Transcript
Speaker: Hello and welcome to OTBA Norwich City podcast, the Norwich City show that's taken a two-week break, worked on what it's doing wrong, and has come back doing the exact same thing it did before. I'm Ryan Livermore and on this week's show, Swans may be owned by royalty, but at the weekend they royally owned a King Kenny-less Norwich City.
Speaker: A 2-1 deficit that proved to be more of the same from Philippe Plemont's side. When, oh, when will things turn around? Well, hopefully this week. The South Coast are sending not one but two big hitters to East Anglia as we look ahead to the Saints marching in, Pompey playing up, plus their Sophie's Word of the Week and the next two players in our Canary Countdown.
Speaker: Back and refreshed are our usual front three for this week. The first panellist wasn't at Swansea on Saturday, so this does mean she's technically gone unbeaten for three weeks in a row. It's Zoe Morgan. Hello, Brian. Zoe, for once, it wasn't your fault. For once, I cannot be blamed, and I did not even watch it, so not even on a television. I was so far away from watching what they were doing, they cannot possibly blame me.
Speaker: They'll find a way somehow. I'm sure they will. But so did you even like keep in touch with the minute-by-minute kind of text of it all? Or were you up to date with goings-on in Swansea as they were happening? Because that might be where we went wrong. I saw three messages during the game. We're winning.
Speaker: ah It's won all. And we are now losing. And that was as much as I followed it. Were you following it on Championship Manager 2001? No.
Speaker: Do we need to say any more on the podcast? I feel like we've just summed it up. and we Can we just close it there? That is my analysis of the game. Really, do we do does anyone need live football when it when you can just boil it down to that now?
Speaker: I think it would get a bit North Korea, though, like when they won the 2010 World Cup. And we would, yeah, with to be fair, I'm all for the propaganda at this point. I'll take anything. I'll just take, i don't know.
Speaker: Losing at Swansea 2-1. Oh, wait, we did that. The next also avoided the Swansea.com stadium, but more so because not being in Wales limits his chances of bumping into Rob Earnshaw. It's Dan Brigham. Hello, Daniel. Did you two stay away from ah the game on Saturday or did you watch? Hello, Ryan, and good to have you back on the pod. Thank you. I did watch it. um I was sending um very ah short, brief updates as well as as goals were scored and conceded. um So i think I think you watched it, didn't you, Ryan, as live.
Speaker: So um we'll get on to how Steve watched it. yes Much more interesting and than how the two of us watched it. And our final panellist went AFK at the weekend to avoid spoilers of Norwich's result. So it's only fitting that the result spoiled his weekend. It's Steve Sanders. Would you like to explain to our lovely listeners how you followed the game at the weekend, Steve?
Speaker: Yeah, well, i was I was busy on Saturday and I knew I was going to get back until late. So I did what dan would describe oh Dan described as a likely lads, but for any listeners under the age of about 87, that means i avoid I tried to avoid the score all day, which I did by turning off my notifications on my phone and watching on the full 90 on the club's website the day after. Because i thought it because it was on at 12.30, I thought, that oh, that means it's on Sky.
Speaker: It was not. So I couldn't record the game. So I had to wait for the highlights come up. Wow. You even waited for the, oh my God. Oh, wow. Did you look at your phone at all in WhatsApp messages at all in that period of time? I did not. As everybody on the WhatsApp chat knows, that's not that difficult for me. I can easily go 24 hours without checking my phone. And I would like to explore you stating that you turned notifications off, which implies that they're ever actually on. Steve goes dark.
Speaker: You go dark for so long that your face turns up on milk bottles in the 1960s as a missing person. I was wondering where you were going with that. I just realised, like the Likely Lads reference, that was another one for people over the age 80. What I should add as well is that I was congratulating myself for being successful. Then I had to go round my dad's to help him with what was... a fairly bog standard email issue got him locked up back onto his account briefly had a very brief look at his emails you know like when you just it just popped up as emails popped up and I saw a comment that said Mattson Rue City second half slips before I'd watched it so watched that entire game knowing well we haven't won then have we thought you were going to say you still put yourself through it my god
Speaker: I thought you were going to say you opened his emails to three from Dan saying, we're winning. We're drawing one, one. We've lost. I have, I have told Dan his emails to my dad have got to stop. I was, you'd already gone dark by this point, Steve, but I was going to ask you if you needed like a safe word in case Norwich had been absolutely pummeled, you know, had done a Plymouth away or something like that. But so unfortunately, you'd already switched off notifications, I think. ha I think it's, you're all in, you know, there's there's no such thing as safe words. You've got to take what what you can get. Although had I found out, if I'd seen a notification that said City hit for six or something like that, I probably at that point would have just gone, fine, I'll do a Zoe and just highlight it. Just a quick reminder that us at OTB and Norris City podcast will turn up every week, even if the team doesn't. We are now on Patreon and Substack for all of your extra content, steering you through the 26-27 season. For just £2 a month, you can gain access to exclusive episodes and ad-free content on Patreon. And our free Substack will regularly be updated throughout the season if the written word is as much your thing as the spoken one.
Speaker: Now, after the lows of the weekend, let's get high instead with Zoe Morgan's bong.
Speaker: The sound of someone one whose bong is well and truly empty. ah Zoe, I'll come to you first, actually. We're 12 competitive games in, five wins, seven losses. Ironically, in the league, in a similar place to where we were this time last year. What conversations should we be having now the season is firmly starting to take shape the way it is?
Speaker: I don't know. Well, i feel like... To me, things don't feel as desperate as they did this time last year. we do feel like there's...
Speaker: There's some things to grab hold of in terms of positives where it really felt like we were scratched, desperately scratching around this time last year. So the fact that we're scoring goals, the fact that we've got a manager and a team that we know can play well, i think definitely helps. um But it's definitely a head scratcher um and starting to become, you know, a really nasty itch, ah ah I would say in terms of,
Speaker: why they've started this season so differently to the way they ended last season um and and why we can't turn some of those close games into wins. um As I said, I did not watch the game, but I i was watching Big Phil's press conference after the game and he was, you know, obviously putting quite a positive spin on it, but talking about how it was a game of fine margins. We've had a lot of those, um And we could have just as easily got a draw out of it or a win if we'd have taken a couple of our chances.
Speaker: i would say that that's fair enough. But it does feel like we're managing to lose more of those games than we are managing to win them at the moment. And I think that's probably bit of a mentality issue and a, I guess, a memory a muscle memory issue in terms of remembering what it's like, what they need to do in order to hang on to a lead. um And yeah, I think there are...
Speaker: elements of them being a bit flaky, being a bit easy to play against at times, which is a surprise again from last season, um and and issues with them sort of fighting as a team. Now, I i don't know if that he, Big Phil did say that that was different on Saturday. It was different to the Bolton game, so I can't profess to know, but hopefully that was a bit different. um So I think there's plenty of reason to think that things will just start going a bit differently um sooner or later, but it isn't where we wanted to be at this point in the season, is it?
