Continuing our running feature of stopping to have a little chat with our upcoming opponents, ahead of our clash at the Bridge tomorrow afternoon, we’ve caught up with the good folk at Vital Norwich
Q1) You’ve had a solid enough start to the Premier League season, with 1-1 draws away at Wigan and at home to Stoke. Is life back in the top flight all you imagined it would be?
Yes I’d say so. We’re better prepared for top-flight football than I think we were when we were last here – both on the pitch and off – and with pretty much 24/7 coverage it’s pretty much impossible not to get caught up in the hype, which is fine by me!
Q2) It’s been a whirlwind few years being a Canaries fan, I’d imagine, what with successive promotions taking you back to the Premier League?
Oh god, not half. We’ve definitely been through the wringer this last few years but Paul Lambert and David McNally (Chief Exec) have brought the good times back and it’s a brilliant time to be a City supporter.
Q3) And Paul Lambert has worked miracles at Carrow Road, hasn’t he?
He has done an absolutely brilliant job, I really can’t praise him and his team highly enough. It’s not just what he has achieved so far that is so impressive, it’s the manner in which he has done it. We play excellent football and he isn’t afraid to take a few risks.
Q4) You did take a bit of a thumping in midweek, going down 4-0 at home to MK Dons in the Carling Cup, albeit Paul Lambert made eleven changes to the starting line-up from the weekend. Was that not a bit disrespectful to the competition and your opponents, or have you got bigger fish to fry this season?
Yeah that was a bit of a surprise. Lambert made 11 changes but half the team were in the starting line-up at Wigan on the opening day so it was hardly a ‘weakened’ side in that sense.
I don’t think there’s a single Norwich fan who won’t say that the Premier League is the only thing that matters this season, but the performance was certainly not what we have come to expect form a Paul Lambert side. They just didn’t want to be out there and it showed.
Q5) You’re reminding a lot of people of Blackpool last season, coming up with a lot of players that most Premier League fans will be generally unfamiliar with. Do you think that could be a hindrance, or a help to you this year?
I think it helps the media to pigeon-hole us in that sense, but I don’t think anyone at the club really takes any notice of that comparison – and Blackpool went down in the end remember!
Q6) Due to that element of surprise in your ranks, is there anyone we should be particularly wary of tomorrow?
Before Tuesday night I would’ve said David Fox in midfield but he’s far from certain of a start. If Wes Hoolahan is fit he is a superb player, and Steve Morison has surprised a lot of people since he came in from Millwall. He looks an excellent signing.
Q7) Grant Holt had a very good season last year, scoring 23 goals in 48 games, and he’s looked lively again at the start of this campaign. How important will his goals be for Norwich’s hopes of survival this year and, if he does start hitting the back of the net like last year, do you think an England call-up is achievable?
His goals will be huge for us this year there’s no doubt about it, but I really can’t see an England call-up any time soon.
Q8) What are your expectations and demands of the team for the season? Do you think safety is a realistic dream, or have you failed to invest in the team comprehensively enough?
All we really expect is for the team to give absolutely everything in every game. The board and Lambert appear to have been pretty sensible with how much money they have spent on players so far, great care seems to have been taken not to disrupt the spirit that has been built in the camp.
Q9) One of your previous visits to the Bridge brought about one of the most spectacular goals football has seen; Gianfranco Zola’s majestic back-heeled volley. Do you remember that?
How could you not? It was a hell of a goal and Zola was one hell of a player – no Gary Doherty mind!
Q10) What have you made of your hosts this weekend, Chelsea, so far this season, under the new manager Andre Villas-Boas? Do you consider us title contenders alongside United and City?
I can no longer envisage a world where Chelsea aren’t title contenders. I’m still very much in the ‘anyone but Man Utd’ camp so to be honest that’s fine by me. Chelsea don’t seem to have started brilliantly but I’ll be very, very surprised if they’re not there or thereabouts come the end of the season.
Q11) We’ve made a couple more big signings in the last week or so, namely Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata, who both might feature for the first time in Chelsea royal blue tomorrow. What’s your take on their arrival?
Erm, panic? From what I can gather neither are likely to start but that’s not a bad couple of options to have on your bench is it?
Q12) And finally, be honest now, let’s have a score prediction for the game tomorrow?
I think it’ll probably be 3 or 4-0. If we beat you by any more than that I’ll be very surprised!
With big thanks to ‘Dill’ at Vital Norwich for the chat!
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