Now City fans can fly the flag for Brellier

Canaries new boy Julien Brellier should feel at home the first time he steps out at Carrow Road - ready to greet him will be a huge French flag bearing his nickname, Le Juge.

The flag was bought by the Norwich City Independent Supports Association (NCISA) after Hearts fan Laurie Dunsire finally admitted it was of no further use to him after the midfielder ended his stay at Tynecastle in the summer.

“It all started with the Pink Un message board,” explained NCISA secretary Kathy Blake. “A Hearts fan went on there and said he was disappointed the player was leaving them because he was a cult figure and that they had a song about him and the flag.

“I told John Tilson, our chairman, who said it would be a good idea to get hold of it and at the end of the season put it up for auction to raise money for the Tactic Zone.”

Cross-border contact was established and a deal was done - the flag changing hands for £75 - half the price the Hearts fan paid for it.

“That's the problem with having a flag for one particular player - they always end up moving on,” said its rueful former owner.

“At some point I was actually going to take it down to Norwich myself and watch a match and that, but then Kathy got in touch and I thought it was time to make the beak and let it move on. I couldn't see us getting ay more use out of it.

“Julien certainly enjoyed seeing the flag - he would come out and applaud us when we held it up.”

The reason for having the flag made - and the inscription - was simple: “He became a bit of a cult figure just because of the way he plays. He does the dirt work and we took to him.

“A few lads behind me called him The Judge because of the way he used to have his long hair cut, and then others called him Judge Jules and it came to the point where it was obvious to put Le Juge on the flag.

“Then the newspapers and everyone else started calling him it as well, so we started something off there.”