NORWICH AIN'T NOBODY

It's only Norwich.

That seems to be the sentiment among a few Newcastle United fans. They've implied that the club's sudden injury-induced defensive crisis isn't coming at too bad of a time because Norwich, a newly promoted team, is next on the schedule.

That's total bull.

Sure, on paper Newcastle has a more talented and accomplished roster. Plenty of American Toon fans won't be familiar with their team's opponents today (note: that's not intended to be an insult to those fans - Norwich simply doesn't have any household names on its roster).

But games like this scare the hell out of me. Norwich is in the Premier League thanks to back-to-back promotions and has a no-nonsense manager (Paul Lambert) and a gritty group of under-the-radar players looking to make names for themselves. Those are the sort of players who will come at you full speed, regardless of the badge on your jersey. Toss in that the game is at Carrow Road and that Newcastle will be playing two makeshift center backs, and you have the recipe for an uncomfortable match for those supporting the guys in black and white.

And I haven't even mentioned that Norwich has done fairly well so far in its return to the Premier League. Its 16 points are good enough for 11th place in the table entering today's round of games. What's more, Norwich has actually scored one more goal than Newcastle in PL play (20 to 19) and has 11 goals in its last five home games (three wins, one draw and one loss). Lambert has a pair of dangerous strikers at his disposal in Steve Morison, a regular for the Welsh national team, and Grant Holt, who may look like Johan Elmander's chubby English cousin but has been one of the PL's most productive impact substitutes this season.

Now, it should be noted that Norwich has also conceded 26 goals, more than any team outside the bottom three. So Newcastle should have opportunities going forward.

Just don't expect an automatic three points.