Speaker: Dan, are a lot of the issues we saw on Saturday similar to the ones that we experienced before the international break, or do we have a whole new plethora of problems to look forward to? Well, it's good to mix things up, isn't it? Keeps things interesting. um Well...
Speaker: but Even before the international break, there were sort of myriad issues. I would say what one thing that wasn't an issue was playing in quite cohesive, incisive football.
Speaker: ah When we had the ball and had a bit of space as well ah on the transition, we didn't see much of that against Swansea. um But I did feel like, well, what I wanted after the Bolton game, which, you know, was...
Speaker: um if we dare remind ourselves of it, was pretty pathetic performance, I think. um In terms of work rate, um well, mostly in terms of work rate, that never really got going. um And everything sort of the downfall came from there.
Speaker: But what I wanted to see, and I think what most people wanted to see, was maybe us being more compact, less open in the middle of the park, as we had been in that week when we conceded, what was it, 13 goals um in three games, including the Cowbell Cup. um And I think especially first off, we we were more compact. We still have the issue that Jack Stacey is...
Speaker: And I assume he's been instructed to do this is bombing on leaving massive no man's land behind him and poor old McConville's got to go and fill that space a lot of the time.
Speaker: But I do think the front four were better in the press. thought Wright and Mattson, the gaps between them were good as well. So I thought we did see a little bit more um of a narrowing of the spaces. I thought Shortell and Magoma sort of worked hard out possession without doing really anything in possession, either of them.
Speaker: And I was pretty pleased with how the first half went. I don't think we deserve the lead necessarily, but i don't think Swansea were much the better team in the first half. Then second half, as soon as they equalise, and what a disastrous goal that is with once again Jack Stacey halfway up the pitch, leaving massive spaces in behind.
Speaker: um ah The fragility was pretty alarming, actually. um It felt like... The sort of fragility we saw quite a lot under Liam Manning um when we'd be sort of going along OK, and then something bad would happen, and suddenly the next 10 minutes they don't know how to respond to it. um And last season, only it took, what, maybe three or four games for Clement to sort that out? um But it it was there.
Speaker: But what I would say is, slightly more encouragingly this time, is that, although obviously Swansea dropped off a little bit to protect their lead, and they'd only conceded one goal at home up until the weekend, um so they're good at protecting a lead, we did...
Speaker: grow back into the game. And although Swansea deserved to win, ah think, I think if we'd nicked an equaliser and Field probably really should bury that chance from Sulemani's pullback and Makama probably should do better with his head as headed chance as well. I think anyone would have kind kind of thought we'd robbed Swansea, that but we'd sort of tried hard found a way back into the game.
Speaker: But that fragility is alarming. and And when teams are sort of lacking confidence, even though you're kind of playing in all right, and I still maintain Norwich aren't that far away from clicking, think when confidence is taking a hit, you can also be not that far away from clicking, but you can also be pretty close to also falling off a cliff face. So it does feel like right now we're on ah we're a bit Barry from EastEnders and being approached by, I can't remember his girlfriend's name now. Janine. Janine. Being approached by Janine. So yeah, it feels like we're on ah a bit yeah bit of a knife edge at the moment.
Speaker: You're so up to date with your references, you big Gen X you. I couldn't even get the reference right as well. It it always strikes me as really odd as much as there is have been merits to Jack Stacey in an orange shirt at points over his time here. And I like Darlan Yonghua as well as a player, but it's it really confuses me why they are persisting with overlapping, essentially old fashioned wing backs as well when they leave so much space on the turnover. um But hey, I'm not a football manager. um
Speaker: Steve, Norwich do look half a pace off the ball, particularly when they get turned over themselves. um How much are they appearing to struggle with this change in setup compared to last season? And is it an application thing, a lack of execution, or a lack of desire? Because there were points on Saturday where I saw certain players...
Speaker: admittedly late in the game, but seemingly not busting a gut to get back on on the turnover. And it felt a little bit like there are one or two, won't name names just yet, who I don't think their hearts are in it in the same way as what they were, say, five months ago.
Speaker: Do you know what? I was thinking, i'm pretty sure you asked the question about six months ago, before the end of last season, like, do do we think that next season there might be an issue with us not having the, I suppose, the level of jeopardy and in the games as we did when we were battling relegation? And I've kind of poo-pooed it thinking, well, no, I can't see that being an issue.
Speaker: I really wonder whether it is, or at least I think you're right, there is something can't quite put my finger on, and whether it is desire or belief or confidence, This is not the same team that we saw at the end of last season, but with the same players. you know the The two centre-backs and the goalkeeper look so nervous on the ball, having to defend balls into the box. um the The front four has changed, but there does seem to be that the press doesn't quite seem to be as effective, which we talked about after the after the Bolton game.
Speaker: So something is missing. And that's that's sort of the worrying thing, really, is that... Last season, we got to this point and I think we were all just waiting for a change in manager. This time around, I don't know what that fixes. And certainly Big Phil has enough credit in the bank for us not even to be really having that conversation. So something needs to change.
Speaker: I don't have the answer for what that is. I'm hoping that, say, if we win on Wednesday, that might be the catalyst for the players to get a little bit like it was against Southampton at home last season, where the players go, hang on a minute, we do know what we're doing here. A clean sheet would help massively. So even if it was a nil-nil, that wouldn't be a disaster because I do think we need to build from the back. This team, even when they're in front, don't ever look like keeping a clean sheet. I mean, personally, and I don't know if this is with... particularly when we're in front. Yes, at no point. But especially when we're behind, we definitely don't look like we're going to keep a clean sheet. Yeah. But I don't know if this is with the kind of, you know, the level of doom that comes when you know you're going to lose. But I didn't think that there were fine margins in that game. I thought were beaten by the better team. You know, we lost 2-1. McConville cleared a shot off the line. There was that shot that Ida fluffed when he was, or he didn't even have a shot. Did he kind of try to control it and miscontrol it when he was one-on-one? That was a two-on-one chance. Ida had that one as well where he tried sort backheel it in in the first half. And once they went in front,
Speaker: we kind't we we did a you know we We pushed, but I think they kind of held us at arm's length, to be honest, other than that field chance. I can't really think of anything great that we created. So I think we were beaten by a better team.
Speaker: And ah guess it's OK because Swansea are top of the league and we were going there away to a team in form. But if we looked at this fixture at the start of the season, we would have said... that is a game where we would think we would get a result from, or at the very least, you know, we would be competing for it. And I don't, you know, that that's what worries me is that the Swansea probably won't finish in the top two. They might be in the playoffs, but we we can't really just be going into these games going, oh, well, tough game, you know, we'll take the defeat and we'll move on because we're at a stage the season, you say, Ryan, where that's becoming, you know, it's it's more and more difficult to stomach.
Speaker: It is some is quite weird that so many of them look nervous. Like, I know a lot of them are young, but a lot of them have still played quite a lot of games. I wonder whether they need like some sort of team hypnotherapy or some sort of...
