Andrew Murray getting to a Wimbledon tennis final, England winning the football World Cup in Germany, our cricketers retaining the Ashes down under; can we add Norwich achieving promotion through the Championship play offs to the long list of unrealistic hopes and expectations? Judging by Boxing Day's flat turkey against lowly Southend, I reckon we can.

Andrew Murray getting to a Wimbledon tennis final, England winning the football World Cup in Germany, our cricketers retaining the Ashes down under; can we add Norwich achieving promotion through the Championship play offs to the long list of unrealistic hopes and expectations? Judging by Boxing Day's flat turkey against lowly Southend, I reckon we can.

After a decent away point at Molineux three days previous, the anticipation to see the year out with six home points was soon dampened by a forgettable and dismal performance. In front of another excellent Carrow Road crowd, there could be no hiding from the frustration of being held by the 10 men of a team without an away win all season or a goal in their past three outings. To be fair to the boss, he faced and agreed with the disappointment from supporters: “We deserved the criticism”.

Not for the first time, we didn't appear to be capable of any cutting edge and, despite numerous attacks towards the end of the second half, I don't think we worked the visiting keeper once. “There wasn't enough quality” was the gaffer's brief summing up. He was right. We've all said it before and I'm happy to say it again: we have very good players in our side, arguably some of the best in the division, but until we strengthen and sort out our midfield we will continue to be ordinary.

I'm certain there are several names on Peter Grant's first January wish list and so I'm looking forward to see the type of player he shall bring to Norfolk. Up til now, Grant has had to work with the players he inherited and, by now, he should have a clear idea of who will still be around come February.

As we enter the New Year, therefore, we can at least take heart that this new era may just be the start on the long road back to challenging back at the top. Whether we will have Robert Earnshaw with us on that journey appears to remain up for debate. The most important thing of all is that a defining upturn is achieved and we can once again begin to have faith in our players.

On behalf of everyone at Capital Canaries, here's wishing you a very healthy and Happy New Year.