In the 22nd of a series of pre-season reports, HarryfromBath assesses the mood among the relegated Canaries under Alex Neil by delving into their forums. Notes on Saturday’s opening day opponents Barnsley will be on the site tomorrow, while links to reports on the rest of Championship can be found at the bottom of the page.

“Two-nil to Sunderland”, “There is no way Everton are going to come back.” A comfortable 4-2 win over Watford in their final home game last season mattered little to Canaries as news filtered through that Sunderland had secured top-flight safety that same evening by beating Everton 3-0.

Norwich had been relegated for the second time in three years. “Such a self-inflicted relegation, that’s what makes it a bitter pill to swallow.” “We just didn’t do the business when we needed to.” Many believe that the roots for last season’s failed campaign were sown the previous summer.

“Relegation was an inevitable consequence of last August’s failure in the transfer market”, “Last summer’s efforts in the transfer market were a fiasco. This summer could be even worse.” Fans feel that they are less well equipped than two years ago. “It’s going to be a tough, tough ride.”

A Confused Transfer Policy

“So, the pre-season is moving to its conclusion and yet again we have made very few signings”, “I am absolutely stunned that we are sitting here five days before the season starts with one striker on the books. It’s unthinkable after last season’s debacle that we would be in the same state again.”

“It’s irritating. It’s like watching a download programme bar move one or two per cent every couple of hours only to get to 89 per cent before the connection terminates completely”, “It’s slightly frustrating. We seem to be getting shafted in the transfer market and we appear very weak.”

Supporters have resented watching the club floundering and being outmanoeuvred for a second consecutive summer with no apparent strategy. “What is so frustrating is seeing other clubs getting their business done efficiently and we are sat days before kick-off haggling over a couple of million.”

“We do look a shambles.” While a lack of new faces has frustrated Canaries, many also feel that the club have not moved surplus players on quickly enough. “The squad feels bloated and unbalanced. We struggled to move on much of the dead wood we have here and this is holding us back.”

While several existing squad members have signed new contracts this summer, the only arrivals to date have been 32-year-old keeper Michael McGovern from Hamilton and 19-year-old winger Sergi Canos from Liverpool. The signing of Tottenham midfielder Alex Pritchard has been confirmed this morning.

The most high-profile departure is winger Nathan Redmond to Southampton. Keeper Jake Kean has joined Sheffield Wednesday, midfielder Gary O’Neil has moved to Bristol City, while two other keepers, Declan Rudd (to Charlton) and Remi Matthews (to Hamilton) have left Carrow Road on season-long loans.

Ross McCormack

“The McCormack deal is over. He signed for Villa”, “Will the board please explain what the club’s transfer policy is and why Aston Villa can complete the Ross McCormack transfer in three days while we spend three weeks failing to achieve anything?”, “It’s the same old story with us, embarrassing.”

For many Canaries, there is no better example of the club’s inept approach to transfers than their losing out to Villa when trying to sign Ross McCormack. “We do the groundwork only to be pipped at the 11th hour. If we were serious about McCormack, we should have stopped messing about.”

“Well, what a surprise. I wonder what excuse Neil will try for this summer’s shambles on transfers. It really beggars belief, weeks of negotiations and now Ross has gone to Villa. Boy, we are pathetic. We are quick to sign old players no one wants but when it comes to getting new ones, forget it.”

Alex Pritchard

“Having missed out on McCormack, we have moved on to a completely different type of player, a midfielder in fact which still leaves us with the obvious gaps up front. There just doesn’t seem to be any strategy at present, just like last summer”, “How much does that leave in the kitty for a striker?”

The most recent news that Norwich have beaten Brighton to the punch to land 23-year-old playmaker Pritchard from Spurs has left many Canaries perplexed. “This looks more like a knee-jerk signing to stave off anger from having got everyone thinking that McCormack was on his way.”

An Unbalanced Squad

“Get some bloody strikers!”, “In our last promotion season we had Cameron Jerome, Lewis Grabban, Gary Hooper and Nathan Redmond weighing in with goals. Now we just have a completely out of form Jerome.” The lack of firepower is overwhelmingly the biggest concern with the season so close.

“There is no chance of promotion with our current attack”, “If we want to achieve promotion, we will need to find 50 goals from somewhere”, “With no proven strikers, we will finish 10th to 12th but with new additions up front, then a fifth or sixth-place finish is realistic.”