Speaker: Could be the one Maybe they should have a podcast regime that they they all listen to. Not this one for God. that would you know that might sort them out. um Barring giving them all a clip around the ear, perhaps perhaps some nice mindfulness would help um calm them all down. Because it is rare to see a football team look openly nervous but I would say definitely Vlad looks nervous quite a lot and so do the centre-backs at the moment.
Speaker: I just want the curb your enthusiasm music to play at the listen to a podcast comment and then it's just us getting you relegated at the end of the season and we're solely responsible for that. um the The mentality is an interesting one Zoe. Are we in a position now where the team do seem to be so shaky and dare I say low on morale that we We need just purely a result to start this turnaround as opposed to a, let's say they lose 1-0 on Wednesday, but play really, really well. i don't think that will quite have the same impact as if they absolutely, forgive my language, shithouse a 1-0 win as well.
Speaker: Yeah, almost playing badly and and winning would be the best for everybody, i would say, at this point. um Because it teach this teaches them something. um And, yeah, we that if we are convincing ourselves, obviously Steve's not having any of it, but if we're convincing ourselves that we've played a lot of games that have been that have come down to these fine margins...
Speaker: we have to believe that when games do feel tight, we can be the ones that that come out on top. um And yeah, they need they need some confidence. They need it quickly. So however that comes in terms of performance, we need some points over the next week or so quickly. And it's not even like...
Speaker: I mean, I don't want to be old fashioned here, well but but what about a draw? Remember remember draws? ah The sort of psychology of that. If Stacey hadn't given away that free kick against Binnlesborough and whether we then defended like idiots, or if Fields sticks away that chance or McCarmid sticks away that chance late at Swansea. And he's sort of talking about points at Middlesbrough and Swansea, the teams currently, you know, number one and two in in the league.
Speaker: And even though we might not have deserved anything from Swansea, and I think we probably did deserve something from Middlesbrough, psychologically, it's it's we're we're probably not having this conversation at all because that's that's two you know draws and two fewer defeats at good places as well. So it just feels like, just give me ah a rubbish performance on Wednesday and a draw and I'm hyper happy with that.
Speaker: As long as we then obviously follow that up with a good performance and a win against Portsmouth on Saturday. It just feels like, I don't know, that yeah it's that that confidence is... It's a weird old thing because obviously a lot most of these players here will remember what happened at the start of last season, how toxic it got, ah how the crowd turned pretty quickly.
Speaker: And confidence can just evaporate in sport. We've seen it basically every season since we last got relegated. Confidence just disappear at some point in a season.
Speaker: um And i don't know, it's it's obviously you know a sporting phenomenon thing, but I'm still clinging on to the fact that as we saw last season, as we saw under Wagner when we turned it around, confidence can switch back on as well with a couple of just... whatever like decent results. Whether the performance is good or not, just build from a couple of decent results. And we'll come on to this, I guess, when we look at the next two games, but we do have, ah on paper, a much kind quite long run of fixtures now compared to our ah start to the season as well, which hopefully there's enough games in there to get that confidence back and get that team that we saw that was so well balanced and well drilled when Clement came in last season, and sort of
Speaker: performing again. And we start that run of fixtures on Saturday with not just a what on paper is a very winnable game, but also a very big occasion in the context of the football club as well. So hopefully that can be a kind of springboard, but we'll talk about that a bit later as well. um Dan, ah we've spoken about some of the players dropping off, and I want to kind of park the Philippe Clement conversation for a second, because as Steve alluded to earlier, I think that he has enough credit in the bank for the next few weeks at least. But I'm going to bring it back to Ben Knapper, who once again has come under a lot of scrutiny after the weekend. And i was thinking about as...
Speaker: as difficult as Stuart Webber was as a person. He fundamentally changed a lot for the better at the football club with regards to getting the facilities up to a more sustainable level, certainly relative to where Norwich are in the football period. And Napa, with want for a better phrase, hasn't exactly had the luxury of being able to make such changes and I guess get as much credit in the bank himself. But that being said, he's far from leaving the club, even not just in a better place than when he took over, but it's also kind of regressing in ah in a way as well. And he's struggling to just maintain a level, which again, I know he took over at the end of the 23-24 season, but you had two thirds of the campaign there, which Stuart Webber was responsible for. And ultimately Norwich got into the playoffs that year. So Webber's record with Norwich in the championship was pretty good. Napa's decidedly isn't.
Speaker: I'm not going to say how is he still in a job because I think that's a bit too, too blunt, but with every passing day that goes on with the club in this state, he has to come under more and more criticism, doesn't he? And more scrutiny?
Speaker: Um... Well, I would, I mean, like we could have a very long conversation about where it's gone wrong, et cetera, getting rid of Farker, selling your best player in Emmy Buendia. That was on Stuart Webber's watch.
Speaker: Finishing 14th in the first season after we got relegated, that's on Webber's watch um as well. You know, spaffing all that money on Shane Duffy and Ashley Barnes, that's on Webber's watch.
Speaker: There was a big old rebuild job, I thought. after Webber left. um We were already sort of on the way down and yeah, we got top six, but we also had, you know, Sarah, Sargent, Sainz, Kenny possibly at his peak at the time.
Speaker: You Newlist at left back, you know, that was a proper team that should have got top six. um So yeah, but Napa has no credit in the bank whatsoever though. um But atla I don't, I can understand why it's bubbled up again, but for me,
Speaker: we all start We all said at the start of the season we thought our squad was good enough to get... I think we all put them top four, didn't we, Norwich? Certainly thought our squad was good enough for top eight and that we had a manager who could take us beyond the top eight.
Speaker: um I personally don't think that's changed. I think our squad is good enough and well-balanced enough to get top six, let alone top eight. Yeah.
Speaker: And I understand why the IR is at Napa because Clement does have a lot of credit in the bank and rightly so. And um I believe he'll turn it around still. um But I think the heat should be on Clement and the players at the moment because the players aren't performing and Clement isn't getting them to perform. And we've all talked about sort of, and lots of people have talked about the slight sort of system issues and gaps in midfield.
Speaker: I don't believe we don't have the players capable of getting to the top eight. um we saw how good they were under clement last season we've added brooks to it who is a big upgrade on the right um A lot of those players who played last season have now got another year under their belt, should be more experienced, the likes of Cordoba and McConville, Mattson, Toure and McCama coming along, although obviously injury issues there.
Speaker: I think the heat probably, I think the squad is good enough to get into the playoffs, and we're not but we're not playing like a squad good enough to get into the playoffs at the moment. And but Ben Knapper has a lot of questions to answer us over his time here, but right now,
Speaker: i I think the heat's probably more on or should be more on Clement. But come on, it's early. it it is As Zoe said earlier, it's so not like last season when there was nothing good happening under Manning.
Speaker: We didn't know how we were playing. We weren't scoring goals. We looked awful at the back. There are still like, there's last season under Clement in the bank and we are still creating and scoring lots of chances as well. So it does feel like people saying that Atanasio should come out and talk to the press and that kind of stuff. Like, come on, ah don't add fuel to the fire.
