Mid table mediocrity

[NCFC198 2]

 

There has been a lot of discussion recently on where Norwich should be, what we should be aiming for and what fans should realistically expect.  Of course we should expect that the team gives their all every game and as a club we look to progress and compete.  I believe success for Norwich would be to become an established mid table team, this in itself is not easy, two games away from the half-way point and anyone from 10th down could arguably be dragged into a relegation battle.  The top seven is almost guaranteed, in what order who knows.  I would settle for us finishing 10th for the next 10 seasons and see this is as a real success, the 3 seasons in a row we have spent in the top flight is a real achievement in the recent history of our club.  From our first relegation from the Premiership we were stuck in a rut in the championship for nearly a decade until the Worthington era.  Attendances were poor and we dodged from one game to another, reliant on home form and picking up the odd points away from home.  Much like now some may feel, however, I would argue there is a massive difference between then and now.  In my opinion we are not quite a mid-table team, but I think that is where we are heading.  And I hope we can achieve this, I also hope the fans can get behind it and enjoy the experience of playing in the top flight week in week out, and hopefully year after year.  Once we get this stability we may even go on a cup run, or even a European adventure. Hughton divides opinion and will continue to do so.  I wasn’t convinced from the start of last season, but I can see the benefits of stability.  One thing is for sure he has signed good player.  We also should be careful what we wish for, change for the sake of it.  Southampton changed and it worked, Wolves changed and it didn’t.  We shall see what happens at West Brom, Palace and even Spurs.  But if we sacked the manager who would we get? There isn’t many fantastic options out there.  I think we will continue to progress this season and a win on boxing day will stand us in great stead for the second half of the season.

Merry Christmas.

[Beefy is a legend 224]

A decent post IMHO.

The top 7 Clubs in this division are in their own league and without a benefactor we are unlikely to ever break that ''glass ceiling''. We are in our own league with the other 13 PL clubs and at least a dozen Championship Clubs - those have been our traditional rivals over the last 20 years. The likes of Leicester, Wolves, Forest, QPR, Ipswich, Birmingham, Charlton, Leeds, Palace, Derby, Blackburn, Cardiff and West Ham are all Clubs that we''ve played more regularly than most over that period and who might be considered comparable in size to ourselves. Perhaps Leeds and West Ham are the potentially largest Clubs in that bunch.

Interestingly, we are above every single one of those Clubs at present and that is a fine barometer to measure our relative success.

Long may it continue.