Not for the first time, I need to choose my words carefully.
I took an online kicking during yesterday’s game for suggesting that minute 43 was too early to unfurl the #SmithOut banners.
My poorly made point was that we could yet go on and win the game and the landscape would shift but was told, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t about 43 minutes or two-and-a-half games – it was about ten months.
Ten months in which any minor improvements have been tricky to spot and, if indeed there have been any, have been smothered and vastly outnumbered by things that have gone wrong.
In fact, we can go back to those joyous scenes outside the City Stand in May 2021 when we celebrated winning the title. With Emi jigging in the road and Oliver Skipp waving a celebratory crutch in the air, everything in Norwich City world felt perfect, but since then barely a thing has gone right.
Sixteen months devoid of joy.
So I do get the frustration. I feel it too.
This is a football club that’s forgotten how to win. A team that labours, and plays without freedom; one laden with doubt and fear.
So fragile is the confidence, the merest of setbacks can visibly impact the belief in the group and conceding a goal, especially one that puts the opposition ahead, feels like an almost-terminal hammer blow.
Of course, there were ample chances for City to add to Marcelino Núñez’s brilliant free-kick yesterday but none of them went in. And if it was a one-off, then fair enough – that’s football as the saying goes – but it wasn’t.
In the Premier League, we created few chances but when they did come along they would invariably be missed. Now, in the Championship, the goalscoring opportunities are more plentiful but still we miss them, and for the same reason – no belief.
Aaron Ramsey, who missed the easiest chance of the afternoon, is obviously unscarred by all that’s gone before at this football club but quickly tapped into that same mindset.
Dean Smith cited the amount of City possession and chances, and the same against Wigan, but we’ve been here before too.
Under Daniel Farke, mainly in the Premier League, we had games and spells of games where we scored well statistically and considered ourselves very unlucky, but when those spells bear no fruit and continue to do so, then eventually the whole caboodle collapses.
Then, even the good things that have been happening stop happening. And that, to me, feels like the precipice on which we currently stand.
Even armed with a squad that, we’re told, is technically superior to most in this division, the good stuff can only happen if there is a rock-solid base from which to perform.
But we don’t have one. It’s not remotely solid. Just like the confidence, it’s fragile and prone to buckling under even the gentlest pressure.
Hull did very little to earn their two goals yesterday – the first being the type of gift that usually arrives on the morning of December 25 adorned with fancy paper and ribbons – the type from which we rarely benefit ourselves – and the second, the almost routine, calamitous concession from a set-piece.
From thereon in, with a two-goal lead to hang on to, the Tigers displayed the type of heart and desire we can only dream of.
So obsessed have we become with the technical side of the game, the part that relies on effort, adrenalin and oomph has been forgotten – far from ideal in a division that demands it.
And for that, I’m afraid we do need to look at the head coach and his coaching team. In addition to filling the heads of the players with technical information and a long list of dos and don’ts, they should also be reminded that hard work, effort and balls are needed to win games of football.
As the Championship has demonstrated thousands of times, a team with plenty of the latter usually triumphs over a team that relies solely on the former. There’s no room in this division for Big Time Charlies.
Again, the job of the coaches is to ensure this isn’t, or doesn’t, become a thing.
Dean Smith and Craig Shakespeare can’t, of course, be blamed for Max Aarons inexplicably thumping a clearance directly into the midriff of Andrew Omobamidele or Grant Hanley allowing an inswinging corner to just hit him rather than decisively deal with it, but they are responsible for overseeing the environment in which these type of cock-ups have become the norm.
I’m not sure how this ends (although I know how the Twitter majority wants it to) but S&S are skating on very thin ice.
That no player within the group has shown any sign of improvement since their arrival is quite something but, for me, equally damning is the downbeat look and feel to this group – one devoid of freshness and zip, even with the addition of some new faces.
Whether or not this goes back to the original appointment of Smith and Shakespeare, and the unusual circumstances surrounding it, I have no idea, but the Premier League hangover from which we are clearly suffering (even if Smith denies it) is not dissimilar to the one that must have impacted S&S when they arrived here.
To have been sacked from your dream job and then jettisoned into a basket case of a club within a matter of days with no time to recharge the batteries and/or clear the head was, looking back, more than a little odd.
Just as it was to end up with a Steady Eddie manager when the model was designed to accommodate those with fresh ideas, hunger and ambition.
The vast majority of us threw our weight behind it because that’s what we do, and Stuart Webber (as always) gave a compelling answer when questioned on the pathway that led to Dean Smith, but it never felt quite right – neither from Smith’s nor our perspective.
