Highs and Lows of Being a Norwich Supporter

Article by e-Norwich Correspondent Graeme Lloyd

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With the Premier League table as tight as it is the end to the season promises to be one of the closest in history and the possibility of featuring 6-8 teams fighting for survival down to the wire. With 10 points separating the bottom 11 teams with 10 teams remaining hitting form right now is vital.

For Norwich Supporters this seems like a distant dream. With 7 Premiership wins to their name this season these are the results that followed each of those wins,

Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost
Draw
Draw
Lost

Not once have the Canaries won back to back games in the league this season. The longest undefeated run is three games. At a time where a couple of wins can see a team move up five or more places form, confidence and some consistency are required. Looming over the shoulder of all is the end of season run in which is providing added pressure during the run in.

One week your up and you believe the team have turned the corner after a good win, the next week you are back down again questioning tactics, signings, players heart, confidence and much much more. Last season Norwich survived mainly down to the 10 game undefeated run in the middle of the season that included home wins over Arsenal and champions Manchester United which glossed over poor runs of form for long periods and the beginning and towards the end of the season. Very similar to this season. Is this a coincedence?? Is the real Norwich City the team competing with the elite on a 10 game unbeaten run or a team that can’t win back to back games?

After the signings and investment made I the summer the squad appears to be stronger. The management team are a year wiser and have had further chance to implement their beliefs and values to the team yet they seem to be no better off.

Many question the manager. Would a change of manager bring a change in fortune. That is a impossible question to answer until such an event occurs but it looks like a good dose of confidence is needed by all involved. Strikers not scoring. Defenders making mistakes and giving away poor goals. Midfielders giving the ball away in key areas. All these aspects are contributing to one disappointing and frustrating result after another.

Now here is the real kicker. How can you play well for long parts of so many games especially during this calendar year and still not get the wins their play deserve. Obviously in football it is all about taking your chances which other teams have done. Even the hardest of West Ham or Cardiff fan could argue Norwich didn’t deserve 3 points against them in recent weeks and yet walked away from those two games with a combined 0 points.

Knowing the final four games contains trips to Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge as well as home games against Arsenal and Liverpool means all fans are praying to be safe coming into that spell. The only crumb of comfort for fans would be the fact the team has won games especially at home when they have really needed to. When the pressure was really on to pretty much keep their manager in a job they have got the job done.

Is it still possible? Absolutely. With home games against fellow strugglers Stoke, West Brom and Sunderland and away trips to Fulham and Swansea and Southampton the chances to get points are still there. There is certain to be an exciting finish to the season for many supporters up and down the country.

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