Norwich City v West Brom – as it happened
Afternoon all: I’ve been handed the honour of guiding you through the meeting of the songbirds this afternoon, Canaries v Throstles. Bet the Baggies are pleased the Victorian gentlemen of the Hawthorns opted for that nickname for the song thrush, rather than the mavis, though “C’mon you Mavises” has a certain ring to it. I’m looking forward to having a good look at two players I saw twice each in the Championship last season, Shane Long and Steve Morison. Both are hugely industrious forwards, though my colleague, David Pleat, was not too taken with the latter’s performance for Wales last week, citing a lack of pace to cause England’s centre-halves many problems at the spearhead of a 4-5-1. It transpires that he’s on the bench, alongside Wes Hoolahan. The curse of the pre-written preamble strikes
Chris Martin is up front and has the goal machine Grant Holt alongside him today, though, who’s no Usain Bolt himself but has that happy knack of excellent positioning for knockdowns and dink throughs. He’s given away 13 free-kicks this season so far, however, and needs to be a bit more savvy. Having said that he’s been fouled himself 16 times which shows how often the Bergdorf Goodman Prada Mens Shoes ball’s been funnelled up to him.
Norwich have two points from three games, West Brom none, though both have performed pretty well from what I’ve seen on TV. The last three top-flight meetings between the two at Carrow Road have all been won by the home side, the last in 2005, a 3-2 home victory when they came back from 3-2 down and Damien Francis scored the winner. That was during the Albion season when they stayed up on the last day and Nigel “Barney” Worthington’s Norwich went down.
Team news will be with you as soon as I have it. With John Rudd suspended and no senior deputy to hand, Norwich will be banking on the 20-year-old Declan Rudd today. “”I’ve got no fear about him playing,” his manager, Paul Lambert told the Norwich Evening News. “He’s never let me down, never let himself down, so I don’t have any problem.” Sounds like a fair endorsement, given that Lambert is usually rather unforthcoming
Here are your teams:Norwich: Rudd, Naughton, Barnett, De Laet, Tierney, Bennett, Crofts, Bradley Johnson, Surman, Holt, Chris Martin. Subs: Russell Martin, Morison, Vaughan, Jackson, Hoolahan, Fox, Wilbraham. West Brom: Foster, Reid, Olsson, Tamas, Shorey, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Scharner, Thomas, Long, Odemwingie. Subs: Fulop, Tchoyi, Morrison, Brunt, Dawson, Jones, Cox. Referee: Mark Halsey fake (Lancashire)
Singing birds: “The Canaries haven’t been as good since they had Robins and Ekoku up front,” writes Gary Naylor, popping over from the over-by-over. “Theywere really flying then.” They were, Gary. And what a team they had then. I saw Jeremy Goss score a beaut at Elland Road in that nasty kit. I also had a soft spot for Ian Crook, lovely passer. As for the Baggies, it’s a big call to drop Chris Brunt. Roy Hodgson loves 4-4-2 but he can’t expect Graham Dorrans to bomb up the right, though he’ll make space for Steven Reid, I suppose.
A minute’s silence: For the victims of 9/11 and in memory of the West Brom trainee Blake Melbourne, who died yesterday.
1 min: And we’re off, Albion kicking off, tapping the ball back to Foster who kicks it long towards Odemwingie. He knocks it down to Dorrans on the right, who lets Reid cross. Rudd comes out to collect, a little too far, but the whistle had gone for offside.
GOAL!! Norwich 0-1 West Brom (Odemwingie) A long ball from Shorey, just inside the Norwich half, it ran loose and De Laet made the cardinal error of letting it bounce. It skipped ahead of him, exposing his keeper, and Odemwingie marked his return to the starting XI with a finish poked inside Rudd’s left post. Terrible misunderstanding between De Laet and Rudd, the defender blaming Rudd for not coming for it but the centre-half could easily have dealt with it and had a slanging match with his keeper afterwards.
6 min: Alan Smith makes the valid point in the commentary box that with two such quick strikers and such an inexperienced keeper, the Norwich defence needs to take a step back when holding their line, or they’ll be vulnerable all day to the ball spun over the top.
8 min: Albion look very composed on the ball but now Norwich are beginning to have some possession and Tierney does well up the left, checks inside to let De Laet clip a ball up to Surman who links up with Martin. Surman makes a clever run into the box and cuts it back to Holt who blasts it from a tight angle and it’s cleared. Better from Norwich, now. And Johnson gets on the end of a cross from the right, it’s a huge stretch for him and he can’t connect properly.
