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"Jove's Avulsion" ACN Pod 158
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Has anyone else noticed that we keep getting loads of injuries? We put the leading medical mind of our generation on the case of what's going on up Colney. Sort of. We talk about loads of goals and that. It's great at the moment, drink it in friends, we're owed these performances to be proud of.
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Transcript
00:00:21
Speaker
Welcome
Celebrating Norwich's Turnaround
00:00:22
Speaker
to the Long Come Norwich podcast. Thousandfold thanks for joining us as we celebrate a thunderous turnaround at Carrow Road. Things were looking thin, but thankfully we've thrived through the gloom. With 39 points banked, we've thwanked our way up the table with three points from five of our last six thrilling encounters. And as we look back on our latest thumping victory, we have to admit we thought we might thoroughly thrash Oxford, but who'd have bet thruppence on our new Thrika scoring three?
00:00:46
Speaker
Claire, there's so much to talk about.
Team Analysis and Key Players
00:00:48
Speaker
Pink kits, injuries last night. Does Napa need have a nice chat with Sarge? Australians, all the nice signings fitting in seamlessly. Which Aussies had the biggest impact, Momo or Theo?
00:00:58
Speaker
Come on, what are you going to start with? It's got to be Momo, Momo, Momo, hasn't Momo, Momo? Momo, Momo. Good grief. I mean, what? Four goals in your first, what, hour of football. That's just absolutely, well, football in it for Norwich, obviously not entirely football, but wow.
00:01:17
Speaker
I mean, he's raised the bar so high now, he's probably going to turn out to be rubbish after this. He's not going to turn out to rubbish because he 100% of his shots on That is true. He certainly does know where the goal is. And the the way the goal, they were all such different goals as well. And the the third one was so pookie-esque. I was just,
Momo: Talent and Potential
00:01:43
Speaker
it was joy. I raced to get that in the WhatsApp chat first. I wanted to be the first person to point out how pookie-ish that finish was. It really was. And he seems quite like Pukki in his manner. like He's really chill. like He seems quite shy. He really didn't want to be pushed forward to do the the cheers at the end of the match. He seems like like almost like Pukki in his mannerisms as well. So let's hope. Let's hope. do you think he'll have um a central defender shaving his head in his pants at some point before the end of the season? Oh, dear. Punt.
00:02:14
Speaker
but Momo. I mean, moma Momo, Momo. ah Just moment Momo, just incredible. ah what what ah What an impact at a time when we needed him more than we realised whilst we were watching him have that impact.
00:02:27
Speaker
And yet, and yet, he still looks really raw. but And he still looks like there might be quite a bit more to come from him and he hasn't quite settled in at all.
00:02:38
Speaker
But there
Team Dynamics and Injuries
00:02:39
Speaker
are ingredients. And I think what I really liked, actually, is there's elements to his game that Jovan hasn't quite perfected yet. So, you know, like actually, I thought he was much better with his back to goal. He was much better in terms of um his first touch and maybe just getting out of it out of his feet quickly and shifting it to a winger. there There's...
00:03:01
Speaker
There's an awful lot to like. And look, all right, we're probably looking at McCamos out for the season now. But when those two might be working in in tandem, um it feels like it's a really good change-up option.
00:03:13
Speaker
And he's bloody rapid. I mean... He's quick, isn't he? Yeah. Just ridiculous pace. um Which, you know, but defenders, that's the one thing that if you ask any you know defender at the top level, i like you we can't contend with that.
00:03:28
Speaker
you know So, um yeah, really encouraging. i We looked at that line-up well. Tom, to be fair, I have to give it to you. you did I think you jokingly said in the WhatsApp chat, we're going to win three now. It wasn't a joke. It wasn't a joke. I said we'd two up within 15 minutes. And I said Motore would score the first goal. So when he scored after 40 seconds, I thought, oh, why didn't put money on this? Yeah. Yes. No, I thought we'd thwack them. I felt it was coming. I didn't. And I always think we're going to win 4-0. Yeah, you do. So actually 3-0 was potentially quite pessimistic for you. Exactly. That's going to be a tough one tonight.
00:04:09
Speaker
Exactly. I mean, when you see Liam Gibbs on the right wing, like immediately you're like, all right, okay, there is a dearth of options there. thought Norwich were really good at making sure that actually anything that, you know, was...
00:04:24
Speaker
anything finesse-wise went down the left-hand side. And there very much was a focus on that. And actually... Field being a left footer seemed to, you know, and maybe, you know, Kenny being... Actually, when was the last time Norwich had two left footed
Strategy and Player Development
00:04:38
Speaker
central midfielders in the same team?
00:04:40
Speaker
That might be one for NCFC numbers. Well, you say that you say they they deliberately put the finesse stuff down the left hand side. I think that's just naturally those those players it meant that, you with Oscar, that's the way it went. I don't i don't necessarily think they will have said, whatever we do, don't play anything fancy down the right. No, but I think we funneled a lot of our play down there. I think it's probably what I was going to say. But I don't think it, I can't remember a single point.
