From before the final whistle of our 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, almost all coverage and ‘news’ regarding the canaries has been based on speculation and rumour. Lambert’s future was the focus for the early part of last week, without a conclusive statement confirming his plans to stay on the rumour mill went into overdrive. Again though, this was based on speculation and conjecture. Some fans were drawing up lists of people taking over from the soon to be departed boss. others far more sensibly, albeit probably more out of hope than genuine expectation simply saw it as Lambert being Lambert, giving less than nothing away and strengthening his position with every word uttered.

From Lambert we moved on to the Euro 2012 squad announcement, John Rudy being named in the squad was fantastic news, John is there on merit based on his appearances this season. Hodgson for me got his goalkeepers spot on. I am though unsure of whether our number one is ready to be a starting international goalkeeper. The experience of a going to a major tournament will be invaluable, but I for one hope he watches from the bench. His time hopefully to come in the future.

Sadly Ruddy’s inclusion was overshadowed amongst the yellow army by the failure of Hodgson to include Grant Holt. Sadly despite a well fought campaign and a number of professional endorsements, Roy Hodgson wasn’t going to risk his job by making a decision that even the majority of City fans would probably have to admit with honesty, would be risky.

Thursday of brought a reminder that we live and operate in times where there is no place for sentimentality. Zak Whitbread and Aaron Wilbraham headed the released list, with Zak being the biggest surprise. Zak will be missed, but sadly he was also missed at crucial points in the season when injured. If we were to offer him an increase in wage we would be within our rights to expect an increase in games from Zak and as he can’t guarantee that we are right to look elsewhere. As for Wilbrahamovic, We’ll always have Fulham

And then it was Friday, Norwich’s own day of destiny.

Writing this on Tuesday evening we still know very little about what has happened to make one of our most important players react in such a fashion. In truth, even as fans and customers we may still have no right to know. I trust David McNally and Grant Holt to be able to work through any situation, I am still confident that whatever has happened a conclusion can be reached that benefits all sides.

What gets me is the manner in which these issues have been brought to national attention and then shrouded in mystery to invite the kind of baseless speculation that turns the internet to shit and a lot of good honest Norwich fans into babbling fanatics.

As a club this season we have excelled within modest means. Lambert’s belief and trust in the good honest pro that makes up a large part of our squad has been rewarded. We are ranked the 12th best team in the country, and we have reached these heights doing what we do the right way. Our approach has been universally praised as an example of how a relatively small unfancied team can compete with the billionaires. We are in essence an ‘anti-premier league’ premier league success story.

What is unbecoming of this image is a mysterious transfer request, and the rumours it facilitates. Obviously the first thought is that Grant Holt wants to cash in on his excellent debut season at the top level. At least that’s certainly the majority view of everyone I spoke to on Friday after the news filtered through to the wedding I was attending. Some of my fellow city fans (groom included) we’re dumbfounded, others could understand the striker manoeuvring himself into a position for a career defining final payday.

If Holt wants to leave for more money, or even force the boards hand to make him the highest paid player in the clubs history, then fine, it’s his decision.

As a fanbase though we have made him our player of the season three times and nominated him to the hall of fame. These honours should not be taken lightly and I genuinely believe that if Holt does want to sort issues then he should conduct his business with a bit more tact. With the announcement of a transfer request he has risked the respect and admiration that the aforementioned honours have given him. Whether his ultimate goal is to leave or stay he has risked his future standing at the club.

I know all the old clichés, fans are loyal to players its just a job. We apparently shouldn’t expect the same loyalty of players that we ourselves have towards the club. Tell that to Adam Drury.

Yesterday I purchased my tickets to Adam’s testimonial, our chance to say thank you to the clubs longest serving player. A professional who has rejected transfer speculation, worked tirelessly, overcome numerous injuries (some serious). Adam Drury can do no wrong in the eyes of the city faithful. In every interview you hear with the former skipper in the lead up to his big night, he has shown respect for the club, the fans and the area. He has shown over a sustained period the kind of loyalty fans dream of from players and he will be rewarded fittingly.

