I really didn’t know what to expect on Saturday. The first few weeks of the season are always a bit of a strange call. There tends to be plenty of high scoring games and predictions being turned on their heads. With Norwich having lots of new faces on display and Saints recovering from an awful start to the season, I could see the match going either way.
Thankfully, City ground it out. It was a tough match and one that was difficult at times to sit through. However I was immensely relieved and delighted at the end to have grabbed the three points (I don’t think Southampton will be at the bottom come May). There were plenty of positives, although there is still a lot of work to do.
It was such a joy to see a right back playing for the canaries who looked like…a right back! Otsemobor’s pace at times looked frightening and his link up play with Croft was excellent. Perhaps he left a few gaps at the back, but this can be ironed out in time. Croft himself had an excellent 2nd half and it was nice to see him get stronger towards the end of the game rather than the predictable substitution on 70 minutes.
Daryl Russell looked at home in midfield. What you see is what you get with him. Hard working and consistency in a Gary Holt type of way. Jamie did what he had to do - three shots, two goals, not much else but it won us the match. Brown, who isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but is a player I like, did all the dirty and unspectacular stuff, while Fozzy played easily his best game so far and was influential in the time he was on (thankfully his injury wasn’t serious - that would have been a major blow). I didn't know until Saturday what Fotheringham had to offer us, but its obvious now he could be a key creative figure in the middle of the park
If there was a big disappointment it was Brellier, but only because of his lack of match fitness. In fairness, he shouldn’t have played and that was a major mistake on behalf of Grant and the player himself. He’s still one of my big hopes this season, but clearly isn’t ready. The defence still looks wobbly. Marshall didn’t have one of his better games while the centre backs are still asking more questions than answering them.
People are slating the Doc after Saturday. Fair enough, he’s not my favourite player and wasn’t outstanding on the day, but he wasn’t terrible and was no better or worse than Shackell. I really feared for the Doc if he made a mistake because he would have got slaughtered (I heard a handful of boos in the warm-up but most people kept quiet). To blame him for the goal as some people are is a bit silly though. The defending as a whole wasn’t great, but you have to give some credit to Kenwyne Jones for his skill in forcing the corner and then creating the space for the goal.
Two guys in the Snakepit particularly riled me. I had never seen them before (am praying to God they haven’t got season tickets) and were just two rows in front of where I sit, but after Doc’s near miss after five minutes, they were slating him big style. They were clearly ready to vent their spleen at any little mistake he made, even if others were doing much worse. I wasn’t surprised at the end to hear one of them cheer rather too loudly at the Spurs result - he looked much happier than he did at City’s victory.
That’s football though and people like that turn up at every club, not just City. On a personal level, I’m not expecting miracles this season and to be frank, I still think we are just short of play-off quality. However if City can muster a few more wins like this during this season and push onwards from the wretched last couple of years, then I won’t be complaining. I won’t be unhappy either with a point next Saturday.
Oh and George. Get over it!