Image source, Norwich CityNorwich City Women play at Carrow Road on Sunday 24 March, in a National League Div One South East match against QPR.
It's only the second time this season they have played at the home of the men's team.
More than 5,000 tickets have already been sold for the match that kicks off at 1400 GMT.
There is full commentary of the match available on BBC Radio Norfolk FM, DAB and online here.
Image source, Getty ImagesNorwich City's Angus Gunn was a starter for Scotland on Friday as they were beaten 4-0 by Netherlands in an International friendly.
Going into the match there was uncertainty who would start in goal with four goalkeepers in the Scotland squad.
Norwich midfielder Kenny McLean also saw some action, he was brought on as a second half substitute.
Meanwhile, Marcelino Nunez was also in action for Chile last night, the Canaries' midfielder played 70 minutes in a 3-0 win against Albania.
Image source, Getty ImagesNorwich City defender Shane Duffy said he was disappointed to miss out on an international call-up for the Republic of Ireland due to injury.
The 32-year-old hasn't played for the Canaries since the beginning of February after picking up a calf injury against Coventry.
Duffy has 55 caps for his country and was a regular starter in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Duffy told BBC Radio Norfolk:
"I'm a very proud Irish man and I try to never miss a cap - I obviously don't have loads [of my career] left", he said.
"I was aiming to get back a couple of games before the internationals, but I had a little setback. It's difficult to miss those games, and obviously there's a new manager so I didn't want to miss them", he added.
Duffy will miss friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland.
He says his injury is improving and he's hoping to be involved in Norwich's match against Plymouth on Good Friday.
Image source, Getty ImagesMatthew Soakell, North East Canary
Has there ever been a Norwich City manager who’s managed to turn things around like David Wagner?
Whatever you think of him, this season has been salvaged and our solid form of late has gone to prove that his tenure has been an absolute rollercoaster of a ride, with plenty of ups and downs along the way.
When he was first appointed, we won at Preston and Coventry with goals galore and we thought we had our club back. Then we were hit and miss, and despite being in play-off contention, tailed off at the end of the campaign, having a miserable last month of the 22-23 season.
August came around with fresh hope and vigour and we started this season like a house on fire. It was exciting; we had Jonathan Rowe scoring goals in every game and we sang about being top of the league when four-nil up at Huddersfield away. We thought the recruitment in the summer was clever; the experience and nous brought in was something that we’d maybe lacked previously. However, autumn came and we went on another insipid run — failing to win a game in October, picking up just a solitary point.
By the turn of the year it seemed that the writing was on the wall for Wagner.
Fan discontent about the style of football was growing, despite three wins in December and that 2-2 draw at Portman Road. The bumps in the road would continue, with some fans wondering how he was still in a job and what sporting director Ben Knapper was actually doing - or if he even existed at all.
However, after a decent January, Norwich have hit some good form over the course of February and March, only losing to Middlesbrough in a manner that I’m sure most fans would forgive Wagner for, given the circumstance of Borja Sainz’s red card.
Things feel pretty good again, although if I may say so, there still feels like there’s something missing. We’re still not quite as together as we maybe should be for a team in such good form; the club still has issues it needs to fix and fans aren’t lauding Wagner’s name to the same lofty heights that Daniel Farke reached. Even as “David Wagner’s taking us to Wembley” rang out to the tune of Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac in the away end at Stoke last Saturday, there’s still some fans who might need to be convinced about our direction of travel.
Well, Mr Wagner, there’s no better time to win over anyone remaining in the dubious camp than after this current international break. Hopefully the coaching staff take stock of what’s been achieved of late, look at what worked, what didn’t work and leave us with an exciting last eight games.
Strap yourself in, Norwich fans, the rollercoaster might have a couple more twists and turns for us yet. Although with City already in a strong position to finish in the play-offs, maybe David Wagner is taking us to Wembley!
Image source, Getty ImagesNorwich City winger Jonathan Rowe says he and Josh Sargent have healthy competition over who will be the Canaries' top-scorer this season.
"It's healthy competition between us. There's some healthy banter [about who will score more], it edges both of us on" said Rowe.
"The roles were reversed earlier in the season [when Sargent was injured and Rowe was top-scorer].
"Everyone will tell you that Josh is crucial to this team and I hope he keeps banging them in" he added.
Ten of Sargent's goals have come in the last 15 games.
Image source, Getty ImagesGreek international Christos Tzolis is having a season to remember away from Carrow Road.
The 22-year-old, who is on loan with Fortuna Dusseldorf, has 17 goals and eight assists in 27 games for the German second-tier side.
