v 
SHRIMPERS
At least we're at home, but with the next fixture away to Charlton, it's going to be a tough game against the high-flying Canaries, who are bound to put on a better show than they did against Carlisle in the Cup Saturday.
The squad have had a week off and should be up for it more than they were on a wet night in Birkenhead, the saddest of all the recent away defeats to teams in the bottom half.
www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=474364)
Of all the comments on the MK Dons forward there was general agreement that he performed better in the middle, (www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=474862), so Tilly may be tempted to start with Scannell wide and have Ibehre in partnership with Barney as they were a few times at Orient.
However, Damien has looked good coming off the bench while Dougie's still alert brain, if not so much his feet nowadays, may be needed against a side that is five league matches unbeaten since they lost 2-1 to Leeds a month ago.
Whatever position young Jabo begins the game there's no argument on the work rate he puts in, if not his finishing, but we have the good Lord for that.
Youth team keeper Dan Bentley will continue on the bench due to the agreement with the Football League that allowed Morrison to sign for the Shrimpers as long as usual substitute keeper Ian Joyce does not play.
Why? Answers to Roots Hall Roar please!
Possible Southend United: Mildenhall, Francis , Morrison, Barrett, Malone, Scannell, Christophe, McCormack, Moussa, Barnard, Ibehre.
Subs: Bentley, O'Keefe, Freedman, Walker, Asante.
OPPOSITION
Canaries manager Paul Lambert is concerned on the fitness of midfielder Darel Russell who left the 3-1 cup defeat at Carlisle after 70 minutes with a dead leg.
Centre half Jens Berthel Askou missed out on the long trip to Cumbria as his wife was sick but should return.
The winger Anthony McNamee, a late loan signing from Swindon, was cup-tied on Saturday, but is expected to make his debut at Roots Hall at some stage.
Midfielder Stephen Hughes, and another November loan signing, right back Russell Martin, may be included if Lambert decides to make further changes.
| 3 | Colchester United | 18 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 32 | 17 | 33 | +15 | ||||
| 4 | Norwich City | 18 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 37 | 24 | 32 | +13 | ||||
| 5 | Huddersfield Town | 18 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 38 | 19 | 30 | +19 | ||||
| 6 | Milton Keynes Dons | 18 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 24 | 29 | -1 |
For all the latest Norwich news; including a report on the Carlisle cup loss, which saw the Canaries miss out on a tie at Everton, ouch, and the team that finished the game, go here: www.pinkun.com/content/pinkun/norwich-city/
PREVIOUSLY
It's all level with 31 wins each and for a more detailed analysis click here.
REF
The man in the middle is Phil Crossley from Kent.
FIXTURES
BET
To Win:
Southend - 11/5, Draw - 5/2, Norwich - 13/10.
The history of Norwich City F.C. stretches back to 1902. After a brief period in amateur football, the club spent 15 years as a semi-professional team in the Southern League before admission to The Football League in 1920.
For most of the next 50 years, Norwich sat in Division Three (South), then the joint lowest tier of the football league, a period that was distinguished by "a thrilling giant-killing sequence which took them to the FA Cup semi-finals" in 1959. Shortly afterwards, the club won its first major trophy, the 1962 League Cup. Norwich finally reached the pinnacle of the league structure in 1972, with their first promotion to the top tier.
Since then, The Canaries has acquired a reputation as a "yo-yo club", with 21 seasons in the top league and 15 in the second and in this period they picked up their second major trophy, the League Cup in 1985, reached two more FA Cup semi finals, finished fifth, fourth and third in the top division and beat Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup.
In the course of its history, Norwich City has survived a number of incidents that threatened its survival, including ousting from amateur football, the need to be re-elected to The Football League and financial crises.
Geoffrey Watling, who was to become club Chairman and after whom a stand at the club's stadium, Carrow Road is named, was instrumental in saving the club from bankruptcy, both in the 1950s and 1990s; his father had played a similar role in 1919.
On October 30th 2007, former Newcastle United boss Glenn Roeder was confirmed as the new manager. Roeder released a number of players, largely replacing them with inexperienced loan signings. Results improved enormously, lifting the club from five points adrift at the foot of the table to a comfortable mid-table position.
On January 14, 2009, it was announced that Roeder had been relieved of his first team duties after sixty games in charge of the club, and just twenty victories. Norwich City were relegated to the third tier of English league football (League One), a level the club had not played at since 1960, on the final day of the 2008-09 Championship season.
Norwich started their League One campaign on August 8, 2009 at home to fellow East Anglians Colchester United. They were widely expected to return swiftly to the Championship, however they suffered a shock 1-7 defeat. This was their worst home defeat in their 107 year history, beating the previous record, a 1-6 loss to Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic (now A.F.C. Bournemouth) in 1946.
The supporters displeasure was obvious with pre-season expectations being unsacrimoniously crushed, and at 4-0 down after just 22 minutes, two fans entered the pitch and ripped up their season tickets! Manager and Norwich legend Bryan Gunn was sacked six days later.
It was announced on 18 August 2009 that Paul Lambert would become the new manager, leaving his post at Colchester, and the club have certainly progressed under his stewardship.
For a far more comprehensive history of the club, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Norwich_City_F.C.