The thing no fan wanted in the draw at Bramall Lane was the sight of Club Captain Kenny McClean and USA International Striker Josh Sargent both being withdrawn with Injuries.  This came on top of £6.9m summer signing Mathias Kvistgaarden withdrawing from the matchday squad with a recurrence of his kneww injury

"Sarge got a knock, we need to assess how it is with him. With Kenny, his hip locked in the first half, you saw it with the way he was running, it was not his normal style," Canaries Head Coaxch Clement told reporters.

"We took him off at half-time to prevent that he got a bigger injury and we will see over the next few days if they will be ready for Saturday.

On the subject of Mathias Kvistgaarden's injury  "He had rehab, he started training and playing again, he felt good, but this week he felt his knee again in the same place so we need to make an assessment with the knee specialist so we know what's the best action to take," Clement explained.

Shane Duffy is hoped to be back in action in time for Norwich's clash with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Tuesday this week.

With Harry Darling suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card in the heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Watford in the Championship and Jose Cordoba still recovering from injury, the Canaries are starting to look short of defensive options for the game.

"Shane had a slight muscle strain earlier in the week which kept him out of the more challenging training," explained Norwich Head Coach Philippe Clement. "He has been back in training over the last few days but after discussions with the medical team we have decided that it is best to keep him on the bench, especially given his history of calf injuries. He trained on Saturday and I am confident he will be ready for Tuesday."

 

Former Norwich City goalkeeper Declan Rudd has been promoted to be their first-team goalkeeping coach, the club have confirmed have confirmed this morning.

Norwich old boy Declan Rudd replaces the outgoing head of goalkeeping Tony Roberts.  Roberts is expected to depart later this week, going on to join another club, having tendered his resignation after receiving a preferable offer from elsewhere.

Roberts joined the club originally in September 2024, replacing his predecessor Paul Clements after he followed Narcis Pelach to Stoke. He was appointed to the role by sporting director Ben Knapper, who had worked with him previously during their time together at Arsenal. 

The highly-rated former Wolves and AC Milan coach was then kept on despite the sackings of previous head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup and his assistant Glen Riddersholm, going on to then work under under Liam Manning in his short-lived stint at the helm as well as interim manager Jack Wilshire. 

Declan Rudd came through the ranks at Norwich having joined the club's academy from local side Bressingham.  He went on to make his senior debut for the Canaries in September 2009, over his stay with the club he made a total of 34 appearances including playing in the Premier League for the Canaries before joining Preston North End.

He had previously joined up with the first team squad on a temporary basis, but will now assume the role on a permenant basis and work with Vladan Kovacevic, Daniel Grimshaw and Louie Moulden.

Speaking about the change in a statement, sporting director Ben Knapper said: Sporting director Ben Knapper said: "Tony has brought infectious energy and personality to the training centre during his time with us. I know how highly he is valued by our goalkeepers and that they have been very appreciative of his work.

"He leaves with all of our very best wishes in the next step of his career.

"In promoting Declan to the first team, we have someone who knows the club and how we operate. He already has some excellent relationships with our current staff and players and absolutely deserves this opportunity - he is ready to make this step up and everyone within the first team is looking forward to working closely with him moving forwards." 

In the post match press conference yesterday, following the team's 3-1 win at hopme at Carrow Road against QPR, head coach Philippe Clement presented a positive update on both Jack Stacey's injury, and that of other players who have been absent recently

“We have to wait and see with Jack, whether it was a contact or not, or how bad it is. Let's hope, touch wood, for good news. We lost already Mirko and we don't lose another player. I'm always from the half full glass, you know. I will wait the next few days for what the assessment will be. 

Jovon Makama was also absent against QPR after sickness in the hours ahead of kick-off.

“Jovon was planned to start. He became sick, at the (team) meeting he got fever, so he had to go out of the squad,” said Clement, who also hinted after the win some of the longer term absentees might be in position to re-join training ahead of the trip to Watford.

OTBC

Well, it was long overdue, but credit to the new Norwich City Head Coach Philippe Clement the feel good factor is back.  

In recent weeks the Norwich fans have been staying after the game, not to celebrate a win, but to make noisy protests against the running of the club.  Yesterday was a different matter however.

After an encouraging performance in mid week against Oxford United which showed the first green shoots of the new era, Norwich City yesterday produced a display to celebrate. Attacking football is back at Carrow Road and giving the fans something to shout about. 

Yesterday's 3-1 victory at home to QPR could easily have been 4-1 if it were not for a tight call on offside to rule out a Josh Sargent goal.  And having given the fans something to cheer about, the team were rewarded with a fantastic atmosphere.

