Enjoying the Prem, honestly?

[Yellow since 1977 0]

Back in August 11 after the Chelsea away game I posted the following:

"Anyone else feel like the last time we were in the Prem, didn''t really enjoy the experience. Too much cheating, poor ref decisions, too long between the games, poor reporting, little old Norwich, Delia on the TV, big club favouritism......moan, moan, moan!

I was hoping to feel better this time around but so far it has been all the same. I hope that when we get the first win thing will feel better, we get a few less dodgy decisions and we can pull off a surprise win against one of the top 5.

I miss the Championship a little but we are where we want to be so, we need to cheat more, shout at the ref, go down in the box, fake injury..... happy days!"

Perhaps after 3/4 of the season a good time to gauge the feeling of how we have done this time around.

Well I certainly feel better now we are not in the relagation fight, to be 12th and only 3 points behind Liverpool is brilliant. The players have excelled at this level and we have not looked out of place. Lambert has been excellent, not bothered about changing the team and changing tactics during the game.

There is a great feeling around the club, great support both home and away, exciting new young players being brought in and an improved youth development policy. When has it been any better than this?

Shame about the booing yesterday, totally undeserved but as everyone keeps saying the expectation level has risen. One thing we haven''t managed yet is a win against the top 5, we have come close but we still have Man City, Arsenal & Tottenham to play so you never know!

I am sure we have done enough to stay up now but I just hope we don''t drop away and finish just above the relegation teams which would detract from our great season.

Already looking forward to next season and the new players Lambert will bring in, the new teams which will come up and our chance to maintain our place in the Prem. Happy Days!

[Two penneth 0]

And do you know what I''m going to enjoy most? smugly listening to the scores come in on ''Survival Sunday'' thanking god that we''re not involved because we won''t be.

[lake district canary 0]

[quote user="nulli secundus"]And do you know what I''m going to enjoy most? smugly listening to the scores come in on ''Survival Sunday'' thanking god that we''re not involved because we won''t be.[/quote]

Survival Sunday will be of great interest, because if we are not involved in the scrap at the bottom, we will be possibly be looking at anything from 16th to 7th as a possibility, depending on the results that day.   The middle 8 in the table are very close in points.  Anything could happen!  As long as we don''t take the foot off the pedal after the supreme effort of getting enough points to avoid the drop, we should be in that mix.    

Enjoying the premiership? Honestly, yes.  What have I been most intrigued about?   The different ways fans have had about how to deal with being in the premiership.   The ''stars in their eyes'' approach,  the ''doom mongers'' who had us relegated 5 matches in to the season, the Europe here we come (there have been a few!) approach,  those that try to emulate the team/manager''s approach - one game at a time.

We are still not completely safe yet, but  the enjoyment level looks set to carry on on the high setting - everything to play for!

[pete 318]

Certainly not enjoying the number of live TV games once the cameras appear City start to play poorly, however nothing new there just more televised performances in Prem.  Doesn''t bode well for Newcastle.  Obviously Ipswich (H) last season a significant exception, can Sky just give us the dosh and kindly stay away ESPN can stay for now.

 

 

[Yellowbeagle 0]

Enjoyed  the way we''ve played this year but the premier league as a competition i find abit depressing, i was thinking the other day what it must be like supporting a team like Villa and being eternally mid table year on year and is that the best that most teams in this division can hope for. I hate the idea of striving to be average, with the occasional pat on the back from a pundit.

[mozzaman 0]

Agreed Yellowbeagle. The Villa and Everton fans I met this year all seemed a little tired of having very little to aim at.

While I would accept mid table "mediocrity" for several seasons, rather than away trips to Walsall and Huddersfield, I have wondered whether it would get a bit tiresome.

However, I suspect at Norwich this won''t happen and we won''t turn into Villa (miserable place). And right now it''s great fun so no need to worry.

[a1canary 0]

I think of all the teams supporting Villa must be the dullest!

Not going down, not progressing at all, dull manager, dull owner, dull dull dull.

Trouble is, if we do manage to ''establish'' ourselves, whatever that means, is a future like Villa''s or Everton''s what we have to look forward to? Everton at least have a top manager who manages to get them many notable results every year but they too have hit a glass ceiling, albeit higher up than Villa.

As for enjoying the Prem now, absolutely yes. Loving seeing us in the limelight doing so well. What concerns me is the extent to which our result sets the tone for my whole weekend. Wish i could just ignore it when we lose, and it seems pathetic but Saturday nights just aren''t the same when we''ve lost. If we had a season like 2005, i''d have a damn miserable 9 months and the answer to the OP''s question would be very different!!