He's also been called up for Greece who play Kazakhstan later in a Euro 2024 play-off.
While Fortuna Dusseldorf have an option to buy Tzolis at the end of his loan, there are some reports suggesting they won't trigger the move if they fail to get promoted.
Would you like to see the forward back at Norwich City in the summer?
Get in touch with your views here. All opinions welcome.
Image source, Getty ImagesSusannah George
Then
The day was Saturday 23rd September 2023, I had just witnessed an incredible performance. Feeling rather elated, I exited the Royal Albert Hall optimistic to check the Norwich score.
As I waited for my phone to reboot I overheard someone exclaim, "they lost 6-2.... So embarrassing".
I turned to my friends and we laughed, each taking turns to opine on which Premier League team had received a thumping. A few moments later, when my phone had sprung back to life, I sheepishly had to admit that the author of this sorry tale was none other than my beloved Norwich City, in a woeful defeat to Plymouth Argyle.
This result, on the back of a loss to one of the likely promotion contenders (Leicester City), all but appeared to have set the narrative for the rest of the season, and the odds did not seem in our favour.
The dismay seemed warranted as we took only four points from the seven league games which followed. The hopes of promotion dwindling with each passing week, culminating in a 3-1 loss on home turf against a 10-man Blackburn Rovers.
Any victories that followed were riddled with caution and perhaps at times unfairly dismissed as luck or something lacking in the opposition.
Even when our trajectory appeared to be on an upward turn, fans were hesitant to consider promotion.
Hope, albeit never completely lost, was firmly rekindled upon the return of Josh Sargent from injury - alongside Ashley Barnes, which backed by Sara and Sainz made for a deadly attacking combination.
But doubts remained valid as those in the top three continued to run away, leaving much ground to be made up for any play-off hopefuls.
Now
This weekend I found myself back at the Royal Albert Hall, I was keenly aware of the potential for symmetry. But on Saturday we were playing on the back of a run of form whereby we had secured 14 points from seven games, some of which were resounding victories, and we were sat just within the play-off spots.
Whilst ever optimistic that checking my phone at 16:57 would reward me with a favourable scoreline, it is hard to shake the doubt of our away form, which has been inconsistent and - as evidenced by Plymouth (A) - lacking at times.
The 3-0 victory over Stoke was a welcome relief for anyone in doubt that the consistency and assuredness of our home performances could be replicated away.
This was a much sought-after convincing away win, but I think it was perhaps something more. Could this win, and the manner of it, signify a turning point at which fans dare to dream? Where we dust off our 2014/15 optimism that we could go all the way to Wembley and beyond?
Earlier that day I had been discussing with my dad the logistics of a potential visit to the King Power Stadium for the Easter Monday fixture. Tickets had made it to general sale the week before and remained available.
A televised away game against one of the strongest sides in the league, 130+ miles away, not one for the faint-hearted.
But come Sunday morning, on the back of that win, the Leicester (A) allocation had been exhausted.
I can only attribute this surge to the fact that the victory over Stoke ignited something in many of us- the belief that if we win that fixture, there may be no stopping us, no team insurmountable - including our East Anglian rivals.
Norwich winger Jonathan Rowe says the Canaries can make the Championship's play-offs.
Norwich City winger Jonathan Rowe met supporters at a fan's forum on Tuesday night.
He talked about his injury, the team's recent form and the chances of the Canaries making the play-offs.
Here's what he had to say when he was asked if the team had what it takes to make the post-season.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe dates for the final games of the Championship season have been confirmed by the EFL this afternoon.
The play-offs begin on Sunday 12th May, with sixth against third place in the first-leg with a 12:30 GMT kick-off. The second leg will be on Thursday 16th May at 20:00 GMT.
Fifth versus fourth will take place at 20:00 GMT on Monday 13th May, with the return fixture taking place at 20:00 GMT on Friday 17th May.
The play-off final will take place at Wembley on Sunday 26th May with a kick-off time to be confirmed.
Image source, Getty ImagesGary Gowers, My Football Writer - Norwich City, external
City’s bleak form of autumn now feels like a long time ago. Back then, four straight defeats amid a run of six without a win looked almost certain to signal the end of David Wagner, but the Carrow Road decision-makers held their nerve.
In part it was because it’s what they do - stay fiercely loyal to their head coaches - and also due to the club being betwixt and between sporting directors; he who would have been tasked with pulling the trigger.
For the departing Stuart Webber, it made little sense for him to sack a head coach whom he appointed and who was (reportedly) a close friend. Also, and more pertinently, it would have made for an uncomfortable and messy handover to the new guy.