00:05:04
Speaker
i mean, it's never quite the same watching it on the telly as I did as it is just being there. But I don't remember any point being annoyed with him. You know, I don't remember any point thinking he's out position. No, or that he did too much with the ball, or that he didn't go when he should have gone. or you know And he got a really good um ovation and also a lot of back slaps and high fives leaving off the pitch. because I think he'd put a really good shift in. yeah Is he one that you think maybe with a bit of a run in the team, we might see a Clement you know renaissance? you know Maybe we'll finally, the fourth and fifth gear we've all hoped we could get from Gibbs, and Philippe will get get for us
00:05:45
Speaker
like I've always quite liked Liam Gibbs. i'm not I'm not one of the haters. I think he needs to have a run of games because he he hasn't really had that. Fitness you know has obviously been an issue and then just not not being picked by the managers. But i I think he's got it in his locker to to be... just a decent player. He's not going to be one of our best players, but certainly if he has a run of games, I think he can do it. I thought he played really well last night. um And yeah, okay, a lot of the stuff did go naturally down the left, and I and i don't think that was done on purpose to avoid giving it to Liam. But um yeah, I think he did a great job last night. And it might be that we have to keep playing him there now anyway, because injury curse has struck again. But also just that the players that come in, and I saw somebody mention this yesterday, that it is a bit like 18-19 season where we did have a lot of injuries in that season, but the players that come in, they just seamlessly pick up where the other ones left off.
Coaching and Expectations
00:06:45
Speaker
Even, you know, ones that you're not expecting just because the the confidence is so high in the team and the way we're playing, is they just come in and they just carry on. And it's like, you know, It's just seamless. And ah every player that's come in, obviously Torre did it with with Jove being out as well. It's brilliant. And a long may that last because it's going to have to, because yeah, these injuries are not going away.
00:07:09
Speaker
Well, but it's another question for for those who are better at stats than us, which is not difficult. um i I certainly in recent or even long-term memory, what I have left, and don't remember a season, anything like this for for injury.
00:07:26
Speaker
I mean, just we've had bad spells several times, but this is sort three. It almost feels like we've had three sets of bad spells on the spin. you know where we were we had troubles going into the season. It then got worse and then it got worse again. and then it got worse So maybe it's sort of the fourth cycle now with the kind of the Papa and Jove double whammy. It feels like if we we just we felt like we were starting to get people back. Yeah, we just got everyone back. And I was thinking, this is too good to be true. And you know we thumped West Brom and it was like, something's going to go wrong here. like It can't be this good. And then i thought, oh, Mattson's out. Okay, that's it.
00:08:04
Speaker
And I think I said in the last pod, oh, it's a toss-up. Is it going to be Mattson or Jove that gets injured to kind of knock us off? And then it turned out be both of them. Well done. If you look at the performances it without Mattson so far, and Clement has done a phenomenal job we yeah um with motivating those players to understand how they can mitigate...
00:08:27
Speaker
that loss um and credit to the players for, you know, not making it again last night. There were no times when I thought, oh, we're ever so, you know, they're running through us in the middle or no one's turning, no one's getting the ball back. Now, part of that was Oxford were were dreadful. They were, and yeah. I do think in the second half they were unfortunate with a couple of um a couple of referee decisions. and But in the first half of the season, we really were not getting anything. So fair enough. They say you make your own luck. All the momentum was with us. And, you know, I know Clement,
00:09:03
Speaker
yeah ah well I was going to say tongue in cheek. I'm not sure it was tongue in cheek. Clement did say last night he wants four and I was disappointed if we didn't go for five. To me, I don't know about you, Punt. I felt like if they had have got it back to three, one, it felt to me like we had two extra gears that we could have clicked into as and when we wanted to. So I get that he might be disappointed that we weren't ruthlessly putting five or six away, although it's very nice. Our goal difference is now not got a minus in front of it. Yeah, lovely. For the first time in months. But the for me, that it it did feel like if we needed to go and get fourth, we would have done, don't you think?
00:09:37
Speaker
Yeah, I kind of agree. um It was really, really nice, though, just to have a look at some different options and different positions. I mean, you know Paris Magoma comes on and actually i thought he looked he looked really neat and tidy without ever really doing anything like massively effective in the final third, apart from one crazy back heel that nearly came off, which was which was gorgeous. that That would have been nice. Yeah.
00:10:02
Speaker
But he looks like a really good technical player. And actually, he looked he looked a little bit like positionally. He wasn't quite attuned to what Clement team wants to do yet because you'd have quite like to have seen him a lot further forward and a lot further higher up the pitch just to just to affect it. But no, he looked really nice. um it's It's good to get Jack Stacey some minutes because actually, you know, that isn't something that's been afforded to him too much.
00:10:28
Speaker
It's just really good that Norwich can now get to a point where we are so you know ridiculously in control of a game that that we can manage people's loads because that is probably what has caused a few of these injuries.
00:10:42
Speaker
And know, let's not dip too far into the injury crisis and why they might have occurred because, you know, none of us really, well, Claire, you're probably most qualified out of all of us to be able to comment on that. I'm going to say they need a radiographer at Carrow Road, then I can volunteer my services. just think they probably have two going full time. They probably never turned the scanner off. No, this is It could be my way into getting back to Norwich. Yeah, sorted.
00:11:09
Speaker
Yeah. But it but there is there is a conversation there. And I like i know the club have had external auditors in. I think you know they've they're in receipt of a report which you'd have thought is fairly damning about the sports performance lot. you know and And I would be really surprised if heads didn't roll or so you know there was some level of change in that department in the summer.