Speaker: ah Don't create problems that aren't there already. Give it, you know, getting hammered by Southampton and Portsmouth at least. i Give it another week before we're really concerned. Yeah, I just think it's only natural because we've started the last two seasons with, what, eight points and nine points from our first nine games. I do get it. But this, to me, feels very different than this time last year. And i just hope there's a bit of calm at Carrow Road and Colney.
Speaker: I have to say, i I, like Dan, can sort of see why it's it's come up now. But I find it ah kind of ridiculous, really. Like, this is not a this is not an issue of NAPA. This is a playing squad and a manager thing. like As Dan says, we we sat here a few weeks ago. We were just kind of laughing at the embarrassment of riches that we had in attack. We have built a good squad here. um I think the only issue that we did foresee potentially was was if Kenny got injured, would we have the depth? and And well, we will see because he's only missed one game, whether that comes to pass. I mean, just looking at our record this year, we've played 37 games and we've won 21 of them. So that doesn't really scream. You know obviously we're on a bad run of the moment, but that does not scream of a club in massive decline.
Speaker: And I was thinking about like, if you look at the player who Swansea had up front last season, last season, last weekend, Adam Eder, how much did we sell him for? Eight or nine million.
Speaker: Yeah. I don't think we would swap him for either Makama or Toure. And I don't know how much they cost us combined. Three million, four million. So people are very quick to, you know and we have given Ben Knapper a good amount of criticism on this podcast. And I think rewind the clock, rewind the clock 12 months. We'd have all wanted him out probably.
Speaker: But I do think this is, like if if we're winning the games on the pitch, did we're not even having this this conversation. And I know that that is the job of a sporting director, but he is not to blame for what we've seen over the last few weeks, not not even close.
Speaker: FYI, I completely agree with what both you and Dan have said there. As someone who's not a big fan of Ben Knapper, I do echo what you guys have said. But is it then not the job of a sporting director when, if the players do seemingly come across as a bit discontent with having to work so much, having limited time off, for example, is that not the job of the sporting director as Clement's boss to then go...
Speaker: I think we're pushing a bit too far, mate. Can we rein it in a bit because these lads are getting a little bit uncomfortable with it? Maybe, but I do think that part of what we've said to Phil Clement, I assume when he came in, was you can have more you can have some autonomy on this, mate. We're not going to step in and we're not going to tread on your toes. I think he probably had a say in some of the activity that we had in the transfer window just gone as well. I would imagine he very much signed off a lot of those transfers.
Speaker: um And that has worked up until now. and and it And it has flipped. I mean, the big issue has been around the defence when we've picked that out. You know, Rui McConville went away on international duty with Northern Ireland and didn't concede a single goal. Everyone's raving about him. He comes back to Norwich and is back in a team now that's let in 15 goals in the last four games. We were talking about Jose Cordoba as ah being Premier League ready at the end of last season.
Speaker: and And now he suddenly looks like he can't pick out a pass. And and he was good at the World Cup as well. Yeah. So, you know, these are not bad players. i think we I think we've seen enough of them now to know that their level is high. They're just not finding that level at the moment.
Speaker: which can happen, by the way. like is And I do, obviously, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes, whether they are, some of the players are annoyed about, you know, the extra hours they have to put in. and And, you know, to which I think, well, come on, grow up. But also, i am it is, be realistic. Some players...
Speaker: um don't like that, I suppose. um so and we And we don't know if some of the mentalities changed or whatever. it could just be a collection of it could be a collective of bad form from a lot of the players, a lot of whom, you know coming back from injury, had long summers. But I don't know, like whatever it is, i think i think it's it's on Clement to sort out this stage. I do agree, though.
Speaker: as essentially Clement's boss, if Napa does think the players are being pushed too hard and it is having a detrimental effect, particularly when you're out form, then you know it is his job to have a little quiet a quiet word. No matter how much autonomy Clement's been promised, Napa still is his boss.
Speaker: Maybe. it was Eurosec that was the personality holding them all together in the dressing room all along. It was probably like Spring It and Gibbs as well. Yeah. Tony Gary's Spring It. Two great lads. Yeah, exactly. Good to have around the place. I also don't want to jinx it, but things have really plummeted since George Long left as well.
Speaker: They really have. it was Well, he's back on Wednesday, so... Oh, good. There we go. steve Ask him to spend 10 minutes in the dressing room before it starts. And then 90 minutes in goal for them, please, afterwards. Steve, can you hit us with a stat attack? I can, Ryan.
Speaker: yeah These are in lieu of the ones that I did not post at the weekend and so hurriedly did them before the start of this podcast. If they are wrong, ah I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. um So we lost to Swansea again. That's four years in a row, four seasons in row. In fact, we've lost them basically at the same time.
Speaker: Every season. October, September, October, October. 2-1, 2-1, 1-0, 2-1. It's the first ground we've lost four league games in a row at since.
Speaker: Can anyone guess to 2014-15, ground where we always lose?
Speaker: Craven Cottage? is the right answer. Yeah. Fulham. So Swansea's the new Fulham. You heard it here first. ah Jacob Wright, the first, poor Jacob Wright, the first Norwich City player to score his first two goals for the club in in defeat since another JW sort of Jordan Wodes. Jordan Wodes. in 2018 it's the first time they've lost three games in a row after scoring first three league games and row after scoring first since at least and I don't know if this is right or not because i've only got half-time full-time scores 1954 so great great work Wow.
Speaker: Wow. And it is the first time that we've conceded in the first five minutes of a second half in three games in a row. it's Just a really, a really great satisfying time to concede. i always find since November, 1995 and number one on that day with, I believe, slash up on the roof, double A side. i mean, if you get this one, robson and jero Oh my God, straight in there.
Speaker: ah It's correct. Everyone's favorite England manager and Norwich City strike combination. um And Ryan, I mean, this is this is where your cinephile points going to come. Well, I i didn't think they'd get the last one, but ah the the number one box office on the 8th of November 1995 French Kiss starring...
Speaker: was french kiss starring Meg Ryan. Correct. Zoe, you're on fire. yeah I love the 90s. The ninety s is your time.
Speaker: Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline, what I can only assume was a syrupy, awful rom-com, 46% on Tomatoes. For context, that was a year and two weeks after I was born. So I had no hope in hell of getting that. I think it was probably a 12 as well. So you really wouldn't have watched it. Like I'm trying to get in as a toddler. Fetus is not allowed.
Speaker: And that's sir that's all the attack I've got for you.
Speaker: That brings us on to Sophie Leaney's Word of the Week. Eda.
Speaker: eda
Speaker: Malky Mackay may be a tough act to follow unless you're Jim Davidson or a modern day Canary icon. I'll hand over to Steve Sanders for the next two players in our Canary Countdown.
Speaker: Thank you, Ryan. Yes, it's time to get counting down again. We're back for another round of Canary Countdown. It's just like the Channel 4 countdown. but with more old footballers, fewer anagrams, and Giles Branderis doesn't turn up every so often in a stupid jumper. Basically, it's better. Just a reminder of what this is. We've invited Norititi fans to vote for their favourite Norititi footballers of this century. And 393 you have done just that, picking your greatest canaries from 1 to 25. So I think let's play the jingle.
