After an indifferent winter period, Norwich are finally back in the automatic promotion hunt. The win at Watford leaves the Canaries just 4 points off second placed Middlesborough and 6 points off top of the league Derby County. So are we inline to make an instant return to the promised land of the Premier League?
One thing I talked about in a previous article was consistency, and Alex Neil has certainly made Norwich just that. The win at Watford takes Neil’s number of wins up to 6, and with just one loss and one draw, he has certainly turned Norwich’s fortunes around. I believe the main reason for this is Neil’s team selections. He is not afraid to change a winning team and is also not afraid to keep it the same. For example, Neil changed the team for Watford even after the brilliant performance put in against Wolves. This risky move was rewarded by the performance and result from the team that propelled them above opponents Watford in the table. The question is can Norwich keep up these performances through the crunch time of the Championship? The run in will not be easy, teams will play on Saturdays and in midweek, increasing the risk of tiredness and injuries. Predicting this would be very hard so one has to hope that injuries do not become a big factor, however the wide depth of the squad may be able to solve this.
Another thing that Alex Neil has managed to do is to get Norwich scoring again, especially Lewis Grabban. After Saturday’s match Grabban has notched up 4 goals in 3 games, this is impressive seeing as he had a goal drought going back to before Christmas. This goal scoring form isn’t just affecting Grabban however, with Gary Hooper and Cameron Jerome also notching a fair few goals for the club. Hooper’s hat trick against Blackpool was just what he needed, after hardly playing at all under Neil Adams at the start of the season. If Norwich do get promoted this season, a big factor in it would be his goals. More impressively is the amount of goals we’re putting in per match. Norwich have scored in every game of Neil’s reign apart from the 0-0 draw at Birmingham, and perhaps more impressively Ruddy has managed to keep a clean sheet in 4 out of the 8 games under Alex Neil.
The remaining games for Norwich will not be easy, although most of City’s remaining fixtures involve teams in the bottom half of the table, they will not be a walk in the park. Neil must keep his team focused and make sure complacency does not become an issue. The games against Millwall, Bolton and Rotherham are matches where it is especially important not to become complacent, as these teams are fighting for their survival in the division and will be giving tooth and nail to avoid relegation. And then there is the final game of the season against the old enemy of Fulham. I hope and I think we all hope that this game does not play a part in deciding our fate. But there is just something that gives me the impression that it will. And hey, losing streaks have to end at some point don’t they?
So all is in place for City to make the final charge for promotion; it won’t be easy and will most likely come down to small margins, but I believe that we can do it. We have the players, the manager and the fans behind the lads, and now we have the form. For once our fate is in our own hands so now is the time to make that final push and take City back up at the first time of asking.
Comments.
Loading comments…