Neil Adams wants no hard luck stories against Reading on Saturday at Carrow Road.

Norwich City's stalled Championship progress is mired in a depressing cycle of defensive vulnerability and fitful attacking impetus as the Canaries have squandered all that early season momentum to slip off the promotion pace.

Adams hailed Mike Phelan's arrival in recent days as a signal of intent. His players must deliver another against the struggling Royals.

'Many will feel we should be beating teams like this, we of course look at it in the same way,' said the Norwich boss. 'But as we've discovered already if we cut out the silly mistakes, if we are at it then we have every chance of winning games. If we don't then, as we found out last week, any of the teams in this division can win or pick up points. We have to make sure Reading don't cause another upset. We'll be confident.'

New first team Phelan got down to work on Thursday along with fellow coaches Gary Holt and Tony Parks, but Adams will continue to play a leading role on the training pitches at Colney.

'Some managers do everything and others are totally hands off when it comes to the coaching. It's getting the balance,' he said. 'What I won't do is just be one or the other. There will be times when Gary and Mike take the session and other times when I want to make a few points.

'On Thursday we split it and had three groups and we all took a bit. That is how it works. We have to tap into his experience, his knowledge and expertise.

'He has seen football played at the very top end so once we had to go and get someone the priority was to find the best person we could and Mike was my number one choice. I met him and spoke to him but the club sells itself.

'We are a massive club, and not just in the Championship. We sold out in the third tier as well and that elevates us above many, many other.'

Adams has no problem embracing the expectation and pressure that comes with City's status.

'That is how it should be. I won't duck away from that,' he said. 'We have 26,000 or 27,000 fans every home game and between 1,500 and 4,000 away. The pressure should be on and once results and performances stop, the bigger clubs, of which we are certainly one in this division, invariably come under scrutiny. That is fair enough, but I feel we are capable of getting on a run.'

• There will be a minute's applause prior to the game in memory of former Norwich City defender and Hall of Famer Reg Foulkes, who passed away recently.