WHY PREMIER LEAGUE SURVIVAL IS STIFLING FOOTBALL

How the need to stay in the Premier League is stifling football

 

In common with most Norwich City supporters I have been immensely frustrated watching my team in recent home matches. Chris Hughton’s cautious approach, seemingly driven more by respect for the opposition than by a belief in the positive capabilities of his own side, has produced some of the dullest football I have seen at Carrow Road for many seasons. In particular his reluctance to change things during a game, characterised notably by a stubborn refusal to divert from a ‘one up front’ approach  or to make substitutions in an attempt to win a game has led to Norwich producing disappointing performances in winnable home games against the likes of QPR, West Ham and Fulham. Whilst it is understandable and even, to me, acceptable to seek draws against the very top teams, I see no reason why a team like The Canaries should not be a little more adventurous at home against teams of similar or lower quality than themselves.

I have also been tremendously disillusioned by my team’s approach to Cup football. Despite the apparent revival of the age  old tradition of giant-killing in both domestic Cup competitions this year it is impossible to ignore the fact that almost all top flight sides play seriously depleted line-ups in these games. I enjoyed my day on the terraces at Peterborough only to find the embarrassment against Luton leaving me asking, as I did after the Leicester game at Carrow Road last year, ‘What’s the point?’ I have already decided I will not be going to any Cup games next season, though I have renewed my season ticket. Yes, the team we played in Cup matches could, and perhaps should, have been good enough to win those games but the fact remains that we were not committing all our resources to the pursuit of Cup success.

Let me say right away that I consider Chris Hughton to be an admirable professional, a man of rare integrity in a game not well-known for such qualities. He is also reputed to be an excellent coach, a good man manager and an honest, respectful person. And therein, I suspect, lies the problem. Hughton’s job, essentially, comes down to one thing; keep Norwich City in the Premier League by whatever means possible. Thus, being the focused  and determined professional that he is, Hughton will not allow such a thing as excitement, exuberance or ‘Cup fever’ to distract him in any way from his purpose. At 0-0 after 70 minutes in a home game against, say, Fulham, Hughton and his equally defensive-minded co-coaches, Colin Calderwood and Paul Trollope, are acutely aware that they are still in possession of what could be a priceless point and there is not going to be any abandonment of any prearranged game plan which will put that at risk. Yes there was a long unbeaten run before Christmas and pulsating home wins this season over Manchester United and Arsenal but let’s not forget that, barring the away game at Swansea, the run was built largely on defence and the wins achieved by City scoring a single goal and then defending resolutely.

And it’s not just Norwich. Every other manager of a team in the bottom half of the table is bound by the same imperative – staying in the top flight. The only time that the conservative, cautious approach is cast off is when times get desperate, when a team is falling so far behind that caution has to be jettisoned. Then you get a QPR style cash splurge in a desperate attempt to buy some points, a high-risk strategy that can jeopardise a club’s very existence (just ask Portsmouth fans!) Thank God we haven’t done anything like that at Norwich!

If, however, you are the manager of a team like Norwich City, West Ham, Fulham or Sunderland, sitting a good few points clear of trouble, you take a measured, low-risk approach. Make your team hard to beat, adopt a Nigel Worthington-esque ‘what we have, we hold’ approach and grind out draws, hopefully with the odd win here or there  and come April it’s job done!

The facts that Norwich have scored just one goal in six games, that our top scorer has just five goals and that we have scored less than a goal a game in the league will not particularly bother Hughton and his staff if we survive. What is probably more important to them at this stage is that we have kept seven clean sheets.

Perhaps what is most galling about all of this is that in many ways Hughton’s approach is spot-on! Keeping your employers in the Premier League has become the be-all-and-end-all of management at all but the very biggest clubs. Maintain that status for a few years and you might be able to nurture a little ambition as the big bucks from the TV companies kick in and allow you to compete for the world’s top players. If you’re lucky you might even get a Europa League place or reach the point where your reserves become good enough to win a domestic Cup!

So that is what we Canary fans have to look forward to. We need to work on our patience because things aren’t going to change anytime soon.