it was the clappers what won it

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9) Atmosphere lifts Canaries

Opinion is divided when it comes to the paper 'clacker' things that Norwich placed on every seat before their game against Sunderland. Judging by the response on social media, a fair number of fans despise them, and more so when their use is, literally, orchestrated to music. The Carrow Road stadium announcer even made each stand practice before the players came out. Grumbles notwithstanding, however, the atmosphere was as united and noisily rumbustious as it has been all season, and it's hard not to believe did not play at least some part in sustaining Norwich's splendidly energetic performance. Of course, some of us are old enough to remember proper wooden rattles ? ask your parents, kids ? which, laboriously painted in club colours, used to make a similarly sustained, and from the point of view of an enthusiastic eight-year-old, satisfying racket, albeit it took a touch more effort and had to be wielded high in the air to avoid the risk of clumping a fellow spectator. Wading through several acres of discarded paper after Saturday's game was to be reminded they were also one heck of a lot more environmentally friendly than their modern equivalent. Banned in the 1970s because of their potential to be used as weapons, they're still available. Whether you'd get one into a stadium, or indeed want to, is another matter.

Posted By: Ralf Scrampton, Mar 24, 12:29:40