Norwich Part 3

Welcome back to East Anglia, where I’m in a far better mood than the start of the previous episode. We sit 7th, one of the form teams in the division and now it’s time to plan for January. A real club would do that in probably August, but I’m not a real manager. Yet.

 

The squad planner feature is useful. Is it new?

Either way it confirms what we already knew – Ashley Barnes is a 1 star (but playing his part). That’s my priority, but good strikers don’t grow on trees. At least, not in January. We’ll see what the scouts can do. We’ve got £2m to spend but the wages are a problem, so probably less than £2m. We could also get rid of some chumps eating up wages, but I suspect better men have tried.

There is of course football still to play and a busy time of year for English clubs might prove to be a problem for our intense style. A trip to Hull starts well with Gelhardt netting twice but ends only in a draw due to Aaron Connolly’s fairly late intervention. For once, we’re matched for shots so I can’t really complain.

It’s absolutely more of the same a week later but this time at Preston. Sara nets twice, there’s only 22 minutes left and yet once again it ends 2-2. Maybe I am the problem? We just aren’t very good at shutting up shop.

I suppose I can at least take solace in the number of chances we made this time. We take out all that frustration on poor old Stoke, who make the mistake of scoring in the opening 14 seconds. It turns into a good old fashioned hiding, we net 6 whilst conceding our now customary two. I’m particularly buoyed by the performance of Placheta, a Polish winger turned full back who was listed for transfer when I arrived at the club but with a license to attack, he’s good competition for McCallum.

 

Goodness me it’s a wonder we aren’t bankrupt.

We’ve got a taste for goals now though. 21 shots at Vicarage Road and 4 goals. That man Placheta wraps it up, that settles it. He’s staying.

 

The end of the year table looks a bit healthier, on track to meet media expectation but only ever one defeat from disaster.

No sooner has Jools Holland gone away for another year, Wolves are on the phone after young Mr Rowe

As generous as that isn’t, it’s an obvious no from me.

We’re somehow 2-0 down at home to QPR. Barnes misses an early penalty and seems to make everyone go full bonk. For Willock’s goal, a long ball over the top is simply left to each other by Scholz and Ben Gibson and the rest is obvious. The penalty is also a disaster. I bring on Fassnacht and Nunez at half time and our second half display is much better. We get a point but created enough chances to take all three. It’s a shame.

 

More bids for Rowe, turned down.

 

Shrewsbury away in the cup has banana skin potential but it doesn’t deter me from rotating the team. Even Josh Sargent returns from injury to play 45 minutes, it’s a comfortable day out only marred by an injury to Hwang Ui-Jo.

He’s on loan from Forest but he’s always bottom of the training performance, his mood is usually uninterested and now he’s injured for 2 months. Deal cancelled.

We head into the derby at Portman Road in pretty average form but we know we’ve got goals in us, can we keep them out? Scholz has been appalling recently so it’s Hanley and Gibson for this one, the club captain now fully fit after injury. It’s a less than vintage performance though, falling behind twice in the first half before pegging them back twice. We’re only level for two minutes though before Ipswich score again, our chronic lack of pace at the back is exposed time and time again. Despite our best effort and a fulcrum of efforts, Ipswich get the fourth on the break and it’s a tough defeat to take.

 

The fans will not be happy about that. We’re in a tough run of games coming up, second placed Leicester are outplayed but take a point due to our profligacy. Duffy has been complaining about not playing and is the latest to get a chance to prove himself but puts through his own net. Barnes does equalise but we can’t find the winner.

 

Off to Plymouth next where Delia is adamant we need to win. I didn’t think we were rivals with Plymouth but maybe she just can’t stand the sea. Either way, no questions asked as we score four times and get back on track.

Idah is having an incredible season. That’s 20 for the season.

Scholz’s loan ends, you may recall it was a 6 month loan to offset Hanley being broken. After a promising start, he’s really deteriorated and I don’t even consider renewing him. We can do better. We can do…Portuguese.

Ball playing defender sorted, let’s FA Cup at Reading.

He scored! Another comfortable win and we’re into round 5. On the negative side, Angus Gunn is out for a month. George Long is still recovering from yet another injury too.

McCallum’s injury will also be felt but Placheta is now the Polish Roberto Carlos, so it’s less of a concern. The 5th round draw sends us to Plymouth, where of course we have just won 4-2.

The window ends without the massive overhaul I had hoped for but Dike arrives from WBA as a hopeful upgrade on Ashley Barnes. Hernandez and Gianoullis off the wage bill is also helpful.

 

Back to league business and a very open game with Blackburn sees us saunter into a two goal lead before Sam Gallagher makes us think about it. Sargent wraps it up in stoppage time, a very popular goalscorer given his long term injury. I assume. I was pleased for him anyway, if that counts.

 

 

Huddersfield are next to be brushed aside at fortress Carrow Road. In Sara and Idah I think we’ve got two of the best in the division and of course Placheta is now unstoppable for some reason. We don’t do clean sheets still but who cares? We’re fun.

 

As shown here where we go to Coventry and plunder 28 efforts on goal. Absurd numbers for any team but away from home, it’s incredible. An xG of nearly 6 can be taken either way. Idah wins it on 83 before missing a penalty for his hat-trick in stoppage time. Nobody’s perfect.

One more game and we’re off to Sunderland, who have dropped down to 11th before this game. I can see why as we ease into a two goal lead but as is our want, we manage to throw it away and even go one further than the usual 2-2 draw by losing 3-2. Araujo had a nightmare, hopefully just because he’s adapting.

With us clinging onto a playoff spot, now seems a good time to call an end to this episode. 13 games to go, plus however many more FA Cup games and who knows, maybe the playoffs too. Leeds at home next, it’s bubbling up quite nicely.