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"All Gonna Click" ACN Pod 153
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It's Christmas. And under Clement, there's no need to be afraid. We prattle on some nonsense and only the one factual inaccuracy on the Christmas quiz (we think, at this point) which by Tom's perilously low standards is a fairly sizeable achievement. Have a joyful peaceful Christmas everyone x
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Transcript
Team Recovery and Clement's Impact
00:00:22
Speaker
Welcome to the Long Come Norwich podcast, where we cautiously creep towards confidence that a colossal context change in conversion from what looked like clear catastrophe. After weeks of chaos and our young crop constantly coming an injured cropper, we collect our thoughts, consider the campaign and contemplate a couple of commanding conviction-creating conquests against capable competitive company. Compelling performances converting concern into confidence. Cohesion is crystallising, conviction is climbing and credibility is coming under Philippe Clement. Leaving fans with a cup half full after our late capitulation at Preston, And it's clear that we could create a cascade of points over this coming Christmas run.
00:00:58
Speaker
Claire, happy Christmas. Saturday, still a point gained considering the league position of the team's. To carry on with the sea theme, i'm I'm a bit steady flick and god fake it got aff conflictted again i conflicted about it if I'm honest. um Obviously, yeah, before the game, we definitely have taken a point.
00:01:18
Speaker
Firstly, i have no idea how Preston are third, but they are. Yeah. So yes, we would have taken a couple of conversations like that. Yeah. yeah um And actually in the predictions last pod, I did say one all and then got carried away with your positivity and went with the two one last minute limbs goal, which we did also get, but unfortunately, unfortunately,
00:01:40
Speaker
in the wrong net. It was a 1-1 limbs. Yeah, 1-1 limbs. Anyway, um and at 84 minutes, I'd have definitely taken a point and been happy with it. But at 85 minutes, we scored a damn good goal that was very worthy of winning that game and we should have won it.
00:02:00
Speaker
And to lose it, or not lose it, let the goal in in the way that we did, it it it felt... it felt so bad that I can't accept that I'm happy with one all, to be quite honest with you. It's one of those that that may be maybe in a few weeks' time, if if the run we're expecting to go on or or even to be fair, the the current run in terms of upturn and form continues, it starts to look contextually a lot better. But yeah it was it was like a sort of Boxing Day colon of a game, wasn't it was sort of stodgy and and sort of unpleasant and fecal mattery.
00:02:37
Speaker
I mean, that's an accurate description of the game. Thank you for that. You've just conjured up wonderful images. i mean, the pitch was was possibly there was fecal matter underneath it because, Jesus. mean, yeah, yeah, as have I. I mean, that that was terrible. But at the same time, I'm quite
Addressing Late Goals and Game Management
00:02:55
Speaker
positive about it. And I'm quite positive about it because... um The last what five games under Clement, I think you can genuinely make a case that we could have won them all.
00:03:07
Speaker
And I can't think of like maybe four or five games on the spin under Manning or Dean Smith or David Wagner or Johannes Hofsturek where you could probably go, well look, there's a body of work where there's an argument to say that we we you know we could have won all of those games.
00:03:23
Speaker
So, and actually... Even under Farka, to be fair. yeah Even under Farka, we needed to rely on... that many a games oh no say nobody We actually did it. But in in terms of the performances, actually, actually there were quite there were quite a few where we just went, oh, we've nicked that at the end, even though we haven't turned up today.
00:03:40
Speaker
And Preston was one of the worst, I think, out of out of the five. So the fact that we managed to edge ourselves in front, the fact that we went up against a team who, look... They're low on quality, but they're really high on endeavour, really high on work rate, really well organised.
00:03:56
Speaker
And we stood up to a team like that where previously we wouldn't have done. I think it's testament to to the body of work that's been done already by the head coach. So no, I was pretty positive about it. I think that there's plenty to build on. i think in a few weeks, contextually, it will look like a really good point.
00:04:13
Speaker
and My concern is that there's a pattern. It wasn't a one-off, oh, these things happen. It's like, what, three or four games now we've let a dying second equalise in when we would have otherwise won. Well, it was Oxford again, wasn't it? Oxford, yeah. But we were talking about this before we started. Manning era as well, but.
00:04:36
Speaker
So Claire and I, while we waiting for you, Tom, we're we're talking a little bit about this. and And the reason that I was way less worried about the concession on on Saturday is that for Oxford, probably looked like for 10 minutes that we were going to concede. You know, we kind of really retreated into our shells. we were We were just holding on for dear life, you know, kind of in terms of, you know, look, we just want to get those three points.
00:04:58
Speaker
This was way more considered. it It was almost Southampton-esque up until the point that it wasn't. you know We were managing the game you know kind of really well when I watched it back because I was on the bus when we considered this goal, um having watched the first 92 minutes. But it we were we'd done a much better job and then we just switched off for a minute. And ah I mean, there are if you if you break it down...
00:05:23
Speaker
And I wonder if you're still angry about it, Tom, you know, kind of based on on your emotional reaction on on Saturday. But um if if you break it down, there are so many individual errors.
00:05:34
Speaker
And I just couldn't see that happening again. ah You know, kind of like it would it just looked to me like a freak goal that, you know, kind of look, should...
00:05:45
Speaker
Should someone have failed them as soon you know soon as the turnover happened? Should Cordoba have just taken his man down? Should a couple of headers have been one in the box? Should Vlad have done a lot better? you know The answer to all of those questions is is yes, that should have happened. And I think it won't that will continue to be eradicated under Clement, whereas perhaps I don't think it would have done given the mentality under the previous manager.
Role of Home Advantage and Defensive Strategies
00:06:10
Speaker
So...
00:06:11
Speaker
Yeah, I'm I'm all right with it. like ah You're right, Claire. It is a pattern. But, you know, it's hopefully it's ever decreasing circles and and and we will just continue to get this out of our system because, look, you know, we could have easily gone under against Southampton. We could have easily, you know, kind of buckled under pressure there, but we didn't. We were really confident with it.
00:06:32
Speaker
So, you know, and maybe the crowd made a difference. Maybe we're going to make Carrow Road a bit of a fortress. And if we've got those situations again, you know, if we're maybe 2-1 up against Charlton on Boxing Day, maybe that's the kind of thing we see out easier than if we're doing it away from home. But I just can't see...
