The season's already a quarter old and so far life in the Championship is proving to be all that City fans expected – thrilling, frustrating, competitive and a little bit crazy.

Here are some of my observations of the Canaries season so far.

TURNER NOT FOR TURNING

City centre-back Michael Turner is quietly becoming a lynchpin of the team. He looks class at this level and his reading of the game more than makes up for a lack of pace. Has there ever been such a serious player of the game though? If you've ever seen him smile, let me know what it looks like.

MAD, MAD WORLD

We're enjoying it so far aren't we? The quality might not be as high as the Premier League, but the entertainment certainly is. No wonder many regard the Championship as better than the top league in many big European countries. It's fresh and new and fun – but Rotherham at home on Saturday was a stark reminder that it might not always be that way. The gloss would wear off after a season or two, which is why instant promotion must remain the main aim.

RED HOT OR NOT?

Winger Nathan Redmond was my man of the match on Saturday, at the heart of many of the chances. He's been much improved for most of the season and you can tell Neil Adams has done some crossing work with him (as well as told him to lay off the long shots a bit). Why are so many City fans so quick to get on his back however?

TIME TO EARN THAT £5M

On the flipside Norwich fans have been very patient with striker Gary Hooper who still has a long way to go before we've had value for the money paid to Celtic in 2013. But it's time we got more out of the 26-year-old striker and his undoubted talents are sorely needed to provide real competition to Cameron Jerome and Lewis Grabban. If he comes back from injury, fit and in the right frame of mind, his could make a crucial contribution.

READY TO GO

Every Norwich fan must agree on this now – Josh Murphy is due a run in the first team. He might at first soar, then fade away for a bit as some youngsters do, but every time he's on the pitch he makes things happen. Who to make way? That I don't know, but that's a question the manager will repeatedly have to tackle.

WITH OR WITHOUT WES?

Wes Hoolahan's place in the team remains a topic of debate. Some say he slows the pace of play too much. That may be so but when he's not on the pitch the lack of creativity through the middle is a major worry. Is it time for the tried and tested one up top, with Wes just behind and a midfield before him? Look at what happened last time we tried that in this league.

WHERE TO FIT IN CITY JIGSAW?

Kyle Lafferty impresses every time he appears in a Norwich shirt, but I think he's struggled to get completely match fit in the early parts of the season. He could also prove to be one of those players hamstrung by being so versatile. I can't work out his best position for Norwich at this stage. Can Neil?

IN WITH THE OLD, OUT WITH THE NEW

Surprisingly, considering City's relegation, the spine of the first XI remains from last year. Of those to play more than 25 minutes in the league so far, only 22pc are recently signed. Our core squad of 25 is made up of 32pc (eight) new players. At times of struggle, the likes of Gary O'Neil and Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe will need to be given a chance.

HOWSON IS NOW

Jonny Howson gives the centre of midfield so much of the creativity and forward drive it can lack – let's hope he gets a long run in the team and stays fit.

IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT

Only two of the current top 10 won at the weekend.

What a stat to sum up how competitive this league is. I'm still predicting city to go up – but have no idea who that would be with.

AND FINALLY...

It's not perfect, but the manager continues to impress with his apparent attention to detail, management of the players and tactical know-how. Hopefully radio's loss will turn out to be Norwich City's gain.