Norwich City now face the challenge of getting back to the Premier League and surviving once they are there. Is it too difficult for a club not in a big city without a benefactor owner? Burnley have found it an increasing struggle.
Wages will now reduce significantly. Some players will
leave, others will need to be sold if there is to be a significant budget
available for a squad rebuild. Smith’s influence on both that and Norwich’s
development from here is set to grow in light of this season’s failings and
Webber’s mountaineering ambitions.
By earning promotion via the play-offs last summer,
Brentford set Norwich a challenge. Norwich have failed to match the Londoners’
level, despite having so much more experience to draw on. Everyone at the club
would do well to come up with the answers to that failure.
There are surviving foundations too. Season-ticket sales
remain healthy despite a seven per cent price rise and the likes of Idah,
Omobamidele and 19-year-old forward Jon Rowe have made the step from academy
talent to first-team contribution.
Even if you feel the club did not have enough money or the
self-funded model does not work, Brentford have joined the 2019-20 iteration of
Sheffield United in showing Norwich that when you come up it is not all about
how much you have to spend but what you spend it on.
Norwich’s boardroom remains a trusting place, allowing
people the freedom to get on with their jobs. That works in the good times but
in the more difficult moments, it can also bring a lack of accountability —
even a lack of protection — for those running the show.
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