We'll see who's got the bottle for a fight - Lambert

Canaries boss Paul Lambert has given a short, but sharp, response to claims from his opposite number today that his team lack the bottle for a promotion fight.

Swindon boss Danny Wilson suggested expectations levels at Carrow Road might be too hot for some City players to handle.

But if he wants it hot, then he'll certainly get it this afternoon.

Lambert was clearly less than impressed.

"We'll see," he said. "That's brilliant, honestly. You can ask any player in the league - a lot of them would want to come here.

"Ask anybody you want, they'd like to play their football here and if you're here you have to handle the expectation levels.

"The lads have handled it so far so I don't have a problem. If somebody wants to speak like that then so be it."

Wilson's comments are more likely to spur on a City camp who were stung by the manner of their defeat at Leeds on Monday, when a mistake by goalkeeper Fraser Forster cost them a point that was arguably the least they deserved.

One City player who knows Wilson better than anyone is midfielder Owain Tudur Jones, who spent time on loan at Swindon last season.

"I think he is trying to play a few games there," said the midfielder, who took another step on his comeback from injury with a reserve team appearance in midweek.

"From the time I spent with him he is a real top guy and he is just trying to plant a few seeds to see what sort of reaction he gets if anything with the quotes. I am sure he will get our squad and our boys riled up for the game and add a little bit more fire to the belly and hopefully we can start well and really come out of the traps with them to make sure Danny has to have a rethink about what he says about these boys in the future.

"It's just a way of trying to add a little bit more pressure. There certainly is pressure already there at Carrow Road from playing in front of a big crowd, but it seems to be over the last few weeks something the boys really look forward to. The boys enjoy playing there and that's all you can ask really."

Defender Gary Doherty said there was one simple response to Wilson's suggestions that the players lacked the bottle for battle.

"We will have to show him tomorrow that we have," he said. "I certainly think we have - we've got the players to get out of this league, but it is up to us to show it.

"We know we are at a big club and we know we need to produce week in week out and it's something we've got to do."

Lambert says confidence is sky high in the City camp.

"If I had come up here after the Colchester game for instance, on the Sunday, I'll bet you any money you want it won't be as it is today - it's totally, totally different, because they got beat heavily and the criticism had been severe," he said. "The players have been brilliant, it's there for everybody to see with what they've done.

"The crowd sense it because they keep coming in their droves, so that's how you judge it, when your stadium is still packed to the rafters. The players are playing really, really well, and to me we are still the team to beat, even though our league position at this minute in time isn't up there with your Leeds and Charltons, but football wise we're playing great. Performance-wise I don't have a problem.

"Over the last four or five weeks the level of performance has been sky high and if we keep on doing what we are doing and make the running we'll be there in the mix."