Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
"The Form Boys" ACN Pod 157
461 Plays15 hours ago
Pre deadline day chitter chat, and the Boro loss was only a one off wobble, right? right?!
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Team Challenges
00:00:22
Speaker
Welcome to the Long Come Norwich podcast, where well-meaning wobblers wander through another whirlwind week in yellow and green with us wincing as our walking wounded midfield resembles a war zone medical waiting room. Four winds in a row at us whooping, whistling and waving and then wham, a wee wobble away at Middlesbrough Saturday saw us waking back to reality.
00:00:38
Speaker
We're watching PC's wishlist
Injury Woes and Transfer Needs
00:00:39
Speaker
grow longer than the Wensum on a windy Wednesday with centre mid wrapped in bandages and our hopes held together with willpower and what's-it. Norwich are wide open for one more wandering workman-like well-oiled central midfielder before the window wangs shut.
00:00:54
Speaker
Claire, PC's golden boy needs replacing him by seven o'clock Monday night. Reckon they'll pull it off. And will we stay up if they don't? Well, I'm going to answer the second one first and say, yes, we absolutely will stay up. um I think we showed enough against the best team in the league away from home yesterday to prove that the Borough fans were very impressed with us. We matched them for 90 minutes pretty much. So,
00:01:19
Speaker
You know, matt it had to be maps and loaded and something had to go wrong. it was all going far too well. um And I was like, oh this is just too perfect. What's going to happen? And I was a toss up between is it going to be Jobe or is it going to be Pella? It had to be Pella.
00:01:35
Speaker
lost our cog, ah you know, the epicentre of Philippe Clémence, Norwich City, but he's going to be impossible to replace. Like we,
Tactical Adaptations and Player Versatility
00:01:45
Speaker
we can't replace him, but I would hope that given we've been on the search for a defensive midfield for quite a long time, that we've got a few names in the old notebook that we've done a little bit of the groundwork already And thankfully, I suppose one good thing is that it didn't happen yesterday and it happened on Monday. So we've had a little bit more time to get that person in. but Yeah, a week basically. Yeah, it's going to be tough. But yes, we can still stay up if we don't.
00:02:13
Speaker
The fact he can't be replaced by having a central defensive midfielder um and he can't be replaced by getting in a central attacking midfielder because, you know, Clement sort of referenced that a ball playing six when he was talking to Paddy about it. and And this is it. I mean, you're effectively saying someone who can receive the ball on the half turn and progress this up the pitch. You also need someone who's going to cover, if not the most, in the top two or three most, and you know, kilometres a game for us. And you need to replace someone who does last ditch tackles. And you need to replace someone who's got kind of real technical ability and and is easy on the eye. So I think what you're looking for is you're looking to go, okay, in Slimani and right, we maybe have enough to do some bits of Pella's game. And so maybe it is...
00:02:57
Speaker
it is the defensive part that we're not going to get someone as good as Mattson, especially at this notice in this window. So maybe, Punt, do you think it's a case of let's focus on the defensive bit and at least try and replace that? Yeah, I think Pella Mattson is exceptional off the ball. but there's There's no doubt about that. His engine is incredible. His awareness of of the space around him, but you know situations that...
00:03:22
Speaker
are happening around him. i just, that's the bit that that we can't replace. So I really feel like, look, on Saturday, it it seemed to me that we were significantly better with Slimani in there because Slimani was better playing in tight pocket pockets of space, whereas Wright struggled a little bit more when he was hassled and he was hurried up.
Strategic Flexibility and Player Contributions
00:03:42
Speaker
um I don't think that will happen every week with him. And I think he's a perfectly capable, you know, and he proved it at the back end of last season, perfectly capable championship midfielder will do well for us, certainly against teams where we we see a lot more of the ball. So I think it's going to be situational. I think when we're playing a top six, you know, well-drilled side who, and let's, you know Burroughs Press was incredible.
00:04:04
Speaker
So there's no getting away from that. So when we're playing sides of that ilk, and there won't be many of those, we are going to need cuter players. We are going to need players that are going to going to be better um you know when when they haven't got as much time. But that isn't every week. So, yeah, I think, look, one more in, let's rotate it as necessary.
00:04:27
Speaker
The bit for me that that worried me more than anything actually is, though, when Mattson has come off injured and then hasn't played in the last game, Kenny looks nowhere near as effective because he hasn't got that legs around him.
00:04:41
Speaker
um So that that might be the bit for me that, yeah, we might just need a bit of energy, a bit of dynamism. um you know and And Mattson, you know he is all action. There's there's no doubt about that.