00:06:48
Speaker
Going back to the C words for you, Tom, I can't see the collective calamity that that happened on Saturday happening again. i think that I think that's fair. the um yeah I know that you and maybe and a handful of other people get annoyed when I do refer to my other yellow and green sporting persuasion.
00:07:11
Speaker
ah it It was made a lot better, this draw, by the fact that Green Bay did something even worse and threw away a game that was in hand with 24 seconds to go ah the next day. so actually, i was even more angry about that. To be fair, it's so in context... we've we've we've gone from win to draw as opposed to win to loss in in the case in case of Norwich. And it wasn't against the the the NFL ah equivalent of scum, which is what happened at the weekend for Green Bay. So, no, it was that the collective number of errors, and it is eight. It is eight individual errors in that in that replay of that goal. And you just think it's it's it's a combination of a slight slip and and a bad decision.
00:07:52
Speaker
The Marcondes jogging back, if if he's not If he doesn't do it in front of the whole team on video review, he needs to be pulling Marcondes in mark on there's in and and or selling that clip to his tablet or however they do individual you know video analysis. He needs to be shown that and so and shown that that is not acceptable for someone who's been on the pitch for whatever 32 minutes. That is not acceptable. and Whether or not he would have been able to get anywhere near close, even at a full sprint, to put pressure on to stop the ball going up the pitch, maybe not. But it's still it's one of those that really sticks. Yeah, you're right. you know But it's a combination of of um it's its body shape, which again maybe comes down to fatigue and tiredness, which is something you feel that Clermont will gradually continue to take out of this team. And we we do look a lot better later into games. And and I was actually and reminded just before the the goal, which was fantastically taken by McCarma, and we'll come back to him in a second, um
00:08:45
Speaker
I was actually reminded by something that that you said, Claire, on the last podcast about how much better we seem to be going later on in games. We actually seem to be growing into games in the last 10, 15 minutes. And I was actually thinking in the early 80s how much that was actually the case, and which then then obviously resulted in in ah in a fantastic finish from Jovan.
00:09:04
Speaker
And then, again,
Player Performances and Squad Depth
00:09:05
Speaker
up until 20 seconds before the goal, we looked like the only outcome was a 1-0 victory. um And yeah, I think probably a draw on... i mean, you look at the stats, on on a draw was pretty much a fair result. But... um the the way that the momentum goes. and And my biggest anger was just that there was multiple opportunities to do something about that. And when you are going back to the Saints game, we managed brilliantly in those in that stoppage time. And I thought Saints were particularly toothless. Likewise, Preston weren't really doing much in that. And I haven't heard it confirmed, but again, I don't think there was a shot other than the goal in in stoppage time. So it's not like we were having crosses raining down on us, but we were managing that really, really comfortably. And it's just body shape. It's just making sure the one thing that can't go here is you can't cut inside me. So you can go out for a goal kick.
00:09:56
Speaker
It can go out for your throw. The one thing that you can, or it can be our throw. The one thing that cannot happen is you cannot come inside me and run into space. And three separate players in the corner, Max and Malkondes, and I think it was Fischer, all three of them,
00:10:09
Speaker
basically showed someone inside into space and Fisher over commits to a challenge that he doesn't doesn't need to get that tight in that in that position. And again, if Fisher's kind of slight, he was really, really good as well. Brilliant performance overall from him. But if if he if he was the only one who had a brain fart in that last two minutes, we don't concede. You shouldn't be in a situation where we've got three to five players in that sort quadrant of the pitch, killing the game. And in a breakaway, we end up with four on two at the back post. How is that possible? We have to... like there's There was enough players in and around to control possession in that bit of the pitch. We didn't need to be all drawn over. And that was what we did so well against Saints. It was Cordoba and...
00:10:54
Speaker
a conde's and you know we we were doing a really good job of of ah killing the game over on the left-hand side for Saints. But at no point did we look like we were then completely neglected right back and because we'd all sort of moved over. So again, it's something that you feel Clement will take and will drill into them from an an educational point of view that when you are killing the game, one long ball can't take half your your team out of the game. and So yeah, it was just so frustrating because... you were out of the bottom three before, before Christmas, which feels like you get that win. And we talked in the last podcast. It does feel like there will come a point where you go, okay, yeah. Momentum. Yeah. Better. Yeah. It's doing this, but we're still, we we were in the bottom three when you came and we're still in the bottom three.
00:11:36
Speaker
So I feel like that it will be a psychological thing for, for fans and players when we actually are, you know, nineteenth or 20th or whatever. And you go, okay, now we genuinely can start looking up at Blackburn and and Swansea or what have you. Anyway, and let's talk about Nakama, Claire, because ah he, for for reasons that and are not ideal, i.e. Sarge having ah a poorly bonce, is getting a bit of a run in the team.
00:12:04
Speaker
But right now, he looks like a first choice, number nine, for a championship team, right? i mean, what... Yeah, before you came on, John and I were talking about, yeah, we were just talking about this before you came on and I was like, obviously you'd want Josh back in the team, but Jovan's doing an excellent, well, not an impression, he is being an excellent number nine. The way he took that goal was absolutely superb. The strength to hold off the player, like he had no right to really score that goal and in the way that he did. it was It was excellent and you can just see how confident he is. So it's a shame for him that obviously Josh probably will come straight back into the team and take his position and he'll get moved over to the side again. But
00:12:50
Speaker
is is I was thinking this earlier today, how fabulous it is that we've now actually got a really, really good backup striker, whereas we haven't actually had that for quite a long time. um so yeah, it's really exciting. He's still so young and, you know, can't really cost us any money. If he carries on going, he will probably eventually leave us for quite a decent amount of money. Not that we want that to happen, obviously. But, yeah, he's been fantastic. Really, really good.
00:13:19
Speaker
two two Two things then. Firstly, just a quick interjection, a slight chant tangent. and You're talking about you know potentially buying someone and cheap and then then being worth a lot of money in the future. just want to apologize to everyone for saying that Oscar could be the next one who makes loads of money. He was obviously not very good on Saturday, so that's my fault. and But going back to Jovan, so if you're Claire Clement, which obviously you're working on but hasn't happened yet,
00:13:43
Speaker
I want to marry him. If you're Claire Clement and you're picking the team for Boxing Day, if Sarge just get clears concussion, do you have him on the bench?
