As Norwich City currently sits in the purgatory of being between managers, the air of cautious optimism and the mystery of the unknown abounds. Ben Knapper’s master plan, seven months in the making, is finally going to see the light of day, with the only evidence of his intent thus far having been the loan acquisition of Sydney van Hooijdonk. He therefore has a little work to do to reset his compass in the right direction to gain the confidence of the City faithful. But only a little. Anonymous as Sydney was, Knapper has delivered the end-of-season gift that 99 per cent of supporters wanted (P ..read more

We’re yet to reach the final climax of the Championship season when we get to watch a Wembley meeting of one of City’s favourite managers take on one of its most successful but less popular captains in the “biggest game in club football”. It always feels like this time of year is some kind of altered reality. Now is the time when the air is heavy with the national celebrations following yet another Premier League win by an oil-state-owned entity – Sky Sports bringing us all together in celebration as ‘history is made’ by unassailable wealth wiping the floor with the rest of us. We’re also in t ..read more

Earlier today on MFW, Alex Bain took us on a whistle-stop tour of the runners and riders for the role of head coach. Below, Luke Scales takes a closer look at the names in the frame… *** Once again, the sun has set on another head coach’s career at Norwich City. It has seemed a long time coming, and almost inevitable after the winless run earlier in the season, but David Wagner’s tenure finally ended alongside the football club’s playoff hopes. I feel incredibly sorry for Wagner. He was thrown in at the deep end after the questionable appointment of Dean Smith and many people (including myself ..read more

That David Wagner is a nice bloke was never in doubt. Neither is the fact that politely heading him in the direction of the Carrow Road exit was the right decision. He wasn’t a bad coach. Bad coaches don’t get to manage Championship teams in the first place, let alone lead one of them to the Premier League. But he was a limited one. Wagner was, as it turned out, a small step up on Dean Smith who, let’s be honest, stunk the place out on almost every level, but the German’s time at our club will still be remembered more for its tumult rather than its successes. Quite how much of it pertained dir ..read more

Sometimes a significant part of a football club’s summer business can go unnoticed or, at least, be undervalued. It is when a key player is persuaded to stay. So, for instance, although signing Grant Holt was a magnificent piece of work by Bryan Gunn ahead of the 2009-10 season (in Gunn’s only transfer window as manager), cajoling Wes Hoolahan to stay was also a pivotal achievement. City had just plummeted into the third tier. Wes wanted to play at a higher level. Several predatory clubs knew he desired a move. But Gunny told Wes that if he stayed and gave it a real go, then if things weren’t ..read more

What should have felt relatively uplifting, given the mainly excellent results in this calendar year, has in all honesty, felt like an energy and enthusiasm-sapping slog. The boys and Herr Wagner have stuck at it and, without doubt, given all they could. They ended the term, however, looking fractious, exhausted, and beaten. A sorry end to a year which has provided some marvellous individual moments to raise spirits amidst a backdrop of gloom. Gunn, A. [B+] It’s a shame that the year ended with his worst result in the biggest test of all, and I hope he does not dwell on this too much. For ..read more

And so ended season 2023-24. Not with all guns blazing. Not even in defiance. It ended in embarrassment. Toe-curling, skin-crawling embarrassment. Last night was right up there with final-day capitulations at Fulham in 2005 and Charlton in 2009. A performance of no redeeming features. In years to come, when we talk about ‘the disaster at Leeds’ we’ll immediately know which one. Thursday 16 May 2024. A date to forget but one that none of us will. But it didn’t begin and end yesterday with that complete shocker of a performance, both on and off the pitch. This one can be traced back to that limp ..read more

So the playoffs have started and as many expected. David Wagner played for a draw and Leeds were happy to play along… at least for the first leg. Then three silly sods decided to prove yet again that football isn’t always just about football and spoil it for everybody. Let’s hope all three get lengthy bans. So… what can we expect from tonight’s away leg? Simply put… in my view, not a lot. Thanks to said silly sods, the travelling supporters can expect a hotter welcome in Yorkshire than would be normal and then there are Leeds supporters’ groups complaining about chants over the incident in Tur ..read more

A lot has been said (and written) about the big changes needed over the summer in and around the first team, but this is the case for the academy too. Multiple factors need to be addressed – the most important of which is the appointment of a new head of football development.  Steve Weaver, the current head of the academy, announced his intention to leave in April – giving the club ample time to find his successor. Weaver has spent seven years with the Canaries, the majority of those alongside Stuart Webber with whom he has had a close working relationship, and there was a sense of inevit ..read more

I’ve swerved the traditional-style preview for the second chapter of City v Leeds as I’d have been covering old ground, both in terms of the pre-match analysis and my post-match thoughts from Sunday. So, instead, it’s to two Leeds-supporting friends I’ve turned for their thoughts, hopes and fears ahead of a huge one on Thursday night. Both David Ellis and Matt Goldspink are dyed-in-the-wool Leeds fans, albeit only one has an obvious link to Yorkshire (unless there’s something I don’t know about). Here’s their view from the white side… Lads, are you happy with Sunday’s result? Or did you expect ..read more