The energy and noise post game as thousands of fans stayed behind to celebrate with the players was something to savour. It was also picked up on by new Canaries head coach Philippe Clement in his post match interview "It's not about me, that's no so important, and I knew that if we worked hard this moment would come," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"It's more important for the players, for the club and for the fans also. "What you saw during the game and after the game was the synergy is totally back, it was lost a few weeks ago."

"So it's back now and they see a team fighting, but also a team creating, playing good football and of course we can still improve a lot of things"

"But the mentality of the players is positive to get three deserved points."

The positive energy then continued long after the match, with one caller on BBC Radio Norfolk's Canary Call declaring that whilst it may only be three games, the new head coach should already be given the freedom of the city

Here's to the future and hopefully many more performances and atmospheres to match at Carrow Road as we start to claw our way back up the table OTBC

Unfortunately there seems to be no respite for new Norwich City manager Philippe Clement as he has confirmed today the injury problems that have blighted Norwich's season so far have continued.

The Serbian midfielder Mirko Topic who joined the canaries in the summer has now been ruled out for the rest of the season.  Scans have confirmed an ACL injury sustained in the match against Oxford at Carrow Road on Tuesday

Topic went down with the injury inside the Oxford United penalty are in the final moments of the first half of the game before limping off during the half-time interval.

Norwich City Head Coach Philippe Clement confirmed the unfortunate injury news at his pre game press conference ahead of their match with QPR at Carrow Road. this weekend

"It's really bad news. It's an ACL. So he's going to be out for the rest of the season. He's going to get surgery as fast as possible," he confirmed  in the session at the Canaries' Colney training base.

"It's very bad news for the team, for him, for the club, for everybody. I spoke with the players around that also this morning, when I could give the message to them. First, it's important now, Mirko is somebody, and we have quite a lot, who came in a few months ago and are just here in the area.

"They come away from their families. You come into a new family with a new team, a dressing room, new guys. You make friendships. You do things outside of football and that falls away now for him.

 

Well, the rumours had to start before long didn't they.  There is a rumour getting plenty of traction in the media this morning linking Norwich City to their first signing of the Philippe Clement era in January.

Norwich City are looking to bolster new manager Philippe Clement’s squad in January, as the experienced Belgian coach attempts what many Canaries fans fear may not be possible, to pull the club out of the Champtionship relegation zone.

Clement was appointed as Norwich’s head coach last week, with the 51-year-old being immediately available after he was sacked from Glasgow Rangers back in February 2025.

The Belgian coach has got off to a challenging start as he looks to try and transform Norwich's fortunes. The side lost heavily away at Birmingham City in his first game before drawing at home to Oxford United on Tuesday.

The Canaries are reported to be interested in making a move for Rio Ave winger Andre Luiz.  The player has enjoyed a strong start to his time playing in Portugal since making the move from Flamengo last year.

This season, he hads has already netted four goals and weighed in also with four assists in 11 league fixtures, delivering performances that have caused a number of teams to sit up and take notice.

Playing predominantly on the right side of midfioeld, Andre Luiz has found a habbit of managing to surge into the opposition box, often then getting on the end of crosses made to the back post.

The winger is a tricky dribbler with a good eye for a defence splitting pass, and sounds as if he could just be exactly the type of signing needed to bolster Norwich’s chances of turning their season around given the shortage of chances the front line have been managing to get.

Tottenham Hotspur could be battling with Brighton for the signature of Norwich City winger Jonathan Rowe in the upcoming January transfer window.

That's according to reports from the Daily Mail, who have stated in their print edition that the 20-year-old is of interest to both clubs in the hunt to bolster their Premier League squads.

Negotiations have been delayed over a potential new contract for the Canaries' top goalscorer, whose current deal is set to run out in the summer of 2025. The club have an option to extend by a year until 2026, but were hoping to agree terms beyond that before a pause in discussions was mutually agreed.

Norwich are braced for interest in Rowe in January, but are under less pressure to sell after Mark Attanasio's intervention meant most of the club's debt was internalised.

The 2023 balance sheet was impacted by a lack of significant player sales, however, and there was a total debt attached to the club of £96million in those accounts.

New sporting director Ben Knapper has hinted at a level of financial support from Attanasio in readiness for the transfer window, with the American confirming City had looked into the signings of players to reduce the squad's age profile.

Rowe's departure would be a blow to Knapper's attempts to get that average age down, however, and mean another sale of a promising academy graduate.

The English under-21 international has scored 11goals this season, including a memorable derby day brace against Ipswich Town, and claimed two assists.

He hadn't even started a senior game going into the season, but made an instant impact as he curled home his side's first goal of the campaign in a 2-1 win over Hull in August.