00:04:53
Speaker
Well, the the the the positive side of things, and I thought Wright was was fantastic when he and came on on against Coventry. and i thought he was really, really positive. And I think a lot of where Wright is able to play, as partly it's to do with the team that we're playing against with regards to like a brilliant press and and one of the better teams like Borough.
00:05:14
Speaker
But it's also game situation, it's context. So the context of the game played, you know, that we we were chasing a comeback and that suited how Wright needed to play and and what was happening around him.
00:05:24
Speaker
and And so what i think he needs is maybe another player who can, um again, it's very unlikely we're going to get both, but someone who can effectively do the things that Wright maybe doesn't do as naturally as well as Mattson at the moment. And that's where his focus should be. and On your point of, know, when we're up against the better teams, our next seven league games, our next 21 league points are against people 13th and worst as it stands at the moment. Most of whom are on way, way worse form than us. And so actually, I think we are going to see a lot of the ball, particularly at home in the coming days. So there's some good teams in there. Birmingham are in there, although they've not kicked on as much as maybe their form kind of earlier in mid-season suggests they were going Southampton have been better, but still haven't got the same form as we've had.
Team Form and Clement's Influence
00:06:13
Speaker
Leicester, no mugs all. Got very, very good championship squad, but should have lost to us about 5-0. They were terrible at Carrow Road. So, yeah, there's some decent sides in there, but they are sides who all down the bottom. And like I say, particularly at home, mean, the early games in the coming run. So you've got Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn, Birmingham and Oxford. Oxford.
00:06:38
Speaker
So take Birmingham out of that and you are literally talking relegation fodder that we're up against. We could and should be looking at seven points from and those four. I think we should be looking at 10 of the next 15. And I think we should probably be looking at about 15 of the next 21. I mean, I really do think we will um in this run pull away because yes, Mattson's a massive loss and he would there isn't ah There isn't a championship team out of the top two or three, maybe, who wouldn't massively notice him going off. But with with the rise of some of the other central players like Slimani and Wright under Clement, and with maybe another one to come in tomorrow, I just feel we're going to have enough to be in enough games. um to to to to to do enough to beat these teams. Because we are now, i mean, again, again against Borough, we are creating chances now. Our chance creation is so regular and it is so so positive, and almost irrelevant of the personalities putting out. So, and i mean, you were talking about something maybe blossoming and with this with this kind of setup and it reminded you a bit of 18-19 punt. And and yeah I remember it was that Bournemouth Cup game where we made loads of changes, but we looked exactly the same.
Transfer Window Opportunities
00:07:50
Speaker
And that was when we we all sort of thought, hang on, this is actually Norwich have got an identity under Farke and actually they're all trying to play the same way. I mean, I actually think it might not be too early to say that with Clement now in that,
00:08:02
Speaker
like When Mattson did go off, we were just as good as you know and we did exactly what we needed to do and we kept creating chances in the same way. So, yeah, I think that's just testament to to that. and I want to talk about Sargent because, i mean, if you think about where we were a couple of weeks ago, and and maybe three weeks ago when when he refused to play in that FA Cup game,
00:08:23
Speaker
and And now we've what we've just lost our first game, basically. Scoring goals for fun, creating chances for fun. Then the relegation clause doesn't look like it's going to be enacted anytime soon. um So, yeah, Claire, what do you think what do you think happens by by the end of, probably by the time people are listening to this, tonight? Seven, we're recording in this Sunday night. What's going to happen at the end of Monday?
00:08:44
Speaker
But isn't the um MLS window still open, though? So it's not shut tomorrow, is it? So that doesn't wang sharp when ours does. It doesn't wang sharp tomorrow. I, at the moment, actually could not care less about Josh. Isn't that interesting? Which I can't even believe I'm saying that, but we have not missed him in any way, shape or form. The only reason we would miss him is if something happened to Jovan, if he got injured as well, because don't think we've got players that can replace him, whereas Sarge, he's got the capability to replace him a lot more than what... the others have it's not end of february it's 26th of march so this saga could oh my god well the thing is this is this is the thing though it's not a saga because we don't need him so it was a saga it was a saga for the first week or so but um as it stands we we haven't we haven't missed him just can't see how he comes back in though like Well, especially now we've signed today, we've signed Mohamed Torre. I don't know if that's the pronunciation we're going with, but mean, it's what I'm going with based on other Mohameds and other Torres. Well, there you go. So, Mo, Mo, Mo, Mo Torre. I am looking forward to that getting going if he gets some game time. So,
Player Dynamics and Fitness Management
00:10:02
Speaker
we haven't had many Guinea-born Australians, another 21-year-old, another kid, another one who's played in the Danish league and another one who's got less than emphatic goal record.
