Wow… none of us will forget the Easter Monday of 2019 in a hurry.
And who would have guessed that the City hero to emerge from the day would be an ex-Canary. Sergi Canos we salute you.
I’ve been banging the ‘let’s do this ourselves and not rely on favours from others’ drum for some time now but four draws from the last four games have altered the landscape. Unbeaten in 12 we may be but four points from the last 12 have led to an unhealthy interest in results elsewhere.
Fortunately, as City’s game at the Bet365 Stadium was being played simultaneously with Sheffield United’s stroll at the KCOM, we were spared the agony of observing a gurning and whooping Chris Wilder, but the timing of Brentford/Leeds made it impossible not to watch.
Having said that, having watched 192-minutes of football with so much hanging on them, seldom can I recall being so emotionally drained. Brentford’s win has taken us to the cusp – only a concoction of freak results can deny us – but having been put through the wringer to such an extent, it was difficult to process.
The cold light of day was supposed to bring clarity. That I’m still mulling it all over probably means it hasn’t but at least the sums are clear now – a point against Blackburn on Saturday night and we’re definitely up. That much I do know.
I also know that even though we’re on the brink, it won’t be plain sailing and our heroes in yellow will likely make us perspire one final time before crossing that line. It’s what they do.
The fact we’re staggering across the finishing line rather than smashing the tape into smithereens mustn’t, however, detract from the magnitude of the achievement. Agonising it may have been over the last few weeks, but this is a modern day fairytale.
In 21st-century footballing parlance, the club has no right to be where it is. No money, no billionaire owners, no big names, selling its best players to balance the books, a coach with little Championship experience. The list goes on.
But the rule book has been ripped up. Modern, innovative thinking and quality coaching have triumphed over fancy names, fat wallets and traditional methods.
And, on the field, courtesy of this brave new world, we’ve taken ourselves to the cusp of something great by playing the most aesthetically pleasing football that most of us can ever recall seeing on the Carrow Road turf.
There would be no place for a story like this in Roy of the Rovers because it would be deemed daft and unrealistic.
Readers of this column will know that in the past, I’ve been critical of Delia and Michael’s reticence to seek financial help when this club needed it most, but I’ve nothing but respect for how they’ve managed the post-Alex Neil era.
The self-funding model was borne of necessity but out of it came a willingness to look beyond the traditional norms – to change the shape of a club that for too long had religiously followed the well-worn path without having the financial oomph to keep up.
The sporting director/head coach plan was a board decision that was led by Ed Balls but for it to succeed it needed the right personnel to be slotted into the key roles. Enter Stuart Webber.
Whoever pointed the board in the direction of Huddersfield in this search deserves the freedom of the city. So too does Webber himself for appointing Daniel Farke and his team.
To see the job through in front of a packed Carrow Road next Saturday would be a fitting denouement of phase one of this project. Delia and Michael deserve their moment – I sincerely hope they soak up every single second.
I’m not sure if, in the club’s history, a promotion has been technically achieved at home – I’m sure someone will tell me – but it will be a first for me.
The closest I can get to a Carrow Road occasion of this ilk, from memory, is when Dave Stringer’s header against Crystal Palace saved the club from relegation from Division One in April 1973. But I was in short trousers then and cannot recall the finer points.
This one could be really special, assuming Ipswich don’t achieve the impossible and manage to avoid defeat at Bramall Lane in the hours leading up to our date with destiny.
Returning to the agony of yesterday for a moment, there were a few who used the 260 minutes between the final whistles at the Bet365 and Griffin Park to take potshots at City players, at other City fans and to reignite Twitter feuds that had been forgotten, but thank God calm was restored when it became clear that ‘Leeds falling apart again’ really was a thing.
Minus the interventions of Neal Maupay and Canos, this would have been one tetchy old week, but hopefully even the most cynical of cynics can see the job is almost done… and rather than dig out any of our heroes in yellow, whose form has dipped at the end of an exhausting season, or fellow Canaries whose views don’t exactly align with our own, let’s try and be nice to each other.
Yes, we conceded a couple of soft, needless goals yesterday but this is a young side with still plenty of room to learn. That yesterday’s game became way too open and end-to-end after the Tom Trybull injury was obvious but it’s also worth remembering that in mid-season we’d probably have regarded a point at Stoke as a good result.
Mistakes that earlier in the season are quickly forgotten become magnified in the height of a promotion run-in – and there’s no denying one or two have been hindered and inhibited by the pressure – but Stuart Webber’s has stayed true to his promise that no City side under his watch would ever be found wanting in terms of effort and desire.
Even in the fallow periods and the difficult moments, the courage and bravery of this group seeps from every single pore.
