate fans. On Saturday loads of people left after Koren''s goal - that was around the 81 minute mark, meaning there was still 12-13 minutes left to play. It does my head in! Norwich have scored late goals in three out of four home games. I know people have to leave to beat traffic/other commitments, but everyone knows that more happens in the last ten minutes of a game that at any other point. I''ll be watching you all tomorrow and if I hear one person saying ''Roight, oim off'' when the scoreboard says 80 minutes and the score is 1-1 I think I may have to have a polite word! OTBC! Let''s crush the Foxes tomorrow!!

Dean Sinclair Jon Sheffield Mark Farrington  

Quite pleased so far, though despite being a season ticket holder I''ve had to miss the last two home games due to weddings. It means I''ve actually got an impressive record of being at all three Norwich games we haven''t won this season (Watford, Forest and Doncaster) and missing all four we have won! Bad news is I will be at Carrow Road on Saturday and Tuesday!

Remember the last few minutes of that game well. Loads of people were leaving the River End towards the end at 0-1 and came rushing back in when it was 1-1. Loads then left again thinking we had nicked a point (of course it was long before the days of having the board shown by the fourth official so nobody knew how much time was left) and there was a huge crush when the second goal went in. Me and my dad went flying down the River End about ten steps. I was only 12 and pretty scared and in the post Hillsborough world it now seems incredible that nobody got badly injured

Chris Martin was excellent, he really was. Nobody had a poor game, maybe Russell Martin wasn''t great. Thought Grant Holt was pretty quiet all things considered. Martin though is vital to our chances of success this season

A random one but Wimbledon away in 2003/2004 was very memorable. Freezing cold early February day, Hucks scored that cracking volley with his blond mullet at it''s biggest, crap stadium, knew we''d never ever play their again which made it so unique. Also managed to wrangle press seats and sat next to a bloke whose son-in-law was playing for Wimbledon, I think his name was Mark Williams. He asked me if I knew the Page 3 model Leilani, I told him she had a nice pair of tits. He then told me he was her father!  

The guy on the left of Davids is Pablo Counago. That is 100 per cent Evans. I have seen another picture of him before that was pixelated and used in the media. They are the same person judging by the unpixelated version I saw.

First of all I totally sympathise with those who can''t afford to go and watch Norwich at Carrow Road and who feel priced out of football. Just this week I have paid over £100 for four tickets to the Doncaster and Forest away games. Prices aren''t that much different throughout the whole division, but as a rule it''s around £28-£30 for a game. OK, so in the Premier League it''s only around £5 more to see the likes of Arsenal, but we have to face the fact that football is expensive and no longer in the budget of everyone. I don''t think it''s ever going to change. Fans get nothing back from the clubs despite pouring their hard earned wages into supporting their team for years on end. We are all mugs really, but we do it because we love our club and would rather be at the game than not be at the game. Compared to other forms of entertainment, 90 minutes of football is never worth £30 - that''s 30p a minute but there is a simple choice if you can''t afford it: don''t pay it. Don''t go! Vote with your feet and stay away. Go and watch your local non-league team instead. The club won''t care because there will always be someone else willing to pay. Boycotting friendlies and Carling Cup ties seems to be the best idea to get the message across but I don''t really think the club care that much anyway. We have to face the fact that football is no longer for everyone - and I don''t think Norwich are alone in not seeming to really care about excluding students/under-16s. I totally agree that the prices they charge for kids is crazy. Under-16s should be £1 a game in an ideal world, but that just ain''t going to happen. Every football club in our league is cutting back and as long as they have a dedicated fanbase, there''s a constant stream of people willing to pay. That''s just how it is now.

Behind the goal in Row F - got tickets for Doncaster too - I''ll be on my honeymoon but taking the missus to that one!

Ten years ago this week that he left as well - amazing how time flies!

I''d say that''s a pretty good shout all round. Boro and Reading look good, think Burnley could be in the top two as well. Don''t think much of Forest or QPR though. Watford to go down looks nailed on at 11/4 and - what about the 10/1 on Leeds going down? Fingers crossed!

Yellow blood - how could I have forgotten that. That landing was shocking wasn''t it? Felt good to be back in East Anglia though after a grim weekend in fecking cold Blackpool!  

Was thinking about strange experiences of watching Norwich over the years and while I was just a bit too young to go to the European away games and the legendary Sky match against Oldham, I remember flying from Stansted to Blackpool with about ten other City fans back in January 2007 for the cup tie. I remember it was a penny each way (£15ish after tax), landed at the airport at half eight on the Saturday and the pilot announced "Welcome to Blackpool International" and told us the time, which was good as we''d only left Stansted 25 minutes earlier. Blackpool was freezing and worse of all the only flight back was on the Sunday evening so had a whole day in Blackpool in bleak January. Just wondered who else has flown to a City game in this country - was anyone out there on those planes to Oldham for the Robins hat-trick back in November 1992?

I think it''s simply Holt, Martin and Hoolahan - the three best players from last season step up a level and all must perform. The new signings have time to fit in, these three need to hit the ground running. Will be good to see Martin at this level again - hopefully he can recapture the golden days of early 2007.  

I don''t think Lambert is ready to manage in the top flight having never managed outside the top two divisions in England. IF he does well with City at the start of this season I could imagine him being drafted in at a struggling Premier League club at the turn of the year, but for now, he''s not suddenly going to join one of the top ten Premier League sides. Can''t believe Martin Jol was actually ever considering leaving Ajax for Fulham. It would be like leaving Arsenal for Vitesse Arnhem!

Most accurate summary of Russell imo Good to have at the club and a shame he''s left - but for me there was always that issue of his temper. Maybe he''ll come back again in five years!

Oddschecker is invaluable for us gamblers - but the real odds are on Betfair - person to person betting - that''s the true indicator of how the nation sees it. I get bombarded with emails from bookies every day telling me about this and that and you''re right, they just see the cash signs. Betfair is a tad different, its more about putting your money where your mouth is and there''s a certain pleasure in taking cash of other fans! Once the season starts the odds will mean nothing anyway - at this stage its normally a case of who the bookies think has cash, a decent squad and the set up to win the title. Last year I thought Middlesbrough would easily win the Championship and they didn''t have a sniff. I seem to remember Ipswich were highly rated last season at around 10/1 and spent most of the season in the bottom half. So ignore the odds the bookies give you, have a look on Betfair and best advice I would give as a regular punter is have a couple of bets on teams other than Norwich to give you some kind of interest - I''ve gone for Burnley and Reading (and Huddersfield and Wycombe in Leagues One and Two).  

Do you drive or get the train to City games? I''m in Bury myself and a City fan, though I usually go up to Norwich for the weekend on home games

Burnley, Reading and Boro will take some stopping