Norwich City make a long awaited return to the Barclays Premier League in 2011 after a six year absence and will be hoping to build on what has already been a remarkable two years under manager Paul Lambert.
With the club securing back to back promotions and demonstrating a brand of football that is the envy of most teams around them they could yet turn out to be the surprise package of the new season. The appointment of Lambert signified the start of a new era at Carrow Road and so far he has more than surpassed everyone’s expectations.
The team secured promotion to the top flight winning an impressive four out of their last five games, amongst those being a 5-1 demolition of arch rivals Ipswich Town, whilst also confirming themselves as the division’s top scorers.
The ability to score goals could prove vital in the Canaries quest for success as Blackpool found themselves relegated this year after scoring a record 55 goals, the highest amount by any team to be relegated in Premier League history. Though in Grant Holt Norwich not only have a proven goal scorer but also a talisman that has lead the line superbly and scored a remarkable 53 goals in 91 appearances for the club.
In the midfield Lambert has a number of players that are comfortable with the ball at their feet and certainly have what it takes to mix it with footballs elite, the likes of Wes Hoolahan and Andrew Surman have both shown just what they are capable of and will be an important part of how the team play in the forthcoming campaign.
Lambert has also demonstrated a shrewd eye for talent in the transfer market, with signings such as Elliott Ward, Russell Martin, and Simeon Jackson to name just a few. If he can use this to his advantage and use the summer to recruit wisely and add to a squad that already possesses a great deal of talent the Norwich faithful will have a great deal to be optimistic about.
Though as the old saying goes success breads more success and arguably the most important factor to Norwich’s chances will be the manager, as a player he won the Champions league in 1997 with Borussia Dortmund, he won four Scottish League titles with Celtic and finished runner up in 2003 UEFA Cup Final as well representing Scotland 40 times and playing for his country at the 1998 World Cup.
He has now continued this success into his managerial career and was named as the Championship Manager of the Year in 2011 as a result of guiding Norwich to the Premier League. There is no doubt that Canaries face a huge task, but it is one that they are more than ready for. With a little luck and the same commitment and desire from the team they could once again take their place amongst English footballs finest.
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