- Crossing the divide turns beloved Canary heroes into immediate Carrow villains.
- From Marcelo Nunez to Paul Lambert, we weigh up loyalty versus legacy.
- Some legacies are complicated by success, while others are ruined by betrayal.
Over the years, Norwich City has seen some players and managers cross the great divide. But can we really dismiss them based on where they ended up compared to how they contributed to our team?
Ahead of tomorrow’s derby, let’s discuss…
Marcelo Nunez
Kicking off with an easy one – Nunez may have given Norwich City some delightful set pieces and smart contributions in his time at Carrow Road, but his copybook has been well and truly blotted.
Even if I was feeling sympathetic, Freddie Humphry-Wakefield already did the job for me with a diss track worthy of a Taylor Swift album.
Verdict: Villain
Andy Marshall
Hearing Andy Marshall doing commentary for Radio Norfolk brought back Norwich City memories.
Unfortunately for him “there’s a rumour in the town…” started playing in my head while he was talking.
Verdict: Villain
Ed Sheeran
“Hey guys look at me, I’m so ordinary! Like you!”
Verdict: Villain
Paul Lambert
Let’s be honest, the previous ones we’ve mentioned have been largely cut and dry.
Nunez engaged in fan-baiting, Marshall is cursed with a Norwich City earworm and Ed Sheeran exists.
Paul Lambert is a trickier proposition.
On the one hand, Norwich City fans have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to the former Borussia Dortmund man.
He gave us two consecutive promotions and is one of the few recent managers who kept us in the Premier League.
Then he ditched us for Aston Villa, meandered to a couple of other clubs before joining the team down the road.
An additional layer of complication for Norwich fans is something we may not care to admit- when we poached Lambert from Colchester a stink was raised and we largely ignored it.
Some might argue there is an element of karma to that. I would say like a footballing Orson Welles he never seemed to quite top his sparkling debut.
Verdict: It’s complicated
Over to you…
There are many significant Norwich City folk that can be debated.
Was Stuart Webber the tough talker who got us promoted? Or the mountain-walking positivity spouter who promised Daniel Farke a tank and then got him a remote control car with a bread knife taped to it?
Did Delia Smith save Norwich City or was the club hamstrung by “prudence with ambition”?
Let me know so we can have a Mrs Merton-style “heated debate” in future.
