As Birmingham and Reading join Derby in being relegated, what does it mean for us?

We now know that Reading and Birmingham will join Derby in the Championship next season following relegation from the Premier League.

Derby’s fate has long-since been sealed but until the weekend just gone the Royals or the Blues could have gotten away with it at the expense of Fulham and (admittedly to a much lesser extent) Bolton. The Yellows have had links with all three clubs during the 2007/2008 season, but what does their relegation mean to us?

Well for starters a much stronger Championship next season, but more directly…

To read the rest of this article, head over to the good ship Vital Norwich, where you will be greeted with more Norwich City juicy goodness. Something like that anyway.

Ebbsfleet United 1 Torquay United 0 and my big day out at Wembley

Regular readers (!) will probably know that I tend to err ever so slightly on the side of caution when attending football matches, so it should come as no surprise to hear that we set off for Wembley – approximately a one hour drive away – at 11am for the 2:30pm kick-off (much to the disgust of my friend and designated driver, James), arriving at the stadium shortly after 12.

For anyone who hasn’t been to Wembley before and who like me, hasn’t bothered looking into the parking arrangements before, when you’re driving towards the stadium there are quite a few places advertising parking for £10. We laughed at those places, saying there was no way we were going to pay a tenner to leave James’ pride and joy on some manky-looking industrial estate.

So how much did we have to pay at the official Wembley Stadium “green” car park? £25. Twenty five sodding quid. Next time it’s the industrial estate all the way.

As we drove around the car park we comforted ourselves with the knowledge that we had almost certainly paid to park his Mini Cooper S in the coach park as there were no cars to be seen (a fantastic photo opportunity I’m sure you’d agree), but as we rounded the corner it turned out that no, we’d just paid £25 to park in a car park for a few hours.

Never mind. At least we were close.

My first impressions of the stadium itself were very, very good. I’d obviously driven pretty close to it over the last few years on countless visits to IKEA, but to see it up close for the first time was a pretty awesome sight.

Inside the ground hardly disappointed either. £8 for chicken and chips and a drink seemed a little on the steep side, but to be fair you actually got a fair amount of food and it was actually fit for human consumption so fair enough (still not up to the standard of Delia’s pasties though).

We were sat in block 132 (bottom left corner as you watch on TV) so the seats were pretty good. As is always the case there were a few “characters” sat around us. The ones that stand out most of all was a guy with a beard from Nottingham behind who only seemed to be able to say the words “get into them”, and another chap behind (again with a beard) who could only say “heeeeeyyyyyyy!” – Proof if it were needed that you can take a nerd to Wembley, but you can’t make him sing.

It was a good game. The Fleet started slowly but came more into the game as first half went on and it was no real surprise when the goal went in – perfect timing considering the missed penalty moments before.

I saw quite a few obvious fellow “MyFC” members (including the “heeeeeyyyyyyy!” man), but I didn’t really get much of an opportunity to chat. Everyone seemed friendly enough though.

Overall it was a pretty damn good day out. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was always the best stadium I had ever been to, but I think I have a new favourite. I just can’t wait to go there watching the Canaries…

Quotes of the Week: Darren Huckerby special

In the last week there has only really been one story of note, that being of course Glenn Roeder’s decision not to offer Darren Huckerby a new contract for next season.

With that in mind this week’s Quotes of the Week is a Darren Huckerby special, so we’ve got a few of the things said about the Canary legend in the last few days.

Roeder breaks the news:

I have talked it over with Darren and told him we will not be offering him a contract for next season.

I am looking to overhaul the squad for next season and beyond and a number of players, including Darren, are not part of those plans. I’d like to place on record my recognition for what he has achieved during his time at Norwich City, particularly in the promotion season.

Myself and all the staff at Colney and Carrow Road wish him all the very best for the future.

City legend Iwan Roberts isn’t too impressed by it:

I’m shocked and saddened by the fact the club hadn’t really spoken to him. It must have been a worry, but I still felt they would offer him another year.

He is one of those who has already relied on his pace, that is his biggest asset, and maybe if that went then you would worry. But I still think he has that – I think Norwich’s loss will be someone else’s gain.

People can talk about loyalty, but it’s a two-way thing and Hucks has given the club five great years. It’s not for me to tell Glenn (Roeder) anything, he will have his own ideas and he obviously feels he wants to freshen it up.

I hope it doesn’t come back to haunt him. But Hucks told me he wouldn’t want to join another Championship club, that it would be heart-breaking to come back to Carrow Road.

He was a fantastic player and person, great to have in and around the changing room. He was a quietly-spoken lad when he first came in. I think if I had played another season or two with him I would have scored 100 goals for the club.

What a tremendous player, a great servant to the club who had a major impact when he first came. No team is a one-man side but he was pretty close that season we went up.

Club Chairman Roger Munby pays his own tribute:

When Nigel Worthington pulled off the coup of signing Darren, Peter Crouch and Kevin Harper on loan in the autumn of 2003 the football world sat up and took notice.

They were right to do so, as Darren in particular had a galvanising effect on the club on and off the pitch and was an integral factor in our promotion success the following May.

The fans have always had a special relationship with Darren, illustrated from the start when they helped us to make the calculated gamble of signing him from Manchester City for £750,000, by supporting our share issue in the winter of 2003.

For his part Darren has been a professional servant to the football club on the pitch and through supporting our commitment to the community. He rightly occupies a place in our Hall of Fame and our heartfelt and sincere best wishes go with him as the club moves into a new era.

Huckerby reveals that he does not intend to return to Carrow Road to play against the Canaries:

It wouldn’t mean anything to me to play against Norwich. It means everything to me to play for Norwich and for another team it wouldn’t mean anything. It would be a job, and I don’t want that. I want to remember this place as a great place and I want the fans to remember me as someone who did great things for them. I can’t – I won’t – be coming back here to play against them.

Reveals his one regret:

That’s the only regret I have – not saying goodbye to the fans a week ago. I don’t know but with Dion going it just felt like I was in the background a little because in my own mind I knew I could go. It would’ve been nice to get that option but you don’t always get what you want in football.

That’s the disappointing thing. The fans probably though I was trying it on to get a better deal or something but I’ve never spoke to anyone. It wasn’t about money. I’ve been very well paid while I’ve been here. On and off the pitch I’ve done a lot for the club but it’s not the be all and end all. I’ve still got the rest of my life. It would’ve been nice to get that option but, as I said you don’t always get what you want.

And Roeder doesn’t believe we have seen the last of him:

He left the office by me saying – and which he wanted to hear – that if he does go abroad and the playing seasons are different and he’s back in this country, don’t stay at home and get under your wife’s feet come up here and use our facilities. And he said: ‘Thank you! That’s fantastic..! I will definitely do that.’ So I’m sure we’re definitely going to see him around the place next year.

The only difference is that it won’t be in a Norwich shirt, but I’ve had a couple of targets in mind for three or four months now that – I hope – will become new heroes. But you can’t spend your life in the past.