A few years ago, Norwich City fans would have bitten both yours hand off if you were to offer them the position they are in now. After last weeks win away at Swansea, they moved up to 8th in the Premier League and became only the second team to beat the Swans at the Liberty Stadium this season. The Canaries’ terrific ascendancy has been credited by many people this year and manager Paul Lambert has been praised for making a team with a serious lack of Premier League experience turn into one of the division’s best ever promoted sides. Players like Grant Holt, Russell Martin and John Ruddy have all stepped up to the mark and proved that they are more than capable of competing at the highest level. However, this success has stemmed from one of the darkest days in Norwich City’s history.
It was Saturday 8th August 2009 and Norwich went into their game with Colchester as one of the favourites for the League One title after being relegated the previous year. The fan’s expectations were incredibly high as usual and most of the Carrow Road faithful expected Norwich to brush Colchester aside. But that wasn’t to be as Norwich slumped to a shocking 7-1 home defeat. This lead to the somewhat premature sacking of City legend Bryan Gunn a few days after the defeat. The supporters were shell-shocked and were wondering where the next twist in their club’s tragic downfall was going to come from. That twist was the announcement that Norwich City’s new manager was going to be the man who masterminded the performance that beat the Canaries a few days earlier. Paul Lambert was revealed as Bryan Gunn’s successor and glory days for City were soon to be revived.
Lambert lead the Canaries to League One success that year after hunting down eventual runners up Leeds United from 15 points behind and beating them by 9 points. The pivotal moment in that glorious season was the 1-0 victory over Leeds at Carrow Road on March 27th which put clear daylight between the two sides in the league table. Lambert was heralded as Grant Holt lifted the League One trophy but famously stated that “Norwich are a side that should be in the Premier League. It’s my job to get them there.” The dream was almost certainly starting to creep it’s way into City fans minds across the county once again. Their direct approach to every game saw the Canaries cruise to the title. But this success was just the beginning.
City entered the next season in the Championship and many fans were hoping for a decent mid-table finish. By the end of September, Norwich laid 3rd in the table and were in the mix for automatic promotion. And after 2 thumping derby victories against local rivals Ipswich Town during the course of the season, Norwich fans started to believe that this could be their season once again. But could they show pure grit and determination to see the campaign through? That question was answered in emphatic style when the Canaries grabbed back-to-back promotion’s with a 1-0 away win at Portsmouth. This sparked jubilant scenes on the pitch at Fratton Park and in numerous pubs and streets across Norfolk with the fans and players celebrating long into the night. Paul Lambert – being the focused individual he is – wanted to pay immediate attention to the Canaries’ upcoming return to the Premier League. He wanted the players to focus on survival for the forthcoming season and his players unduly delivered and exceeded expectations.
Norwich fought off fierce efforts from lots of top clubs, including Lambert’s boyhood club Celtic, to retain the services of the Scot. He has turned the Canaries from a lowly League One side to comfortable Premier League representatives in the space of two and a half seasons. With deserved points against Chelsea and Liverpool already this season and impressive away wins at QPR, Swansea and West Brom, Norwich City have created a real good vibe and momentum amongst the Carrow Road faithful. They currently sit 8th in the league table and are almost safe from relegation so it’s fair to say that Paul Lambert has done a mesmeric job at Carrow Road. Let’s hope that these times of success aren’t the end for such a wonderful club.
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