By hook or by crook, they had to bring the losing run to an end, and with a 3-1 win, they did.

Philippe Clement urging his team on to victory at Charlton (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Head coaches and managers will always say, ‘the first thing for me is performance, performance, performance. If the performance is right, the result takes care of itself’. I don't really agree with that.

You can play well, but you can still get beaten. I think we got to the stage where pressure was on the head coach, the players were not performing, a point above the bottom three… so performance for me was irrelevant.

They probably would have accepted a point before the game at Charlton, who hadn't lost at home and had only conceded two there before Saturday.

Norwich went and scored three - but I still wasn't convinced with the performance, if I'm being honest with you.

People talk about moments in games, and I hate using that phrase, but Charlton had a chance after 20 seconds. Tyreece Campbell went through, he’s one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The two centre-halves get caught flat-footed. Had that gone in after 20 seconds, it could have been a different story.

And I know that's what the goalkeeper's there for, but Dan Grimshaw’s made a tremendous save.

You can imagine having all the build-up for the game, all the things that have been said in the dressing room and all those good intentions that you go out there with – only to spoil it within 20 seconds.

I'm not saying Grimshaw's won them the game, but had they gone 1-0 down and then Charlton go and get another, I don't think you're coming back. That was a massive, massive moment, even though it was only 20 seconds in.

But it's a start. It's a tough place to go, but I don't think the scoreline was a true reflection of the whole game. Both teams had goals disallowed for offside. I thought the Jack Stacey one, he was quite clearly offside. The other one, Charlie Kelman, was offside, but it was small margin.

I think there's a lot of linesmen, especially when the home side have scored it, when it's that tight, they would have given the benefit of the doubt to the home side.

But a really good win.

Paris Maghoma came up with a magnificent strike, a great goal all round. The weight of Mathias Kvistgaarden’s into Maghoma's path was sublime.

He has still got it all to do, by the way. And I tell you what, he couldn't have picked that ball up and placed it any better with his hands in that top corner. It is a magnificent strike.

Ruairi McConville crossing the ball so well for Kvistgaarden’s goal did surprise me – but  I'm still not convinced with his header. I don't think it was the most clinical header in the world. I think he’s put it to the side where the goalkeeper's strong, if that makes sense. It's irrelevant at the end of the day, but as a former centre-forward, I would have preferred it headed back across because you've got more of a target. Because as that ball's been crossed in, the keeper's coming across his goal line to get that near post. And I think he gets his fingertips to it.

The other thing is, if the keeper's coming this way, he ain't going to go that way, is he? Kvistrgaarden had a great chance against Southampton in the first half, where I think it was Jacob Wright who put a really good ball in and it was a weak header. No pace in it whatsoever. And it was comfortable, safe for the goalkeeper. But the most important thing is, he found the back of the net - and he played well.

He is a grafter. He's one of these, because he's not big in stature, and he's got these little steps, he looks busy, if that makes sense. And you get players like that. Because they're not the biggest of players, they've got shorter strides than the majority of players. They look busier. They look as if they're working harder.

I'm not saying he's not working harder. When I've seen him play, he doesn't mind going to the left back, closing him down. And then he'll go and close the centre back down. Then he'll be switching across to the right back.

That’s three league goals now this season – he’s showed that he's not just an on the shoulder of a centre half player. He showed a bit of intelligent play, just dropping off because he could see the space that Maghoma had gone from.

And then he's seen the run that Maghoma's made down that right-hand channel. I'd say the weight of pass was superb. So, yeah, it was a good sign.

I look at him and he looks like he's enjoying it out there.

Maybe it is a bit understandable, but it looks like it's been a chore for some players and that shouldn't be the case. You've got 25,000, 26,000 people who'd love to be in your place. You're in a privileged position. It's not a chore. You've got to enjoy what you're doing. And I think he looks like that when he's playing. He looks like he's enjoying it.

He looks like he doesn't mind that responsibility of being the main centre forward, being the main threat in front of goal. And, I mean, he's not far off his, this season, his tally for the club.

Anthony Musaba's is a player who gets supporters excited when he gets the ball. They know he's got that electric pace, those little lollipops, the little tricks that you need. And I know he's got an own goal in the end, but the defender didn't know which way to turn. I thought he had to pay to get back into the stadium at one stage. He beat him once, he beat him twice, he beat him three times. He put the ball in such a dangerous area. The goalkeeper can't really come out. The defender doesn't really want to go in there in case what happens happens and he scores an own goal.

Musaba just needs to keep himself fit.

 Changes

Jose Cordoba and Kellen Fisher at The Valley (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Clement made two big decisions at Charlton - not to recall Vladan Kovacevic and to drop Jose Cordoba.

He could have left both centre halves out, in all fairness, if he had more options. I don't think either has covered themselves in glory. At the end of the day, it's a collective thing. You win together, you lose together, you score together, you defend together. So I'm not going to just blame the centre halves. But they both haven't been at it.

Let's be honest, Clement had to try something different.

Cordoba has had a World Cup to contend with. He's still a very young man. I think that's probably the first time he's not had a full summer off, and whether the workload has taken its toll on him, only he can tell you.

And I get it, City didn’t get a clean sheet at The Valley and the goal was a disappointment - Harry Darling into Oscar Schwartau… why? You can see he's going to be closed down. Don't give them the ball, don't risk that ball.

It's not as if the change was a seismic one, but that game could quite easily have finished 4-4.

I wasn't convinced with the defending. I really wasn't. And I thought they got away with just conceding the one goal.

Vladan Kovacevic warming up for a place on the bench at Charlton (Image: Ben Peters/Focus Images Ltd)

As for Kovacevic. Having seen Grimshaw come in against Southampton, I thought he could have done better for the goal there and that was the one thing that disappointed me. But I can't fault him for his performances after that.

It was hard to drop him. And let’s be honest, Kovacevic hasn't been convincing.

I don't think he's played as well as he did last year. I still think the jury's out with him with a lot of Norwich fans.

I'm not sure if it was a brave call - probably the right call.

All you can do as a backup goalkeeper is bide your time, keep training well. And goalkeepers are good. They're not like any other area on the pitch where I'd be cheesed off if another striker was playing before me. I'd want us to win, but I wouldn't want them to score. I think goalkeepers are different. They do work together. They've got that bond. They spend so much time together. They're a strange mentality.

I think for the foreseeable future, it’s Grimshaw for me.

Watford a must-win

I know Charlton was a must not lose, but this weekend at home to Watford is a must-win. An absolute must win.

Norwich have lost their last three home games, not scored in their last two.

Watford have lost seven of their last nine Championship games. They've lost their last five away games, scoring just one goal. Watford have got the worst away record, as you would imagine, in the league, along with Preston who are bottom. They've only won one point, and they've just scored two goals in their six away games.

It would be an awful game not to win - but on the flip side of that, Watford will be thinking, we're going somewhere where they're a bit fragile.

City have only once had back-to-back wins this year - Sheffield and Birmingham.

For me, it's a must-win game.

We’re a dozen games in now and nothing is out of reach, especially with eight teams in the play-offs.

But that early save from Grimshaw at Charlton will be a mental strengthener.