Posted by Norfolk Ned on February 15th, 2010 | 9 comments
Paul Lambert: Manager of the month for December AND January.
Yep, as it says above. I’ve not really written anything this season about my beloved Norwich City since the first couple of weeks and I’ve avoided this kind of post. But while national newspapers comment on how Leeds have ‘thrown away’ the League One top-spot while paying attention to the FA Cup, they have failed to show Norwich any love at all.
Love for an amazing run that is the real reason why they sit atop of League One by four points today and not because Leeds had an eye on the FA Cup for two Saturdays and a Wednesday evening. So I’m going to to tell you just how awesome Norwich City have been this term because it’s long overdue and it’s also justice for the Leeds fail BS in the press over the last month.
Posted by Norfolk Ned on January 20th, 2010 | 6 comments
It's there!
The English Premier League could bust all goal records this year as the average of ‘net bulgers’ has increased to 2.92 goals per game.
At the same stage last season the average was 2.56 goals per match—leading to a final EPL total of 942.
This year’s current average would lead to a total of 1,110 and that would be a new ‘best’. The last year to come close to that was back during the 1999/2000 season when 1,060 goals were scored. Manchester United ran away with the league that year with 97 goals and Arsenal were runners up 18 points behind them with 73 goals scored
Well, this season there are eight players on 10 goals or more in the Premiership and at the same stage last year just THREE players had hit double figures.
But it’s not just in the EPL that goal records are set to be crushed.
Posted by Norfolk Ned on January 11th, 2010 | 13 comments
Oops, Colchester failed to install heating
Colchester United have hit a problem in their preparations ahead of next Saturday’s ‘grudge’ game with Norwich City. The pitch is covered with snow preventing the ground staff from using their old fashioned methods to stop the pitch from freezing.
Backwards methods are required because Colchester have no undersoil heating. The Essex club have asked their fans for help clear the pitch at the Weston Homes Community stadium, a new ground they opened just last season–yet they failed to install under pitch heating. Isn’t such a thing on the new stadium check list these days? What do we need in our new stadium?Seats. Check. Grass. Check. Under soil heating? Nah… Fug it.
Colchester have asked fans to show up this week to help clear snow from the pitch and to bring their own shovels! Colchester United’s website tells supporters to… ‘Report to reception and ask for Head Groundsman, David Blacknall - and where possible bring equipment such as shovels and wheelbarrows.’
Posted by spectator on January 9th, 2010 | 241 comments
An Exeter-Norwich-Exeter Sandwich
Snow and cold have decimated today’s fixtures in England, not to mention the pall cast by the shooting of the Togolese national team in Africa, but for every cloud there is a silver lining as today is the day that Norfolk Ned and myself have had circled on our calendars since the start of the League One season.
Yes, it’s Exeter City visiting the mighty mighty Canaries at Carrow Road.
It looks as though Norwich have avoided having their gaffer poached (for now) and are sitting pretty in second place in League One. Meanwhile, my beloved Exeter City are exactly where I expected them to be: just safe above the relegation zone. So Norwich are the heavy favorites but don’t look past my Grecians to pull off an upset!
There’s only a handful of Premiership games today, but we might see the debut of Landycakes for Everton today. Assuming you can find somewhere to watch it. Otherwise, not a whole lot to watch today except for a couple EPL games on the FSC. (Even Ligue 1 is on hold for the Coupe de France!)
But we must soldier on…. Fixture list after the jump, along with your comments.
Posted by Norfolk Ned on January 8th, 2010 | 15 comments
Norwich City’s new center back, Zak Whitbread is about to have a lot of new friends (including me), which is just as well, because back in London where he’s been with Millwall since 2005, the 25 year old American is not every one’s ‘cup of tea’. He may be a fantastic defender but a woman who went to visit him while at a Millwall signing in a shopping mall in London doesn’t think so. In fact, she’s definitely NOT a fan.
Posted by Norfolk Ned on January 8th, 2010 | 12 comments
Loyalty and integrity are not dead in football and Ned is a happy chap today. Paul Lambert this morning dismissed the talk of a move to Burnley and declared his love for the greatest football club on earth!
“If you turn down a Premier League club to stay in League One they may just give you a wee bit more credit than people think. I’m not going anywhere until maybe Norwich sack me..I love it here. There is a great rapport with people and this football club is a special place and the fans and the players, with what they’re doing, have been absolutely terrific so I’m not going anywhere.” – Paul Lambert
How could I doubt you sir? But, what’s interesting is that his words make it sound as if Burnley came sniffing only to be told by Lambo to get lost. But that’s not all, this wonderful news was added to today as my beloved Norwich signed their first American.. Yes that’s right, an American!