Speaker: It's Tetis!
Speaker: Yeah, the votes are in and the names are already being ticked off. Jerome, Sainz, Dublin, Ruddy, Vrancic and Mackay have got us up to number 20. And on tonight's pod, we're entering our teenage years and discovering number 19 and 18 in our greatest canaries since. Cliff Richard, release the Millennium Prayer. all the contemporary references tonight. um Just a reminder, these guys do not know which Norwich City icon slash daft racist they're going to be talking about.
Speaker: But talk they must. So, shall we find out who is next? Number 19. Here it comes. Number 19.
Speaker: I
Speaker: but think the man himself would approve of that, right? but
Speaker: ah Some funky grooves there for you. Yes, Craig Fleming, born in Halifax, West Yorkshire in October 1971. joined Norwich City in what year? Dan?
Speaker: two thousand and seven 2007? Excellent work to join. Dan, don't let us down. Oh, I don't remember this at all. Anyone remember this? oh awesome um Was it Rotherham?
Speaker: Ryan, you are spot on. Rotherham United for absolutely niche. Fleming was signed under Mike Walker and after an injury disrupted first season went on to become a consistent performer for the Canaries playing 40 plus games in four straight seasons and every match the season they reached the playoff final in 2002. He would also play every game. in the 2003-2004 title winning season under Nigel Worthington, famously winning the Barry Butler trophy that year over Darren Huckabee. And he kept in Norwich City over 100 times in his time with the club. He is 12th on the all-time appearances list for the Canaries with 358 games, 288 them. have been since the 1st of January 2000. We'll keep the um eulogies short and sweet, but Zoe, you know, going to have to go through all the emotions over the course of this. Why are we keeping them short and sweet?
Speaker: Because we are rewarding our Patreon subscribers. Thank you for the reminder. with on our bonus podcast as we do every single time so if you'd like to hear us ah if you'd like us to be longer and more savoury then ah you can get that by subscribing just head over to patreon otb norwich city thank you very much now zoe h but's it's going to be emotional, this countdown, and you'd but you'd have to have a heart of stone not to shed a little tear at Flemm and Melke being side by side. Side by side, as they were always meant to be. And as we have previously discussed, we've got several pairs of soulmates that are potentially in this line-up, and I wonder how many of them will be side by side. um It's encouraging that the first two are together. um
Speaker: And yeah, I mean... you do You really do think about Craig Fleming during that promotion campaign where Huckabee obviously did win us the league, but Craig Fleming was not a player of the season. um Just, I would say, the first word that comes to mind with Fleming is stability.
Speaker: Like, you could trust him. He was a solid defender. Yeah. And yeah, e that reliability factor. And obviously, he as we've just discussed, he was at Norwich a long time. um I think having that consistent presence in the defence and someone that was experienced and knew what he was doing.
Speaker: Plus, I always liked it when he was doing his warm ups, he would kick his leg really high in the air. i think that is most most people's reasons why he's in this list. Can you imagine Diallo doing that now?
Speaker: I can but I can then imagine him being out for four months. Stretch it off. Ryan I mean as you've already reminded us you were probably ah but about two when he was playing for us but I'm imagining you at preschool you know like dreaming of being Craig Fleming when you were younger like all young children did.
Speaker: Oh, yeah. I mean, who who didn't dream of being Craig Fleming when they were younger? I mean, that also sounds really mean of me to say it like that because he was an excellent defender for Norwich City. And he's he's one of those who I think we we have a lot of conversations and we will have a full conversation on our Patreon after this as well.
Speaker: ah talking about the center halves of recent years, i.e. your Grant Hanley's, your Tim Closes, who are all modern day icons. And it feels like Fleming was those guys a decade earlier, you know, and and he will, even though he might not have won as many promotions or titles as as those guys, he was...
Speaker: uh a guaranteed name on the team sheet ah ah very assured and he's one of those where up until the end of his time at norwich you always thought we had a better chance of keeping a clean sheet and getting a result when he was in the side and it's it's just a shame that he you know as footballers do when they get to a certain age they kind of go off the the pace a little bit but i can remember that uh Division one winning season and he was excellent, generally excellent and don't really have a bad word to say about him.
Speaker: Great. well Well, we'll test that in our longer form podcast because you I might ask you to do exactly that. Dan, you can breathe a sigh of relief because Craig Fleming is ahead of Malky Mackay. Yes, and truly the Robson and Jerome of centre-back partnerships. Without casting any aspersions on either Robson or Jerome, who I'm sure are fine and upstanding. um I loved Craig Fleming, one of my favourite players from that era. um I thought he was sort of, he felt like the kind of centre-back that we didn't we as a football club didn't really have throughout the 90s, even when we were really good in the 90s under Mike Walker.
Speaker: The centre-backs were um quite often more interested in attacking and trying to score goals. Whereas Craig Fleming felt like someone who covered a lot of ground, um was pretty classy on the ball as well, commanding in the air.
Speaker: Yeah, I really liked him. I just thought, and I do think... ah As good as Malky McKay was, I think Craig Fleming, especially at championship level, sort of any decent centre-back next to him, he he would make look better immediately. that i think that's how good he was for us.
Speaker: Yes, wise words indeed. And I think, as you know, I've been, ah as part of this, we dig out comments from people when they submitted there their votes. I think this is how Craig Fleming would wanted actually. Not a single comment about Very quietly went about his business, didn't he? Quietly, yeah, unnoticed. But Andy Elson put him in second place and that was the highest anyone placed him. So he was, I think, a consistent 25er, but um yeah, just not showy. And he's always got that Barry Butler in the in the bank. Where is he now? He's not Southampton anymore, is No, his last role was at Bristol City as their assistant manager, I think, under Struber. But when Struber got sacked, Fleming went with him. So, hey, Craig, if you're listening and you want to do a guest, you want to do a guess but let us know your top 25 and you can come on any time. But that's number 19 done. Now the identity of our number 18. Number 18, Bradley Johnson.
Speaker: Late Night Grooves with Steve Sanders. Is anyone else a bit turned on after that? ah Possibly. Bradley Paul Johnson, born in Hackney, London in 1987. He joined Norwich City in... Zoe, what year?
Speaker: my God. 2012? 2012? twenty
Speaker: twelve yeah I hope that noise was caught. looked like you were in so much pain You sound like a broken printer. 2011. Do you know what, Dan? You had some hard ones, so I'm going to give you this. From...
Speaker: Leeds, Leeds, Leeds. Leeds, Leeds, Leeds. I could have done that one and the next one probably. On a free transfer and was sold in 2015. Correcto to Zoe?
