A bit about you
Name: Ian Russell
Current home town: Leigh-on-sea, Essex Birthplace: Southend-on-sea, Essex
How long have you supported your team? Around 30 years
Overview of your club:
We are very fortunate to have few teams in the area and we enjoy incredible support – 20,000 season ticket holders and Carrow Road rarely has many empty seats. Known as a ‘family’ club and rightly so – the board are quite uniquely close to the supporters.
Favourite thing about your home ground: I am a member of the ‘Gunn Club’, a place you can have a beer and a Delia ‘pie’ before the match; so that’s kind of been my home for the last 7 or 8 years. I sit in the ‘Barclay’ End and love my seat behind the goal. The Carrow Road pitch takes a bit of beating too.
Favourite match played by your team & why: Difficult to say because there’s probably been a few. I was only 12, but was at the Milk Cup Final in ’85 (1-0 winners over Sunderland) and that naturally sticks in the memory. We had a great game at home to Middlesbrough (last time in the Premier League – ‘04/’05) where we came back to draw 4-4.
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: When I was growing up I was a big fan of goalkeeper, Chris Woods. In recent times, it’s often been great to watch Darren Huckerby of course….
About our forthcoming match against you:
Norwich have been on an incredible run and have become a very difficult team to beat. Roeder has restored confidence and order to the team and Canary fans are enjoying their football again. It’s not always been pretty, but there is a determined grit back in the side now and after the 0-0 draw in Nofolk a few weeks ago, Norwich will be keen to grab all 3 points.
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? You will all know about big Dion and I have huge admiration for him. He still shows a lot of class and has been a big part of our improvement over the past couple of months.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? Ched Evans (on loan from Man City) is in a rich vein of goalscoring form at the moment, so beware.
Player in our squad you most fear and why? I know Steve Howard on his day can be a handful for any defence. Stephen Clemence is a pretty steady player too and the midfield will be an important battle tomorrow.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? We have a couple of loanees – Ched Evans (Man City) and Ryan Bertrand (left midfield). Both look like prospects and I think most City fans would sign them tomorrow if we had the chance.
Where do you think you'll finish this season? At the beginning of the season I predicted about 10th and the chances are that may well still be about right. 10 games in, however, things were looking pretty bleak. The new manager has done a fantastic job to turn things around and a play off place isn’t beyond the realms of possibility now. I think it will be tough, but I’ll stick with a top 10 finish.
How do you think you'll do against us? It’s never an easy place to get a result, but on current form we have to be confident and so I’ll stick my neck out and say a Norwich win.
Any other comments I always enjoy visiting Leicester. Filbert Street was a ‘proper’ football ground and the Walkers is one of the better new designs. Always plenty of vocal support from you midlands teams, so a game I look forward to.
A bit about you
Name: Ben East I am the chairman of the Northern Canaries supporters group, a 200+ collection of Norwich fans based in the North obviously!).
Current home town: Manchester Birthplace: Bletchley (but I moved to Norwich when I was nine months old!)
How long have you supported your team? My Dad would say since I was born (so 34 years ago). But my first game was in 1980 when I was 6.
Overview of your club:
Favourite thing about your home ground: Because of where I live, I see many more away games than home ones, so just walking up the steps and seeing the pitch – no matter where it is – gives me a buzz every time
Favourite match played by your team & why: There are obviously games where you beat your rivals and games when you win trophies or get promotion. They are always memorable. But for sheer one off 'never forget that' status, it has to be Norwich vs Middlesbrough in our last Premier League season (2005). We were 4-1 down at home with 10 minutes to go, and never have I been so sorely tempted to leave early. But then we got one, and another, and there was something inevitable about having one last chance. Adam Drury took it, equalised, and Carrow Road went absolutely mad.
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: He still, sort of, plays for us. We've had some great players over the years, but for sheer entertainment and being able to do what nobody else on the pitch could, for those 'entrance fee alone' moments, it has to be Darren Huckerby.
About our forthcoming match against you:
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? Our squad has changed so much in the last two months, let alone this season, so it's quite difficult to have a real favourite. Obviously my favourite player of all time is still in the squad, but I think Dion Dublin runs him close, simply because of his sheer love of the game, commitment and honesty. It's like having a manager on the pitch when he plays and we're often not the same without him.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? On current form, Ched Evans is so confident he can score from anywhere – and often tries to. Right winger Lee Croft is in the middle of a good run too and is due a goal – he keeps hitting the post or bringing out world class saves of the opposing goalkeeper.
Player in our squad you most fear and why? Er, I have to admit with the changes you've had too I would have no idea who plays for you without looking it up on the Internet. Oh yes, Steve Howard. He's quite good at this level isn't he.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? The shame of it is that our Academy has really struggled to tease out any gems in recent years. Most of the previous 'prospects' were not allowed out on loan by Worthington so they haven't developed. But we have plenty of young loans from Premier League squads – Ryan Bertrand from Chelsea is a promising left sided player, Kieran Gibbs from Arsenal was awful on his debut for us but big things are expected of him too… and then there's Manchester City's Ched Evans. He's scored six goals for us so far and I don't think even Sven thought he'd be this good.
Where do you think you'll finish this season? So difficult to say. As we've obviously noticed having been bottom at the end of October, a good run can take you anywhere, and a few dodgy results hauls you back down again. So let's say a creditable 12thafter an appalling start to the season.
How do you think you'll do against us? Probably a draw. We're really confident at the moment but Holloway will probably have you fired up for the game after the little set-to he had with Roeder.
Any other comments: Very surprised to see Leicester where you are after the Holloway appointment. But don't worry; earlier this season I had already got my guide to league 1 grounds out! It only takes a couple of games unbeaten to turn it all around…