Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Long Come Norwich podcast, where rejuvenated routers relish remarkable relief, resolute canaries radically reverse rotten results at the valley, readily resisting Charlton to rescue Clermont from rapid removal and reprieve risk-ridden Napa from redundancy. Rarely relief has resonated so richly, the rank run is rectified.
Speaker: Claire, we winned. Winned. Oh, wasn't it lovely to watch us win a game of football again? and completely forgotten how happy it makes you. And more importantly, i think my overriding feeling was relief.
Speaker: that it kind of felt like we'd found our on switch again. and just that was the knowledge that we knew of last season. Everyone stepped up. I'm going to make a caveat. I'm not talking about the first 30 minutes. I think we can all agree that that was...
Speaker: Terrible. But after that, it was like, OK, this is how we play. This is Norwich City. This is Norwich under Philly. Players like Paris just reminded us what Paris can do.
Speaker: ah thought Fisk Garden was amazing. Obviously, Kenny came on and and sort of dictated the play in the way that he does. Everyone stepped up defensively and attacking for the rest of that game, the second half particularly. It was just so enjoyable.
Speaker: And I'm annoyed at myself that I listened to the outside noise and started calling for heads because I think ultimately when you win a game of football, everything quietens down again. And maybe we just got ourselves in a bit of a funk and lost five games of football in a row. but maybe, you know, everything's actually going to be okay after all.
Speaker: Well, a couple of defined margins went our way. So Dan Grimshaw made a couple of good saves. He did. um And one of those before the goal ah probably could have done better for the goal. But again, yeah he's completely put into harm's way by bad and bad defending. Well, there's not so much bad defending, bad it bad progressive play. you know Just choosing to play at wrong time. Schwarzau not being switched on enough.
Speaker: You're talking about the performance and how it was bad to start with and then got better. For me, that's the most satisfying part is that we saw a revival within a game. We saw them look like, you know yeah know, any talk of them not playing for the manager, any talk of them not being motivated, any talk of them, you know, not being inspired.
Speaker: um They themselves within the first half, got themselves back level and and really did step up a gear. And then in the second half, got progressively better and grew progressively more comfortable. And it could have been a lot higher.
Speaker: Yeah, should have been. called The goal tally, we we could have we could have really put them to bed. So, and yeah, I think there's there's so many positives, John. and But I want to start in goal because it's a really interesting one now. Obviously, we said we would have kept Grimmie in, but we thought Vlad would start when Vlad was in theory be available again.
Speaker: I think he's got to keep the gloves, hasn't he? I don't think there's any way that you can take the gloves off him now, probably for the next couple of games, unless he has an absolute stinker on on Saturday.
Speaker: I mean, I think you're being a little bit harsh on him for the goal. I think he's put in that position. He's got to make a decision quickly. He does. and And he actually forces the attacker out wide.
Speaker: and they have to make an absolutely outstanding finish to get it past McConville. So I don't think he's done too badly there, if i'm honest. Um, His distribution really surprised me in so much as, look, I think Vlad is slightly better over maybe five or 10 yards or maybe doing something quickly.
Speaker: But Grimshaw seems to be significantly better in terms of clipping the ball into midfield, clipping the ball into you know the striker. He's just way more accurate with his long passing. um And not again, small sample section, but...
Speaker: it It feels like that's been a real weakness of Vlad's and actually that's put us on the back foot several times this season. So, yeah, not really good. I mean, a couple of really, really presentable saves.
Speaker: He just felt
Speaker: a little bit more, well, a little bit less crazy, a little bit less zany. And that's maybe what we needed. We just needed a a calm, assured presence in there. And it gave us a base to build from. and And we did build, you know, like you guys have already talked about it, but that was so pleasing to watch Norwich grow into a game rather than you know What it has been this season is we've had several really good first halves and then just just faded away really with a bit of a whimper. So you know the fact that that we were the better side in the second half was a hallmark of Clement's sides last season.
