Football: Rick Waghorn says finding partnerships will be key to Norwich City's survival
There is little doubt that Jason Shackell's return to pastures old this week will have raised the odd eye-brow among the Canary faithful.
Not that the 25-year-old disappeared off to Wolves last summer under a huge cloud or anything.
He was always one of those that was deemed a trier – something that goes a long, long way these days.
And nor, I suspect, did anyone doubt that there was a good player somewhere in the complicated heart of that City defence.
After all, Mick McCarthy is no mean judge of a player and he felt the one-time Canary skipper worthy of a 500,000 transfer fee and a big, fat Molineux contract to boot.
No, individually Shackell is a more than decent enough player to do a big job for Norwich in the bottom six of the Championship.
Just as Gary Doherty is alongside him.
I guess where the natives had the question marks was whether – as a pair – the two really clicked; that one was the perfect footballing foil for the other.
And that question is one that new City chief Bryan Gunn faces in all three of his great departments of state these days – that all
the best Norwich sides have always had great pairs running down the spine of the team.
For every David Cross there was a Jimmy Bone; a Dave Stringer for a Duncan Forbes; a Jeremy Goss for an Ian Crook; a Craig Fleming for a Malky Mackay; a Damien Francis for a Gary Holt.
Look back of late and through accident or design, Norwich
have never found such a paired blend in any of those key departments.
Nothing has quite clicked.
Right now the midfield appears to revolve around Sammy Clingan and AN Other; for me, up front the gig belongs to Carl Cort and AN Other – just as The Doc has one of the defensive gigs to himself.
Or, at least, did before Shacks returned over the horizon in time for this weekend's trip to Preston North End.
So that's the challenge for Good King Gunn; between now and the end of the season and then beyond.
To find half-a-dozen players that then fall into three decent pairs.
When you say it like that it all sounds so easy, but as even Town boss Jim Magilton might have to admit in practice it is never quite that simple...
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Weather for Diss
Tuesday 07 September 2010
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