00:11:32
Speaker
Because part of, I mean, you know from from what we were told a little bit about the recruitment of Clement is... he was really strong on being able to manage that that performance side of things and it it you know had had really you know massive capability in that area and it felt like he was he was doing a really good job at just managing things in in a very subtle way to make sure that he was getting the maximum amount of people without them burning out. But look, you know, it's it's been too much now. lot of them have been just during the game, just unlucky. You know, Jov's standing on someone's hand. Jovon's is definitely like just situational, isn't Also just twisting your ankle. These things are going to happen and... and
00:12:14
Speaker
It's more common these days because the footwear they've got on is so much lighter than it used to be. So they're more prone to getting these injuries. like It was a fairly innocuous twist of Joe's foot, but he's fractured his fripped I imagine he's just got a little avulsion fracture where they just pull the bone off where the tendon pulls it. but I think he will be back before the end of the season, though, because it's usually around six weeks for that to heal. And then he'll obviously need to do a bit of training. But he should be back. They said he'll be back, hopefully, for a few games towards the end of the season. So I don't think it's like season ending for him. And also the ACLs as well. That's just bad luck.
00:12:49
Speaker
Yeah. you want me to keep going
Season Goals and Challenges
00:12:51
Speaker
on the... Yeah, yeah. Well, no, this is brilliant. just Tom and I would just sit back and you just talk about injuries for half hour. Yeah, sorry. Sorry. He's either probably got a fracture of the base of his fifth metatarsal or he's evolved a bit of bone off his cuboid bone, probably. That's my diagnosis. There go. I don't know. You can have that for free.
00:13:11
Speaker
and yeah Yeah. I mean, I don't chose cuboid. There's your title. and I'm not sure if I am feeling desperate for us to push for the playoffs or desperate for us to...
00:13:28
Speaker
do just enough so that ah we get to enjoy going for the title next year. I almost feel like I don't want to you know, i don't want to be spoiled by a playoff run this season. um I sort of, I almost want to finish ninth, eighth with all the joy of,
00:13:45
Speaker
and i mean With this injury crisis, I think I said it to you guys after last night's game, the injury crisis that we've had, these these this constant cycle of losing, and not just fringe players, like key important signings we've spent decent money on and not spent a lot of money on and scored loads of goals in joe Joe's case.
00:14:04
Speaker
and To even keep that team up, to finish 20th with this injury crisis would be a testament to any manager or coach. But to to to genuinely be in what is eight points off ah off the playoffs with two very, very winnable home games coming up, um where that could easily be five points.
00:14:23
Speaker
um And then you're only looking for a couple of results to go your way and you're suddenly talking about playing football in you know late late May. i mean, it's it's it's an unreal turnaround. and Where do you think the on the pitch slip up might come, Claire? I mean, putting aside more injuries, which probably is going to happen, where do you think actually we might be either riding our luck a bit or maybe we feel like there is an area that we we really don't have it nailed yet under Clermont?
00:14:55
Speaker
It's hard not to bring in injuries there though, isn't it? Because I can't see any other reason why this would derail now. He's got us playing so well.
00:15:07
Speaker
um Everybody knows their job. Everyone's doing their job. We just seem to have touch wood, the Midas touch at the moment, like everything that we touched seems to come off. The clean sheets coming now. Clean sheets are coming even with a change of goalkeeper.
00:15:26
Speaker
And it's lovely having a number two goalkeeper that is competent. That isn't George Long. Yeah. Yeah. And has an assist with practically his first kick of the ball. That's the first thing that's on his footballing CV. It's just like, number one, not George Long. And they're like, yeah, lovely, lovely. Here you come. But Vlad's going to be back though, isn't he? Presumably Grimmy will play on Saturday in the West Brom Cup game. Yeah, mean, that's handy, isn't it? That we've got the Cup game. So Grimmy will probably play anyway. Yes, that does work nicely.
00:15:58
Speaker
It's hard. It's hard. other than injuries, to see why this... we won't Well, we'll at least stay up. i don't I don't think we're going to make the playoffs, although it's a lovely dream and it is a possibility now, but i just ah don't think we will quite have that much. um
Player Performance and Transfers
00:16:19
Speaker
And the other teams around us aren't going to sort of pick up points as well. So it's it's not just about us picking up the points as everyone else is perfectly capable of picking up points above us as well. So ah only thing I think that will derail us is...
00:16:34
Speaker
is another injury or two to a key player. ah If Torre gets injured, then we are. I won't swear, but it would be. Well, although then we have got a striker, don't we? if Another talking point. Yeah, why does he not get much of a turn punt?
00:16:53
Speaker
I don't... Is it because he's little? Does Clement not like little? Is it because he's little? I think it almost boils down to as much of that. mean, Tourรฉ, I don't know how tall he is, but he only looks like 5'10", 5'11", so he's not massive. He's probably But... Well, he's not as tall as Joe, he probably looks smaller up there. Fair.
00:17:14
Speaker
Absolutely fair. but But there is something, this has been said in other podcasts around his physical profile, that he just... He doesn't have that lightning pace. He doesn't have maybe the natural core strength that, that you know, as a Sarge or a Jovan or, ah you know, whoever, um you know, has. he he's not He's not that natural leader of the line that I think, you know, Clement Ball needs or, you know, kind of certainly that, you know, Big Phil is is a fan of.
