The last time I went to watch Norwich City, Darren Huckerby was marauding down the wing for the Canaries. Last weekend, he was sitting in the stands as his former club prepared to take on Swansea in the Premier League. It's all going very nicely on the pitch for Paul Lambert's side at the moment, while the Norfolk welcome is as warm as ever.
The day before Saturday's game at Carrow Road, which is where Football Focus came from last weekend, I got the opportunity to promote the programme on BBC Look East and BBC Radio Norfolk's Football Show.
A very friendly taxi driver, who also a big Norwich fan, delivered me to my destinations. He had an in-depth knowledge of the team's tactics and recent results but couldn't remember the names of any players.
"I thought the keeper would be a liability but he's been solid," he said. "You know... what's his name? The big fella."
"Ruddy," I replied. "That's your man... the big fella," he said.
We went through the whole squad in a similar fashion.
"That dude in midfield - the boy we got from Leeds... he's been a bit tasty."
"Bradley Johnson?"
"Spot on."
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The only one that rolled off the tongue without any encouragement was Grant Holt. "I love that kid," he said. "What a player. You can keep Torres and that kid at Manchester City [I think he meant Aguero]... every team needs a Holty."
After my local radio and television appearances, Friday night was spent slaying some pasta with Mark Lawrenson and putting the final touches to the show while occasionally glancing at the Carrow Road pitch, which was visible from the hotel we were staying in.
The weather on Saturday was truly immense. The locals were telling us it never rains in Norwich but even they were surprised by burning sunshine in the middle of October. Lawro even had to dispense with his winter coat!
I thought Focus guest Iwan Roberts was excellent, even though he was thoroughly gutted by the Welsh defeat at the Rugby World Cup that morning and the sending-off of Sam Warburton. It was also a real pleasure to meet another former Norwich player, Jeremy Goss. I was part of the generation that stood in awe at the quality of his volleys.
The one thing that really struck me was the affection the Norwich fans had for both of them. You can still see that both Roberts and Goss have a deep relationship with the club, too. If you don't believe me, watch this week's Focus Forum.
FOCUS FORUM
I found Goss quite an inspirational character if truth be told. He was kind, genuine and gracious, spending a vast amount of time raising money for charity. He's recently returned from a bike ride around Europe, retracing the steps of Norwich's run in the Uefa Cup in the mid-1990s. His next project is preparing to run the Norwich half-marathon wearing a blindfold.
I mentioned on Twitter on Saturday that I was considering starting a campaign to make Goss the new 'King of the United Kingdom' and got a startling amount of support.
I stayed to watch Norwich's 3-1 win over Swansea with one of the football chiefs at the BBC. Over our half-time brew, he brought up the fact that he had visited more than 50 of the current 92 grounds in the Premier League and Football League.
I called up the football tables on my phone and started ticking off the clubs I had been to. From 1999 to 2003, I was a full-time commentator travelling to far-flung corners of the country, while I used to cover matches for Final Score every week from about 2003 and 2008.
After a couple of minutes, I'd got up to 88 out of the 92, a figure that both surprised and disappointed me because I thought I was going to get the full set until I got to Peterborough.
The only four clubs that have currently escaped me are Peterborough, Exeter, Shrewsbury and Hartlepool. I was due to go to Victoria Park a few seasons ago but got diverted to Sunderland at the last minute. I don't know if anyone out there has done the full 92, or maybe you are in single figures, but it would be good to make this week's blog comments a tribute to your trips across the land.
In terms of this week's show, we'll be covering the only four teams from the 92 that are still unbeaten. Manchester United and Manchester City face each other at Old Trafford on Sunday, so we'll get the low down on that game from Vincent Kompany and Javier Hernandez. Steven Taylor will talk about Newcastle United's surprising start to the season in the top flight, while Focus reporter Mark Clemmit visited Huddersfield Town, who are second in League One.
There will be plenty more to keep you entertained so make sure you join us at 1215 BST on BBC One and online this Saturday. In the meantime, get your comments and questions down below and don't forget you can follow all the build up to the show on twitter at www.twitter.com/danwalkerbbc
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/danwalker/2011/10/a_day_out_at_norwich.html
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