Speaker: Derby County. Derby County for a club record for them, which I didn't realise. of £6 million pounds at that time. It's probably been broken now. um Johnson joined Norwich City in the summer. They were promoted to the Premier League under Paul Lambert, coming third in the Player of the Season award that season and played three of his first four full seasons at Carrow Road in the top flight. However, it was his only season in the Championship in which he probably had his biggest impact at the club, scoring 15 goals from midfield as Norwich City were promoted back to the Premier League via the playoffs and Johnson was named as the fans' player of the season for his achievements. that season.
Speaker: So, Ryan, Bradley Johnson, a fan, yay, nay. Oh, very much, EA. I do feel it's one of those where you don't want to keep people around if they're not going to play as many games as they would perhaps hope. However, i do feel like there was always room, particularly in hindsight, when you think of the amount of injuries we got in twenty fifteen sixteen to have kept Bradley Johnson around. I know it perhaps wouldn't suit him to play off the left in the Premier League like he did the year before. However, i don't think you can kind of underestimate how important he was with that group of players and how much they liked him and I guess how much the fans liked him as well and it did feel like as much as the money was good it felt like for the sake of six million quid that which Norwich ultimately didn't really properly invest for months and months after that it felt like ah a mistake at the time letting him go and in hindsight i think it was a big mistake but
Speaker: That's football in it. it's a shit It was a shame to see him go. Norwich fans never really got to say a proper goodbye to him either, um especially after the the the season before. But, I mean, as a fan, I think you you can't fault really anything he he did for the most part at the football club. And he goes down, I think, as probably one of the most underrated free agents Norwich or free signings that Norwich have ever picked up, certainly this century.
Speaker: I'd sort of forgotten he was a free agent, to be honest. And and Danny, he's just a reminder of of good times at this football club, really. Yes. And also, i was thinking quite rare as a left footer, didn't have a wand a left foot, but did have a traction engine of a left foot. Normally you associate left footers with sort of graceful curling goals, but he just absolutely wellied it when it came anywhere near him. It's a very good effect.
Speaker: um i will I must admit, I liked him, but I never thought he was like Premier League quality, but I thought he was industrious, worked really, really hard. As Ryan says, seemed very popular within that group as well. What I would say, though, is he probably kept Neil Adams in a job longer than Neil Adams deserved to be in that job by an excellent runner goal scoring form, which... um I'm going to have to check for the Patreon special podcast after this, but I think his goalscoring form sort of dropped off a bit when Alex Neal came on. I don't know whether, can't really remember if his role changed slightly, but he was...
Speaker: He was a real motorist. When it was going wrong under Neil Adams, Bradley Johnson was the one guy you'd really turn to to add a bit of joy to him to any sort of performance. So, yeah, I probably look back on him more fondly than I did while while he was playing for us, actually, weirdly.
Speaker: i think he I think it did dip in terms of goal scoring and then it picked up again as we got towards the end of the season. And, I mean, when I think about Bradley Johnson, Zoe, that's sort of, I go straight to that season, really.
Speaker: Yeah, definitely. Like proper caveman energy, and i would say, like roaring, kind of chest beating his hairs everywhere. um And ah like people like that in their team. I think that kind of that kind of enthusiasm and energy that they bring. um he was part of that banter era of when we were just signing all of Leeds as players just for a laugh. Like, it sort of felt like, well, Becchio was the worst of it, but we sort of signed, we signed Johnson for free just to kind of keep it going um without much expectation that, you know, he was going to said really be something, but he was. So that was an extra bonus. um And,
Speaker: Yeah, he he is someone that you can look back and sort of immediately see him doing something good in your memory. And I think, yeah, we've always got how disgruntled he looked to be signing for Derby um and leaving us. And people don't normally look that disappointed to be signing for someone else when they leave um and And he does always seem like a nice guy. Like he does seem like a nice guy. Like he obviously, you know, looked quite scary sometimes, but he he does genuinely seem like a nice guy. And,
Speaker: as everyone else has said, he seemed very popular in that group. I mean, maybe you just thought like, I've already completed this division and now I've got to do it again, but playing under Steve McLaren or who whoever it was who was managing Derby at that time. I think he was the, was he the first lead? I think...
Speaker: Unless I'm missing someone. I think it went Johnson, House and Snodgrass, Becchio. i so he started the boy ball rolling. He got the ball rolling, yeah. And they they saw how much it annoyed Leeds to begin with. and then there i This is probably something I should say say for the Patreon podcast, but I remember being in a work office kitchen when...
Speaker: ah Somebody told me that his mate used to play five a side with someone that played at Northampton with Bradley Johnson and he swore down he was a better footballer than Bradley Johnson. um And it's absolutely adamant that he's a terrible footballer. We'll see.
Speaker: We'll see. Yeah. Didn't turn out to be too bad. We turned out to be our 18th best player over this sort of slightly random period. and Unlike Craig Fleming, there were lots of comments for Johnson, as you can imagine. Ben, who lives in Edinburgh, says, Hauston and Johnson are high for me as they are one of the few midfield pairings who would have been competent at PL level for us. And adds, cheers, McNally, you prick for selling Johnson and Bruins survival. LAUGHTER but And that comment was left by Bradley Johnson.
Speaker: James Morgan. ah Thank you, James, for keeping keeping this section afloat, for putting a comment for every single to ah one of your 25 players. A moments player and someone who could strike a ball as well as anyone on this list and was the heart of the Alex Neil promotion team. Terrible decision selling when they did as a theme developing here. Nick says, Bradley Johnson gets in my top 10 due to his performance on the big stage against Ipswich. Yes, Les Tweetley that goal. Yeah. And Caroline was the one and only person to put him as their number one.
Speaker: So that's it for Flemson. Let's call him Flemson. That is another 25. Thank you very much.
Speaker: Nothing beats Norwich City under the lights. Well, hopefully not Southampton anyway. It's another doubleheader this week at Cowro Road with Southampton and Portsmouth making the arduous trip up to Norfolk. The two sides actually faced each other yesterday with the Saints coming through victorious, providing a springboard for their surge up the league. Whilst at present, Norwich sit only one place above Pompey, who do, however, have a game in hand. ah Steve, is six points a must from this week?
Speaker: No, don't think so. Well, if if you're down, then you're taking a down 0-0 in the next game. So i I think we probably have to accept that Southampton is going to be tricky with the way that we're playing at the moment.
Speaker: I feel like the big one is probably Saturday. You know, if if we can get three points on Wednesday, and I'm certainly not ruling that out because, ah as I say, we were in a similar position this time last year and we pulled out a brilliant performance in that game against Southampton.
Speaker: But i do if if if we lose that, it won't be a massive surprise. I think if we go into that Portsmouth game, as Dan says, we've got a favourable run. But I'm still thinking about Bolton, who we managed to lose to, and then who lost at the weekend at home to 10-man Stoke 2-0. So I really am taking nothing for granted at the moment. I don't think we need six, but we we do need to start... I think we we're getting to the point where we need to start seeing a team that's cohesive, knows how to defend, and is is able to be compact and not look like they're going to concede every time a team attacks.
