Bad press to stir up Norwich backlash

Last updated : 06 January 2005 By Alistair Murray

Brian Woolnough made the following comments in the Star newspaper after watching Norwich for the first time this season - eight months after the Canaries gained promotion to the Premiership.

'Norwich lay down, curled up with their feet in the air and let Chelsea walk all over them…Norwich will stink the (Premiership) out with similar performances on the evidence of Saturday in west London," he wrote.

Woolnough then backed up his words in an interview given to Anglian Television: "The performance I saw on Saturday was a team rolling over with not one intention of attempting to win that football match. I thought they should have had a much bigger go at Chelsea and showed some character and fight."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was more impressed by Norwich and their overall effort shown against his players despite the heavy defeat.

"In the first half Norwich started better than us and had control of the game. But we were able to score three goals to kill them off. I think Nigel and the boys don't deserve such a hard result," he said.

Tottenham coach Martin Jol and Crystal Palace boss Iain Dowie have put their recent spat to rest, ahead of the Premiership clash at White Hart Lane next Tuesday (28th December). The pair became embroiled in a war of words after Dowie, as pundit, criticised Jol's tactics in a Premiership game last month.