Speaker: If that can continue, i don't know. I mean, look, I think we are get we are absolutely getting ahead of ourselves as we have every right to do after winning a game of football. um because the massive caveat to it was Charlton were really, really, really bad. I'm getting really annoyed at people saying that. It's really irritating me today. Yes, they were. It doesn't make it any less true. yeah But yeah we made them look that bad as well. we We played really well and made them look much worse.
Speaker: So, yeah, I'm i'm fed up of hearing that. Yeah, they didn't they didn't miss open goals. it's not it's not like we It's not like we gave them loads and loads of really high XG chances that they missed. You know, that we weve we have lost... Well, we did in the first 30 minutes.
Speaker: yeah yeah I don't know. Not not not really. no really i mean the the um the the If you look at the the balance of play, there's there's no Charlton fan that could have thought that they deserved anything other than than to lose that game by at least two or three goals.
Speaker: But they'd started really well though, right? They were really on the front foot and putting up under hell of a lot of pressure and we had to change how we played. And should have had a penalty and had a really, really fine margin offside call as well. On another day, that luck doesn't go for Norwich and we go under.
Speaker: you know I think that's the thing. Football is ah is a game of fine margins. We came out the right side of them on Saturday. I'm ecstatic about it. I just, you know, I think it's, let's just see what happens against Watford. Let's just see if, you know, kind of the hallmarks of ah of a Clement side are still there. And if they are, even though Watford are quite bad this season, um then maybe we can we can start to to think that, you know, there's green shoots.
Speaker: But I just, you know, look, it's it's really easy for us to sit here when it's really bad and go, look, we're quite close to being a half decent side. Let's just be balanced about it. I think it is worth being balanced about it when we've just beaten a side which I now, having seen them, would expect to be in the bottom three this season. And isn't it brilliant? Because Nathan Jones is such a twat that, you know, that's just wonderful. neither Neither Claire nor I said that everything's fixed or that everything's fine now All we did is say it was nice to win a game and that we played well.
Speaker: no no I kind of did say maybe things weren't all as bad as we thought they were. but what the the we We did make that point in the last pod, though. like Yeah. There have been fine margins. I made the point that we have lost by the odd goal. That was not happening. We've been losing games 4-3. We weren't scoring three goals and still losing at Barrow under Manning. It has been fine margins. um there is a ah there is There have been plenty of refereeing decisions that didn't go our way, like West Brom. you know We've had lots of opportunities that... that that
Speaker: to win games or to be back getting back into games that haven't gone our way. And it's when in those, when in the, the, the cut and thrust of a championship game that happens. My point with Charlton is ah I've seen at least three teams as bad as Charlton were on, on, on Saturday. I've seen teams that didn't create or play football even near as well as they did first 15 minutes. They were really up for it. They were moving the ball really quickly. They were front to back with purpose Sorry, other the way around, back to front with real purpose.
Speaker: um And yeah if you look at who is in the in the the top echelons of the league at the moment, Portsmouth were rubbish in 11th, Stoke and 9th give me strength. They were awful.
Speaker: QPR incredibly ordinary. Birmingham, we should have won we should have won by about nine. and So Southampton in six is is the first one out of that sort of gaggle of lowered playoff teams. Yeah.
Speaker: Southampton's the first one who I actually say, having seen them, I expect them to be there or thereabouts. Millwall, one of the better teams that I've seen, and they're they're down in 13th. You know, there is some... I was so disappointed with Swansea. I mean, they were as I expected them to be, which was overhyped. And, you know, I think they are... They've lost two on the bounce. I think they are. And then got beaten 5-0 by QBR. I think they are. Which madness. They are going to start coming down earth because they're not all that.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. yeah i'm I totally agree. I i think Charlton were ah were rubbish. but By no means today they the worst we've played. I think by some distance they're the worst we've played.
Speaker: But they hadn't lost at home. They hadn't lost at home. But they hadn't won in eight. Have you forgotten Stoke? Have you forgotten how little on the ball Stoke had got about them? and they one but but that was now I don't know. They were more organized. I actually thought Stoke were right and I think you were really down on them.