10 min: More good work from Norwich, with the strikers splitting and hitting the flanks, Martin at the moment to the right, and he gets a good cross in that West Brom half clear and eventually escape danger when it’s fired over.
12 min: Rudd makes a hash of a clearance that goes straight into touch but then comes and collects another long ball over De Laet’s head with far more confidence.
14 min: Odemwingie has a spurt from the centre circle and good footwork loses Crofts. He finds Thomas on a surge cutting in from the left but his cross/pass across the box is blocked. “Keep your width” shouts a member of one of the sides’ coaching staffs.
17 min: Scharner is booked for a Kevin Davies-esque tackle on Bradley Johnson in midfield. City had the advantage though, so the ref allowed play to continue, much to the consternation of the Norwich crowd when the move broke down.
19 min: In the absence of Hoolihan, Crofts is seeing a lot of the ball today, teh default target for the strikers when they have their backs to play and Surman on the left flank, nudging the ball back to him. I’m not sure crossing from such a central area, as Crofts has dome three or four times, is going to create a first-phase chance, though. But If the defensive header is misdirected … Well, that appears to be the tactic.
21 min: “It’s a recent cover of an age-old song, but Tierney used to be awesome on Championship Manager four or five years ago,” writes Michael Hunt. “You could pick him up for a song from Man U reserves and never let you down. There’s a certain crushing disappointment to seeing your pixillated text employees having boring real faces that you just never quite get over.” There was a Man City player called James Flood, he never had much of a career, but he was similarly awesome in the 2001 version. Norwich have a penalty shout but the ref is not having any of it.
23 min: Now Thomas gets to the byline and just fails by inches to pull it back to Long, but Norwich go straight up the other end and Olsson is forced to give away a throw by the right corner flag. A booming throw comes in but West Brom get it clear. “Me and the three other WBA fans are thoroughly enjoying the attention and the page refreshes really quick because there is nobody else reading it,” writes Richard Hooker. “The only fly in the ointment is that Norwich man in the photo with the yellow shirt. Any chance you could change it hat half time for Shane Long or Odemwinge.” I’ll do it at half time, Richard.
26 min: Here’s Phil Withall: “Your assistance please. Norwich seem to be developing a habit of shooting themselves in the foot this season (three penalties conceded, two red cards and goals like today’s). As I get up in the middle of the night to watch them do it which one of us is in for the harder time this season, me or the team?” Early days, Phil. If De Laet doesn’t cut out these silly errors soon, though, I’d say it’s you. But you look good up the left, Tierney combining well with Surman and Crofts to form a decent triangle. I think you’ll score today.
28 min: Shorey’s free kick just inside the City half is inches behind Long who still manages to flick it on to Dorrans, who pauses and passes back to Reid to cross. After a scramble the ball is nudged to Mulumbu who hits a fierce shot a foot wide of Rudd’s right post.
30 min: “Can you get CM2000/1 that’ll run on the newer Windows? I loved that version, not too complicated yet thorough enough to occupy days of your life at a time,” writes Phillip Wainwright. I don’t know Phillip, perhaps someone can help. A fine Norwich thrust Authentic Prada Shoes Outlet up the left ends with the ball crossed by Tierney. It skips off the turf and leaps a bit high for Barnett who swings his left foot at it and it sails high over the bar. Alan Smith said he should have done better. It looked tough to me.
32 min: Tierney may be an over-boosted CM legend but he’s playing pretty well today, arcing in a good cross when set free by Crofts that Holt just fails to meet. Then Barnett has a shot from 25-yards after Dorrans failed to close him down.
35 min: Guy Thomas has emailed in. He may be an Ipswich fan, he may not, but his prognosis is pretty bleak: “Surely it is only a matter of time (and If eel that time may have passed already), before the realisation dawns on Norwich fans that this season they could set a new all time points record, Swansea look too assured on the ball if somewhat light in front of goal and no doubt Neil Warnock’s men will kick their way to 25 points, but Norwich really do have nothing to offer, that said they’ll still all probably go down so won’t make much difference.” They’re doing all right, Guy. It’s these defensive lapses of concentration that is hobbling them. Though Rudd just makes a good save when West Brom break sharply on the counter
37 min: Surman to Tiernan and a cross into the box has become a pattern of Norwich’s play and his last burst ended with Martin heading back across the box. Albion are fast on the break and make the most when the Norwich move is stopped by racing up the right and Odemwingie hitting a powerful cross when he’d got past De Laet.