00:10:14
Speaker
ah but what you're saying, Punt, is he you see the answer? Is he the reason why you don't care that Sargent goes?
00:10:22
Speaker
I can't say I'm in Claire's positive camp of, you know, kind of I just don't care about Sargent. I still feel deeply sad about it um because of...
00:10:35
Speaker
the player that he's been for Norwich. And i I thought about something you said a couple of pods ago, Tom, where you were like, well, he hasn't been in one of those great sides. And so, you know, he almost hasn't achieved that, you know that hero-like status. And I was like, no, I don't buy that. Like Ewan Roberts played for some really mediocre Norwich sides over, you know, kind of a period of seven or eight years.
00:10:56
Speaker
And he's an absolute hero. And all right, he scored loads more goals. But I don't know, Sarge could have gone on regardless of of you know whether he'd have been part of a successful campaign this season, next season.
00:11:09
Speaker
I think he'd have gone on and and been held in massive affection with all Norwich fans. And he just chucked it away. He just chucked it in. So I am still sad about it. I do. It's it's over, John. Let it go.
00:11:23
Speaker
Let it go. Yeah. And look, my grieving process is different to yours, Clara. You know, my my personal journey. um I am sad about it. um and And I think actually there's times where,
00:11:37
Speaker
And this is, you know, hopefully coming on to Motore, but there's there's times where Makama has looked leggy or he hasn't looked as energetic maybe as we'd have wanted him to. And and they it was almost like, feels like there's some game situations where sergeant-like qualities would really help us in matches. Yeah.
00:11:59
Speaker
That being said, Motore is very energetic from what I've seen thus far. He is rapid. um He looks like he's quite good at bringing others into play in maybe a different way, not necessarily back to goal, but, you know kind of ah a decent range of passing as well.
00:12:16
Speaker
I'm i'm um purely going on like four minutes of YouTube highlights, by the way. but Deep research. Exactly. But look,
00:12:24
Speaker
but look it will be good it will be really good to have a different forward option because I feel like Makama maybe has been running on fumes for the past three or four games. Really? i think the opposite. I think he looks absolutely amazing. Like he looks unplayable at times. I think there's he can't do 90 minutes.
00:12:43
Speaker
I think he can't do 90 minutes and that's that's a problem. i don't know i don't i don't know if any I don't know if anyone should be expected to do 90 minutes. No, no, and this is what I mean. pressing he's asked to do I i don't think i don't think you're trying to get and and don't think you're knocking him. i think you know The point is, when when we had Sargent Namakama, he was trying to not make them both be the the focal point of the press for 90 minutes. He was bringing one of them off. Absolutely, and you can manage minutes. Yeah. Yeah, and and I think that's... Kvist Goren doesn't press in the same way. he He has got a fantastic poacher's clinical finish. ah i i wouldn't mind ah I wouldn't mind seeing a run of Kvist Goren in the team, but we would have to sit up differently in order to keep creating those chances for him to to to finish it I mean, he has got a knack of...
00:13:27
Speaker
Yeah, he's been on the... Hasn't he got something like a goal every 90 minutes or something? I think he's like the highest goals per but minute played in the league, isn't he? is He has got the knack. Like he has got the knack of just popping up, but clearly fitness-wise and the way that they need to to to stop the other team playing... he he doesn't He doesn't have it at the moment and maybe he needs full kind of summer and then we can get him firing next season. So I do think there's a player there. But yeah, having this out extra number nine...
00:14:01
Speaker
I don't think we sign him if we're expecting Sargent to play anytime soon. I mean, I really think Clement has written him off. No, it's going to take a massive period of reintegration if we get anywhere near that. don't think it happens. I think you're right, Claire. You know, need to do my grieving and get over it. But at the same time, it's just an end of an era.
00:14:21
Speaker
Yeah. is i mean it's a sad end as well. Of course it is. That is definitely true. It is. I mean, it's a completely avoidable sad Like Johnny Housen. It happened with Johnny Housen as well, didn't it? We never imagined he would like that. Yeah, I kind of be more forgiving of Johnny Housen. I don't know why.
00:14:38
Speaker
ah ah fit Johnny Housen kind had more in the bank for me. it's lot well i i Yeah, I don't know. with With Josh, I feel like there is a when you're the number nine, that kind of carries ah there's a talismanic element to being the number nine. When you're the number one striker, especially that type of striker as well, more nine than ah than an old fashioned 10, if you should be the second striker.
