Norwich City

Chris Goreham
BBC Radio Norfolk commentator

Image source, Rex Features

The world 'shambles' is often used during post-match phone-ins - but you know there's a problem when it's the club captain saying it rather than one of the callers.

Kenny McLean summed up the mood at Carrow Road after Norwich City's baffling 3-2 defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.

The Canaries had been superb in the first half, playing the sort of quick one and two touch football that boss Johannes Hoff Thorup has spent the season attempting to instil in his players.

They were leading 2-0 at half-time and, despite a shaky start to the second-half, that two-goal cushion remained intact on the hour mark. Between the 64th and 76th minutes the Canaries capitulated, conceding three soft goals.

It means they have thrown away an extraordinary 30 points from winning positions this season. Had they held onto just eight of those they would now be in the top six.

They have been in front against every team in the Championship this season bar Preston, QPR, Portsmouth and Bristol City. They still have matches to come against the latter two.

Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield United have all gone behind at Carrow Road but none of them have gone on to lose.

Only Leeds have scored more Championship goals than Norwich this season but an inability to manage games from winning positions has undermined their ability to get goals.

Borja Sainz is the Championship's top scorer and yet he didn't find the net at all between the end of November and 11 March. Every positive is blunted by a negative. That's how you finish up in mid-table.

Most Norwich City fans, even the ones who ring up the Canary Call phone-in, were anticipating a mid-table finish this season given the huge changes to playing style, budget and personnel.

By the middle of March they would have been expecting to see a side that had found its rhythm and was showing signs of a brighter future, rather than one still struggling to solve the puzzles that have plagued them all season.

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City captain Kenny McLean did not pull any punches in his assessment of their second-half capitulation in Tuesday's 3-2 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday, calling it "a shambles", "shocking" and the performance after half-time as "probably the worst this season".

It had looked very different for the Canaries when top-scorer Borja Sainz and Ante Crnac put them 2-0 up 10 minutes before the break.

But three goals in 12 woeful minutes allowed the Owls to turn the game around as Michael Ihiekwe, Josh Windass and Djeidi Gassama shattered the home side and delivered Wednesday's first win at Carrow Road for 16 years.

"Seven months into the season and it's the same old story. I'm struggling myself to get answers," McLean told BBC Radio Norfolk after the game.

"We can't turn up and play football for 45 minutes every week. It's not enough."

Defeat was the fourth time Norwich have lost from a winning position this season and takes the number of points dropped after taking the lead to a Championship-high 30.

McLean says that is something "we have to fix" but added, "we still don't have the answers, or are able to find the answers, during games".

He continued: "It's actually a shambles. We need to do so much more. When teams get a goal, they know we're vulnerable.

"That's the worst probably this season [the performance] - that was evident at the final whistle with the crowd."

McLean said he thought the issue might be a mixture of both their tactical and mental approach during matches.

"A bit of everything," the 33-year-old Scot said. "I'd love to be able to say exactly what it was. We've got experience of being in these positions a lot this season and it still continues to happen. It's such a frustration.

"We're a nice team. When it clicks, it's really good. When things go against us, it's shocking. We need to deal with tough situations better and stand up to the challenges teams throw at us.

"We're not wresting control back. We should know what we're doing. We should be more resilient, more committed to winning second balls. At times, we're the best footballers in the league and it baffles me.

"We're being told to adapt during games but we're not doing it at the right times. As soon as teams come after us, and we lose the ball, we crumble. One mistake always leads to another and then another.

"There seems to be an anxiety across us when we make a mistake - teams see that vulnerability in us and we don't deal with it."

Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday still have hopes of gate-crashing the Championship play-offs as they meet on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT).

The Canaries are six points off the pace after a four-game unbeaten run which has included three draws.

Wednesday snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-0 win at Plymouth on Saturday and are seven points behind sixth-placed West Brom.

• Norwich City have lost just one of their past seven league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W4 D2), but could lose both league games to the Owls in a season for the first time since 2008-09.

