The Premier League table is not a pretty sight for Norwich fans right now.

Not only are we in the last chance saloon, we have drained it of bourbon and just gambled away our last poker chips.

There are some who say you must never give up until relegation is mathematically confirmed, but we are currently propping up the division with only 17 points from a possible 87, 12 from safety with only nine matches to play. You don’t need to have Maths GCSE or O Level to know how desperate the plight of the Canaries is right now.

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There may have been excuses for bad performances before Christmas, when our squad was ravaged by Covid, but with the exception of Grant Hanley’s omission there are no such extenuating circumstances to the current poor run.

We have lost all our allegedly winnable home games, and snatched defeat from the jaws of a point at Elland Road. Teams in dreadful form have turned up against us and won with ease. In over three decades of visiting Carrow Road I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people get up and walk out, as I did when that fourth ghost goal was scored by Brentford.

Those supporters who left had given up hope. It was as much the manner of the defeat as the scoreline. We were looking second best next to a distinctly average side, in a match we desperately needed to win, and with none of the flowing football we had fallen in love with over recent seasons.

Two years ago we were in a similar position, but it felt we put up more of a fight. Until Covid put everything on hold, and when football came back with project restart Norwich stood still. We lost all remaining games in those empty stadiums, and dropped down with a whimper. This time round we were supposed to be better prepared, with a higher quality squad, but our points total is even lower. Initially the blame was laid at the door of the head coach, but the Canaries have played 18 league games since Daniel Farke left and, aside from the January mini-revival, there has been little improvement.

Last time we went down there was a confidence that we would bounce back, which we certainly did with our highest ever points total in a season. This time I don’t believe it will be so straightforward. Many of those double title winners are no longer at the club, so it’s a very different squad that will take on the challenge.

This season the Premier League has given us controversial refereeing decisions, frustrating VAR, Chelsea fans singing Roman Ambramovich’s name whilst the invasion of Ukraine rages and Newcastle selling their soul to avoid the drop. We have had no upsets against the big sides, with even a poor Man United team getting victory with a predictable Ronaldo penalty. It’s all been a very underwhelming campaign, which in years to come will only be remembered for Josh Sargent’s scorpion kick.

However disappointing this season has been, and there’s no denying that it has, we still have fixtures to fulfil.

Nine games to turn up and show some pride and spirit - both the players and the fans. A Carrow Road resplendent in yellow and green and in full voice is a joy to behold. We may not fit the billionaire owners model needed to throw around obscene amounts of money to succeed, but football isn’t just the Premier League. We’ve had amazing afternoons and nights in the lower divisions. Where you don’t have to wait to celebrate a goal, or have to play on a Thursday night to avoid Champions League matches. Where every game is actually winnable.

Away from the media hype and TV money, the love of football comes from a shared experience. The sense of belonging, being part of a crowd with family and friends, going through the highs and lows together. We maybe nearly down but we’ll keep singing, because we’re city till we die.