Speaker: But that's only one game. Again, you've just seen one game. It's only one game of Charlton. Exactly. So it cancels it out. And it's my game. Brilliant. I'll just use that argument to suit my narrative. Tremendous. Tom Parsley. We won. Let's just concentrate and enjoy the fact we won. Thank you. Thank you, Claire.
Speaker: Thank you. But Charlton were rubbish. There you Let's move on. Yeah, so I'm glad we agree that... And we were brilliant. last they was They were as bad as... We were quite good, yes. Thank you. And so let's go through some some others. So at the back, I thought... and my my I had a big fear that one of the things that we pointed out on the pod really seemed to be prevalent. So Stacey and Brooks in the first like half an hour seemed to be almost going, oh, did those idiots on that podcast say that we don't get on? Let's really show everyone we don't. Because like they they honestly, that the the lack of kind of dynamism for each other was was there for all to see. And i feel like the I feel like success on Saturday was in spite of those two rather than because of them. And they both did some really good things
Speaker: like separately. yeah. I was going to say, I don't know. They both played really well. No, but my my point is that them together. So, yeah you know, the, yeah, they don't work as a pair. That combo is just, there's something so odd about two players who are both very capable of um doing what we need at this level going forward, not necessarily defensively. um So yeah, Claire, that was, that that was a weird one because It seemed that if they were passing to Magoma, if they were passing to someone else, they were both fine. It it just falls down when it's the two of them.
Speaker: Maybe they, yeah, maybe we'll hit something there. They just don't get on. yeah I'm sure it happens. I know it happens. but They might not rate each other. Yeah, whatever.
Speaker: it didn't It didn't seem to matter so much on Saturday because individually they both both did a lot of really, really good things. yeah Particularly, I thought Andre Briggs looked back to the player that we'd seen at the start of the season and you know his work for that second goal when he had no right to really come up with that ball having been sort of tackled and they were trying to get it off him and he he stuck with it and he came up with the ball and passed it to Rory, whatever he was doing out on the left wing no idea but it it was brilliant and it worked and what an amazing cross but I think both of them
Speaker: individually put in a real shift and I didn't really notice that they weren't working together as a pair so much because it didn't matter so much because everyone was doing their job well um but yeah you're right maybe maybe they just they don't get on end of story but as long as they're passing to other people and they're doing their job well it won't matter so much well I think we should start a rumor and we already did um some improprietary. and
Speaker: Punt, talk to me about going out from fullback into the the middle of defence. You don't like darling. Talk to me about his performance. After the first 10 minutes, you must have been thought thinking, yeah, I was right. He's useless.
Speaker: It was, I don't think Harry Darling's useless. I don't think Harry Darling suits a Philippe Clement's side um in full flow. ah His first 25 minutes were stinking, like absolutely stinking. And as we said on the group chat, hopefully he's just shaking off some ring rust. Hopefully he's just going to play his way into the game. And he did. You know, he was he was perfectly fine for the remainder the game. You said that just before he gave the ball away for the goal, I think. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, yes. But he did, up you know, after that time, you know, probably, I mean, as Norwich's performance started to improve, so did Harry Darlings. And he is that kind of player that I've been considering for some time. It's like...
Speaker: actually, if we keep saying there's no leaders in the team, Harry Darling is a leader. like of Of that, there is no doubt. We need experience in the team. Harry Darling has a lot of championship experience. So it felt to me like Clement probably did have to compromise on his principles, had to compromise on the fact that, you know,
Speaker: He wanted a ball-playing left-footed centre-back. ah But if that ball-playing left-footed centre-back isn't playing particularly well, then he has to come out of the side. And and Darlene was, you know, he he was decent. I think, you know, I'd i'd give him a 7 out of 10.
Speaker: And if he puts those kinds of performances in every week, then, um yeah, I'm more than happy with him at centre-back. It is a nice problem to have now. I thought, weirdly...
