Norwich City have won just once in the last 11 games and currently sit in 16th place in the Sky Bet Championship table, ten points above third from bottom, Burton Albion.
City play Birmingham, who are bottom and then Burton in the next two games both away from home, followed by Millwall. That little run should show us where our season is ultimately going. If, as I suspect, we struggle in those games then we could well be right in the middle of a relegation scrap that we don`t look like we have the heart for.
After that festive run of games, we face Chelsea in the FA Cup before taking on Bristol City at Ashton Gate and then welcoming Sheffield United to Carrow Road.
It`s not looking good, is it?
One thing that I`m pretty sure of though is that Daniel Farke`s job is not under threat at this time. If we lost all of those games, it might be, but I have it on good authority that the board believe in the project and want to give it the time to succeed.
In the meantime though, they are risking the season ticket renewal and unrest among the fan base.
The whole Barclay A block business hasn`t helped but the club didn`t have much of an option there and I imagine that fingernails are being bitten to the quick currently in the Director`s Box.
Some of the crowd were actively questioning the board during the Brentford debacle as opposed to the quiet murmurings of discontent most of us have had conversations about with other fans. You may support Delia and Michael or you may not.
One thing is for certain and that is the thanks that they must always be given for effectively saving the club in its darkest hour. Now though, they need to be seriously thinking about handing over the club to someone who can take it forwards and I don`t mean Tom Smith.
There are any number of clubs in the Championship that are better funded than Norwich, we all know that and we also know that money alone does not guarantee success but it can`t hurt.
I am firmly of the opinion that huge mistakes were made during the recent Premier League years with a succession of poor recruiting both in playing and coaching/scouting staff.
That`s why we are struggling as we are now.
What`s more of a concern at this moment though is what we are seeing on the field. The slow, ponderous build up play is still evident and Farke must surely now restore Tom Trybull and Alex Tettey to the team. It`s no coincidence that the decent run that took us to sixth place was built on their foundation.
The defence had precious little protection against Brentford and the space afforded their attacking players around the edge of our box was embarrassing.
Daniel Farke is the only man who can turn things around. I desperately want him to do that because he is likeable and he is also honest but I`m just not seeing any change at the moment.
I`m struggling, as an observer, to see who has the heart to dig us out of the mire that we are in. Once again we are struggling for leaders, it`s been a recurring problem since Grant Holt left the club – his leadership has not been replaced.
At least Tettey has a big heart and he will fight and that is what is needed now. Not, possession stats, not keeping the ball and playing the percentages. It`s now about who wants it most, who is prepared to do whatever it takes to win football matches.
Facing Birmingham, Burton and then Millwall in quick succession concerns me because particularly with the last two, I don`t expect they will be short of heart or fight. Someone needs to step up, to do the basics right again.
It`s a lot to drop on his young shoulders but maybe Jamal Lewis can help. Neither Marco Stiepermann or James Husband have convinced at left back over any length of time, only in fits and starts and that is an area of the field that we are weak in consistently.
Lewis is obviously inexperienced but Farke has been raving about him so I`m keeping my fingers crossed.
So for the next match at Birmingham, I want to see Lewis, Tettey and Trybull all starting because changing things is the only way results are going to improve.
Sitting here on my sofa as I watch the darts, being a Norwich fan has seldom seemed so bleak in recent times.
OTBC
Share this article
