Well, it didn’t help their case, but it certainly didn’t hurt them. Norwich’s 1-1 draw with Derby on Saturday offered a few points to reflect on, and that brings us to our five things:
Poor John Ruddy
It’s hard not to feel sorry for the goalkeeper. He just messed up. The corner was whipped in, flew right into his hands, only to slip right back out. After looking at the replay, Ruddy clearly gets frustrated with his team, but quickly realizes it was his blunder. While there might be claims that Cameron Jerome could’ve done a better job with his man, how many times is that a cliché “routine save” and the match carries on? From an outside perspective, Ruddy has largely been brilliant this season, especially since the Alex Neil tenure began. City fans will be frustrated with the keeper, rightfully so, but…
Take it as it comes
…If there was a time for the Canaries to only muster a point, at least in comparison with the last few fixtures, a point to Derby was acceptable. City fans wanted more, knowing that a win would see the club bump up the table, but they’re still wrapped up in the promotion race. There’s plenty of time left to overcome the three-point gap from the top of the Championship, and the remaining schedule at a glance seems manageable. If anything, the four-point gap between Norwich and sixth-place Brentford shows that the Yellow Army will at least finish the season in a playoff spot. As for Ipswich Town, now in seventh, their promotion hopes are spiraling out of control—mind the gap.
Man the trenches
When City were first relegated, I naively believed the team would see off all competition and bounce right back up without any bumps or scraps. The campaign kicked off that way—then reality hit. I remember earlier this year writing Norwich fans have a “superiority complex” and pompously overlook opponents. I take that back. I also take back the “life in the Championship is great” mantra. It’s not. The second-tier is brutal, unforgiving and one match can see a team out. Last weekend was an indication at how tight the table can be. Norwich just picked the right time to only get a point. For the most part, the club plays attractive football that’s been lacking these past few years. Now they just need to eke out the points.
Relax
The season is slowly wrapping up, but there’s plenty of time. Sure, it’d be understandable to overreact if Norwich was in Ipswich’s position with three matches remaining, but they’re not. Barring maybe Watford, which looks like it may finish in an automatic spot, City have the best form in the league. They can quickly rebound from the Derby draw with an efficient outing at Huddersfield, a squad the Canaries have already beaten 5-0 in December. At least this time they won’t have to worry about big Grant Holt.
Never mind the danger
They’ve been a little too dramatic, but the midweek fixtures have produced some of the most painstaking matches recently. Yes, there was the dismal Wigan loss, but Tuesday matches have worked in City’s favor these last few weeks (Wigan was a Wednesday, ha!). There was the Jerome goal away at Charlton, giving Norwich a 3-2 after allowing the home side back into the game. Then there’s the match at Blackburn, which, well, the Norfolk Pirlo saved the Yellow Army 2-1. Nine matches remain in the season and the Canaries should be able to squeeze 21 or 22 points out of it, minimum. What this season has shown, more than anything, is that it’s going to take all nine matches to finalize the table—and City are in a good position to control their own fate.
