CHRIS LAKEY Robert Earnshaw will be heading straight to the Norwich City car park this afternoon should he manage to keep up his incredible scoring record for the Canaries.

CHRIS LAKEY

Robert Earnshaw will be heading straight to the Norwich City car park this afternoon should he manage to keep up his incredible scoring record for the Canaries.

It's not that the Wales striker wants a quick getaway - it will be to check the tyres on his £50,000 Hummer.

When Sam Hammam, the Cardiff chairman is around, cars, and particularly their tyres, simply aren't safe - not according to ex-Seagulls striker Earnshaw.

“In his first few days at Cardiff he was letting down all the players' tyres and stuff and putting rubbish on people's cars, tipping bins on to cars.

“The first day he was there he got a little boy, who was on the street playing football, and he paid him a tenner to let everyone's tyres down. That's the type of thing he does.

“I think he has probably calmed down a little bit since then, but that is the type of thing he brought with him. It probably sums up how crazy he is.”

Earnshaw spent the first seven years of his career at Ninian Park and still has a love for the club - which launched him to stardom - and its chairman.

“Sam has been brilliant to me,” he said. “Every time he sees me or whatever there is always something he has to say or something crazy. He is just crazy.”

That friendship will be put aside temporarily this afternoon when Earnshaw hopes to repeat what he did at Cardiff last April - score against his old team. The famous Earnshaw goal celebration was kept firmly on hold that day.

“I just didn't want to celebrate at the time - I was there for so long and the fans have respect for me so I just wanted to give that little bit of respect for them, but it was good for me. It was probably my best Norwich goal as well, which was coincidental as well.”

So is the goal celebration on hold again today?

“We'll see how it goes,” said Earnshaw. “As long as we play well, that is all I am worried about.”

City will need to be on their uppers against a side who are six points clear at the top of the table - a position Earnshaw envies.

“I want this club to be there,” he said. “We went off the boil a little bit over five or six games and it was just nice to get a clean sheet against Birmingham, because before that we had conceded so many goals and that is what killed us a little bit .

“Now with the new manager coming in and seeing what he has to say it has given every one a big lift. You could just feel it the other day. He wasn't shouting, just telling us what to do and certain things he wanted us to do and you could see the boys had a big lift on the pitch.

“The one thing he said was go and try and win every game -I think we can do that. We are good enough to just go out and win every game. Obviously there will be mishaps here and there, but I think we can start shooting up the table.”

The Earnshaw aim is promotion, with Cardiff going up as well.

“I wouldn't mind seeing them go up because obviously I have feelings for them and friends down there - but firstly I want to see us going up,” he said.

“If we beat Cardiff everybody else thinks we have got it together. It is a massive game for us and we have the confidence and good enough players in our team to go out and do it.”