Speaker: McConville, I mean, like own goal aside, which it was just offside, just just by, you know, like half a toe offside. What a wonderful decision by the Lino. um But that aside, McConville was was really good. like I thought he was excellent. A big shout out for him. He, you know, he got himself an assist, as you've just said, Claire, but he just it felt like he grew a couple of inches. He was just, again, you know, was that assuredness that maybe Grimshaw had given him.
Speaker: um So, yeah, there's again, maybe promising signs out of the back line. And talking about Stacey, thought was best game he's had for some time by some distance because he did his defensive work really considerably better than he has done for probably for for all season. I think the Brooks stuff is...
Speaker: don't think it's because they dislike each other as much as that would be fun. That's more fun. It's more fun. Yeah, it is. I know. um They occupy the same spaces. it's It's just weird. It's just weird that they haven't seen it on the training ground and gone, yeah, Jack, maybe don't make that run as much as full-blooded. And maybe if you just hold off a little bit, then you know Brooks might be able to burst into the space and then you might have the overlap. Yeah.
Speaker: Brooks starts his, as a winger, Brooks starts his runs from deeper than you would typically expect. Like compared to like going back to, know, O'Neill Hernandez, I remember us always laughing about the fact that it seems like he is literally not allowed in our half. You know, he's always starting on the halfway line. Right. them you know And so the fact that but that they keep sort of finding each other like like that Spider-Man meme, it's like, you're here, but I'm here, but we can't. But why are we both? What? We're both here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And likewise, as ah as a fullback, Stacey seems to start his run from their 18-yard box. So, you know, they but yeah maybe that is the case. But again, you think surely they've watched that back and tried to work on it. but Yeah, they've had time work on that. would hope so.
Speaker: But Jack Stacey doesn't strike me as the kind of lad who's particularly tactically astute or takes that on board. He is what he is, right? Like Jack Stacey is a ah a capable championship fullback who works incredibly hard.
Speaker: But I don't think at the ripe old age of 30, 31 or whatever that he's going to change much. He he is exactly what he is right now. and And that's fine. Like that, as I've said before, I think he is...
Speaker: the best backup fullback in the Championship. um And I would love to see an on-form Kellen Fisher back soon because I think him and Brooks would work so much better.
Speaker: Well, yeah, he needs to he needs to be available. It's one of the first things, ah if you're ever going to be worth 20 million and some of the other mad figures we were talking about with Kellen, availability is one of your number one traits and people aren't going to spend big money on a fullback that can't stay fit. And he is starting to get a bit of a reputation for picking up these niggly injuries and not being available for selection. Plus, his form was ranked when he was available recently anyway. Hang on, he's only had like two or three games out of the squad this season for...
Speaker: Yeah, apparently he is available. Yeah, he's been on the squad. but This is a selection thing now. yeah Well, I mean, just going back to James for keeping the gloves, again, I don't think you can bring Cordova in.
Speaker: I don't think you can take Darling in. No, no, you're quite right. And you can't bring Kellen in now either, based on form. like No, not at all. He will do all three of these things on Saturday now, just to piss us off. we've well I he will.
Speaker: He alluded to rotation being necessary. um He alluded to the rotation being necessary, but i again, I feel like he has to go away from that. um I thought it was a big call to keep Chris Goran up front, but he he he you know he really, really, ah you know as I said on the comms, I watched...
Speaker: and i watched a lot the first I watched all the first half and then listened to the second half because I was travelling, the wonderful Mr Gorham. And I think it was Darren Kenton. I never actually heard Chris refer to him. Yeah, I thought that was his voice, but at no point did I hear him. I you couldn't hear him say Kenton or Darren or anything. you just any um I just missed the intro at the start. Anyway, um as he was kind of saying and throughout, Chris Gorham is completely... ah you know and showing his manager that he was right to to maintain I thought his his pressing was tireless. Absolutely fantastic. Really interesting angles he took running in and and giving giving them them difficulties.
