We go straight from playing the derby to playing Derby. Last time this fixture was played there were allegations of one of the teams throwing the match and we'd be awfully grateful if Derby could do the same again with a half-arsed performance now they're all but staying up. No real need to change the team after Thursday's epic performance. This is exactly the sort of fixture we've struggled in this season but hopefully with the extra two days' rest and not having to play in today's stifling heat, we'll get ourselves over the line. Repeat of the 2-1 scoreline in our favour from the game at Pride Park and another step closer to the promised land. Fingers tightly crossed...
Its yours to lose really...play as you are and the next 3 games should be no problem. BTW Didn't Ellington score in that game you talk about? No wonder there was an investigation!
Pretty confident about this one, confidence levels can't be any higher after the last result. We have everything to play for whereas Derby don't really have anything left to play for. Derby could obviously come here and get something, I suppose if they scored 1st or something but as long as were up for it then we'll win the match most likely. Its got to be the same side really, don't think you can change the side after that last match. I suppose Oli Johnson will be back on the bench after Sam Vokes was recalled by Wolves. 3-1, Holt x2, Jackson, Pearson for them.
3 points is all the matters so i'd take 1-0 right now , it's getting to the point where football is taking over my every thought if you asked me to hand over a grand for the 9 points i'd gladly do it !
I don't think this game is as easy as people are making out,all the pressure is on Norwich and Derby have nothing to play for,if they go a goal up then and the crowd start getting edgy then you never know,a quick goal to settle the nerves wouldn't go amiss. 2-1 City
If only football was as straight forward as that I hope Norwich win and go on to get auto from a selfish point of view being I think we have blown our own chances and I think Norwich are the best side up there fighting for auto so would not want them in a play off situation should we make it.
An easy win for Norwich, we have nothing to play for and we're just crap in general. Norwich City 3-0 Derby County
It all seems to be set up a bit too nicely for us today. We've had considerably more rest than Derby who had to play in the baking heat with 10 men for a good while the other day. They also have one of their few decent players suspended. Hopefully old man Savage will still be knackered from Saturday and Hoolahan will run rings around him.
Surely this raises questions of whether or not the correct amount of injury time is being added on at the end of games, how many times have they scored with the last kick? I know they beat us in the 94th minute when there were three minutes added.
Haha can't actually believe that, 90+6!! It was actually a pretty poor peformance which suprised me. I guess the pressure got to them a bit which is a bit of a worry with it being so tight with two games to go. I can't say I really enjoyed that game, extremely frustrating to watch Derby peg us back on two occasions, rubbish defending to let Bueno waltz his way through (good finish tho) and Davies obviously completely unmarked. I honestly felt we'd blown it with about 10 minutes to go, just had to get that late winner with Cardiff winning and **** knows how we did it again, bloody brilliant never say die attitude. I haven't celebrated a goal that madly before, crazy scenes. What a turnaround its been for Jackson, another bloody hatrick up to 12 now I think, he's been outstanding the past 5 or 6 games. I thought Holt was dreadful, looked like a useless old lump, constantly fouling. We just seemed to try and force the issue too early IMO, it was like they felt they had to score so early. Derby played well, well organised on the whole and passed the ball around neatly. I thought Bueno looked very talented, very good 1st touch and obviously scored, has he been injured for ages? But, its still far from over, you can't take away the fact we struggled today and were definately a bit nervous and with Cardiff playing before us next and an easier fixture it could easily go there way. I can't bear it anymore
Amazing, absolutely amazing. We've had some moments this season but nothing tops that. In fact I think that goal was probably the single greatest moment of my time as a Norwich fan. We could lose out ultimately, but you just can't top that, incredible. Occasionally you feel sorry for the opposition that concede a last minute goal. Millwall for instance sounded unfortunate to get nothing when they came to us and defended resolutely throughout. I don't feel in the slightest bit sorry for Derby however. As soon as they got the second they timewasted like f*ck and I was getting incredibly frustrated. I'd love to see Savage's face when our winner went in. Took almost a minute to leave the pitch, waving to the Derby fans as he left. Fittingly that time added on allowed us to win it, karma's a right bitch isn't it Savage you c*nt? Shame as apart from that Derby played some neat stuff, particularly early in the second half and as a team with next to nothing to play for, you'd think they'd have shown a bit more invention than to try and run down the clock. Don't normally like to criticise referees either but the fella today lost control and didn't seem to do anything about the time-wasting. We weren't on our A-game at all, although I felt we deserved a one-goal lead at half-time. Conceded two sloppy goals in the first-half (one of which may well have been because Whitbread pulled a muscle just before) and completely lost our shape after Bueno's goal. Christ knows what the long-balls up to our gigantic trio of Jackson, Hoolahan and Pacheco was about. That's what made our last-gasp winner so much more improbable: we really were poor second half. Jackson was head and shoulders above anyone else for us today. Not just his hat-trick but his invention and willingness to chase lost causes, a constant thorn in Derby's side. Just where would we be now if Mackail-Smith had joined on loan and Jackson had remained on the bench? Not as high as second. Holty seems to have lost his magic and I'm pretty sure he must be playing with pain-killing injections because he's not quite been the same since the Watford game where he picked up his injury. As for the rest, Hoolahan was threatening as always and Crofts had his usual good game. Lansbury needs to think occasionally before he goes in for tackles and maybe concentrate more on the game than berating the officials. The maths is pretty simple now: 2 wins = promotion. I'm not as confident we can do Pompey as I was before today's game but the old never-say-die spirit has returned again and we'll be going there looking to win from the off. The ideal position will be to go into that final game against Coventry knowing a win takes us to the promised land. Maybe we won't do it but it's been a hell of a journey either way and this set of players really would deserve to be Premier League footballers next year.
Football... Bloody Hell... [video=youtube;zHp5kCdR35M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHp5kCdR35M[/video]
Two questions : 1) Where did the referee get 6 minutes of injury time from? 2) How much will Dragon Delia pay the Referees Association when you get promoted?