00:15:03
Speaker
You know, there's something about it that that when you've been the the guy that that has been the go-to guy for so long, it it hurts more and it's more surprising when he's able to walk away so easily or or or turn down the chance to play. um So ah I remain astonished that there has been no...
00:15:23
Speaker
effort to try and ah restore faith from his camp at all. It seems really odd
Promotion Prospects and Leadership Analysis
00:15:33
Speaker
to me that especially given it would be completely different if Norwich were now in a really bad losing run and not having him in the team was massively hurting our points tally.
00:15:44
Speaker
Yeah, you just stick to it and you go see, this team's terrible. I want out. It makes sense. What doesn't make sense is right, okay, I'm not getting my – well, fingers crossed, who knows. It looks still a long way to go, but it now looks very much like we are on the way up and and and hopefully in after this you know even if we muck up a couple of the next six or seven, you do feel like we're going to be almost – you know, really three or four games clear we should be given that we finally got this run of bottom half teams that we've been waiting for for such long time after playing so many of the big boys at the top of the table. So, and but rather than big boys, form boys. and so
00:16:23
Speaker
I just feel like now that relegation clause looks so out of sight, it's odd to not now to not now try and think, well, like probably should try and play both sides here and not make it so that it's almost impossible for you get win. Because if the right offer doesn't come in, these teams are in pre-season now, right? so you you sort of feel like they're going to have their forward lines organised.
00:16:46
Speaker
that every Every week, as we said before, and many have said, every week that goes by that he's not playing, he makes it less and less likely. The World Cup's gone now, surely. Even even if he started for us. Yeah, he's not even playing. Yeah, it feels to me like how can he possibly, he'd have to score sort of three or four hat tricks to, I'd say, to make the play. And obviously there's a plane to go home anyway for him. But, you know, it seems really odd. Even if he does say, okay, I'm sorry, I'll come back and play, he's not going to take Jove's spot, is he? Because he's playing too well. And we've seen them both on the pitch and it doesn't really work. No, it doesn't. So he's not going to be the main striker.
00:17:24
Speaker
I can see him getting 30 minutes straight away. Yeah, but that's going get him to the World Cup either, is it? No, he did he would have to look irresistible in that 30 minutes. He would have to show us what we've been missing and show Clement what he's been missing and basically get to the point where he goes, yes, Jovan has done a really good job in taking his spot, but you've seen in my last couple of subs appearances just how much better I am. That's his only way of of kind of starting for Norwich again. he He has to earn it again. And i I still feel you talk about credit in the bank, John, if there was a, if he did a sit down, even if it was with club media, which are always shit, but even if he did it with club media and not even like the the proper boys, like Connor and Paddy or whatever, um,
00:18:05
Speaker
i I don't know. I think, I think he would be forgiving because I think he is, i think he's got nice of a home, almost the reason why it was such a shock, the fact that he'd got a bit of a homely kind of nice lad kind of energy about him. And he, he seemed like a nice family boy. um I almost feel like that is in his favor that he goes,
00:18:24
Speaker
it was my agent and I'm silly and I shouldn't, and I love this club and I am so sorry. And it's been so painful. And, you know, some things were said on their side, which I didn't like, which I leaked and didn't really seem to get anyone on my side, which is a shame. And, you know, I really, really want to do the best I can for this football club. And, you know, whether I go or stay, who knows, but I'm going do my best while I'm here. And I, I feel like ah a piece like that and people will be on side. Now, the interesting thing, and riddle me this, Claire, if you think this is possible, I wonder if he has asked to do that and Clement has said, nope, not having it. I'm not going to let, ah we're not going to give you, well, no, but we're not going to give you a layup took back into favour because it doesn't help our negotiating position.
00:19:06
Speaker
No, but I also think that him doing what he did in the first place was such a black mark against his name in Philippe's mind that I don't think he's going to do anything as a favour to Josh at all.
00:19:19
Speaker
He's probably going to have to walk like in the, was it Game of Thrones for all those people naked? Walk of shame. Yeah, walk of shame. Yeah.
00:19:31
Speaker
It'll be Kenny, Kenny ringing the bell, ringing ringing the the mayor's bell. Yeah, okay. Yeah, tempted to, yeah, tempted to to suggest that to the club. and Okay, so Punt, looking ahead to then to the to the games we've got coming up. um I mean, it it really is a, it's a fascinating, fascinating run that we've got. And it's hard not to feel, feel confident going into the game with Blackburn.
