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View From The Town End: Norwich

They're a top ten side but this Norwich fan isn't expecting his team to put up much of a fight tomorrow.

Derby County v Norwich City- Sky Bet Championship Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

City fan & My Football Writer Editor, Gary Gowers gives us his views on Norwich ahead of tomorrow's game with Reading.

How would you sum up the season so far?

I'll try and keep it clean but it'd be easy to stray into four-letter word territory. Let's just say it's been about as underwhelming as it gets. We fooled ourselves into thinking because we had a squad full of players who had played in the Premier League we'd be well equipped to give, at worst, the playoffs and, at best, the top two a bash.

As it's transpired we've not just fallen short but instead missed it by a mile. Newcastle and Brighton have led the marathon from the front almost throughout, you guys and a few others have been in the chasing pack while we've been the fun runner dressed up as giant tin of baked beans who everyone laughs at and who finishes in a time of five and a half hours.

A crap analogy, but no worse than 90 per cent of our performances.

Alex Neil lost his job a few weeks ago, were fans behind the change?

There were few dissenting voices, and most thought it should have happened a few months earlier, but in hindsight he was handed an almost impossible task with a squad riddled with an unwarranted sense of entitlement. The level of swagger was astonishing but with no cojones to back it up. So, while Alex Neil proved himself tactically naive and unable to get anything resembling a tune out of them it was on truth a bigger task than any of us envisaged at the time.

Any lingering play-off hopes?

None whatsoever. Next question.

Who should Reading fans be wary of on Saturday?

No-one. You'll be fine. If you were lower/mid table then we'd probably roll you over - we only ever beat teams who are below us but NOT in the bottom two - and Wes Hoolahan (if he's fit) and/or Alex Pritchard would probably hurt you with their trickiness, but you're above us and we simply don't perform against those above us. Tell your centre-backs to bring their carpet slippers.

Anyone from Reading that's impressed you?

Well, Yann Kermorgant is certainly in a rich vein of scoring form, so is almost certain to continue on Saturday, and Garath McCleary is a player I've always liked. Both will likely give our back four the heebeegeebees.

Score prediction?

I never normally predict anything other than a positive outcome for City but this season's different. 2-1 to Reading.

Finally, any advice for fans making the trip?

Enjoy the Fine City, take a tour of the castle, take a trip down the river, have a drink in the Compleat Angler and, above all, enjoy your three points.