Holt’s transfer request for me means despite his goals, his accolades and awards, he will now never quite reach the legend status that Adam Drury has. As well as that, the timing of Holt’s request means that a large shadow hangs over Carrow Road, a testimonial with a nervous atmosphere has a horrible potential to turn sour. I hope for Adam’s sense I’m being pessimistic.

*Update* Whilst writing this article I have seen the following tweet from the often correct @Fourth_Official.

Paul Lambert will remain at Norwich, whilst Grant Holt will sign a new 3 year contract once given assurance Lambert is staying #NCFC

— Fourth Official (@Fourth_Official) May 22, 2012

I had a theory that Holt’s request may have been a means to this end but I rejected it as fantasy. This truly would be the perfect conclusion to a horrid week. Sadly though it won’t come before Adam Drury’s big night.

© EDP / Archant Norfolk

Sunday sees the London Marathon and the culmination of Team Norwich City’s fundraising efforts for the Community Sports Foundation. Whilst a lot of attention will go to Hall of Famer Iwan Roberts and Chief Executive David McNally, I’m putting my support behind another team member whose story you may not be quite as familiar with.

Craig Richardson was 22 when he was lost his leg below the knee. He was in the near vicinity of an improvised explosive device during his patrol as a Senior Aircraftsman in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Now 25, Craig has been through intensive rehabilitation and with the assistance of a carbon fibre running blade will be competing in the Virgin London Marathon this Sunday.

It is a testament to his character that he can even consider running the marathon. Craig was at school with my younger brother and I have known him for many years. Craig was a rock in a successful football team that my brother’s friends still talk about to this day. His friends have marvelled at the determination he has shown in recovery, and I’m sure as I do they have every confidence that he will complete the marathon.

Craig’s sponsorship link is here, if you could spare any money for him you would be sponsoring someone who has overcome incredible adversity and is still giving everything he can to help other people. You couldn’t be putting your money to better use.

He is also a Tottenham fan and we all know how tough it has been recently for them.

You can follow Craig on twitter through the tweet below.

Good run finally light at the end of he tunnel after some frustrating months!! #csfmarathontraining

— Craig Richardson (@CRichardson86) March 30, 2012

and here are  links to some stories of his and the teams progress in the lead up to the marathon.

Team Norwich City step up training for Virgin London Marathon – Iwan Roberts and David McNally taking part

Former Serviceman Craig Richardson Craig Richardson prepares to run the London Marathon after losing half his leg in Afghanistan

Inspiring Craig is gearing up for London Marathon

...but probably not our worst

What a difference ten months makes.

Last June we launched our new home kit with a perfectly executed marketing campaign. Creato In Italia, a little bit of Italy in Norwich. Everything about the launch was classy and befitting of a side taking their return to the top division very seriously. I remember rolling off my Turkish sun lounger to the internet cafe and feeling a strange sensation, satisfaction at a Norwich kit launch. There was a realisation of the type of club we were or at least were on the way to becoming. As a football shirt enthusiast the reveal was like Christmas. The club looked great, the video was well received internationally and promptly ‘went viral’.

The reception and attention last summer’s promotional effort gained will have put more pressure on the powers that be as they considered how they were going to launch another new home shirt.

As a fan base the yellow army are loyal, but not afraid to speak their mind if they believe they are being taken advantage of financially. Launching another change of strip this summer signals a fulltime commitment to a one year shirt cycle, the launch was going to have to surpass last years to satisfy all corners of the newly defined Canaries globe.

Sadly this year Norwich City went viral for all the wrong reasons. Last year we were revered for our stylish launch, this year we formed the basis of bbc.co.uk’s most read news story, and we trended on twitter just in between the tensions in Bahrain and Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. Still, at least there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Norwich City fan and long time season ticket holder Chris Brown (17) was made the villain of an apparent ‘kit leak’. By now if you’re reading this you are probably well aware of the circumstances that lead to our new kit appearing on twitter a full 12 hours before its unveiling. Chris was in the right place in cyberspace at the right time, and used his own ingenuity to find images left unsecure. He then did what the majority of enthusiastic young supporters in the digital age would do and ‘passed it on’. He didn’t hack the website, he took advantage of a loophole, yet still he was still woken up at 4am by NCFC head of sales and marketing Will Hoy and later in the day questioned by police.