Posted by Norfolk Ned on January 7th, 2010 | 1 comment
Burnley fans have been busy.
Burnley fans are a bitter bunch these days, their chairman has called out Bolton’s behavior and the masses are not happy with the way Owen ‘Judas’ Coyle is jumping ship to the Reebok.
Well, some speculation about Norwich City manager Paul Lambert being on Burnley’s short list got me edgy today and I joined the clarets fans…Not happy at all. Once I’d crossed my fingers, closed my eyes and chanted “Burnley go away” 50 times I was directed by some kind UF colleagues to the betting on the job. Now I was really starting to panic. Lambert is odds on to replace Coyle. (deep breathe…in….out…)
Now, Norwich say there has been no approach and the bookies are not perfect when it comes to managers. I won money on Gunn getting the job at Norwich before Lambo’ and he was not close to being a favorite. I’d like to hope Lambert shows some loyalty 5 months into a new job, especially as we are now second in the league and very likely to be back in the Colaship next season, along with Burnley!
Anyway, I’ve been spying on Burnley message boards all day looking for the tip, the one poster who has inside information, there’s always one.
Posted by Norfolk Ned on December 16th, 2009 | 103 comments
One day this man may regret his petty behaviour.
Let me introduce you to Robbie Cowling, the Chairman of Colchester United Football Club, a man who is so angry at Norwich City that he is going to let his hate stop him from making SIXTY FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS on January 16, 2010. That’s when Colchester United host Norwich City in League One.
United’s home, the Weston Homes Community Stadium, holds 10,000 punters and this season they have averaged around 4,500 a game. That leaves 5,500 empty seats. Colchester United have given Norwich just 1,900 tickets, leaving 3,600 seats– seats that Norwich fans would snap up if they were available, and seats that would bring Colchester the 64,000 smackers.
That’s a lot of money for a tiny club like Colchester in this economic climate, don’t you think? You need only read our ‘broke ass Tuesday’ posts yesterday for proof of how the recession is catching up with football.
So why is Cowling refusing to sell out his ’stadium’? Well, it’s simple, he is a child– a bitter, angry immature juvenile.
Posted by Norfolk Ned on December 15th, 2009 | 108 comments
Such beauty...I want it!
That there, on the left, is one of the most desirable, coveted, stunning, important trophies in the whole of World football. That my friends is the Johnstone’s Paint trophy, known commonly as the ‘Paint Pot’. Of course, my tongue is firmly in my cheek.
Why am I sharing the beauty of such a wonderful trophy? Because my beloved Norwich City are playing away to Southampton in the regional semi-final today. Ninety minutes and then penalties if needed. However, we will likely be missing 19 goal hit-man Grant Holt and number one CB Jens Askou among others. Manager Paul Lambert does not relish a trip to Wembley as much as I do and has said his focus is on the league. BUT, I really, really, really, really, really, REALLY want to go to Wembley this season.
So, best team or not, keep your fingers crossed for me today as I listen to my super yellas at St Mary’s. I’ve been pacing my way through this competition for months and a win puts us in the regional two-legged final with either Hereford or Milton Keynes. Yeah, I KNOW, that would be extremely tasty!!!! Kick off at 2.45 EST.
There are also some Premier League games on today so let’s look at those.
Posted by Norfolk Ned on November 5th, 2009 | 7 comments
Single file please
I absolutely love the FA Cup. Its the greatest cup competition in the world. Where else can non-league teams make it into the hat to play pros? Maybe even being drawn with Chelsea or Arsenal? In the rare cases even win!
The journey to Wembley begins this weekend with the first round, but many clubs from towns and villages you or I have ever heard of, have been fighting it out for a couple of months just to get to this stage already. One such team is Paulton Rovers who play their football in a village near Bristol. They ply their trade in the EIGHTH tier of English football, named the ‘Zanaretto’ league. They drew a tasty home draw indeed… To Norwich City.
A tie that will be televised on ITV in England this Saturday at 12.45 local time, giving the tiny village of Paulton its 5 mins of fame. As a club, making the first round for the first time in history is more than just a chance to beat a big team filled with pros earning 15k a week, its a chance to make some serious cash. ITV will be paying Paulton 70,000 UK Pounds to air the game this Saturday and if you add the gate money and one off shirt sponsorship that Paulton has secured, the final count could total 400,000. That is enough money to keep the tiny club going for 10 years!
Posted by Norfolk Ned on October 26th, 2009 | 3 comments
Grass roots at Paulton. Players will change behind the pitch in a separate building.
