Lewis Grabban proves that he still an asset worth holding on to

When Norwich City’s team to face Arsenal was announced prior to kick-off on Sunday afternoon, the inclusion of want-away striker Lewis Grabban was met with widespread disbelief among City supporters. For the vast majority, the debacle at Rotherham (when the forward refused to fulfil his position on the bench and proceeded to leave the club hotel in an attempt to help drive through a move to former club Bournemouth) was unforgivable. Regardless of the qualities that he could potentially bring to the side, many Norwich fans would have been happy to see Grabban rot in the reserves and never grace the Carrow Road pitch again.

Fast forward a couple of hours and, while the receival of total forgiveness is unlikely to be granted just yet, Grabban has gone some way to patching over his wrong doings as his 43rd strike earned the Canaries a respectable point against Arsene Wenger’s men.

I must admit that when I heard the team news I was surprised. In his few Premier League appearances thus season Grabban has, on the whole, looked out of his depth and the performances of both Cameron Jerome - despite a lack of goals - and Dieumerci Mbokani have both suggested that they are better equipped for facing up to the country’s best defences.

However, ever since his arrival Neil has seemed to take a liking to Grabban. Despite Jerome being last seasons top scorer and fan favourite, when Grabban was not injured nor suspended, Neil tended to give him the nod - it slowly became clear that he was more suited to Neil’s preferred lone striker formation. Thus, maybe it wasn’t actually that much of a surprise that Neil would resort back to the services of Grabban once more, especially as both Jerome and Mbokani are not exactly setting the world alight as of late.

Norwich fans can be thankful that Neil is evidently not one to hold grudges and is far less stubborn than any of us would likely have been in his position. Whether you like him or not, and there are still some Norwich fans who somewhat bewilderingly slated his performance yesterday, Lewis Grabban proved why he still remains an asset worth holding on to. He knows better than any other striker on our books how to play the lone striker role effectively, boasting clever movement and a decent turn of pace. Furthermore, the eloquent turn and finish for his goal proved that his predatory instincts have not been lost during his times on the sidelines - as he converted exactly the sort of chance that Jerome has been spurning this season.

So, with the busy festive period rapidly approaching I think it is time for Norwich fans to swallow their pride and accept that Lewis Grabban is an asset that would be silly to ignore, and I believe it is time to get used to seeing his name in starting line-ups once more.

Beginning with Watford next Saturday, a team whom Grabban netted three times against last season.