24 hours on and the issue has been closed, first by the police who confirmed they wouldn’t be pressing charges and later by the football club who released a statement. In the statement it was confirmed that Chris and his mother attended a meeting where all issues were smoothed over. Chris received an apology from the football club for their heavy handed approach in identifying him as the source of the leak. Chris himself also apologised for any inconvenience he may have caused. The statement ended with Matt Emmerson of Emmerson Marketing, the company employed to run norwichkit.com and oversee the launch, explaining why the security loophole was his fault and in no way an error by Norwich City Football Club. The site is functional and visually sound, if you need a website doing why not look Matt up.  Although it may be a while before his palms stop sweating and he can sleep through the night without David McNally themed night terrors.

David McNally’s message with this kit launch is that we are becoming the club the fans believe we should be, a big club, the type of club that changes its kit every summer, certainly the type of club that doesn’t stand for theft of its intellectual property. There is though a fine line between ruthlessness and paranoia and this week we may for the first time have fallen the wrong side of it. David McNally’s approach to running our club has paid massive, unexpected dividends, and I’m sure that I speak for many other Norwich fans when I say I will forgive our chief exec a mistake or two. We have received far more negative attention than good this week and much of it was avoidable.  Still, we do have the ultimate national treasure in Stephen Fry now batting for us. In our new promotional video he jokes of eating ducks because they are Ipswich fans, yet you hear no complaints about that. In these situations it seems it is all about delivery. We went viral for all the wrong reasons, but we may just have survived this one.

Manager of the Season?

With a month of the season remaining we have no concern for relegation. Instead Norwich are now spending their final month of a very successful season plotting upsets against some of the biggest names in English football. Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal are all approaching their end of season clashes with Paul Lambert’s men with heightened trepidation. This following Norwich’s season best performance, beating Spurs at White Hart Lane. This week Lambert has jumped into pole position with many for the manager of the season prize. As Rodgers and Swansea falter, winding down towards the end of the season in the fashion of a Blackpool-lite if you will. Lambert’s stock is rising and his side are gaining the acknowledgement and praise that some fans have been craving for many months.

Harry Redknapp’s lack of preparation and tactical shortcomings were exposed relentlessly by Lambert on Easter Monday. His side was motivated to a superhuman level. Instilled with a determination and win at all costs mentality that demanded attention and headlines. Tottenham away will come to be seen as a seminal moment in Lambert’s managerial career, and certainly in his time as Norwich manager. There is a chance though that it is only a precursor to this weekend. Manchester City’s visit to Carrow Road could take brand Lambert worldwide. With Manchester’s United and City back within fighting distance at the top, and despite Roberto Mancini’s insistence to the contrary, the title race is still alive. Although nothing short of three points at Carrow Road for Man City on Saturday will keep it that way.  Lambert’s Norwich learned the lessons of the December 27th, when they were swept aside by a Tottenham side who at the time looked Champions League qualification certainties. On Saturday the question will be have they learned from the 5-1 dismantling they received earlier in December at the Etihad by the then champions elect. Should Norwich perform a second miracle in the space of six days and all but mathematically deny Manchester City the title, Lambert will be above all radars in European football and a new chapter will begin immediately.

Keeping Paul Lambert at Norwich for as long as possible is the most important task the club will be faced with in many, many years. He will undoubtedly leave at some point, as the clubs ambition can only match the managers for so long. Right now there are no obvious destinations, our rise has suddenly rendered many jobs far too much of a horizontal move, especially for someone who’s next career move is likely to be to a very top club. However long we maintain the services of Paul Lambert, if he can continue improving the team at even a fraction of the rate he has in his first three seasons then we he will leave us in a very healthy position indeed.

