Date: 17th August 2016 at 1:45pm
Written by:

It has been a frustrating time off the field for Norwich City in recent weeks, which has been a complete contrast to events on the pitch.

The Canaries battered Blackburn Rovers 4-1 on the opening day, showing they have suffered very little relegation hangover from a disappointing 2015/16 campaign.

This coupled with a decent 0-0 draw against a Sheffield Wednesday side that you would expect to be challenging has got Alex Neil’s men off to a promising start, but it has been frustrating off the pitch.

Cameron Jerome and Kyle Lafferty are the only two senior strikers in the squad, which has caused a few concerns for Canary fans and has seen manager Neil take a fair bit of unfair stick.

Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

Jerome netted in the Canaries’ 4-1 thrashing of Blackburn – Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

The club were hopeful of landing Ross McCormack, but they were reluctant to part with the quoted £14m fee as well as the hefty wages the attacker commanded.

It has all gone a little quiet since that fell through, with fans voicing their displeasure against Sheffield Wednesday. It has not been an easy ride for Neil lately.

Without a new striker or not, this team has the undoubted power to do damage at this level – highlighted in the demolition of Blackburn.

Josh Murphy hit double figures in the Championship last year at Milton Keynes Dons, whilst twin brother Jacob was on target at Blackburn to carry on where he left off at Coventry last term.

There will also be a lot of expectation on Steven Naismith to repay his £7m fee, but the Scot has already shown a glimpse that he can be a valuable asset in the second-tier.

Add into the equation the often maligned Jerome, who has a great track record at this level, plus an inform Wes Hoolahan and it seems like there are goals spread around the side.

I think the most frustrating thing for Norwich fans is that we have the funds, but we have been unable to get the right player in before the start of the season.

Ideally, Neil would have liked to have a striker signed in July, but it was not to be. Whilst I hope that we sign an attacker, I am prepared to wait that little bit longer if it means we get a top one.

Photo: Mark Leech

Norwich boss Neil is still under pressure, despite his side sitting second in the Championship table after three games – Photo: Mark Leech / Offside.

Names such as Nahki Wells and Britt Assombalonga have been thrown about, with both fitting the bill of knowing what the Championship is about and being prolific.

There have also been rumours about Dame N’Doye – who has had mixed spells at Sunderland and Hull City – and the relatively unknown David Accam, a prolific scorer in the MLS.

In a perfect world, Norwich will get two of those names and romp their way to promotion. That might be wishful thinking on my behalf, but it could be a reality quite easily.

Manager Neil is quickly becoming one of my favourite Norwich bosses of my lifetime and I have absolute confidence that he will be the man to guide us back to the Premier League.

He simply says it how it is, which is massive in today’s distorted reality of football. The Scot is also backed up by his exceptional record in the Championship, with a win percentage of nearly 70%.

Fans are well within their rights to question him about the lack of transfer movement so far, but Neil will deliver if you give him the chance to and a long-term plan is in place.

His recent signings show that he is laying a very good foundation at the club for years to come. We just need to be patient and let him do his bit because he will succeed.

 
Brought to you by Shoot!

Comments are closed.