There was a comment from Ben Gibson in the week, posted on Instagram in the aftermath of the Brentford win, that summed up perfectly the mindset in the City camp right now.
“We have to win at the weekend so it isn’t wasted.”
That this conversation had been had was confirmed after yesterday’s game by Max Aarons: “We discussed after beating Brentford that there’s no point us winning that game and then taking our foot off the gas for, with all due respect to Luton, a team that’s lower down the table.”
And therein lies one of the greatest triumphs of Team Farke over the last eight months.
It’s only 224 days since we exhaled a huge collective sigh of relief after losing “only 5-0” to Manchester City on the final day of last season. Many feared the worst and that records would tumble as one of the worst Premier League campaigns in history drew to a sorry close.
Wikipedia has its own unique way of reminding us (as if we need it) how good or bad things have been; green being good, pink being bad. For example:
One can only imagine the mindset at Colney as that run unfolded and as it became obvious where it was leading us. To have worked so hard to achieve promotion and to then see it implode in such disheartening fashion must have been the ultimate test of ‘not too high, not too low”.
And to compound it, Stuart Webber and Daniel Farke then had just 48 days to reinvigorate a squad that was on its knees in readiness for a Championship campaign that, whether they liked it or not, would come loaded with expectation.
That they achieved this and some, to the point where, with the pressure gauge on 11, the team hits the home straight with a seven-game winning run, is a remarkable achievement.
And so, for all the technical excellence of this group, for all the silky, fluid football, for all the improved defensive organisation, it’s their ability to have turned around a losing mentality to one that’s the polar opposite that most astounds. Or, as Wikipedia puts it…
(Even more remarkable than the seven straight wins is that the Swansea defeat didn’t involve the Welsh Wizards getting and scoring a very dubious 96th-minute penalty.)
The latest of those wins, coming off the back of said midweek win over Brentford, was City’s eighth game in the space of 29 days – a hectic schedule in anyone’s book, let alone a team fending off a chasing pack who have been relentless in their pursuit.
I’m not totally au fait with the Colney mindfulness regime but whatever it is and whoever is responsible for refreshing and clearing the minds should be included in Delia’s birthday honours list.
It helps of course if you have the most technically able squad in the division but plenty of quality squads have buckled under the weight of Championship expectation and the relentless of the fixture list.
And besides, you could argue that Watford and Bournemouth should have squads of equivalent quality given they both made better attempts at survival last season and were both able to hold on to key personnel.
But, the respective gaps are 10 points and 20 points.
There is obviously work still to be done before the planning for next season can go full tilt but five clean sheets in the last seven games don’t hint of an imminent implosion. Quite the opposite.
Instead, I’m mildly intrigued as to how good this team can be in Championship terms and if it can tumble a few records in the right direction this time.
After 35 games of the 2017-18season, the much-vaunted and very expensively assembled Wolves team that included (and still does) a fair sprinkling of Portuguese internationals, had a record thus…
Remember how great we thought they were? How relentless and unstoppable? Well…
Okay, so we’re not scoring with the gay abandon of Jorge Mendes’ men but neither have we the financial might behind us that Wolves have used to turn themselves into Premier League regulars.
We may lack the swash and buckle of Wolves 2017-18 or even the Norwich City of 2018-19 but there’s a confidence and surety about this group that’s infectious and which will stand them in good stead for what lies ahead in the next few weeks and months.
And looking slightly further ahead if I dare… there are a couple of quotes from Farke that are worth remembering, made back in July 2020 when he was attempting, eloquently as ever, to explain why 2019-20 had gone so badly:
“In general, the teams that are promoted because of a solid defence find it easier to adapt to a higher level because they’re still solid and when they are then able to add quality in the offence, they have a good chance to stay in the league in the first season. They have more problems the year after, because, with no offensive plan, they struggle to take the next step.
“Teams who are promoted with a brilliant offensive plan and a possession-based side find it difficult to be successful in the first season because on a higher level they’re not that outstanding anymore. They have to do what’s not that much in the DNA of the players. It’s more about defending to be solid.”
So, while the possession-based part of that conundrum remains, if we go up it will be under the guise of one of those teams Daniel refers to that has a solid defence. And that, in his eyes, makes the transition from the best side in the Championship to Premier League survivors that little bit more do-able.
Also, his take on (without mentioning them by name) Sheffield United, was spot on.
As ever, only time will tell.
What we do know though is if it happens, there is no way next season will be as much fun or as joyous as this one, even though only a few of us have been there to see a live glimpse of it. And it still irks that there is a real likelihood that a packed Carrow Road will never get its chance to show its appreciation to Oliver Skipp for his contribution to this campaign.
But, in the here and now, seven-game winning runs don’t come along too often and neither do ten-point leads at the top of a division. In fact, in the history of Norwich City FC, I’m not sure it’s ever been this good.
So, soak it up. Savour the moment. Amid the gloom, our football club has produced something special.