00:13:53
Speaker
Because actually, why why rush him back? What, you know? o ah I mean, he's he's fit other than the head injury, isn't he? So it's not like he's he's going to risk anything by playing him if he's... Are you allowed to run around the same? If you're in concussion, are you allowed to do like full training or do you have to like do your own training with your head in like i think at this point, beyond two weeks, unless he's still got symptoms, I think he's allowed back into just normal training again, isn't he? Well, yeah, but if he's but if he's missed normal training, then yeah he can't be as fit as the others.
00:14:26
Speaker
He must be doing something. He must be bikes and all the rest of it. Yeah, he's not going to involved in team training. Well, up until now, he will be involved in team training now. So they've had a full week, plus probably ticking over in terms of some level of fitness. Plus he's Josh and he's super athletic and came back after months out and looked astonishingly good. So, yeah, I think he'll be fine. But I think the way you frame it...
00:14:49
Speaker
Yeah, 100%. and But I think the way you frame it now is that actually we've had to flog Sarge often for 90 minutes. and And that isn't necessarily the case anymore. So it could be, right, Jovan, you've been sharp in the last few games, right, the last 30, we're going to stick you up there. And, you know, there's going to be players that work off you or, you know, we have, come you know, you're our sec or...
00:15:11
Speaker
Tony Springer, who I'm sure will talk about, you know, kind of, you know, just coming on the wing, you know, kind of and and relieving Jovan so he can go up front. But, you know, to Claire's point, he looks... He doesn't look like a complete striker yet, but for a 21-year-old in the championship already to have seven league goals to his name, to be able to play in the way that he does with his back to goal, like proper number nine, like difficult to knock off the ball, but actually also to have...
00:15:39
Speaker
the turn of pace and the the wherewithal in terms of, you know, kind of just on the deck. Actually, when he's going at people, he's really, really effective. I think sometimes he's got to improve his first touch. That's the only thing that I'd say is lacking. um But he makes really interesting runs as well. Like you look at the goal first goal against Southampton. Yeah. That's all about his run. You know, it's the timing of the cross as well, but...
00:16:03
Speaker
you know The fact that you know Wright probably knew that that's where he was going and if he could just put it on a sixpence that McCarmon was going to score, Sarge increasingly hadn't been making those runs before. So, you know, Sarge brings you, think Sarge brings you a lot more off the ball.
00:16:19
Speaker
um And that we missed that a little bit, especially against Preston. I thought we missed that. um But, you know, this this kid, if he carries on the way he is, is is going to be an absolute superstar. And and he will probably outgrow Norwich quite quickly if he carries on like he is.
00:16:34
Speaker
Comparison wise, how good he is in it with his chest and how good he is ah and kind of adjusting his torso and adjust adjusting his body shape in order to play other people in and and be at that number nine physicality and how how powerful he is at taking up a position to shoot.
00:16:55
Speaker
he actually reminds me of Dean Ashton. He's quite a similar kind of physicality. Good shout. That he's big, but he's not slow. He's probably nippier than than Ashton was. yeah Obviously, Ashton was bogged down by injuries quite early on, and then on eventually, obviously, one did for him. But it's just the the almost...
00:17:13
Speaker
a number a big number nine that isn't, like you know, not like a Dublin who is all flick-ons and glancing headers, but actually, no, give it to my chest and I'm going to play it and I'm going to get it. It's going in and out of my chest. And yeah, I think you're right that so to his feet, maybe he needs to, that's an area that he will get sharper in.
00:17:30
Speaker
But no, considering that he's going he's going up, so he's playing he's playing up to championship level for the first time as opposed to, you know, Premier League player, the Academy player that's had to drop down, you know, this is the highest level he's played at. And, and yeah, I think you're right that hopefully it's with us that he plays at a higher level in a, in a year or two's time, but um he it feels like he's going to get there eventually if he, if he keeps getting there. And so let's talk about springy because I thought that he was and a little bit ropey in his first, first performance, but when he got the, when he got the nod on, on Saturday, I thought he was superb. I thought he played really, really well. And,
00:18:07
Speaker
given, obviously he said after the game, 18 months out, spinal surgery, which is not typically a phrase that is hand in hand with elite sport and success. and I thought he was hungry, um got more and more confident as the game went on.
00:18:23
Speaker
Two or three really interesting angles that he was running at the fullback, drew a couple of fouls. And his youth. I love him. As far as I'm concerned, there is obviously Fawcett potentially out with ah with with a hammy. But for me, even on the last game, Fawcett wouldn't started it anyway.
00:18:41
Speaker
um and and And I want to see more Tony Spring. at What say you, Jonathan Punt? Yes. um it's it's Again, it's his off-the-ball work that I think is... you know look he He had a couple of really useful runs. He wants to go past players. He wants to whip balls in quite quickly.
00:19:01
Speaker
But at the same time, he's so much more effective than forcing off the ball you know kind of in terms of the way in which he'll just... harangue the opposition you know kind of and you kind of feel like the way that Norwich are structured now that is almost as important as when we have the ball. you know kind of It's about springing traps, it's about making sure that you know you're you're ready to go in transition quite quickly.
00:19:25
Speaker
Spring it seems to typify that. Plus his middle name's Gary, which is fantastic, isn't it? so I love that. Exactly. Well, when when you got Tony and Gary. him one Tony, Gary, and he's 20 what? How old is he?
00:19:39
Speaker
Hang on, isn't that? i mean, he's probably about 48 now. He's been around for so long, isn't it? He is Men Behaving Badly. Yeah, he's Men Behaving Badly Spring it. Oh, we need a Men Behaving Badly themed tune. Unfortunately, I don't think there's enough. Sort of Gen X's in the Barkley to get that going. But yeah. Right.
00:19:57
Speaker
ah Right then. So Santa Claus, pick me, pick me the player that you're most excited under Clermont to see blossom
Youth Development and Transfer Plans
00:20:06
Speaker
yet further. So we've we've done a lot on Max just touched on Springy and Jovan there. Give me another player. We're calling him Springy now.