39 min: Olsson wrestles Martin to the ground as the centre-forward ran through on to a long ball from the back. The referee doesn’t give it but that was a penalty by the letter of the law. The Baggies brush themselves down and Dorrans hits a vicious shot from the centre-right, about 25 yards out that blasts against the post. The Scot eventually gets on to the rebound, shoots again which Rudd spills but it lands safe.
42 min: Short delay while Jerome Thomas gets treatment on his wrist after an awkward fall. The pattern so far seems to be Authentic Prada Bags Outlet Online Norwich linking well in the middle third, and carving out opportunities on the left, then looking very vulnerable when the Baggies break, usually started with a 30-yard pass. Guy Thomas is a Boro fan. Sorry for the Ipswich line.
45 min: There will be two more minutes of added time as Norwich again make an attack up the left with Tierney whipping in another cross, that Olsson clears.
Half time: I’ll be back in 10 minutes. “Hmm, Guy does sound a rather bitter Ipswich fan,” writes Catherine Cooke. “I’ve only seen highlights of matches but Norwich seem to be doing OK so far. I (as a Norwich fan) am under no illusions but do really hope we stay up! Am now off to pub to catch second half…” That was my fault for putting in a disclaimer. He’s a Boro fan “and therefore of bit of an expert on football teams being somewhat inept (current season not included)”. George Solomon also rallies to the yellow and green flag: “The comments about Norwich going straight down with a Derby-esque level of points strikes me as very harsh. They performed Agatha Ruiz Dela Prada E Shop very well at Chelsea last week and fought back well at Wigan on opening day. Yes, De Laet has had a couple of shockers but he’s young and will get better, as will Norwich. Have some faith in them and have some faith in Lambert.”
Guy Thomas is back and could do with a hand: “I’m also having to write up a match report of my step-sons football match from yesterday for the club website, so I would be grateful for any generic cliches that I can just copy and paste, I’d love to say I could recall and write from memory, but two nights of hard drinking (OK, one night of hard drinking and another night of pretend hard drinking) have taken their toll.” You need to talk about players “putting a shift in” for starters, Guy.
46 min: More patience and positional discipline from the midfield is Chris Coleman’s cure for Norwich. The game gets too long for them with the midfield pushing up so far to support the attack and leaves them vulnerable to West Brom’s ball over the top. Fair points, all, I think. City are on the ball from the kick-off but give it away cheaply and Odemwingie goes marauding up the left before Barnett intervenes.
49 min: Crofts has a snap shot over the bar after an unfortunate couple of minutes for Rudd when he missed a cross he went for and then fell when trying to kick it out of his hands, Authentic Prada Milano Handbags slipping on the turf.
51 min: Re Guy Thomas, John Millard suggests: “Was anything scored at the back stick with the little eyebrows?” West Brom kick the ball out when Bennett collides with Dorrans in a tackle and the Scot comes out second best. If anything it was Dorrans who was late.
53 min: “You really can’t go wrong with ‘a game of two halves’, though as it’s kids, ‘jumpers for goalposts’ too. It might help if we knew if they won?” writes Duncan Smith. A relatively quiet start to this half, with the Baggies marginally in the ascendancy in terms of possession. Dorrans’s free kick from the right goes beyond Long and Odemwingie and Norwich break up the right, not too quickly, but manage to feed the ball into Surman dashing towards the penalty spot. He just can’t get enough contacdt on it to control it properly, though.
55 min: “‘Spirited performance sadly lacking in end product’ is a fairly traditional phrase that seems to imply that somehow considering their dominance it is a miracle the ball never hit the net, when it actually means they were a shower without a clue how to play the game,” writes Michael Hunt. I’ll save that for future reference. Bradley Johsnon has a dig from 25 yards, slicing it (deliberately) with the outside of his boot, and it curls inches over.
58 min: Deep cross from Bennett on the right, just too far for Holt. They’re only small margins away when they attack but they do look a little tentative at the back, given they’re so desperate to equalise and committing so many forward.
60 min: Jerome Thomas has a curling shot with his right from the left side that’s not as close as Johnson’s effort. Norwich’s goal kick gets bundled through the middle quickly and Martin tries to latch on to it but can’t quite get there and Tamas blocks his progress. If he had a bit more pace that would have been dangerous.
62 min: Norwich make their first substitution, Hoolahan coming on for Surman. And another decent cross from the home side just fails to find Martin. Then Crofts has a shot after Tierney wins the ball back and feeds him via Johnson and Hoolahan.