00:17:43
Speaker
So I think it's as simple as that because like he's been you know pretty positive about the fact that he's he's a player. He's just not a player that maybe fits into the system. So it's either we've got to change the way we play and Clement's been really, I think, prescriptive. And that's almost been, you know as we've said earlier, that's been the recipe for success that everyone knows their jobs. Everyone kind of knows, you know kind of they can just kind of bolt in.
00:18:05
Speaker
But ah a striker is such an important piece of the system, isn't it? um But yeah, I think he's, he's too little. He's um still managing his knee injury as well. And ah that was the other thing I was going to come on to. I mean, there's still massive rumors that he needs surgery in the summer or anywhere. He needs surgery at some point. So you can't flog him.
00:18:26
Speaker
So he probably still is at the minute, 25, 30 minutes, you know, most games. think he'll start on Saturday. If he doesn't start on Saturday, that points to, we are worried about him. Yeah. because Because you wouldn't want to risk Torre because he's already he's our only goal scoring striker the moment. Did you see though Torre's taken over from matty Matty's stat of being having scored the most goals per minutes on the pitch? Is it currently for per Yeah. A massive amount.
00:18:55
Speaker
Yeah, I think I saw, um'm I'll be in trouble for not crediting it. Maybe Dan, might have been Brad, I think he was my friend Dan, who said he's on um he's on course at the moment for 67 goals by the end of the season.
00:19:08
Speaker
ah and Nice. yeah he just I mean, I'll be honest, I'd settle for that. mean ah Do you know what? I would settle for him just getting 50. but Honestly, I'm that reasonable a guy. 50 from late January. I'll take that. and yeah it's said i' I really affectionately want Chris Goran to work. I love that scrappy-do energy. i love his sort of springy, joyful. and he plays He plays football.
00:19:38
Speaker
He looks like he loves playing football. And I know yeah and you you know you really can't say that for all for all footballers. And and yeah even the current Norwich team, there's some sort of workman-like individuals out there. But i mean he looks like he's having a kickabout. And maybe that's why he's you know hurt himself has several times because he's thrown himself around. But I'd love that. I'm sure, John, you said that in one of the very first podcasts you said he looks like he's going to get injured because he throws himself about so much. It turns out to be true. So let's talk about the bimbo then. what I mean, it happened last night. It happened Saturday against Blackburn.
00:20:15
Speaker
you know, all through this run, basically apart from the borough game, I have had at least one moment, if not several in each Norwich game, basically since mid January where I've thought, wonder if Josh Sargent is watching this. I wonder if Josh Sargent's agent or family are watching this. Anyone who couldn't, who said to him, there's a relegation clause. That means we can get you out and we can use that as leverage and, or, um,
00:20:40
Speaker
and you know I think you should push for move because this lot are hopeless and they need you and you've got all the power. I mean, we're on one of our richest championship goal scoring forms you know runs of form ever.
00:20:51
Speaker
We look like scoring almost every time we go forward. And what is beautiful and Torre's hat trick tor ray's hatrick summed this up last night really we're scoring all sorts of different goals you know we are scoring goal goals where people are running in off the off the shoulder we are caught scoring goals where we're cutting it back that the Sam Field who will come on to a second as ah as a full debut thought he was excellent and and his 1-2 little triangle he played a little triangle and then a through sort of a reverse pass or whatever you call it when you put it inside the fullback it's ah into was that Slomani or was it um Oscar? Zene it was Kruzeny, beg your pardon. yeah and
00:21:30
Speaker
You know, that was a beautifully weighted part. And you think we're scoring all sorts of different goals. And if we are, Sargent has got a lot facets to his game that we haven't seen Jove have before.
00:21:44
Speaker
but I believe he's got the potential to have that coached into him. um And likewise, Tourรฉ is very early, but um you know he clearly hasn't hit his ceiling yet to your point, John. But yeah, there's there's bits and bobs that Sarge brings to a team that we don't have without him in the team currently. However, his number one most valuable asset is the fact that he can score us goals.
00:22:05
Speaker
we're all right without him. that's the That's the thing. We are creating so many chances that, I mean, I'll be honest, I think Torre's first goal, I think I might have got that. I might, i mean, I might have been able to tap that in. Even the second one as well, mate. I reckon you'd have had a fair shout.
00:22:20
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, third third one, no, because he had to actually run past someone. But no, it it is he really is being in the right place at the right time, which is a skill. But if we um if we're going to keep creating chances of that quality, of that high XG, it doesn't need to be Sargent. It can be a much cheaper striker who is going to be able to get those goals. So they did actually mention it on the comms last night. i don't know if you heard it and Do they with this, i mean, they didn't know about Joves' injury at the time, but do they actually say, yeah, we'll have 13 million Toronto because, you know, for 13 million, we can buy two other people who can just tap the ball in. Because if that's all we need, what you think, ju punt? I mean, I said I'd have taken 13 million when they first offered it, if you remember.
