would we walk the championship ?

[Bill 1,788]

Were we to be relegated then how would we fare ?

Would we bounce straight back up ?

My thought is that we would. We should be able to keep most of te squad, with accepting the loss of likely candidates, However we have shown we can find and develop players at relatively low cost , and being a level lower would allow the likes of Idah to step up.

With both Reading and Sheff Weds already flagging up financial difficulties so it could be that others will have to adjust and dispose of some of their better players (high earners)

Whilst I would dearly love us to stay up I cannot help but be reminded of the wise words of young master nutty that ''it is more fun trying to get into the PL than it is being there"

[sonyc 5,510]

I would expect us to be in and around the top six but that's because I always have that expectation.  Would we walk it? In a word, no.

I don't think we would keep our best players (perhaps retaining 75% of the current squad?). And that change would hamper us in the early part of the season. If Farke remains is an important question and the biggest influence for us.

Edited June 2, 2020 by sonyc

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

Depends how many players we can keep hold of, which will itself probably be dependent on how much revenue we lose due to coronavirus. 

Too many unknowns (and its always far less than certain anyway). 

I do think we have two or three kids capable of a breakthrough in the Championship next season though which is a positive, Bushiri, Idah, Josh Martin and possibly Sitti. 

Nice little crop that. 

[Surfer 1,547]

I think we'd do well, but it may be difficult to capture lighting in a bottle again like we did last year.

I do take your point that several other teams are likely be significantly weaker though, and that may help. 

[king canary 7,599]

No idea.

Very few teams that go down waltz back up with ease.

There are a three key questions...

1) Who do we keep, who do we sell?

2) How well can Farke pick up players that were excellent last season but struggled this season? I'm thinking particularly of people like Stiepermann, Trybull and similar.

3) Do we have players internally who can step up and fill gaps from the youth teams?

[Bill 1,788]

5 minutes ago, sonyc said:

I would expect us to be in and around the top six but that's because I always have that expectation.  Would we walk it? In a word, no.

I don't think we would keep our best players (perhaps retaining 75% of the current squad?). And that change would hamper us in the early part of the season. If Farke remains is an important question and the biggest influence for us.

I think Farke and Webber would stay, as this possibility has always been there.

Whoever we lost we would still have a far stronger squad that almost all other clubs. However the important thing is how things are managed.

For many reasons we failed to manage things well when we last came down. Players were off their best and on field arguments suggested some did not want to be here. I don't see that being the case this time (if).

Whatever player development is ongoing will not be affected by relegation, as that is part of the long term plan. So it is mostly about where we enjoy watching football.

At the top looking down, or te bottom looking up... and another trophy wouldn't go amiss either 😋

[Bill 1,788]

6 minutes ago, king canary said:

No idea.

Very few teams that go down waltz back up with ease.

There are a three key questions...

1) Who do we keep, who do we sell?

2) How well can Farke pick up players that were excellent last season but struggled this season? I'm thinking particularly of people like Stiepermann, Trybull and similar.

3) Do we have players internally who can step up and fill gaps from the youth teams?

1. that will be out of our hands

2. Farke/Webbers record has been excellent so far - sure some that did not make it, but enough who did

3. see BB above

[Monty13 2,231]

Simple for me, with Teemu and Emi yes. Without, almost certainly not, unless we miraculously find like for like replacements.

[king canary 7,599]

18 minutes ago, Bill said:

1. that will be out of our hands

2. Farke/Webbers record has been excellent so far - sure some that did not make it, but enough who did

3. see BB above

On 2- you're correct but this will be a different challenge. We saw Worthington and Alex Neil both fail to get 'the best squad in the league' going after a disappointing Premier League season. 

I'm not saying they can't do it- just previous experience has taught me to wait and see.

[Mark .Y. 352]

I hope we would bounce back up again - and in the same style as we enjoyed last year. But, I do think it would be tougher, you just see so many teams coming down who you think are going to walk the league and then it all goes wrong for them.

