Rowett’s tipping Canaries for lift-off
EXPERT EYE: Rowett GARY ROWETT believes firepower will be the key to realising a Premier League dream for this year’s promotion contenders.
The former Stoke and Derby boss says he cannot separate the top three – Norwich, Sheffield United and Leeds – in the race for the Championship’s automatic spots.
But he believes that those with the greater number of goalscorers in their ranks will eventually be rewarded.
He said: “If you look at the teams at the top of the Championship they all have goals in them.
“Norwich have Teemu Pukki while Billy Sharp is banging them in for Sheffield United.
“Leeds share their goals around more – and that could be the key.
“By the looks of it, Norwich should win enough in the next few weeks to get themselves over the line.
“All it could take now is one good week where they pick up six or nine points. If the others slip up, it’s Norwich plus one.
“It could come down to a couple of injuries. What would happen to Sheffield United if Sharp picked up a knock, for instance?
“Chris Wilder has assembled a rough and ready group who look capable of staying the course. But could they cope without Sharp?
“Obviously, it might not come to that. Honestly? I wouldn’t like to call it at this stage.”
Rowett himself reached the play-offs with Derby last season.
Although the Rams went into the two-legged semi-final against Fulham in good form – and even won the first one – they fell foul of the Championship’s form team.
He added: “I know from my own bitter experience how important strikers are – look what Fulham did last season with Aleksandar Mitrovic.
“They were going nowhere until he joined. They played a brand of high-risk, high-reward football all season.
“But he was the missing piece of the jigsaw for them in the Championship. He knitted everything together for them as I know to my own cost.”
Rowett has plenty of Championship experience having also taken charge of Birmingham City.
And he believes momentum can make all the difference.
He said: “I think the statistics show that it doesn’t really matter where you finish in the table, be it third or sixth.
“I would want to be leading one of those teams who have got momentum.
“For me, it’s very difficult to look at anything other than Aston Villa at the moment. They’re now in the top six – and I think they can improve on that.” LEW BEAUTY: Lewis has made the left-back spot his own