Well, the inevitable happened Monday afternoon. Whether it was inconsistency throughout the Championship campaign, two embarrassing exits from cup competitions or a manic phone-in from “Shaun” on Canary Call, Neil Adams stepped down as manager.
It’d be unreasonable to say this wasn’t coming; warning signs had been mounting since the club’s horrific October and November performances. In the end, a second 2-1 loss to Reading and the 2-0 nightmare at Preston were the ultimatum.
But saying Adams’ spell as a manager was useless and set the club back would be untrue and unjust to the ex-Canary. Sure, he wasn’t appointed under the best circumstances.
He had to save the club from relegation with only five matches to spare, including at Fulham (a side Norwich hasn’t beaten since 1986), Liverpool, at Manchester United (after the David Moyes dismissal), Chelsea away and Arsenal.
After the board came out stating Adams would remain manager, he had to take the objective of automatic promotion or death—which CEO David McNally and friends decided would be sooner than later.
Perhaps the resignation (yeah, Adams made the decision, but he was probably assisted along the way) came in early January, as opposed to later on because his predecessor was kept past his welcome?
At this point, Mike Phelan enters from stage right.
So now a club, fighting for promotion back to the top flight, changes its direction mid-season, mid-transfer window, all while preparing for a stab at league-leading Bournemouth away? Barring three points, is Phelan kept in charge?
The point of this column isn’t a eulogy for the Adams era or an attack at the board. More than anything, the point is for City fans (and the board, hopefully) to consider the future long term, rather than for short success.
Would fans be willing for another year in the Championship if it meant a qualified manager might step in, attempt his variation on the Norwich Way with talent, whether domestic or abroad, and create a formula to build a squad that won’t pogo between tiers or arrive in the Premier League, only to dig in the trenches for nine grueling months?
Certainly the majority of Norwich fans believe the club is truly a top-tier one, not a Championship side meddling with mediocrity.
It’s time to find a manager suitable to those standards, even if it means a patient wait ahead.