Speaker: and But just going back to Darling and keeping him in there. Claire, I think we've got two or three players and we've talked about this with Magoma, although we said Magoma, it was me, I said, I think Magoma is the sort of player who is suited to us already being 2-0 up and fair play.
Speaker: What a goal to get us back on level terms on Saturday. um But I do think we have a few players like Darling, like Magoma, like Slomani, who are particularly well suited to playing with a lead, particularly well suited to playing when the other team sort of reaches desperation. Because Darling will get his head on things. Darling, when it gets to blood and thunder and putting in your body on the line and shithousing when they've got a free kick and standing on the end and getting in the way of the goalies, you know, that's the sort of behaviour that's the and Magoma's showboaty stuff, when you're when the other team is frustrated that they're not winning, that kind of stuff is is is more only is it more palatable as a fan watching it, but it's more effective. So I just think we actually have a team that's maybe better suited to being in the lead.
Speaker: Maybe, but maybe because when they were playing, when they came in um last season with Philippe, we mostly were winning. Yeah.
Speaker: I don't know. I don't think I agree with that, really, because we saw it on Saturday. We we definitely weren't winning and Charlton were definitely on the front foot. And they somehow managed to turn it around. And at at the very heart of that, I think, was Paris Magoma. He was being all magical and fleet of foot. And like you said, the goal really did change things. It just gave us that confidence. like The way he took it, I think Chris Garden said that they complimented him
Speaker: um in his post-match interview on his brilliant pass, which was a fabulous pass. But he said, yeah, OK, I'm really happy with my pass, but you cannot take anything away from the finish in Paris because that angle to do that was exceptional. couldn't believe he be shot. I couldn't believe he didn't. But I was just looking for a cross for a pullback. Yeah, exactly. and And it really then just set us off and on the front foot and we we carried on that momentum. And he he turned that game and then... he The things he was doing, it was like, oh, okay. it I just felt it so, like I said earlier, reassuring. It's like, oh, yeah, this is Paris. This is what we were doing last season. And, mean, Slimani was obviously not even in the squad, and I don't think he's really been...
Speaker: at his best so far this season, like many people have. Early season, he was right. Early season, was good. Yeah. But I think, again, you know he's capable of turning a game around by just doing something. Well, he likes same with Ahmed, doesn't he? He's one of those where the Ali Ahmed injuries... But I think they all did. And I think it maybe it's just taken a period of adjustment to to accept that Ali Ahmed is not there and we're going to have to do things a little bit differently um Just to talk a little bit about Paris' celebration, I'm again really fed up with all of the conversation about that. I just think he's a cool cool guy, bit sort of Henri-like, also just a bit fed up with everything.
Speaker: Just, yeah, whatever, crack on. I couldn't care less how he celebrated. He scored that goal. Brilliant. He did his job. He did it really well. Get on with a game. lest It's not a conversation for me, but i know other people will have other thoughts on that. Your faces are telling me that you do.
Speaker: just really like the fact that you went, I'm fed up with the conversation about Paris' celebration. And then you talked about it for about a minute quite passionately. Because for me, was a nothing. don't understand. People will find something to moan about, even when we're doing well and we've scored a great goal and we're winning. It's like, oh, but Paris' celebration. Who did? I don't think there's anything to find issue with. I mean, I watched it back after a couple of people had commented on it, you know, on my WhatsApp chats. And I was like, it's just a guy who's like, no, we've equalised. I'm not going to go crazy. Yeah, whatever.
Speaker: Who knows? None of us are in his head. So it doesn't really matter because he went on to play magically well for the second half and we've done Exactly. Exactly. They put in the case for the other side. i didn't like it.
Speaker: And and the he had his name sung anyway. So no offence was taken by the limbs. But you take 3,000 away when you are on a abysmal run of form and you get a leveller.