00:19:58
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. um Football has a really funny way of slapping you in the face, though, doesn't it? You know, because there was zero chance that we thought we were going to get nine points out of this block of four games. um We did, you know, with three wins and a highly creditable performance away at probably the best team in the league right now.
00:20:19
Speaker
It'd just be really norwichy to go and get four points out of the next four games or something, you know, kind and actually still just just be bobbing along and not be in the relegation zone. But just, you know, leave us with that anxiety a little bit longer. But the they're all the teams we need to beat though, aren't they? Because they're the ones right next to us. So if don't beat them. But it's the not losing bit, I think, that's really important now to to the set you know certainly to to Portsmouth when we play them. But, you know, i know that's a little bit further off. But, you know, the Oxfords and the Blackburns, you know, we we cannot lose to them because that, you know, that becomes massively problematic. I don't know, like ah Clement seems too far too savvy that he would let us rest on our laurels. or
00:21:03
Speaker
i dont i just feel like and maybe this is why we've been better against the form boys, as you called them. it it It seems like our football is better set up you know kind of for quick transition and teams coming on to us. and yeah and It would be interesting to see, you know, look we struggled against Charlton on Boxing Day to to break them down. as you know There's a couple of other teams that, or couple of other situations where I felt like, you know, kind of we ran out of ideas against the low block.
00:21:33
Speaker
um I don't think that will be the case. And I think we all have the answers. And I think the fact that we've had more players come back to fitness recently and, and you know, we've got better attacking options should see us right.
Impact of New Signings and Player Synergy
00:21:46
Speaker
But it it really wouldn't shock me if, you know, because like you, you know, it'd be really easy, Tom, to to look ahead and go, oh, look, you know, six or seven games time, we'll we'll basically have 45 points and we'll, you know, we'll be there.
00:21:59
Speaker
Football doesn't work like that. Football never works like that. But it interestingly, you said four points from the next four games. That'd probably be all right. But because of who they're against. Again, based on what Claire says, you know, depending on who you beat and who you lose to and all of those bits.
00:22:14
Speaker
To a degree, but the point is just don't think there are, you know, I don't think that there's enough teams below us currently that are going to win enough in the next four games. There's probably one more stage.
00:22:30
Speaker
Yeah, that's it. We don't need, we're no longer looking at promotion form to get out of a relegation scrap, which is what we thought we were going to have to do, because effectively we've done relegate we've done promotion form for a you know couple of months or for six weeks. The stat that Chris Gorham said in the Coventry game that we've got 24 points, which was the same as Coventry in that same period. well this is it. i want to maybe That's mental. Yeah. When when it looked like it looked like we were going to need to do something heroic you know in the run-in and we we we were almost, well, yeah, to that point, we we effectively were in title. we've We've had title chasing form for six weeks. So therefore, actually, we now don't need promotion chasing form. We need mid-table form to actually finish mid-table now. And and and with so many of those difficult trips to the form boys done. um So yeah, I'm...
00:23:22
Speaker
I feel comfortable. i like the business we've done. i want to spend a couple of minutes talking about Ali Ahmed because i mean, what a, but what a start. I mean, he he really, he looks the business in terms of his eagerness to get on the ball, his eagerness to go forward, his eagerness to get the ball out of his feet. I mean, he is someone who you feel has confidence just running through him at the moment, Claire.
00:23:47
Speaker
I just love his celebration when he was um at the Coventry game, when he went up to the crowd at the end of the game and he did a little twirl in the air. was like, oh, I just love him. He's amazing. like You just need that kind of energy off the pitch as well as on it. And he can't even have dreamed of the start that he's had. He's exactly what we needed, an actual proper winger that's got...
00:24:11
Speaker
you know, an output that he's already scoring goals, he's already assisting. The only thing John was saying about Slimani coming back a bit to fill the role that Mattson had a bit more is that then we won't see that so much of the link-up play between him and Ahmed. That connection is unbelievable. Slimani and him have been amazing together. It's been an absolute joy to me. I don't think you can move Slimani out with that 10. And going back to what you were just saying, Punt, about it being tricky to...
00:24:41
Speaker
um against the low block. now not Not now we've got Slomani. I worry less about that. think it's situational, isn't it? I think Slomani could play back there. I think Oscar can play in 10. I think the thing I really like about Ali Ahmed more than anything is he buys yellow cards as well for the opposition. like He just has this knack of looking really, really hurt and quite convincingly like, oh my God, someone's done him. Oh, look, he's fine. Well, bless him. He does look like if you breathed on him, he might snap. luckyy he but he He's not a sturdy lad, is he? He's not been on Dini's Pies much late recently. He's not afraid of hard work either, is he? you know kind of He really puts it Oh, tracking back is good.
