Sem's good enough for the Prem - Dion

Last updated : 05 August 2008 By Rick Lamb
As part of their build up to the Premier League and with a nod to the even more imminent kick-off of the 2008-2009 Coca Cola Football League, the good people at Sky Sports asked their most eminent new pundit for some insight.

Dion Dublin, Norwich legend and all-round nice guy, was the man whose opinion they sought while I was trotting along on the treadmill this morning. As much as I love Dion, this is the first bit of VT I've seen him do. He's perfectly at home with all the more conversational half-time stuff, but he was a little more John Salako than Jamie Redknapp in this instance. Not quite as bad as John Barnes though, and it was an early effort.

What did he talk about, I hear you ask? Well, Sky Sports decided that Dion would be the perfect guy to ask about which players outside the Premier League he thinks would do well in the top flight.

Brian Howard isn't the first name that would trip off your lips in this situation, but it was Dion's. Yes, the portly Barnsley midfielder who scored in the cup at Anfield. No, I'm not joking. He has impressed Dublin when he has played against him, apparently. Given that the Tykes have contrived to lose all of their last four matches against the Canaries (Blimey! We've won 2 away games!, by a total of 12 goals to 2, quite how impressive he could have been is anyone's guess.

The second name was Bradley Wright-Phillips, with Dion emphasising that he knows he doesn't get in the team at Southampton, but he is good. Whatever you say Dion, you're the pundit. To be fair, I'm still surprised he hasn't made more of an impact in the Championship. Maybe this could be his season.

The other two players mentioned by Mr Dublin were both former teammates. The first, Richard Stearman of Leicester City, is a highly-rated defender (particularly on Football Manager if my memory serves me correctly) whom Dublin believes is an excellent footballer and defender. This is mildly undermined by the Foxes' relegation last season.

But Big Dion saved the best for last. Jon Otsemobor! And how effusive he was with his praise for the Norwich right-back. He talked over footage of 'Semi's' cracker of a goal against Colchester, his only strike last term, of how he knew no other right backs capable of bursting forward and overlapping with such pace and strength. He's not far wrong.

While the man who has yet to be replaced will be missed incredibly at Carrow Road this season, the man he was talking about could himself become irreplaceable. Aside from the returning Jamie Cureton and Darel Russell, Peter Grant left little to endure at Norwich except a shudder at the mention of his name. Jon Otsemobor could prove to be his legacy. And failing that, Omozusi looks quite handy too!