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He took over a club that looked to be on its knees in the Championship just a week after they had lost 2-1 at the Turf to give Steve Cotterill his last victory as Burnley manager. They were not only bottom of the league but three points adrift of the next two Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace, and they'd played a game more.
Roeder got off to a favourable start with a credible home draw against fierce rivals Ipswich but they lost three of his next five games in charge. The third of those defeats at Stoke on the day we won at Charlton at the beginning of December prompt was the last time they suffered defeat in a league game until they were hammered 4-0 at Leicester in mid-February.
Although they went out of the FA Cup during that period they had a run of thirteen league games of which seven were won and six drawn. By the time they played the last of those games they'd climbed to 13th in the table and a relegation fight was very much out of the question as they stood ten points above the drop zone.
There have been only two wins since in ten games, and both against strugglers Colchester and Barnsley, and they are now only three points above the drop. It means they are as much in need of the points as we are tomorrow.
Roeder has made only one permanent signing since he's been there, that of Newcastle midfielder Matty Patterson a player who was linked with the Clarets during last season. He has though made use of the loan market and has brought in no less than ten other players on temporary deals.
Some have been and gone, but others remain at Carrow Road including a familiar figure to Burnley supporters Mo Camara who has arrived from Derby and some young players from the Premier League in Ched Evans (Manchester City), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea) and Alex Pearce (Reading).
Norwich need the points to keep themselves away from the bottom three, but equally we need the points to try and get closer to that top six and keep our season alive. It is six years since we were had a play off chance with only five games to go. Whether we make it or not another win would definitely keep the season alive ahead of next week's home game against Sheffield United.
Norwich will be without Maceo Rigters. The Dutch striker made two substitute appearances on loan from Blackburn but has now returned to Ewood Park after suffering a torn hamstring. It is doubtful whether he will play again this season.
Gary Doherty, sent off in the corresponding fixture last season, is fit again after a back injury but will probably have to settle for a place on the bench. Mark Fotheringham has shaken off a knock he received at Bristol City last week whilst Darel Russell should have recovered from illness to take his place in the side.
Expected Norwich team is: David Marshall, Jon Otsemobor, Jason Shackell, Alex Pearce, Ryan Bertrand, Darren Huckerby, Mark Fotheringham, Darel Russell, Matty Patterson, Jamie Cureton, Dion Dublin. Subs from: Matthew Gilks, Gary Doherty, Mo Camara, Lee Croft, Ched Evans, Kieran Gibbs.
Owen Coyle is without Clarke Carlisle who will serve the second in a three match suspension, but he's boosted by the return to the squad of two defenders. Stanislav Varga has missed the last two games with a foot injury and he's available again and for the first time since becoming Burnley manager he is able to name Michael Duff in his squad.
Duff has been out injured since he was stretchered off with multiple knee injuries last September in the home game against Crystal Palace. Not playing until next season looked to be the best he could hope for but things went better than expected when he did not need surgery on his cruciate ligament and after six reserve team games he's now available for the first team.
I don't expect either of them to make the starting line up but I have a feeling Duff might just be on the bench. Elsewhere in the team everyone else is available but I don't envisage many, if any changes to the side. It could well be the same starting eleven as last week and that would see us line up:
Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Steven Caldwell, David Unsworth, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake, Kyle Lafferty. Subs from: Gabor Kiraly, Michael Duff, Stanislav Varga, Mark Randall, Alan Mahon, John Spicer, Ade Akinbiyi, Andrew Cole.
The Sky cameras were there last season for our game against Norwich at Carrow Road. They had come to see Norwich and in particular their manager Nigel Worthington, but the viewers were given a treat by the Clarets who turned in a master class.
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There was hardly a weak link and even before we went in front we could have had goals from Michael Duff and Micah Hyde. But when a chance fell to James O'Connor he made no mistake. The ball was played up to Gifton Noel-Williams who took the ball and turned superbly to play in Steve Jones on the left and O'Connor got on the end of his low ball across to score.
Andy Gray was the architect of the second. He played the ball out to Wade Elliott and then moved into the box to get on the end of the winger's cross to head home. 2-0 at half time and the home fans were not happy.
I felt we needed to keep it tight early in the second half. How little I know, Andy Gray got clear and Gary Doherty brought him down. There was no choice for the referee, he had to go. Now we were two up against ten men and it was soon 3-0 as Gray got his second. Again it was a combination of Gifton and Jones and this time there was Gray to turn the ball home.
Norwich did pull one back through Earnshaw late in the game but there was no way we were going to allow them back into the game and substitute Alan Mahon rounded it all off as he hammered the ball home for goal number four after receiving the ball from Gray.
It was the first time we'd won by this scoreline at home for over seven years but Sky seemed more interested in Norwich and in particular Delia Smith who seemed to be telling those close to her in the directors box that Worthington was on his way. He was, by the time we'd been drenched in a downpour getting back to the car he'd been sacked.
Delia's specials last season were a chicken, ham and sweetcorn pie or a cauliflower cheese pie. She can put the same on tomorrow if she likes and we'll try to give them another master class of football.
The teams were;
Norwich: Paul Gallacher, Jurgen Collin, Gary Doherty, Craig Fleming, Patrick Boyle (Jason Shackell 62), Lee Croft (Andy Hughes 71), Carl Robinson, Youssef Safri, Darren Huckerby, Dion Dublin (Peter Thorne 65). Robert Earnshaw. Subs not used: Lee Camp, Ryan Jarvis.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Frank Sinclair, Michael Duff, John McGreal, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott (Alan Mahon 75), James O'Connor, Micah Hyde, Steve Jones (Chris McCann 86), Andy Gray, Gifton Noel-Williams (Kyle Lafferty 86). Subs not used: Stephen Foster, Garreth O'Connor.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
2000/01 | 1 | h | 2-0 | 15,017 | Payton Davis |
| . | . | a | 3-2 | 17,507 | Ball Taylor Moore |
2001/02 | 1 | a | 1-2 | 19,849 | Armstrong |
| . | . | h | 1-1 | 14,679 | Taylor |
2002/03 | 1 | h | 2-0 | 16,282 | McGregor Little |
. | . | a | 0-2 | 20,026 | . |
2003/04 | 1 | a | 0-2 | 16,407 | . |
| . | . | h | 3-5 | 12,417 | Wood May Blake |
2005/06 | C | a | 1-2 | 25,204 | Safri(og) |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 11,938 | Gray Branch |
2006/07 | C | a | 4-1 | 24,717 | J O'Connor Gray(2) Mahon |
| . | . | h | 3-0 | 9,681 | Akinbiyi Gray Elliott |
2007/08 | C | h | 2-1 | 10,133 | Blake Gray(pen) |
