I AM not really sure what to make of City's start to the season. After the unmitigated disaster that was last season, a turn around in the style of play has in part restored my faith in the club.

I AM not really sure what to make of City's start to the season. After the unmitigated disaster that was last season, a turn around in the style of play has in part restored my faith in the club. But there's still a very long way go before the emotional scars of watching the rubbish served up last season are fully healed.

On the positive side, we are at last playing the 'Norwich Way', for want of a better phrase and have finally signed a right-sided attacking player who has immediately looked the part and fitted in well. We have a pair of centre- backs who are starting to become a very good combination, and we have Robert Earnshaw who would walk into any team in the league.

We have three 'new' players in the team who are unrecognisable from last year, so thanks to Jurgen Colin, Dickson Etuhu and Carl Robinson and the management team for their excellent form. If the same transformation takes place for Andy Hughes, when he gets his chance in the side, can we assume that the secret of Alchemy has finally been discovered at Colney?

Solid contributions from the rest of the team, no injuries or suspensions, and the starting eleven playing well has made selection easy this season. Same side, with a few changes on the bench, the best of which have been Paul McVeigh, and want-away Leon McKenzie.

On the negative side, the rest of our paper-thin squad consists of several promising reserve team players with no more than ten first team appearances between them, others whose best years are behind them and some the manager does not appear to have confidence in.

It does not take a crystal ball to predict that all it will take is a couple of injuries, a player or two to lose form and City could be struggling in more than one area of the pitch.

We need more than a few additions to our squad before the transfer window closes on August 31, and with the quotes from the club this Friday about lack of progress on potential quality recruits I fear that last season and our lack of early activity in the transfer market may cost us dearly.

Is it possible that the negative comments and the clouds under which certain players left the club last season, plus the way in which loan signings Jonatan Jonansson and Zesh Rehman were utilised, has contributed to this problem? And which quality target man is going to want to join City when we are seemingly committed to a 4-5-1 formation with Earnshaw the man in possession of the only forward slot?

I just hope we are not panicked into an 11th hour signing of a player that may not be right for Norwich or a last minute premier league loan who does not want to be at the club. We got lucky in signing Huckerby and Crouch, but most of the other loan deals since then have not been worth the money.

Unless signings are made this week it looks like Norwich may at last be forced into blooding the youngsters, which in the longer term might not be such a bad thing.

We are going to need to find out how good they are sooner or later.