CHRIS LAKEY Peter Grant wants Norwich City to become a team of big mouths. The Canaries boss has told his players to turn up the volume if they want to climb the Championship table - but there's logic behind his demands.

CHRIS LAKEY

Peter Grant wants Norwich City to become a team of big mouths.

The Canaries boss has told his players to turn up the volume if they want to climb the Championship table - but there's logic behind his demands.

“If we have organisation within the group it is a massive part,” said Grant, as he prepared for tonight's Carling Cup third round tie at Port Vale.

“I played with, some people say Celtic's poorest centre-back ever ability-wise in Mick McCarthy - but he was world class with his mouth.

“We won championships, we won cups, and a lot of that was down to Mick McCarthy's mouth. He kept us organised and people in shape, kept us in midfield in shape.

“Mick just shouted and you knew exactly what he wanted, you knew what was happening in the game constantly. He never switched off and never shut his mouth for 90 minutes.”

Grant has seen his defence keep consecutive clean sheets - something they haven't managed in the Championship since mid-February.

But central defenders Gary Doherty and Jason Shackell didn't escape criticism after the 1-0 home win over Cardiff on Saturday, with Grant complaining they had been pulled out of position too often for his liking.

And that's why he has demanded they take a leaf out McCarthy's book.

“If we can add that to the team, fantastic, because that is so important,” Grant said. “If they are not like that they have to be spot on with their positional sense every moment of the game and we are not there yet.

“I have to make sure every day they get louder and understand and be more vocal and help each other and to do that you have got to understand what you need from your players, you have to understand everybody else's position apart from your own.

“I keep going on about a learning environment; I know it is a buzz word with new managers and new coaches, but a learning environment for me is understanding the game. That is what I mean, not a class and putting sums on the board. It is all about understanding the position and everybody else's position - that is a learning environment for me.”