“We do have a silly number of midfielders now”, “Too many central midfielders, no dead wood gone and no pace in the team.” The other area for concern is the lack of wide options, especially on their left flank, with Marcus Olsson and Robbie Brady both being linked with moves.

“With the possibility of Brady and Olsson leaving the club, a defensive signing should be imperative. We are going to need another left-back besides Harry Toffolo”, “West Ham are interested in Olsson. He won’t want to play a season in the Championship having made the Sweden national team.”

Alex Neil

“Alex is a good motivator who looked brilliant when he first came and seems a decent bloke, but he seems like a rabbit in the headlights when it comes to the transfer market and doesn’t seem capable of keeping a settled side”, “I’m not interested in the inexperienced version we saw last season.”

“I don’t think Alex is tactically strong enough to plot a way back to the Premier League.” The former Hamilton boss was lionised after guiding City to promotion two seasons ago, but fans have criticised his transfer dealings and “the seemingly random changes we saw from game to game last year”.

“Does Alex know his best XI? I doubt it and expect he will continue to tinker with team selections this season”, “That Newcastle result [a 6-2 triumph for the Magpies at St James’ Park last October] seemed to shake him to the core and playing more defensively after that just didn’t suit us.”

“Neil’s constant chopping and changing last season combined with reactive rather than proactive substitutions have me unnerved”, “A strong start is needed to convince me that we haven’t just got a half-season wonder.” Steve Bruce has been mentioned as an option should the team start slowly.

“The jury’s still out.” The 35-year old is seen as “not good enough. His transfer record is very hit and miss and his tactics can be anything, magic one week but then he changes them”, “If he does leave, let’s hope it’s someone who wants to play football as I couldn’t handle another Chris Hughton.”

A New Chief Executive Officer

“David McNally has resigned. Source: his Twitter account”, “I really hope it’s not true”, “He has been really instrumental in our success”, “This is not something you announce on Twitter”, “He has just posted on Twitter than he takes back what he said he remains fully committed to Norwich City.”

“More of a disaster than relegation.” The social media announcements in early May from the then CEO were read with sadness and some confusion by Canaries. “It would have been better to air our dirty linen in private”, “I winced in embarrassment”, “It just adds to the comical way this club is run.”

“Resignation confirmed.” When the news broke later that McNally had stepped down, Canaries were quick to recognise the stability he had brought to the club. “He has done wonders for this club. When he took over the Premier League was a pipe dream and we were heavily in debt.”

“Last season’s shambolic summer transfer window which has cost us our Premier League status was laid at McNally’s feet”, “I never thought it was McNally’s fault. I always thought he was great for us. I hope Jez Moxey lives up to the hype as McNally has left him with very bog boots to fill.”

“Moxey seems a safe pair of hands.” The confirmation of Jez Moxey as his replacement in late July has been met with a muted response. The 53-year-old will take over as CEO when he has finished helping to oversee the transition to new ownership at his current club Wolves.

“From researching Moxey, I am praying that we go up this season, otherwise it is likely that we will see many of our best players sold off with cheap replacements brought in”, “Well, he seems pretty well universally despised by Stoke and Wolves fans”, “I feel this prudence will anger some fans.”

The Third Kit

“The new third kit makes me feel all nostalgic”, “Like our appointment of Moxey, I’m not sure what to make of it”, “I honestly love this. I keep grinning at the Twitter reaction which is amazing”, “It’s a throwback to the eggshell hit of the nineties”, “I think it will sell better than the second strip.”

The club referred to the design as being “inspired by history”, more specifically City’s participation in the early rounds of the UEFA Cup in 1993, and it has been received favourably by many of the City faithful, despite being satirised in the wider media. “That is amazing. I’m buying one at lunchtime.”

Goodbye Ricky

One other player who has also quietly left City this summer is striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who for many fans was the club’s marquee signing in 2013, arriving from Sporting Lisbon for a reported £8.5 million. After loans at St Etienne and Real Betis, he moved permanently to Vitesse for an undisclosed fee.

“The only thing that stopped Ricky scoring was the limited chances created by the team”, “In game after game we saw Ricky making some great runs and all that happened was his being ignored by Robert Snodgrass.” A minority of Canaries felt that the club never helped him fulfil his potential.