Whether Lambert will admit it publicly or not we are now safe from relegation, and it seems Monday’s win has triggered a change in behavior in the manager. This week has seen far more media and press appointments than is usual for the boss. Half an hour before we kick off live on Sky on Saturday the manager will appear on Football Focus as the subject of a “wide-ranging & rare interview”. Damian Johnson confirms this below via twitter, this is fine, we have as a collective fan base been asking for increased media attention, and that our top performers get appropriate recognition. This though, is a double-edged sword as James Nursey’s tweet illustrates, we are soon entering the summer, the contract silly season. Whilst I want to see David Fox, Zak Whitbread and Adam Drury extended as much as the next member of the yellow army, the priority of the club must be to retain Lambert. This will only get tougher but after the past three seasons I am simply not ready to comprehend the idea of Norwich City Football Club being managed by anyone but Paul Lambert.

Thanks for comments. Paul Lambert’s thoughts on Holt + Ruddy part of wide ranging + rare interview from Norwich boss F.Focus Sat 1215 BBC1

— DAMIAN JOHNSON (@JohnsonDamian) April 12, 2012

@BigDunc65 Lambert is v ambitious. He’s either going to get new contract at #ncfc or a move. Both scenarios will be helped by raised profile

— James Nursey (@JamesNursey) April 12, 2012

Another point towards survival is the party line following yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Wigan, and after watching how the game unfolded you have to take it as a point gained. When a team are fighting for their lives in the way Wigan are they are never going to be a so-called ‘easy game’.

Over the ninety minutes i don’t think at any point did we approach anything like our best football, we have played far better and lost games. Paul Lambert’s changes may have led partly to the lack of fluidity, the midweek trip to Spain convinced the boss to change the line up considerably with five alterations to the lineup that lost narrowly in the Britannia bore fest. Creativity largely replaced substance and width, Hoolahan, Fox and Jackson all recalled along with the textbook Lambert wildcard selection, Andrew Crofts playing on the right hand side of the midfield diamond. Adam Drury also returned to give Russell Martin the rest so many have called for.

Wes Hoolahan’s goal seemed to validate the team selection in one simple move. Drury’s quick thinking and precise throw, Simeon’s instinct to get his head up and Hoolahan’s speed of thought and lightness of touch in combination. The recalled players stepping up to the task straight away and taking the initiative. This would have pleased the boss immensely. Sadly we were never to hit the same heights again.

Once Wigan got their eye in, felt their way into the game they looked a good side and provided the kind of test Lambert would have prepared his side for in their week in the sun. Obviously at this level you cannot afford to take such time to get into a game which would go someway to explain Wigan’s league position. They do though deserve credit for quickly identifying City’s problem areas and exploiting them. I don’t begrudge Wigan a point at all, I’m very happy with the one we gained. We stopped the run of defeats and as Paul Lambert has said so many times “If you can’t win a game, make sure you don’t lose it”.

So now to my major gripe from the game, at the end of super sunday live to the world we sounded like a bunch of idiots because a section of our fans chose to boo.

To boo any performance this season for me is moronic. Paul Lambert may set his expectations and standards exceptionally high but I’m not sure as fans we have the right to do the same. A draw against Wigan was heralded as a brilliant start when we travelled there on the opening day; now in the reverse fixture the opposition are playing every game like it is their last. The thought that another 1-1 draw is worthy of such a negative reaction is quite frankly startling. The effect this behaviour from an albeit minority of supporters will have on the players is unwarranted and unnecessary. Iwan Roberts made a fantastic point on Canary Call after hearing John Ruddy’s interview where he mentioned the boos. If our players best efforts are booed they may take this as their work being thankless. When we reach the inevitable moment when our players and manager are in the sights of the bigger clubs, it may be the boos after a hard-fought point at home to Wigan that convince them they may be appreciated better somewhere else. Lets wise up, booing is unnecessary and uncharacteristic of the fan base that took thousands to the valley to see us relegated under a cloud. The same fan base who were the twelfth man that provided the soundtrack to back to back promotions. Lets not be our own worst enemy, we are a lot better than the reaction at the end of yesterdays game.