[whoareyou? 0]

I''ve enjoyed this season but next season is going to be a challenge.How does a club the size of us compete and improve on what we have done this year? What''s the best we can ever hope for? A Europa League place or an FA Cup run?I''m hoping Lambert can pull a few more surprises for next season.

[Felixfan 53]

Great times to be a Norwich fan after all the years of pain. Going forward if we can keep premier status we can look forward to attracting the next level of players,improving and expanding the ground,becoming debt free and self sufficient on turnover as well as academy 1status. If we continue to play attractive football (Sunday excepted) then we can consolidate our position as a top club and enjoy many golden years.

The big imponderable is how long we can keep Lambert and what will happen post Delia both irreplaceable.

 

[Cantiaci Canary 556]

[quote user="Yellow since 1977"]

I am sure we have done enough to stay up now but I just hope we don''t drop away and finish just above the relegation teams which would detract from our great season.

Already looking forward to next season and the new players Lambert will bring in, the new teams which will come up and our chance to maintain our place in the Prem. Happy Days!

[/quote]

 

Is it wrong that I am already getting excited about this?!

 

[zemas tendon 0]

Im Afraid Carrow Road will become a souless pit, if we establish ourselves in the Premier league, just look at teams like Bolton, Wigan, etc no Atmosphere fans staying away, because apart from when the big boys come to play, the fans have nothing to get excited about, just look at us against Wigan on sunday, a team most fans thought we should have won, booing, moaning!! and we still new to this league... watch this space

[lake district canary 0]

Challenging for something is what gets fans excited.  Whether its promotion or a cup.    Challenging to stay mid table is not so exciting.  Villa and similar clubs spend most of the season knowing they won''t be relegated, but knowing they''re not going to be challenging for Europe. Out of the cups, season over by February.

 

 

Carrow Rd, I suspect will never be like this.   Hopefully we will improve more with PL in charge, hopefully challenging for Europe or a cup.   When things change, as they always seem to, we may well go down again.   Not desireable - but if it happens we''re back challenging again for promotion.   We would never be happy being a mid-championship team.  

 

 

We should enjoy the ride as it is at the moment, watch the team progress and challenge over the next few seasons.  I don''t think there is any danger of us being a boring mid table team.    Ups and downs in football are what makes it so exciting.   Leave the boredom  for Wolves and Bolton Villa etc.....

 

 

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="zemas tendon"]Im Afraid Carrow Road will become a souless pit, if we establish ourselves in the Premier league, just look at teams like Bolton, Wigan, etc no Atmosphere fans staying away[/quote]wont happen.. in the north west you have, what, 20 clubs in a 12 mile radius?Our nearest rivals are 60 miles away.... one club counties usually have decent attendances.

[Dungcan Deadwoods 0]

[quote user="zemas tendon"]Im Afraid Carrow Road will become a souless pit, if we establish ourselves in the Premier league, just look at teams like Bolton, Wigan, etc no Atmosphere fans staying away, because apart from when the big boys come to play, the fans have nothing to get excited about, just look at us against Wigan on sunday, a team most fans thought we should have won, booing, moaning!! and we still new to this league... watch this space[/quote]Large sections of Carrow Road are pretty souless already. You could hear a pin drop around me for the most part of a game and the irritating piped sound system does nothing to help the atmosphere.

[BroadstairsR 2,136]

This atmosphere thing gets my goat. Continually derided on here the so-called atmosphere at the Carra is always praised by TV commentators.

 

We are not all youngsters who like to chant consistently, and good for them.

 

However, a large proportion of supporters are older, like me. I cheer and clap, but I''m bu--ered if I will chant. It makes me (us) no less a supporter. Our very presence is testimony to that.  

[Badger 2,405]

One of (many) things that I have enjoyed this year has been the fact that I have been able to watch every away game via internet streams or more often by going to a pub. It really is a big bonus.

Main downside has been that it is harder to get tickets for away games. I can only make a few a year and like most people I guess prefer the more accessible ones.

I don''t think chanting incessantly is the prerogative of youngsters though Broadstairs. There are plenty of vocal older fans.

[grantroederdisaster 0]

Yes definately!

 

While the Championships a more level playing field and more unpredictable, the Prems the only League to be in if one wants to see the club get better players and the much needed bigger ground!

 

If we were getting hopelessly outclassed like the S*um in 95 and Derby and Watford were a few years back then it wouldn''t be good but we''ve been competitive!