• 24 years since Norwich have defeated Boro, and the last time these two met was real cracker; a 4-4 draw back in 2005 in the Prem that saw Boro waste a 4-1 lead over the last 10 minutes – this visit to Carrow Road sees Luke Williams back in the fold at the tip of a midfield diamond, with free license to operate anywhere in the free positions behind the strikers

• Do we ask or expect too much from GON? He’s really tidy in a central creative role – his passes are inventive and inch-perfect, but ultimately nullified by the poor FKs and corners and profligacy in front of goal

• All the clamour for Tony McMahon isn’t exactly being merited – again, going back to Forest Tuesday, he had acres of space at times on the right and couldn’t create something reliable – crosses were largely abject – still brings sound defensive mind to the position,  slightly canceling it out

• Three weeks after the desperate Thommo experiment against Pompey, he’s rushed back too soon again – how critical is this setback? 46 minutes in two appearances, clearly ill-equipped to return so soon from the troubling leg injury

• More of the same at HT – Lethal frustrates by getting into good positions with absolutely  no end product – Boro play bright stuff for long spells and muck it up with needless concessions – ‘fragile’ at the back and ‘toothless’ upfront

• ‘Sustained’ singing for Mogga from the away support – doesn’t appear he’s made a visit from his country pile in nearby Suffolk

• More condemnation for Strachan accompanies the news that Marvin Emnes has put Swansea ahead against Leicester…how we could use his pace

• Move to the future? First, Smallwood is preferred to Tavares when replacing Thommo, and then Mac came on for Boyd, leaving the whelpish Luke Williams on for a most diminutive attacking trident

• Ali has a dig at Strachan by noting that maybe we need ‘a bit of character’ – the wee unemployed man went to great pains when stressing his desire for it, yet none of the ‘men’ he drafted in have displayed it

• FT Norwich 1-0 Boro – huge shortage of belief – 1 point from 21 away – worst away record in the football league

• Aggers: not happy times, to say the least – hopefully the Thommo setback isn’t too devastating – we moved the ball well, no penetration in the second half, couldn’t attack the Norwich box – opportunity well worked to get Mac a good chance, on any other day he bangs that in and we get a point

Post-match texters, posters, e-mailers, and callers lobbed bombs at everyone: the players, GON and Scott McDonald in particular, Steve Gibson, Gordon Strachan – we must get points in the upcoming fixtures against Bristol City and Crystal Palace, otherwise serious disaster looms – get the loan players like Taylor and Emnes back sharpish. The new manager to inject fresh ideas and impetus into the flatlining club would be good too.

With midseason transfer business usually dragging until the end of the term, the club endeavour to continue vetting targets. Lately we’ve heard Leon Best from Coventry – scorer of a wonder goal v Pompey in their FA Cup replay earlier this week – and Wes Hoolahan of Norwich, an assiduous winger, ideal as a replacement for Adam Johnson should he naff off to Sunderland or Everton. Throw in a spot of QPR’s Wayne Routledge and you have enough chum to hold the baying mob, temporarily at least. Though descriptions of old Wayne as a ‘combo midfielder who can play upfront’ invoke inherent hatred derived from similar failed experiments – see exhibits Aliadiere, Emnes, and/or Tuncay.

Collectively, it’s enough to stimulate hope. There’s a distinct outline in the new vision – more spine, steel, focus, and discipline – less faffing about w/ pretty passing and precision movement, because we simply haven’t the resources or personnel to implement it. And Gordon Strachan keeps getting managerial work not just for his acerbic wit, but because his austere system that emphasises grinding and plodding and fighting really does work.