The Along Come Norwich Season Preview – 2021/22

We are back in the Premier League. Again. Where are Nodge going to finish?

Adam: Usually heading into a Premier League season, I’m accused of being overly confident and optimistic and I end up with egg on my face. This season I am veering into the world of the pessimists and saying we are going to get relegated again. 19th. A couple more signings (centre back, DM and more cover at full back and I’ll believe).

Terri: I’m a cautious optimist, so I’m going for a solid 15th place. I think we are better prepared, and more experienced than last time, but it’s still a tough league to get points in.

Maddie: Fans of promoted clubs always seem to opt for the ‘safe but aspirational enough’ 14th, although Norwich is unique in that despite comfortably winning the Championship the bookies (and the fans) seem confident in predicting our relegation. Right now we’ve yet to sign a Skipp replacement which does leave me feeling a tad nervous, but Norwich also seem to have more of an attitude about them this time around. One of the biggest changes we need to make is instilling a belief that we’re here to be competitive and get good results, not just to make up the numbers. If we can tap into that I reckon survival is more than achievable, so I’ll go for a relatively conservative 16th.

Jon: I always predict we’ll finish 15th when we’re promoted. It’s never come to pass yet, so let’s just say 15th again and assume I’ll be wrong. The fun here is that no-one knows, and even the most educated opinions are likely to be wide of the mark. There’s enough spirit in this Norwich side to hopefully take them a fair way, and it will only be a lack of quality that might see us struggle.

Which new signing is going to have the biggest impact?

Adam: Billy Gilmour. An incredible coup to get him on loan for the season, I just hope he isn’t tasked with too many defensive duties/gets put too deep, ideally we sign a defensive midfielder who allows Gilmour to excel further forward and help out with the creativity given that little Argentine fella I forget the name of has gone.

Terri: No idea, that’s always impossible to predict. You don’t know who will settle the quickest, or get a place in the team early on. Often it’s the one you least expect. So I’m going to pick one at random and say… Rashica.

Maddie: Tzolis is winging his way across Europe as I write this, so he’s currently fresh in my mind and looks to be one hell of a player. However – my answer to this question always goes on to have a bang average season, which means I’m going to opt for Angus Gunn as a safe option. Love the guy, but we probably need the others to have more of an impact.

Jon: Recency bias has fully kicked in and I can’t help but feel, for absolutely no reason AT ALL, that Josh Sargent might be way better than a small minority of people on Twitter are claiming. Never listen to a small minority of people on Twitter, apparently.

Billy Gilmour is the right answer here though. His apparent ability to play through a press, or just pick a pass that could set Rashica, Tzolis or Cantwell on their way, might be a really useful weapon as our style of play looks set to shift a bit.

Who’s going to win the Barry Butler?

Adam: The defensive midfielder we haven’t signed yet.

Terri: A bit like the last question, this is a tough call. If Hanley stays fit I think he will have a good chance. If Todd stays and plays at his best, he too will be in with a shout.

Maddie: My head says Ben Gibson, my heart says Jacob Sørensen. Gilmour and Krul will also be in the mix.

Jon: In a season where we’ll be tested defensively, Ben Gibson seems like a great shout. He’d have very much been in the running last season had his campaign not been curtailed by injury.

What are you most looking forward to about going back into stadiums?

Adam: Well, as many of you know I live in Chile so a trip to Carrow Road is unlikely this season. However like everybody else in the world, I am looking forward to the atmosphere returning both on my TV and when I finally return to matches here in person in South America too.

Terri: The buzz of being in a crowd and all singing On The Ball City. And that first, last minute winning goal is going to be orgasmic.

Maddie:  The friendly against Gillingham saw the long-awaited return of heckling opposition goalkeepers, and I think there are few things more satisfying than a nice ‘YOU’RE S**T AHHHHHH,’ especially if they’ve taken ages to actually take the bloody goal kick. I’m also hoping Farke will got more opportunities to do his victorious waves than he did in the last Premier League campaign, because I just can’t look past them as my favourite part of going to Carrow Road.

Jon: That first On The Ball City will be amazing and all, but the back and forth between home and away fans and the spontaneity that can bring is unique to football. See ‘We’ve got a super cook, you’ve got a Russian crook’ as the finest example of this at Carra Rud.

It’s about being together though. While most of us of been sat behind monitors, with endless Zoom/Teams/Skype meetings to help us stay in touch with the wider world, we’ve all missed each other. Lots. While we’re not allowed to hug a stranger according to the new Supporter Code of Conduct, it’ll just be nice to chat to that guy I’ve sat next to for about 10 years and still don’t know his name.

What’s your wild “Watford will get a Champions League spot™” prediction for football this season? 

Adam: It was recently brought to my attention on Twitter that the last time a club had won 4 League Cups in a row was Liverpool in the early 1980s and that run was ended by…yep…you guessed it….the mighty yellas! A true Along Come Norwich moment is in the offing this season when we stop Manchester City making it 5 in a row.

Terri: QPR to get promoted to the Premier League. Which would make my Dad happy.

Maddie: I’ve got two. Firstly, Daniel Farke is going to win manager of the season. If Chris ‘Gammon’ Wilder managed to win the Championship manager of the season prize in the 2018/19 season I see no reason why Farke can’t pull off a similar coup for this campaign. Secondly, Arsenal will be relegated. This isn’t exactly the outlandish prediction it may have been a few seasons ago and I’m sort of willing it to happen at this point. I don’t actually have a problem with Arsenal but the comedy value would be too good to pass up (and if we do go down they’ll take the attention away from us).

Jon: Not exactly wild, but I’m hoping Bielsa finally has enough of Elland Road, stomps off home and takes his ball with him while his former side sink like a stone, creating such a wave of a negativity that it causes a slide down through the divisions until their derby is with Bradford City again.

What’s your favourite Norfolk seaside town to visit on a sunny day off?

Adam: My knowledge of Norfolk seaside towns isn’t particularly strong, but I searched hard for a clever/obscure/nonsensical connection I could go off and found that Winterton-On-Sea is mentioned in Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe while Chile has an island called Robinson Crusoe named after the fact the island was an inspiration to Defoe when writing the book.

Terri: I have a big soft spot for Sheringham, as it has the steam trains, but I do appreciate the laid back west Norfolk coastal towns of Wells and Brancaster. And in Scratby, no one can hear your scream…

Maddie: Sheringham. Head up early in the morning, walk along the beach to East Runton, then back over the Beeston Bump to Ellie’s Ice Cream for a Christmas pudding ice cream. Beautiful stuff.

Jon: During the weekend when towns are busier, give me the serenity of Overstrand. Otherwise, if I’m after ice cream, well specifically ice cream with a scoop of blackcurrant sorbet, Hunstanton wins out.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

We recently released a new ACN exclusive scarf for pre-order, link here if you’d like to pre-order. All profit goes towards future displays at Carra Rud and ACN projects.