The wait is finally over. Premier League football returns to Carrow Road tomorrow afternoon with the visit of Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace arriving in Norfolk with the aim of raining on our parade. The excitement since the now infamous play-off final win against Middlesborough has all been leading up to this moment. However, it will be no walk in the park for the Canaries. Crystal Palace has strengthened over the summer, bringing in players such as Yohan Cabaye from PSG and Patrick Bamford on loan from Chelsea. Alex Neil knows the importance of starting off the season strong, something of which the Canaries traditionally struggle to do as they haven’t won on the opening day since 2002.
Alex Neil told the EDP “We want to get off to a good start and that means a win, however, when I first went up with Hamilton we lost the first one and then won the next seven or eight. I would settle for that. But, Palace is important to set our stall out and show everyone what we are capable of doing.”
Norwich have the chance to do just that with a run of very winnable games early on.
After the visit of Palace, Norwich head to the North-East to play Sunderland before returning to Carrow Road for the visit of Stoke City. After that, City fans must face the long trip to Southampton before returning to a more winnable fixture in newly promoted side Bournemouth.
These games present Norwich with a perfect opportunity to get points on the board quickly and ensure momentum is built early on. However, I am under no illusion of the task at hand and I fully expect surviving in the Premier League to be very difficult indeed. With massive money enriching England’s top division, it is now more than ever before, financially crucial to maintain top-flight status and this could lead to premature managerial changes if things aren’t going well. But, I trust Alex Neil and if we are to have any chance of staying up, continued support from the Norwich faithful is vital. The signings that have been brought in are pleasing, although, we are still short of a striker and probably another central defender. However, it is important we sign the right player, not someone just to fill a space and there is still three weeks left of the transfer market so I fully expect these positions to be filled in due course.
Yes, Norwich’s season kicks off tomorrow but whatever happens it will not be season-defining. Having a good start to the season is important but not essential. A couple of years ago I remember a team losing 7-1 on the opening day of the season; they stole that team’s manager and then went on to win the league. Can’t seem to remember who it was though…
Enjoy the season.
