Lambert's City XI have come so far since day of 7-1 loss

Fifteen days since Norwich City secured a remarkable promotion to the Premier League and I’m still trying to contemplate just what an amazing achievement Paul Lambert’s men have produced.
I’ve thought long and hard about how to quantify just what he’s achieved in the 19 months since he succeeded Bryan Gunn as Norwich manager and I think this is the best way to illustrate just what he’s done with the players he’s done it with.
The yardstick I think it’s best to measure the Norwich City XI who became Lambert’s first choice team towards the end of the season by is to cast our minds back to August 8, 2009.
That of course was the day Lambert’s Colchester produced that amazing 7-1 win at Norwich and while most City fans remember the likes of Michael Theoklitos, Simon Whaley and Owain Tudor Jones in the starting line up that day, it’s worth taking a look at just where Norwich’s current starting XI spent that afternoon.
Seven of Lambert’s best eleven were in League One on that day, two were in the Championship, one was in the Premier League and one was in the Scottish Premier League.
Surely this shows how far City have come under Lambert. The side he assembled that took the Championship by storm featured seven players who were playing at a lower level the season before. Next term, they’ll all be in the Premier League.
Here’s where the current City first choice XI were on August 8, 2009 the day of the infamous 7-1 Colchester loss.

John Ruddy (then aged 22, Motherwell)
Was just starting his ninth and final spell on loan from Everton, this time at Scottish Premier League side Motherwell and wasn’t in action on August 8, 2009 although he was playing in the Europa League for Motherwell two days earlier.
New Well boss Jim Gannon (who managed Ruddy at Stockport in two loan spells) was sent to the stands as his side lost 3-1 at home to Steaua Bucherest in the second leg, and lost the tie 6-1 on aggregate.
Motherwell had lead the second leg until Ruddy conceded a penalty in the second half at the tie was effectively over. In the first leg in Romania, the current city keeper had actually saved a spot-kick.

Russell Martin (22, Peterborough)
While Norwich were getting stuffed by Colchester in League One, Posh played their first Championship game of the season at Derby in front of over 33,000 at Pride Park. Russell Martin wasn’t in the Posh starting XI, but started on the bench as Charlie Lee was preferred at right back.
Derby took an early lead in the game and George Boyd equalised with six minutes to go from the penalty spot before Gary Teale hit the winner for the hosts in the 87th minute. Martin made his first appearance of the season the following Tuesday in a 4-0 Carling Cup win at one of his sides Wycombe in which he came on as a sub for Lee after an hour.

Marc Tierney (23, Colchester)
Played the full 90 minutes for Colchester, and picked up a booking , the first of the afternoon, for a 59th minute foul on Wes Hoolahan. Went on to make 44 appearances for Colchester last season.

Zak Whitbread (25, Millwall)
Millwall drew 1-1 at Southampton in the opening game of the League One season but Whitbread wasn’t in action.
The Lions were keen to get rid of Whitbread in August 2009, he had refused to discuss a new deal over the summer and had undergone hip surgery.
Swansea agreed a deal to sign the American during August ’09 but decided to opt out while he recovered.

Elliott Ward (23, Coventry)
Perhaps the one consolation that weekend was the day after the 7-1 loss when Ipswich lost 2-1 at Coventry. Roy Keane had taken charge of the Tractor Boys in April 2009 and much was expected of the Portman Road side, who were expected to make a serious promotion push bankrolled by Marcus Evans’ millions.
All that cash attracted Sky who televised this game which Ward started on the bench. Two goals from Clinton Morrison put the home side 2-0 up at the Ricoh Arena before Jon Walters pulled one back.
Ward came on as a sub eight minutes from time to replace Michael McIndoe.

David Fox (22, Colchester)
Along with Tierney, Fox was the only other Colchester player to be booked that afternoon. Made the score 4-0 with a well-taken free-kick past Michael Theokolitis on 22 minutes from outside the box.

Andrew Crofts (25, Brighton)
Crofts made his Brighton debut on the same day as the 7-1 in a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Walsall in what turned out to be a miserable month for The Seagulls. They failed to win any of their five league games which included a 4-2 loss at home to Stockport and their own 7-1 mauling at Huddersfield ten days after Norwich lost 7-1 to Colchester.

Wes Hoolahan (27, Norwich)
Incredibily Hoolahan was not a regular starter under Bryan Gunn towards the end of the 2008/09 season, but Wes started against Colchester. Opened the scoring against Yeovil in the Carling Cup the following Tuesday from the penalty spot.

Andrew Surman (22, Wolves)
Had moved from Southampton for £1.2million in the summer of 2009 and was involved in a Molineux friendly against Real Valldolid as Mick McCarthy’s men prepared for their new Premier League campaign.
Big money summer signing Kevin Doyle missed a penalty for the home side who lost 2-0 and Surman came on as a sub in the game and had two good chances to get on the scoresheet in front of a crowd of just over 10,000.

Grant Holt (28, Norwich)
Having appeared against Wigan in a 3-2 friendly win at Carrow Road a week earlier, Holt made his full Norwich debut against Colchester and looked really out of his depth on a day where no City player emerged with any distinction. Four days later at Yeovil he helped himself to a hat-trick, his first competitive goals in a City shirt.

Simeon Jackson (22, Gillingham)
While Holt was struggling to do anything against Colchester, Jackson was having a field day on August 8, 2009 with a hat-trick against Swindon, who included Anthony McNamee in their line up at The Priestfield Stadium.
Gillingham were 1-0 up at half time when Jackson bagged his first with a cracking right foot shot. The Gills were leading 3-0 with five minutes to go when Jackson hit two more to complete his hat-trick and make the final score 5-0. He was taken off in the last minute to a standing ovation.
Watch Jackson’s hat-trick on August 8, 2009 by clicking here.
As part of the deal that took Jackson to City last summer, Cody McDonald, the man who scored Norwich’s consolation against Colchester, went to Gillingham on a season-long loan.