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Town Look to End Long Wait for East Anglian Derby Glory
Friday, 20th Oct 2017 19:26

Town go into Sunday’s East Anglian derby against Norwich City at Portman Road looking to end their eight-and-a-half-year wait for victory over their greatest rivals (Sky Sports Main Event/Football from 11.30am, KO midday).

Despite being the home side, the Blues go into the game as under dogs with the Canaries the in-form team having gone seven league matches without a defeat, winning four, while Town have lost five of their last seven in the Championship after winning their first four matches.

Manager Mick McCarthy says he hopes the old cliché about form going out of the window in derbies proves to be correct.

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it? Form going out the window and we win,” he said. “And I know it does. We’ll see, we’ll see whether it’s a thunderous derby and ultra-competitive. I hope it is, I’m looking forward to it.”

However, although Town’s recent results haven’t been what he would have wanted, the Blues boss hasn’t been too disappointed with his team’s displays.

“I wasn’t complaining about the performances, the results, yes, but the performances have been pretty good,” he reflected.

Reminded that there have been only two matches - the defeats to Bristol City and Sheffield United - since the 5-2 hammering of Sunderland at Portman Road, he added ruefully: “Yes, that’s a long time in football, isn’t it?”

Striker David McGoldrick has said the players owe the fans a derby victory given the time that has passed since Town last claimed East Anglian bragging rights and his manager concurs.

“Yes, for sure,” he said. “I was asked this morning if it rankles with with me that we haven’t beaten them. I don’t carry every result around, but bearing in mind it is a while since [we won one] and we lost our last home game to Bristol City, I think we do owe them a performance and it would be lovely to win.”

Does he see it as a game which could be pivotal game in terms of his relationship with fans? “All I know is they’ll see me in a really good light if we win. Let’s just leave it at that!”

McCarthy says managers want players fired-up going into derbies but not to the point of boiling over.

“I don’t want bad tackles, I don’t want people getting booked and sent off, that’s quite clearly not the objective in being fired-up,” he added.

“You want to be fired-up but you want to be able to concentrate and keep your calm and when everything is madness around you, you’ve got to be able to pass the ball and control the ball and do things the right way. But I do want a competitive team. Any team I ever put out is going to be competitive.”

McCarthy says a good start will be important on Sunday: “It would certainly help, we don’t want to get off to a bad start, that’s for sure. If we can get a fast start in the game then it’ll be better for us.”

Despite the shake-up in the summer which saw plenty of changes at Carrow Road, not least former Borussia Dortmund II coach Daniel Farke taking over as head coach in a reshuffled management structure, McCarthy says the Canaries aren’t too different on the field.

“I don’t see great changes in the way they’re playing,” he continued. “They’ve been playing pretty much 4-3-3, a striker up front, somebody in behind.

“They’ve been pretty solid, they look well organised when they haven’t got the ball. And their results have picked up.

“They’ve got some good players, they’ve still got that parachute money coming in, they’ve spent it over two years, some of it’s worked, some of it hasn’t and they’re still in the same league as I am.”

McCarthy says he’s well aware of the significance of the game to supporters with a crowd of around 25,000 anticipated on Sunday: “I’m not stupid, I picked it up the first time, I’ve been around the game long enough to realise what derbies mean to people.

“Even if not everybody at my club, at Ipswich, will have been born and bred and brought up here and the same at Norwich, we’re all aware of what it means to fans.

“And the reality is that’s what the game’s about, the fans who come and watch the club and support the teams. Because without them we’d all be goosed.”

He says supporters have spoken to him about the game and told him what they want from him and his team on Sunday.

“I was at the club golf day the other day and it was a bit like the elephant in the room,” the Blues boss continued.

“You know full well somebody wants to speak to you and you know full well they’re going to mention the game, ‘You’ve got to win’, ‘If you only win one game this season you’ve got to win that one’, ‘I’ve been going there for so many years…’

“I get it, ‘Make sure you give them a good team-talk’, ‘Kick them up the arse’ and whatever else they said to me.

“It just emphasises to me what it means to the fans who come and watch the game because it really is important.

“It would be important to me whoever I’m playing against, but don’t underestimate my feelings for derbies, I’ve played in a lot and I’ve managed in a lot.”

McCarthy says the ferocity of the East Anglian rivalry came as no surprise to him having been involved in plenty of derbies around the country during his time as a player and a manager, among them some of the biggest in British football, Celtic-Rangers, Manchester City-Manchester United and Sunderland-Newcastle.