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We've got to go to the Britannia again..

(@twitchut is a season ticket holder at #ncfc and writes for Little Norwich whenever I can convince him)

We’re staying up. There, I’ve said it.

So now let’s look forward to next season. That difficult second season in the Premier League™ that has accounted for so many teams who did well in their first season in the land of milk and honey but were relegated the next year. Like ‘Finidi’ George Burley’s 1p5wich just to pick a purely random example out of the air.

Reading are a more recent example after finishing 8^th in their first season in the Premier League™, as are Hull who just scraped to safety in their first season before bowing to what seemed the inevitable the following season after having appointed Ian Dowie as manager.

There are many problems that McNally & Lambert now face, nice problems to have they are too. I’ve never been so confident in a The Norwich Chief Exec/Manager axis to handle them, but handle them they must.  So what are they?

Firstly which players contracts are up this season? Well according to this and this the following are: Zak Whitbread (calf/hamstring/knee), Cinnamon Jackson, Declan Rudd, Adam ‘Pencil Head’ ‘Juke Box’ Drury,  Wilbrahimovic, David ‘Foxy’ Fox, Elliott ‘Wardy’ Ward, Tom ‘Hey’ Adeyemi, Josh ‘The Atheist’ Dawkin and Matt ‘Medicine’ Ball. I’d have thought we’d want to secure Zak, Foxy, Cinnamon, Wardy and young Declan on new contracts (we may already have as we tend to operate in stealth mode) as well as probably Adeyemi, Dawkin & Ball who all seem highly rated. So it’s a hearty farewell and testimonial to Adam Drury and thanks very much find yourself another club to the underappreciated Albie. Kyle Naughton is also listed as out of contract on there, he is in that he’s out of contract for us but he still has a year to go on his Spurs contract. His versatility, pace and all round technical ability have been one of the major factor in our success this season I think we need to pull out the stops to get him here as our player. We’ll also have to keep an eye on those whose contracts are expiring next summer particularly John Ruddy & Andrew Surman I’d suggest.

We’ve seen another problem raise its head this week which is our players being coveted by other clubs. This could well just be agent or paper talk but it is a problem and the better we keep doing the more it will be an issue. We need to hang on to our players in order to progress.

Wages is an issue in both of the above problems as well as generally. It’s widely reported that our players are among the lower paid players in the division although it’s been said that they are rewarded well with incentive payments. Their wages are also set to double next season if you can believe what you read, but with our top earners said to be on c£10k a week at the moment, even doubling that will not put them that high up the pay league and therefore potentially vulnerable to being tempted away. Even more so if on a Bosman (or a ‘Jean Marc’ as I prefer to call it as I am a bit Gallic in outlook) which is the case for the out of contract guys.

The Norwich are still in a poor financial state despite amazing improvements in the accounts and how we operate as a business and the wads of Premier League cash we have stumbled upon. With this in mind and with the current shameful goings on at Portsmouth and Glasgow Bigots, along with many other clubs tales of financial woe from chasing the dream (I’m looking at you Ridsdale) we shouldn’t start throwing massive contracts around. We’ve got this far on a comparatively low-budget and whilst it will be difficult to maintain progress and even maybe sustain our league position without taking the next big financial step up, we can’t afford to.

I’m not too concerned about the above. McNally has stated that he’s looking forward to dealing with player enquiries and that he’d give anyone who approaches us a firm no. This is great and you don’t sense there are any unhappy players who are money motivated or who want out. Who wouldn’t want to play for Paul Lambert? The board have said they will continue to back the manager in the transfer market as best they can and to date he has been happy with their efforts.

