It’s the end of an era for another Norwich City player this week.

After Max Aarons’ departure to Bournemouth, Tim Krul is another player on his way back to the Premier League, with Luton Town.

I think both have been outstanding players and ambassadors for the football club. You never hear a bad word said about either of them, they are both fantastic professionals and it is probably the right time for both of them to move on.

I think for Max, he has got the opportunity to prove he is good enough for that level, but it is going to be a tough season.

Tim Krul, on the other hand, is coming towards the end of his career - I think he's been a fantastic goalkeeper for Norwich, but for maybe 18 months his age has probably caught him up to a degree, the way the game has evolved and the emphasis now being on goalkeepers having to do far more with their feet.

Maybe that's why Angus Gunn has got the nod in front of him.

It's a good move for Tim. He might still be able to live in the area with his family – Luton is only a couple of hours away – and he has a real chance of playing regular Premier League football, and good luck to him.

On the subject of keepers needing to use their feet, I do think Angus may be a chip off the old block, because Bryan was fantastic with the ball at his feet.

When I first joined Norwich, Bryan was still there, but coming towards the end of his time. We were sponsored by Colman's at the time I first signed and Gunny would just ping these balls to me. And he'd say, ‘Robbo, don't worry. I'll hit the Colmans on your chest’ and every single one was bang on the money. He was ahead of his time – he had a magnificent right foot.

Goalkeepers are frustrated outfield players. In small sided games and training they always just want to go out and score goals.

Angus is good with his feet and I think there's a reason why Manchester City took him when they did at the age he was, because they must have watched plenty of him in his youth days.

I played a lot of games with Andy Marshall, who took over from Bryan, and I don't want to be disrespectful, but Marshy would struggle in this day and age. At times it looked like he was playing rugby and kicking for touch! I often asked if he’d put the boxes on his feet, not the boots!

Angus may have conceded four at Southampton last weekend, but I can’t blame him for any of them.

I know I am talking about home games here, but Norwich hadn’t scored in the previous five home games before Hull. I was looking at the last six home games and they’ve only scored six - two came on the opening day at home to Hull and four at Southampton. So did I envisage them going there and scoring four? Absolutely not. I thought they were capable of getting a result because I knew they’d get chances the way Russell Martin wants his teams to play. If they got Southampton's defenders under pressure high enough they would win the ball back early and create opportunities.

I guess that is how football is now with these new head coaches and their emphasis on playing out from the back. They will accept responsibility if it goes wrong, they'll accept responsibility if they concede goals, if defenders make mistakes by trying to do the things that they want them to - but I never thought 4-4!

You're getting back on that bus ride home and I think you've got mixed emotions - how the hell have we scored four away from home and not won, and how have we conceded four and not lost?

 

Lacking credit

Norwich face a Millwall side managed by Gary Rowett on Sunday – he’s a manager I like.

I just don't think he gets the credit he deserves. I look at the job he did it at Derby. People rave about the job Frank Lampard did there, but the season before, Gary’s team had one more point, conceded fewer goals than Lampard’s team and scored more goals.

I don’t think he has had a lot of money to spend at Millwall - in the last two seasons they've been so competitive up until the last two or three weeks of the season; it was the last game last season.

It’s an early kick-off on Sunday – something I used to hate. Hucks used to get up at 6am, his wife would cook him pasta and he’d eat that and then go back to bed for two or three hours. I couldn’t do that.

Mind you, while I hated the early kick-offs I didn’t do too badly in them to be fair – I think when I scored both goals when we won 2-0 at Portman Road in March 2000, that was an early start so they can’t be that bad!

 

Habit-forming

I gather the EFL Cup tie at Loftus Road was anything but a classic, but like any cup tie it’s about getting through to the next round, and that’s what Norwich did on Wednesday night.

Winning is a good habit and it’s a hard one to get, but the lads are steadily finding it.

David Wagner rested a few and gave opportunities to some of the fringe players who’ve not had much of a look-in in the opening two league fixtures.

Talking of good habits, scoring goals is probably the best habit you can get and Jon Rowe is banging them in at the minute. The young man is flying and enjoying every minute of it, considering not too many people thought he’d be starting the season in the starting XI, but with three goals in three games he could well be one of the first names on the team sheet for the game on Sunday.

And a special mention to the 1,500 Norwich fans who made the trip to Loftus Road – another outstanding effort.