The Club:
Norwich make a welcome return to England’s top flight. The Suffolk outfit are one of those teams many neutral fans like to get behind, as there is still a family oriented, close knit feel about them. Life in the Premier League is going to be a culture shock for their players who have been plying their trade in the Championship, but they look youthful and vigorous enough to adapt quickly. Norwich do attract their critics, but they have a lot going for them, and seeing them back in top flight football is a nice thing to see. Hopefully we see some of the attractive football that saw them overpower teams in the Championship, and with the strengths they do have, they have the capability of scrapping it out for survival. Norwich are the side how are being tipped to surprise people in the Premier League this season. Will it be a step too far, or will the steady, smart hand of Paul Lambert guide them to safety. It will be a season about survival for Norwich, and achieving it will be like winning the league at this point.
Players/Manager:
Norwich boss Paul Lambert seems pretty unfazed about the challenges of staying in the Premier League. After a successful season in leading Norwich to an automatic promotion place from the Championship, Carrow Road will once again taste the heady heights of life in England’s top flight. Norwich really played some strong, attractive football the right way through the Championship, and there is just the sense that out of the newly promoted sides, Lambert may just about have the craft and guile to guide Norwich to safety. The first big blows to life in the Premier League for Norwich City, is that striker James Vaughan and defender Elliot Ward will both have to miss the start of the season after picking up pre season injuries. The last thing that a newly promoted squad needs is injury concerns at the very start of the season. Norwich won’t be able to go the big spending money route, but salvation could come in the form of loan deals which will help them bolster their squad. They have brought in Kyle Naughton at left back from Tottenham for that reason, and it is the Norwich defensive line which will be tested the most this season. Up front, Norwich showed a good penchant for goals in the Championship, and while they won’t find them as easy to come by this season, they at least look as if they have decent cover up front while Vaughan misses the start. Last season’s top scorer Grant Holt is ready to make his mark in the Premier League, and with a good young core at the heart of Norwich City, we could see a bit of adventure from them. Not a strong enough squad at first glance to finish anywhere above half way, but a solid bottom half finish will have the Canaries singing.
Last Season: 2nd in Championship
The Canaries were the Championship’s top scorers last season, netting 83 goals. They couldn’t match the defensive efforts of fellow promotees, Swansea and QPR though, but they showed great form to book their place in the Premier League. Plenty enough from their performances last season to see them being on a par with some of the established Premier League sides like Wigan and Wolves who struggled badly last year.
2011/12 Projection:
After playing some decent football last season, Paul Lambert now needs to translate Norwich’s style to the Premier League. They probably won’t foresake or change much about the way they play, but some adaptability is going to be needed. There is a lot of trust in the ability of Lambert to get them through their trials and naturally, points at the start of the season, adjusting to life in the Premier League are going to be tough to come across. Still, there is enough hope that Norwich will just be OK, with a huge emphasis on their home form. They have to keep things tight at Carrow Road, they cannot afford to throw away valuable home points, but they will make life difficult for visiting teams there. There is a big air of optimism around Carrow Road and we are going to buy into it and back them to maintain their Premier League status and look ahead to the following season. They need to get points out of their first two fixtures to give them a footing in the Premier League though.
Finishing Position: Bottom Half of Table Safety
Premier League Relegation Odds:
8/11 at Bet365
First Three Fixtures
August 13th: Wigan v Norwich
August 20th: Norwich v Stoke
August 27th: Chelsea v Norwich