Player recruitment can also be problematic.  When we didn’t buy any proven Premier League™ players for this season (for ‘proven Premier League™ players’ read ‘expensive flops who have previously been relegated from the Premier League™’) a lot of people wrote us off. Well we’ve proved them wrong and I don’t see us recruiting any big name players or foreign imports on big money as it won’t fit with our wage structure and would risk upsetting what is a very together group of players. The spirit in our squad has been a massive factor in our rise and would be messed with at our peril. In Jonny Howson & Ryan Bennett we have quietly, but not cheaply, recruited two excellent young players, with Bennett in particular tipped for great things. Expect more of the same.

Will we get ‘found out’? No. I don’t believe we will. We haven’t got one set style of play indeed we can play in different styles, formations and with different personnel seemingly without dropping performance level. Interestingly it seems that this may not be the case for Swansea (and it was us wot cracked it, twice!) although their style is strong enough to see them safe this season, they may find next year a different proposition.

Teams coming up, as we and Swansea have proved, are not cannon fodder for the established sides (unless you are Quite Possibly Relegated). It seems likely at the moment that West Ham will come up and start waving their cockney wads about like this (even though they are massively in debt) however this may not pay off (see Quite Possibly Relegated). Southampton are currently top and the comparison with us is there to be made, straight from League 1, full of confidence and with WFLGH’s former Rochdale teammate Rickie Lambert banging in the goals you could see them having a similar impact to us. There are other good teams vying for the play offs and the standard of the Championship now seems closer to that of the Premier League™ as we know to our cost from the way Leicester beat us in the FA Cup. But we should be confident, this season we have achieved maximum points over our fellow promoted teams and we’d need to do the same to the new boys.

But, manager apart, the main reason I am confident and also in part why I feel we have done so well so far this season is that financial reality finally seems to be dawning on, at least the lower half, of the division. Teams like Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan simply cannot sustain the amount they have been spending on the size of crowds they get. It’s no coincidence that those three are very much in trouble, massively in debt and their teams have been declining in quality as a result. Wolves have handicapped themselves financially by increasing their capacity (something we’ll have to watch if we follow through with that) and struggled last year anyway. The other relegation possible is QPR and well, if you wanted to produce a “How not to handle a first season back in the Premier League™” blueprint, there it is. The Norwich somehow made an operating profit last financial year, and that was before any Premier League™ income. Villa announced a massive loss this week and reduced crowds, Everton are still in a financial mess. If we can hold our own for a few seasons and clear our debt which our new financially competent board are confident we can do, we will really be in a strong position. In fact we possibly couldn’t have timed our rise better, much as we thought we couldn’t have timed our relegation from the Premier League™ in 1995 any worse.

So there you go. I tried not to look for similarities between what may happen to The Norwich next season and other teams in their second season mainly because we have Paul Lambert as our manager and they didn’t. As long as that remains the case I’m confident we can stay up. Lambo is also the reason that us Nodgers knew despite all the lazy, generally poorly thought out and predictable opinions of football pundits that flagged us as this seasons Blackpool, we wouldn’t plummet like they did.

We just need Lambo to keep on keeping on. I think he knows that he’s riding the wave of something special here at the moment as do the players and fans. He’ll move on to bigger things one day of that I am positive, just not quite yet.  McNally and the board continue do your thing also and I think we can stay up for a third season and then we’ll have to address other problems such as how to go about increasing capacity without hamstringing ourselves financially and how to get away from the Camp Nou without conceding in the Champions League™.

@twitchut

Away with your football!

‘Go out there and enjoy yourselves’, one of the most overused managerial clichés going. It does however have a very salient point behind it. Football should be enjoyable, it should be entertaining. The brand of football that Stoke play and aspire to is neither of these things and despite being reassured otherwise I cannot believe Stoke fans happily hand their money over to watch it every week. The word most often used to describe their approach is ‘effective’, and if that is the best compliment your interpretation of the beautiful game can receive you have to expect at the very least to polarise the opinion of the neutral.

Stoke played a consistent 90 minutes of Stokeball and probably deserved all three points as our efforts to combat their system dominated our approach to the game leaving little space for the creativity and style that lead us to three points in our last away game at Swansea. I watched Saturday’s game longing for even five minutes of similar football to the Swansea match. Stoke drag you down to their level and because of this we showed none of the qualities that have garnered us praise this season. In large parts we dealt with Stoke’s threat, clear cut chances were at a premium at both ends. Had Matthew Etherington not scored the game would likely have ended 0-0 and we would be heralding an ugly, though hard earned away point. Such are the fine margins of the Premier League, the defeat saw us drop four places and into the bottom half.

