Norwich City: W25, D13, L6.
Sheff Utd: W25, D10, L9.
Leeds Utd: W25, D7, L12.
It is City’s draws that are taking them up. Effectively Daniel Farke’s cut-price heroes have drawn six games that Leeds lost.
The very first match of the season set the tone. At St Andrew’s, Birmingham scored in the 89th minute to take a 2-1 lead but four minutes into stoppage time Onel Hernandez equalised with his second of the game.
That proved to be the first of several draws that represented real resolve.
Battling back in Binland and at Bristol City. Defying Sky’s “They won’t come back from this” against Forest at the Carra. Goals seven minutes from time by Jordan Rhodes at West Brom and Timm Klose at Brentford. They were all “good” draws.
But some were a bit pfffft. Much ado about nothing-nothing in a downpour was scant reward for going to Hull and back, for instance.
Some were downright disappointments. Being pegged back at Frank Lampard’s gaff brought out the moaners.
And, even though Mario Vrancic’s late, late show against Sheffield Wednesday eventually made Good Friday live up to its name, the recent spate of draws have caused more angst than joy.
It’s a sign of how much the bar has been raised that drawing at Stoke crushed spirits.
For about two and a quarter hours.
Our younger son (bit of a plastic, but one of our own) stayed on in the Harvester across the road from the bet365 stadium – and he reports that the bar was very nearly razed when Brentford beat Leeds.
His mum and dad were in a 50 mph section of the M6 while the idiots on Five Live, who kept insisting on yabbering on about “news”, dialled up the dude at Griffin Park and he said something like: “Well the pressure might well be telling on Leeds because Brentford have scored a sec….”
We made too much noise to hear any more. We had the hood down (Poseur? Moi?) and so we were able to punch the air while screaming. I kept one hand on the wheel. Mostly.
Where were you, where were you, where were you when Canos scored?
That was THE moment, wasn’t it? That was when the dark doubts dissipated and the utter, unadulterated bliss surged in.
So now, only now can we understand that the point at Wigan, the point against Reading – all those solitary points gleaned when we wanted wins – were huge.
And this time triumph somehow means more, doesn’t it? It feels like a vindication of doing things the right way.
The 2004 promotion as Champions was a glorious romp, epitomised by Darren Huckerby’s twisting, teasing, terrorising runs. The 2011 promotion as runners-up was the continuation of the charge up the divisions led from the front by swashbuckling Grant Holt. In 2015 there was the wonder of Wembley, which might well stand for all time as the best single day in Norwich history.
But this time we are arriving in the Premier League by a route that is improbable and beautiful.
Norwich had lost their way. But now the Norwich way is a beacon for the whole of football: an exemplar of involving and embracing the fans and the community, of defying heinous financial constraints and of patience in the boardroom and on the pitch.
So let’s pass around some plaudits.
When Ed Balls was chairman I sent him a text one morning as he did the round of breakfast broadcasts to publicise his autobiography.
“Hi. I never try to interfere but social media is going mad about the lack of signings in the transfer window that’s closing and you’re getting terrible stick about not mentioning NCFC at all on radio and TV. Thought you should know”
“Hi Mick. Thanks. I do know. But the chief exec says nobody should comment. We should let it all blow over”
It was January 2017. The chief executive was Jez Moxey. He left as soon as that transfer window was shut.
Balls’s insistence on hiring head-hunters to find a replacement for David McNally had led to Moxey’s appointment, but the say-nothing doctrine grated with an ex-politician who had seen the value of structured, thought-through communications during the rise of “New Labour”.
There were other elements of Moxey’s style which led Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones to decide that he had to go, but the knowledge that the club had distanced itself from the supporters for whom it exists certainly pained the majority shareholders.
Balls was an advocate of the idea of having a properly empowered head of the whole football department, and of separating that department from the business and commercial part of the club.
Enter Stuart Webber.
But, as with everything since November 1996, when Delia and Michael were first asked to bail out the club, their endorsement of what became the Webberlution was required. The backing came enthusiastically and has been unstinting.
Webber has responded by keeping the board “in the loop” about all that goes on at Colney rather than saying, “Leave the football stuff to the football people” – as is the case at most clubs and as has been the case at Norwich during many different eras.
The success of the restructured scouting and recruitment processes are evident every time Emi Buendia skips over an opponent’s flailing leg. But, the story of the Argentine’s arrival “from sunny Spain” was spelled out by Webber to John Percy of the Daily Telegraph. It is very illuminating.
Webber said: “It started with the guys in data, who flagged him (Emi) up for high statistics in a really underperforming team. Kieran Scott (head of recruitment) went to watch him, came back and said he was unbelievable. I then got involved, watched him and then by using my contacts got into Getafe to make the deal happen at a time when they were struggling for money”.
He added: “Buendia was at loan at Cultural Leonesa, who are owned by Leeds United. Luckily we got there under Leeds’ noses”.
Brilliant. The much-feted Marcelo Bielsa sends spies out with pliers to sneak close-up views of other clubs training and we’ve nipped in and shown we know more than him about a club with which he is associated.
Webber also gets top dollar for players he sells. I know Delia and Michael believe that has not always been the case before.