For the majority, he just wasn’t good enough. “Ricky was a flop, a dud and despite being the signing that excited us most, he never ever looked like exciting us on the pitch”, “Who can forget the ghost pass at Fulham?”, “Too lightweight and more concerned about his hair than playing his heart out.”

Pre-Season Work in Progress

Norwich were in Europe in July for a training camp in Austria and have also played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Walsall and a 120-minute run-out against Peterborough. Their two 90-minute games in England have been home matches against Coventry on July 26th and Hannover 96 on Saturday.

The Canaries beat Coventry 3-0 in a game which saw nine of the 10 outfield players substituted. The starting XI (above) was a more experienced unit while the XI which completed the game (below) had a stronger blend of youth. Robbie Brady has yet to feature this pre-season due to a minor calf injury.

Norwich 2—3 Hannover 96

“Luckily we won’t be playing technically superior German sides every week.” The Canaries suffered an uncharacteristic loss to German opposition on Saturday, recovering from being 3-0 down early in the second half to give the score a measure of respectability through two Wes Hoolahan goals.

“This is a lesson in football from Hannover. Nothing has changed from last year. We don’t seem to learn from our mistakes”, “There is a below-par mid-table vibe about us, a failing team and manager from last year”, “I have only just realised that these aren’t even a top-flight German team.”

The starting XI (above) was the seen as strongest seen this summer, and will form the core of next Saturday’s team at Blackburn. “I know it’s only pre-season, but it’s a major concern that we have the same problems as last year, with strikers who can’t finish and the defence all over the place.”

After a bright start in which Jerome spurned an easy chance, the visitors carved open the Canaries defence, scoring twice through Artur Sobiech and Sebastian Maier. Alex Neil brought on Graham Dorrans for Jacob Murphy after 19 minutes to give right-back Steven Whittaker some protection.

“So many wayward passes”, “We don’t look ready yet, a bit disconcerting before the start of the season.” The inquests were beginning by half-time. “What an aimless, tactics-free display”, “One week to go and it is like we are four weeks behind in match fitness, like a team just put together.”

“Keep playing like that and we should worry about relegation, not promotion.” Sobiech added a third for the visitors five minutes after the break, but Wes Hoolahan struck back a minute later and made it a brace on 59 minutes as the Canaries clawed their way back into the tie.

“Wes is having a cracking game at least.” The one consolation was the bright individual performance from Wes Hoolahan. “He has gained so much confidence from playing for the Republic of Ireland at the Euros, one of the players with genuine class”, “Hoolahan was our best player by a mile.”

“The massive holes in our defence were shocking.” The late recovery was put down to a change in tactics. “Our slow build-up play always bothers me, but in the second half we seemed much more direct and were looking to get the ball forward as fast as possible. This shift in approach is pleasing.”

Prospects for the Season

“I think we are capable of a top-two finish. However, we know what this league is like so a play-off place would be acceptable”, “Leagues don’t come harder to predict. We should be easily around the play-off places throughout if we can get a good start and shrug off the doubts from last season.”

Many Canaries have highlighted the importance of making a strong start in what promises to be a competitive division. “It all depends on the start of the season. Start well and I can see us in the top two. Start slowly and I can see us struggling to keep hold of Klose and a few others in January, and finishing mid-table.”

“If we can get off to a flier, things could fall nicely into place.” Of even more importance for many is the need to sign a dependable, reliable goalscorer. “If we can get goals, then top six is a realistic prospect”, “With no proven strikers, 10th to 12th and with new additions, fifth to sixth is realistic.”

“If we go into the season with another quality forward I expect us to finish in the top four. If we go into the season with just Jerome I don’t see us being better than mid-table. If Jerome gets injured and we have no one else in the door, then you can write the season off.”

“I wanted Alex Neil out last Christmas.” Fans agree that the manager could be under pressure if the side make a poor start. “If we start slowly I think we are in trouble. Given that many aren’t happy with Alex Neil as manager, the atmosphere could descend very quickly around Carrow Road.”

“I’m not sure we have the mental strength to take the league by storm. I would predict somewhere between fourth and seventh”, “We may well stutter and stumble.” While many expect the side to match their feats two years ago, a minority of Canaries are aware of how difficult this league will be.