00:20:13
Speaker
Springy. Well, now I'm going to call him Men Behaving Badly or some other element of that. Tony Gary. That's what you call him. Tony Gary. So we've done Tony Gary. We think he's great. We've done Jove. Obviously, I've ruined Oscar by saying that he's going to be worse. All right. So all the plans that we want to... No, but you know...
00:20:30
Speaker
Yeah, I think there's, well, he's the big greatest player to ever wear the shirt. But I mean, what what is the, what what ah give me another name of someone who you you think actually Clement, with him, Clement is going to make him even better.
00:20:42
Speaker
Because I've got one of someone who who is currently out injured that I'm really excited about. um ah yeah Yeah, you get go for it. who Who is it? Because I can't think of any others. because Oh, well, yeah, okay. We've barely seen him anyway, though. So I couldn't really tell you how good he is in the first place. But i so I saw him in his short period of time, I saw him receive the Manning effect. So I saw him look electric and then suddenly look really pedestrian in the space of three or four games.
00:21:11
Speaker
So he's one who physical attributes wise, data wise, you think, well, I bet your data leaps off the page. I can see why they signed you because he's so fast and he's really good at moving at speed with the ball. So if we can if we can have him, ah like ah a team like Preston would not be able to handle something as dynamic as that. And and I think you know we did we we were brought down to their stodgy level. I mean, goodness me, can you imagine having watch that football week in, week out? like we are we we We are fortunate. How are they third? Well, how bad must the league i'll be? I know, it's so frustrating that we're twenty third
00:21:48
Speaker
clearly better than Preston probably. Well, it's the endeavour in the back six, to Punt's point. It is that they are incredibly well coached at the spoiling side of the game.
00:22:00
Speaker
But defensively, they were superb. Lucky they were really, really good. Alex Neal's really good at that. Alex Neal's Millwall similarly are really good well, you're not gonna have any space. So you have to do something pretty good to get past us. And that works in the championship to a top 10 level. It shouldn't work to a top three level. And really, and as I said on WhatsApp, a few associates who, you know,
00:22:24
Speaker
poured scorn on the fact that they're third they deserve to be there damn their logic people like Leicester they're not anymore though are they Ipswich are third now aren't they alright let's not bring the turn of the pod down for a third sorry You have to have a look at people like people like Leicester and Scum and Southampton and yeah other teams with yeah Sheffield United have got to take a long look at themselves.
00:22:47
Speaker
How have we let that happen amongst us? Come on, we need to get these teams that don't play football further down down down the league. What about you, Puntalicious? Can you come up with ah with someone who or an area of the team that you're looking forward to, Clement you know blossoming in 2026 in twenty twenty six and the second half of the season?
00:23:04
Speaker
He's already done it to an extent, but I think um McConville, actually, he's been a revelation under Clermont, but he he looks to me like he's he's getting better and better. He looks like he's more confident with the ball, um you know, and he reads stuff really, really well in this set-up, you know, whether it's just that him and Darling dovetail in really nicely, whether it's that he's been given the confidence from a new head coach, whether it's the responsibility, but he looks like...
00:23:34
Speaker
It feels to me now that we have two proper leaders like playing at centre-back and they're organising the people in front of them. McConville looks you know really quite vocal for... i mean i don't know if he's 19 or 20, but you know he's ridiculously young for for a centre-back starting out in the Championship.
00:23:53
Speaker
um But no, I'm really excited about him and actually... ah thought about this the other day ah you yeah the other day that to me you know for me now like ben napper's best pieces of business seem to be the really cheap ones you know as in mcconville we got him in for a million quid mcama i think it was a million quid you know both of them you know their fees will rise but anytime we've spent big money they haven't necessarily looked as effective you know and and i Don't know. Maybe that that is a route that we we need to be looking at you know kind of more of the diamonds in the rough rather than ready-made products.
00:24:31
Speaker
Well, what what say you, Mrs. Clare, around January? Because... you know We're now only a couple of games away from when we when when the the window slams open. um Where are you thinking we need to strengthen? Flings open. Yeah, flings. It's flung. Flings open. So other than a new goalkeeper, where else do you think we need shine? Yeah, we need that conversation in the moment.
00:24:57
Speaker
I thought it was really interesting what Clermont said, was it the pre-match conference, when he said that they'd come in with an idea of exactly what players they needed to bring in in January, but now they've had time with them and they've seen some other players step up that they weren't expecting to, that they've now decided they don't need a certain position filled, which I was like, ooh, wonder...
00:25:20
Speaker
what that is. Would that be the number 10 maybe? I wasn't really sure which position he was alluding to. Well, 10s are expensive, so that would make sense. Maybe he specifically means chance creation. He might mean, yeah, effectively feeding our strikers has not been a problem under Clement from basically his third game on it. No, and he's seen a number of players that can effectively play that role, which he wasn't expecting. So I thought that was really interesting. So I think we need another winger, don't we? I think definitely.
00:25:53
Speaker
and But other than that, I'm not so sure we really need that many more players now. As long as they stay injury free. Well, that's what was going to say. mean You'd assume that we can't have as bad injury luck in the second half of the season as the first half. So assuming that we at the very least, if we just had average injury luck from now on, we should have a big enough squad and with enough players who have shown that they can step up and do it with with three or four significant people who haven't really done many much minutes yet that you'd hope would be able to help. and So what about you, Punt? and We need a new goalie. Obviously, he should never have got rid of Angus. and feel i feel vindicated because I wouldn't have got rid of him. Angus never saved penalties, though. so
00:26:37
Speaker
was thinking about this, and again, you know kind of in terms of Vlad and Angus. And we had the chat to me on the WhatsApp group. you know Who would you have right now? Would it be Vlad or Angus? And I'm i'm definitely in the Angus camp right now.
00:26:49
Speaker
But I've seen like a lot of people go, well, Vlad's got moments and in him. Vlad will save penalties. Vlad will do the impossible. Yeah, but Vlad will also do the really fucking stupid. Right? right Yeah. So that's the all problem. like what friended and And I think you could probably go and aggregate it across the season and go, oh well, her maybe he's saved more like really, you know, kind of high percentage chances than, you know, kind of he's he's dropped balls into the net. But that...
