Roeder rebuilds Norwich

A victory against QPR in the penultimate fixture of last season ensured Norwich are still in the Championship this season after a fraught nine months. It is a measure of how far the club has sunk in recent years that the prospect of League One football was a very real threat but Glenn Roeder ensured they survived.The Canaries were in the mire when he arrived at Carrow Road in late October and staring relegation in the face, but he steadied the ship and kept them in the second tier of English football. However, the squad needed major surgery and he has achieved that by bringing in 11 new players in a complete revamp of the Carrow Road club.Expectations are always high in Norfolk and Roeder knows that the Canaries will need to be in and around the top six to satisfy supporters but they are a real unknown quantity at present.Arturo Lupoli has talent, as does Omar Koroma, but the transfer gossip suggests that Roeder wants to add one more striker to his squad before tomorrows trip to Coventry. The departure of Darren Huckerby is a sign of Roeders broom sweeping and the acquisition of Wes Hoolahan from Blackpool looks a shrewd move.Roeder, though, will need to address Norwichs Achilles heel of travel sickness if they are to be contenders this season and the trip to Coventry will be a good indicator of where their campaign is heading.Players In:David Bell (Luton Town/Undiscolsed)Dejan Stefanovic (Fulham/Undisclosed)Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea/Loan)Sammy Clingan (Nottingham Forest/Free)Wes Hoolahan (Blackpool/Undisclosed)Omar Koroma (Portsmouth/Loan).John Kennedy (Celtic/Free)Stuart Nelson (Free/Leyton Orient)Elliott Omozusi (Fulham/Loan)Arturo Lupoli (Fiorentina/Loan)Troy Archibald-Henville (Tottenham Hotspur/Loan)Players Out:Chris Martin (Luton Town/Loan)Michael Spillane (Luton Town/Loan)Darren Huckerby (Free)Andrew Cave-Brown (Free)Rossi Jarvis (Free)Ryan Jarvis (Free)Bally Smart (Free)Patrick Bexfield (Free)Steven Arnold (Free)Matthew Halliday (Free)Juan Velasco (Free)Prediction:The Canaries could gel very quickly and be competing at the top end of the division or suffer another season of strife. I expect it to be somewhere in the middle as a campaign of consolidation beckons.History of Norwich City FC:The club was founded in 1902 and, since 1935, Norwich have played their home games at Carrow Road. They reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1959 as a third division (League One) side, beating top flight opposition in the form of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur en route.They first won promotion to the Football League First Division in 1972, and have played a total of 18 seasons in the top flight, with a longest continuous spell of nine seasons. Norwich have won the League Cup twice, in 1962 and 1985, but they also suffered relegation in 1985 along with fellow finalists, Sunderland.They were founder members of the Premier League in 1992-93, and played in its first three seasons, reaching the UEFA Cup Third Round in 1994. They returned for one season in the top flight in 2004–05.Norwich are also the only English club to have beaten Bayern Munich on their own patch when they recorded a famous 2-1 victory there during that UEFA Cup run in1994 after finishing third in the Premier League the previous season.They have lifted the Championship title on three occasions (1972, 1986 and 2004) as well as lifting the old Third Division South crown in 1934.Did you know?Norwichs original nickname was the Mustardmen since the famous brand Colman's was based in the city and they played in a distinct yellow colour.