Maybe that’s why we are where we are now. But, I’m not quite as far down my #SmithOut path as the majority as I wanted to see him manage a team that included all of the new signings before throwing in the towel.
As it stands, I’m not convinced he’ll even get to see Isaac Hayden’s debut.
The ice may be thin and cracking around the edges but I don’t want us to be one of those clubs. Equally, Carrow Road is, it feels, ready to ignite at the slightest of setbacks, and a way back for S&S looks tricky to say the least.
With two home games upcoming, I’m not sure he makes it to game six if we don’t get, at the very least, a win and a draw.
Troubling times. When Carrow Road turns, it turns.
Well summed up Gary but I take no notice of early form for us. Even under farke’s promotion seasons, it was 4pts from five games and 5pts from 6. We had enough chances in last two games to win 6 games, so we are making them. I’m no fan of Smith but give him ten games then judge him on that. It was probly hard to maintain our start yesterday due to the heat being played in – not once have I heard that mentioned McLean had his usual good game – give him one out of ten for getting his kit on the right way round. We are still in need of another centre half and a striker with pace – be handy too, Pukki seems to need five or six chances to score one at the moment time to move on from the team being set up to support his style. That’s been our problem over the last 18 months – stop him we gave no alternative. Build the team arroud Nunez – he’s going to be top player and will score more then Emi I predict.
Morning Gary, yet another gloomy but accurate summary.
This season seems to have started as the last one ended. The team seems to just drift along. There’s no high press, in fact little press or urgency whatsoever. The midfield strolls around as if their presence is enough to ensure success.
At the Wigan game Max and Andy were looking more and more frustrated by the lack of movement in front of them.
I’m struggling to see where Dean Smith has had any influence. It’s true he managed to get Villa into the playoffs but I believe he spent a fortune achieving it.
I missed a few games at the end of last season due to the depressing state of the team and already I’m struggling to find any enthusiasm for Tuesday night.
Foulger is selling his shares and it’s time Delia took a reality check and sold hers.
Excellent article which nails many of the points. Norwich City are at their best when they have a young, ambitious manager on the way up. When they have gone for established managers the choice is usually poor. Smith was Webber’s face saver when he didn’t get his first choice. Anyone who has ever been in a position of appointing people will know that those you appoint who you are not 100% confident of cause the most long term problems. Yesterday followed the usual script. 25 mins of good play, gifted goal, rocky patch then frantically playing when all hope is gone. Was there any evidence that Hull had been scouted? Do we even have a set piece coach? We have players like Rashica who think they are better than the club just going through the motions. We STILL can’t field a DM. OK our choice is injured but there must be someone who could do that job short term. The Villa tactic of give it to Grealish to make something happen won’t work here. You only have to look at the chubby pair on the touchline to see we have regressed. This is a football club not a retirement home for failed managers. It has been a dismal period in charge. Thank you for trying but we’d like to try someone else now. Someone who actually cares about the club would be a start. There must be someone out there over performing in their league. The guy at Cambridge? Wait for Cooper to be sacked by Forest? More left field Corcoran or Bielsa? One thing is for certain this can’t go on as it is.
Can Delia afford to remove Smith?
All it takes is a goal we score early against Huddesfield and it ends up 5, 6 maybe 7.
Cardiff’s goal took a deflection and was their only shot, Wigan was a poor pass and parting of the waves not a defender within 10 yards think they had one chance on top of that?
Yesterday should have been 3 up before Hull saw the whites of Krul’s eyes and Max decided launch the ball from 5 yards full blast at his own player. How many rebounds landed at the Hull players for goal no 2?
Again we had enough chances to win 6 games after that.
Fed up of clueless so-called Norwich fans moaning about Smith – we have had no luck that included things in Premier lge last season. Goals change games – as I said we will win games. All it takes is a goal no matter how it crosses the line!
Will stick my neck on the block will win the league by at least 5 pts!
Missed the midweek game against Birmingham did we.
Micky mouse cup when we played the kids don’t really count does it?
It only counts because they like to think it proves their point. Honestly, our fanbase never learns. Too many spoilt children with an opinion.
I agree with you. Smith needs time.
I want some of thIs chap is smoking!! You can’t continuously blame luck, somewhere along the line skill and coaching have to be addressed. Neither of which are in large supply at NCFC currently
Must have missed your level of coaching ability. Shakespeare has a huge reputation in the game at elite level. Typical short-termism from a football supporter. Grow up!
