TEAM PREVIEW: Norwich City – Paul McVeigh wants to see Canaries build a strong core

 

Alex Neil’s job at Carrow Road was one of the best turnarounds you could ask for. Struggling after relegation from the Premier League, Neil came in from Hamilton Academical and guided the Canaries all the way back to the top league, via a convincing play-off final victory.

Last Season: Championship (3rd)

Manager: Alex Neil

 

Squad

GKs: John Ruddy, Declan Rudd
DFs: Steven Whittaker, Russell Martin, Michael Turner, Ignasi Miquel, Martin Olsson, Ryan Bennett, Sebastien Bassong, Adel Gafaiti, Harry Toffolo
MFs: Bradley Johnson, Jonny Howson, Tony Andreu, Wes Hoolahan, Elliott Bennett, Nathan Redmond, Jacob Murphy, Alexander Tettey, Gary O’Neil, Reece Hall-Johnson, Conor McGrandles, Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Graham Dorrans, Youssouf Mulumbu
FWs: Lewis Grabban, Cameron Jerome, Gary Hooper, Jamar Loza, Josh Murphy, Carlton Morris, Ricky van Wolfswinkel

 

Transfers

In: Graham Dorrans (West Brom), Youssouf Mulumbu (West Brom)

Out: Luciano Becchio (Belgrao), Mark Bunn (Aston Villa), Kyle Callan-McFadden (Released), Carlos Cuellar (Released), Javier Garrido (Released), Sam Kelly (Port Vale), Cameron McGeehan (Luton Town), Remi Matthews (Burton Albion – Loan)

 

First Six: Crystal Palace (H), Sunderland (A), Stoke City (H), Southampton (A), Bournemouth (H), Liverpool (A)

Likely Lineup: (4-3-3) Ruddy – Whittaker, Turner, Bassong, Olsson – Johnson, Howson, Tettey – Hoolahan, Jerome, Redmond

 

A word from…Paul McVeigh

On the ups and downs I think it’s just the step up in quality, it can be a shock to your system. When you’ve been playing at one level your entire career you get comfortable and get used to it. Except for Darren Huckerby, the rest of us had made our careers in the football league so I think that’s why we found it so difficult.

The range of emotions is interesting. One of our first home games was Arsenal, they were still on their invincible run, we played them whilst they were unbeaten and the emotion of that was difficult because none of us had ever experienced anything like that. Then you have other times like when we beat Man United at home, you think ‘wow’, one of the best teams in the land and you’ve beat them in front of your home crowd and then the next week you’re losing to Bolton or whoever else you’re playing.

It gets in your head but it’s something you have to go through. You don’t get to cherish it at the time, it’s funny now and people speak to me about scoring at Old Trafford in the Premier League, you think it was good when you look back but we were losing 2-0 at the time, you don’t think it’s amazing when it happens in that situation. But it is something once you’ve retired you look back on it in context and that it’s a privilege to have done something like that.

On returning to the club That was a massive cherry on the icing of the cake. I was fortunate to get some time in the Premier League in my career; it’s a rollercoaster, the ups and downs, before I came back I had a few relegations with Luton Town where we were deducted a lot of points and that was difficult. But then to help Norwich go back up under Paul Lambert, it was fantastic.

Over a season it looks good but it’s what you’re doing week in, week out in training. One minute you’re playing, then you can be dropped but that’s the nature of the beast. I think that’s why footballers have this attitude because those things happen and in one season more ups and downs can come along than you’d have in a whole career.

On the current side and Alex Neil You think they would have been favourites to go back up but it shows there’s nothing you can assume in football just because you’ve got a decent squad. Neil Adams showed it isn’t a tap in for a Premier League side to go straight back up, he struggled to keep them up there which is what Norwich was demanding and it just shows how difficult it is, the club moved really fast to bring Alex in.

But you have to give credit to the club, they had to place their trust in someone who was unknown to 80% of people in England but they must have realised they had someone who had the ability, it was a master stroke in the end.

On the missing link From our side when we went into the Premier League, Nigel Worthington kind of broke up our team. We lost two experienced players in Iwan Roberts and Malky Mackay which was difficult at the time; they were great characters around the dressing room.

I think a lot of clubs should look at that, it’s very difficult to account for how important that is, keeping a confident and close squad together. So it’s more difficult to bring someone in who slots right into that spirit however good they might be.

On the importance of a striker I think they need someone who can score goals, that’s what keeps you up. Look at Burnley, they had Danny Ings and QPR had CharlIe Austin, you have players who score but do they score enough to keep you up? You look at Cameron Jerome who scored a lot of important goals but is he going to score 20 goals in the Premier League?

Unless you’re bringing in a top class striker it’s going to be difficult and it’s unlikely a club coming will have anybody of that quality. A huge amount of money went on Ricky van Wolfswinkel, but £8m isn’t a lot in the great scheme of things when you look at other clubs, you take a risk, I’m not sure how you can plan for what happens in the Premier League to be honest.

It’s such a huge step up, the little things the experienced players have, slowing games down, the little fouls, it’s an all round quality of each individual player you come up against and that’s the biggest difference. You can feel you’re in the match for 95% of the time and come away with nothing.

I remember going away with Northern Ireland just before we came up and I was against a Premier League defender who’d come up the year before, he said you’re better off in the Championship because the step up had been so big so you know you’re always up against it. You can’t think like that but I understood what he meant, the step up is huge, it can be men against boys at times.

 

The Offside Rule Podcast Prediction: They may have gone down the last time they were in the Premier League, Norwich City may just have enough to stay up this team. There in with plenty of other teams in the same position but Alex Neil may just be able to continue his remarkable success.

Key Player: Cameron Jerome – Many players throughout the years have struggled to make the step up, but Jerome has plenty of experience at the top level. He’s full of confidence and could be the difference between staying up and going down.

One to Watch: Jamar Loza – The 21-year-old made a breakthrough into the Norwich team last season, scoring a 98th minute equaliser against Huddersfield in March. One of several bright young stars at Carrow Road, we may see Loza on the odd occasion this season.