“It never surprises me, no, because I probably wasn’t aware when I went to Wolves the ferocity of the rivalry with West Brom,” he added.

“You don’t know them all, you’re aware that it’s there. I fully understand what derbies mean to each other.”

The Town squad has more experience of East Anglian derbies and the Blues manager would be delighted if that assisted his players on Sunday, although he doubts it will. "“I hope it does, I hope it puts it in our favour and I hope it sways the game in our favour but we’ll never know, will we?” he reflected.

“I think that it’s so cosmopolitan the game now that people come and play and they want to win anyway.


“You look at the Liverpool-Everton game, will there be many Scousers in that game? I think Everton have got a few now, to be fair, some of the young ‘uns. Man United-Man City, that’d be an interesting one, all from Salford, wouldn’t it?

“I don’t think it matters to footballers, they want to win. They want to win but they get that sense it means a little bit more for the fans, for the club, for the area, that particular game.

“But I see them in training flying into each other. They don’t need a reason to try and win a football match.”

The widespread view is that the gap between the quality of the two squads has narrowed this season but McCarthy is loath to make comment.

“I don’t look at them, I look at my own team and try and get the best out of them and I’m not interested in anybody else’s squad, to be quite honest,” he insisted.

“And I certainly don’t compare. I get my players, work with them, try and get the best out of them and I don’t look around at other people’s teams and squads [in that way].”

McCarthy believes supporters can have an impact on derby days: “Fans do make a difference. It’s a game for the fans and they’ll come along wanting to win and fearing the worst because that’s what football fans do. I hope they bring their positive energy with them first.”

Looking back to last season, the atmosphere for the 3-1 victory over eventual champions Newcastle in April was particularly memorable and one which McCarthy would like to see replicated on Sunday.

“It was the performance that set that up,” he recalled. “We were still in a perilous position at that stage, we could have got relegated and the lads played well, the crowd were up for it, it was a fabulous day.

“It’s a symbiotic relationship. We set off every week to try and play well and try and entertain and win games, ultimately win games because winning games is what pleases everybody.

“And I guess supporters, certainly on Sunday, they’ll be coming here to shout down the Norwich fans and make it, I hope, a really hostile atmosphere, but a hostile atmosphere which doesn’t break out into anything other than just a real, rip-roaring derby game.”

Does he believe the atmosphere created by home fans can have more of an impact during a derby? “It must do, I’m not a psychologist on that but it must do because if not you’d think more people would win more away games, wouldn’t you? It wouldn’t have such an effect. Why is it that home form is generally better than away form?

“Is it that you’re sleeping in a different bed? Is it that you travel? Are people happier at home? Do they get nervous coming away? I think some players are affected by it, there’s no doubt.

“And some players are really affected in a positive away by a big crowd and an electric atmosphere.”

Moving on to the team he will field against the Canaries, McCarthy has decisions to make regarding his system having utilised various formations in recent weeks.

He says he has no particular concerns however he lines his team up and likes having the kind of flexibility which allows him to switch things around should he need to.

“We’ve played it and we’ve practiced it [whichever formation is used], so I’ve never any worries about that,” he said.

“I see that Norwich have done it as well in games, they’ve gone to three at the back. Sometimes it suits and if it doesn’t then you’ve got players who are adaptable and it’s great.”

One decision he has to make is whether to start Jordan Spence or Dominic Iorfa at right-back or right wing-back, the on-loan Wolves man having got the nod at Bramall Lane last week.

McCarthy says there’s not much between the pair: “Not quite the flip of a coin, it’s how I feel and what I want them to do. I’ve not got to tossing a coin to pick the team yet. But Jordan was unlucky and he’s trained really well this week.”

Sunday’s game could see Tristan Nydam, 17, and Flynn Downes, 18, both make their derby debuts at some stage with McCarthy pleased with the way the duo have made an impression in the opening couple of months of the campaign.

“They’ve done really well,” he added. “I was looking at it this morning and me and TC were just laughing. We’d got the 19 players out, one of them is Aaron Drinan [who officially won’t sign from Waterford until the transfer window opens in January], and then two 18-year-olds and then we’ve got three loan players as well.

“And I’m thinking, that’s pretty much the squad that we’ve got and they’ve been brilliant. And if we can replicate some of the early performances from this season, then we’ll be in good shape.”