Luck is a huge part of football, every team needs it, McLean hits bar against Cardiff, pukki does the same against Wigan Ramsey some how misses from 3 yards against Hull your talking inches in each case on another day they all go in!
Still early days (this season at least), but Dean Smith and Craig Shakespeare’s league record of only one win in the last nineteen matches (including fourteen defeats) surely gets them the sack at every other professional club on planet earth! Tell me I’m wrong when we qualify for the Champions league at the end of next season! Hopefully things will improve.
You’re wrong! Good old Talk Norwich City were saying the same guff about Daniel Farke last time we were in the Championship. Tell me, how did that season end?
Until the covering midfielder issue is addressed we will continue to leak goals. Our defence are simply unable to cope without that.
We still have a back four that cannot perform to any consistent standard. We have a goalkeeper who is susceptible to at least one howler per game and an ageing forward who appears to have reached a crossroads in his career.
We also have a myriad of midfielders who don’t cut the mustard. Yes, I’m looking at you Rashica, McLean, Sargent, Sorensen, Dowell. All too comfortable at little old Norwich. No get up and go, no hunger, no leaders.
What a decline in only a couple of years. Smith and Shakespeare, you need to rattle some cages and bloody quick because you have already had ten months and I cannot see one iota of improvement.
Webber get your fingers out of your ears, off your arse and sort it out.
And I’m a happy clapper.
Sorry but I was at the game and I thought McLean and Sorenson were fine. Get shot of Rashica, Sargent and Hernandez yes! Pukki is very close to his sell by date too. I only get to see the team when they visit Hull and it was plain to see that Pukki has lost his pace since he was last here so I would happily see him sold whist he has value. Sorry!
No need to be sorry Cyprus, we all see things differentally. My comments are more based on overall trends that have crept in over time than any particular match.
Well gary, you summed it up very well. Where were Hugill and Sara yesterday? Not joined the hospital squad I hope. We seem to only get players if they are injured and clubs are glad to get them off their books. I don’t think any of our strikers can hit a barn door from 2 yards out
The loud voices of a very small minority do not represent the views of 27,000 people who go every home game. The number of people who are unhappy with S & S perhaps numbers in the low hundreds – for the rest, the jury remains out, and they will be given time because that is what we do.
Performance is key at this stage of the season, not results. I get that we need to win soon and start building the points tally, but anyone with a brain can see that we’re getting there. I genuinely don’t understand how people can’t see that Ramsey’s miss, which would have at least secured a point, is not really the fault of the manager. He brought in the player and he is the only player I’ve seen in a Norwich shirt in the last 5 seasons who gets in those positions in the first place!
I disagree that S & S haven’t improved any player – Cantwell is looking hungry again and Dowell contributes more when on the pitch. Hernandez too, having been shipped out by Farke, is back on board and contributing. Gibbs is looking very promising and before their injuries Rowe and Springett had profitted from S & S’s influence.
Smith, like Farke, before him, is being let down by established players – Krul, Hanley, Gibson, Aarons, Maclean have all made or contributed errors – Pukki is not yet on form and I can’t really write about the waste of talent that is Milot Rashica – surely he can’t start again on Tuesday?
Gibbs, Sara and Ramsey would all start for me now.
Finally, a commenter with an ounce of patience.
Smith deserved to go on what he did – or didn’t do- last season. Let’s stop making excuses for him before its too late.
He can’t get the best out of our players.He didn’t think Cardiff would score because of their xg – he’s an old-fashioned manager trying to bluff his way with statistics. Were helping to develop Villa’s young players while letting ours stagnate and at the same time ignoring our own problems.
I keep getting flashbacks to 2005. A dismal draw at home to Crewe was seized upon as a positive sign in the same way as the draw at home to Wigan last week. We had defeats to teams that struggled the year before and it was years before we recovered. That season was when I first noticed a divide in our support. 2 down at the Ricoh after 10 minutes a fan expressed frustration only to be turned on aggressively by someone who felt it was fine. I worked with an optimist in those days and every tepid draw was going to be the turning point and change would never be required. It was that season that made me realise that “glass half full” often meant “I’d rather look at the residual froth than actually buy a drink” for some people. That season still haunts me, please don’t deliver a repeat
Hi Gary
You could need your PITH Helmet on today if Thomo has many backers.
Farke back just for sentimental reasons would be good but practically not sure it would work could be another Mike Walker moment.
Cooper was the odds number one choice before Farke got a new contract and I was told it was the compo package for him with Swansea that triggered the Farke new deal, so in stepped Greek Shipping Magnet and forest gets promoted.
