CHRIS LAKEY Canaries winger Darren Huckerby has called for unity among the City squad - and criticised the club for allowing the contracts of more than a dozen players to expire in the summer.

CHRIS LAKEY

Canaries winger Darren Huckerby has called for unity among the City squad - and criticised the club for allowing the contracts of more than a dozen players to expire in the summer.

Disgruntled supporters have questioned the players' commitment to the Norwich City cause as the season lurches from one crisis to another.

But Huckerby claims manager Peter Grant's task has been made more difficult by the contracts situation - as well as the fact that some people see their futures elsewhere.

“The fans have their say and if they are saying there is not commitment there that is a bad thing because players should be committed,” he said. “Whether they want to be at the club or not, they still should be committed while they are under contract.

“We are going through a bad stage at the minute - some people don't want to be here, more people do, so it's very difficult.

“Not everyone is happy at a football club - there is no football club in this country where everyone is happy. It seems to be affecting us right now and we have got to come together and try and win games.”

Huckerby was one of 13 players out of contract in the summer, although he has put pen to paper on a deal which ties him to Carrow Road until the end of next season.

But he says Grant's ability to plan for the future has not been helped by the uncertainty.

“It is difficult,” he said. “We have 13 people out of contract at the end of the season and I bet there is not another club in the country that is in that situation.

“How can you play when you have 13 people out of contract, whether you want them or not? If we lose 13 players we have probably 10 players - it is a strange situation for the club to be in to be honest.

“Obviously mine was sorted out, but if I wanted to I didn't have to sign anything. I only did it to help the club out really.

“If I had wanted to I could have left it to the end of the season, and all sorts of options would have opened up.

“But I am very surprised we are in this situation now where we have that many people out of contract. How can the gaffer plan when you don't know who is going to be here next season? As a player that is not great so as a manager it must be even worse.”

t Huckerby, preparing for Saturday's FA Cup fourth round trip to Blackpool, visited Canaries season ticket holders Colin Meppem and sons Luke and Jakob at their home in Great Ellingham yesterday as part of a promotional campaign with npower - in which they were the 150th customers to sign up to the npower Canary Energy scheme.