00:23:04
Speaker
I do remember that. i i still I would still be inclined. mean, look, Ben Knapper is almost... We've been really critical of Ben Knapper on this podcast several times, but we have also... You say that like no one else has. It's not like you went out on a limb. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:23:19
Speaker
Oh, ah you're right, Claire. haven't always... Yeah. I've stuck up for him. You have. You have. All right. Torre's six foot one, by the way. Just saying. Is he? Oh, is he? Is he There he goes. My theory was correct. Okay. um Benapa has done really well at extracting large transfer fees for players.
00:23:43
Speaker
And i kind of feel like that's something that he probably wants to put on his his CV when his time at Norwich finishes. Yeah. ah I think taking 13 million for an asset like Josh Sargent would be awful, awful business because he's 20, 25 million pound player. effy's If he'd have been fit,
00:24:03
Speaker
properly fit for the last two, three seasons, he'd be a 30, 35 million pound player as far as I'm concerned. You know, he's, he can be that good. So taking 13 million to me feels like daylight robbery.
00:24:16
Speaker
He's not, he is, a you know, every player is a depreciation, and depreciating asset, um you know, when their contract is running down. But, he's still got two years after this summer. So actually we can wait until then. You know, if he wants to be a dick about it and have zero chance of getting in the USA squad for the world club, rather than maybe like what it is now, 10% chance, then let him.
00:24:38
Speaker
Because I think regardless of whether he goes now or whether he goes in the summer, it's minimum 13 million. And if it's the summer, it's probably more like 17, 18 million. So now i I think, I think the message that it sends as well to the club, oh sorry, to the the players at the club, if we actually double down and just go, nah, that's not an acceptable fee, is far more powerful than the 13 million pounds that that we would bank.
00:25:06
Speaker
especially as we've now got two more ยฃ30 million pound strikers on the books that are going to eventually, you know, be sold on. So, you know, when it comes to Torre going for ยฃ30 million and Jove going for ยฃ30 million, um and when we get our 1.5 for Kuskal, when finally give up after his eighth knee surgery. and Yeah, no, I get that. That is that's perfectly logical. um And... i you I also get your point, which is just like, fuck it, get rid of him. He's he's hurt. we because can't We can't get rid of him at the moment because we might actually need him. But we can't make him play. that's the conversation, it? can't make him play. Exactly. This is the conversation. At the moment, if we get rid of if we sell him now and then something else happens to one of our strikers, we are screwed because we can't go out and spend that ยฃ13 million until the summer now. so
00:25:55
Speaker
We either have to have a really good conversation with him and say, come in and join the fun. like You can start scoring goals. You can get yourself back in that USA team. Come back with all your teammates. We're having a great time here. He can't possibly be happy. He cannot be happy with what's going on right now. And also, if you look at the whole narrative around needing to be... There's the one thing about being with his family and there's the other element of wanting to be present scoring goals in a team to get in the USA squad.
00:26:24
Speaker
um I don't think we would have played any worse if we had Josh Sargent starting every game. And if Josh Sargent was fit and choosing to play, he'd have started every game. Like a lot of the goals that we have scored recently, we have created for someone to to put away. yeah I think Josh Sargent, had he played every game,
00:26:42
Speaker
and that he was yeah fit for and let's say that he does actually manage to stay fit, I think he would have scored more goals than Jove has and and he would have put all three of those chances away or had a really good opportunity. He certainly would have got the two champions. He'd love playing in this team. There are chances that Jove has missed as we were kind of getting better in this red-line form. There's chances that Jove missed that I don't think Sargent misses because he you know he is slightly more seasoned at this level. So,
00:27:10
Speaker
he could easily be sat on 20, 23, 24 goals just on it you know from like the extra 10 he might have got got in the last six weeks. Now, he couldn't have predicted that he was suddenly going to get 10 extra goals. But you know there is there is that element where I think Clement and Napa need to show a United front to the squad to say...
00:27:31
Speaker
ah He didn't think we could do it. He didn't think we could turn it around. He wasn't ready to come on the journey with us. He he thought you lot couldn't set up anyone for goals. And I'll be amazed if Clement hasn't used that in yeah know motivational speaking to the team over the last few weeks you know with regards to when Josh is out of earshot, which sounds like it is a lot.
00:27:52
Speaker
He's saying, look at look at the way that we're setting up chances for our strikers. Old matey boy, Bimbo, didn't think that you we were going to be able to set you know set him up and get him goals. Think how many you could have got if he was
Josh Sargent's Role and Future
00:28:02
Speaker
with us. And like you know maybe, and you know i'm willing to I'm an outsider, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because and so um I know that Claire will will go with this theory.
00:28:14
Speaker
maybe the the kind of big upturn was the fact that Philly Willie has used this kind of little gritty bit of friction and tension.
00:28:27
Speaker
And he's used that as the siege mentality. And he's got that kind of us against them. And the old kind of, the old adage of sticking the the the headline up on the wall of the dressing room, maybe he's saying, right, you're our our highest paid ish. Um,
00:28:42
Speaker
star striker doesn't think you lot can set goals up. Are you going to prove him wrong? Yeah. You know, maybe maybe there was a bit of that kind of man management going on. You couldn't blame him for utilising it. And maybe that's one of the reasons that all of our eights and tens have suddenly started cropping up with the c assists. Yeah.
00:28:57
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, even what Torre said after the game, he said, oh, it's not all about me. I just want to come in and Joves injured and he was scoring loads of goals and I now feel it's my responsibility to come in and keep doing that for the rest of the Yes, it is. keep doing it. Yeah.