• Sheffield Wednesday are winless across their past six away league games against Norwich City (D2 L4), since a 1-0 victory at Carrow Road in April 2009.

• Norwich have only won two of their past 11 Championship games played on a Tuesday (D4 L5) with home victories over Watford (4-2 in February 2024) and Plymouth (6-1 in November 2024).

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost only one of their past 11 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W5 D5), and are unbeaten in their previous four on the road (W2 D2).

• Borja Sainz has been directly involved in three goals in his three Championship appearances against Sheffield Wednesday (2 goals, 1 assist), scoring and assisting in this exact fixture for Norwich last season.

Phil Daley
Radio Norfolk sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has been speaking to the media ahead of the Canaries' home game against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

Here are some of the key points from the press conference:

• Goalkeeper Angus Gunn and midfielder Marcelino Nunez will not be in the squad. Gunn is not likely to feature until after the international break.

• Back-up keeper George Long is also missing as he is still in a concussion protocol, meaning 21-year-old Vicente Reyes will start, having made his first appearance of the season for the club in the 1-1 draw against Oxford on Friday.

• Amankwah Forson will return to the squad but will only be called on "if needed".

• "Results are important, but we still have to be smart with our players - we will freshen things up," Thorup told BBC Radio Norfolk.

• Thorup expects decisions to be made on those players out of contract in the next three or four weeks. The contracts of key players such as Gunn and Emi Marcondes expire in this summer.

• On Sheffield Wednesday, Thorup says he thinks they are excellent at adapting to their opposition and injecting some "chaos" into games.

• Thorup said: "I hope that the fans can see where we are going. I think they can see we have made improvements but also see where we are not good enough... and that should be directed at me, not the players."

You can listen to full live coverage of Norwich City v Sheffield Wednesday on BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB from 19:00 GMT on Tuesday, 11 March.

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has revealed captain Shane Duffy was absent from their starting line-up in the 1-1 draw with Oxford because he missed a team meeting.

The 33-year-old was an unused substitute for the game at Carrow Road.

"Shane was late for the team meeting," Thorup told his post-match press conference.

"I set a culture for a football team and tell the players how we run things.

"It's unfortunate for Shane and he didn't do it on purpose but we've made it clear incidents like that cannot happen on game day."

Duffy had played every league match for the Canaries this season before the draw on Friday night.

"It was an easy decision to take even though I don't like it – the culture is on top of anything else," Thorup added.

"There is room for mistakes but in my view mistakes should be followed by consequences."

Duffy afterwards posted on X that he had been delayed on the way to the ground by a road accident.

"Full details are there was a crash and stuck in traffic which led me to be late 20 mins," he said.

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City goalkeeper Vicente Reyes has signed a new contract to run until the summer of 2027, with an option for a further year.

Reyes arrived at Carrow Road from Major League Soccer side Atlanta United and was called into Chile's senior international squad for the first time in October.

He has yet to make a first-team appearance for the Canaries but has spent time on loan at both Forest Green Rovers in League Two and Cambridge United in League One.

Reyes, who has made 23 appearances for the U's in the current campaign, told the Norwich website, external: "The plan that the club had for me from the start, everything is falling in order."

Sporting director Ben Knapper added: "Vinny has progressed well since joining the club back in the summer of 2023.

"He's gained some valuable experiences whilst out on loan and is now benefitting from working every day here with our first-team group."

Rob Butler
BBC Radio Norfolk Canary Call presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has been speaking to the media ahead of the Canaries' home game against Oxford United on Friday (20:00 GMT).

It is the first time since 1998 that City have played Oxford at Carrow Road.

In August, on the opening day of the season, the U's beat Norwich 2-0 at The Kassam Stadium.

Here are some of the key points from the press conference:

• Thorup says winger Lewis Dobbin is likely to miss the rest of the season with a calf injury. Dobbin limped off during Saturday's draw at Blackburn.