00:27:17
Speaker
That kind of misses the argument for me in so much as really good defences in the championship are built on consistency and reliability and stability. And they're things that he doesn't really possess. He is erratic. Conservatism, not flair.
00:27:31
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, when we are not... goalie that We are not a ah a podcast that generally advocates for conservatism, but you know kind of when it comes to goalkeepers and centre-backs, then yes, probably that that is where we're at.
00:27:45
Speaker
And he is he isn't that goalkeeper. Have we not got a decent goalkeeper on the bench, though? well i said that I said that. Get Grimmie in. Worth shot, isn't he? Get Grimmie in. He played the whole season last... I mean, they got relegated, but that wasn't...
00:27:59
Speaker
all his I haven't seen him doing it. To me, a flashy goalie, someone who is saves penalties and is in is a massive personality and and drops clangers, but also does unbelievable things.
00:28:13
Speaker
That is better suited to someone who's going for a trophy, someone who is going for Europe, someone who is a European team who's going to win most of their games, which to be fair is a lot of his record so far, obviously with weakup against weaker competition. where he has made unbelievable saves and he's made penalty saves, but also his team tends to score enough goals that it doesn't matter if he throws one in his net every now and again.
00:28:34
Speaker
and i And I do feel like if if we were playing to our potential and if we had a fit front three or four or five players that were interchangeable and we were banging goals in, then actually, yeah, we threw one in, but we won three one not the end of the world. But...
00:28:50
Speaker
in a situation we're in now, again, going back to what we talked about at the end of the Manning era, era seems a bit strong. You shouldn't really call it an era. um Um, period. Um, sort of a short, short, sharp shock of disappointment. It wasn't as short as it should be. Anyway, and going back, going back to that. Completely off the cuff. You didn't even expect me. Well done.
00:29:09
Speaker
yeah um i yeah Slick isn't it? Slick really Anyone anyone wonder why we could give this away for free and So Somebody pay him yeah that would just Just to not be on the air anymore yeah That's not kind and the um yeah During that Manning era We talked about how you needed players who were going to roll their sleeves up and were actually in a fight here. And a lot a lot of the players had signed for that. And in a way, I think Vlad is amongst that. I don't think Vlad expected to be receiving more shots than he was facing. ah that that you know bru
00:29:44
Speaker
Facing more shots than we were peppering on the opposition's goal. That's not what he signed up for. He signed up for a promotion push where he could make a couple of highlight reel saves. and and actually the rough and tumble and actually being nudged. I mean, we got really lucky earlier in the game. There was a very, very soft free kick that he earned where he came up, and I think it was actually one of our players that nudged into him. And the co-com said, oh, goalkeepers are far too protected these days. I don't generally agree that goalkeepers are too well protected. I think it's about right. However, on that occasion, I wouldn't have given that. Yeah, we got away with one. I think you're right.
00:30:20
Speaker
Yeah. And and i I don't, he, there's an element of, clearly he's been told to come flying out of his area and he did that better against Saints and it got away with it and he and he timed it right. But if you're going to beat it, and he strikes me as a character that if Clement or, you know, ah Declan now, maybe get Declan running goal. And Declan Rudd tells him, we want you to do more of this to help the team.
00:30:44
Speaker
It feels to me like he's a character who'll go, I shall do this every time rather than when this, like, see what mean? Like I've been told I must come off my line. I'll come off my line 15 times a half. It's like, no, no, no, it's not quite what we meant, Vlad. You know, I don't know that that's kind of the impression. He's a bit of an all or nothing kind of guy, but look, it's,
00:31:01
Speaker
Whether or not Grimmy would be any better, don't know. I'll tell you what, shall I answer your actual question, though, rather than talking about Vlad? I would still be looking for a number 10, because i I just think Marcondes, for reasons that you've highlighted in terms of maybe work rate and, you know... ah he's got He's got decent quality, i think, if he' if he's facing the opposition goal. I think going back, maybe there isn't enough there. And and he's he's wildly inconsistent. you know He's maybe one game in four that he's he's really good and the other three, you know he's he's average or or poor. So I think you know he's not necessarily a massively viable option there.
00:31:38
Speaker
you can win the league with him with I think you can win the league with him as your sixth best midfielder. Yeah, maybe. um Yeah. Kvist-Goran, Clement has ruled him out as 10.
00:31:50
Speaker
we're We're trialling Jacob right there, but... But, and well, it yeah ah it depends what you want out of your 10, doesn't it? You know, kind of really. But, you know, Jacob Wright has done really well there. You know, I thought it was his poorest game in the 10 on Saturday, but he has done really well there. and and And obviously he sees some of the qualities in him, you know, kind of in in terms of maybe the ability to spray the ball at pace, so you know, kind of to see something, to unlock the door.
00:32:16
Speaker
But... early's good He's not a natural 10, is he? And I think that's maybe what I think we'd look for. The 15, 20 minutes. um So there was there was an initial kind of 10 minutes, which was mostly Preston, mostly down the left-hand side. And then pretty much for the rest of the first half, we we played some decent stuff with with two or three nice kind reverse-style balls, like him and Kenny putting in kind of ah balls around the back and sort of and blind passes that that were quite imaginative and we looked quite you know creative.
00:32:44
Speaker
And I thought right looked really bright in those spells. But they just... Going back to what we said earlier, they just there was no space in front of their back four. There wasn't any little pocket ones to take. They doubled on occasion as well. Yeah, and he's not this early in his number 10 career, and or in his career generally, you could argue, because he is a young pup. um He has not got that wiliness of, of, of an ah Emmy as in, I mean, like M E T M not, you know, Emiliano, you know, he doesn't have that or Wesley or whatever. Like he doesn't have that kind of press, that understanding, that game picture yet. to be like, right, I'm going to have to do something really quite original here and really take run this guy backwards in order to, like, come and find space and stretch. and Like, he doesn't have that yet. But game intelligence-wise, I certainly think there's enough there that that that might come if he keeps getting a run in the team. And if he if he's not going to play Matty, although he doesn't seem to have been fit enough to be involved anyway, if he's decided that it's not Fisco, and certainly for me, if it's between Malkondas and Wright, there's only one winner there, and it's... yeah Right, you feel the the ceiling, the potential upside could be several years as a terrific number 10 at this level. Malkonde is, like I say, I think if he's the guy that comes on as the relief for 20 minutes when you when you're winning, yeah, cool.