So, let’s all unite and roar these lads over the line on Saturday night. We can do thunderous receptions. Now’s the time for the mother of them all.
On the Ball City…
While I fully expect us to do the necessary on Saturday evening, I still fancy us to take a point at least at Villa in the final game. It will probably have been helped on Sunday, when Leeds play Villa, as Leeds are becoming demoralised and resigned to a play-off spot, while Villa will be looking to secure fourth place ahead of West Brom to gain second leg home advantage in the play-off semi.
Enjoyed the beam-back yesterday, great atmosphere, though why some people need to go out after 20 minutes to get a beer and some chips, I don’t know. Also the two guys in the row in front, who went out for a leak, and came back to find we were one – nil up.
Just a point to add – everyone talks as though the goal difference advantage we have over Leeds is significant, but it’s not. For it to come into effect, we’d have to lose two games, therefor, it might be eight or even less. If Leeds win their games (as they would have to) the eight would be down to five or six, and given that they play the unmentionables in their last game, they might knock up a cricket score. We need to get the points on the board, not rely on goal difference.
How did you watch the Leeds game? I was completely unable to go near a TV or mobile. I watered the garden,, weeded. Washed up, played dominoes, watched pointless and generally wandered aimlessly pretending I was calm. My daughter let me know the result and a lump appeared in my throat.
Since then my my mind is still conspiring ways Leeds can reverse the 10 goal margin. I’ll be there Saturday and in a funny way it may eclipse the play-off final joy because I love this group of players, coaches, management and our wonderful owners more than ever. I’m 63 and never felt so proud of our club.
Let’s sign Sergio Canos, he was badly dealt with but I always liked him, now he’s a bloody hero!
Time for a lye down.
Spot on Gary, this could be our greatest ever promotion.
The Ron Saunders one was special, it always will be. I don’t think you can ever recreate that feeling of wonder for the following season. We had only seen these players on Match of The Day and they were coming to Carrow Road ! I genuinely couldn’t eat my lunch on occasions. And I was there that day Gary against Palace when Dave Stringer header kept us up. But in those days the finances between clubs were much more even.
Agent Lambert’s second successive promotion was also a fantastic achievement considering we had just come up from the old 3rd division.
However I personally believe if we go on to clinch the Championship itself I feel it will eclipse Lambert’s team.
How many of us even thought it likely we would get into the playoffs ? ( Ok I know you did Marty !)
What Farke/Webber have done is absolutely unbelievable, we are basically skint, having to sell a £20 million player every year to stay afloat, lost all our so called premiership players, rely heavily on youth and import wonderful players, but how many have we ever heard of ? The scouting has been first class. Then you hear from Daniel Farke on the contribution from Klose, Hanley and Rhodes it just goes to show how so together this squad are.
I know we won’t but lets not do a Fulham, give these guys a chance in the premiership.
Hi Tim
First off I got a feeling for this squad when they turned it around at the beginning of September. I never said that pre-season!
Secondly Stuart Webber will not sanction ridiculous expenditure and you are so right when you say that “this lot” must be given a chance. Nobody wants a “Fulham” surely?
The scouting (and indeed getting the players in from the point they were identified) has been superb.
For me Martin it was Middlesbrough at home, didn’t go with a lot of optimism but they impressed a lot of people that day.
And then Eddie Howe said after the league cup tie against Bournemouth that “These will take a lot of stopping” even then I thought really ?
I agree that massive signings are not the way I would like to see the club go.
Hi Gary
Another great read and summary of a game that had many twists and turns but for once not to many of the Ref’s decisions altered the flow of it.
Sheff U have Ispshite on saturday and could be top of the table come city’s kick of time, will they have enought pride to go out in a blaze of glory or like a damp squid that is the question, will L P want to do city a favour I can see the supporters nor wanting city promoted as champions but would like to see some changes that they could look forward to bext season.
I was at Watford when city got promoted to the old first division in 1971/72 season that was a nail biting game and it seems city like to keep the supporters on tender hooks 1 point confirms promotion 3 points and we can win the title it all depends on Blackburn will their players be looking to get a bigger bonus for league position or planning the hols.
Lets not look for help from either Ispshite or Blackburn let city do it for themselves as before they will know what is needed prior to the kickoff, surely we will not leave it to the away game at villa????.
Will city beam that last game back to carrow rd
Onwards and upwards OTBC
Hear, hear Gary, a momentous day indeed. Brentford clearly relished the opportunity to rain on Leeds parade, I suspect they rank amongst the number of teams that Leeds have upset along the way this season. Good on them.
