What a time of year to have to write this column. There's really very little that's certain at the moment

What a time of year to have to write this column.

There's really very little that's certain at the moment, but we do know that: After a run of poor results, we played - and won - at Tamworth last weekend, and now face a fourth round FA Cup game away to Blackpool.

We have a manager who is still very much finding his way and who, as he stated on Radio Norfolk this week, is having to deal with a situation in which he has up to 13 players who will soon be out of contract.

At the time of writing, we still have a very small squad with a few good players, some just-about-OK players, and some who are really not good enough. (Although if I made a list of the current squad under those three headings, I know very few people would agree with my personal player ratings!).

We have lost far too many points this season through late opposition goals in time added on.

We are now in the transfer window, so the players who started against Tamworth (arguably our best starting eleven at present), might not be part of the Norwich City team that runs out against Plymouth on Saturday when this column is posted.

Apart from these facts, there are a lot of unknowns: Will results be better in 2007? Will Dion Dublin stay at the club into next season? Where will Earnie be by the end of the month? Is Craig Fleming off to Bournemouth? Do we have any chance of signing the players we have been linked with - Pearson, Riordan, Camp, Varney, Eastwood, Vine etc, etc? The list changes daily!

I do know though, that most fans will keep coming to watch their team this year. If we don't make the play-offs we'll blame the Board, the manager, the referee, the players - but if by some miracle the team strings together some wins, we will forget a lot of the pain, and grasp at any tiny straw that looks like a change in fortune.

We've had a poor couple of years, but we are still pulling in the crowds. It really is time to keep the faith! One good thing happened this week: it was good to read Chris Lakey's report elsewhere on this site describing NCISA's £1,000 donation to buy equipment for the Academy. This was raised through the Canary Challenge. If you haven't entered, make a mental note to take part next year - good clean fun, and it raises money to benefit the club.