A lot has been made of Michael Oliver’s performance. I thought personally he had the classic game of two halves, he seemed to have control over proceedings in the first but as the game went on and especially in the second period as the home fans frustration grew he seemed to take the easy option over every 50/50. The decision or lack of that led to the goal could appear to be either very unfortunate or very unprofessional. I haven’t managed to see it again in enough detail to blame it entirely on Oliver, who largely has impressed me this season.

The David Fox for Norwich campaign kicked into action as soon as the final whistle blew. I rate Fox very highly, almost as highly as I rate Lambert’s judgement. Fox starting is ideal as he does the things that make us an attractive team to watch, I agree though with Lambert that sometimes we simply can’t afford him. We looked a marginally better side with Fox on but still failed to create anything clear-cut. Fox had the ball and sprayed it about with ease as he usually does. Stoke though were watching this without concern, ten to twenty yards deeper than they had been for the previous 79 minutes. It was their game plan and it worked, they remained relatively untroubled and saw the game out.

To conclude I thought I’d find some positives that came out of an afternoon where all enjoyment was mercilessly sucked out of the game.

Zak Whitbread has been superb since Christmas and this will not remain a secret for long. If his contract situation really is unresolved it needs resolving asap.

Despite his error for the goal I thought Elliot Ward again did well. Etherington caught him out at pace in a dangerous position where any touch would’ve resulted in a penalty and was left with little option than to duck past him, sadly it ended up looking very weak. It was a bad goal to concede and John Ruddy will be disappointed too, he will keep his place though I hope the same loyalty is shown to Ward for now at least.

Great to see Howson make his debut, although possibly the wrong game to drop him straight into. Lambert obviously sees him as the solution to our lack of goals from midfield and his inclusion over Wes shows just how cutthroat his approach to the first eleven is at the moment.

That’s about it, now let’s never speak of this weekend again.

I have absolutely no problem with the personnel that Lambert decided to start the game with. Looking at the lineup their shouldve been enough quality for us to get the win. My one criticism was that we looked a little light in the middle of the park. I would’ve liked to have seen one of Crofts or Bradley Johnson to combat Wellens. Despite the fact I would’ve started Ruddy I had no problem with Jed Steer continuing as our cup goalkeeper.

Up front both Steve Morison and Simeon Jackson had the chance so put a marker down, Jackson could continue in the manner that has made him nearly undroppable, whilst Morison could remind Lambert of what he had left on the bench for the previous two games. In my opinion Morison was absolutely woeful. Second to every ball, flat-footed and carrying a general look of disinterest that had Lambert incensed. The speed at which he turned to Vaughan and Wilbraham to inform them of the immediacy of their impending introduction suggested one thing only, he had seen more than enough of Morison for one afternoon.

At this point I’ll break away from the mass opinion of some of the idiots that surrounded me in the lower Barclay. Morison is not shit. He has 9 goals to his name this season and he doesn’t lose that ability overnight. The eagerness of some of my fellow ‘supporters’ to turn on him on Saturday was frankly bewildering.

Morison had an opportunity which he didn’t take. I’m inclined to believe that if Grant Holt had been sat on the bench waiting to come on we would’ve seen a lot more from Morison. His replacement Aaron Wilbraham did well, his link up,play was far more in tune with his colleagues than Morison’s had been for the previous hour. Holty’s absence was the clearest indication that the game wasn’t being taken as seriously as it could be. More often than not Grant Holt makes Norwich a better team and I certainly think we missed his influence yesterday.

