Russell Martin in action at Carrow Road on Saturday. Photo: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images

Audio: Russell Martin laments an unusual Norwich City off-day

Michael Bailey Sunday, February 19, 2012
6:42 PM

Russell Martin lamented an FA Cup opportunity missed as Leicester City dumped an under-par Canaries out at Carrow Road to make it through to the quarter-finals.

Russell Martin heads for goal during Norwich City's FA Cup exit to Leicester City at Carrow Road. Photo: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images

The Foxes’ expensive and inconsistent squad had one of their good days on Saturday, while Norwich failed to get going.

“It’s a massive opportunity missed,” admitted Martin. “It’s a feeling of immense disappointment and frustration really. It was a good tie in which to try and progress.

“It wasn’t an easy tie by all means and they are a good side, and they have spent a lot of money with a big wage bill and all that.

“But today we just didn’t hit our high standards from start to finish. Going a goal down early doesn’t help but I just think we were a fraction off it, a few second off it, as a team. Everywhere round the pitch they were winning second balls and it’s not like us – that’s the disappointing thing.

“It hasn’t happened too much over the last few years but we were just a shade off it and we’ve been punished.”

Leicester’s squad looked good on paper before kick-off – and managed even better on grass, Martin labelling the Foxes as good as some of the Premier League teams to make the trip to Carrow Road this season.

And for Martin, that came as little surprise given the Foxes have spent plenty of money in recent times – including £5m on centre-back Matt Mills: “The spent all that on a centre-half, and that’s more than we pay for our strikers – I’m sure their wage bill is a lot higher than ours as well.”

But Martin denied the absence of rested skipper Grant Holt played any part in Norwich’s failure on Saturday: “It was just one of those days,” he added. “Going behind didn’t help and you’re chasing the game then.

“There’s a bit of tension which doesn’t help, but as players we have got to deal with that and we have dealt with that so well.

“There were times last season when we went one goal down early and we’d always come back. Today we got the penalty but we still didn’t look like our usual selves.

“Leicester just beat us at their game. They played the way they wanted to play and stopped us playing the way we wanted to play. It got more of a battle and that probably suited them a bit more.

“Credit to them, they played when they could but I think they came here and their game plan really worked. When teams want to play like that we need to win the battle, and more often than not we do but today we just fell a little bit short – not for want of effort or energy but just a little bit of quality, which is surprising because all season we’ve been up there.”

The Canaries were given a frustrated reception from the home fans at the final whistle – and Martin saw why.

“We never gave them anything to get cheering with and that’s a disappointment – from our side usually we give them something; even if we get beat we have a right good go,” said Martin.

But history proves Paul Lambert’s Norwich City is more than capable of bouncing back from disappointment with a memorable result – something the visit of defending Premier League champions Manchester United could quite easily provide come Sunday.

“That’s one thing you’ll always get from this squad and manager, we will always bounce back well and I’m sure that will be the case.”

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19 comments

I was being positive, OTBC.

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cutty

Monday, February 20, 2012
ethered again

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cutty

Monday, February 20, 2012
I'm a season ticket holder and been a City supporter for over 50 yrs and I've seldom seen a season without some poor performances. I'm as angry as most fans but we do have a good skill mix in the squad, Lambo gets the tactics right most of the time, and most of the players have the right attitude. Like us they'll get over it and we'll still doing better than we dared hope, OTBC.

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cutty

Monday, February 20, 2012
Kept quiet since Saturday evening, but still feel the same. Lambert and the squad and Directors have done brilliantly. No doubt about that. They deserve huge credit. Was it just a bad day at the office. I hope so. It seems strange that virtually all of the starting lineup suffered at the same time. Only Wilbrahim (who I have never rated) and Vaughan showed any determination when they came on. I feel sorry for all those casual supporters who forked out £25 for a ticket to see poor football. And for the Granny who saw her first NCFC game. If the players really feel bad then show it on Sunday. As for Leicester supporters and the oddities that crop up here. You are entitled to their views, but be honest about where your loyalties lie. OTBC

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norfolkngood

Monday, February 20, 2012
No Fox not a comedian just someone with a wry sense of humour able to make tongue in cheek remarks. Supporting Leicester has probably given you a humour by pass after all you are one of the biggest clubs outside the premership along with Leeds, Watford, Southampton , Charlton etc. and likely to saty there. Good luck against the Blues in the next round. (Ward should have been sent off for a two footed tackle). Penalties come and go, Vaughn was flattened off the ball but nothing given so things even out.