The draw for the FA Cup first round was made on Sunday, yet very little attention is paid to the first round. Awwww.
Teams in League One and below will duke it out to progress in the Worlds oldest cup competition and for a chance to make it to draw one of the big-boys later on.
Of course, the big guns are added at the ‘third round’ stage, but for some of the non-league minnows who have made it this far, a date with a possible giant killing is already on the cards.
Non-league Paulton Rovers pulled my lads, Norwich City, at home. A tie they may not be able to host. Before the draw I had never heard of Paulton. Had you? So where is it?
It’s a small village in Somerset with a population of 4,896 apparently. Paulton Rovers were formed in 1886 and their biggest attendance was in 1906 when they pulled Crewe Alexandra from the FA Cup hat. Paulton will be keen to keep the tie at their place but it may not be safe or have the space for the temporary stands that will be required for supporters. SKY in the UK have shown an interest in airing the match and Norwich gaffer Paul Lambert will not be taking the non-leaguers for granted..
It’s a first for me as a manager, I didn’t play non-league sides when I was at Wycombe or Colchester, so it’s a challenge I will be looking forward to as well, as I’m sure all the players will be.We don’t know very much about Paulton Rovers so we’ll be doing our homework and preparing for the cup tie as we would any game in the league or the cup. If you take people for granted in this competition you tend to get punished for it, so we will make sure we go into the game properly prepared. – Paul Lambert.
After the jump, the full list of first round ties.
Posted by Moonshine Mike on October 8th, 2009 | 4 comments
Sully wants a team...
David Sullivan, newly enriched former owner of the Birmingham Blues and football bon vivant, is looking for a new place to play. Flush with his buy out from Carson Yeung, he is poking around looking to buy another club. Earlier this week, his name was mentioned with buying West Ham, but was balking at the amount of debt the team was carrying on the books. He’s taken his sights and turned them onto lowly Norwich. Sullivan is more of a bargain hunter than he is an owner, and he’s probably better off poaching a League One team at a good value than actually doing living in the high spending Premiere League. Norwich, as we all know, are “a better team than their record indicates”.
My only question is – what WAG will he hire to run the thing, and what does our poor Ned think of this?
Posted by Norfolk Ned on September 28th, 2009 | 9 comments
When are the Football League and the FA going to do something about diving? This season has been an absolute disgrace so far, and players like Curtis Weston of Gillingham are making an absolute mockery of the game, the officials and of the fans who pay a fortune to attend football matches. Ref’s in League One are useless anyway, already sampled their stupidity this season, but the below decision to send off Norwich City’s keeper Fraser Forster is a shocker. Ref’s make mistakes and douche-bags like Weston dive, but something should be done after the game. Now Weston has gotten away with one, he will do it time and time again. The FA and Football League need to review these incidents and hand out bans.
The below travesty took place on Saturday at Gillingham. Thirty-three mins into the game and Weston jumps over the diving Forster, dropping his right leg to make contact (probably didn’t). The keeper is focused on the ball and the cheat dropped his leg as Forster has passed him on the ground. All the time Forster is focused on the ball, as it heads away from the goal. Weston’s dive would not look out of place on a high-board. While at speed, the ref is fooled, afterwards it’s pretty clear he cheated. Following the resulting penalty, the Gillingham players not only celebrated in front of the traveling contingent but they danced too. All while the ref watched.
Norwich equalized deep in stoppage time with ten-men to take a point from the game but that is no consolation, nor will it cancel Forster’s ban. Cheats like Weston need to be punished. Personally I think divers should be tied to a stake covered in barbed wire and beaten about the face with a pitbull, but I can over-react a little so I’ll settle for a 3 match ban. I have slowed the video down frame by frame at the end of the feed. Check it out for yourselves.
Posted by The NY Kid on September 17th, 2009 | 10 comments
This man may be a useless twat.
Word around town is that a rather well-known gaffer has his eye on a 2-year old whose moves are inspired by Eduardo. I don’t think even Arsene would go after a player that young! The youngster is plying his trade at the prestigious Freemason Lodge, out of which there have been some promising results. And who is the coach who is so interested? None other than Glenn Roeder (Bigus’ will requires him to be referred to as something rather impolite) . First Huckerby retires and now the evil Roeder is going after 2 year-olds?
Oh, did I mention that the 2 year-old is a horse named Neduardo? Apparently Roeder is involved with the horse in some capacity as the young Neduardo is currently in training with Peter Chapple-Hyam (who?). Oh how the mighty lowly have fallen. From the Coca-Cola Championship to the mud of the racetrack in such a short time. At least Roeder won’t get any more grimy than he is already.