He believes Nydam and Downes are both ready for an occasion such as Sunday if called upon.

“Tristan played at Leeds and let me tell you, that was some atmosphere, that was a big game at the time because they were top, it was a huge fixture, and I thought he was brilliant. I don’t worry about them coping with the game at all.”

Bartosz Bialkowski will start in goal. McCarthy will probably opt to start with a back four with Jonas Knudsen - looking for his third derby goal in three games - at left-back and with Spence perhaps getting the nod on the right.

At the heart of the defence, skipper Luke Chambers is likely to be joined by Adam Webster with Tommy Smith a doubt with a minor back problem.

McCarthy could opt to switch back to the 4-2-3-1 formation used in the games against Sunderland and Bristol City, which would probably see Tom Adeyemi rejoin Cole Skuse in the deeper-lying midfield roles with Bersant Celina, David McGoldrick and Martyn Waghorn ahead of them behind lone out-and-out striker Joe Garner.

The Town boss might otherwise be tempted to use a system along the lines of the Canaries’ 4-3-3, which would probably see Nydam or Grant Ward join Skuse and Adeyemi in midfield with McGoldrick, Garner and Waghorn the front three.

Norwich have winger Josh Murphy back in training after a toe injury and he is likely to be on the bench.

Controversial Canaries striker Nelson Oliveira could start having made progress after a groin problem after scoring a late equaliser as a sub in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Hull City.

Another player to come off the bench in that match, midfielder Marco Stiepermann, has resumed full training after a calf problem.

One-time Town target Marley Watkins is suspended having been sent off at Reading prior to the international break.

Club captain Russell Martin (back), midfielders Alex Pritchard, Steven Naismith and Matt Jarvis (all ankle), Alex Tettey (calf) and Louis Thompson (achilles) and left-back Jamal Lewis (knee) remain sidelined.

Norwich head coach Farke says he expects the Blues to go into the game in a positive frame of mind despite recent results.

“They had a really good start to the season and being at home will be full of confidence,” he told the Canaries club site.

"They have players with high aggression and with a fighting attitude. They will have a big will to have a home win and we have to be prepared for a game full of intensity and full of duels.

"It will be important to be there in those duels to also bring our abilities and strengths too. That's what we're trying to do.”

The 40-year-old says he will assess what final instructions to give his players close to kick-off: ”I will decide at the last moment if they need a bit more kick or to cool down because they are too nervous.

"You can be sure I trust my lads. I will give them a lot of self-confidence and that's what we need in this game."

Historically, Town just have the better record in East Anglian derbies, winning 40 (38 in the league), losing 39 (33) and drawing 20 (17). The 5-1 at Portman Road in 2011 is Norwich’s biggest derby victory, while Town have recorded 5-0 wins on three occasions, in 1946, 1977 and 1998.

Last season both games ended 1-1. At Carrow Road in February, Jonas Knudsen netted his second derby goal of the season but Jacob Murphy equalised.

Knudsen opened the scoring with a header on 63, then Murphy beat the otherwise brilliant Bartosz Bialkowski with a 20-yard strike at an angle six minutes later.

In August last year at Portman Road, Knudsen netted a first-half injury time equaliser as the 2016/17 campaign’s first East Anglian derby ended 1-1.

After Jonathan Douglas had had an early goal wrongly ruled out for offside, Cameron Jerome gave the Canaries the lead against the run of play on 26 but Knudsen equalised. In the second half, Steven Whittaker came closest to winning it when he hit the post.

Town are without a win in eight derbies - five defeats, three draws - their last victory having been at Portman Road towards the end of Norwich’s 2008/09 Championship relegation season when they won 3-2 in what proved to be Jim Magilton’s final game as boss.

David Mooney put the Canaries in front before Town struck three times via Alan Quinn, Giovani Dos Santos (penalty) and Jon Stead with Sammy Clingan adding a consolation for the visitors towards the end, also from the spot. Current keeper Bialkowski was on the bench for the Blues during his earlier loan spell at the club.

Town midfielder Adeyemi came through the youth system at Norwich and made eight starts and nine sub appearances before moving on to Cardiff in July 2013.

Blues U18s coach Alan Lee had a brief spell on loan at Carrow Road and played for the Canaries in the 2009 Portman Road derby.

