As Boxing Days go, I think I may have reached rock bottom this year.
Having reluctantly left my poorly wife at home, I made the trek to Kenilworth Road, a ground that would disgrace League Two, only to find myself living through a particularly horrific remake of The Fly.
However, instead of Jeff Goldblum morphing into an insect I had to experience Norwich City turning into late Mick McCarthy-era Ipswich Town with a team that looked like total strangers, away fans trading punches and any lingering shred of respect between manager and supporters irrevocably torn asunder.
It was made worse by the fact that Ipswich are currently riding high, having apparently learnt from all the things that City used to get right; a sense of unity, a young manager playing attractive football and supporters being made to feel valued.
Meanwhile, back at Luton, Dean Smith’s response to losing to a team with 10 men was to completely blank the thousand or so fans who’d given up our Boxing Day to support his team and then tell Sky Sports that he had no idea why fans were negative towards him. His sacking the following day surprised no one.
On the pitch, City plumbed new depths and should have been dead in the water by half-time had Luton been more clinical in converting clear-cut chances or Angus Gunn not been on top form, but what was really worrying was the number of times players either went for the same ball or left it to each other.
It really did look as if they’d been introduced to each other in the dressing room before the game, and none looked more lost than Gabriel Sara. I really feel for the Brazilian, who is clearly talented but seems to be struggling to understand what his role is, having been played all over midfield.
On Monday, he was given the number 10 role, but with City unable to keep possession and being consistently outbattled in midfield, despite a back three giving them five players there, he was rarely able to get on the ball in areas where he could hurt Luton and was ignominiously withdrawn at half-time.
Apart from a late flurry it was tough to watch as, even with three strikers on the pitch after half-time, City were unable to pose a significant threat to Luton’s goal.
Has the sacking come too late? For the automatic spots it would seem that it has, but a new man who can galvanise a squad that isn’t short of talent should still be able to secure a play-off spot, given the inconsistency of most teams in the top half.
What is certain is that the team that walks out in yellow and green tonight will have the whole crowd behind them.
Fans may moan and criticise but when the chips are down, they deliver because this is THEIR club, and they love it. When the club needed to raise money via a share issue the fans put their money where their mouths were and when it needed to upgrade the Academy but lacked capital the fans stepped up again and subscribed the required amount to a bond issue within a few hours.
The fact that Smith appeared to go out of his way to antagonise them over the last couple of weeks certainly made his position even more untenable, but it is hard to believe that his attitude didn’t reflect a wider and deep-seated feeling within the club that fans should be seen but not heard.
There is clearly work to be done to rebuild the feeling of togetherness that made the majority of Daniel Farke’s time at the club so enjoyable, but it is far from impossible, and a good start would be finding a manager who can produce attractive football with a clear sense of identity that everyone can buy into.
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