Eye-watering transfer fees, sleeve sponsors and VAR.
Welcome back to the Premier League, Norwich City.
The gulf between the Championship and the Premier League is vast – we’re told that constantly – but it’s in terms of money where the different ballparks become obvious.
For a community football club whose current model sees it operate within the constraints of a financial straitjacket, it’s easy to join the dots and see why Norwich City is not a natural fit for the Premier League.
‘Little Norwich’ is the tag that has been, sometimes affectionately, sometimes less so, attributed to this football club by its supporters, but is also implied by national outlets, pundits and opposing supporters.
Given the general rhetoric adopted in the Premier League, it’s terminology that will be repeated continually next season. Whether it’s Gary Neville, on Sky Sports, bemoaning Norwich’s lack of transfer spending compared with fellow newcomers Aston Villa or the constant belittling by opposition fans, we all need to take the advice of Stuart Webber and ‘ignore the noise’.
The level of scrutiny will be tenfold that of last season – that much we do know.
An international audience brings expectation. A game against Norwich will be viewed as a must-win for all sides, yet the criticism will come if City don’t pull up trees and survive while conforming to Premier League convention. Unlike Sheffield United and Aston Villa, they don’t have an English coach to swoon over, but what they do have is a potent style of play and a squad that represents everything that makes the league so intoxicating.
The Premier League offers a cocktail of footballing philosophies from around the globe. From Guardiola’s tika-taka to Klopp’s gegenpress back to Dyche’s traditional result-getting football.
Daniel Farke and Webber have constructed a broad-church of European talent, some discarded by previous owners, and transformed them into league winners. Operating with a possession-based, aesthetic and practical footballing philosophy, this is different Norwich City than those that have previously tackled the top-flight.
But retaining the togetherness is the challenge, both on the pitch and on the terraces.
Norwich City FC replicates Norwich as a city. The values the two entities share exist as one: the community, the openness and the welcoming nature. The people stand in unison, celebrating together or comforting each other. But global corporations and world-class operators will test those values.
With those challenges needs to come more colour, more patience and a greater sense of perspective.
Last season, City embarked on a challenge to display tangible signs of improvement but fast-forward a year and they are preparing for an opening day trip to Anfield to face the European Champions.
So expect the lazy comparisons between Jurgen Klopp and Farke, and the fascination around a lack of Premier League experience, but this the new Norwich City way, and we’ll l plough on regardless of what the league throws at us.
The successes of last season, while stored in the minds of everyone forever, will be soon be replaced with hopes and fears for the season ahead and the new task in hand.
To shake the tag already ascribed to them, they will have to ignore the critics who fail to understand the route they are creating. Luckily, the Canary fanbase has already been educated in the new way, the best example being how the Carrow Road crowd no longer demands a direct pass in the dying embers of a game when a goal is needed.
Being ahead of the curve allows the players some space to operate.
A new training ground and investment in youth players who could become first-teamers in years to come have been the primary usage of City’s budget to date. Webber has constructed an environment where pragmatism and graft are top of the agenda, all shaped around the tight financial model, but which is never used as an excuse.
Contractually, they are showing faith in those who won the Championship title and are refusing to stoke the flames of transfer sensationalism by chasing names that will sell shirts. Recruitment is critical, but it’s also fair to say they haven’t got every transfer right. For every Teemu Pukki, there’s a Marley Watkins, but the structure of the recruitment process is solid and has delivered.
‘They’ll need fire in their stomachs, but ice in their heads’; a quote from Farke’s book of footballing poetry. Multiply that by 38. Defensive grit will be a new facet needed, and key will be how they respond to not being the active team – at Anfield for starters.
That’s the big test.
Eye-watering transfer fees will be a regular occurrence for the duration of Norwich’s stay at the top table but, most probably, it’ll be others, not City, spending that money. The temptation will increase, especially if on the pitch results aren’t what many hope, but resisting that temptation and maintaining their ethos will be integral to the medium and long-term future of the club.
These questions will be answered soon enough, but they’ll need to shake off the ‘little Norwich’ tag by doing it their way and by refusing to conform.
This is exciting. Bring it on.
I always wonder about the ‘little Norwich’ tag. Close to where I live there are Wolves, West Brom, Birmingham, Stoke, Derby, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, and Coventry who, during my life time have averaged crowds and time in the top division in line (or less) than us. I don’t remember any of them having the prefix ‘little’ attached to their names.
Wolves (as I’m regularly reminded) had huge crowds and huge success 60 years ago and Leicester and Forest’s successes at home and abroad more recently are to be respected but none of the rest seem to me to be a ‘bigger’ club than Norwich. I suppose that like so many things today, evidence and facts are usurped by feelings.
