Laughing Stock

"We're the laughing stock of the football world at the moment."

That particular quote does not come from one of the Norwich City supporters still thoroughly depressed by the debacle that was 7-1 to Colchester at Carrow Road. That was the sentence uttered to the media on Monday morning by the team's captain Gary Doherty.

Nothing wrong with him saying it, he is right, but the fact he did shows why the Carling Cup match at Yeovil tonight has become rather bigger than it sounds.

A gubbing like that dished out by Colchester on Saturday may have done some real lasting damage. Tonight is the team's opportunity to prove that it hasn't.

I was interviewed by BBC Somerset's breakfast show this morning, and while they were more kind than perhaps they needed to be, it was clear they are rather licking their lips at the prospect of these beleaguered canaries coming into town.

My colleagues from 'ciderspace' (it's the new fangled way of saying the West Country) were particularly taken by the story of Michael Theoklitos. His debut as Norwich City goalkeeper will always be talked about, no matter what he goes on to do. Whenever England teams come up against Australian sportsmen they never seem to do things like concede five goals within the first forty minutes of their debut. Every catch or adequately dealt with backpass was met with sarcastic cheers from his own supporters on Saturday. I will say this for him - the early evidence suggests he does have that bit of Aussie sportsman about him after all - he was willing to be interviewed less than 48-hours after the aforementioned calamity.

Will he keep his place tonight? I really don't know.

I just hope Newcastle United fans are grateful for us manfully coming in and taking the 'football's laughing stock' dunce's cap from them for a few days.