Norwich City FC: 10 Canary Legends of the Noughties

It's never easy to narrow down a lot of canary legends to just 10 players, but that is exactly what I have done with this slideshow. To make things a little easier I decided to focus on the noughties.

The list contains some of the more memorable names, simply because they play recently or are in fact still playing.

This list shouldn't be considered in order of importance and it should be thought of as my personal picks rather than a definitive list. As is usually the case with this type of article, there are a number of honourable mentions which are on the following slide.

I hope Norwich City fans worldwide enjoy reading and feel free to comment on my selections via Twitter or beneath this article.

Honourable Mentions

Unfortunately, I could only include 10 names in this slideshow. Therefore, there were a number of strong contenders that missed out.

Honourable Mentions

• Malky Mackay
• Gary Holt
• David Nielsen 
• Dion Dublin.
• Marc Edworthy
• Jason Shackell
• Damien Francis
• Youssef Safri
• Robert Earnshaw

In addition, there are a number of players in the current Norwich City squad that could well go down to be Canary legends. That could be a feature in a similar article in the future.

Robert Green

Robert Green came out of the youth system at Carrow Road and proved himself to be a top quality player. Green played for the first team from 1996-2006. That spell included a season in the Premier League that raised his profile.

Green went on to make his England debut while still a Norwich City player. After Norwich's relegation from the Premier League, there was intense media speculation that Green would move on and return to Premier League football.

In the summer of 2006, it was eventually West Ham that gave Green the move back to the top flight. Green spent five years playing in the Premier League with West Ham and made further appearances for England.

However, Green is now back in the Championship following West Ham's relegation last season. His reputation is also somewhat tarnished following a number of high-profile errors playing in the Premier League and for England.

But he must surely go down as one as Norwich City's better goalkeepers in recent years.

Adam Drury

Adam Drury is a real rarity in the modern footballer. He has played for only two clubs, Peterborough United and of course Norwich City.

He signed for Norwich in 2001 and remains a very important part of the squad. Lately he has had his share of injuries and been replaced as first choice in his position by Marc Tierney.

However, he never complains about not playing enough games and remains a model professional. Paul Lambert knows that if he needs him he is still a very solid performer. Surely there can be no doubt that Adam Drury is a Norwich City legend for both his attitude to the game and his playing ability.

Craig Fleming

Craig Fleming was another long-serving Norwich City player who played for the club from 1997 to 2007. During that time Fleming was a rock at the back. Fleming established himself as a favourite with the fans for his all action and committed displays at centre-back.

Fleming was a key member of the team that won the old first division title (Championship) and was also a key member of the Norwich City side in the Premier League. He certainly goes down as a Norwich City legend and is fondly remembered by the fans.

Steen Nedergaard

Steen Nedergaard became a firm favourite with fans during the three seasons he spent with the club from 2000-2003. The Dane was known for his versatility and his committed displays for Norwich.

The fans nicknamed him Steeno and he delighted the supporters with some truly memorable goals. He didn't score much, but when he did hit the back of the net, it was a bit special.  

Paul McVeigh

Paul McVeigh was never the biggest of players but he was still highly effective. He was a versatile player that could play in a number of positions, but showed him best form playing on the left wing and as a striker.

He showed his best form in the 2002-'03 season when he led the Norwich City attack and scored 15 goals. His most memorable moment in a Norwich shirt was during 2001-'02, when McVeigh scored a memorable looping header against the Wolves in the playoff semi-final.

McVeigh played for Norwich from 2000-2007. It was fitting that McVeigh returned to Carrow Road to finish his career and helped the team win promotion from League One.

Iwan Roberts

Iwan Roberts played for Norwich for 1997-2004. He was never the prettiest of players, but usually effective especially in the opposition's six yard box.

Roberts started his Norwich City career slowly, but once he got going was regularly Norwich's top scorer. However, he will be disappointed that he never played for Norwich in the Premier League, following the club's promotion.   

Dean Ashton

Dean Ashton may have only played for Norwich City for a short time, but he made a massive impact. Many Norwich City fans claim that the club would have stayed in the Premier League in the 2004-'05 season had Ashton been signed at the start of the season rather than January.

There can be little doubt that Norwich could have had one of greatest strikers in their history for many seasons had things worked out differently. As it was, Ashton moved on to West Ham, but his career was ended by injury way before it should have been.

Ashton is a Norwich City legend due to his ability. He surely was one of the most talented players of the modern era. He did some incredible things with the football during his time for Norwich and very nearly saved the club from relegation.

Darren Huckerby

Darren Huckerby first joined Norwich City on loan and his agent said that there was no way that Norwich City could afford him. But Norwich dug deep and they managed to buy him. The rest, as they say, is history.

During his time at Norwich he proved to be way to good for the Championship and delighted fans with his strength, pace and skill. He was a real menace playing on the left wing and few teams were able to contain him.

Hucks provided plenty of goals and assists and some truly memorable moments. He played a key role in getting Norwich to the Premier League, a level on which he was also a threat. The fact that he was the most fouled player in the Premier League suggests that few teams knew how to contain him.

Wes Hoolahan

Signing Wes Hoolahan was probably the only thing Glenn Roeder did right as Norwich City manager. The playmaker played a key role in League One and the Championship by providing assists and goals. Hoolahan is surely one of the most technically talented players Norwich has had in a long time.

Paul Lambert has managed to get the best out of him by playing him just behind one or two strikers. He is proving to be a real handful for Premier League defences. Years from now fans will look back at Hoolahan and realize the massive impact he had on Norwich City.

Grant Holt

Grant Holt has been a fantastic bit of business and surely the best thing that Bryan Gunn did as Norwich City manager. He has top the goal-scoring lists for Norwich City in League One and the Championship.

Then all of a sudden Steve Morison is preferred to Holt in attack and the big man is finished. It would appear not, as Holt comes up with a brilliant goal against Liverpool to add to his strike at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season.

Grant Holt will have a big part to play this season to turn himself into an even bigger Norwich City legend.