I think geography dictates that we are going to be thought of as a small club. The people of the press probably don’t hang around to see what a vibrant, go-ahead city Norwich is when they reluctantly travel through miles of rural emptiness to get there. I’m quite happy with this mindset, it allows the club to get on with things.
I think a few teams in the forthcoming season will realise that this ‘little’ club is of the mind set of ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall’
Spot on there Don.
When I lived in London up until 1986-ish everybody around me supported West Ham, Spurs or Arsenal, with a few Chelsea fans thrown in for good measure.
I worked in a Spurs pub and quickly adopted the family and “lifestyle” – it was the only way I could get to see regular football although folks knew I supported City at heart I was allowed to join the “gang”. Tottenham remain my second team to this day if we exclude Real Mallorca – who are now back in La Liga. Dunno how – they’re skint:-)
What really brought your point home to me was when I walked into said pub with a yellow and green vertically striped “fan top” after a rare trip to Carrow Road and one of my mates yelled: “What are you doing wearing a West Brom away top you ****?”
Kinda shows how much we were (not) on the London radar I guess.
Your comment about our geographical location is particularly apt. Nice one.
Living up in West Yorkshire / Greater Manchester border i’m regularly reminded of the fact that most don’t even know where Norwich is….ranges from “Just outside london” to “somewhere down there” seem to be the lazy favourites or the older view ” you had a good team once didn’t you play Bayern Munich and does Delia still do half-time team talks…ha ha”
But it reminded me of the time i spotted a street seller, selling scarves etc in Manchester.
“I’ll take A Norwich (yellow green bar) scarf please”?
“I don’t sell Norwich gear” he replied.
Rather puzzled as I was by that time holding the scarf……..
“Er, I think you do, I’ll take a norwich scarf , please”
Rather aggressive reply of “are you thick, can’t you see its Utd”?
Noticing an open box that said “100 scarves” on it……I replied “In fact i’ll take 100 Norwich scarves please”
Can’t remember all the expletives but in summary I know nothing about football, United were clearly the only team to ever wear yellow / green and I was a “thick c***” “Calmly walked away saying “shame, really wanted 100 Norwich scarves”
We are not widely hated, we are here to make up the numbers only……To the “bigger” team we are just another 3 pts, if they win its because they are better, if we win it will be because they let us…..but it’s my club and would rather my club be small and beautiful than big and odious.
A Man Utd fan who knows nothing about football? who would have thought such a thing!
Our experiences and emotions about our club are the same-I love being a Norwich fan round here; every day is a wind-up opportunity.
By the way, are you related to Richard Gathergood? I went to Hewett with him from 1976-1980 (MFW meets Friends Reunited)
Doesn’t some of this stem from the Worthington promotion, when Delia in an interview used the term little norwich in with the big boys.
If the owner see it like this then the media will pick up on it for sure, the same as “Let’s be havin you”
It is a well known trope in the armed forces…that actual battle rips plans and intentions asunder. Will Norwich actually resist the temptation to spend if we have 7 points after the first 11 games? Do not be so sure. Despite what has been said Farke would be under severe pressure, with the goodwill slowly bleeding away. Happened to Lambert, Neil and others…who delivered Farke-type highs.
Strong psychological reasons allow for the easy, and rather glib statements, that have been bandied about. No matter what we will not change tack. If it all goes badly wrong nothing will be changed and we will allow ourselves to be relegated with nothing more than a whimper. So that we can come again…Really? Hope and expectation is still fully alive. Deep down almost everyone feels that this team will be good enough to not only survive, but do rather better than anticipated. Lets wait and see. I am optimistic, i yet believe, which is why we love football. “This is exciting, bring it on”. Just so. But do not be so naive as to think failure on the pitch will change nothing. It always has and always will. Vive la Revolution.
I learnt a long time ago to ignore the “LITTLE” tag given to city.
Coventry supporters still remember beating Spurs to the FA Cup all that time ago until you remind them it was a Spurs own goal thst gave them the won otherwise they would still be without a trophy.
Ole saud that the press had an agenda for Pogba well it could be said the same they gave one for city and some would say city like the prefix LITTLE as it keeps them under the radar.
City have had big success with the Little tag wasn’t it another German Captain when told B M were playing city stated he had never heard of them and would soon put them in there rightful place that result soon woke up the Italian mob and didn’t take city for granted in the next round.
City have a tough start to the new season but I can see a couple of surprises
Liverpool a free hit nothing expected could be a draw.
Newcastle no manager and no new players in could be a home win
Chelsea new manager can’t sign anyone due to embargo this could be a draw
Man C as with the Liverpool game a free hit no one expecting city to get anything
Burnley a slow starter so this could be a win.
So Little old Norwich could bloody a few noses in this high altitude league and I don’t expect city to be pointless after the first 5 games.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC