During a trip to Florida last summer, one of my sons near enough forced me onto Mako the world’s highest rollercoaster. I was petrified and shut my eyes all the way round. It was quite an experience with the huge highs and the steep lows.
I suppose it’s similar to the ride Norwich City fans have been on in the last few seasons and in the short space of time since David Wagner took over it’s been more of the same. The dizzying highs at Preston and Coventry turned into a gut wrenching low against Burnley at the weekend.
He has been in charge for 32 days, four matches and under five weeks - that is not enough time to properly assess anyone as a manager.
Norwich hadn't cracked it after those wins, however positive, and they aren't resigned to mid-table mediocrity after Saturday's loss to Burnley.
In a world of black and white, there is a lot of grey. That is probably where Norwich find themselves at this moment in time.
There is an old adage about triumph and disaster and learning to treat those two impostors just the same - some Norwich fans could do with remembering that in the weeks ahead.
Norwich have problems. It is why Dean Smith had to go in the end. Wagner is the man tasked with fixing them - he has said himself that patience will be required to allow him to embed his playing style and methods on a group that has underperformed this season.
This is a difficult job. You have to judge a manager over a longer period of time - Sean Dyche has gone in at Everton and beaten Arsenal, but in his own words it’s about producing that level of performance over a period of time.
Wagner has been the same. Since coming into the job he has been level-headed, calm and almost forensic with his dissection of where Norwich are at this moment in time.
So when he is trying to develop a style of play, it helps nobody that some sections of the crowd are jeering as they try to implement it. Tim Krul made an error. It happens. But don't erode confidence to the extent that it becomes detrimental to what the team are trying to do.
If you want players to be brave on the ball and take risks - then the atmosphere has to be conducive to that. You only need to recall the Daniel Farke era as evidence.
Saturday's game against Burnley was always going to be the acid test but have we learned anything new? Not really. Norwich aren't as good as a team 23 points ahead of them. Norwich make mistakes that cost them the match. None of this was new information.
Those facts emphasise the job Wagner has on his hands to get this team into a play-off position. It was never going to be a case of flicking a switch and watching this team maraud up the Championship table and reel Sheffield United and Burnley in.
But neither is defeat against the table-toppers defining to their prospects. It doesn't mean they won't get into the play-offs.
It’s always the expectation which kills you- but for the team to progress and improve and get back to harnessing that winning mentality, then patience is required in the short term.
People need to understand the psychology involved in football - these players have failed at Premier League level, some of them would have gone into this season with confidence issues and it has spiralled since then - there will still be players within the squad feeling fragile.
Everyone needs to breathe a little bit. Take a step back and ask yourself - from the three games Wagner has had in charge, would you have taken two victories, six points and eight goals with the nature of the fixtures, two away and one against the runaway league leaders? I think most would have done.
If people let this defeat plunge them to the depths of despair when it comes to Norwich's prospects, that will affect the players. They will hide. They will be petrified of making a mistake. Who does that benefit?
The team will be aware that they have a responsibility to get the supporters roaring again, especially at Carrow Road, where the home fans have had very little to get excited about since 2018/19
Wagner has interesting ideas - you only need to look at the first two games of his reign to come to that conclusion. But there will be bumps in the road. That’s when the City boss and the team need the whole fan base onside.
Wagner needs time. His Huddersfield team needed time to build. Football is so short term at present. This is a difficult job; we all said it when Smith departed, and that remains the case.
His task is about extracting more out of this group.
The extremism that Norwich fans have been tapping into where every high is so intoxicating and every low so damaging needs to end if the club are going to achieve their objectives which we all want.
Norwich City fans your club needs you more than ever right now, and that needs to start with the negative vibe disappearing inside Carrow Road sharpish. Just a bit of patience, please.
SUTTON EXTRA
Todd Cantwell has made an encouraging start to his Rangers career and everyone that I have spoken to in Norfolk is absolutely delighted for him.
That’s why I was so surprised to see a cryptic message he put out on his Instagram page about his exit from Norwich City. It was only a few weeks ago he posted a farewell video thanking the club.
Reading into his message on Instagram it seems he still has a beef with something or someone at the club. Well, if you’re that angry Todd just get it out in the open. It doesn’t do him any favours posting cryptic innuendo, and it rubs some people up the wrong way.
He's had a really good start at Rangers and set up a goal in their victory at Ross County, and everyone is willing him to do well.
It is hard for local boys at their boyhood clubs, it comes with more pressure but he doesn't endear himself to sections of the Norwich fanbase with the constant innuendos.
All it leads to is speculation. He has created that and brought it to his own door.
It creates an unnecessary storm and speculation, and people will wonder why he’s brought a negative back up. We will all wait then to see what Todd’s real story is some time. Will it be a book? When will the big reveal be to 'his fans' and Norwich City fans?
Contrast his approach to that of Jordan Hugill, who barely kicked a ball but acted with complete professionalism and respect when departing the football club and it makes it all the more bewildering.
My advice to Todd would be to just focus on his football after an encouraging start to his Rangers career and not get involved in cryptic messages on social media.
If he has a beef, just get it out in the open, and he may well have a point as nobody knows what his issue is.
What I do know is that if he wants to prosper in the Glasgow goldfish bowl, it’s best to do that with his focus fully on playing football well for Rangers and nothing else.
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