While the battle for the Premiership title has looked a one horse race for some time, in sharp contrast, the scrap to avoid relegation couldn't be tighter with the bottom four sides currently separated by just a single point. Last week's crushing 4-3 defeat against Southampton saw Norwich slip back to the foot of the league, but such is the congested nature of the table that victory against Birmingham this weekend could conceivably see the Canaries climb out of the drop zone. Givemefootball's Mark Shail caught up with Scottish international midfielder Gary Holt as Nigel Worthington's men prepare for Saturday's vital clash at Carrow Road.
Q:HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS WEEKEND'S GAME AGAINST BIRMINGHAM?
A:It is a must win – it's as simple as that. We need to win our last two games and if we do that we can look back and say that we gave ourselves the best possible chance of staying up.
Q:WHAT HAS THE MOOD IN THE CAMP BEEN LIKE THIS WEEK AFTER THE DEFEAT AT ST MARY'S?
A:It's been surprisingly good, given how disappointed the players were after that game. The lads have been bubbly and training has been done at a high tempo. The manager has been quick to point out to us that it is no good feeling sorry for ourselves because this is a time when we need to stay positive.
Q:NORWICH WERE WIDELY TIPPED TO FINISH BOTTOM THIS SEASON, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STILL SURPRISE A FEW PEOPLE?
A:That could well be the case, but we've played some good football and if we hadn't drawn so many games things could have been very different. We've drawn 12 games this season and if we'd have managed to have won three or four of those we would be sitting somewhere in mid-table. So in that respect we could have achieved more. We've also lost games in the last minute on two or three occasions, but we can't afford to dwell on that now.
Q:HOW HAVE YOU ENJOYED YOUR FIRST TASTE OF THE PREMIERSHIP?
A:It's been a good experience. Every game has been different and as a professional it's great to come up against the superstars you have only previously seen on television. Last season we went into every game expecting to win but this year it has been totally different because of the quality of the teams we have come up against.
Q:HOW PLEASED HAVE YOU BEEN WITH YOUR OWN FORM?
A:It's gone pretty well, I've started 24 games so far but unfortunately I suffered with injury and illness over the Christmas period and have been on the bench for the last three games. All I can do is train hard and try to get myself in the manager’s thoughts for the last two matches.
Q:I SUPPOSE YOU WILL BE HOPING THAT CRYSTAL PALACE AND SOUTHAMPTON DRAW ON SATURDAY?
A:That would be the best result for us but it will mean nothing if we don't do the job against Birmingham. At the end of the day what happens at Selhurst Park is out of our hands, all we can do is try to win our last two games and hope that will be enough.
Q:YOU’VE RECENTLY JOINED THE PFA'S MANAGEMENT AGENCY, WHAT WAS YOUR DECISION BEHIND THAT?
A:I met the PFA agent Phil Sproson and he explained what the PFA had to offer and I just felt there was no better company to be with. I'm very pleased to have signed up because I know I am in safe hands and they are very well respected. Don't get me wrong, I've had different agents in the past, and they have done a reasonable job, but I know with the PFA I'm never going to be led up the garden path.
