[Archived] 29th October - Norwich Preview

[colin]

I got in touch with an unofficial Norwich City Football Club web site On The Ball City and asked for a couple of contributors to do a Q & A session. The exchange was an couple of weeks ago. If they do sign in to comment then I hope we can reciprocate the friendliness that they showed me. “Colky’s” replies are in red & “Holt The Messiah’s” replies are in blue. My thanks to both of them.

Hello Norwich City Fans,

(1) It’s now 12 weeks since the season started, how are things going at Carrow Road?

Things are great at Carrow Road. We have a real belief in the club from players, to staff, to fans. We have started the season well and are in the top half of the table so things are looking good.

Really positive start to the season. Shown the rest of the league we’re no pushovers, and look capable of taking points at home and away

A couple of standard questions that usually get asked

(2) Which of your players do you think Rovers should be wary of?

If I can’t say ‘Our whole team’ then I’d have to go for Hoolahan, a tricky little player who can unlock defence with his passing and his control on the ball. Also, you may want to watch out for Tierny. He has been outstanding this year at Left Back and will give your whole team a run whether it is your wingers or your fall backs. He loves to get forward and knows how to put a foot in."

Wes Hoolahan. Creative midfielder who’s got some real class. Big favourite amongst the fans, and one opposition should be wary of. Bradley Johnson and Marc Tierney also had great starts to the season.

(3) Are there any Rovers’ players that think Norwich should be wary of? (this may be a very short answer)

I think Nzonzi is the player we need to be careful with. But we like to play holding midfielders which will help to combat him and our centre backs have looked solid the last 3 games.

Hoilett looks a good player, haven’t seen a huge amount of him though in all honesty.

(4) Your squad for 2011-2012 is overwhelmingly from the British Isles, with only one Belgian & one USA player. Your coaching staff, and “Players Of The Year” are exclusively from The British Isles. Rovers have a veritable United Nations of players. Is this just co-incidence or do you think NCFC has a nationality selection policy? That Anthony Pilkington you have was born in Blackburn. If he is any good can we have him back?

I don’t believe we have any particular biased towards players from the British Isles. We have built a team on lots of lower league players and they tend to be British. It’s just the way it has worked out. It does make communication easier between players, manager and fans. And Pilks is quality so we are going to keep him here for a while.

I think it’s more a case of Paul Lamberts desire to bring in young, hungry players who want the team to move forward. Guess it’s easier to spot that in home nations. And no, you can’t have Pilkington back! looks a good player, should have scored at Old Trafford though.

(5) Norwich City had Martin Peters as player of the year in 1976. Can you name the World Cup winner who played for Rovers, albeit briefly, until he got kicked to bits in the agricultural mayhem of the old second division?

My Blackburn players history isn’t that great I’m afraid.

I can’t- good question!

(For our Norwich friends & those Rovers’ supporters who don’t have the benefit of being “long in the tooth” check out Osvaldo Ardiles”)

(6) Paul Lambert, two successive promotions, you must really rate him. What was he doing right?

Rating him is an understatement. He has a policy of hungry players that want to play and have a point to prove. He is a fantastic man manager and simply knows how to get the best out of his players. A clever clever man.

It is no exaggeration to say Lambert is hailed by most fans as some sort of God. He gets the best out of every player, makes great tactical moves, and installs a ‘never say die’ belief in the team.

(7) Looks like you lot owe us some royalties for stealing our shirts’ design back in 1903 to 1907

Old Football Shirts

Any idea why you started out with this kit that Rovers have worn since 1875

Well we weren’t always called the Canaries. We have had quite a few kits over the years. It was just a fad for us.

haha, good find.

(8) So, what has the national treasure, Delia, done for the catering at Carrow Road? Has she improved the usual football food of 15 chips in a paper container for £1.20; and a reconstituted, meat-type, sausage-like-object in a steamed bread-like roll?

The food is fine. It wont win any Michelin Stars but it is good quality and not too expensive. Her restaurant is pretty good though.

The match day food isn’t too dis-similar to many grounds, but i guess it’s not to bad. Agree with Colky - Delias restaurant at the ground is rather nice!

(9) I’ve had a look at my AA Road atlas. The two pages with Blackburn on also contains the locations of 25 other clubs in the league. It would have been 26 if Stockport County hadn’t been relegated. The pages with Norwich on has you and the outskirts of Peterborough. The north west of England is the cradle of The Football League, but does your isolation have any bearing on anything?

I makes everyone a bit more focused as Norwich is the only team around and everyone here supports them. I don’t think it affects us too badly, except for the travel distance.

Everyone here supports the same team, and I think that’s great for the club, and the city. We could easily fill our ground twice over for most games. Other than that, i guess our bitter rivalry with Ipswich town has something to do with the fact that there have only ever been two ‘big’ teams in East Anglia. (sorry Peterborough! but not so sorry Colchester.)

(10) So, what do you reckon the score will be?

I’m going to go with 2-0 to Norwich. We have started this season well and we need to pick up the points at home.

3-1 Norwich. OTBC!

That’s it. Thanks for your time, and all the best for the rest of the season. Apart from 29th October & 21st April that is.