Leicester played well and I can’t begrudge them their win. I just wish they had to work a bit harder for it. They didn’t have to be at their best to beat us and that is probably what will annoy Lambert the most. Yes they have spent more than us and pay more in wages but at the moment they are in mid table a league below us. They are struggling against far less difficult opposition, we should have given them a far more difficult afternoon.  I was impressed with Wellens as I always am and Schmeichel despite his error to give away a penalty looked a more commanding dominant presence than he did for Leeds. Leicester’s traveling supporters were vocal and it was their reaction at the end of the game that  summed the afternoon up perfectly for me.  Making it through to the quarter finals of the FA Cup was a huge milestone to Leicester as it shouldve been for us.

Our reactions as a fan base have been very mixed. Some people are quite happy to dismiss the FA Cup as a distraction, which they are more than entitled to. Others, who most probably view the cup with the nostalgia I wrote about on Friday have all seemed to ask the same question. Is the Manchester United game so important to our season that we need to prioritise it over the cup? It is at best 3 points that could easily be picked up in another game.

Bitterness over, we can concentrate on the league now. It’s almost reassuring to be able to use that tried and tested cliché again. I am though glad to be part of a group of supporters that still dream of Wembley.

One of my first footballing memories was watching Norwich lose to Sunderland in the FA Cup semi final in 1992. Even as an eight year old I remember trudging home from my mates house devastated that Norwich wouldn’t be going to Wembley. It’s hard to have a great association with the FA cup being a City fan, my best memory would be holding Chelsea to a goalless draw at Carrow Road setting up the replay where Zola scored that goal.

This void of positive FA cup memories is an ailment I share with a lot of fans, it’s an inside joke that Norwich aren’t a cup side, It’s expected that by the fifth round Norwich should have no interest in the competition. The mild furore over ticket prices for the Leicester tie may even have been fueled by the shear surprise of the Carrow Road regular having to factor and budget another game into the calendar.

So in an age where Norwich as a football club are defying their own conventions and surpassing expectation, isnt it about time we as fans embraced this opportunity and relished the fact that we are two games away from a Wembley semi final? In my life time Norwich have been to Wembley for the League Cup final (saying that, i was less than a year old) and to Cardiff for a play-off final. Wembley, especially in its new incarnation is uncharted territory for a generation of Norwich fans yet it’s closer than we think.

In my opinion we need to treat tomorrow as a final. We may have a fixture against Man United to look forward to but that is eight days away leaving plenty of time for recovery. Leicester at home is a difficult tie but we are more than capable of progressing from. The Foxes may have spent a lot of money but they still sit below a Burnley side who we outclassed in the third round. Take care of Leicester and we could play Chelsea, Tottenahm, Arsenal or Liverpool, which could well spell the end of any cup dream. On the other hand we could play Stoke, Crawley, Brimingham, Millwall or Blackpool. Whether a route to the semis including such sides would warrant a trip to our national stadium is a debate for another day. What is for certain is it would be an occasion that our fanbase would cherish. I think as Norwich fans we need to start believing we’re going to Wembley.

I know I’ve just jinxed it, I’m sorry.

Paul Lambert’s press conference was typically vague and diversionary. I don’t think for a second that he sees the cup as a distraction. He will rightly not admit our likely Premier League safety until it is a mathematical certainty. He is though ambitious and competitive and will be looking at the current FA cup draw with nothing but optimism.

The news that Tottenahm are lifting their ban on Kyle Naughton playing in the cup is very welcome. You sense that the question wouldn’t even have been asked of Tottenham if a) his presence wasn’t urgently required due to injuries or b) we weren’t taking the cup seriously.

Another reserve goal and improving fitness for James Vaughan, a reserve appearance in the offing for Johnny Howson and the return from the sweetener loan of Ryan Bennett and our squad is looking stronger by the week. I would love to see Vaughan in action soon but the powers that be are wisely taking his recovery very slowly.

I will be in the lower Barclay tomorrow with my brother the glory hunting Gooner. OTBC and we’re off to Wembley. Match report tomorrow or Monday.

Before the season started I remember reading about the importance of doing well in the ‘mini league’ of promoted teams. The table suggests what I think most of us as fans now believe, that we are staying up.