Norwich v Barnsley Preview
The whole scope for this game has changed after recent events, with Norwich sacking manager Glenn Roeder after the Canaries found themselves just one place above the relegation zone. Opponents Barnsley are sat in 16th although with the Tykes suffering an unexpected home defeat to Southampton last week, it remains to be seen how Simon Davey’s men will respond.
It took a defeat to lowly Charlton on Tuesday for the Norwich board to act and terminate the contract of Glenn Roeder. It was a decision that certainly proved popular with supporters, who have gradually become tired of poor results which has seen them slip to 21st – just out of the relegation zone due to goal difference. The dismissal came after the Canaries have only won twice in their last sixteen matches and with opponents Charlton failing to win at all in their last eighteen, the home defeat was the last straw for the Carrow Road outfit. Looking at their next few fixtures, it was probably a good time to act. Barnsley aren’t far above them and the Norwich faithful know that if they can muster a win here, they’ll be dragging the Tykes back towards the bottom three and giving themselves a fighting chance to stay up.
As for Barnsley, the Tykes took a massive blow last week with defeat to Southampton. It’s understood that they dominated large spells and had more than enough chances to win the game, yet a sucker punch late on from Saints saw them take an unexpected victory. Simon Davey said that he hoped to bring in a new striker this week after seeing his current players fail to finish off chances, yet that hasn’t happened. To make matters worse, and perhaps worrying, the club is contemplating an offer for star man Jamal Campbell-Ryce. Following Brian Howard’s departure earlier in the season the Tykes have relied a lot on Campbell-Ryce although it now looks as though he’ll be heading to Reading in a deal worth over £1m.
As for team news, Norwich caretaker manager Bryan Gunn has had everyone out on the training field and doesn’t have many injury concerns. Jamie Cureton was recalled from Barnsley earlier in the week, meaning that he could coincidently line up against the side he was playing for last Saturday. As for Barnsley, Simon Davey has been boosted with the news that Diego Leon, Rob Kozluk and Anderson de Silva are all back in contention. However, Stephen Foster is doubtful and Hugo Colace will definitely miss out with a thigh problem. What’s more, if they do decide to accept the Campbell-Ryce bid, there’s a chance that he won’t be involved either.
As for a prediction, we can only go for a home win. Whenever a team sacks their manager they experience an upturn in results and we firmly see that happening here – 2-0 Norwich.
