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It’s the loss of identity that stings the most for City fans

It’s the loss of identity that stings the most for City fans

3rd November 2021 By Samuel Seaman 6 Comments

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City’s pass completion rate during the 2-1 home loss to Leeds United was 67.1%, their lowest since February 2019, 119 games ago. What is perhaps most relevant is that the game in question was a 3-0 defeat of Ipswich.

Football fans can accept losing, and they can handle unstylish performances, but not the two together. That 3-0 victory may not have been altogether elegant and attractive but it was a win against City’s bitter rivals to take them top of the league.

Thirty-three months later, as the Canaries limped to their eighth loss of a ten-game-old season with a similarly ugly style of play, their supporters were left wondering what is left to savour.

When Norwich were relegated, humiliated even, during the 2019-20 season, they at least went down with a fight. The nine eerie Project Restart fixtures had an air of resignation about them but only after Daniel Farke’s young side had swum defiantly against the tide for 29 fixtures, passing their way to some beautiful moments on occasion.

Stuart Webber has been keen to rubbish suggestions that this campaign has been worse than that relatively dismal effort, saying: “Two years ago was very different, we were miles off. I know people can look at the performances at the minute and go, ‘they don’t look much better,’ and I get that. Watching that Chelsea performance, I’d look like an idiot saying ‘we’re miles better than two years ago.

“But two years ago, we didn’t have a go. This summer was very different, we’ve got a squad full of internationals, we know we’ve got enough quality to stay in this league.”

It may be true that more money has been spent and more ambition is present at the Lotus Training Centre, but there’s been more evidence of regression than improvement on the pitch.

Although there may be more time to salvage the 2021-22 season, at least City fans were able to feel a semblance of pride when they were being labelled the best bottom side in Premier League history. At least there was a morsel of entertainment as the Canaries regularly lost playing brave and exciting football.

If their last Premier League campaign was an ambitious and ultimately unsuccessful mission, this is them failing more miserably than any side before them while attempting a fairly common and uninspiring goal.

There are countless clubs who have been promoted to the English top table, recognised the technical deficiency of their squad and attempted to hoof, scrap and time-waste their way to survival.

Some have been successful (Burnley, Crystal Palace, Brighton and more), many have been less so (West Brom, Cardiff, Middlesbrough etc). But none have put up less of a fight than this current Norwich City group, and there is absolutely nothing for fans to cling on to when bottom of that list.

Even the most impressive of Farke’s players are producing moments of frustration and impatience when slowly progressing the ball had been City’s previous identity.

Mathias Normann made 20 unsuccessful passes and at one stage looked incapable of retaining possession. Perhaps this is an apt time to take note of the fact that Scotland’s best and most reliable passer sat on the Norwich bench for the entirety of the afternoon.

The only moment during the whole match when things truly came together was when Andrew Omobamidele headed home his first senior goal – and the Irishman’s admission that City are “most vulnerable when [they’ve] just scored” tells you all you need to know about the mentality issues at Carrow Road.

So the question becomes ‘what next?’ for Farke.

The German had the opportunity to revert to his trademark patient style against Leeds and yet opted for his most direct approach yet. If reversion to ‘Farkeball’ is not the answer, will Norwich attempt an even more rudimental style when they visit Brentford next Saturday?


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Filed Under: Column, Samuel Seaman

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Comments

  1. Martin says

    3rd November 2021 at 9:37 am

    What stings the most is the no wins or 2 points out of 60 in the last 20 premier league games under Webber and Farke.
    You say last time at least we went down with a fight ….really? We were pathetic then and had given up under this manager with 10 games to go even though we were in with a chance of staying up.

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    • Matt says

      3rd November 2021 at 9:56 am

      The fact that we had a chance with 10 games to go shows that we weren’t as hopeless as this season. And when Project Restart happened, we had to play a totally crocked Timm Klose at CB alongside three kids. There were mitigating circumstances, although yes we *were* totally crap during that spell.

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  2. Paul Harley says

    3rd November 2021 at 11:34 am

    We were crap for project restart. The team were clearly unfit and short of training, I think we had banked on no restart but I don’t have any evidence.