00:25:19
Speaker
And Diallo as well. Diallo, worth mentioning that, you know, as as for wingers, we've now, it's the first time in, you know, all season really that we've got two proper out and out wingers playing wide. And both of whom you know are really fast and both of whom you know are going to be able to do it for good 70, 75 minutes. Actually, Torre, from the brief YouTube videos I've seen, he looks like search he yeah he looks like he goes out on the wing a fair amount as well. like he He's not sort of just in the centre. He's on each wing. so The one thing I noticed about, um maybe this is my cup par fullness, but...
00:25:54
Speaker
The one thing I noticed in my deep research, of my my six six or seven minutes I think I did on YouTube, um was he gets the ball out of his feet in order to play those balls inside and to play other people in. And I just kept thinking, you're not going to be able to kick the ball that far away. you not be able like his control He's completely in control of the ball, but he's controlling it and sort of rolling it out of his feet in order to then play the pass. I'm like, yeah, i can't see you doing that around championship boxers. the other thing i thought is...
00:26:21
Speaker
Has the boy ever played in front of a full crowd? Every single one of the highlights, there's about seven people in each stand. he just think like I know the Danish Super League or whatever. He played in France before that as well, I think, didn't he?
00:26:35
Speaker
Yeah, but not only for Paris FC. Yeah, it was like reserve teams as well, I think. It's hardly the Parc de France. Yeah, he might, you know, whether or not he can do it in front of a crowd. But given the success of Clement's first signing in Ahmed, I think, you know, he's he's already got a good track record. So let's give him the benefit of the doubt before. Well, do we have to give the benefit of the doubt to Mr. Napa? Do we all own Napa? Well, let's not do that on the podcast again. that Come on yeah Well, I mean, he's, Ahmed, yeah, it's superb. Interesting line from today's um Australian signing that we've been tracking him since he came back into Europe in 2022. So just thought that was an interesting line that they put into the press release today that they were and they they were tracking him then. So, yeah, he's been on our radar for three three or four windows, and or four or five windows, and and it's interesting they pulled the trigger now. It's a it's,
00:27:31
Speaker
It's not a small fee for how little he's actually sort of done at championship equivalent level. So I wonder if there might have been a couple of other people sniffing around him as well, because that that seems a bit steeped. but But if you think what we paid for Jove, who's scored some decent amount of goals, a level down in this country, i feel like we...
00:27:52
Speaker
He's going to have to look. I don't think he can be a complete project. and that's why that's what australia Is he Australia? Yeah, he scored a brace against New Zealand. He scored a brace against New Zealand in 2025. Well, that's it. And and he's at eight appearances, I think.
00:28:08
Speaker
I've read one article. So that is the kind of professionalism you can get from me. How old did you say he was? 21. All right, good. So it's another baby.
00:28:19
Speaker
3 million euro. it like It's is relatively low risk, isn't it, in terms of a signing? it It is, but i still feel I still feel like it's a statement that we've bought we've bought another number nine um at the end of the window ah because we do have fiscal and we do we do have a striker on the bench and a striker who is in four-man firing at the moment. it would be It would be a real blow to lose to lose Jove.
00:28:44
Speaker
and But I don't know. i ah Part of me still thinks that Sarge might might come back into the fold. I just, I can't see him getting the, I can't see him getting the offers to unlock getting home with his family.
00:29:02
Speaker
the only way he gets a bigger offer than that Toronto one, which is miles short of what his worth is, is by scoring goals
Team Unity and Legacy Discussions
00:29:09
Speaker
for Norwich. He needs to start playing again. Do you see what I mean? How else does he... He can't stay there until the end of March, not doing anything. And that's why it was such a bonkers decision to make. Had he had not done it...
00:29:22
Speaker
had he have not um done it He probably would have been on the bench for that West Brom game anyway, maybe not even been used because we didn't exactly need him. Obviously, as it turned out in the day, he didn't have him at all. he mean what He may have been an unused substitute, had a nice rest.
00:29:35
Speaker
And then we don't know whether or not our form would have been as good as it has been without him. But I mean, I can't imagine it would be worse. We'd still have been creating lots of chances and he knows where to be. So he probably would have been sat on the goals, a lot of which that McCarma has got. and And maybe he would, do you see what mean? Like he, he, it really has spectacularly backfire. So I, I, I just feel like he doesn't, he never struck us as a sort of stubborn um diva kind of, kind of prima donna kind of player, but he's got to, surely he's got to come back to the fold. And if if he's got any chance of getting, eat but even a deal in the summer, right?
