Dear Marcelino,
I hope this letter finds you, but not well, with all things considered.
By now, you’ll know exactly what fixture is looming on the calendar. The East Anglian Derby. Carrow Road. Your old home. And I feel it’s only fair that all of us at Norwich City give you a proper heads-up about what awaits you when you step back onto that pitch.
You’ll remember the place, of course. The noise, the closeness of the stands, the way the Barclay can feel like it’s right on top of you. You’ll remember the songs – some you’ll have heard in your name once upon a time when you truly knew what it meant to play in yellow and green. You’ll certainly remember scoring in this very game two years ago. But this time, they won’t be singing for you.
Football moves quickly. One minute you’re pulling the strings in midfield, a fan favourite, a Derby Day hero when we thought the unbeaten run was going to end. Next, you’ve crossed the divide to those lot. That alone is enough to turn our admiration of you into something far less welcoming.
Don’t expect indifference. That would make it easier for you. We don’t want that. What you’ll get instead is 90 minutes of relentless noise, every touch scrutinised, every mistake you made cheered like a goal. The reception won’t be polite applause or a quiet acknowledgement of what you once did in yellow and green. It’ll be sharp, loud, and unmistakable.
And yet, beneath it all, there’s something else – something you’ll probably feel but never hear after you refused to stay. You were appreciated here. That doesn’t just disappear. It gets buried under rivalry, pride, and the simple, unbreakable rule of this fixture: once you’re on their side, you’re one of them.
Saturday will not just be another game in the Championship, and you’re not just another opponent. Your return adds an edge that didn’t need sharpening, but now absolutely has been.
So when you walk out at Carrow Road again, take a moment. Look around. You’ll recognise it – but it won’t feel the same. And it never will do.
And when the noise comes, understand this: it’s not personal… except it absolutely is.
No regard whatsoever,
All at Norwich City Football Club
