Opinion: Norwich City are right where they need to be in Championship

It is becoming apparent that appointing an exciting new boss doesn’t immediately eliminate all the issues and woes of an underperforming football team. There may well be green shoots in the Norwich City garden, but it has yet to fully bloom. 

The buoyancy of the early days of David Wagner’s reign have been tempered slightly by recent results. 

Two early away wins had some optimistic fans making Wembley plans, with talk of our push for the playoffs, and even an outside chance of stealing second place - much like we did under Paul Lambert in our back-to-back promotion of 2011.  

A defeat to runaway leaders Burnley wasn’t anything to be ashamed of, but the following lacklustre loss at Ashton Gate caused more consternation. Back on home soil, and the convincing victory and three goals in the Hull City match saw confidence renewed. But once again the enthusiasm was quickly dampened by a dull and disappointing draw at Wigan. 

This stuttering start to Wagner’s time probably wasn’t that unexpected, given the poor performances that preceded his arrival. But the topsy-turvy nature of the games in his short tenure have left most fans scratching their heads. To swing from fast-flowing, free scoring football on Tuesday, to a turgid, uneventful and goalless match on Saturday seems bewildering. 

There are definite signs of improvement when you look at the period as a whole.  

However, the confidence of the squad still appears fragile, and that promised new identity seems elusive. Rather than revitalising the team to push for promotion, Wagner seems to be slowly rebuilding with a mixture of all-out attack when the opposition is ripe for picking, and cautiously holding our ground when things are a little tougher. 

There is an argument that to win your home games and draw those away is good form, so we shouldn’t be disheartened. Though Norwich often come unstuck when playing on the back foot and trying to hold the line, as they are then prone to unforced errors which give the opposition a chance to score as demonstrated against Bristol City. 

This approach may also be dispiriting for those who believe in the “bravo, win or die” style of football, that sees a proliferation of goals at both ends of the pitch. Most of us want to be entertained, and a 500 mile round trip to watch an uninspiring display at the DW stadium barely feels value for money. Yet it also stands as a reminder to moderate our expectations for this season, and to question whether promotion would actually be a good thing for the club right now. 

A young Norwich City fan looks on during the Canaries' draw at Wigan (Image: Focus Images)

That last sentence does seem illogical, some would say sacrilege.  

All Championship supporters are expected to lust after the Premier League gold, and all fans to want their team to win every game. But with two recent, unsuccessful and short-lived adventures in the top flight still fresh in the memory, the idea that this squad would fare any better if they fulfilled the yo-yo promotion has some of us feeling a little queasy.  

If we take a spoonful of pragmatism (which is a lot less palatable than the sugar-coated new manager optimism), would we admit that it would actually be better to hold our current position and rebuild in the summer, to give us the best chance to secure long term stability? 

This week we have two home games, against Birmingham and Cardiff, and a couple of convincing wins and six more points may change the outlook again.  

There are still 14 matches to play this season and there are likely to be many more ups and downs on the way. 

However, the stumbling momentum of recent displays implies we may yet need a little patience, and should allow Wagner time to construct a promotion winning squad.  

To go back to my opening line, and finish the quote in full; Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.