“I bloody well hate the Championship”, “A year of consolidation and occasional hope at times is what we can expect. I’m not being miserable just a realist. There are obvious gaps as many have highlighted and the changes at board level all point to a club in transition.”

“I am not as convinced as many on here that we are a top-two or top-six team. The transfer window might change my mind later but right now, mediocrity beckons. There will be hell on this forum when things don't go as expected but I think under-performance is fairly inevitable.”

Websites

There are two active Norwich message boards. The busiest is The Pink ‘Un and additional comment can be found at the brightly-coloured Wrath of the Barclay.

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

TheSelkirk added 10:16 - Aug 4 These reports have been really interesting Harry - thanks very much for your time and effort as always.
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obj124 added 10:22 - Aug 4 I have a feeling this could be the year we beat Norwich ... 🤔🤔 not soon till we find out ..
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Steve_M added 10:23 - Aug 4 Good of you to brave WOTB Harry.... Pritchard is a good signing for them but not as good as McCormack would have been. Hopefully Klose will leave and they will be stuck with Bassong and Martin in defence all season. It all looks rather transitional and a slow start to the season for them could be ideal for us at the end of the month - it really is overdue.
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StuartBrett8 added 10:24 - Aug 4 AN will be gone by Xmas, Sc*m have previous for hounding out managers if they start badly.
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ArnieM added 10:31 - Aug 4 Fabulous Harry. Ive said for a long time scum are so bloody arrogant, they honestly believe they are some sort of massive club - all because the drunk has a substantiality increased balance figure in her bank account, a result of their perpetual PL failures. Yet for all their money, they cant attract or keep any player of true quality.McCormack being the most recent example. They think they will walk this seasons derby.......BRING IT ON, SCUM!

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Smithy added 10:32 - Aug 4 They've had some good players in the last few year, however Howson apart there is nothing in their team that worries me too much, their supposedly best player is now 34. Man for man I wouldn't swap many of their players for ours, which shows how remarkable a job Mick has done with the budget he has and how much of a team spirit he has built.
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Radlett_blue added 10:38 - Aug 4 The Budgies are a bunch of whingers, aren't they? They have become the new yo-yo kings - a position we would die for. As for strikers, well, yes, everyone wants a decent striker, hence it's a sellers' market. Pay up or go without.
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sidtheswan added 11:01 - Aug 4 A set of excellent reports again and gives a good insight into however clubs are doing . Norwich don't look as strong as they did when they last went up so when we play them in a couple of weeks will give us a guide as to how strong we are . Ps not that I'm biased but the Norwich third kit is awful although it shouldn't clash with anything unless Delia rustles up a half time salad!

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TheSelkirk added 11:39 - Aug 4 A Norwich team with Steve Bruce at the helm could make all the difference to their season. A far stronger proposition.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 12:17 - Aug 4 Oh dear! Sounds as if the Budgies are not all that happy. Let's hope their fears of mediocrity blossom. We certainly owe them one. Good work, Harry, by the way.
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NoCanariesAllowed added 12:52 - Aug 4 If Alex Neil starts the season badly and Steve Bruce is still available, I will be concerned. Right now Bruce is one of the few people who I would have faith in us appointing if Mick were to move on. Would hate to see him wind up at Carrow Road.
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Carberry added 18:52 - Aug 4 Brilliant work Harry, did you take a fortnight off to do these? No other club's supporters has this level of research at their fingertips, thanks to you. We are indebted to you. Neil came with a fanfare didn't he and those smug budgie lovers thought they had cracked it with the man Sir Alex recommended. However, for all his shouting and screaming he is missing the most important ability - recruitment. And that will be his and his team's downfall. Bring it on.

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Carberry added 18:55 - Aug 4 Oh, and by the way, a kit 'inspired by history'.....what history?
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NSL added 21:16 - Aug 4 If the third kit was inspired by history then it should be blue and white surely?
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lightingblue added 23:00 - Aug 4 Let um gloat, let um shout about how wonderful they are supposed to be, let them talk history. The last few seasons have in all due respect been the best in their history. Our time will come back. Please don't forget. When god made time, he made plenty of it. In time we shall be back
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DBaldy added 13:02 - Aug 11 Bit late to this as I'm still making my way through these write-ups, but this line made me smile: "The Canaries suffered an uncharacteristic loss to German opposition" Brilliant stuff Harry. Didn't realise the scum were so pessimistic, long may it continue.
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