Speaker: ah in front of you and and immediately the player turns his back and just walks off and shrugs off his colleagues trying to celebrate with him. In fairness, the fans were singing you're not fit to wear the shirt at the players last Saturday. So, you know, they are human. And then 3,000 of them went to the valet. Had already bought their tickets and probably regretted it prior to going there and seeing the win. didn't They didn't need to go. you just because you bought your ticket doesn't mean you have to go. They really didn't. Terrible transport, terrible trains and all the rest of it. Now, but for for me it was for me, it stank. I didn't like it at all. It got right up my nose. And I think that is really poor. It's the sort of thing that you mentioned about Henri. Henri.
Speaker: if you're If you're going to be a cool customer, if you're going to be and or Cantona or you know any any of those style egotistical celebrations, you know i'm like i'm I'm so brilliant, I can do this in my Ibrahimovic, whatever.
Speaker: You've got to do a lot more than be 20th in the championship to celebrate a goal like that for me when you've given such crap for the for yeah your your but your performance has been bad, the team's performances have been bad.
Speaker: like the the reason you go away is for Lim's moments, is for those incredible, you know, leveling goals always feel better. was Last minute equalizers, last minute winners, you know, that's what you go away for.
Speaker: um And, you know, it's not a massive thing at all. And I will probably have forgotten it in, know, a couple of days time. and But yeah, if, as you brought it up, I mean, I was going to bring it up anyway. totally see the argument that, oh, it doesn't matter, it's just the it is I just think that that wasn't the best choice of him to endear himself. The best thing to do to endear yourself is to play really well and score a goal.
Speaker: Yeah, and he' said exactly. And he had his name sung, but he could have got even more out of the fans. He could have got even more. um you could you know That could have been an incredible moment. And I feel that was slightly lessened than it could have been. but we will see whether or not... I'm sure on Saturday when he scores, he will celebrate. sort of Well, as Punt said, patrickk maybe he will... like he Yeah.
Speaker: Easy, easy. let's Well, let's look at Saturday then, because we we're in this run of what we thought was five winnable games. and The first one didn't go well, the second one did. So we've now got Watford. It's the the battle of 20th and 21st, which is still embarrassing.
Speaker: But we are only eight points off playoffs. So whilst we are within three... That's easy.
Speaker: but Well, this is it. we're within three three games, which does suggest that the championship is, we say this, it seems every year, but it really does seem poor this year. So and with managerial sacking is already starting to rack up with hopefully Jones going soon as well.
Speaker: um So a win could be absolutely enormous, depending on results elsewhere. You could go up five places with a win at the moment, which just seems insane for the fact that we're now three months into the season. But that is that is how tight things are with several teams on 14 points and us on 12 at the moment.
Speaker: So it's a huge, huge game. and Do we think, obviously we were joking a bit maybe about um there being a change of him doing all the things we didn't think. Claire, surely it's the same 11, isn't it? Same starting 11 on Saturday?
Speaker: Oh, has he put the same starting 11 out at all this season? I hope, I would hope that he doesn't voch change anything. how How is Tom suggesting that it's the same starting 11, given your favourite boy? Wait, wait.
Speaker: Paris went off injured, right? So he might. He kind of holding his ankle, or wasn't he? Yeah. yeah he might Also, who came on at half time? Yeah, Kenny. but Magical Kenny, but I mean, we also need you mean the same starting XIers that finished the game? Is that what mean? No, no, no. I mean the same starting XI. mean, as far as as far as I'm concerned, they without Kenny, they got themselves back into the game. And eventually, we are going to need to...
Speaker: um play without Kenny. like Eventually we are going to need a midfield and Wright is only going to become the heir to that. It's not a throne, is it? It's the Sheriff's hat. We know it wasn't the mayor. We know it was the Sheriff. But anyway, have to point that every time. and But if he's going to if he's going to and earn that um reputation,
Speaker: It's not going to happen by starting on the bench. like he He does need to start to do this. And Clement needs to show that actually you were part of the midfield that helped turn this round. So you get to go again. And if we bring Kenny on again on 60 minutes and he sees out the game, brilliant.
Speaker: I've got a little argument of would it be a good idea to not start Pella? and let Jacob play alongside Kenny so that he learns from the master for as long as possible.
