On Aug. 9, 2009, Norwich City F.C. started their third division (League One) campaign with a 7-1 home loss against rivals Colchester United. Fast forward two and a half years and Norwich City sits comfortably in ninth position in the Barclays Premier League, a league that many football experts consider the most competitive soccer league in the world.
One may ask how Norwich went from such an unbelievably low point in their club’s history to such a high one in a short amount of time. This remarkable turnaround started with the appointment of manager Paul Lambert, who soon instilled his attacking philosophy on the team. Nine months later, and Norwich was crowned League One Champion. The following season saw Norwich promoted to the Premier League, courtesy of its second place finish behind Queens Park Rangers in the Coca Cola Championship. When Norwich gained promotion to the Premier League, many football experts tipped Norwich to struggle in the league.
However, their attacking football has paid off greatly. They started their Premier League campaign with a respectable 1-1 draw at Wigan Athletic F.C. Since then, they have gone on to record six wins and six draws, including impressive away draws at Liverpool, Everton and against the Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Although every squad member has performed well, a few players stand out as having exceeded expectations. The strike partnership of Grant Holt and Steve Morrison has worked wonders; together the double act has combined for 14 league goals, almost as many goals as the entire Liverpool team has scored this season. Anthony Pilkington and Wes Hoolahan’s partnership in midfield has been brilliant. Together the two have scored seven goals as well setting up numerous others. As well as their attack in the midfield, the Norwich defense has also been on top form. American Zak Whitbread has performed admirably in defense; his rock solid performances have helped keep several opponents at bay.
It is evident that Norwich truly is this season’s Blackpool. Last season, Ian Holloway’s Blackpool started the season with a 4-0 win at Wigan. The first half of the season saw Blackpool steadily climb up the Premier League. However, they only had themselves to blame for their eventual relegation, as its form during the second half of the season was nothing short of abysmal.
Ian Holloway’s insistence on playing attacking football eventually proved to be the downfall of Blackpool. Norwich needs to make sure it does not make the same mistakes as Blackpool. If Norwich can maintain the form it have shown during the first half of the season, then it will comfortably avoid relegation. Even if it does get relegated, Norwich fans will be proud of what their team accomplished with such a low budget and a team made up of journeymen.