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  3. Tonyb says

    3rd November 2021 at 12:49 pm

    All this self funding and the Webber/Farke partnership has gone stale and needs the big heave ho.New investment,new dof and new head coach is the only way forward.Goodness knows what our squad could look like next season,4 loanee’s will be gone,along with 2 of our best youngsters. Some will want out,some sold,and to think that we could see the local derby happen next season is scary.

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  4. Tim Ball says

    3rd November 2021 at 1:10 pm

    I remember that Ipswich game well Samuel and I did think despite the score it was one of worst performances that season.

    What would we give for a poor performance and a 3-0 win on Saturday.

    If I were Daniel I would go back to basics, play his way. Get Farkeball back.

    We are extremely likely to go down so lets go down with some, football, honour and passion.

    Daniel seems to me to be overthinking it, how do you explain Andrew Omobamidele playing at left back instead of Brandon or Dimi ? And although the young lad tried really hard Raphina had him on his bottom for their first goal.

    Get back to basics, allow Max Aarons to attack his opposing full back not keep cutting back and momentum is lost, find a place for Gilmour’s passing, if Kenny isn’t cutting it give Sorenson or Pierre a chance and also get some pace into our attack.

    The biggest thing for us fans to take is the fact we have become a laughing stock, derided fairly and unfairly but it all comes out as one big mess.

    Paul is right, something wasn’t right within the club at the start of Project Restart and so is Matt regarding Klose who admitted he was in pain after 20 minutes into every game.

    And though we were some points from safety after our impressive 1-0 win over Leicester City on March 1st we looked comfortably on to beat the 30 points barrier.

    Anyone on here want to take any odds on us getting anywhere near that this season ?

    Also the stats on the Pinkun website yesterday confirmed that last seasons winning Championship team were better that their counterparts two years ago. So what the hell has happened ?

    And lets not forget our last foray into the EPL saw the biggest injury crisis I had seen in over 50 years supporting us.

    I like Stuart Webber and his no nonsense style like David McNally before him it is refreshing and honest, but Stuart you must give those wonderful fans something to get behind. To say we are better than two years ago is not true on the pitch.

    Off it I agree really ambitious projects are ongoing and continuing especially at Colney Training Ground. Certainly not the mark of an unambitious club.

    But though there have been many valid reasons for our absolutely awful start the club must admit they have also made some huge errors.

    I was one who applauded Stuart’s efforts in the summer but I wish I had taken more notice of the ages of the incoming players, I may not have been so confident for the season ahead.

    And I’m afraid Stuart you are the architect of this reaction. Rightly admitting you gave Daniel a gun with no bullets two years ago to go into his first EPL season but by saying this time it will be different you made us all so optimistic for the coming season we thought everything would be different.

    It is different, unfortunately a whole lot worse.

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  5. Canarylad' says

    3rd November 2021 at 5:57 pm

    Out of the seasons in the Prem under Farke/Webber. this season has taken on the look of a team that turned up to play. Bit like the sunday morning team, lets go with who turns up. Take 19 or so names on card and throw them in the air and see who lands the right way up. Strangers playing in same team.

    As for players coming in this summer, believe I, and others fell for the line, “Premier League clubs ; looked at so and so.. So they might have done but they left them where they were” . Liverpool didn’t take the option up, Man U and Dortmund were said to be looking to sign Tzolis, but nothing came of it not the kids fault I know, but there is a reason why they didn’t buy .. Brighton never played Normann,

    There is something wrong at the top to the bottom of the club, Alas Smith and Jones do not have the clout to do anything. Nobody will come into invest because there are stipulations put on like having to be a supporter. Those days of Jack Walker (Blackburn) Jack Haywood (Wolves) are long gone. I struggle to believe there is nobody who wants to plant some money in a bit of Norfolk, there must be a reason.
    I organized the 1st Worthy out Demo, because the board would not act, and here we are again and not for the first time since those days. As a club, we will never be any more than what we are, under this ownership. Plans have already been made public of where the owning shares are going when the cooking apron gets finally hung up. Keeping it in the family as the plaything.

    After 58 years I have almost had enough

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