At this point I should make absolutely crystal clear that I love Hucks, and when I get my turn to do My NCFC will profess him to be my favourite Canary ever but let's be honest here; The chances of him still being at the club next season are pretty slim. Glenn Roeder has come out and said that he thinks he will be on the move and Darren - or rather his agent - has said the same.

On his day he can still skin defenders and turn his full back inside out, but the problem is that "his" days seem to be growing fewer and farther between, and Hucks must know that.

More...

So said the Reading striker Dave Kitson a couple of days ago.

"One day we will be in a position where we can win it"? It's six games, Dave. Six games at a chance of glory and immortality. You would think the FA Cup is an ideal opportunity for a club like Reading to win some silverware, surely? Let's be honest - it's extremely unlikely that Reading will ever win the Premier League.

But does that matter? Are medals enough these days? Is playing in the Premier League and then if you're lucky, the Champions League, the pinnacle of a player's career? In a career lasting fifteen years tops where even the most average of top-flight players can pick up a million or two per year maybe it is.

I still love the history, the memories and the emotion the cup brings to me and many others. When I was a kid playing in the street or the park, I wasn't dreaming of scoring the winning goal (or in my case saving a penalty) in a Premier League game on a Monday night between Bolton and Portsmouth, or between Fulham and Blackburn. It was the cup final.

It's a sad indictment of the English game but Kitson's attitude - and the attitude of a lot of clubs towards the traditional cup competitions - is becoming more commonplace. I've lost count of the amount of times I've heard managers, players, supporters etc. refer to a cup game as a "distraction"?

But is it any wonder? Assuming the eventual winners of the FA Cup enter at the third round stage they will earn just over £2.4m in prize money, which works out at around £400k per match on average.

Compare that to the Premier League. Last season £2.4m was awarded to the club who finished 16^th (Fulham).

This season the club finishing bottom (or Derby County as they are affectionately known) will pocket an estimated £30m, an average of £790k per game.

This before gate receipts, TV revenue, sponsorship deals and in the Premier League's case ‘parachute payments'.

To the money-men, there's no value there anymore. And as for the prestige, it doesn't matter. It's amazing what an extra £30m can buy (Ipswich Town for example).

But that's just the upper echelons of the football pyramid. The majority of football takes place in the real world, and to a club like Chasetown - who have already played eight matches to reach the third round - the £100k or so they will pocket from their cup run will be enough to keep the club going for a good few years.

And that's where the modern magic of the FA Cup hides. It may not be worth as much to the ‘big' clubs anymore but to a club like Chasetown, or Havant and Waterlooville or even Norwich City it can be priceless.

OTBC.

Historically not a lot has really happened in this time. You tend to get the odd big-money move but usually gossip and speculation far exceeds reality.

Saying that though there are some relatively big names in the Premier League who could be on the move.

Nicolas Anelka will almost certainly find himself with a new club before 1st February. Chelsea, Manchester United and AC Milan have all been linked with 'Le Sulk', and personally I think he'll end up in London filling in for Didier Drogba at the Bridge.

Across the capital Jens Lehmann could also find himself in new employment. Wolfsburg are the latest club to be linked so look out for him in the Bundesliga before too long, especially as Arsenal have effectively now opened the door for him to leave.

If Lehmann exits Arsenal it leaves a nice big space in the squad for a new keeper. Celtic's Artur Boruc is the smart money to fill it, but I'd not be too surprised (and also quite pleased if truth be told) to see former Canary Robert Green in the Gunner's goal either.

Closer to home and it's a completely different situation. With City still in the mire it'll be just as interesting to see who leaves Colney via the back door than who walks in through the front.

Paul Gallagher (currently on loan at Dunfermline) has made no secret of his desire to stay in Scotland.

Julien Brellier has apparently been spotted in Scotland recently, rumours that he too could be moving back to whence he came.

Simon Lappin and Ian Murray (who himself feels his days are numbered) have also been linked with moves north of the border, but I can't see clubs paying much for them.

And what about Ryan Jarvis? And David Strihavka?

The four loan signings are all likely to extend their stay in Norfolk. Matty Pattison looks the most likely to sign a permanent deal you would think, with Mo Camara, Jimmy Smith and Ched Evans staying on loan until the end of the season.

And then there's Martin Taylor. The whole "will he, won't he?" debate has more than a little of the Huckerby about it. Birmingham have said he can go, but QPR are the only club that have had an offer accepted - only according to Norwich he doesn't want to go QPR and we won't be increasing our offer.

It's a mess. A big, nasty mess. For what it's worth I still think he'll roll into Carrow Road, but it'll go down to the wire.

And I see we've also been linked with Callum Davenport again. One thing's for sure - it's going to be an interesting month.

OTBC.

At this point I should make absolutely crystal clear that I love Hucks, and when I get my turn to do My NCFC will profess him to be my favourite Canary ever but let's be honest here; The chances of him still being at the club next season are pretty slim. Glenn Roeder has come out and said that he thinks he will be on the move and Darren - or rather his agent - has said the same.

On his day he can still skin defenders and turn his full back inside out, but the problem is that "his" days seem to be growing fewer and farther between, and Hucks must know that.

Don't get me wrong if he ends up in MLS as I expect (or pretty much anywhere for that matter) I will be right in line to grab myself one of their shirts with "Huckerby" on the back - provided they are available in sizes suitable for the "larger" gentleman of course - I'm just trying to be realistic.

That leaves Roeder with a difficult decision to make. On the one side he's got an absolute fan favourite in Darren Huckerby, a man who is has rightly been ordained as a fully-fledged Canary legend. One of the best players to wear the yellow and green of all time. One that, "on his day" is more than a handful for most if not all Championship defences.

The heart says that if this will indeed be his last season playing in this part of the world he deserves a proper send-off. A chance to say goodbye in the "right way" if you like.

And then there's the other side of the coin and the option of playing a loan signing; we'll use Kieran Gibbs as an example.

If Roeder suspects Huckerby won't be around come August then he needs to start planning for the future. The immediate problem there of course is that come August, Gibbs won't be here in all likelihood either, so what makes him the better option?

In short I suspect it is just simply the hope that the host club (in Gibbs' case Arsenal and Arsene Wenger in particular) see how their little diamond has been polished and allow the next generation of Mini-Gunners to learn their craft in Norfolk.

It's an unfortunate fact but I guess that's modern football in the Championship for you. Rightly or wrongly the immediate needs of this football club are more likely than not going to result in a trip along the loan route and Roeder is going to have to continually try and find the balance between immediate results and longer-term stability.

From http://www.bartleby.com/:

Between a rock and a hard place: Faced with two equally dangerous or difficult choices or circumstances: "Trying to please two supervisors is like being between a rock and a hard place."

Yep, that sounds about right.

Good luck Ryan

Ryan Jarvis has signalled this week that he believes his future lies away from Carrow Road. I've never been one of the Fakenham youngster's biggest fans, and as such I have to say I think it's probably a bit overdue if that is the case.

To my mind being labelled "the next big thing" at such a young age was something he could never come to terms with and I hope he manages to get his career back on track at Notts County, for as much as he'll probably be able to eat out off his Premiership goal against Liverpool for a while, that won't pay the bills forever. Chris Martin please take note...

Roeder's Taylor-made plans in ruins?

Martin Taylor looks as though he has trained his way into Alex McCleish and Birmingham City's longer-term thoughts.

Roeder had indicated that there might be a deal to be had in the summer for the former loanee and player of the month for November, but Tiny has got his head down and worked hard at St. Andrews, and was rewarded with a starting berth against West Ham recently - which could well signal the end of the Canary boss' mission to bring him back to the club.

I'm not as disappointed about this turn of events as I thought I anticipated being, although Tiny was a massive signing for us. His departure coincided with a timely return to form of Jason Shackell and the man that divides supporters more than any other, Gary Doherty.

Get well soon Gazza

I was saddened to hear of Paul Gascoigne being detained under the mental health act this week, if not entirely unsurprised.

On the pitch an absolute genius, off it injury problems along with reported alcoholism and depression issues hindered his career, earning him a reputation as one of English footballs most "wasted" talents.

When I was growing up Gazza to me was one of those love- to-hate players. If you're not old enough to remember him in his prime just think Robbie Savage only with amazing talent and skill. There was a kid at my school who wanted to be him so much he even used to cry like him, and I wish that was a joke!

I'm not going to get into the whole "rise and fall of Gazza" debate as those type of articles to me always make it sound as if the person concerned has died, which of course he hasn't. He just needs some serious help - which has probably been the case for a long time.

Until next week...

OTBC

What are your thoughts on the Huckerby situation? Is there more to it than meets the eye? Have we seen the last of Ryan Jarvis? Can we still get Tiny? Does it matter? Have you got any sympathy for Gazza? As always let me know what you think...