Getting very good fees for the Murphy twins, Jonny Howson, Alex Pritchard, James Maddison and sundry others has enabled Webber to make a profit of about £60 million on transfers while cutting the wage bill from £55 million to £25 million.
Let’s just pause and think about that. Dropping out of the Premier League with a huge wage bill has bankrupted several clubs. Slashing the salaries bill and having to sell the best players has plunged countless clubs into prolonged mediocrity or sent them tumbling down the divisions.
We’re top of the League.
And I think you can see part of the reason by watching our throw-ins and our turn-overs.
Throw-ins? Yep. Watch how we don’t chuck the ball up-field hoping to win a header or the second ball. Watch how, instead, players dance around until one can come and receive a short throw to feet. He returns the ball to the thrower who begins another triangular session of keep-ball.
Turn-overs? Yep. That’s when the opposition think they’ve got the ball but we nick it off them. Watch how often we do that in and around the opposition penalty area.
Our players are exceptionally well coached and drilled.
That’s down to Daniel Farke and his coaching staff, and he must also get the credit for the bravery and belief he showed by pitching Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey, Jamal Lewis and Todd Cantwell into the first team.
You win nothing with kids, somebody once said. But we’re top of the League.
And off the pitch Comms Director Joe Ferrari has given bloggers and vloggers access that is not replicated anywhere else I know of. Director Tom Smith attends pretty much every function put on by the wonderful Fans’ Social Club and the magnificent Community Sports Foundation, and the outstanding work of Along Come Norwich and the Barclay End group has made a visible, noisy difference which the club enabled.
Oh, and there are some other people who have played a part.
In 2009, director Michael Foulger said that, if supporters did not take the discount offered on season tickets following relegation to League One, he’d match them pound for pound. The money raised bought Holty.
Ten years on, director Tom Smith went to the board with the idea that a bond scheme might finance the complete revamping of the Colney complex – a rebuild Webber said was vital. Again, it meant supporters putting their hands in their pockets. Again many of us did just that.
This time, we were promised a return on that money, with a bonus if Norwich reached the Premier League. Ha! That wasn’t likely, was it?
We’re top of the League. And quids in. Thanks to those draws.
Great stuff. Can’t wait for Saturday, and also can’t wait to spend my 3% club shop academy bond credit on a Premier League shirt, and my 25% promotion bonus on a nice weekend watching my team in Newcastle, or Tottenham, or Manchester etc
What a season it has been.
Cracking article, Mick. Covers pretty much everything with accuracy. What an amazing time to be a Norwich supporter. The Webber/Farke combination, supported by the Board has resulted in a perfect combination of Promotion to the Prem and the best football I have ever seen our team play. OTBC!
Who can complain. They would be on very sandy soil if they did. I have hardly ever been a fan of Delia & Michael .. reasons varied and seem rather stupid now. The club has been turned on its head and re-structured correctly. People worry about getting players should some leave. I am more worried at Losing Mr Webber and Mr Farke .
Top of the league at too many grounds to mention
Hi Mick
A very good read.
As like many others, I will always be thankful for the Smiths for saving the club and the promotions and good times that have followed them but after the last relegation, there was a time that we all thought they out outlived their sell-by date.
We must thank the people that convinced them to change how City was managed and bringing in Webber and Co.
I’m still of the opinion that City needs real investment to prolong our stay in the Premiership but that is for another day to discuss as for now let’s get a win on Saturday to confirm promotion, then possibly a point for the title against Villa – now that would be the icing on the cake.
Canarylad – unless Farke is sacked I don’t see him going anywhere before his contract expires. So, just relax on that front.
Great stuff Mick. One gripe: how come Jordan Rhodes’ 10 man, 18 pass goal was missed from the goals of the season comp?
I note a considerable % state another on the PinkUn poll. Bet that is the one wanted!
To my mind that was one of the best goals scored anywhere in Western Europe this season.
I had just about forgotten about nightmare Moxey’s reign although I have often reminded Wolves fans that they took 15 years to get rid of him and we took 15 months.
Whenever the ownership debate took place I always thought of teams like Coventry and Portsmouth among many others where outside investment was seen as providing the stepping stone to success but was actually the beginning of a terrible existential crisis. I often doubted that, alas, Smith and Jones’ pockets may not be deep enough but never doubted their love for and commitment to the club. I am certain that they have enjoyed this season every bit as much as every other fan.
I wasn’t aware that Leeds owned the club Emi was on loan at-I didn’t think it possible to make an already mind boggingly brilliant piece of transfer business even better, absolutely hilarious-and he cost less than the fee we got for Marley Watkins.
Many of the draws have felt like victories, a couple have felt like defeats. All have been proved to be valuable.
Cracking read Mick, covered a lot of ground in one article – still got it old boy although was it really necessary to mention Jez Moxey. That name together with that of a certain Glenn Roeder usually results in my nervous twitch starting up.
Another great read.
The piece on the quality of the coaching is spot on. I haven’t seen anyone mention it but when Mario was lining up his free kick against Wednesday, Barry Bannon dropped back to the goal line. Three City players followed him meaning he had to move back up again, opening that space back up that Mario hit.
Why no mention of Teemu Pukki?