Norwich City

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'It feels like two points dropped, rather than a point gained' - your views on Norwich City

Here are your views on the Canaries' 1-1 draw at Blackburn:

Kieran - The performances and game management away from home, plus the fact we’ve dropped 19 points from winning positions this season, is why this team won’t make the play-offs. It is also why Wagner isn’t the long-term solution going into next season, considering he seems to be happy with these kinds of away performances.

Tulsa - It really feels like two points dropped, rather than a point gained. The tinkering with the starting eleven by Wagner was baffling to me. We hadn't played for a week, so why did he feel the need to change the side that destroyed Cardiff? Kenny McLean has to be played at centre-back all the time and our away form is putting too much pressure on our home games.

Lennie - I was hopeful Wagner had turned the corner but if we do get in the play-offs it will be in spite of him rather than because of him. Baffling team selections and substitutions have without doubt cost us. I was looking forward to seeing van Hooijdonk but has had so little time on the pitch, he must be wondering why he came here.

Mike - I don't think we will win anything with this manager. Far too cautious, tactically inept and doesn't have faith in our young players. We must look at Idah and Cantweĺl having game-time and feeling wanted, they look different players now.

Clive - Away form not good enough for play-off push, inconsistency which will eventually cost us as games run out. Question - why do we sign players and not play them? Wagner consistently tinkering with his starting line-up but is very reluctant to introduce fresh faces. Baffling substitutes at times, both QPR and Blackburn are poor championship sides and we dropped points.

Norwich City goalkeeper Angus Gunn said he was disappointed with the 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

The Canaries took the lead in the first half - Marcelino Nunez scored direct from a free-kick. Gunn then produced a string a good saves to ensure City stayed ahead, before Sam Gallagher equalised for Blackburn in the second half.

Nunez was later withdrawn with an apparent hamstring problem, after the game David Wagner said the club will wait to see how serious the injury is.

You can listen to a full interview with Angus Gunn here.

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Norwich City head coach David Wagner spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk following the Canaries' 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday:

Wagner said, "I would say a frustrating result - yes, but performance-wise, to be totally honest, I've seen a lot of good things.

"Everyone was putting a shift in, we created very good opportunities. The one which we have to complain about is that we were not ruthless and clinical enough and this is the one which is frustrating."

Do you agree with Wagner's assessment? Head here to give us your views.

You can listen to a full interview with David Wagner here.

Have your say - Are you happy with the draw at Blackburn?

Norwich City drew 1-1 at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and still have realistic hopes of making the Championship play-offs.

We want your views on the Canaries, going into the final 12 games of the season.

Was it two points dropped in Lancashire?

Or were you happy with the point?

How much of a blow would it be if Marcelino Nunez misses games through injury?

Do you think Norwich can still make the play-offs despite their poor away from?

Get in touch here.

Lee Croft's thoughts on Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Norwich City

Norwich City were held to a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday.

The point moves the Canaries up to seventh in the table, but they are still three points behind sixth-placed Hull City who are in the play-off places.

Former City winger Lee Croft was the guest summariser during BBC Radio Norfolk's coverage, here are his full-time thoughts:

"I think they (Norwich) will see it as a missed opportunity.

"I think Blackburn were there for the taking for long periods of the game. When Norwich were on top they didn't quite take the opportunity to put a bit of daylight between them and Blackburn."

He continued, "To be fair to them (Blackburn), they were always dangerous with (Sam) Gallagher up front and from set-pieces, they always had a chance of nicking one.

"I think it will seem like two points dropped in the end, but it is a point on the road."

You can hear more from Lee Croft on Canary Call with Rob Butler here.

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

First, a reminder of the question:

Norwich City won 4-1 at Blackburn on the opening day of the 2016-17 season. The Rovers starting XI that day featured two ex-Canaries and two more who would go on to play for Norwich. Can you name all four players?

Thanks to everyone who got in touch, the solution is:

Elliott Bennett

Elliott Ward

Shane Duffy

Ben Marshall

Norwich City face Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park in the Championship on Saturday (15.00 GMT).

You can listen to full live commentary with BBC Radio Norfolk from 14.00 GMT (FM, DAB and Freeview).

Chris Goreham and Rob Butler will be joined by former City winger Lee Croft.

Here's some stats ahead of the Canaries' trip to Ewood Park (provided by OPTA):

• Blackburn Rovers are looking for their first league double over Norwich City since the 1969-70 season

• Norwich have won their last five away league games against Blackburn – they had only won one of their first 17 visits to Ewood Park between 1936 and 2012 (D4 L12)

• Blackburn won their first home league game under John Eustace when they beat Stoke 3-1. Rovers haven’t won consecutive league matches at Ewood Park since a run of four wins in February/March 2023

• Norwich City ended 2023 with consecutive league defeats but they’ve only lost one of eight games in 2024 so far (W5 D2), winning their last two and scoring four goals in each win

• Norwich are looking to win three consecutive league games under David Wagner for a second time, previously doing so in March 2023. The Canaries are also looking to score 4+ goals in three league games in a row for the first time since November 2018.

Norwich City's Championship play-off push continues at Blackburn on Saturday (15.00 GMT).

He says having the backing of over 1200 City fans is great for the team:

Here's another cracking quiz question from BBC Radio Norfolk's Chris Goreham ahead of Saturday's game:

Norwich City won 4-1 at Blackburn on the opening day of the 2016-17 season. The Rovers starting XI that day featured two ex-Canaries and two more who would go on to play for Norwich. Can you name all four players?

Send us your guesses here.

We will give you the answer before kick-off. You can listen to Blackburn v Norwich with BBC Radio Norfolk from 14.00 GMT on Saturday (FM, DAB and Freeview).

Who is getting your vote to be Norwich City player of the season, as it stands?

We'd love to hear your thoughts here.

It's fair to say, the two favourites are Kenny McLean and Jonathan Rowe.

Here's what McLean had to say about how his season has gone so far:

Norwich City fans know how important Josh Sargent is to the team following his return from a long-term ankle injury.

The USA international has 10 goals in 13 league appearances this campaign.

Ahead of the Canaries' trip to Blackburn, head coach David Wagner provided an update on how the club are managing his comeback:

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Opinion: An exciting end to the season beckons

Matthew Soakell, North East Canary

A few weeks ago I asked the question: ‘how will Norwich City manage expectations in February?’ Pretty well, it turns out!

Already amassing 10 points this month, with Saturday’s trip to Blackburn Rovers a chance to make it 13 from 15, the Canaries are second in the league form table over the last eight games and a visit to Lancashire presents another chance to finish the weekend in the play-off places.

Admittedly, there’s still a lot of football to be played and some more pessimistic fans may say that if anything, we’ve hit form slightly too early — although I disagree; it’s never too early to be in good form.

With Norwich still yet to face Leicester and Ipswich in the run-in, as well as fellow play-off contenders Sunderland and Preston, there might be some who will be sceptical about how long Norwich can remain unbeaten and in such rich form. That said, when we look at the teams those around us have to play, it becomes even more interesting.

Most of the teams in and around Norwich have - on paper - a tougher end to the season. Take Hull City, the team currently occupying the final play-off place. They are still to face West Bromwich Albion, Preston, Leicester, Coventry, Leeds and Ipswich, in terms of teams who’re on similar or greater points than them. Similarly, Coventry play six teams who are either only two points below them or higher in the league in their remaining 13 matches.

Whilst Norwich have undoubtedly got tricky games ahead - April looking like a really tough month - the form that David Wagner’s side are in will give them the confidence that they can beat anyone on their day.

After all, this is the Championship and we all know that anything can happen.

Will Norwich finish in the top six and extend their season a little further, with a place in the Premier League still up for grabs? Let’s wait and see.

One thing is for sure - an exciting end to the season beckons!

Norwich City vice-captain Kenny McLean has been instrumental in helping the Canaries turn an inconsistent season into a genuine Championship play-off push.

The Scottish international has played in his natural central-midfield position and filled in at centre-back when required.

He says during City's bad run this season, the players were not afraid to be honest to each other:

You can listen to a full interview with Kenny McLean here.

The Canaries head to Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday (15.00 GMT).

Norwich City head coach David Wagner is speaking to the media ahead of City's trip to Lancashire to face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

Here are some of the key points:

• Defender Ben Gibson is back in training, Ashley Barnes is "a little bit fatigued" but should be OK to play

• Shane Duffy and Jonathan Rowe (long-term hamstring injury) will miss the game. Duffy should be back in team training soon

• Striker Josh Sargent is still progressing following his return from long-term injury. Wagner is still being careful with his workload

• Wagner on momentum: "It's important because of the confidence and belief you get out of it. But, momentum will not continue just because it started. You have to work tirelessly"

• On Kenny McLean: "For me he was one of the best midfielders/defenders in the Championship. He is a proper leader"

• On Blackburn: "Our focus is on us. Blackburn have changed their manager and gone a little bit more direct. We know everything that we have to know. We have more than 1200 supporters with us, which is huge"

Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean has been speaking to the media ahead of the Canaries' Championship match against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

Here are some of the key points:

• Having no midweek game has helped in the build-up for the game at Ewood Park

• McLean said momentum is vital at this stage of the season as City push for the play-offs with 13 games left

• "We've had a good run, but there's plenty to improve on". McLean said having Josh Sargent back is a huge boost

• McLean said the players had to get over feeling sorry for themselves during the bad run, they had to do something about it

• On playing at centre-back: "If the manager asks me to do a job, I will do everything I can to help this football club"

• McLean said he still sees his natural postion as centre midfield

• On potentially being player of the season: "I feel I have been pretty consistent, I feel good, I feel as fit as I ever have done"

Sydney van Hooijdonk says he is proud of his famous footballing surname.

The Norwich City striker is the son of Dutch legend Pierre van Hooijdonk who had successful spells at the likes of Celtic and Nottingham Forest.