Speaker: It'll be interesting to see how they how they fare against Southampton, actually, because I do wonder if we might see them kind of keep it a little bit tighter. It might be a lower, well, it's got to be a lower scoring game than what we've been used to recently. But it might it might be a kind of 0-0, a 1-0, a 1-1, something like that. and And I wouldn't mind that, to be honest, because I think it does show that we're at least trying to rectify the problems we have. So I'll take a good performance on Wednesday and I'll take a win on Saturday.
Speaker: Zoe, is this the biggest week of Philippe Clement's tenure as Norris City manager? Because if they come out to come out of it with without getting minimum three points, he may start to lose some of that credit in the bank.
Speaker: Yeah, well, it's a big one for all of us, I think, because um as Dan said earlier, i there's a risk that things could turn maybe prematurely in terms of where we actually are, because probably because what happened last year is quite fresh in people's minds. It feels like we're just sort of going around in circles potentially a little bit.
Speaker: I sort of get it. I was quite astonished that there was so much booing at the end of the Bolton game. um I know that it was rubbish, but also still. Yeah.
Speaker: And so that sort of worries me a little bit that we could have two home games in quick succession. If neither of them go very well, um things can boil up. um And I'm not really sure that that's helpful to anyone. I'm not sure how likely it is that we're going to sack another manager. Certainly around now, I don't think we should be thinking about that.
Speaker: um So there's sort of being disgruntled, but and then there's being sort of openly hostile. And I think we do have a young group of players.
Speaker: Their confidence is obviously low. I'm not sure what groaning and booing is going to do to help that. So I think for sort of the collective perspective,
Speaker: And by that, I mean management players and fans. It is important that something good happens this week, certainly, um because I'm not sure I can, and I don't think I can take it if it all just turns again. It's too it's too much.
Speaker: What do we think the atmosphere will be like on Wednesday, Dan, particularly if Norwich do start slowly or indeed start the second half slowly as well and we have a turnaround Swansea, Bolton, Middlesbrough-esque?
Speaker: um ab Yeah, not as I was just saying. Obviously, or it it will the atmosphere will be bad if it goes badly. But I do think... to try and be positive, I suppose, if we do dig out a good performance like we did at home against Hampton last year, then it it as I said, like we're on a knife edge, that atmosphere could be electric.
Speaker: If we take the lead, if we keep hold onto the lead, if we, you know, score later, or whatever it, it does feel like we're really, there's two doors in front of us at the moment. And we don't quite know which one we're going enter.
Speaker: um, um And that applies to the atmosphere as well. I do i do think that if we we do well, it will be a properly electric atmosphere under the lights. And if we do badly, there'll be boos again. i do i mean, Southampton are a serious team. watched the game against Portsmouth and they were down to 10 men for 50 minutes at Ampton and were still the better side in the second half and still created more chances.
Speaker: um We can hope, obviously, that they've got one less day to prepare than we have. They also you know spent a lot of energy being down to 10 men in their sort of emotional um South Coast derby. And we know from when we...
Speaker: um Under Farka, when we did well and beat Leeds and Ipswich, we then got hammered by Preston away. So it can have an effect on you when you've played those sort of big emotional games. Very disappointed to see Finnazzas was not sent off for what was a horrendous tackle, retaliatory tackle as well, because he was excellent for them outside of that. um So I don't know. ah I agree with Steve. I do think Clement might go tighter. I do think Fisher will probably start. I hope so. um
Speaker: I'd like to think he would have started on Saturday if he hadn't picked a pickup picked up a knock with England under-21s as well. Because I know Fisher hasn't been good when he's played this season, but just just keep playing him until he is good, for God's sake. Because we are a better team when Fisher is good.
Speaker: ah Steve, regardless of what happens on Wednesday, Saturday will be ah the game to celebrate the life of the late, great Michael Wynn Jones. um It's one of those occasions where football does kind of take ah a back seat, but also it's a game that the football club will want to win. And I guess what what would it say about the current group of players if they do fail to, when I say turn up, show the application that we saw towards the end of of last season?
Speaker: Yeah, it's probably asking a lot to assume to for them to up their performance on the basis of of that tribute. But I think in maybe in the fans' minds, it's something extra to attach to that occasion. I like the fact that they've moved it to Saturday, as I'm sure Dan and Zoe do as well, because they're going to be there. But i think I think it's a nice touch for them to do it on ah on a...
Speaker: because they could have obviously done it on Wednesday, but to push it back when there are likely to be more fans in the ground is is a good thing for them to do. And, you know, hopefully the the emotion that's running through the stadium will carry on and to kick off. um That said, we're quite good at taking the first few minutes, the emotion out the first few minutes, doing really well with it and then still managing to bollocks it up later on in the game. So who who the hell knows? um But yeah, I would hope that that might have a positive impact, but, you know, it's probably goingnna be a minor thing in in the minds of the players. just just to come back to the discussion around like whether we need points, Paul, uh, clinchy clinch has asked, um, cliny clin you know, you know, clinchy. I know clinchy. We all know clinchy. Uh, he says, looking at the next nine games, if we don't manage to get 18 points from them, is that then playoffs gone?
Speaker: And i was sort of doing the mental maths in my head after I read this, but the answer is no. I mean, we I think it is worth remembering that we're less than 20% of the way into this season. So if we do get another 18 points, then that puts us on 27 from 18 games, which is one and a half points. And one and a half points is going to get us in the playoffs. So that shows that we really aren't that far into this.
Speaker: And the team that I look at as sort of one that we could try and replicate in that I don't think we want to sack our manager. You know, we we we had an excellent turnaround last season, but the obvious catalyst for that was we know what. But Coventry two years ago, were on eight points after nine games.
Speaker: We're on 18 points after 18 games and finished fifth. So it is a long season in the championship. And obviously they are only one of like however many teams in the last few years to have to have done that when others haven't.
Speaker: But there are teams who can just go on a run in this division. And as Dan says, we do have easier fixtures coming up. We've just got to hope that we can pick up those kind of wins without playing well and then take the confidence from there because we know we can do it under this manager.
Speaker: ah The last thing I kind of want to say on Saturday is I did initially write down should Mark Atanasio be there on Saturday. I know the Milwaukee Brewers face the LA Dodgers in the MLB playoffs, but I think that is kind of something where I've got my thoughts on that. I'm sure you guys do too, but it's not about that. I think it should just be solely focused on giving Michael Wynn-Jones the send-off he does. deserves so regardless of that I think if we use Saturday to celebrate Michael and everything he did for the football club I think that's a day a day well done um ah Dan how many points will Norwich get from the next two games we're going to win both of them 4-3 really off the start of the very weird season i think I do think we'll get four points
Speaker: That's a stupid... I don't really think that. In my mind, when I say that... We're not going to draw. We're going to get a horrible draw against Southampton, which we do not deserve. And then we'll beat Portsmouth, despite the fact with we've struggled against Portsmouth since they've come up into the championship. But I do... um Yes, four points.
