Iwan Roberts on Norwich FA Cup tie and hopes for 2024

Any game you win is good, I just look at the FA Cup now and it's changed so much since I was a kid and when I played in it because you know there are going to be 11 changes.

I can understand it. Seven games in December, eight games in 30 days with the one on New Year’s Day. It's a lot of games and David Wagner is going to have to rest players who have played the majority of the minutes in this busy period.

Winning does become a habit, as does losing games, I just think if he makes eight, nine, 10 changes will that have an effect on the next Championship game, at Hull? I'm not too sure, because you know for the Hull game there are going to be as many changes. You would expect Josh Sargent to start in the cup game, and Grant Hanley.

There are players that need a bit of loading up with minutes on the pitch. Borja Sainz as well, maybe, he served a suspension and hasn't played a lot of games. He's another one that could do with minutes.

I remember my first couple of League Cup games for the club, which were important because I scored against Barnet. I know Mike (Walker) made a lot of changes. I wanted to play because I knew it was a good chance for me to get off the mark, goal scoring wise.

I'm not sure now it's a massive priority for players to play in the FA Cup. If they have started the majority of these games in December they will see this as a good chance for them to rest their legs. And that’s the nature of the FA Cup.

It used to be the League Cup where it would be the Premier League teams who would make changes for the competition but now it's the Championship and League One and League Two managers who make changes for the League Cup, and it’s the same for the FA Cup.

Can David Wagner afford to risk playing Kenny McLean in this weekend's FA Cup tie? (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

There is such an importance on getting promoted. Can you imagine if David Wagner were to play some really important players against Bristol Rovers and they pick up an injury which keeps them out for two months.

He’d get absolutely lambasted and I think supporters understand it. I don't think supporters turning up to Carrow Road on Saturday would expect to see too many first team regulars, like Kenny McLean.

They need a rest, and I agree with that.

Football's 12 months of the year now, players hardly get any time off. The Christmas fixtures, as much of an overload as they are, we have all done it – get on with it.

Bristol Rovers, at home – I think the manager could make a few changes and I would still expect Norwich to go through to the fourth round.

The players are all in it together. There's a squad of 25, whatever, all in it together. The players who will be rested, they'll be in that dressing room, they'll be ‘come on, boys, let's get through to the fourth round’. It’s a good thing winning games, it's a good feeling.

Welcome to 2024

Happy New Year to everyone – hopefully Norwich City fans will get what they want.

I know it hasn’t really been a good Christmas/New Year period for the club, but there are still 20 games to go, 60 points to play for. They are only five points off the play-offs, it's so tight. You look at that Championship table and only 11 points separate Sunderland in that last play-off place and Stoke, who are 19th.

It is always but I think this season it's even tighter so it's all to play for. I know there's a few Norwich fans who haven't got the belief, haven't got the faith in the manager or the squad to finish in the top six, but with 20 games to go and five points off it… why not?

It's not the worst place to be - I think top six is still achievable and I've said it many times in the first half of the season. Reach the play-offs first and then reassess and have a look.

That’s my New Year’s wish and I think that is also reality.

People are asking who they are going to bring in in January now the transfer window is open: they’ve got two new signings in Josh Sargent and Grant Hanley, two massive players for the club, two massive characters.

What a great sign it is that Josh, after that horrendous injury that he suffered at Huddersfield, after the weeks and months that he's been out, has hit the ground running with his goal against Southampton. That will do him the world of good.

As for Grant, the Achilles is the worst injury you can get. I don’t know if he's the sort of player who has a tendency to put weight on when he's not training or exercising, but he doesn't look as if he's put an ounce.

It's a massive bonus getting them back for the second half of the season. They're like two new signings which will give everybody a lift.

Top six is achievable, still. You get a few doubters and a bit of negativity, especially with the last three results, even though I thought the draw with Southampton, considering the run they have been on, wasn't a bad point.

I won’t go without mention of Ipswich. They have hit a bit of a bump after an unbelievable first half to the season. I've seen them a few times, been really impressed. They score for fun, but all of a sudden they have drawn blanks against QPR and Stoke.

They have a few injuries and they haven't got the strength and depth they need. Leeds and Southampton are slowly making up ground.

I don’t think they will finish second – the effort they put in their performances is absolutely magnificent, but that takes its toll over a 46-game season. I just think they will run out of steam to finish in the top two.