Disillusioned fans have upped the pressure on manager Nigel Worthington by calling a public meeting to discuss "the current situation" at Carrow Road.

Disillusioned fans have upped the pressure on manager Nigel Worthington by calling a public meeting to discuss “the current situation” at Carrow Road.

Norwich City Independent Supporters Association have dug deep to hire St Andrew's Hall for the evening of Thursday, March 2 - and are hoping for a bumper attendance at one of the city's biggest venues.

The Canaries' bitterly disappointing season, and the future of their manager, are sure to be the two hot topics on the agenda, and NCISA chairman Roy Blower is expecting some lively, and at the same time constructive, debate about the best way forward for the club.

“The decision to call a public meeting was not taken lightly,” said NCISA chairman Roy Blower, who issued a statement calling for a change of manager earlier in the season.

“It has cost us a lot of money to hire St Andrew's Hall, but we thought it was the right thing to do given the current situation.

“We have seen fans demonstrating outside the boardroom and banners being unfurled during games and it's clear that a lot of people are bitterly disappointed with the way things have gone this season.

“With the risk of being accused of stealing other people's sayings I think it is better to jaw, jaw than war, war. This meeting gives fans the chance to come along and express their views. I should stress it will open to all supporters, not just NCISA members.

“After hearing what people have had to say we can hopefully be of assistance in suggesting the best way forward for the club.”

After being informed of the meeting, the Canaries issued a statement vigorously defending their record of consulting with fans and being prepared to listen to what they had to say. At the same time they also accepted NCISA had every right to call their own meeting and said they were looking forward to hearing what supporters had to say.

“As a club we are fundamentally committed to the principal of regular consultation with our supporters,” said a club spokesman. “We have a number of channels through which our supporters are able to air their views on the club.

“These include the supporters' consultative group, which meets every six weeks, meet the board road shows (held recently at Sheringham and Hull), Delia Smith sitting with supporters at home and away and through the emails, letters and telephone calls which the chief executive is always prepared to take.

“However we also respect the right of independent groups such as NCISA to meet and air their views on the football club in a healthy and constructive fashion and we will be interested to hear what feedback is given at the meeting.”

Next month's gathering will get under way at 7.30pm. Further details are available from Blower on 01603 452557 or 07717 104426.