For Ben Knapper’s part (the new guy), there was no way he was going to blunder in through the doors of Colney, all guns blazing, and issue Wagner’s P45 without as much as a ‘how are you, David?’.
That was never going to happen, however much we (or at least some of us) wanted it to.
Subsequent media appearances by Knapper have revealed him to be patient, careful with his words, and not one for knee-jerk actions and deeds. Some would argue, traits that make him the polar opposite of Webber.
As it’s transpired, the time Knapper allowed himself to evaluate all that was before him, including the strengths and weaknesses of his head coach, also bought Wagner time. Time that, in fairness, the German used to good effect.
The first part of the Knapper reign saw, in general, an uplift in results if not necessarily performance levels, but since the turn of the year, the quality of the football has gradually caught up. Now, as we head into this international break, good form equates to both entertainment and points. An equation few of us saw coming.
As ever, no one thing has triggered this massive turnaround. Revivals like the one City fans are witnessing, come about because of lots of different factors, and one of those has to be the presence and direction-setting of Knapper.
Under Webber, City were bumbling along at a rate of 1.1 points per game – enough only for mid-table obscurity – but under Knapper that figure is 1.86; form that, if extrapolated over a whole season, would likely be good enough for top three.
So, amid the much-deserved plaudits for Wagner for turning around what felt like an impossible situation, let’s not underestimate the Knapper effect.
While it’s not within his remit to directly affect in-game matters on the pitch, in the background his influence around the place has been a positive one.
Whether that positivity leads to the top six... who knows? But at least supporting Norwich City is fun again.
Image source, Getty ImagesNorwich City star Jonathan Rowe says he's taking things 'week by week' as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
He's been missing from the side after going off in the 2-2 draw at QPR in February.
Speaking at a fans forum, Rowe told BBC Radio Norfolk:
"The physios have made a plan for me and I'm sticking to it day by day. I'm just making sure my mind is right, so when I get back I can kick-on from where I left off," he said.
The 20-year-old also reminisced about his two goals in the reverse fixture at Portman road.
"The feeling was indescribable. Before that i'd scored quite a few goals, but there was something about that game. I knew how much it meant to the fans. It didn't feel like a game in the season, it felt like a one-off game."
The Canaries host Ipswich Town at Carrow Road on Saturday 6th April, kick-off at 12:30 GMT.
Image source, Getty ImagesNorwich City strengthened their position in the Championship play-off places with a 3-0 win at Stoke City on Saturday.
We asked for your thoughts on the win at the Potteries and who was a stand-out player?
Here's what a few of you had to say:
Sophie - MASSIVE win! 3 points, 3 goals and a clean sheet. Had more shots been on target it would have been 5 or 6.
When we got going we tore through Stoke's defense.
Stoke were poor and Norwich were on fire! OTBC
Rob - Kenny McLean stands out to me at every game, he always gives 100% and is an inspiration to the rest of the team.
We will surely be in the play-offs unless our key players are injured.
The number of injuries during training sessions is a worry.
Joe - Borja Sainz, Gabriel Sara and Josh Sargent are on fire and are more than making up for the absence of Jonathan Rowe.
If away performances stay like this we’ll be on the way to Wembley for sure.
After that 3-0 win at Stoke on Saturday, Joe Dean and Chris Reeve reflect on the chances of Norwich making the Championship's play-offs.
"Smashing Stoke is a good sign - that was a proper banana-skin fixture. They are down the bottom end of the table and our away form hasn't been great," said Reeve.
"We absolutely pummeled the Potters, an absolutely top display," he added.
There was also praise for David Wagner!
You can listen to the latest episode here.
Image source, Getty ImagesWith confirmation that Grant Hanley is out of the Scotland squad, it means Kenny McLean, Angus Gunn and Marcelino Núñez are the only current first team Norwich players away on International duty this month.
McLean and Gunn are with Scotland who continue their preparations for Euro 2024 with friendlies against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.
Núñez will join Chile who take on Albania and France in international friendlies.
The latest episode of the Norwich City fanzine show the Scrimmage is available now.
Joe Dean and Chris Reeve discuss the Canaries' 3-0 win at Stoke and how the away from has picked up.
To be honest, they're getting a little giddy about the prospect of a trip to Wembley in the play-offs.
You can download the latest episode here.
Image source, Rex FeaturesOn this day - 18th March 2023 - Stoke 0-0 Norwich
While Norwich fans are still celebrating a 3-0 win at Stoke on Saturday, the story was rather different a year ago.