Good summary as always Gary. I know it’s only natural for fans to worry about next season given how difficult our post promotion seasons back in the Prem have proven to be. I was one of the first to question why the club seem to surrender their top flight status so easily and what the club would do differently if they got the chance for promotion again.
However since not being able to go to games and the outbreak Covid my outlook has changed as I don’t think I have witnessed in my 30 years plus of supporting Norwich so many wins and clean sheets in a single season. It really is remarkable the turnaround when you compare it to plucky Bournemouth and Watford who have to change managers every five minutes when things get tough. So yes savour the moment. If we sell players in the summer it will be for a lot of money which can be reinvested into the club. I think Webber has been very honest with the fans and you can’t ask much more than that.
If Skipp doesn’t come back on loan next year (feels unlikely) then with a bit of luck he might play against us in a revamped Tottenham midfield – that would at least let the Carra crowd give him the standing ovation he deserves.
Great article, Gary.
Scary, innit? 💛💚💛💚💛💚
Still a bit nervous about the run-in, with Watford, Bournemouth, Barnsley and Reading all still to play us, You’d like to think as most are home games we will at least take points. We saw how quickly a nice gap between 1st and 2nd can be reduced with a couple of draws and a loss in one week but looking at us now we seem to have a determination that gets us through it. The Brentford game was pertinent – they were far better than us for the first 20 minutes but we didn’t panic and ended up looking an awful lot better than them. So we’re in good fettle. Let’s gather as many points as we can off the lower teams so we’re cushioned for that final five games. Fingers crossed.
Being nervous comes with the territory when supporting Norwich I’m afraid but the teams immediately below us have tricky games too. As an example, Watford and Reading still have to play a resurgent Cardiff (now unbeaten in eleven) as do both Swansea and Brentford so, hopefully Mr McCarthy can both help us out and give that lot down the A140 another reminder of his credentials as a Championship manager.
If you think we have a run-in to make you nervous…….take a look at what Watford have (and they don’t have a 10 point “safety” cushion…..
Hi Gary
A good Sunday morning summary of another tough game, and how Luton didn’t take the lead I will never know.
Warnock had a very good point yesterday saying the men in black lost that game for him and how 2 swan dives go unpunished one to get a winning penalty needs looking into.
The one question I think every city fan would like to ask Webber is how did he convince Jose to loan Skipp to city after our horrendous end of season last year not many clubs would have trusted a prize asset to another club that looked to have little if any chance of promotion.
Webber might have a chance to keep him if all the rumours are correct that Spurs and City have been in talks since January about Aaron’s, a little less money 💰 but another loan could be the way to go.
As you say cities planning for next season will be well underway with potential new recruits already to be announced once promotion is confirmed, there will possibly be a couple of supporters favourites sadly not retained but then maybe kept for their experience ie Tettey is suppose to be in talks to be retained and do his badges.
I hope 🙏 the board are trying to convince SW and Farke to extend their contracts for another year.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay Safe and Stay Healthy 🙏
If they fail it’s time the board come to the realisation that they need to change.
I’ll write a piece on this at some point, John, but can see where you’re coming from. I suspect our owners feel less pressure while we’re a good Championship than they do when we’re Premier League strugglers. Then the lack of financial oomph (not just related to spending bigger in the transfer window) puts the club at a massive disadvantage compared to their 19 competitors.
While they may detest the foreign owners they find themselves surrounded by, those deeper pockets offer their clubs a greater chance (but still no guarantee) of survival.
For City, given the model, the room for error is minute, with an almost perfect alignment of the planets required to prolong our stay beyond a single season.
While it still boils down to to the marginal gains and making every pound work that little bit harder, if you offered Webber/Farke a choice of a £50 million budget or a £15 million budget, which would they prefer?
One thing for sure Gary is we are going to need to reinvest all monies received from any sales and I would say another £50 million to give us any hope of staying up.
Can you see Farke remaining if our board provide the same amount of investment as last time?
I live part of my life in another parallel universe . In that Universe we spent £50m in summer 2019 and still got relegated as has happened to many others . The club was in dire final straights worsened by the impact of a pandemic , many players were sold in a “fire sale”. The club went into free fall . We’re currently sitting on 20 points . Administration beckons and likely to start in League One with a 15 point deduction.
The club is also owned by a Chef , he’s Swedish……..
I think the best thing about this season is that it has confirmed 2018-9 was not a fluke. If anything 2019-20 was an anomaly due to the poor run of injuries and the consistent VAR decisions against us. We could be about to join an esteemed club of Liverpool in 1896, Middlesbrough in 1929 and Sunderland in 2007. What happened to them after they were second division champions for a second time?
Don’t remember Liverpool in 1896 or Middlesbrough in 1929, but did Sunderland not appoint Roy Kean as manager for the following season … ?
I remember the penny dropping as I read that DF quote in July.
We now obviously have a more assured and reliable defence but haven’t lost our ability to play through teams with skill. Who knows if it will be enough to compete next season, but at least it’s fairly certain that we will be there to find out.
