Norwich boss Neil: No clean sheets, no problem

Norwich City boss Alex Neil is not worried by his side’s poor defensive record as they prepare to face West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday.

Only Sunderland and Chelsea have conceded more goals than the Canaries, who are yet to keep a clean sheet in any of their first six matches.

Neil’s side sit 11th in the table, though, with shut-outs not a major concern for the manager as long as his players are picking up points.

“As a manager you would take a 3-2 over a 0-0 any day so providing we are scoring goals and winning games then keeping clean sheets becomes less important,” he said at his pre-match news conference.

“Points are the most important thing or wins if it is a cup game. Obviously we want to keep clean sheets and don’t want to concede goals but if it means we have to score two – and we are capable of scoring two – then I would much rather accept that than a drab 0-0.”

Neil was also encouraged to have given new signing Dieumerci Mbokani his first taste of English football in the League Cup win over West Brom on Wednesday.

“That would certainly have helped him,” said the ex-Hamilton boss. “He showed he can compete in the Premier League. 

“I was pleased for him and with him. For his first game in England he gave a good account of himself. The biggest thing you question with foreign players is that physicality of the Premier League because it is not leagues like Spain or Portugal.”