The editor of Norwich fanzine Cheep Shot has kindly given up some time to give us the opposition view of this Saturday's game at Carrow Road.
1 - QPR considered Glenn Roeder in their hunt for a manager before going for Luigi De Canio. What did we miss out on?
Roeder deserves praise for keeping Norwich in the Championship up to game 44. When he took over from Peter Grant (spit) in November City were dead and buried (true, he never lets us forget, but I digress!). His mission was to stabilise a team that was effectively a mixture of the old guard, some ill-advised buys and some obvious journeymen. He has cleverly used the loan system to prop up the team because he simply hasn't had the cash to bring in the quality needed on a permanent basis. He has worked miracles with a paper-thin squad and if he hadn't been brought in then I think we would already be planning a season in League One. However, with De Canio carrying you guys out of the mire and into mid-table and able to spend freely, I can't say you'll regret not taking on Roeder instead!
2 - There's still a slim chance that Norwich could be relegated, are you worried?
With QPR at home and Sheffield Wednesday to come, City fans have every right to be worried. We need a win this Saturday to avoid the dreaded 'shit or bust' game at Hillsborough on the final day. With the R’s form improving considerably since we met earlier in the season and the pressure on Norwich to get a result, it could be quite an uncomfortable afternoon at Carra Rud. Nobody wants to go to South Yorkshire looking for three points, because years of following the Canaries means I can see us getting nothing from such a clash.
3 - Why have Norwich struggled this season?
Quite simply we have struggled because of Peter Grant. As simple as that. His buys were pathetic and his tactics written out on a fag packet before the start of each game. Also, Darren Huckerby and Jamie Cureton would vouch for his distinct lack of mana management skills - he certainly agitated those two with his crass comments. Though Roeder staged a remarkable 13-match unbeaten run recovery, his tactical tinkering and changeable team selections meant that City are still in the relegation crap now when they should be safe in mid-table. However, you can't be too harsh on a man who took a City team that has sunk to some real depths this season (Wolves away comes to mind) and almost had them in the play-offs at one stage.
4 - Dion Dublin and Darren Huckerby are both playing their last matches at Carrow Road this weekend we hear. Dion has never needed a second invite to score against QPR at the best of times! What kind of a reception will they get from the home crowd and how will the be remembered by Norwich fans?
Both Dion and Hucks will get a magnificent reception this weekend and so they should, though for differing reasons. It’s the end of an era with the retirement of Dublin. His career belongs to an age when players served their dues in the lower leagues before going on to earn a big break in the top division with a big club. The Premier League is now a breeding ground for foreign talent, a division allowing entry to only the most expensive, tried and tested, world stars. People like Dublin never get the chance to go from the bottom of the football pyramid to the pinnacle in a few short seasons. The system doesn’t work like that anymore. Can you imagine a player getting the boot from the Canaries’ youth set-up, flirting with non-league football at Kings Lynn, before serving time at a League Two side and then transferring to Manchester United? It just wouldn’t happen, but it did for Dublin. Dublin was drafted in to cover gaps in the City squad as Nigel Worthington’s C arrow Road reign was coming to an end. While he didn’t save Worthington from the bullet, Dublin showed that whenever he pulled on the Canary shirt, and whatever position he was selected in, he played with all his heart. This season, with the departure of Peter Grant, Dublin has proven to be a uniting force both on and off the pitch.
There is a presence about Dublin that cultivates respect from not only his own team-mates but from the opposition too, who always offer him respect despite his advancing years. And that's why the fans will give him an amazing reception this Saturday. The spotlight is almost all on Dublin, but it's a shame for Hucks who, almost single-handedly, pulled City into the Premier League in 2004. Huckerby is a true City legend; at his best he was unplayable and the closest thing City has ever had to a 'real' star in my time supporting the club. The fans need to show him how much we appreciate watching his pace and skill since 2003, but Dublin's departure is sure to take a great deal of the spotlight off Hucks.
5 - What does Roeder need to do this summer to prevent another struggle next season? Is he the man for the job?
Roeder needs only to build a promotion winning side with a handful of foreign coins, odd buttons and pocket fluff. Simple. Seriously, with a clutch of loan signings, Hucks, Dublin and rejected academy players all departing, Roeder is going to have to be seriously shrewd in the transfer market. While De Canio's chequebook will have the muscle of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Roeder's transfer chest will be as ample as Kate Moss. Call it prudence or a fear of debt, Delia Smith and the board will give Roeder peanuts and tell him to not sign monkeys. However, this is the man who shopped in the bargain bucket when he was the manager of Watford and discovered Kevin Phillips, so he could well find a diamond while shopping in football's bargain bucket.
6 - With the parachute payments now finished what chances do Norwich have of returning to the top flight any time soon?
City are pretty much destined to stay in the Championship (fingers crossed) for some time if they don't break free from the 'prudence before ambition' train of thought at boardroom level. Taking risks financially isn't always clever, but when it comes to weighing up years of slog in the second-tier of English football against a real go at getting back in the Premier League (realistically via the play-offs) then what would you choose? We've missed so many opportunities throughout the years to reinforce or build upon promising seasons but never done so. The year City slipped back into the Championship after a season in the Premier League would have been a perfect time to have plunged some heavy cash into the playing staff. However, it never happened and here we are now, three years later, potentially on the verge of relegation. If that doesn't tell Delia the time is now to spend some cash, then I don't know what will.
7 - Norwich v QPR at Carrow Road normally means five goals minimum, what are your predictions for this weekend's match?
I think it will be a tight and tense 2-1 win for City. We need to throw the kitchen sink, plus a fair bit of crockery, at QPR in order to get the three points to keep us up. But I think with Dion and Hucks set for a heroic last hurrah, we can get the points that will save our season - even if it is against the run of play.
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