00:33:58
Speaker
you know You know, that's that's okay. How about Sarge in the ten
00:34:05
Speaker
Well, I would have played two up front already. I said this earlier in the season. I think they both give you so much in the middle and what a handful. it's They're so rarely done that you have two jugals top. I think might see it at some point.
00:34:17
Speaker
But I wouldn't and if necessarily have him properly up top. i might I might still have him deep because I think his work rate would just be such a nuisance as well for defenders. But that's the thing. You have the option. If if you're saying you're you're both central... without the ball or in the early stage of possession, you're at you're you're a 10.
00:34:35
Speaker
But with the ball, you so basically we've got two nines. you know and you're right you know if With the ball, and it's not at your feet. You're basically given you're you're then taking three defenders because one um if if you've got both of them one-on-one...
00:34:49
Speaker
20 championship teams don't have two centre-backs good enough one-on-one. They've all got at least one who can handle one or other of them. None of them have got two that are equally... Well, almost none of them have got two that are equally enough that they're going to win every single time with those two ro cutting and running in behind.
00:35:06
Speaker
Plus, if they're both pushing onto the centre-backs and we do have a Wright or a um ah or Kenny or Mattson playing a slide rule pass, the worry of, is it coming my way or is it going to the other side, to to the other guy? i don't know. I would have tried it sooner because I just think it's...
00:35:23
Speaker
and that they seem to be the two that are most likely to create something and score and and they seem the hardest to defend against. Now that might change if Diallo comes back and plays really well and it is different if Oscar is is causing loads of trouble on on the wing that he has done in the previous games. To me, it seems like an obvious thing we need to go to.
00:35:41
Speaker
But, you know, we'll see. We trust in Clermont. We have a question on Twitter that we wanted to get to, or X as as some people call it, you know, like the Marathon Snickers
Match Predictions and Festive Fun
00:35:52
Speaker
Brigade.
00:35:52
Speaker
and So we'll we'll touch that. And then we've got a little special something to it to round off the episode. Okay, so our Twitter question that we wanted to highlight was from um our friend Richard Freezer, who says, hello following on from his question about Carrow Road and Farker's living room, Manning was the basement.
00:36:11
Speaker
Where are we with Clement?
00:36:15
Speaker
ah i think I think it's like the penthouse suite. like It's going to take a while to get up there, but once you're up there, the views are going to be spectacular.
00:36:29
Speaker
But the lift is a bit dodgy and needs a kick every now and then. But is it not is it not the, maybe it's that he's the penthouse suite and he's he's the architect of that. However, Manning and Napa, unfortunately, were responsible for the lift system.
00:36:48
Speaker
so And so so the penthouse suite is there. It's finished. It's gorgeous. It's it's beautiful. It's whatever decor that you're pitching in your mind that is the right thing. That's what he's done. However, he's actually had to come down to floor three to help finish off the lift system. because it's malfunctioning. So he's having to try and fashion some some kind of lift buttons out of some paper clips and some old string like Neil Buchanan. Try it yourself. um So that's a reference for do you the listeners.
00:37:15
Speaker
Do you reckon, given his penchant for headwear, that he's got like a Norwich City branded hard hat, if he's doing that one? Oh, gosh. Rather than his baseball cap. Yes, he has. He's got Norwich, yeah, and Hi-Biz, and Norwich City still toe cap boots. Yeah, and a Norwich City clipboard.
00:37:30
Speaker
And a Marks and Spencer's jumper. He did do most of his degree in engineering as well, didn't he? Did you know that? chose that analogy. Of course I didn't. Yeah, no, he did. He he but he he didn't finish because he became a footballer. No, he's a very intelligent man and he did engineering degree. to three ah three years of four for an engineering degree. I found that out on the first day, so I that one quiet.
00:37:55
Speaker
we're We're only a couple of pods away from a restraining order, but it's nice. Yeah. Yeah. Claremont. She starts saying, hi, I'm Claremont, Thomas. Nice to meet you. Claremont. That's a good name, isn't it? Claremont. I'd just go straight for Claremont. and i think it's great. Claremont.
00:38:12
Speaker
Clermont Thomas. The middle man. Yeah. Right. Well, and we've got a big, big Christmas ah fixture list coming up, but we're going to focus on some guarantees for the Charlton game, which is coming up. We are recording this Monday, the 22nd of December, 2025. 7.40pm seven four tpm and ah we will be ah winning obviously so tell me what the score is going to be and who is going to score the goals I'm going to come to you Puntilicious first for our Christmas cracker of a game in three four days time
00:38:43
Speaker
Okay, I think it's not going to be as comfortable as everyone perhaps thinks it's going to be. I think we're going But, right, here's my positive. One, we're going to keep a clean sheet for the first time in a long time.
00:38:56
Speaker
Two, Jacob Wright is going to score. Yes! three we're gonna win one nil and we are gonna imperiously and we're gonna imperiously manage the game from the 90th minute to the 98th minute and it's just and we're never even gonna look in you know the chart aren't even gonna have a chance it's gonna be fine and then all that like kind of the the positivity built from how we manage the game in southampton it's all back it's all back And we'll probably level on points with Pompey. and you know Who scores? Who scores the one goal? Right, yeah? Jacob Wright, yeah.
00:39:32
Speaker
Jacob Wright, okay. ah Clement? ah Boxing Day games are normally crazy. So I'm going with ah like something that's like 5-0. We're going to go mental. Finally, it's all going to click.
00:39:47
Speaker
We're going to pummel them. We're going to be like four goals up in the first half and then just see it out in the second half. Love it. Jove might score a hat trick. Might do, yeah.
00:39:58
Speaker
Josh will stick one in. I don't know. And then Harry harry Darling with, i don't know, a header. But we're going to absolutely thrash them. Annihilate them. Yeah. Well, I said last time that I felt it was coming. I really did think it coming. It's coming on on Friday.
00:40:13
Speaker
yeah Well, I'm not, I mean, I can't, I can't go. is prediction. I can't be the least. Jesus Christ. It's going be 6-0 and it's going to be four at halftime, five 63, and then an 89th minute goal by Fisher gets his first game.