His Playford Road colleague Steve Foley was first-team coach at Norwich before he joined Town. Blues keeper-coach Malcolm Webster worked with Norwich’s glovesmen earlier in his career.

Former Town full-back David Wright is now the U18s coach at Norwich, where he had a spell on loan as a player before his time at Portman Road.

With the game being shown live on TV in the UK and around the world, Blues fans are meeting up at venues across the globe to watch.

Town are placing blue cards under all seats in home areas except the lower Sir Bobby Robson Stamd where the giant Town flag will be unveiled prior to kick-off.

Saturday’s referee is Tim Robinson from West Sussex, who has shown 43 yellow cards and seven red in 15 games so far this season.

The 33-year-old former PE teacher’s assistants are Mark Jones and Ian Cooper, while Keith Stroud is the fourth official.

Town have a very good record in games refereed by Robinson with his most recent trip to Portman Road having been last month for the 5-2 thrashing of Sunderland in which he booked Nydam and three Wearsiders.

Prior to that he took charge of the 1-0 opening day victory over Birmingham City when he yellow-carded Spence and one visitor.

Last season he was the man in the middle for the 3-1 home win against Newcastle United in which he cautioned McGoldrick, Tom Lawrence and one Magpie.

Robinson also refereed Town’s 1-0 success at Aston Villa in the February of the same year, in which he booked only Knudsen and Toumani Diagouraga, and the 1-0 victory over Preston at Portman Road in August, in which he booked Skuse and one visiting player.

Prior to that he was in charge of the 1-0 win at Derby on the final day of 2015/16 and yellow-carded skipper Chambers. Adam McDonnell and two Rams.

Before that he took control of the 2-1 home victory over Reading in February 2016 in which he booked Christophe Berra and two visiting players.

Robinson’s only other competitive Town game was the 2-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough in December 2015 in which he again cautioned Berra and two visitors.

He also refereed the pre-season friendly at Crawley in the summer of 2013 in which he awarded the Blues a penalty, which was converted by McGoldrick in a 2-1 victory.

Robinson was in charge of Norwich’s final game before the international break at Reading when they won 2-1 but had Watkins shown a straight red card for a wild lunge in the closing moments.

Squad from: Bialkowski, Gerken, Spence, Iorfa, Connolly, Knudsen, Kenlock, Chambers, Webster, T Smith, Skuse, Adeyemi, Nydam, Downes, Ward, Celina, Rowe, Garner, Sears, McGoldrick, Waghorn.


Photo: TWTD



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toxtethblue added 21:52 - Oct 20
I was at the last derby win, too long ago. You owe the fans a derby win MM, end of.
9

shakytown added 05:57 - Oct 21
We are just not good enough to win a derby with this chump in charge. What's the bet we go out to defend from the start and try to nick a point?????
7

dirtydingusmagee added 08:46 - Oct 21
I used to look forward to the derby matches, now,to be honest I dread them, it would be great to get one over the canaries, to many years gone by getting ear bashing off canary fans, as I live in their territory .COYB , Mick its your chance and overdue ,to pull a rabbit out of the hat, take the game to them, lets see some ''fire'' and passion , .
11

Dissboyitfc added 09:57 - Oct 21
This is a must win game, so long overdue!!
9

Rensham added 10:03 - Oct 21
big win for a big man finally making all the right calls ITFC 3 NCFC 0
0

bomber21 added 10:47 - Oct 21
Calling him a chump is being kind shakytown most on here can think of a lot worse,we have no chance against Norwich with him in charge his record against them speaks for itself,when it starts to go wrong he will have know idea how to correct it,after the first four games mm said lets see where we are at Christmas ,has anyone looked at the fixtures up to Christmas ,how many of them are winnable,Burton maybe.Ok mm let's look at the table then see what your comments will be.MM OUT.
-7

