Swansea had made a poor start to the season having not won in Michael Duff’s opening seven games, taking just two points. The Swansea fans hadn’t really taken to the manager, especially after he said he’d rather lose both games against Cardiff but win promotion!
However, it was probably the worst time for Norwich to play them as The Swans had won their previous two games and had a bit of momentum and a lot of confidence going into Wednesday night’s game.
With four defeats in their last six league games and now nine points behind second-placed Ipswich, tomorrow’s encounter against Coventry is vital to kick-start the Canaries season once again.
The 2-0 win against Birmingham last Saturday was just what was needed from the lads – it was the perfect response to the 6-2 humiliation at Home Park and will instil some pride and self respect after that horrendous display in Devon.
Having lost three of their last four Championship games it was imperative the lads bounced back, especially at Carrow Road where they have now picked up 12 points from five home games, not too bad considering how last season finished at home.
After the visit to Coventry tomorrow we go into the second international break of the season. Hopefully it won’t be like the last one when City lost at the New York stadium and instead the lads can go into this one on a winning note, which is always a positive. I know when I went away with Wales, winning your last game before meeting up with the other Welsh lads was a huge boost for me, especially if I’d scored.
I don’t know why, but on a few occasions when meeting up with the Welsh squad with some of the players we had I felt a bit like an imposter, as if I didn’t belong there – it was made easier if Norwich were playing well and I was banging in the goals.
When some of the lads return from being away, I hope they are fully focused on the last three games in October, as they are very difficult against some good sides.
Daniel Farke brings his Leeds team to Carrow Road, which adds a bit more spice to what already is a feisty affair. After a slowish start, with one win in their opening five games, Leeds are finding their feet. They did some good business in the transfer window, they’ve not conceded in five of their last six games and are the only side to beat the other team from East Anglia this season.
Talking of slow starts, not many teams had a slower start than Middlesbrough. After two points from their opening seven games the pressure was on Michael Carrick, which sounds ridiculous given where he took Boro from last season and where they finished. They’ve now won their last three Championship games, including a convincing 2-0 win over in-form Cardiff on Tuesday night, a game that I was working at.
The last game in October takes Norwich to the Stadium of Light, which promises to be another tough game for the lads. I was up there a couple of weeks ago and even though Tony Mowbray’s lads lost 1-0 to Cardiff (it was a real smash and grab) I was very impressed with Sunderland. They have the youngest squad in the Championship and play with such a high tempo and intensity that Norwich will have to be at their very best to get anything from there.
Rocking Robins
Mark Robins faces his former team tomorrow – a battle I’m sure he’ll be relishing.
Norwich have a fantastic recent record against the Sky Blues; they did the double over them last season, scoring seven goals in the process. Norwich haven’t lost in their last seven games against Coventry and have won five of the last six against them.
I have a lot of time for Robbo since our time playing together at Leicester. Even when Martin O’Neill opted to put him on the bench instead of me in our play-off final against Crystal Palace back in May 1996, our friendship never wavered. I had been injured for six weeks before the final and had trained for only a couple of days before the game, so I was hardly in a place to complain about the decision.
Mark has done a fantastic job at the club, with limited funds and loads of obstacles which he’s dealt with so professionally. He’s the longest serving manager in the Championship and came within a whisker of winning promotion via the play-offs last season.
They’ve won only three games this season, but they’ve lost only two, both away, to Leicester and Cardiff and were unlucky to come away empty-handed in both. They’ve lost just one of their last 15 home league games – that statistic shows the size of the task the lads face tomorrow afternoon.
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