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Jeremy Walden

Monday, February 20, 2012
jeremy is a comedian leicester should have had a penalty norwich should have had ward sent off for elbowing don,t make excuses for a bad team leicester deserved to win

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fox

Monday, February 20, 2012
Perhaps they`ll reappear, as Crab`s seem to, sooner or later.

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Mad Brewer

Monday, February 20, 2012
3 attempts to reply ethered, Bogaz. Must change my identity. Become a third Steroo. Will try to reply somehow! OTBC.

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Mad Brewer

Monday, February 20, 2012
17000 at Dipsticks after 3 consecutive wins. More blue seats showing than replica shirts!

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Jeremy Walden

Monday, February 20, 2012
Dubai, as a final act of good-will, we could offer to donate our place in the Prem to The Binners with the epitaph, "All is forgiven, we have the greatest respect for you, really".

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Swiss Canary

Monday, February 20, 2012
Time for lame excuses? The ball was not stationary at Leicester's corner for the first goal. The corner should have been retaken. Colin would have ranted about that for certain. On the other hand the defence WERE stationary so the ball rolling in the wind may just be a consequence of relativity.

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Jeremy Walden

Monday, February 20, 2012
Ged is right ! After such a shocking result maybe we should sack Lambert, sell all the players, sell the ground to a propety developer, put the club into administration and commit hari-kiri. Oh, hang on a minute though, aren't currently 8th in the Prem ?

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Dubai Canary

Monday, February 20, 2012
My first reply to this article disappeared so here goea again. MB's postings are always interesting but the rubbish spouted by Ged aren't worth printing. He obviously forgets where we were 3 years ago. Is he a binner in disguise?

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Bogaz John

Sunday, February 19, 2012
I though Ips*** lightweights exited the cup already to 'concentrate' on survival? Ged 4 Ips*** manager!

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YorkCanary

Sunday, February 19, 2012
I'm afraid Russell is just being a mouth for Lambert, playing the company role.

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Lobbo

Sunday, February 19, 2012
How many 4-letter words can be placed before "off"? Those that want the Club to succeed have an entitlement to gripe. Archant`s Plants should stay away. Mischievous little things that they are.

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Mad Brewer

Sunday, February 19, 2012
It wasn't an "unusual off day" though was it? It was a typical example of our bunch of lightweights bottling our best chance ever of winning a major trophy. We won't have a chance like this year again. We will obviously remain trophyless throughout our entire history. Embarrassing, but entirely expected. FTL - Ged.

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Ged Steroo

Sunday, February 19, 2012
and the 5 million centre back did not play and we had quite a few injuries we beat you playing quality football which you couldn.t match it sounds like sour grapes from the canaries

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fox

Sunday, February 19, 2012
Just shows that a big wage bill does not guarantee success. We did not "chase the game" after that bizarre equaliser on 20-odd minutes. Did not chase much at all, actually. Why should somebody as old and cynical as I am feel so disappointed by the performance of a bunch of modern football professionals? How naive is that?. When the Season Ticket holders and serial replica shirt buyers start feeling the same way, NCFC are in trouble. Even the Executive Box crowd might find a new distraction. Skiing and stuff like that. Another way of taking the Piste. And why have NCFC gone down the path of platitudinous excuses under the label of a randomly selected player? At this rate, Sunday morning football looks attractive. Honestly bad.

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Mad Brewer

Sunday, February 19, 2012