00:40:26
Speaker
and it's going to be four at halftime ah five by sixty three and then ah an eighty ninth minute ah goal by fiser gets his first Oh, yeah, that'd be nice. That'd yeah probably we be I'm not there on Boxing Day.
00:40:44
Speaker
and i yeah well they're definitely um i'm goodnna I'm looking forward to it very, very much. So, yeah, that's and that will set us nicely up for um some some winnable games before then a tougher, tougher schedule, which we will obviously talk to you about and in the coming weeks and months. um Now, it's Christmas time.
00:41:03
Speaker
There's no need to be afraid. It's time for the return of the ACN quiz, the ACN Christmas quiz. Now, this year, I wanted to be particularly jolly. I wanted to be particularly friendly.
00:41:15
Speaker
And so we've gone for questions that will hopefully... Claire, what is the nickname of Norwich City Football Club? LAUGHTER Claire's questions are not going to be that much easier than punks oh At least you acknowledge that they will be easier Yeah, cheers man Typically that's the plan But I'm i'm not going to put time limit Because it's Christmas So just you know take your time, get it right And then we'll move on No passes, it's just going to be You can have a little while to think about it But if you get it wrong Then then I will offer it over to the other player So nice easy one for you
00:41:50
Speaker
Claire, question one. For me. Yeah, yeah. Where was Joss Sargent's first competitive goal scored for Norwich City?
00:42:00
Speaker
Watford. Is that your final answer? Yeah, no. That's not easy. No, that one isn't easy. know and ah okay question two. Against which team did Adam Eder score his first senior goal for Norwich City? my God.
00:42:18
Speaker
I can give you a clue. Preston. Yes. Oh, yes. It was a hat trick. It was an FA Cup time. Yeah. See, there's this theme. We just played innit? Number three, where did Norwich City mathematically secure promotion to the Premier League in the 2018-2019 season?
00:42:38
Speaker
Who was the team we were playing against? Oh,
00:42:43
Speaker
Oh. Oh.
00:42:48
Speaker
That was our finest flag display we ever did that day. what oh is it Where? I was going to say it was at home. well You then said, who is it against? Well, I said where. and yeah I would have given you at Carrow Road, but now Punt has specified it. You've now got to get the opposition. but yeah, you need the opposition as well. yeah yeah should I be. Because you're only on one out three so far. but It wasn't Blackburn, was it? It was Blackburn, yeah. It was Blackburn. Yeah, so two out three. Well done. i need to trust him I've had two hours sleep, everyone, just to put that out there. Yeah, yeah. so
00:43:20
Speaker
Yes, okay. And you've had two hours sleep. yes um Four, who was the opposition in Daniel Farker's first competitive match as Norwich head coach? You can have a point for the team, a point for our scorer,
00:43:34
Speaker
a point for their manager and five points for their scorer. Bloody hell.
00:43:46
Speaker
And if you can't remember any of it, it got... August 2017. Well, I know it's in August. It's not a point for the month. Who was his first game against? I ha haven't got a clue.
00:44:03
Speaker
Okay. No, it's absolutely fine. Number five, against which team did Kenny McLean score his first Premier League goal for Norwich City?
00:44:14
Speaker
that's That's your question, Tom. Man City? You can answer that. Yes, Man City. Yes, it was. Yes, it was. 14 September 2019. Who scored Norwich City's final goal of the 18-19 greatest season of all time?
00:44:27
Speaker
Rancic. Correct. Correct. So, um going backwards. So, punt. Can you steal any of these? Josh Sargent's first competitive goal for Norwich City?
00:44:42
Speaker
Was it where was it or who were the opposition? Either.
00:44:47
Speaker
I'd have said Watford. have said Vicarage Road. So no, I know. does always score there. So statistically, that is it is a sensible offer. It was Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth in the e f EFL Cup. Oh, I thought you meant league. I said competitive. I didn't say league. Was it at Bournemouth or did he score two at home?
00:45:07
Speaker
You're thinking of Jolis. Sarge scored a couple there. Or was Sarge already here by then? Sarge was sarge was here before Jolis was. Anyway, don't get tied down in the inaccuracies of the quiz. Was he?
00:45:20
Speaker
No, he wasn't. I thought you saying wind, though. No, no, no. I was saying that I think it was Jollis. Jollis is the one who had the really impressive home score game against all the way. Sarge scored couple game as well. Oh, he's okay. He was it allowed to. um Right, next one is... Against Bournemouth.
00:45:36
Speaker
I'm just questioning the Vitality Stadium. you know Yeah, that might be that but that bit but me wrong. and Who is the opposite? Bournemouth is the answer. If it's right. All right, it is, mate. No worries. So, can you get... I reckon you can get this one. Farker's first league game.
00:45:51
Speaker
No, no. Oh, it's really something happened at the end which made it more memorable than most oh it's Fulham was going to say Fulham I was bloody there it's Nelson it's Nelson Olivera I'm not going to give you a steal point because I had to give you such a big clue so it was Nelson Olivera can either of you remember their manager at the time Was it not?
00:46:14
Speaker
It wasn't John Tigana or whatever his name. would No, that was way before them. No, I can't remember them. No. John Collins? No, Djokanovic. ah And then Slavica Djokanovic. He was there for a couple of years. yeah And then do you remember who scored for them?
00:46:31
Speaker
No. Because it was one of our lot.
00:46:38
Speaker
Oh, what? It was an OG or it was a former player? Yeah. OG. which I had completely forgotten until I checked. No, it was Russell Martin.
00:46:49
Speaker
So I was there and I couldn't remember that at all. And when I Googled it and I looked at a second place to make sure that I hadn't completely, what the first place wasn't wrong. Because I could cannot remember at all. had such great start under Farker, he? With that and the Millwall game. Bloody hell.
00:47:07
Speaker
So um you got the others. So ah how many did you get? You got a point for the Villa game, point for the Man City game, point for Blackburn, ah point for Preston. So you got four, which is pretty good. It's pretty good. And obviously the Bournemouth one might be wrong, but, you know, what can you do? And did you just have Brancic?
00:47:25
Speaker
Yeah, that was the Brancic at Villa. So I was at, I think I was at all of those games, especially if the Bournemouth one was at home. I was there.
00:47:35
Speaker
Question number one. Where was Timu Pukki's first Premier League goal scored for Norwich City?