00:30:10
Speaker
No, one's going to pay 20 million for someone who hasn't played for five months. Absolutely. Clement, I think, has been really clear as well. He needs to apologise to... It's not just the fans.
00:30:21
Speaker
It's not just management. It's his teammates as well. And I don't... ah we're We're currently in a holding pattern, aren't we, where neither party appears to want to lose face.
00:30:31
Speaker
um So who blinks first? It's not Clement. but Do you wonder what the other players think? like What does Kenny think? Because they're pretty close. like Is he pissed off with him as well? No. There's been such a churn that apart from Kenny, like, is there any other players that you think would be really close to him, you know, kind of within that squad? No, that's why i said Kenny. Yeah, yeah, no, no, yeah. but I want to know what Kenny thinks. Yeah. I want to know what Kenny thinks about everything. I i want to listen to a daily podcast of Kenny.
00:31:01
Speaker
He could definitely do that when he retires, couldn't he? What Kenny thinks, yeah. Yeah. and so I'm not sure that would be as content heavy as you think it might be. I'm not sure there's much going on.
00:31:17
Speaker
Oh, please. Don't be so disrespectful to yeah a hall of fame, a future hall of fame in Orange City. Jesus, that's a big call. Oh, no,
Predictions and Season Outlook
00:31:27
Speaker
it isn't. Oh, it's not. That's not even remotely in question at this point. Come on, he's won two league titles. He's won two league titles. He's been captain for several years. We'll see. He will see. It'll be the day after he retires.
00:31:42
Speaker
Pookie's not in here yet, is he? Silly Billy. They probably haven't done another round of them yet, have they? can you answer I don't remember the last lot they did. I think they've just forgotten about it.
00:31:53
Speaker
they haven't put you in there, have they? Not yet, mate. I'll tell you what, they'll put Lorne in there. Lorne will be there saying, oh, was co-founder.
00:32:04
Speaker
I can that. right little that Anyway, go on. Guarantees, guarantees, please. and We've got quite an important game coming up at 12.31 on Saturday. ah So what is the guaranteed goals and guaranteed goal scorers going to be, Claire?
00:32:24
Speaker
We are going to win two bun nail I've got faith that Vlad's going to risk redeem himself for yesterday's horror show from him. um And that um the goal scorers are going to be Well, I'm just going to stick with the the tried and tested format of Slimani and Ahmed. You know, beautiful. Nice.
00:32:54
Speaker
Yeah. What say you, JP? Easy win. ah Yeah, I think we win. I think we win relatively handsomely. i think 3-0.
00:33:05
Speaker
Goals, goals, goals, goals, goals. I am going to say Rari McConville. Oh, nice. get himself a header from a set piece because he was quite close to doing that yesterday as well, wasn't he? Yeah, he was.
00:33:18
Speaker
i e ah Can I shock you? bloody love him. i think he's great. He's dead good, isn't he? i mean He's so good. Just so dependable. Yeah. yeah And his reading of that tackle, that tackle. I mean, oof.
00:33:33
Speaker
Well, I saw the replay of it. And and ah as the it looks like, was saying this to my brother earlier, it looks like, because I didn't see it live,
00:33:44
Speaker
So I saw that I knew I was watching a Rory tackle, but when you're watching the replay of it, it looks like it is the the highlight of a goal because as the striker goes to take take a shot, he's not in frame yet.
00:33:55
Speaker
He just suddenly comes sweeping sweeping in Gorgeous. It's incredible. But also i quite i really like the fact that he he's a really good talker. like ah I looked at the Pinkett interview with him. Well, they kind of do Chris Gorham's interview video and then Connor's interview with him.
00:34:11
Speaker
And you know when you see player interviews post-match, it's usually 42 seconds or 2 minutes, 32 seconds. McConville's was like 10, 11 minutes. It was like that lad can talk. like He's a proper communicator. He looks like a bright boy as well. I think he is. and but But again, another baby. like I know. You look at his face and you realise how young he is when you look at his face. He's really young. and you know So we've got the we've got the nucleus of of something special in some of these players. and If they can... can you know if they can continue to grow and develop and mature you feel like they their game awareness their games their situation management their resilience when they go behind all of that should improve with age into their kind of mid-20s and Clemone keeps banging on about that doesn't he about how we are the youngest squad by some way in the league like he keeps mentioning it in every press conference it is it is quite amazing how do you think that's a subtle dig at Napa like you haven't got the balance right here mate
00:35:07
Speaker
No, I think it's a good like a good thing, isn't it? Yeah, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. But like he just he you're right, he references it and then he really emphasises it. Kenny's seven years older than... At one point, was seven years older than any other player on the pitch with him or something. Jesus.
