Norwich City: 3 Season Lowlights

In a season which has been dominated by Norwich City woe, it is somewhat difficult to pin down just three campaign ‘low-lights’, but I try my best…

Norwich 4-5 Liverpool - 23rd January 2016

At the beginning of the season not many Norwich fans would have expected that a home defeat to Liverpool would rank as one of the most demoralising low-lights of the campaign. As the game transpired, however, there is no doubt that the heart-breaking last-minute defeat remains to be one of the season’s worst moments. Expectations were low entering the game on the back of heavy defeats to Man City, Stoke and Bournemouth - but when, by the 54th minute, Wes Hoolahan’s penalty put City 3-1 up, it looked like 3 points were in the bag. Steven Naismith had scored on debut and was looking electric, Dieumerci Mbokani had scored an exquisite back heel and spirits were high, even Norwich couldn’t throw this away could they?

Yep…throw it away they did, as a period of calamitous defending saw Liverpool net 3 in the proceeding 20 minutes. When Sebastien Bassong came up with an injury-time equaliser it almost seemed wrong to be celebrating a point when we really should have had 3, but celebrate we did. After all, a point against Liverpool is never a bad result….

What happened next I have attempted to permanently erase from my memory. To think that we could equalise in injury time only to go on and concede again and lose the game is unbelievable - but if any side is capable of such footballing suicide then it is Norwich City. Alex Neil’s men went on to prove this was possible as yet more calamitous defending resulted in Adam Lallana scrapping home a 96th minute-winner. It was without doubt one of the most deflating defeats I have ever experienced as a Norwich fan and it is no surprise that it also sapped the players of any confidence, as City went on to be winless in the following seven matches.

Newcastle 6-2 Norwich - 18th October 2015

Norwich fans continue to refer to this game as the one which, ultimately, turned our season for the worst. The trip to St James’ Park came on the back of an international break in which we entered sat comfortably in 13th place, having been unbeaten in 4 of our previous 5 matches. We had began the campaign playing the attractive, expansive football that had characterised Alex Neil’s early reign and City headed to the north-east with great confidence. This confidence was soon in tatters, however, as Newcastle, who hadn’t won all season, scoring just 6 goals, doubled this haul in just 90 minutes following a display of huge defensive incompetence by City’s back four. In truth, it was a crazy game of football which could just have easily ended up 6-2 in Norwich’s favour, but Alex Neil did not see it this way, as it proved to influence his decision-making for the proceeding few, dour months. The aforementioned expansive style of play was soon ditched as Neil tried to focus on our defensive frailties, yet, while our attacking threat was massively sacrificed, our defence did not improve; a combination which proved to be a losing one for the majority of the games that followed.

Villa 2-0 Norwich - 6th February 2016

When you lose to a side who, before your visit, had won just two (2!) Premier League games in 6 months, then it naturally has to class as one of the most embarrassing results of the season. February’s trip to Villa Park saw City put in a performance of utter relegation fodder as defeat resulted in some fans, for the first time, questioning Alex Neil’s position. As is to be expected from a side 6 points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League table, Aston Villa were rubbish, but, sadly City were even worse. For yet another week our defending was shambolic and our attack impotent, and it really did leave me and many City fans truly pessimistic for the rest of the campaign. If we do get relegated, it is almost deserved solely due to the fact that we lost to such a woeful side, and by a two-goal margin too!