The Football League cauldron has thrown out the frightening fixture of Bolton at home on the night of Halloween. 27,000 onlooking supporters, and the many more in houses (hopefully not haunted) across the globe, will be hoping to avoid the notorious Norwich City horror show, which often involves conceding three goals in as many minutes and throwing a game away in dramatic fashion. Equally, the idea of Whittaker being beaten for pace and Bassong turning one into his own net is just as scary. One can only hope those days are over, especially with the latter enjoying a spell at Watford.
Entering the realm of Carrow Road is not just Bolton, but the Neil most Norwich fans were crying out for following the sacking of Chris Hughton. Lennon’s move to the Lancashire club was surprising – well assuming you don’t class Celtic and Bolton on the same level – and late, alluding to the idea that he didn’t receive the lucrative offers he expected. He led his team to victory in his opening game; a one-nil win over Birmingham would have been a sweet start, had he not got himself dismissed from the touchline after illegally leaving his technical area, sparking an altercation with the referee. Charlton and Brentford were Bolton’s next two fixtures, which they lost (2-1) and won (3-1) respectively, and this buoyed Bolton to the surface of the relegation zone – not clear yet, however. Before Lennon’s arrival, Wanderers had managed just five points all season – with him they now have eleven. Progress, indeed.
Norwich on the other hand, will look to end the recent rot that has seen them manage only two goals in the last month, and consequently, only three points from a possible fifteen. Yep – that’s twelve points dropped; not exactly promotion form! This curse could continue if another home game comes and goes without the Canaries being three points better off. Psychologically, it will have a detrimental effect, one which could cause this mediocrity to become a regular occurrence.
In terms of goals, Norwich have been unlucky, complacent and poor. World-class goalkeeping performances courtesy of Rotherham stopper Adam Collin and Sheffield Wednesday’s Keiren Westwood are examples of the former, where Norwich fans have been left in disbelief. Despite this, on Saturday we saw Grabban miss a vital one-on-one opportunity, and unfortunately, it’s testament to his game. Too often have we seen him miss golden chances or take only one of five good chances. He certainly isn’t the only culprit, but now his goals have dried up (some of which you could categorise as ‘lucky’), his lack of cutting edge has become more prominent. The fact that both him and Jerome have stopped firing at the same time has proven a real problem, not to mention Lafferty who can’t buy a goal – well, not for Norwich anyway. That’s another Halloween mystery in itself; why Kyle Lafferty can and is producing for Northern Ireland (he has scored four in his last four appearances), looks totally inept of doing so for Norwich. Along with his knack of picking up yellow cards, resulting in a suspension that kept him out of Saturday’s tie with Sheffield. So far, not very impressive at all.
Injuries wise, Hoolahan and Odjidja-Ofoe are both expected to be out for a large period – likely to return after Christmas. Ryan Bennett’s problem is still ongoing, but there are positive signs and his reunion with the squad may not be too far away. Amongst many Norwich fans he is highly-rated, and with the defensive frailties that we have seen thus far, as well as the shaky partnership of Turner and Martin (admittedly Whittaker too), it will be interesting whether Adams will have plans for him. Injury always seems to hit Bennett at the wrong time. Following the Ipswich game Adams brought in Hooiveld and Miquel, so suddenly it’s unclear where in the pecking order he stands.
Predicted Team:
Predicting the team is no easy task this week; Adams tried two wingers (Murphy and Redmond), before doing the exact opposite and playing with neither. The formation used at Sheffield Wednesday was a 4-1-2-1-2 diamond, however this included Odjidja-Ofoe, who is now injured. It is likely that Adams will stick roughly to that set-up, explaining that the “performances deserve more”, and that the partnership of Grabban and Jerome showed signs of improvement on Saturday. That last part, I’m not sure I totally agree with. While Johnson was appalling once more, I expect his spot to be taken by the impressive O’Neil, who made an instant impact when given the chance against Wednesday – silky passing that was actually leading to attacks – certainly more positive and dynamic than Johnson. At the back, Whittaker may well be dropped for Hooiveld as it’s clear the back four is unbalanced, not to mention Whittaker had a bit of nightmare coping with Drenthe’s pace.
Therefore, this is the team I think Adams will go for:
Bolton pack plenty of punch in the way of Cardiff loanee Joe Mason, who impressively scored a second half hat-trick to rescue a victory for Wanderers at home to Rotherham. He also scored in a game where Bolton kept league leaders (at the time) Nottingham Forest at bay, ending 2-2 due to two Assomabalonga goals. Elsewhere, goals have been few and far between, hence why they have struggled.
The away side still have Marc Tierney or ‘Super mad Marc’ on their books – a key player in the sides’ last meeting. In the trip to the Reebok Stadium, he supposedly suffered a headbutt, which warranted a red card in Lee Probert’s eyes, however replays showed very little contact. Instead, just a squirming left-back on the floor caressing his shiny bald head while Klasnic received his punishment.
Norwich managed the double over Bolton that season; at Carrow Road goals from Surman and Pilkington secured a victory where fate tried to lead City astray. First half injuries to both centre-backs Whitbread and Ayala meant the home side were up against it, especially with Tierney already ruled out prior to the game.
So, in terms of Bolton’s season, they’re on the up with two wins out of the last three. Neil Lennon will feel he has something to prove against Norwich who are still regarded as title-contenders, especially if the board chose the inexperienced Adams over him, rather than the Scotsman turning the job down.
A floodlight-lit Carrow Road will play host to a chilling encounter, bringing together an out of form hotshot, and an inform and endeavouring side that has potentially turned a corner.
Will it be trick or treat for the Canaries?
