COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS..BUT DARE TO DREAM!

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS....BUT DARE TO DREAM!

After the almost unbroken success of the last two and a half seasons we Norwich City supporters have become unused to the sort of disappointing period we have witnessed in recent weeks. The FA cup exit to Leicester City, followed by the heartbreak of losing in injury time to a Ryan Giggs inspired Manchester United, then the miserable experience of witnessing the controversial defeat at the hands of Tony Pulis’s WWF outfit have given us a slightly depressing reminder  of how things used to be.

We have slipped from our lofty eighth place perch in the Premier League which had us dreaming of Europe, to a somewhat more mundane eleventh position and, though there is still work to do to guarantee top flight status next season, thoughts are perhaps already turning to the summer and how Paul Lambert might set about strengthening for the future.

However, it is still relevant to remind ourselves, as the manager regularly urges us to do, of just how far we have come in a short period; three years ago this coming weekend Norwich went down 2-0 at Blackpool and were sitting just one place off the bottom of the Championship table prior to their subsequent relegation. Only Wes Hoolahan survives to this day from the team that played at Bloomfield Road back in March 2009 which included, if you want further evidence of our progress, Jon Otsemobor and Carl Cort, with David Mooney, Alan Gow and David Carney amongst the substitutes. Oh what a sorry mish-mash of a squad successive managers had somehow cobbled together in that hapless and ultimately doomed campaign!

We should definitely count our blessings, then, as we reflect on this recent little spell of disappointment. Paul Lambert consistently talks of the ‘monumental’ progress the club has made since his arrival, not perhaps in a tone of self-glorification (he is always quick to laud the achievements of his players) but more to keep supporters grounded, to  urge them to keep their ambitions in check and, bluntly, to remind them not to get carried away.

 Backed by the astute David McNally and his own trusted staff Lambert is, as far as the fans are concerned, a victim of his own success. By taking us so far, so quickly he has fuelled our ambition. Now, no matter how often we are warned to be grateful for where we are we yearn for more.

 Football supporters always want more. It is in their nature to dream. And though Lambert is undoubtedly right to urge caution there are still those amongst the Yellow Army who remember when Norwich City led the Premier League going into the final few games of the 1992-3 season before going on to compete with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. Understandably, then, all are not happy to ‘settle’ for mid-table security at the expense of Cup glory and being pushed aside by the Stoke City wrestling machine.

I have asked before ‘How far is it possible to go?’ Realistically, in the modern football world, can a team without the backing of a mega-rich owner challenge for the very top honours?  And while I freely admit that the likelihood of Norwich City (or indeed Fulham, West Bromwich Albion or Swansea) breaking the stranglehold of the so-called big boys seems impossible, dare we not dream? Is football not the game of the underdog? If our talisman Grant Holt can go from bagging goals for Shrewsbury Town  (as he did on that very day we lost at Blackpool in 2009) to scoring regularly at the top level, and Russell Martin can be plucked from Peterborough United’s bench to become a Scottish international then why should we not reach for the stars?

Having seen my team all but match Manchester United, draw with Chelsea and Liverpool, and thump Newcastle I, for one, am shaking off my shroud of limited ambition. Last week I watched an England side largely devoid of enterprise offer a dull and pedestrian performance against a casual Dutch team who never extended themselves in victory. I saw nothing frighteningly impressive amongst the ranks of England’s so-called elite, nothing Norwich City players cannot match or even exceed. Are Adam Johnson and Stewart Downing really that much better than Anthony Pilkington? Isn’t Kyle Naughton as good as Glen Johnson? Is it just me who thinks David Fox can pick a pass just as well as Michael Carrick?

Paul Lambert enjoys the total and unequivocal backing of the club’s supporters, and rightly so. He is correct to warn us to rein in our expectation. Yet he does not strike me as an unambitious man and I believe that underneath his apparently cautious facade there exists a burning determination and perhaps even a desire to attempt the impossible. Future planning has been a hallmark of his method since his arrival at the club. The recent signings of Jonny Howson and Ryan Bennett, though for different reasons neither was able actually to play for several weeks, speak of patience and forethought and I have no doubt that plans are already in place regarding summer strengthening

I hope I am not so foolish as to underestimate true football quality. Of course one cannot deny that Tottenham and Arsenal were far better than us on their visits to Carrow Road this season, nor that we were outclassed by Manchester City at The Etihad. Clearly there are those at top clubs whose ability is undeniably superior to that of many of our players.

However, success in football is about so much more than just having skilful players. Chelsea and Liverpool have spent hundreds of millions of pounds yet fail to deliver. It is the weaving together of the various strands of a club, yes the players’ ability but also the man-management, tactics, signings, coaching, fitness and team spirit which ultimately decide which club prospers and which does not.

So I am counting my blessings. I am listening when the manager tells me how far we have come. I am hugely appreciative of the fantastic achievements of David McNally, the board, the management team and the players since I trudged gloomily away from Blackpool’s dismal stadium three years ago, but I am not satisfied. I believe we can achieve more. I believe and I dare to dream!