Norwich City

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Norwich 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.

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Greek 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.

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Susannah 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 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.

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The 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.

Opinion: Wagner and Knapper combination paying dividends for Norwich City

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Gary 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.

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Norwich 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.

Your views on Norwich's win at Stoke

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Norwich 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.

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International Canaries: And then there were three

With 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 Scrimmage Podcast

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.

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On 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.

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Opinion: Why Norwich City are the Championship’s sharpest shooters

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.

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Norwich 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.

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David 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.

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Norwich City striker Josh Sargent has withdrawn from the United States’ international squad.

USA have a CONCACAF Nations League semi-final against Jamiaca on 21 March in Arlington, Texas.

24-year-old Sargent was substituted off during the Canaries' 3-0 win at Stoke on Saturday. After the game, head coach David Wagner hinted that he would like to keep his joint-top scorer in Norfolk to continue his measured return from a long-term ankle injury.

Wagner told BBC Radio Norfolk that the striker had suffered a “knock and twist” to his ankle.

Norwich will hope Sargent is fit to play in the team’s next fixture, which is against Plymouth Argyle at Carrow Road in the Championship on Friday 29 March.

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Norwich City strengthened their position in the Championship play-off places with a 3-0 win at Stoke City on Saturday.

The Canaries are sixth in the table and three points clear of Hull, but the Tigers do have a game in hand.

What did you think of the win in the Potteries?

Who was your stand-out player?

Does this victory ease worries about City's indifferent away form this season?

Get in touch with your views here. All opinions welcome.

Here's the answer to our regular pre-match quiz.

We wanted to know the three missing players from this picture who played in a previous game against Stoke City.

The answers:

Jacob Sorensen

Josh Martin

Alex Tettey

Well done if you got it right.

Darel Russell's thoughts on Stoke City 0-3 Norwich City

Former Norwich and Stoke midfielder Darel Russell was BBC Radio Norfolk's guest summariser for the Canaries' win at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday.

Here are some of his full-time thoughts:

"With their league positions, it's a game you'd expect Norwich to go and get the result from and also they needed it - in terms of their journey to promotion to the Premier League.

"It's exactly how it should have gone on paper, but they've done it in a good fashion, especially in the first half. Some of the moments they've created to open up Stoke were fantastic."

Russell continued: "They (Norwich) created great opportunities, a true scoreline at half-time probably would have been 4-1. (Norwich) probably looked a bit more sporadic in the second half but Stoke adjusted their formation to cause a few more challenges.

"Three nil, massive, great clean sheet and the fans there in the corner are enjoying every moment on a cold, windy Stoke day."

You can listen to more of Darel Russell's views on BBC Radio Norfolk's Canary Call with Rob Butler here.