Very few contributors have been more scathing than myself in regards to the ownership/direction of the club, particularly during last season when we didn’t have any football to talk about. It would be churlish indeed not to recognise the part played by the top brass in recruiting the personnel responsible for this upturn in fortunes. The buck, be it good or bad, always stops at the top and good decisions require recognition.
The feeling that we are in the middle of a monumental bottle job has gripped me for a while, aided and abetted by reprehensible characters like Fletcher and Eltringham for whom I hope is reserved an especially hot corner in Purgatory. Some seriously poor errors, both on the pitch and off it have fuelled my belief that beautiful things such as this don’t happen in real life. I would add the caveat here that we, as yet, are still not certain of finishing the job.
To that end I issue a heartfelt plea to the players and staff at Norwich City to shake loose the nerves, apprehension and daft mistakes and give Blackburn a good doing. It’s been long enough, let’s get it bloody done now.
Hi Gary
I can’t remember a promotion confirmed at the Carra either.
Lambert’s second was at Portsmouth, (forgotten the first), one at Wembley (Boro obviously) and the Worthy era one was at Sunderland when our lot took a tinfoil and card trophy with them – there’s a famous photo around of Marc Edworthy with said edifice.
That was the night West Brom lost and thereby sent us up.
Hopefully somebody else could confirm this.
But this time round (even if not arithmetically) we are UP.
Promotion from League 1 happened at Charlton, the very same ground we were relegated from the previous season. You could not have a bigger contrast!
Let’s hope that the virtual certainty of promotion will allow the team to play without the jitters experienced in the last four games. Farke has done a brilliant job but he needs to look up the word rotation ready for next season because some of these players look worn out to me.
Yes I fully agree with you there Cyprus, By not rotating Farke has done himself no favours in this run in. His players on the pitch are tired, but not feeling under threat for their places, because he is not rotating, and then those on the bench, whilst fresh are almost wholly without recent match practice, so its hard for Farke to bring them in. I thought playing Leitner out of position, against Sheff Wed, so he could replace him again when Buendia was back, particularly made no sense, when McLean was arguably already out of position, since he is much more an attacking midfielder than defensive midfielder.
But further, Farke has given himself and Webber some unnecessary problems for the squad next season which a little rotation would have made much easier. What happens to Timm Klose now? I’m assuming he’s leaving because he hasn’t played. But might he still not be useful in the PL next season? Well we don’t really know because we don’t know what current form he might or might not be in. The same goes for Grant Hanley, who has just been parked on the bench for 4-5 months.
There’s more. Would Jordan Rhodes be any use in the PL? Well, we don’t know either, because he also hasn’t played enough. And what about our two midfield maestros, who we will definitely need a great deal next season? Well, a pity they’ve only been knocking around the fringes when they both perform roles no other player can (and no McLean doesn’t replace them, he fulfils a different function).
Promotion is a fabulous surprise and Farke has forged a wonderful team spirit, but I hope indeed he is aware he will need to do things differently next year. Of course, the dynamic will be different as we’ll be losing more matches than we win, but still the philosophy of at least some rotation, when players have shown they can slot in relatively seamlessly for others, is still about how you manage a squad across a lengthy tiring season, to maintain the ability of your team to perform right until the end.
Anyway, thank god for Canos, He’s taken the pressure off us and we can relax now and enjoy the outcome of an astonishing season.
Now it is almost done we could almost have a page for those people like me who thought it couldn’t be done who are delighted to have been proved wrong. I remember Everton/Coventry in 1985 so I will celebrate when it is mathematically certain but whatever, hats off to DF and his team, Webber and yes even Delia and MWJ, also Ed Balls for implementing the new structure. Next season will be unbelievably tough but we have a team to be proud of. So exciting to see what we could do with even better young players attracted by our new found status.
Was at sunderland for that game Mr P you are right, we got our car stoned by 8=9 yo thugs. on the way in. but we did have several Sunderland supporters shake hands with us on the way back to the car; this after enjoying a little celebration with the team, manager and Delia and Michael .
Listen or trying to listen on wireless while walking on the prom at Hunstanton, dodging the heaving crowds while still trying to hear what family memebers said to me. Finishing off in the car on the way home. I think I felt as low as I have done for many months. (even losing my motability car)
But lst night changed the mood completely, I know many teams struggle at the final furlong mark, but if this is City’s idea of a struggle many many clubs would gladly have that unbeaten run, just a shame aa win or two in the last four would have stopped me having to increase the beta blockers.
Another great piece, Gary.
I hope no-one will take anything away from our achievement on the grounds that it’s Leeds’ slip-ups which have put us on the verge of promotion. The final straight of a promotion race brings immense pressure, especially on a young team. Yes, the fluency of our play has suffered a bit. But we’ve made up for it in character and guts – unlike the much-vaunted Leeds who’ve folded.