00:29:13
Speaker
But Josh obviously doesn't have that mentality right now for whatever reason. I saw on the social media. But is he just being really badly advised, right? He's got a brain in his head. He's not stupid. I'm badly advised. I don't do everything I'm told, you know.
00:29:27
Speaker
No, come on. I can't. i I am not. He's a grown man. He's not 19, is he? I'm not excusing him. I'm just saying, is this his agent going, sit tight, be a dick, you will get your move because they're to take the money in the end. This is. So this is now all about the move. That's the undertone. That's the undertone. But I'm paraphrasing, of course, Thomas. Dick undertone. Exactly. But that is kind of like, look, just your heels But nobody's winning here, are they? He's not winning. We're not winning. We are five six. mean, we are physically winning. But I mean, that specific situation, nobody is winning. But you made the point, Claire, didn't you? It's like, actually, if... I don't really want to talk this up, right, but say one of our other strikers got injured and we then have one fit striker on the books and say that's Chris Goran who isn't that fit.
00:30:22
Speaker
Yeah. Actually, I'm interested, really interested in the mechanics of how we would go about Clement not losing face, but actually someone extending an olive branch to to Sarge to go...
00:30:36
Speaker
mate, come on. You've been a dick for a while, but but actually how do we get over this? Because as you know as we've all kind of said, this isn't helping anyone. you know No one's coming out of this well. And that's what I also said, wasn't it? Although you said, I'm not sure he would want Clement would want to do this because it it it doesn't look good on him. But if so if we'd said to Sarge, just come back for the rest of this season,
00:30:59
Speaker
Go some goals for us. That'll do you good. And then we'll sell you in the summer and you can get your move in the summer. But right now, this is not doing any favours to him at all.
00:31:10
Speaker
I think that works, but I don't think it can be Clement that initiates that conversation. i think there needs to be a mediator at the moment. And I don't know who that might be in the club because Clement is very much sending a message to the whole squad, doesn't He's like, look, I'm the boss. We do not get messed around. No one's bigger than the club. So then to to almost backtrack on that because of a short-term issue, I just don't think he'd do it. He doesn't strike as that kind of man, does he?
00:31:39
Speaker
the worst did happen and ah strikers did get injured and then we had Chris Garden and that was it or Torrey and that was it and you've got Sarge just sitting there surely Sarge can't sit there and see us struggle after doing so well and see us start struggling again and maybe going back down a little bit and just sit there and ignore that and be like, no, I'm still not playing. I just can't, I can't get my head around the fact that he would do that.
00:32:09
Speaker
cannot But then how does that, that that needs to be um very sensitively handled to avoid him being booed back onto the pitch. Yeah, it's full apology to the fans, isn't it? Yeah, and he's got to want to do that and that also needs to be managed sensitively in a way that doesn't diminish his value because anything that he puts on video to the fans...
00:32:36
Speaker
any will will be watched by any prospective new fans of a new club and obviously any any prospective kind of character assessment that's being done by some other clubs that might want to buy them in future you know if it's this summer that's not very far away in the rearview mirror for you to have had to come out and apologize for your fans for being a dick under sorry dick undertone um so don't know it i It's the best way of apologising, not just coming on the pitch, okay, getting booed for a game, but putting in 100% effort, scoring some goals, keep scoring goals, and then it's all forgotten because if you're scoring goals, we will love him.
00:33:16
Speaker
Yeah, I think right. Football fans are very short-minded, you know. We are massively fickle, but I think Clement will demand some kind of apology to the squad and probably public apology to the fans. Oh, yeah, well, they do that, yeah. Yeah. But you're right. We will forgive him. If he comes back in and scores a hat-trick first game... Which he hasn't ever done, has he?
00:33:36
Speaker
No. Well... but To be honest, it's not... He hasn't actually scored as a hat-trick. I don't think I need... I you're right. yeah I don't know if i need an apology... like a public apology, like a mea culpa thing.
00:33:51
Speaker
I think it could come from the club. It could come from Clement and Clement could say, we have had
Leadership and Team Unity
00:33:57
Speaker
a conversation. He has spoken to his teammates. He has apologized to his teammates. He made mistakes. We do not want, and especially as they're all scared of him. So when he says, I'm not answering any more questions than that, it's the end of that. So maybe he's the one manager. Yeah. He is maybe the one manager who could just say, ah, ah ah but no and then And then they really won't ask anymore. so so so maybe he does exactly that. Maybe he says, right, and you know, who yes, of course he's going to make them stand in front of the lads and say, I'm i'm going to give you a hand because you're all crocked.
00:34:28
Speaker
um And then I think if if we are told... I need you to ah need you to get behind him while he's on the pitch for us. um I think most Norwich fans, if it got to the point where he was needing to start, then that's basically one more upfront injury. I think most of us probably would needs must sit on our hands and not moan at him because we realise if he's on the pitch...
00:34:55
Speaker
We've literally bought additional options and lost them too. So we really need him and he's doing us a favour to make sure we do stay in the league and because you know we can't lose the last eight. you know we are we are we are going to need to keep picking up points. 39, what do we think we need? what what's the Didn't you say you thought we needed 50 or like late 40s to be safe? Is 50 normally enough? 50 is nearly always enough. I think 52 is the most anyone's ever been relegated with, but that's like highly unlikely. so Well, given given how bad Oxford, Portsmouth, Blackburn, given how bad they are, we're not going to need 50 this year. well i like berard You're probably looking for four more results.
00:35:35
Speaker
a Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or 11 more results and then we get in the playoffs. Yeah. But mean, again, with injuries... Plus, we're effectively only playing for one position, aren't we, really? Because yeah the other two are down. So there's a lot of clubs fighting for that one relegation. Yeah. And we've created a gap.
00:35:57
Speaker
No, hang on. We haven't. Claire, we're fighting for six now. Sorry. fight for no That's the one position we're fighting for now. Yeah, because I think we've ah we've agreed that we probably can't quite catch Coventry. So it is probably we it probably is six. I mean, know i there's there's no one else to come back from a forward position point of view.
00:36:17
Speaker
and who isn't is there any youth? Are there any youth strikers that he might call up and give ah give a go to before Sarge? you know Is there anyone, like there was Errol Mandel, what's his name?
00:36:29
Speaker
He's a winger, isn't he? I think he's an attacker. He's a winger, yeah. He's not a striker, is he? Although you wouldn't put it past Philippe to turn him into one. Marcondes in the false nine, who tried that under thought.
00:36:42
Speaker
Whoever plays there is going to be marvellous. Well, okay. So we got more up let's just let's just cover the cup run then because and West Brom got a you know a spirited 0-0 draw with Birmingham last night whilst we were thrashing Oxford in second gear.
00:37:00
Speaker
um What is the score going to be against West Brom? e Claire, with a guaranteed scorer, and would you rather ah a cup run to the semi-final, no guarantee we go beyond it, or guarantee top eight, no guarantee it's higher than eighth?
00:37:26
Speaker
Oh, okay. Score is going to be three one and guaranteed score is ah going to be Ali Ahmed because he's had a couple of quieter games and I think he's going to start in the cup game and he's going to score.
00:37:45
Speaker
um And I... Oh, God. I think this season i I would prefer that we actually finished eighth because that from where we were,
00:37:58
Speaker
the well, even in November where we were, to to even contemplate the fact that we would finish eighth. December, from mid-December to to think we get there. He should get manager of the season for that, if that actually happens. I was going to ask the question. Well, no, not just trust, like the league should vote, the whole league should vote manager of the season. Clem on... It's clearly our manager of the season because that's not really how much of a competition there, is it? Manning's not getting votes. No. If Clement got us to sixth, right, this season, short of Mike Walker finishing third in the Premier League and then going into Europe, has there been greater managerial achievement if if we went on and did that?
00:38:45
Speaker
Because I kind of can't think of one. I think he has. I think we have to win the playoffs in order for him to... ah yeah if he He said in his post-match, unless at the end of the season you win something, then you have a party that you remember forever. and i I love the attitude. I'm sort of with him. No, but I'm sort of with him. I think he... I think it's right. I think...
00:39:16
Speaker
it's such a turnaround and it would be such a rise. And that's, that's my point. We were in such a low end. We were, but you know, you've, if you look at, you know, if you look at where Lambert took us from to then win league one.
00:39:30
Speaker
That was so early. Yeah. that had and i yeah But also if you, if you look at, and you know, the way that Farker won, and you know, despite, you know,
00:39:44
Speaker
Covid and all the rest of it, you know, i think you i think you do have to win something in order to genuinely have have that. But yeah I think... But he would have won. We would have won something. We would won the league i mean i mean i think i think i think he would have won the league. I let just I can't see how you can argue against that because the form unreal.
00:40:05
Speaker
Yeah. If we stay up this season and then win the league next season... then is it yeah but i i don't think I don't think it doesn't matter what happens next season. I i think that he gets to be he gets to be considered like it's a top three managerial season. But I just don't think that, you know, ah I have only ever seen us lift a trophy at Wembley once.
00:40:27
Speaker
you know, this has been this has been an amazing turnaround. It's no trophy Wembley, is it? No, you're right. that that that that's Alex Neal took Little Norwich to Wembley and we lifted a trophy. That was incredible, right? that that That is the best footballing day of my life, even though I much preferred...
00:40:45
Speaker
Farka as a manager Farka's team and you know i had some amazing times like I was there when we were in the league at Villa in under Farka etc etc right but in terms of like managerial achievements the trophy lift at Wembley don't know that but it's not Philippe's fault that we It's not Philippe's fault, though we haven't done that because of where we were when he took over.
00:41:11
Speaker
We are so hampered by how bad we were and how late in the season really that was. All the other managers that have got us trophies took over in much better positions or had a whole season to achieve it. That's totally fair. In terms of the points that Philippe's got us, we are level with middles were I think in the last 10-15 games and they're winning the league so he can't he can't do any more than he is doing well he could have had his operation earlier couldn't he although today when Tottenham sacked Thomas Frank I was like oh no they're not going to come after Philippa they'll give that to Kieran McKenna that'll be fine Oh, that that's better. We need someone talented. Yeah, and fair. now and No, happy yeah Thomas Franca having a bad day to all who celebrate. and whole nasty piece of work, that guy. Yeah, quite great. Anyway, to answer your question, give me a semi. Tom, just give me a semi right now. okay
00:42:17
Speaker
From Dick Undertone. the um Yeah, no, I would take a semi-final. We are going to win 2-0. two nil And Harry Darling is going to score from a set piece. I saw him, you know, in his snood quite
Future Prospects and Ambitions
00:42:32
Speaker
a bit. it was He happened to be in the background of a lot of throw-ins. um And I thought, you're ever so good. I was ever so chuffed with you. And now, you know, you can't get a look in. And I can't really complain about that.
00:42:42
Speaker
He doesn't look like he's complaining about it either. He seems quite cheerful. The vibes that the vibes are so strong. like when like When we saw Cernat celebrating off the bench and you know in the in the ah the home game before the Blackburn game, and you know it seems to be a very, very happy camp. mean You saw Medici and Darling laughing and joking at 2-0 in the background last night. and Yeah, hopefully, I mean, I i presume it would be me darling that will that will play on Saturday because it feels like he's bedded in Cordoba and Rory.
00:43:15
Speaker
Oh, a quick word on Rory the captain, by the way. Yeah. um I mean, he's a young he's a young man to be captain the football club. But, I mean, you... It sounds like hyperbole, but I guess that is that that is this medium. If you were to say he's the captain for the next 10 years...
00:43:32
Speaker
Would anyone be surprised? You know, you just think he is, mean, what a player. The only way that will happen is if we get promoted at some point in the next two or three. I was going to we're not keeping him for more than a couple of years. Him and Fisher are the absolute business. Yes, we are, because we're going to be in the Premier League.
00:43:48
Speaker
Well, yeah, obviously we'll we'll be in... And we're going to stay in the Premier League. Yeah. yeah how do you think i we' Conference League. Where do you think, here, right, we'll finish on this one. There's loads of things we haven't covered, like for example like, for example, the fact the pink kit is just the worst the most brilliant alternative kit we've ever had. But where do you think ah our our next European away tie will be played? So it's probably a couple ah couple of years' time.
00:44:19
Speaker
It will probably be the furthest possible away. What is that? where What's the furthest one? Well, something that you have to double check is definitely in Europe. Yeah, exactly. One of those. One of the former USSR so sort of places.
00:44:37
Speaker
i mean Easy jet will fly there. a cut I can't even think about Europe yet. Okay. Well, it says everything that... Don't get too carried away, Tom. Well, you know, why not? Give it a year or so.
00:44:49
Speaker
Philippe dares us to dream um with the the way that we brush people aside. And it's just, it's so nice watching, I think it was Adam Brandon last night said, you know, just watching a game of football that from the first minute Norwich don't look at any point like losing or conceding, you know, other than a couple of slightly hairy moments where there was a couple of tugs in the box where Cordoba was a bit handsy and I thought he got a bit lucky. One was an offside that wasn't an offside, for example. um Other than that, you know we really did look so comfy and and that's that's what he's brought back to us. He's brought back that feeling of, well, yeah, we're Norwich City and it's a championship fixture, so we we should probably win it.
00:45:30
Speaker
and We'll be a bit disappointed with the draw, but, you know, we we we expect to win it. and A loss doesn't really come into the consideration. um So you're going semi, you're going eighth,
00:45:42
Speaker
And yeah, I'm also, I'm up for a cup run because it's been such a long time since we've even thought, since we've even done that kind of... No, no, no, COVID, we got to the...
00:45:54
Speaker
Quarter-finals, didn't we? That was the last game of football I went to at Spurs. That still feels like quite a long time ago. That got us into the quarter-final. Wow.
00:46:05
Speaker
Five years ago. Five seasons ago. I know, it's five years ago. Yeah, that feels like quite long time. We've rubbish since then. Well, we've been rubbish in the Cup apart from that, haven't we? And we've only ever had two semi-finals as Norwich fans, like two FA Cup semi-finals. And I wasn't a Norwich fan then, so...
00:46:23
Speaker
It's your fault then. I fancy a semi. I think it would be... It's just remembering those few times it has happened. Obviously, COVID was a bit different, or rather the COVID hit season was bit different.
00:46:37
Speaker
But ah remembering those times when it happened, when... and you start to do the mental arithmetic and you start to think, oh, we actually, there' there's only eight. I mean, even the quarterfinals, you think we're one of one of eight teams that is going to win this. You know and you think we only need a couple of injuries for the other teams. or be us that gets injured, obviously. yeah That's the sort of thing that I i fancy. And if, you know, we we probably are going to play weakened teams until we're safe.
00:47:03
Speaker
So therefore, we probably do need to get lucky with the draws over the next couple of rounds. Like, you know, if we end up with a... you know, one of the really big Premier League boys ah away, then you think that's probably the end of
Closing Remarks and Anticipations
00:47:14
Speaker
that. But um yeah, no, that's I think i'm in I'm in semi-camp as well.
00:47:19
Speaker
Right. We're going to win on Saturday and I think we're probably going to win the next two league games as well, but we'll try and get back around the microphones and talk to you before then. Cuboids, metatarsals and whatever that other thing you said about Evolver or something. Evolver. It's not Evolver. yeah well there you go it depends on which reddit forum you're going to entirely different part of anatomy that and not of a male anatomy either so okay yeah you heard it here first avulsion is what you meant isn' yes so avulsions aside we hope to speak to you soon mind how you go