• Dobbin will rehab the injury at Norwich, he is currently on loan from Aston Villa.

• Defender Ben Chrisene has also played his last minutes of the season, he has an ankle injury.

• Czech Republic winger Matej Jurasek's absence continues, Thorup explained that the club are building him up for the "Championship intensity".

• Captain Kenny Mclean should be back for the game against Oxford, Thorup said: "He is back in training and will be in the squad".

• Midfielder Amankwah Forson is close to a return too. He should be back in training on Sunday.

You can listen to full live coverage of Norwich City v Oxford United with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB from 19:00 GMT on Friday.

Image source, Getty Images

Plymouth forward Ryan Hardie, Leeds United winger Dan James, Portsmouth wide man Josh Murphy and Norwich City striker Josh Sargent are the four nominees for February's Championship player of the month award.

Hardie only played 101 minutes across three league games for Argyle last month but still netted four goals, scoring twice from the bench late on in the 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion and another double in the 5-1 thrashing of Millwall.

James was in scintillating form for the Whites, scoring three goals and providing four assists in five games in February.

The 27-year-old netted one, set-up two and won a penalty in the 7-0 hammering of Cardiff, scored twice in the 4-0 win at Watford and laid on both goals in the vital 2-1 victory at title rivals Sheffield United.

Murphy provided four assists and scored one goal in five games for Portsmouth as they pulled further clear of the relegation zone in February with a draw and three wins, including a 2-1 victory against QPR in which the winger curled in a wonderful effort.

Sargent was prolific throughout February, scoring five goals in five games for Norwich City to take his overall tally for the league season to 11 in 21 appearances.

The weekend Championship action kicks-off at Carrow Road on Friday night (20:00 GMT) as Norwich entertain Oxford United.

A win for the Canaries would make it four unbeaten and take them up to ninth, within a point of the play-off places.

The U's are 18th, with a seven point cushion over the relegation zone, despite having suffered three straight defeats.

• Norwich City have lost just one of their 10 home league games against Oxford United (W6 D3), though that sole defeat did come in their last clash with the U's at Carrow Road in November 1998 (3-1).

• After winning the reverse fixture 2-0 in August, Oxford United will be looking to record a first ever league double over Norwich City in the EFL.

• Norwich City have scored the fewest set piece goals in the Championship this season (7), while it is also the lowest percentage of goals from set pieces of any side (12.5%, 7/56).

• Oxford United have suffered defeat in their past three league games, their third run of three losses in a row of the season. The U's last had a longer losing league run in February and March 2023 (five), while Gary Rowett has never lost four league games in a row in his entire managerial career, which has spanned 501 league games for six different clubs.

• Emiliano Marcondes has been involved in 10 goals in his past 17 Championship games for Norwich City (4 goals, 6 assists), assisting a goal in three of his last four appearances.

"Regardless of who we put in defence, we should - key word, should - be beating Oxford at home."

Rob Butler and Chris Reeve are joined by Canaries fan Leigh Woodrow to talk heartache at Ewood Park, high expectations against Oxford United and say farewell to Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones era.

There's also a blast from the past as BBC Radio Norfolk revisit Malcolm Robertson's commentary of the Highbury brawl in 1989.

You can listen to the full episode and more on The Scrimmage podcast.

Norwich City defender Jose Cordoba says the team were unhappy with their 1-1 draw against 10-man Blackburn Rovers as they had plenty of opportunities to kill the game off.

Ante Crnac scored in the 90th minute, five minutes after the dismissal of Rovers striker Emmanuel Dennis, but the Canaries went on to concede victory when Andi Weimann headed in a equaliser six minutes into stoppage time.

A win would have left Norwich two points off a play-off spot but they now trail the top six by four with Oxford United next up at Carrow Road on Friday night.

"It's ugly. I think right now, we are feeling like it's a lost game," Cordoba told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"We control all the game in the first half and we had so many options to kill the game. We should have scored in the first half but we didn't."