If DS&SS are on thin ice I hope Cooper has a good relationship with the Forest owner and his son £90m spent on 12 new players most haven’t idea on the Premiership so it will be interesting to see how he survives he left Swansea for lack of ambition and no money to spend now he has to prove he can get a tune out of all these new players or it’s the P45 for hin.
Back to DS&SS can they turn city around after 10months of trying my answer is no, people say he needs his own players but after this amount of time working with these players he must have got his ideas drilled into them surely and he knew what he was getting.
We have a CB that is suppose to be great in the championship and who failed at Burnley and Middlesbrough in the premiership who now is not preforming in this team another £9m wasted by SW who then signs a player who needs an operation before he can play with a buy clause of £10m+ are we becoming the soft touch on transfers.
We are short in defence yet Smith says Byram who struggles with game time can play as a CB is this RM version 2 his body wouldn’t be up to the stress at CB long term.
Short sightedness, lack of funds all hinders recruitment maybe SW has dropped on one or two good deals Nunez has started really well but what’s a cold, wet November going to do for him only time will tell.
I said this morning on twitter, it is early days to start calling for the P45, but when you look back over the weeks adding up to 9 months . I cannot see one player who has improved, perhaps Cantwell but I think that is more down to himself getting his head right, than S&S.
The selections make me scratch where I don’t itch, Sinani ran midfield on Tuesday scored, and a cracking lob that hit the bar. Left sitting on the bench all game, On comes a 19yo Villa player who contributes to the game with the miss (so far) of the season. On comes Sargent who at least is one of our own same with Rashica nothing more to say about those two. They should not be involved to be honest but not starting for sure.
If we dominated the game according to Smith and that’s the 3rd game we have, why the hell are we not beating sides. who finished 18th 19th in the championship and one who was in l1 the previous season ?
Smith has never really set any league alight, his record is not that brilliant wherever he has managed. OK Farke never had a great start in his first season, but you could see a clear style he was building. Smith has half a season longer with most of these players before this season started. But where is the defined plan, and where is the identity? I see it as an Uncle Wroy Hodson with more press.
The defensive failings has been there a long time, isn’t it about time an out-right defensive coach came in , we have a set-piece coach who has born no fruit whatsoever as yet. (maybe too early to judge)
It is said Webber wanted Cooper from Forest until Smith became available. dare say the compensation would have put Delia off getting Cooper. So we went second choice, a manager with a media-inflated profile.
I have said 10 games at most, I include the League cup in that that is 4 gone 1 point a nervy penalty win. Bottom of an early table, scoring 2 giving a minus -2 GD already. 6 more to go, an immediate improvement is needed on Tuesday, nothing less with pacify the home crowd. If we cannot muster 6 points in the next two home games, the writing on the wall get bigger and clearer
Goals win games, and if you don’t score, you don’t win. Amazing that Smith’s golden boy from Villa soon slipped into our mindset.
And isn’t it strange that both Watford and Burnley’s squads have been decimated by players leaving in order to continue playing in the PL….nobody has come for any of ours which is yet another endorsement on the work of Stuart Webber last year.
At present it seems the club is rancid from top to bottom. S&S seem to have as much idea about Norwich as the late Glenn Roeder – and boy, was that bad. After nearly 60 years of following NCFC, I don’t think I’ve ever felt as depressed by them as I feel this morning.
Just in case anyone has forgotten, we’ve garnered the grand total of 1 point from matches against the might of Cardiff, Wigan and Hull…..all of whom were reckoned to be in a fight against relegation from this league. Where does that leave us I wonder?
O T B C
Yes nobody lining up for ours look at Arran’s great going forward but he’s a defender that he is distinctly average at hence he’s still with us hanly had his day and beginning to sound like Martin and Gibson all talk little ability and left back have we got one? Nobody would buy McLean in England don’t get what dowells about the twenty minute man rashicca is just hopeless hope Springet and Rowe get fit soon Smith’s expect some comings and goings but I couldn’t name the goings don’t waste your money out there .
All too predictable. Ten months onto his tenure and the only thing Smith has changed is the name of the league he’s rooted us to the bottom of.
Tuesday nights scrape past Birmingham offered sinani and gibbs as shining lights and potential starters, high in confidence and form
Instead McLean, summed up succinctly by Mark rivers as “doesn’t score goals, doesn’t create goals, doesn’t stop goals” and rashica who has gone on strike are wheeled out yet again.
