THERE’S this old English nursery rhyme that goes, “The Man in the Moon came tumbling down, and asked the way to Norwich. He went by the south, and burnt his mouth while eating cold pease porridge.”
And I thought of that rhyme after Norwich City Football Club lost to Watford, 3-1, its fifth consecutive loss to start out this Premier League 2021-22 season and 15th overall dating back to the 2019-20 season. Following that loss, the club dropped to 20th with no points.
The Man in the Moon is definitely tumbling down, headed south in a young season, and burnt time and again.
What hurts is Norwich lost to a team that finished second to them in the Championship. Furthermore, the other team that was promoted from the Championship, Brentford, is currently in ninth spot in the Premier League.
They built this Norwich Canaries team into a better one with good signings and were expected to move upwards in the Premiership table.
This early, there is massive disappointment and disenchantment.
I know how teams struggle coming up from the first division that is known as The Championship but that is not true for all. Leeds did very well last season after its return to the top flight (although it had a lackluster second half to the last season and are currently in 17th spot—one spot above the relegation zone).
After the Canaries’ last stint in the Premiership, it lost forward James Maddison to Leicester City. I wonder given its troubles if it will lose striker Teemu Pukki who has starred in the last four seasons, Argentine midfielders Emi Buendia and Todd Cantwell, and defender Max Aarons who are all being wooed away.
Norwich have been tagged as the “yo-yo” team for being promoted after which it is relegated.
It wasn’t always nor has it always been like that.
In the first year of the Premiership (1992-93), the team had its best ever finish as the Canaries placed third with a 21-9-12 record. However, after that, it slid down the tables to 12th and eventually 20th to drop down to the Championship.
During the 2004-05 season, it found itself back in top-flight football only to finish dead last and was sent packing.
The team managed to return for the 2011-12 season and did stay up for three seasons—with its best finish at 11th place in 2012-13.
Norwich was promoted once more for the 2015-16 season but finished 19th and once more dropped.
And it was the same in the 2019-20 season—promoted then relegated after a year. And from all indications—unless it miraculously turns things around this 2021-22 campaign it is headed south once more.
Pinpointing its woes is like coming up with a grocery list. Its midfield has been unable to break through, it has suffered untimely injuries, it has been tactically inefficient, and the worst, it simply leaks goals.
In 2019-20, Norwich conceded 75 goals—a league worst. In the 2016-16 season, it gave up 67 goals. This campaign, Norwich has scored only two goals but 14 have found the back of its net.
Several years ago, I got to watch Norwich at its home field of Carrow Road where it figured in a disappointing 1-1 draw with Roterham. I was there because my good friend, Craig Burrows, is a Norwich supporter. And I did want a close up look to celebrity chef Delia Smith’s self-supported club.
To be honest, I had a lot of fun soaking in the atmosphere at that game.
Prior to kick-off, I wandered around the grounds eating sausages outside the stadium, buying merchandise at the team shop, and hobnobbing with the local fans in our seating area. It was great.
The weather that day was horrible but Carrow Road was packed.
I saw a comment from a Norwich fan following the loss to Watford that maybe it’s best it just stays in the Championship. It is a defeatist attitude because no one on the lower divisions wants to stay there. They want to be the top league in the entire world.
In the case of Norwich, getting to the Premier League is easier than staying there. How it responds to this deep-rooted adversity is anyone’s guess.
I think Norwich fans would rather sing, “E-I-E-I-O. Up the Premier League we go” rather thing be associated with a man tumbling down nursery rhyme.