Speaker: Do we know why Matts went off? well Yeah, felt his hamstrings were a bit tight. Don't think it's anything major, but they didn't want to risk him. with Kenny on the bench. So that's why. we'll always Kenny instead that' because he's a bit fragile. Yeah, but Kenny's a machine. He's not fragile. He's a machine, that man. Well, he's just come out from an injury. I mean, if Kenny had gone on and got injured, it that would have been a a serious issue. I think he just needed a rest.
Speaker: i think I think if Paris is injured, as you suggest, Claire, then it's really easy, isn't it? You stick right in the 10 and then you just play Pella and Kenny and and it's done. Or do you put Christy in the 10? Yeah. i like going in the 10.
Speaker: I think he did some really good 10-type things on Saturday. He did, yeah. Ewan's been going on about a few weeks now. Yeah. i am it's It's interesting that all three frontline strikers that we've got,
Speaker: all probably benefit from a slightly different number 10. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. Thank goodness we're not the manager, m But you've got his ear, Claire, surely. Yeah, when you take him his cup of tea in the morning, just ask him what he's thinking and we know he can know.
Speaker: So when we've got um when we're looking at at this then, let's do some guarantees. ah Watford, you know like us, have have started to improve. Only only three three wins, but they know they got a win before their their most recent defeat. So they've got one win in five. We've got one win in five, but ours is more recent than theirs.
Speaker: and And also we've scored double their goals. They've got a minus 10 goal difference. So if you've got someone who is who is in 21st position and they and we've scored double their goals at any point of the season and they're coming to our living room and we're off the back of that win, what are you guaranteeing for me, Claire?
Speaker: We're going to win, is my guarantee, because, um yeah, of all my belief has been restored. That's it.
Speaker: The season begins now. We'll just, in a few weeks' time, we'll look back at that and go, did we really lose five games in a row? m Yeah, right, the season starts now. So we're going to win, and we're going to win 2-0.
Speaker: too nil We're going to keep a clean sheet because I think Grimmy deserves a clean sheet, to be quite honest. He deserves solid. He's going to stay in goal. He's going to stay in goal. um Who's going to score it?
Speaker: jo I think Jove will start. Actually, I really want Jove and Christy to start and play together. So I'm going to say Jove's going to score. But only Paris is poorly.
Speaker: So if Paris' ankle is fine, you give him the start. You can't... he cut you if no Yeah, because... Well, it's up to you. and you know You're Mrs Clement. But I mean, if you... if i wouldn't I don't think Paris can put that performance in and you take him out of the team. I didn't like Clement taking out the ball, who played brilliantly.
Speaker: He might be hurt, a little bit hurt. If he's not hurt, then Paris can score and he's going to celebrate wildly right in front of you, Tom. He's going to climb up into the upper Barkley and give you a big hug.
Speaker: Yeah, will I be up? Yeah, will be up. Or lower Barkley, depending on where you are. I'll be up on Saturday. I better let him know, obviously. And he'll say thanks to me on the way past for not caring about his non-celebration on Saturday.
Speaker: but Okay. and but I enjoy that. ah Punt, give me a guarantee. 2-1. Hard fork.
Speaker: 94th minute winner, um courtesy of Pelomatsen off the bench.
Speaker: So you're starting Kenny and Jacob? And look at your sneery faces, right? You two. She'll say we're going struggle and then just... Hang on. A 94th minute winner is unbelievably good for momentum. So like yeah don't ever turn your nose up at a 94th minute winner, Claire Thomas. Thank you very much.
Speaker: not... turning it up you are not this week not this weekend not this week we're in a brilliant performance yeah but when it's like talking time fan say six nil so like someone still break yeah but when it's when it's hypothetical and you can like dream of anything it's just like oh yeah i think we're gonna have a really really sweaty nerve for second half a highly hard smiley fourth minute winner Yeah, but yeah football's about moments. I say this all the time. and Football is about moments and 94th minute winners are the bestest.