Almost exactly a year ago to the day, the Canaries held on for a nil-nil draw at the Potteries.
Angus Gunn was the star man that day keeping Norwich in the game.
After 37 games, the Canaries are four points better off this season than they were at this stage in 2023.
'Reevo Reacts' as Norwich 'pummel the Potters'
Scrimmage co-host Chris Reeve gives his first thoughts on the Canaries impressive win at Stoke.
Reevo will join Joe Dean for The Scrimmage on BBC Radio Norfolk from 18.00 GMT on Monday.
You can listen to the show live by clicking here. The podcast will be available shortly after.
Image source, Getty ImagesSara, Sargent and Rowe have been red-hot for the Canaries this season
Steve Sanders, NCFC Numbers
With advance apologies to Eminem for any unintended plagiarism, so much of football is about seizing your opportunity and making moments count.
This Norwich City team has been particularly successful at losing themselves in the moment (in a good way…) this season and there are, of course, numbers to back that up. Unfortunately for the data haters, that’s going to mean talking about xG.
By way of quick explanation, xG is used to measure how likely each individual chance is of being scored, and given a number between 0 and 1 to rate its difficulty.
A tap-in might be 0.95. An Alex Tettey volley from 35 yards? You’re looking at 0.01.
Those numbers can then be added together to give a total for each game, and then a total for each season, to measure how good a team is at creating chances.
Still with me? So if you then take the season’s xG total off the number of goals that team has actually scored, you get a figure to show how clinical (or wasteful) they have been over the course of a season, or ‘G-xG’.
All of this is a roundabout way of leading to the point that Norwich City have been the best side in the Championship at taking their chances, with a ‘G-xG’ number of +14.1.
Effectively they have scored 14 more goals than the chances they’ve been presented, due to their clinical finishing.
As for their opponents on Saturday, Stoke City – they are dead last, having scored 10.3 goals less than the chances they’ve been offered.
Even the most strident Stoke fan would struggle to argue they should have got anything from the weekend’s game, but things could have turned out very differently had Ki-Jana Hoever not squandered his early chance by hitting the post.
Contrast that with the Canaries ruthlessly converting their two-on-one opening and Gabriel Sara sweeping home four minutes later.
Last season was a frustratingly different story, with Norwich City 15th in chance conversion (-3.1). Even when they swept to the title in 2020/21 they were wasteful, dominating games but scoring three goals fewer than their xG.
Three potent finishers in the City squad have been the key to this season’s composed display in front of goal – and you’ll get no prizes for guessing them: Josh Sargent, Jonny Rowe and Gabriel Sara. From open play, they are three of the best five finishers in the Championship against the chances they’ve been presented (Rowe 2nd, Sara 4th, Sargent 5th).
Overreliance on individuals has been cited as an issue with Norwich City’s tactics this season, but when you’ve got three players enjoying a season-long purple patch in front of goal, it suddenly starts to make a lot more sense.
Putting all uncertainties about their long-term futures to one side, let’s just keep enjoying these three while we can as the play-off push gathers pace.
Image source, PA MediaNorwich City striker Ashley Barnes was on the scoresheet as the Canaries beat Stoke City 3-0 on Saturday to maintain their push for the Championship play-offs.
Barnes' goal came in the second half and sealed the victory after City had raced into a two-goal first half lead with strikes from Josh Sargent and Gabriel Sara:
"We have to smell blood," Barnes told BBC Radio Norfolk, "When we are on top we create so many good opportunities that we need to kill and be ruthless in front of goal.
"Luckily enough, we're doing that and we even had more chances to get that third or fouth goal, but it's one of them things."
He continued: "Look, we came here to do a job and get the three points and that was the main thing. We started off fantastic, we will obviously go back and look at it when we are in next week. The way we finished the first half and started the second half was very, very slow. It was just dropping off the pace that we started with, the intensity.
"It's one of those things we have to have a look back on and work on because that can't happen in games, but it's always nice to have something to work on when you're winning."
You can hear a full interview with Ashley Barnes here.
Image source, PA MediaDavid Wagner was absent from Norwich City's build-up to Saturday's win against Stoke City. He had to travel back to Germany for a personal family matter.
Wagner explained the situation on BBC Radio Norfolk:
"Credit to them (coaching staff), and the players. Obviously, I wasn't in for the last couple of days but I set everything up, every single session, every single meeting as well."
Wagner continued: "My wife got a surgery and will be in hospital for another couple of days, but she is fine. Everything went well and obviously I wanted to be with her and support her in this moment."
You can hear David Wagner speaking to Chris Goreham in full here.