By this theory, Leeds should struggle in 21/22…just saying
Norwich had to play yesterday only first half, second half both were just waiting for final whistle. There happened something incredible, something very rare, something to remember…..Pukkis back heel, scorpion kick, back hammer how ever you want to call it, was moment of most beautiful football! In moments like that you kind of hope that goalkeepers would have eye on it and just let it go to the net. Still it doesnt really matter, it would have gone to goal obviously. His skill set is incredible and I feel that he has not really used it in Norwich. Luton manager said in post match interview that Pukki could play in top premier league clubs and basically talked about overall level difference between Norwich and Luton. Pukki has 1 season left in his contract with Norwich and journeyman is journeyman and needs new challenges.
Thanks, as ever, for your comment 1X2.
To follow up on your final comment… you think Pukki will look for a new challenge either way at the end of season 2021/22?
Yes, because it will be his fourth season in Norwich and he will be 32 then and have maybe 3 prime seasons left. He left Brondby and it was not matter of money and he enjoyed his time in there too. He left Schalke, Sevilla and so on and they wanted him to stay. In my opinion he has been vital part of Norwich rise to higher level. I do hope that Teemu would take/get absolute top level challenge and would try to win something and then football people could stop talking that he didnt never match expectations. Same way I have feeling that Farke will leave, he will get offer from bigger club. Timing is very important and Farke has proved that he can do the job well. Maybe he take Teemu with him?
I’m not convinced about that. Whilst arguably Teemu has one more payday left by joining another club it would mean uprooting a young family and leaving a club he loves and where he’s worshipped. He’s experienced lows before at Celtic and is a guy who thrives on confidence. Without it he often looks a bit lost. I don’t think he will be going anywhere when we get promoted. He will want to prove himself at the highest level rather than risk a move and a fresh start at his age.
Likewise I’m not sure Farke will want to be going anywhere soon either. He’s not seemingly blinded by the greed of Lambert or Walker, and seems to have really bought into Norwich and gets what the club means. He’s built an incredible project from scratch here on a comparative shoestring. Why would he want to go somewhere else when he can prove himself in the best league in the world where all managers and players want to succeed?
Yes I can see Emi and Max wanting and needing to prove their ambition at a bigger club, but not Pukki and Farke
Hi Pete
I completely agree with you with the caveat that while Lambert was most certainly in the *greedy* category, Mike Walker once famously said he would have to win x number of trophies & the Eurovision song contest in the same year to get a pay rise out of Chase.
Few of us thought of Walker as a Judas at the time for that specific and well publicised [by Walker, admittedly] reason 🙂
I said that Pukki will leave after next season, of course if everything goes really badly and Norwich not get promoted he will leave in summer. We are talking about sport and of course every player at least should have personal ambitions. Pukki has surely made enough money for rest of his life already. He has not born or grown in England. If Celtic fans feels that Pukki played badly, its their personal stupidity. Stats prove opposite. He surely didnt enjoy his life in Glasgow and scottish playing style is very different. No one understand that move to Scotland, Im 100% sure he has plenty of ambitions left, He just have understood pretty late that talent is not enough and you have to train hard too.
Farke could get good offer also in this summer, second promotion is showing continuity. I dont agree with that best league argument, its same argument what some other leagues are using about their leagues and obvious truth is that in football there is not such a league in world. Manchester City looks to becoming easily as champions of premier league, but can they win champions league?
And so say all of us Gary.
Given how very very low the nadir at the completion of last season must have been, to effect such a turnaround in a relatively short and compact space of time is remarkable.
To have sold 2 integral components of what was (in name anyway) a Premier League defence last season….and to end up with a much more efficient unit is astonishing.
If we are able to keep the core of this squad (I’m looking at you, Emi!!) then I think our next venture into the promised land has a much greater chance of success than the last one.
O T B C
Good read Gary i dont think pukki will leave us yet but we need steel in midfield with no skip theres none tetey at 37 is not the answer soresson might be ok got one dm position and need aleast two more and a good fast pacy forward cant rely in ida and hugil for pukki back up look forward to rest of games dont feel apart from watford competing with us keep well 😊
A very good read Gary. Very enjoyable as we’re all the comments.
Prior to kick off I feared the “after the Lord Mayors show” effect. Having beaten the cream of the division it would have been so easy to flop against modest Luton. The customary wobble at the start briefly gave Luton delusions of grandeur before we hit them with a typical goal. The finish was emphatic. Basically, as a competition, the game was over.
Mr Jones may have enjoyed crowing about turning over our youth team, but against the full complement of big boys it was another matter. Following his earlier comments I was desperately hoping for a rout but as someone states in the comments above, an exercise in game management ensued before cantwell administered the coup de grace.
dare we look forward to a big party at the end of May outside city hall? Will McLean once again don his big hat? Probably the only thing which has made this last year and a bit bearable is the on field success of Norwich City and as such I’m hoping and praying that we can end this season with a flourish and create something magical to expunge the ghosts of last season.
Assuming we go up I still think we’ll end up selling Emi and another one or two for silly money. If that’s the case I would certainly be happy to throw some of that silly money Spurs’ way to keep Skippy.