00:35:24
Speaker
I thought it was four. No, no, I think there was at one point in the game recently, the next nearest player to him was seven years. I mean, it's bit like I feel at work, to be honest. Yeah, well, you're you're you're going up another one this year this week as well, aren't you? I am, yes. But a lot of the people I work with weren't even born when I started working. oh see Anyway, that's enough about that.
00:35:47
Speaker
and Okay, so ah we will will reconvene after what is going to be a hopefully handsome, awesome win. um I'm actually going to go for an ill this time. Oh, no, don't, because it it it nearly worked when you didn't do 4-0. did get brought up. it did get brought up so um i'm in that case, I'm going to go for a narrow one they win. Excellent. Excellent. And but were goingnna it' goingnna if we're going to be battering them and it's going to be one of those things where you think, oh, we could play all day and we're not going to score. We're hitting the post, we're hitting the bar, we're having one cleared off the line. You know, that was that was ruled offside and it definitely wasn't. Everyone knows it wasn't. And then on the 83rd minute, Kellen Fisher.
00:36:30
Speaker
Oh, his first goal for Norwich. Scores his first goal for Norwich. And it is a um left foot kind of instinctive jabbed thing as a corner kind of breaks down and it kind of bobbles to him and he bashes it into the roof of the net from about 14 yards. Place goes bananas. And everyone goes, yes, Tom got one right.
00:36:53
Speaker
Tom's probably the only who's thinking that. um Yeah, so now I've said that, it guarantees three or four nil, don't I? Yeah, hopefully. That's the plan. i'd like I would like Ken Fisher to get a goal and I would like it to be at home because I think that boy is special. And the his and i I would probably even include Mattson in it. He's shown glimpses, obviously, but how bad he had got, how far he had regressed under Manning, how inside himself and how nervy he seemed under Manning. to the fact that he is now playing like an international, like the the swagger with which he goes into tackles and good decides to go and get the ball and goes and gets it, is that of an international seasoned 30-year-old kind of fullback who's been to multiple World Cups. know, he's just got this. he He's now, he's playing. Last year, he played like ah he had an older head on his shoulders and that he's got back to that and then some.
00:37:47
Speaker
So, you know, if we were doing player of the season, you know, tomorrow, he's going to be in the top three. I think Mattson's in the top three. um So... you think Mattson's injury now means he's not going to get it? I'm really... thought he was going to go for it.
00:38:01
Speaker
Is it was it six to eight weeks, something like that, like a couple of months? Yeah, it's usually about... There's always a massive amount of recency bias as well. So if he... um if he comes back and plays, you know, April and May, then I reckon he'll be a shoe in for top three. it It probably hurts him getting top spot. i mean, if Jove scores at relatively the same rate, it'll be him because again, a strike is scoring goals. that He's done easy and isn't he? If he gets 20 goals this season.
00:38:31
Speaker
And also, contextually and narrative-wise, that's the right decision because when we needed someone to help us get out of the bottom three and when our main striker and captain at times abandoned us, he stepped up and scored 20 goals. There's 20 goals and there's 20 goals. mean, that is an incredible 20-goal season if that's what he gets to. And you'd probably get long odds on him not getting to 20. as we sit here on the 1st of February and him already being on what 13 has he already got yeah something like that isn't it yeah so 7 in the last 3 months I can see that happening easily couple every 3 or 4 games but we'll see we'll see because maybe he won't get a looking because Torre is you know the new Pukki the new Ewan Pukki
00:39:17
Speaker
okay anyway right look good carry away we're gonna go off into the sunday night have a lovely week enjoy us smashing blackburn um and whatever you do this very chilly week mind how you go
00:39:54
Speaker
on Monday so we've had a little bit more time to get that person in but yeah a week basically yeah it's it's gonna be it's gonna be tough but yes we can still stay up if we don't well I think this the defensive midfielder element of it is as my son brings me a homework book to sign I probably could have done this after the podcast Ru do you want say hello you won't be able to hear them you can hey Ru are you my ma'am thanks
00:40:25
Speaker
Good lad. um I'm still collecting Pokemon and it's my birthday in two but two days. Oh, it's my birthday. My birthday in three days. When's your birthday? She must be about 14.
00:40:39
Speaker
3rd February. Mine's the 4th. There you go, nearly birthday twins. Almost birthday twins, yeah. Almost. No, it's much better talking to Rue.
00:40:52
Speaker
like It's like a mini toy. Night. See later, mate.