“I think the most pleasing thing of the year has been the connection with the fans and being able to share brilliant experiences with them.”
You could be forgiven for assuming those words emanated from a Colney press conference, rather than Gareth Southgate’s reflections on England’s passage to the Nations League Semi-finals.
Southgate, like Daniel Farke, is currently riding on a wave of positivity and optimism borne out of largely unexpected success on the pitch.
Unfancied before the World Cup, England upset the Bookies and captivated the nation’s fans before ultimately bowing out in the Semi-final. The bond with the fanbase has been strengthened during the Nations League; a tournament which perhaps doesn’t naturally capture the imagination but provided a notable victory over Spain, in Saville, and the opportunity to exact some form of revenge over Croatia.
But a connection which is built solely upon results, disappears as quickly as you can say ‘losing streak’ and heroes can become zeroes on the back of a few defeats.
The secret of Southgate’s success has been to craft a playing squad that share his philosophy, and like the man himself, is – for want of a better word – ‘likeable’.
He has brought together players who appear to be happy and grateful to pull on the three lions and who are not burdened with the weight of expectation that has overwhelmed previous iterations, including the so-called golden generation.
And so, it is with Norwich City.
On his arrival in Norfolk in May 2017, Farke spoke of the honour and his gratitude at being appointed as Head Coach and he has subsequently taken to the media to remind his players that representing our club is a privilege.
He has always said the right things, and with a similarly unassuming and affable character to the England boss, it was difficult not to like the person; it was just that the football and the results he delivered in his first season were so often hard to stomach.
There will be those, who maintain that they saw ‘this’ coming; those with an unwavering belief in ‘the project’, which simply required time and patience to come to fruition.
I’ll admit right now, that I was not one of them.
I had us ear-marked for a season floating around the bottom-half of the table and the occasional flirtation with the bottom-three.
I’ll also admit to being absolutely thrilled with being so wrong.
It’s not the league table that gives the most pleasure, although it’s hard to suppress a smile at seeing the ever-widening chasm being created between ourselves and those down the road.
It’s the fact that this team is – like Southgate’s England – immensely likeable.
Not since the days of Paul Lambert, have I felt such a strong connection to the players of our football club. Players, you sense, who are genuinely grateful for the opportunity to represent us.
The attempts at building on Lambert’s achievements and the quest to become an established Premier League side saw the Club invest at unprecedented levels, with transfer records broken and a wage structure ripped up and redefined.
But it also changed the dynamic and underlying ethos within the team. Players turned up who created the impression that they were doing us a favour by signing and who would jump ship at the first opportunity or were simply here for a pay-day and were happy to go through the motions on inflated salaries.
That may be a hugely unfair accusation, but it was my perception as a fan and one that really damaged the connection I had with the team.
I wanted them to win, of course, but that was down to expectation;
‘If you’re being paid a stack of money to play for the club I love, then go out and earn it.’
This season, I had no expectations. I figured that the financial restructuring would leave us shorn of what ‘talent’ remained and with a squad comprised of foreign journeymen, free signings and academy graduates.
And perhaps that’s what we’ve got?
But if that’s the case, it has also brought with it a team that is top of the league, playing delightful football and which is a genuine joy to watch.
It’s a team that I want to win because I can see what it means to them. A team that is seemingly taking as much pleasure in what they’ve achieved as we take from their achievements.
These days, I stay behind to applaud their efforts, because I enjoy watching and feeling the camaraderie. No token gestures or fake kissing of the badge to try and endear; instead a genuine delight in the moment.
The fact that these players are upsetting the odds and out-performing teams that both the national media and the bookmakers believe to be far more capable of mounting a promotion challenge simply serves to create a stronger bond.
It may all go pear-shaped, of course. In fact, by the time these words are published, the streak may have already come to an end (never fear Steve, all good – Ed), but there is a togetherness and spirit within the club that makes it a joy to follow right now.
And when all is said and done, that is surely why we all support Norwich City.
I’m sure that you speak the thoughts of many Steve, myself included.
At this stage last season I was very seriously considering giving up my season ticket, but boy; am I glad that I didn’t.
Your observations on the players and their various levels of “caring” are spot-on, the current group are obviously really tuned-in to the “family” of NCFC. It’s just a shame that a few more of the Premier prima-donna’s were not of the James Maddison ilk – although I guess he was just a little bit later.
O T B C
“But a connection which is built solely upon results, disappears as quickly as you can say ‘losing streak’ and heroes can become zeroes on the back of a few defeats.” So true. Which is why it’s important to build deeper connections with the club and which enable patience.
Farke was barely given a handful of games before some turned on him and, while I can never profess to being someone who knew it would all turn out OK (and we’re not there yet), I am still baffled by this lack of patience. A season and a half is what I thought we should give him, certainly when it was clear we were safe. That’s not psychic or based on any great footballing nous, it’s just fair enough isn’t it?
My connection to the club is more than results driven I guess. I want us to give things a try, take risks, change tack and surprise and – credit where its due – we have a board that have done just that. Thankfully, we’ve shown patience too. I just hope, a long with the (almost too cruel to be funny) gap, it lasts.
I don’t find the gap either cruel or funny. I’m just lovin’ it on its own terms:-)
I share all your sentiments; pre-season I thought success would be avoiding a relegation scrap. A little bit of me fears that things could turn poor again just as quickly as they became good-that’s just deep rooted pessimism based on years of being a City fan and absolutely nothing to do with rationality or anything that’s presently happening on, or off, the pitch.
We’ve almost got enough points now to avoid relegation, so you should very soon be able to sit back and enjoy the ride, Don!
I’ll look forward to it. Thanks
Excellent read Steve,I think it sums things up perfectly.
Very good read Steve.
As with other comments today I wasn’t for changing the ciaching set up after a few weeks and at times last season city and team farke showed what their ultimate aim was in short burst.
All credit to those that keep harping on about the Lambert achievements but he saw the writting on the wall and knew his squad needed a lot of work to keep them in the Premiership, he also realised thst his time was up wether he was push or engineered his departure to Villa we will never know but his upward progress was short lived and look where he is now struggling to get results the blue noses.
At my age I have seen good managers come and go not to many have had great success once they left the warm comfort of Carrow Rd possibly the exception is Houghton at Brighton but he has been given time to build just like Farke has so the point is don’t make hasty decision thst you may regret at a later date.
Yes we must give the board credit for holding their combined nerves and I will be one of the first to put my hand up and say that the Simth’s have outlived their time and it is time to go, even their hardest supporters must agree city needs outside investment, with the possibility of a push for promotion at least 1 or 2 additional players are needed wether it be loans or permanent signings can the cash be found???? that is the question.
Besikitas are still in negotiations for Oliveria but it is now being reported a couple of championship clubs might come calling, this loan with a permanent move at the end of the season is risky if he isn’t fit and ready to play and impress then that permanent move might not happen.
Bolton in money problems we have 2 players on loan with a permanent move that could fall thro
Roll on Rotherham