Finally, the last international break of the season is over and hopefully all our on-duty players have come back unscathed, so we can go into the final straight with no injury concerns.
During the last fortnight, I had my own little break by having a little trip to Las Vegas for my brother’s stag do and while I was out there I bumped into supporters of other clubs and spoke to some fellow Championship fans.
One of them, a Swansea fan, was singing our praises and saying we were the best side to visit to Liberty Stadium – back in November we won 4-1.
I did mention about the bitterness we have experienced from some supporters this season. It really was started back in September after we had just beaten Middlesbrough 1-0 with Teemu Pukki scoring. It was Middlesbrough Fan TV, a You Tube channel similar to the one that fellow columnist Jack Reeve does with Talk Norwich City that provided one of the comedy golds of the season. Middlesbrough Fan TV spoke to Boro supporter Stephen Jackson, or AJT, as he’s known on Boro TV. He was very bitter in his analysis of his team’s defeat to us and he came out with the quote, ‘well done on getting three points today. That’ll be your only three points you’ll be getting this season. You’re crap!’
Most fans at the time did remind him it was actually our second win of the season already.
Well, since that video, we have won another 21 games.
And also since that video, he has appeared on many Norwich fans’ social media accounts most weeks, after another three points for us, when they have just repeated the video.
Recently a Middlesbrough supporters’ group contacted the club’s chairman Steve Gibson over concerns of the style of football being played under manager Tony Pulis. I wonder if ‘AJT’ is one of the supporters who feels the same.
And I wonder if he has changed his opinion of Norwich, six months on from his rant, especially with the glowing praise from supporters of other clubs and with the wonderful performances we have been putting in week in week out since the game at Carrow Road – the stats back us up, and we know they don’t lie.
Okay, I know the season started at the beginning of August, but our record from September 15 is very impressive – played 32, won 22, drawn seven, lost three, for a points total of 73.
The other impressive stat is that we have scored 77 goals, more than any other team in the Championship. Middlesbrough have scored just 40 – only QPR, Bolton and Ipswich have scored fewer.
Teemu Pukki, as we all know, is the Championship’s top scorer with 25 league goals whilst Britt Assembolonga has scored 12. Only the £7m pound difference between the two!
Emi Buendia and Pukki are third in the whole of the Championship for assists, with nine each. Boro’s leading player for assists is Jonny Howson, with just five.
I’m sure even the most bitter of supporters like ‘AJT’ can’t say we’ve kicked our way out of the league as we were the only club in the Championship who haven’t received a red card for a league game.
The only person I feel sorry for at the Riverside is one of our former players of the season, Howson. I know some may say differently, but I don’t think Howson deserves to part of the drivel that I am sure is being served up by Boro.
This article may come back and bite me like that video did for ‘AJT’ earlier in the season. But maybe, just maybe, if we put another performance in like us Norwich fans have had the pleasure of witnessing this season, you never know; we may be treated to some more ‘AJT’ magic. But this time admitting he was wrong about Norwich and that we deserve to be where we are – top of the league.
One City Strong.
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