What I didn’t mention to Colky & Holt The Messiah is that I was going to posting this link this link There’s a young central defender playing for the opposition called Chris Sutton. It may be worth mentioning that this may be the biggest pasting that a team at top of a league has ever taken. At KO Norwich were top & Rovers were second.. That was reversed

[sijoco]

"I’ve had a look at my AA Road atlas. The two pages with Blackburn on also contains the locations of 25 other clubs in the league. It would have been 26 if Stockport County hadn’t been relegated." Quality

EDIT: Great preview Colin. Another team we should be beating so l predict 1pt at most but it will be a "positive" point so everything is good and top 10 here we come. Whoop whoop onwards and upwards

[roverandout]

my prediction for the match will be the players will be buoyed by seeing ancelloti walking into the dugout and we will win 5-0

[all you need is duff]

Your mention of Ardiles got me thinking about whether or not we have had any other World Cup winners play for us. Djorkaaef sprung to mind. Have we had any others?

[1864roverite]

I wonder how this game figures in the Kean planning pointswise ?

if the idiot is in charge certain defeat.

If we have got rid of the idiot then its a game we could easily win.

[Brfcrule1]

1864 no doubt the poor Norwich groundsman will be critcised for not watering the pitch enough so maybe not enough dew?. No doubt this week our groundsmen will be heavily critcised for not watering the pitch enough at ewood!.

[cn174]

Just got a 1-1 draw at Anfield, doesn't bode well for us....

[the original david brent]

"We could easily fill our ground twice over for most games"

Yeah right, course you could!!!

[47er]

Only saw the highlights on MOTD but how would we expect anything from this game? They are playing way better than we are.

No big buys either-----just a decent manager who's got them playing to their best and given them confidence and belief.

[Beta Ray Bill]

Only saw the highlights on MOTD but how would we expect anything from this game? They are playing way better than we are.

No big buys either-----just a decent manager who's got them playing to their best and given them confidence and belief.

It could very easily have been 7-2 if the straight forward chances had gone in at each end and not been woodwork, inches wide, great saves. Doubt they'd be getting many plaudits with that scoreline.

They are plucky and try and play football. But come end of season they will still be gasping in a to the wire relegation scrap; just like Blackpool, just like Burnley, etc

Anyway next week ... a genuinely managerless Rovers will scramble a tedious draw.

Alternatively, an effectively managerless Rovers will lose 3-1 with our goal coming from Delia taking pity and instructing the Canaries to conceed, just as she signs a deal to do a cookery course based purely on Indian chicken.

[booth]

(4) Your squad for 2011-2012 is overwhelmingly from the British Isles, with only one Belgian & one USA player. Your coaching staff, and “Players Of The Year” are exclusively from The British Isles. Rovers have a veritable United Nations of players. Is this just co-incidence or do you think NCFC has a nationality selection policy? That Anthony Pilkington you have was born in Blackburn. If he is any good can we have him back?

And no, you can’t have Pilkington back! looks a good player, should have scored at Old Trafford though.

Typical, they take Anthony Pilkington and we get Karl Pilkington.

[FourLaneBlue]

Your mention of Ardiles got me thinking about whether or not we have had any other World Cup winners play for us. Djorkaaef sprung to mind. Have we had any others?

Those are the only two that have played in a World Cup Final, although John Connelly was a member of the 1966 squad. Althoughe didn't play in the final, he did play during the tournament.

Therefore, we have had three World Cup Winners at Ewood.

[arbitro]

I have room in my car for two if anybody is interested. Fuel costs will be shared.

[2PAC 4 Blackburn]

Anyone know if tickets are still available? Website don't seem to be working for me.

[canuckroversfan]

Regardless if Steve Kean is still manager for this game, WE need this one bad

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

One thing in our favour here, they'll be looking at the league table and for maybe the first time this season be fancying their chances as opposed to going out not expecting anything. Let's hope a bit of complacency sets in.

[waggy]

rovers have a massive support in norwich

[Paul]

We will lose

[davulsukur]

Norwich don't have the best players, but they have a top manager who is getting the best out of his team. They will be looking at this game as 3 points, but i don't think they will be complacent, infact i expect that to spur them on even more. They have done well, and even tho they have not always got the result, have already shown more than enough needed to turn us over.

We are 9 games in, and the table is starting to take shape. A win no longer shoots us up the league, we desperately need 3 points, and this is the type of game we need to get them from.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Excellent preview Colin.

I agree with Paul I think we will lose and pretty convincingly. Norwich have a better team that's full of confidence and they have a far better manager.

3-0 Norwich.

[Ferrit]

We will lose

[philipl]

We go 10 points behind Norwich if we lose.

Will that be a big enough relegation deficit for Mrs Desai finally to end her indecision and cut out the cancerous presence of Kean?

[den]

I don't think she looks at league tables Philip, just the value of the squad.

Now how near to the truth is that?

[JAL]

As an established premiership team Rovers should at least get a draw at Norwich if not the win.

[Sanny]

Anyone know if tickets are still available? Website don't seem to be working for me.

Yes there are some left I bought 2 yesterday they said they are only selling them over the phone now.