All credit to us.
Great article Gary. I also remember the Stringer header and being at Watford.
What is different about this is i don’t think that in my 60 years of supporting our team i have ever felt so close to them or actually liked them as individuals and what they and the club stand for and are trying to achieve. Maybe it is social media giving that extra access that has created it. Whatever it is i love it and have never wanted a group to succeed so much. Has there ever been a better season? Has the quality of performance reached such levels so often?
I would love to know who identified Stuart Webber as the one to take us forward. Any clues?
Rumour would say it was Ed Balls who ID’d Stuart Webber.
I could be wrong but I’ve heard that from so many differing sources that I at least believe it to be true.
I heard that McNally recruited his wife from Fulham and she was approached by Ed Balls to see if he was interested in taking over at City.
Could be wrong
Hi Gary. A very good summary of yesterday’s action(I was one of the 6,000 at CR!!) and whilst my prophecy was that we’d clinch promotion on Easter Monday against Stoke, to achieve it by the (once) mighty Leeds losing to Brentford felt even sweeter.
Stoke were the only remaining team with any hope of ‘doing the double’ over us, yet we’ve ‘done the double’ over several teams.
My wish – that fans stop taking to whatever forms of social media they prefer and moaning at other fans/players etc, etc!!!
As you rightly point out it is thanks to Ed and Tom that the Sporting Director/Head Coach was taken and immediately denounced by our ‘near neighbours’ – but what an inspired decision.
I believe that the achievement this season eclipses what Lambert did and we must have money in the kitty, also that the riches coming our way won’t be squandered.
Over to you scouting team/SW and see if you can unearth another ‘uncut diamond’. Let’s hope that the majority of the squad opt to stay and ply their trade in the PL playing in yellow and green!!! I have heard a rumour that Aarons is off to Spurs for around £20M.
I was at The Carra yesterday, and at the final whistle was beginning to think that we might have started to bottle it. It looked to me like there were a large number of tired bodies and minds on the field at Stoke, most of whom were wearing yellow and green……
And then, cometh the hour, cometh the man Canos. How brilliant that Timm Klose kept in touch with him, and messaged him before their game started, and what a performance. One wonders how much Canos might have flourished at City under the current regime.
After the “punishments” handed out to us at Blackburn in December, we owe them one.
Hopefully we can do it, (again), in style, in front of the TV cameras and then start to plan those trips to The Etihad; Anfield, Old Trafford , The Emirates, etc………after the open top bus tour of course!!
O T B C
Good read Gary. I was also critical of Delia and MWJ but hats off to them, they proved that you can teach an old dogs new tricks.
Special mention to Webber and Farke and I look forward to seeing how they deal with a different challenge next year.
I hope we end up as champions as we played better football than the other times.
My final hope is that Vrancic starts the last two games as he’s a class act and better on the eye than the other options.
As I was travelling back from Stoke feeling not too bad about the draw the guard came into the carriage to check tickets. I stood up to retrieve mine and saw that the man in the seat in front of me was watching the Brentford game. I spoke to him and watched the game over his shoulder and learned that he was a Leeds fan. The guard arrived to me at the exact moment the ball arrived at Maupy’s foot-joy unconfined! I got to a Wolverhampton pub about 5 minutes before Sergi wrapped it up-delirium!
Everyone at the club deserves huge praise for what has happened this season. It’s been so unexpected (by me at least) that it feels different to all the other promotions I’ve seen. It’s impossible for me to pick a favourite season; this has been exhilarating and will never be forgotten.
What a season, the last few yards over the line are in sight. The players are exhausted and it is up to us to do our bit on Saturday evening to lift them to Champion status. The Webber /Farke revolution is ahead of schedule and next season will be tougher still but I urge all supporters to keep the faith when we are in the Premier League. The togetherness of the club, supporters and community has never been stronger. This has been the highlight season in over 50 years of supporting this club. The football has been exceptional and is joy to be part of.
We made a weekend out of our trip to Stoke and met up with and old colleague who has a season ticket there. After a trawl through City Centre pubs it was off to the match where I felt confident especially when we took the lead. However, I felt very flat at full time and just had this nagging feeling that not only would be denied promotion but that it would be an undeserved denial. We haven’t played badly lately we just haven’t got the points. Listening to the Leeds game on the way home lifted our moods and the timing of the second goal was just as we overtook another NCFC car and cue joint celebrations. We should be ok and I believe our last Carrow Road promotion was 1960. I can remember the Palace match in 1975 plus the Championship clinching game against Stoke in 1986, other than that we had the play off clincher v Stockport in 2002 and a title clincher v Gillingham. It will be nice to see us clinch promotion Saturday night so lets do our bit