The 24-year-old joined the Canaries on transfer deadline day in January and is eager to be a part of the Championship play-off push.

Here's part two of our in-depth chat with Sydney van Hooijdonk, he was speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk's Rob Butler:

Norwich City striker Sydney van Hooijdonk says it was an easy choice to join the Canaries.

The Dutch striker is on loan from Italian side Bologna until the end of the season, so far he has made three substitute appearances.

The 24-year-old hasn't managed to score yet, but he does have an assist to his name.

van Hooijdonk has been speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk's Rob Butler:

You can watch part 2 of the BBC interview with Sydney van Hooijdonk on this page on Thursday.

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On this day - 21 February 1985

Plans for what is now known as the Geoffrey Watling City Stand were announced.

The old Main Stand at Carrow Road had been destroyed by fire in October 1984.

The new stand opened in 1987, you can watch the BBC report here., external

What are your memories of the 1987 fire? Get in touch here.

Image source, Getty Images

Opinion: Is 'On the ball, City' sung too fast?

Gary Gowers, My Football Writer - Norwich City, external

Even folk who profess to know little about Norwich City, probably know two things about us. One, that we are 'owned' by Delia Smith, and two, that we have a song all of our own called, 'On the Ball, City'.

“The oldest, the greatest football song in the world”, is how Carrow Road's stadium announcer introduces it before kick-off before cueing us in with, in my opinion, a little-bit-cringy “3… 2… 1…”.

He’s right in saying it’s the oldest. No argument there. But the greatest?

I mean, it could be. Has potential to be. Probably should be. But in it's current guise, the greatest?

Hmm.

City fans of a certain age will know what I’m talking about; the younger generation will think (as ever) I’m talking a load of rubbish; those inbetween will probably not give two hoots.

But I refer, of course, to the speed at which said song is sung... which is breakneck.

We used to think that prime Darren Huckerby was the fastest thing to grace Carrow Road. Wrong. More recently, while Przemysław Płacheta failed to light up Carrow Road with his footballing skills, he had a turn of pace akin to Usain Bolt’s. But still he wasn’t the fastest thing at Carrow Road.

That prize firmly rests with 'On the Ball, City-2024 style'.

But it’s not just about the breakneck speed. If it was just about the tempo, we fifty-somethings could just about live with it. No, our biggest gripe is that the final line of the song isn’t even sung in its entirety. It's barely sung at all.

Such is the haste to get that final line out of the way and onto the “CITY… [clap, clap, clap], CITY… [clap, clap, clap]", that what should be, “Hurrah, we scored a goal” is now reduced to a stricken, indecipherable, “Hrarw'scdagul”!

No one, of course, expects it to be sung music hall style as it was in the first recorded version of the song – no way could that version survive the rigours of the 21st century – but we dreamers still believe it possible for Carrow Road and away grounds to echo to the sound that filled Wembley so beautifully in our two League Cup Finals back in the 1970s (it's on Youtube, have a look!).

Admittedly, this is a road we’ve been down before, and previous attempts to slow down the singing of OTBC and pleas for it to be sung in its entirety have failed miserably, but you just never know.

If David Wagner can start to win around the City faithful, which he appears to be doing, then anything is possible in NR1.

Never say never.

'City are hitting their straps at exactly the right time' - Your views

Most Norwich City supporters agree that the Canaries have a real chance of making the Championship play-offs with 13 games left to play.

Here's the latest comments you've sent to us:

Olly - If you had said are we play-off contenders before Christmas it would have been laughable. But our form in 2024 puts us right up there with West Brom and Coventry, both of whom we’ve beaten. It’s going to be tough, but our favourable fixtures should help. Sixth it is for me.

Max - Whilst signs are obviously positive at present, in the short reign of David Wagner we’ve seen the ability to go on runs and then capitulate at any moment! I’d love us to get to the play-offs, but I have a sneaky feeling our inconsistencies will see us finish just outside.

Canaryworf - City are hitting their straps at exactly the right time in the season, momentum is crucial at this time of year in any campaign; lose it and you're done mentally (eyes down the A140). Of course they can make the play-offs, whether they've got what it takes to overcome either Leeds or Saints in a big game scenario I'm not so sure, but you never know.

Ian - Best performance of the season against Cardiff by a long way. The attacking football on display and positive play was worth paying for and made the whole stadium unite. With Kenny McLean undoubtably player of the season at present the team looks and plays better with him playing out of the central defensive roll, allowing Nunez and Sara in central midfield.

Lorraine - We certainly aren't out of the running. If we can keep our players fit until the end of the season (and get Rowe back), there's no reason why we can't do it. However, we cannot afford to drop silly points like we did against QPR.

Tom - Our points average with Sargent playing is 2.28 per game which would give us 80 points by the end of the season if he stays fit, the average for finishing sixth is 73.84, we've played virtually everyone in the top 6 home and away, barring a trip to Leicester and at home to Ipswich - so we have every chance.