It was inevitable really — Norwich City relegated from the Premier League at the first time of asking. It’s a sad state of affairs in East Anglia really, as Norwich just can’t seem to find the consistency required to establish themselves as a consistent top-flight club.
Having tasted the drop in the 2019-20 season, they managed to return to the pinnacle of English football after winning the Championship last season, but under Daniel Farke the Canaries lacked that ruthless nature, which you could have initially justified with their inexperienced squad, but two years on and the carrousel of mediocrity never looked like slowing down at Carrow Road, costing the German his job by October.
Like most sides doomed for relegation, there were glimpses of promise, especially when former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith was appointed and hit the ground running as part of the standard honeymoon period you can expect from a new manager. It was in complete contrast to Farke, who had become stale over his four years and Norwich suddenly felt revitalised, fresh. But reality quickly crept back in, and really demonstrated the sheer size of the job Smith had on his hands.
The next few months were a real reality check as far as results were concerned. A rare win at home to Watford which may have served as a survival catalyst was quickly quashed by a humbling 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, with the sports betting odds cascading Norwich back to relegation favourites. Banished to the bottom of the table, Smith’s team failed to pick up three points since and were consigned to face the brutal reality of a relegation battle they were never going to win.
It arrived quicker than expected, but nonetheless Norwich fell victim to relegation once more. A loss to Aston Villa, ironically Smith’s old side, was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as the Canaries limp into the second tier — tails between their legs.
“Ultimately, we haven’t been good enough and the quality of our squad to stay in the Premier League hasn’t been good enough, so we’ll learn from it.” Smith said. “We have to come back stronger for the last four games and then next season.
“It’s a one club county and a one city club. We have to go and be together in what we do now and move forward together.”
It’s easy to blame the current squad for their shortcomings — they’re limp defensively and toothless in the final third — heavily relying on the inconsistent Teemu Pukki for goals. Milot Rashica and Josh Sargent were brought in to lighten the load despite exceptionally ordinary goal returns, but things haven’t worked out for either Bundesliga imports, suggesting a real restructuring is needed if Norwich are to find longevity in the Premier League.
The first task will be navigating their way out of the Championship. Players will certainly leave, so new recruits will be required to replace the likes of Max Aarons and Kenny McLean, who seem destined for a career outside of Carrow Road. Smith appears to be the man for the job, and if he can indeed orchestrate a return to the promised land, as he did in charge of Villa, he can try and end the club’s reputation as a yo-yo club once and for all.