Rensham added 10:50 - Oct 21
when we stuff them tomorrow I hope a lot of the moaners will be on here apologising to Mick and the boys
0

oldegold added 11:05 - Oct 21
Try taking the game to them,playing for a win,going out with attacking flair...then we might just win.Anything else, it's game over. It would be great if for once he sent Town out with the purpose of winning a game but truthfully it is beyond him. Sunday will be tough and probably damage limitation with a tactically inept manager in charge.
4

shakytown added 11:38 - Oct 21
Rensham. Will you still be in Mucks corner when we hit the 9 year mark without a derby win?????
5

heathen66 added 12:09 - Oct 21
Rensham, I am unsure that everyone on here are moaners
We are loyal supporters that want what is best for OUR club.
When you can see that things are not going right then you have to call it out and not blindly follow, but that does not mean to say we are not supporters, but what it does mean is that we really do care. Attendances are falling due to the lack of entertainment and a disrespect to them from the club and manager.
If we look to take the game by the scruff of the neck and try to win the game then that is all you can ask. Try and hold on and nick something late on spells disaster imo.
I will be there tomorrow getting behind the TEAM as usual, but i fear that our long awaited win is not just around the corner...I hope I am wrong
5

cat added 12:12 - Oct 21
Watching MM's interview yesterday was as painful as pulling your nails off with plyers. He has about as much affiliation with the club as a canary has, okay, you can say with most fans reaction to him it's undersatandable that's his going to be on the defensive, pretty much like his dour, boring & negative tactics!. I sincerely hope he takes the game to Norwich tomorrow, at the very least to gain some respect. Recent form suggests it's gonna be tough though, specially with Norwich's away form, but we live in hope, as the teams are more balanced than they have been for a few years.
GET INTO EM AND FECK EM UP!
9

planetblue_2011 added 12:32 - Oct 21
Just need to get at them from the off. Mick needs to play an attacking side, just go for it.
Bring back the derby feel at Portman rd, it hasnt been the same for years.
Mick you definitely owe us a long awaited win👍⚽️
COYB
5

blue75 added 14:10 - Oct 21
All I want McCarthy to do is worry how we're going to play not try to stop naaridge. If he lets our players play similar to the Sunderland game then we'll stand a fair chance. Sit back and we'll be riding our luck all game!
5

wherescounago added 15:41 - Oct 21
Win it for Terry Butcher and his family. After the sad news earlier in the week let's get out there and play like we used to in the big fellas day!
8

Rensham added 16:29 - Oct 21
heathen666 if only you could do the team talk tomorrow for ITFC. just what you want to hear going into battle with the enemy. get your apology ready for when we win.
2

TimmyH added 17:59 - Oct 21
Best chance of beating them for the last 7/8 years or so in my opinion, we have a good attack so hopefully Mick will this in the starting line up.

Saying that the bookies still have Norwich as favourites.
3

therein61 added 18:05 - Oct 21
For gods sake take the game by the scruff of the neck and pressurise them nonstop from the start they are expecting you to set up for a draw and of course you will play into their hands by doing just that otherwise you would have to leave the(inept) premiership class number 8 on the bench.
3

blueboy1981 added 18:11 - Oct 21
Rensham ! - no harm in being a dreamboat I guess - I hope your prediction is correct, but I have no confidence and suspect not. Reargaurd action from the off, and preserve the starting 'point' will be the only McCarthy thought and objective.
4

19781981twtd added 18:19 - Oct 21
Please please please give us a long over do win the cocky budgies need bringing down with a huge bump " hate em" more than ever.
2

HALLSJ added 19:36 - Oct 21
Watching from the potteries my god I'm hoping for a win to make the weekend a special one 4, 3, 3 go for it blues.
COYB from Staffordshire, see you at Burton
2

Fen69 added 23:04 - Oct 21
Should of given Mick the week off and got Jim Magilton in to train/manager the team for this game! Better still get Magic back for all our home games, Mick could have the away games only and then maybe we'd have a chance of promotion.
2

bobble added 01:03 - Oct 22
a win for town would join the wallabies victory over the all blacks for a great weekend of sport....
0

madmouse1959 added 01:07 - Oct 22
If we perform like the toothless, defensive display at Sheffield Utd we will lose convincingly.
I,m increasingly tired of McCarthy and so are the majority of supporters.Probably why a few thousand are staying away for most games. The sooner he goes the better.
3

oldegold added 08:58 - Oct 22
Take the game to them, play for a win, go out with attacking flair...then we have a chance but if McCarthy settles for anything else and his usual dreadful football then it's game over. Town need to go out with the firm intention of winning the derby and nothing else..come on the Blues!
1

Rensham added 09:01 - Oct 22
what a miserable bunch of negative fans. ok you want mm gone but today we have a better than good chance of beating NCFC. perhaps your hatred of mm and me is obscuring the fact that we are all fans of ITFC and a good win against NCFC would be a good thing. give it up for a few hours and try and remember how supporting town used to be without MM
-1


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