I think a good start would be crucial, would need to shake off the "losing mentality" and get used to winning again.

Having said all that, I would really love this thread to be totally pointless (pun intended) as we battled our way out of relegation with a game to spare. Then completely relaxed, go and enjoy putting one over on Man City again as the perfect end to the season. 

[ricardo 7,381]

On loan to the Endesleigh League didn't  work out too well.

[Bill 1,788]

I think we will not have the problems of previous managers as this lot have been a fairly tight knit bunch.

Most clubs coming down have been 'basket case' well before they dropped, and that condition merely carried on.

And I don't think there will be the same money in the Championship next season. A lot of the supposed investors will not be there, or their money won't

I would be very confidant if we had to play in the Championship

[king canary 7,599]

2 minutes ago, Bill said:

Most clubs coming down have been 'basket case' well before they dropped, and that condition merely carried on.

 

We've been relegated from the Premier League 4 times in my lifetime.

Of those times I'd only describe us as a 'basket case' under Chase. 

We've only bounced back up first time once and even that involved us sacking our manager halfway through the season when it looked like we were on course to not even get top 6.

Personally I think you're a touch over confident but each to their own. 

 

[Bill 1,788]

We've not been a basket case at any point - that was in reference to clubs who come down then sink without trace.

My confidence is borne of watching since we first went up to the top flight. The club has never been in such good shape.

But more importantly will be the shape of other C clubs. And as it stands a fair number of them will be in the financial sh yte after this break, as far more of their income is based on gate receipts, and so will have come up short this season.

[daly 501]

Would imagine there will be very few clubs if any who are not going to be close to folding apart from the top half dozen, even those owners will have business interests that will be struggling. This is going to take years to get back to normality. 

[Monty13 2,231]

47 minutes ago, king canary said:

We've been relegated from the Premier League 4 times in my lifetime.

Of those times I'd only describe us as a 'basket case' under Chase. 

We've only bounced back up first time once and even that involved us sacking our manager halfway through the season when it looked like we were on course to not even get top 6.

Personally I think you're a touch over confident but each to their own. 

 

Not sure about basket case, but I remember watching us after we got relegated in 2005 and we looked completely bereft of ideas, leadership and team spirit. Plus we brought in some absolute journeymen. Those first few months I remember being concerned we were going to fall apart. 

[Clint 221]

In all the times we’ve been relegated since I can recall (say circa 1990) we’ve never once strolled to promotion the next season. 
I’m pretty sure the Alex Neil play off final was the only time we’ve bounced straight back, and that was a struggle. 
I’ve seen some very good Norwich teams get relegated and drift into total mediocrity. I even recall the ‘on loan to the Endsleigh’ era which turned out to be a very long loan! 

[king canary 7,599]

2 hours ago, Monty13 said:

Not sure about basket case, but I remember watching us after we got relegated in 2005 and we looked completely bereft of ideas, leadership and team spirit. Plus we brought in some absolute journeymen. Those first few months I remember being concerned we were going to fall apart. 

I think that season is a lesson we could all stand to remember.

I've seen a lot of 'well Trybull/Vrancic/Steipermann/Zimmerman were excellent in the Championship and so they will be again if we go down' which reminds me a lot of the build up to that 05/06 season where we were convinced that Ashton, McKenzie and Hucks were going to score 50/60 goals between them and we'd walk straight back up.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Football evolves. Our style took them by surprise two seasons ago, and to be fair, most of us as well. Would it be successful again? Yes if we can improve defending. 

[PurpleCanary 5,557]

3 hours ago, king canary said:

I think that season is a lesson we could all stand to remember.

I've seen a lot of 'well Trybull/Vrancic/Steipermann/Zimmerman were excellent in the Championship and so they will be again if we go down' which reminds me a lot of the build up to that 05/06 season where we were convinced that Ashton, McKenzie and Hucks were going to score 50/60 goals between them and we'd walk straight back up.