Farke for all his faults could manage the backside off this bloke. What a downgrade.
As you state Gary, when carrow Road turns it turns. More of the same on Tuesday night and we may well see it.
Also, the Attanasio takeover can get a bloody move on too. The club is stale and self satisfied and devoid of ambition. It needs rebooting.
It’s eleven games into the season until the first international break, another ten games until the World Cup. It’s early days, of course, the next two home games are crucial, but I’m personally struggling at the moment to see Dean Smith reaching either of these breaks.
I agree, Gaz.
It will be interesting to see what names start cropping up. But it probably needs to happen sooner than later. I do believe that there is a better team in there somewhere but the current coaching staff are not getting a tune.
Based on highlights another undeserved result for Norwich. Aarons made an awful defensive mistake which cost 1 goal, but he also set up a player called Ramsey who should have scored. Aarons is defensively awful and bad mistakes happen to him way too often and its been like that since I saw him playing for the first time. Attacking is his strength. Very typical wing back type, who is a little too much unbalanced. Hull goalkeeper should have saved Norwich free kick goal, it was not a bad mistake by goal keeper but something that at least higher level goalkeepers saves. Overall Nunes looks to be doing it right away ok. No matter which countrys national team player someone is, they have to beat several players to get their place in the squad. The player market works in a way that top countries players are way much overrated and not so well doing national team players are underrated. So you paid way less to get playersfrom Chile and you paid way more to get player from Brazil. In reality the right answer to their prices could very well be exactly opposite.
Norwich created basically 20% scoring chances and that 1 90% which should have been a goal. Both Hulls scoring chances were very good and both were goals as we know. It does not matter if your defense creates to opponents very good scoring chances, they are still scoring chances and your defense does that regularly game after game. Its part of the game, but of course it makes winning the games more difficult.
Norwich fans seem to believe that Rashica would have some kind of secret huge talent, which he is not willing to use. He dont have, he plays at his level. Its likely that he would suit better for example to greek and turkish leagues. The reason behind his and many other foreign players transfers is of course that english clubs often pay way more than clubs somewhere else. When there are transfer fees involved, selling clubs forces or at least pushing players to accept transfers to the best paying club. And Pukki, Norwich made their own decision to keep him no matter what. Blame your club, not a player. Its very possible that he will play the whole season without reaching the 100% mind level, it of course affects your results. You dont have a realistic option, who could play instead.
Terrific article Gary. Fully agree that time is ticking and it isn’t looking good for S&S.
Webber is still living off one good transfer window, nearly half a decade ago.
The failings of this team didn’t start with Smith and they won’t end if he leaves. We have years of very average signings to move on.
Wasn’t it Webber saying that he had to clean up all the mistakes made by previous managers in the transfer window but he hasn’t been to good in recent Windows but might have found a gem in Nunez but it’s no going to cover up all his other stuff
Good piece.
We’re so close, but so far away.
If S&S want to save their jobs they need to look more to the younger players. Was I the only one that preferred the starting XI on Wednesday?
We have too much of a losing mentality with the senior players, mixed with some appalling Webber purchases, which has lead to unproven charges that Webber may be interfering with team selection.
Our squad is too big, so get rid of the dead wood and work with players with something to prove. It may take more than one season – whether the fans would accept that I’m not sure – but the losing mentality has to end – one way or another.
An excellent piece, Gary.
Indeed, mentioning the fact that we get a manager in hours after he was sacked from his previous job, when I’d have expected him to take a break and decide what he wants to do next rather than accept a post at a club that looked doomed and with no hope of squad strengthening in January, not even with loans.
I suspect S&S didn’t appreciate the calamity that our summer (2021) recruitment had been. Players such as Sargent who has a good work rate but lacks the skill and vision required, Rashica and Tzolis lack physicality and the defence, particularly CB’s were not good enough. Michael Bailey’s piece a while back inThe Athletic summed it up.
So Webber gambled the Buendia on a load of prospects that were not, and likely will not ever be good enough.
Despite that you are correct, it is difficult to see where any player (apart from ones like Rowe coming out of the academy) have improved under Smith, who obviously wasn’t first choice for the vacancy. But the problem is not just Smith. Webber runs the club without any checks or accountability. He has continued in his role, recruiting players we don’t need and are not good enough, and not filling positions where we are clearly in need of help (our number of clean sheets tells a story).
Sacking Smith may appease the fans for a while but don’t expect any long term improvement while the head honcho carries on, unchecked, with a recruitment plan that does not match what the coach or the team wants or needs.