Tim Allman, Capital Canaries For those with long memories I was a guest on the Scrimmage in December 2007; it was the show that featured a lengthy interview with Glenn Roeder. Luckily I was asked back on the November 13 show, also with Paul Webster, who used to be the Capital Canaries Chairman, but now lives in Norwich.

Tim Allman, Capital Canaries

For those with long memories I was a guest on the Scrimmage in December 2007; it was the show that featured a lengthy interview with Glenn Roeder.

Luckily I was asked back on the November 13 show, also with Paul Webster, who used to be the Capital Canaries Chairman, but now lives in Norwich. At the time of asking we did not know that Darren Huckerby would also be a guest, but found out a couple of days before the show. Paul was delighted about this, as was I, but to a lesser extent.

My worry was that I have history with Hucks, dating back to January 2006. This was about a Capital Canaries PinkUn article featuring Andy Hughes, entitled the "Hughes effect could be so costly".

Hughes took great offence to the story and the picture of him being carried off on a stretcher with the caption, "Has his injury saved our season?", and he and Hucks, complained vociferously to Rick Waghorn when he was at Colney on the Tuesday after the 3-0 defeat against Preston. I only found out about this incident a couple of weeks after it took place, but whenever I have met Hucks I've always been wary, and especially so at QPR when my daughter Gemma ran out with him as the mascot in the 3-3 draw two years ago. So it was with trepidation that I shook Hucks' hand outside the studio as Chris Goreham introduced us. Luckily the mention of my name did not prompt any recognition. I breathed a sigh of relief as we sat down to start the broadcast.

The main rumour pre-show was that Hucks was training at Lowestoft Town, and even before we were on air it was confirmed, as a text from Craig Fleming arrived informing Hucks he should have been there that evening. One of the first questions was around that subject and Hucks explained that he would be training with Lowestoft having been invited by Fleming. Although Hucks did not actually mention this on the show, my assumption was that he had not been made welcome at Colney by Glenn Roeder.

As he spoke, I was fuming. How could Norwich City FC allow their best player in recent years to be treated in such a way, reducing him to train with a local non-league team?

If I was the interviewer my next question would have been to Hucks as to why this was the case, but the conversation was moved on to a different subject, and as it was not my radio show, I thought it wise to keep quiet.

During the show Hucks spoke honestly and passionately about Norwich and his commitment to the local area. He also mentioned that he didn't want to become a manager as he saw how players can get treated. I wondered how much of that statement applied to his last season at Norwich, but he didn't elaborate further.

After the show closed at 7pm, Paul and I had a photo taken with Hucks, and he signed a picture of himself and Gemma running out of the players tunnel that I took at QPR.

As we were leaving the Forum, Hucks offered Paul and I a lift back to the station. On the way to his car, he talked about various incidents and some of the players that had left Norwich, and we were in no doubt as to why he was so disappointed about the departures of Etuhu and Earnshaw and why he spoke out in the press at the time.

Mine and Paul's thanks are due to Chris Goreham, for inviting us onto the Scrimmage and to Hucks for making it a memorable show.