Hull Preview

The Canaries go into tonight’s game with Hull City on the back of a twelve game unbeaten run and can now boast one of the best defensive records in the division.

Hull are currently just a single point outside the play-off places - three ahead of the Yellows and Glenn Roeder spoke pretty highly of the Tigers and their manager Phil Brown yesterday:

Phil Brown has done really well. I can remember talking to him a couple of years ago in Cyprus on a four-day golfing trip and he was very down because of his bad experience at Derby. He was forever asking ‘do you think I’ll ever get another chance?’ And I said ‘you wont if you don’t try.’

I said I thought he needed to go back in and prove to himself he can manage. He had to wait for an opportunity at Hull and he kept the team up last year and they’ve kicked on from there. But they are a team that are sitting just above us, and it’s a massive scalp if we can get it. To gain three points on them would be huge and would be a big blow for them to lose the game.

A few facts…

League Position: Norwich 13th, Hull 8th.

Last Meeting: 25th September 2007 - Hull 2 Norwich 1.

Last Meeting at Carrow Road: 25th November 2006 - Norwich 1 Hull 1.

Top Goalscorer: Norwich - Cureton (8), Hull - Dean Windass (12).

Fascinating Fact: Hull’s first competitive game was in the FA Cup, but they were eliminated after a replay in the preliminary round against Stockton 7-4 on aggregate.

My Prediction: 2-0 Norwich.

Artificial World Cup?

Sepp Blatter has dug up another hornet’s nest by claiming that he wants the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to be played on artificial turf.

The Fifa president told BBC Sport:

We have envisaged, though it’s not yet a final decision, that the 2010 World Cup could be played on artificial turf.

I think it’s now time in this region to think about artificial turf.

Blatter hasn’t been convinced with the quality of pitches used in the 2008 African Cup of Nations, and thinks artificial turf is the best solution:

I’ve followed with a lot of interest most of the matches of this competition, and I have to say that African football is at a very high level. What I’ve not not liked so much is the turf, especially in Accra - the grass is too high.

Artificial turf is a solution to the owners of stadiums - you can use it more than just once a week, you can use it for other sports.

I think it’s better than uneven ground, where control of the ball not easy.

I’ve got another solution for you Mr Blatter. If you think the pitches in Africa aren’t good enough for a World Cup, don’t stage a World Cup there.