Speaker: On the 93rd minute at 1-1, of course I will take a 94th minute winner. But right now, a few days out, I'm just going to be 4-0. Okay, right. what What feels better, right? What feels better the moment? A 94th minute winner or a 4-0? It's a 94th minute winner every time. Of course it is. This weekend I want a 4-0.
Speaker: I want a 4-0. You too. Easy. Complete control. I agree with you on a ah what feels better generally, as in going back to what i was talking about with limbs and why you go away.
Speaker: the If you go to the and you know the encyclopedia entry of football feelings, a last-minute winner is obviously top draw. But I think Claire's on the money that this weekend, I think what the squad needs, what the fan base needs, is a really healing procession.
Speaker: It might be what we need, but Norwich never gives us what we need. That is true. i think I think we could really do with it not be... Because the problem with it being 94th minute winner is then you're then going, oh, well, they had that goal that they nearly had and then they had that last minute save and we needed to go to 94 minutes and it was hard fought and, you know, Darling didn't do his shoelaces up the way I like and, you know, whereas if it's 4-0... And Paris didn't celebrate hard enough, for fuck's sake.
Speaker: So, if it's 4-0... you um if you if it's four l then there can't be anything other than... it was great. green shoots are here. We've jumped up two or three places. Were that much better than Watford?
Speaker: we've got two more We've got two more opportunities to to pick up some more points before we play anyone good again. you know is i i would Like I say, i I'd be over the moon. And there is an element of last-minute winners make more people hang around.
Speaker: So they have a much fuller lower Barkley to go and do allays in front of. and that is good that you know no But then you know from from Punt's point of view on momentum, that has the squad feeling like they're back with us again.
Speaker: and Whereas ah for yeah if it's 4-0, especially if the yeah third and fourth are 70th and 80th minutes kind of thing, then lot of people in the pub. Be the traffic brigade. 89 minutes, yeah. and And I don't, you know, I understand that.
Speaker: ah but I'm not sure that's... Really important, though, as the performance, how many people hang around to clap them after the game no but i'm just right now.
Speaker: i'm trying say What does Phil say? Synergy. That's his word, isn't it? like I always stay to clap them, even when we lose and then someone hurled abuse at the people that stayed in the Upper Barclay to clap when we lost to...
Speaker: Portsmouth. Who could possibly hurl abuse at you, Claire? Not directly at me, just the people in the Upper Barclay that dared to clap some of the players at the end of the Portsmouth game, who'd actually played quite well in the second half. But God forbid that we clap the players. I think it's... I did Phil not comment on that on that the other day, on Saturday in his press conference.
Speaker: He's like, if you boo the players, one one young head drops and then more young head drops and they can't get themselves out of it. So thank you to Claire for clapping as well. Are you advocating not booing Claire, just to be clear, right? not Not until the game is over, but I do okay i did boo Liam Manning's team because that was very much more deserved than this one. Not not ever, ever, ever, but in this situation, yes.
Speaker: All right. So as as ever, the biggest discovered. and i we We can't get giddy after one win. We tried really, really hard not to get too down in the mouth after lots and lots of losses, though.
Speaker: um And so, yeah, let's let's let's stay sensible. Let's not think that everything's fixed. It was an excellent performance. um I don't know. I've got ah ah got a feeling that Saturday is, and I know I often say 4-0, but i I really do think we have got rolling someone over because so many of our games have been one goal.
Speaker: And I know Saturday was two, but so many of our games this season have been one goal, really fine margins. So we are due, one way or the other, you could argue, we we are kind of due a game where actually one game really one team isn't really at the races and one is. like that that That hasn't really been many of the narratives this this season for us so far. There was one up at the edge he had that was a bit like that.
Speaker: But... um it goes it goes in our favour on Saturday. So, Claire, thank you very much for your incredible insightful input. Punt, well done. you You were on the call.
Speaker: Cheers, Dut. Enjoy the win this weekend and mind how you go.