I believe Worthington was by then shot as a manager, at least for us. I don’t think that will be the case with Farke. But there are far too many unknowns, even by Donald Rumsfeld standards, for much of a view on how we will get on, assuming we are relegated.

[Bill 1,788]

It is about how we will stand in comparison to the other 23,

I suspect that days of some 'hinvestor' throwing money around will not be the case in 20/21. In fact, it is more likely that one or two will not last out the season. Many will be hit hard as it looks like a quarter of the gate money will be lost

The club is in a very strong position to most others were we to be down - and I have every confidence in how things are progressing.

No throwing huge and subsequently crippling amounts of money on the likes of Naismith etc to try to stay up

Regard relegation as  'pit stop' to change tyres etc rather than any cashing out of the race

[TIL 1010 4,737]

4 minutes ago, Bill said:

It is about how we will stand in comparison to the other 23,

 

23 ?

[Bill 1,788]

yes 23

it often is the number, when you take 1 from 24 😊

[dylanisabaddog 4,909]

The one player who would be vital to promotion is Emi. We were a significantly weaker team without him last season and it's asking a bit much to unearth another one like him. Hopefully the current financial climate will mean we get another year out of him. 

Everybody else is replaceable but without Emi we will just be a top 8 team 

[Aggy 754]

I think we’d be top 6 ish but not sure we’d walk it .

I haven’t seen anything this season that suggests the defence will be much better next year than it was last. Pukki’s form last season was freak form and often got us out of trouble. If the defence hasn’t improved and Pukki can’t find the same form, then I’d expect playoffs at most. 

But too many variables. As has been said above, who knows what the squad will look like on the first day of next season. Or who knows whether someone like Idah will come through and take the league by storm. We might even stay up......

[Dr Greenthumb 748]

15 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Depends how many players we can keep hold of, which will itself probably be dependent on how much revenue we lose due to coronavirus. 

Too many unknowns (and its always far less than certain anyway). 

I do think we have two or three kids capable of a breakthrough in the Championship next season though which is a positive, Bushiri, Idah, Josh Martin and possibly Sitti. 

Nice little crop that. 

I’ve got a good feeling about Sinani

[Dr Greenthumb 748]

35 minutes ago, dylanisabaddog said:

The one player who would be vital to promotion is Emi. We were a significantly weaker team without him last season and it's asking a bit much to unearth another one like him. Hopefully the current financial climate will mean we get another year out of him. 

Everybody else is replaceable but without Emi we will just be a top 8 team 

It would be great to keep Emi. I’d imagine that selling him would bring the biggest few. But Cantwell seems to be the one that teams are after! Could work in a favour. Although, he would be so good in the champs now!

[splendidrush 700]

12 hours ago, Clint said:

In all the times we’ve been relegated since I can recall (say circa 1990) we’ve never once strolled to promotion the next season. 
I’m pretty sure the Alex Neil play off final was the only time we’ve bounced straight back, and that was a struggle. 
I’ve seen some very good Norwich teams get relegated and drift into total mediocrity. I even recall the ‘on loan to the Endsleigh’ era which turned out to be a very long loan! 

Unfortunately, you missed our Promotion in '86. After winning the League Cup we collapsed to relegation, the following Season we were far too good and with Watson and Bruce at the back and Drinkell up front we went straight back up.

[king canary 7,599]

10 hours ago, PurpleCanary said:

I believe Worthington was by then shot as a manager, at least for us. I don’t think that will be the case with Farke. But there are far too many unknowns, even by Donald Rumsfeld standards, for much of a view on how we will get on, assuming we are relegated.

You're likely correct. I just harbor a nagging doubt that last season was one where 'stars aligned' to a certain extent and will be extremely difficult to recreate.

[Duncan Edwards 2,231]

No. We're used to losing. I'd be very surprised if we didn't continue to tumble down the pyramid. I think Kings Lynn will be the top side in Norfolk before 2030.