A week maybe a long time in politics, but a month in the world of Norwich City Football Club feels like an eon.  

The league defeat against Blackburn in a half empty and despondent Carrow Road, followed by a dismal Boxing Day loss in Luton left supporters spiralling in an existential angst as the season seemed to peter out with only half the games played. 

However, early on last Saturday morning nearly 3,000 Canaries’ fans travelled to a sunny but cold Warwickshire arena. It’s a number that had trebled following the previous week’s emphatic win at Preston, and the buzz of excitement about the trip to The Ricoh could be felt throughout the fan base, even for those us who stayed at home and listened to Chris Goreham’s Radio Norfolk commentary. 

The transformation in the mood of the supporters, which started with the announcement of the sacking of Dean Smith, and accelerated the first time we heard the new head coach speak, has been extraordinary.  

From a significant number of fans not being bothered to take up their seats for a home game, to a car and coach convoy to Coventry in just over four weeks. The disengaged have once again been motivated by the words of Wagner, and the fast-flowing, attacking football he has brought to the club. 

Scoring eight goals in back-to-back wins will no doubt catch the attention of the Championship, and some upcoming opponents may be wishing their fixture had been played a little earlier in the season. The same squad of players who had looked apprehensive, wary and prone to a late capitulation are now skipping through the opposition with the ball at their feet and back heeling goal assists in the penalty box. 

Norwich once again have a formidable frontline, tearing defences apart for fun, and we find ourselves looking back up towards the top of the table, rather than fearing how far we might fall down it. But even more than points and league position, the last two games have brought joy back into supporting the Canaries. An excitement that gets thousands of people to set their alarm way before dawn in the depths of January, don the colours of yellow and green and take to the roads of England. 

The Pink Un: These Norwich City fans gave their side's performance the thumbs up at Coventry.These Norwich City fans gave their side's performance the thumbs up at Coventry. (Image: Focus Images)

At the end of Saturday’s 4-2 victory the entire squad and coaching staff stood before the fans in a moment of mutual appreciation and applause. Once again there was a united front and smiles all round.  

We now have a two-week wait until the tasty clash against top of the table Burnley, a match many may have dreaded a few weeks ago and yet now seems like an enticing fixture to whet the appetite. The extended delay of Wagner’s first league game on the Canaries’ home turf, caused by Birmingham’s progress in the FA Cup, will just ramp up the anticipation even further. 

Carrow Road can be loud. Very loud. If you rewatch the highlights of those late goals in the 2018-19 season the noise from the crowd can be overwhelming. There was a magic in the air that seemed to heighten the senses. A combination of various incidents on and off the pitch, and in the world at large, has dulled the match going experience for many since those heady days. Yet now there is a new momentum building. Fans have been hungry for it. All the displeasure, ranting and booing in recent months were an expression of the longing for this lost thrill. 

The cliche is that football is a results business, and it’s true that winning games makes travelling to stadiums and standing in the cold and rain for two hours more bearable. But the elation of the post Coventry celebrations proved that it’s not just about three points. And even before a ball is kicked a week on Saturday the atmosphere will be electric and we’ll all be glad to be back home.