00:47:43
Speaker
Carroll Road?
00:47:46
Speaker
Premier League?
00:47:50
Speaker
Oh, Anfield. Yeah, but do we have to take your first answer? I don't know. You can't just ask me again and then not accept the answer, can you? But let's see if you win it or not. And then we'll change it. Yeah, it was the opening day, wasn't it? Spirit of Goodwill. That was the Hanley-owned goal that maybe yeah santa Santa Claus was thinking of. Oh, yeah. and Number two, it was head in his hands. Cara gave him shit for that. Number two, against which team did Todd Cantwell score his first Premier League goal for Norwich City?
00:48:19
Speaker
think this was a good flag display.
00:48:25
Speaker
Belting game this. Well, i'd I'd have said Man City again, but i can't remember us doing flags then. Yeah, we did do flags because we did the live We did do because we were running on ESPN France or something that day, weren't we? Do you not remember?
00:48:39
Speaker
It was we wasn't an evening kickoff. Yeah, that was when me and Lorne had to speak to some random... It was 5.30 kickoff, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we'd had, like it was like yeah ESPN France or something, TNT Sports France or something was over covering the fact that we were doing flags against Man City.
00:48:54
Speaker
Because we spoke to him beforehand and said, we're going to lose 7-0. And then we won. Yeah, I remember telling a lot of people we're going to lose by certain amounts. But yeah. right. Well, we don't know the answer that one. ah Against whom did Farker get his first league win as Norwich head coach?
00:49:14
Speaker
Was that QPR? Clermont's got it. It was QPR. Harrison Reid and Nelson Oliveira, the scorers. 2-0, yeah. Yeah, could get good good maths. ah Who was the opposition in Dean Smith's first competitive match as Norwich head coach?
00:49:28
Speaker
Point for the team, point for our defensive scorer, a point for their manager and three points for their scorer. Okay. Grant Hanley scored. Yes. Yes.
00:49:41
Speaker
I'm just trying to think if it was Southampton or Wolves. it was one of those two. I'm sure it was. I'm going to go Southampton. um
00:49:55
Speaker
Is that right? Southampton is right. Yeah. Okay. So it's Southampton 2-1, which is why I picked it, because we've just done that. So Southampton, yes. Hanley, yes. Can you get their manager, and can you get who their scorer was? Hmm.
00:50:16
Speaker
Their scorer, Adam Armstrong? No, it was Shea Adams. oh Manager should get this.
00:50:29
Speaker
No, no. I don't know. awesome hoji Ralphie. e ah Number five, which against which team did Max Aarons score his first goal for Norris City?
00:50:49
Speaker
this was a really good oh hang on cardiff yes oh well yes yeah 3-1 that's a they i think were they in the premier league then as well i'm not sure i think we might have been slight underdogs there i have to double check that yeah i think that was point here i think came in for that game max came in for that game and then yes the whole world turned it did ah So for the win, who scored Norwich City's first goal on their final game of the twenty twenty twenty one championship season against Reading?
00:51:25
Speaker
awful listen This was the title clincher.
00:51:32
Speaker
So similar to Claire's question, which is obviously also a title clincher. Yeah, I struggle with memories of that season just because it was the COVID season.
00:51:43
Speaker
You weren't there.
00:51:46
Speaker
I don't think it's him, but going say Kieran Dowell. Yes, it was him! He scored twice that day. He scored twice that day he's score two. well done i pick wow ah very um I didn't write that down there so I might be wrong. and So well done. You deservedly won that and with some excellent, excellent answers. and I think we covered all of the answers there. Oh, Chelsea. Toddy scored against Chelsea.
00:52:10
Speaker
Remember we lost 3-2 early in the season. Ah, yes. Yeah. That was a really thinking Leicester but Leicester, he had like that disallowed goal, didn't he? And that's why i ruled that one out. And then Everton later in the season. but yeah He was in the way. And he scored that goal against Arsenal as well which was brilliant.
00:52:24
Speaker
But that that that Chelsea game, home game, was proper topsy-turvy. Their keeper had a few sort of and spillages and it was, yeah, we were really in that. That was really unfortunate. I think Lampard was their manager, yeah. Oh, there you go. and We spent too much virtual time together. a Good job we don't see each other in real life. and Right. Okay. So, happy Christmas to you, Punt. I acknowledge that you exist more at this time of year than any any other. Thanks. Thanks. Straight back at you.
00:52:49
Speaker
Thank you. Santa Claire, Claremont, Thomas, it is a pleasure. Happy Christmas to you in your Timu Pukki Christmas jumper, which is a joy to the world for everyone to see. I hope you all enjoy the, what was it, 6-0, 5-0 and Nervy edge of seat win. It's not going to be Nervy. No, no, no. It's shocking. It's not going Nervy. We're going to keep a clean sheet and there's going to be no Nervy. be 1-0 and not be nervy when it's Norwich. We're just going to be in total control. That's the positive. That's not even a thing. We were in total control at 94 minutes on Saturday. Okay, 95-40, I think. So whatever we just said, so it's basically an aggregate of 12-0 or whatever between three predictions. So incoming 3-0 defeat is guaranteed. So all of your money that you got, like all of your pound coins that were serd taped inside your card from your Aunty Maud, take that down to the bookies and stick that on a Charlton win. because that's guaranteed now that is the long come noise guarantee do wish you the happiest and healthiest of Christmases we'll chat to you about the festive fixtures we'll chat to you about the festive fixtures that's hard to say isn't it how have you started the pod with all of that alliteration like seamlessly one take well and then you fuck that up so we'll see you after Christmas
00:54:09
Speaker
mind there you go
00:54:33
Speaker
leaving fans with a cup half full after our late capitulation at Preston. And it's clear that we could create a cascade of points over this coming Christmas run. That's too much. That's far too much. That was that was mighty impressive.
00:54:49
Speaker
brafa Ruben helped with that, by the way. Good boy. I said, what's the word that is is all gone wrong beginning with ker? He was like, catastrophe. i was like, that's the one. Cheers, mate. So some people use AI. I use a 10-year-old.
00:55:05
Speaker
Claire, happy Christmas. Saturday, still a point gained considering the league position of the teams. To carry on with the...