65 min: “What I tend to hear whenever I go past a kids match are two traditional cliches that have served England so well in developing the kind of players who win international tournaments. ‘Get rid of it!’ and ‘Somebody put a foot in!’ Expletives can be inserted to taste, but at least one per phrase is mandatory.” Gary Naylor to the rescue, Guy. Hoolahan’s such a clever little player and has played two deft little passes through for Martin who has been closed down quickly. De Laet and Dorrans clash in a 50-50 ball, Dorrans on the stretch and De Laet stays down before Norwich kick it out.
68 min: Odemwingie is free in the box after a couple of minutes where Albion have pushed their midfield four further forward but he slides the ball straight into De Laet. Morrison comes on for Dorrans for West Brom. Holt and Martin off for Norwich, Vaughan and Morison come on.
71 min: Claims from the crowd for a free-kick when Hoolahan’s cross strikes Scharner on the pec. Tierney knocks in a good cross that Foster catches while Olsson and Vaughan tussle. Olsson does use his arms a lot.
74 min: Albion free-kick when Tierney shoves long off the ball to the left of Norwich’s box. Morrison’s cross eludes everyone but then Morison wraps his calf around Reid’s thigh and Mark Halsey gives Authentic Prada Trainers the penalty.
SAVED!! Rudd tips Odemwingie’s penalty around the post. “Nice height,” as they say and Rudd dives to his right and batters the spot-kick away with both hands.
77 min: Albion have had a spell of pressure for the past few minutes, stretching Norwich down the flanks and Agatha Ruiz Black Prada Bag With Gold Hardware Dela Prada Official Website their midfield four pushing up.
79 min: Morrison almost tees up Long with a defence splitting pass that had too much on it and skipped through for a goalkick after De Laet dawdled. From Rudd’s kick, Norwich build on the left, eventually getting the ball to Crofts on the left of the area. He scuffs his shot wide of the far post.
81 min: Crofts has hit fifth or sixth shot from range, this time with his right foot, but blasts it over the bar.
82 min: That was Norwich’s fourth penalty conceded in four games. “You’re not fit to referee,” was the crowd’s verdict on Halsey’s decision.
84 min: Again Norwich’s lack of pace upfront lets them down. Nice pass into the inside left channel from Bennett to Morison who knocks it forward for himself to run on to but is squeezed out as he can’t get ahead of his marker. Black Leather Prada Milano Purse Thomas off for WBA, Brunt on.
86 min: Vaughan shoots wide after half-turning Olsson who recovered well to face him up. Then Morison misses Norwich’s best chance of the match from a great Tierney cross. He stooped low to get the ball as it dipped and got the power on it but not the direction.
88 min: Tchoyi on for Long for the Albion. Norwich get a free kick when Reid knocks Morison down five yards out of the area on West Brom’s right. Johnson whips it in but Tamas Agatha Ruiz Prada Online Shop flicks it out for a throw.
90 min: Mulumbu now gives away a free kick as Norwich continue to build the pressure. This one’s a good 35 yards from goal and Johnson shoots, miles wide as the ball failed to swerve back in. There’ll be four minutes of injury time.
90 min+2: Tamas is on the floor with a head injury after clashing with Vaughan. Alan Smith has given Odemwingie the man of the match award. If you didn’t have to give it to the winning side, Tierney would deserve it.
90 min+4: Norwich are trying to carve out openings up the right with Morison splitting wide but his cross to Vaughan doesn’t get past the first man. When they do get the ball into the box, Tamas’s forearm hits Vaughan in the face. The crowd want a penalty. It looked bad to me, as if it was deliberate. But the ref turns and runs off, then makes Vaughan go off to get a shirt without blood on it.
90 min+6: They’ve still got a chance, Norwich, as Reid hauls down a Norwich player a yard from the box. He gets a yellow card, the crowd wants red. Hoolahan takes the free kick and hits the wall.
Full time: West Brom get their first points of the season. Their forwards had the pace to prosper but Norwich’s midfield four worked tirelessly and with no little skill to carve out opportunities and the left-back Tierney caused Reid a lot of problems. Albion looked very good on the break and while Olsson takes a huge amount of risks by tussling with players in challenges, grappling away, he got away with it today. It was an enjoyable game, Norwich showing their default strategy is to attack, West Brom to play on the counter. I’d say the home side deserved a point but they were undone by lapses of concentration at the back and a lack of pace to make the most of balls played on the floor into the inside-forward channels. Thanks for your company and emails. Bye!