Mark Whitwood on Norwich depth and Middlesbrough memories

Four goals against Burnley, three points and three more goals at Sheffield United and another excellent performance and victory under the Carrow Road lights against Birmingham on Wednesday means Norwich have now taken nine points from the last 12.

Having made the trip to Stoke in between, I’m still not entirely sure how we came away with nothing.

The message to Phillipe Clement and the boys changes slightly this week - go make it count.

The Championship has already demonstrated its usual inconsistency. Teams can look brilliant one week and completely different the next. That’s why the challenge for Norwich is now about turning the good performances into wins and building a proper run.

Bar Millwall, I think we’ve played well in every league and cup game this season. Clement said early in his tenure that anybody could score in his team because of the opportunities his football would create, and we’re beginning to see exactly what he meant. Change the number nine, rotate the number 10 or switch the wide players and the chances keep coming.

There are shades of Daniel Farke’s best Norwich sides in that. Farke didn’t rotate as much, there wasn’t the depth, but his teams were so well coached that when somebody came in, they knew exactly what was expected. Personnel changed, but the football didn’t.

We’re beginning to see something similar under Clement, particularly with the “connections” he talks so much about. One player who deserves particular mention is Ruari McConville. His return to the starting XI has coincided with three wins in four and I think he’s been outstanding. That’s no criticism of Harry Darling, who gives us another excellent centre-half option, but McConville looks incredibly composed. Future Norwich captain? I wouldn’t bet against it.

Before the season kicked off I tipped Oscar Schwartau as the player who could really explode this year and potentially become our Player of the Season. After his goal against Birmingham, I’m certainly not changing my mind. His potential is frightening, although McConville might be giving him some competition.

At 6.30pm when the team sheets were revealed on Wednesday evening I genuinely struggled to remember a stronger Norwich bench at Championship level than the one against Birmingham, and that was without Mo Toure and Anis Ben Slimani even making the matchday 20. With Makama and Ante Crnac both back, suddenly Clement doesn’t just have a good starting XI, he has a seriously good squad.

Clement has spoken this week about the rotation he used at Club Brugge and Monaco, while Paul Ford’s arrival as performance director adds another layer to that. Players are returning, the squad looks fitter and stronger and, crucially, Clement can make changes without the performance level dropping.

I also love the pace we have out wide. Papa Diallo, who I rate, had a very telling 45-minute contribution before speedster Anthony Musaba took over duties. Just imagine being a Championship full-back after 70 minutes - you’ve spent the afternoon chasing one Norwich winger around, your legs are going and then you look across to see Clement preparing another one ready to terrorise.

Good luck!

Middlesbrough is a fixture that creates two huge memories for me, and no doubt many others, with one wonderfully ridiculous extra one thrown in for good measure. Who could forget the 4-4 Premier League game at Carrow Road in 2005, when Norwich somehow came back from 4-1 down with 10 minutes remaining? And of course the prolific Adam Drury finding the net - perhaps Kellen Fisher should ask him how he did it.

But the first really big Boro memory takes me all the way back to May 8, 1993 and Ayresome Park.

I remember travelling up the A1 with my dad; it felt like the whole road had turned yellow and green. We had Norwich scarves tied to the car, hanging from the windows and flapping away as we headed north, and everywhere you looked another car seemed to be doing exactly the same. Stop at a service station and there were hundreds of Norwich supporters. Fancy dress and green and yellow everywhere.

Then came a quite incredible 3-3 draw that secured Norwich third place in the first ever Premier League season. Leaving the ground we were singing: “We’re all going on a European tour…” to the tune of yellow submarine.

We weren’t quite there yet, though. A few days later Norwich’s European fate ended up partly in the hands, quite literally, of former Canary Chris Woods in the Sheffield Wednesday goal at Wembley. Andy Linighan’s last-minute extra-time header gave Arsenal the FA Cup and opened the European door for Norwich. Thanks again, Andy and Chris.

The other and most obvious Middlesbrough memory didn’t happen in Teesside but in North London, a very special day. Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond, 2-0... you know the rest.

As football fans we all know that every game gathers more importance but a win at Middlesbrough would mean three Championship victories in a week - no mean feat in any league.

If this season does develop into something special, perhaps we’ll be sitting there in the depths of winter looking back and saying that was the week Norwich City really announced themselves as genuine Championship front-runners.

Then there’s the small matter of The Etihad next Thursday.

Manchester City away. Anyone fancy Super Jovon to get the winner?

Steady on.