The attacking threat came from the Canaries throughout the game, with multiple chances created for Josh Sargent, Kellan Fisher and Anis Ben Slimane, none of which were taken.

"It's a big frustration to not win the games. Even when you draw, you don't want to start and finish the games with a draw," Cordoba added.

"We have to keep fighting, to not give up. We have to be better."

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup said his side's failure to take maximum points from their trip to fellow play-off contenders Blackburn Rovers was his main frustration - not any controversy over refereeing decisions.

The Canaries scored in the 90th-minute against a side who had just been reduced to 10 men, but conceded a 96th-minute equaliser.

"It's the approach in the last two, three minutes of the game which I'm frustrated about," the 36-year-old Dane said. "I let the players know it's not acceptable because, up until the goal, we played such a professional game away from home.

"It's a top-six team and we go here, we take the ball and we dominate and we try to open them, create the flow of the game, try to create the chances.

"We get ourselves in front at the end and then last two, three minutes, we dribble around and we lose the ball a couple of times instead of just passing the ball to the final whistle.

"There are so many decisions in the last two, three minutes that simply need to be better."

The Valerien Ismael era begins at Ewood Park with a big match in the race for the Championship play-offs.

The 49-year-old Frenchman succeeded John Eustace at the Rovers helm this week and is pitted against a side four places, and four points behind sixth-placed Blackburn in his first game on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Rovers have won three of their past four at home, while Johannes Hoff Thorup's Canaries have picked up four points from their past two on the road.

• Blackburn Rovers have lost just one of their past six league games against Norwich City (W2 D3), after losing six of their prior seven meetings with the Canaries between 2014 and 2020 (D1).

• Norwich City are unbeaten across their past six away league games against Blackburn Rovers (W5 D1), since a 2-0 defeat at Ewood Park in April 2012 in the Premier League.

• Blackburn drew three of their first six league games this season (W3), but have since drawn just three of their subsequent 28 in the Championship (W12 L13).

• Norwich have won just two of their past 13 away league games (D5 L6), scoring more than one goal in just two of those matches.

• Norwich's Josh Sargent has been involved in 13 goals in his last 12 starts in the Championship, scoring nine and assisting four.

The Canaries are still in the Championship play-off hunt with 12 games to play, starting at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

City's sporting director Ben Knapper recently sat down with BBC Radio Norfolk's Phil Daley and Rob Butler.

He spoke about the future of the club, the pending change in ownership and also answered questions from supporters.

You can watch the full interview here:

There is also an audio version of the interview which is available on BBC Sounds here.

Phil Daley
Radio Norfolk sports editor

Image source, Rex Features

On Saturday, the Canaries travel to Blackburn Rovers in an early Championship kick off (12:30 GMT) having returned to winning ways in style last weekend with victory over Stoke.

Ahead of the match at Ewood Park, Canaries head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup spoke to the media and here are some of the key points from his press conference:

• Midfielder Kenny McLean remains out of the squad with an illness. They are targeting the following game against Oxford for his return.

• Forward Lewis Dobbin will be part of the squad despite coming off at half-time on Saturday.

• Reflecting on thee three points against Stoke, Thorup said he remains frustrated by some of the decision-making, despite the win. "We were just too loose at times."

• "What we have to get rid of is our inconsistency and the unforced errors," said Thorup.

• On striker Josh Sargent: "He can be out of the game for periods and we want him to push a bit more to always be involved. When he is involved, he's such a big threat."

• On Blackburn and new manager Valerien Ismael. "I'm sorry to my analysis department as we needed to watch lots of his games. If we play to our best it should be about us."

• "Everything is an opportunity for us at the moment. Saturday is another game in the league and we have to do our best. No games are more important than others - our approach should remain the same."

You can listen to full live commentary of Blackburn Rovers v Norwich City with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB. Coverage begins at 12:00 GMT on Saturday.