Speaker: Zoe? Zoe? uh six obviously um i god i would well i'd like to beat southampton i i i know we've not got time for this but i do think i cannot believe that tonda record yeah uh adams ah Yeah, i I feel like they just waited long enough to try and hope that everyone has sort of lost interest in it a bit. um So yeah, ah just to annoy him, I would like us to win on Wednesday. um Also, i always get very distracted by John Massinho's very white trainers. um So that's why we need to get three points on Saturday as well. Imagine if Big Phil wears his white chinos as well. It'll be like an ah unstoppable force and an immovable object. and they'll And the floodlights will be on. It'll be like migraine central. It'll basically be like a Wham concert from the 90s. Another contemporary reference. yes Where were you born Dan? 2001? My God. Zinger after zinger. ah Steve, how many points?
Speaker: ah Well, we're obviously not going to draw. So three. We'll either lose to Southampton and beat Portsmouth or hilariously do it the other way around.
Speaker: And that leaves us with Kenny Other Business, guys. Now, before we come on to the Instagram questions, I just want quickly say Norwich City women did something that their male counterparts couldn't appoint at Middlesbrough. Freya Simon's first half penalty was cancelled out, but the point leaves Norwich fifth in Women's National League North with the visit of West Brom ahead of them next Sunday at the Nest. So get yourselves down to the Nest for that one, guys. ah We did pose some questions on Instagram today.
Speaker: Did we get any? Apart from Clinchy, poor Clinchy Clinch, Alex asks, did Vlad have a good game, all things considered? There were some pop saves in there. All things can considered is such a burn. Poor Vlad. What are the things we're considering? Did he trip over the board? Apart from the bits where he didn't do very well, did he have a good game? Yeah, I think apart from those bits, he can't fault I think he did fine. He wasn't at fault for either goal. He made some saves. He chucked his head in where it hurt at one point.
Speaker: I'm still not sure. I'm still not sure I totally trust him right now. Although that that chance, the Ida second chance, which although where yeah bad is that is bad from Vlad. He just pushed it gently back and onto the penalty spot. I've never seen someone have such a disparity from the quality or the ah the surety of their diving sides as well, because every really good save he seems to make, certainly this season, is across to his left and his right hand side. He seems to spill everything as well.
Speaker: I mean, the only thing i could really say is for the first goal, maybe he can drop off a bit quicker and that would allow him to get out to Yao later. a bit faster as well but apart from that i mean it's it is a it's a first of all a dreadful kind of press on the halfway line ah as well as being a good way to beat it and it's a very good ball into a dangerous area i just think the only criticism i can have is that he could maybe identify where that's going quicker and drop a few yards a bit earlier but that aside very good save from either in the first half um fairly assured throughout i think that's certainly one of his better games this season but obviously when you don't get the result you do kind of point fingers at stuff that's been going wrong and he ironically after i wrote that piece has been pretty naff so yeah and this is not football related but did anybody see vlad's instagram post from during during the game that's why he was so sure yeah one of those pictures where you're like, is this is this AI? Because I don't understand. But he is him his wife and children all seem to be in sort of a, what looks like a living room, but out of the window, there's just a big lion. But the caption just really made me laugh. The caption, so children staring out at a lion.
Speaker: Vlad says, some strength is simply inherited.
Speaker: Implying that the lion is his kid's father. Mufasa was um quite attractive, if we're honest. Is he a big Lion King fan? Do we know?
Speaker: is a I'd find it hard to believe Vlad doesn't like the Lion King. It does seem very Vlad, doesn't it? It does. You can imagine Vlad standing there on Pride Rock, holding up each of his children as they were born. Then dropping them. Sorry.
Speaker: I shouldn't say that. dot They've got a little like house or something at ah a nature reserve. Yeah, like it's a safari park. because When you say you assume it was AI, if it wasn't... Well, I don't know. You just don't ever see pictures like that. there' a video of it where there's about eight lions outside their window.
Speaker: okay oh Go check out Vlad's... yeah well And a video. this great for an audio medium currently holding up my phone. Yes, it is bedroom. I thought it was a bedroom. yeah Oh, it is a real life lion. yeah not Well, there's about six of them when it pans to the next window. but i I wish that was his house in Kringleford. Look this!
Speaker: It'd be amazing. Anything else? Give me joke about not being as scared as going to the lion's den against Samuel Walbert. I can't nail it, though. Save it for the Patreon, mate. It's what they pay for.
Speaker: I hope you have saved something better than that for the Patreon. Two quid they have to pay. Anything else for Kenny and the business? um Just that Todd's bleached his hair.
Speaker: That's interesting, isn't it? You going to clap that as well?
Speaker: how many How many captains have bleached their hair in their time, do you think? It doesn't feel like a very captain's thing to do. ah Kenny would never. No. No. No, not since the early 2000s, I think, have captains been bleaching. I was going to say Beckham's the only one I can think of.
Speaker: Well, to tie it back to Craig Fleming, he was early 2000s and he was not doing that. He was surrounded by a group of frosted tipped men though, wasn't he? Oh my gosh, yeah.
Speaker: There's that famous photo of them after they went out of those yellows where they're all wearing like baggy jeans and all have the same quiff. It's like Jim Brennan, Keith Briggs, Phil Mulrine, all with their frosted tips. and oh what ah What a time to be alive. Yeah. Would you like Norwich to come out at Carrow Road on Wednesday with replete with frosted tips?
Speaker: Well, it didn't do those guys any harm. So maybe that's what we're missing. bonding bid A bit of team bonding at the hairdresser. Yeah. Could be just what they need. How are this bloody rafting business? Building a raft and pushing it out into Whitlingham Broad. Get some frosted tips, labs.
Speaker: Just think of like the bright floodlights, like bouncing off the bleach and their hair as well. it would Blind the opposition. It'd be perfect, I think. We've got some really good hair at the moment in this team as well. I think I was... Who's hair? Oh, Chris Gorham was looking really loose, I thought, in the weekend. I think he could bleach his hair.
Speaker: I think it'd suit him. yeah Is that another sign they're going against their manager by rubbing in their bouffant hair? feel obviously all just cut this all off Big desperate for a move to now. That's all for tonight's OTB and Norwich City podcast. A big thank you to Zoe Morgan.
Speaker: Thank you, Ryan. Lovely to have you back. Thank you very much. A big thanks to Dan Brigham. Thanks, Ryan. Thanks all. And to Steve Sardis. And Steve, also, thank you for filling in for me the last few weeks as well.
Speaker: Thank you for being... I've felt like Sam Field, you know, filling in for Kenny McLean with two panicked centre-halves behind me. Yeah, that's what it was like. Dan and Zoe. Desperately trying to cover the space and I know I can't.
Speaker: If you have enjoyed this week's episode, please leave us a rating on your podcast player of choice and follow us on Instagram. We're on there as at OTB underscore pod underscore NCFC. And as we mentioned a few times earlier on, we are on Patreon as well. So subscribe there if you want to hear our thoughts on Craig Fleming and I forgot. I'm going to. Hanson! Flemjohn! Flemson! Hands up. Sorry, guys. And Substack2. We're on both of those platforms as OTB, a Norwich City podcast. Until the next one, never mind the danger.
