- City fans endured a chaotic season from relegation fears to play-off dreams.
- Clement transformed the Canaries after a disastrous start under Manning.
- Five key milestones define campaign of stadium drama & big-name departures.
It’s common knowledge that being a Norwich City fan isn’t for those of a nervous disposition.
Over the past few decades, supporters have got used to the euphoric highs and crushing lows that come with supporting the club.
But the 2025-26 campaign has, even for City’s standards, been a particularly strange one.
Pre-season promises of a top-six push were quickly forgotten by mid-November, with the club sitting second from bottom with just nine points from 15 games after a disastrous Liam Manning tenure.
At that point, you’d have struggled to find many fans who didn’t hold the belief that the Canaries were headed to League One.
But in true Norwich fashion, fans have witnessed a meteoric rise up the Championship table since the appointment of Philippe Clement.
With nine games left, City now have an outside chance of reaching the play-offs despite losing their opening seven home league games.
That late-autumn managerial change, however, doesn’t tell half the story of a season for the ages.
I’ve taken a look back at five huge milestones that have defined a funny ol’ season (so far).
1. Nunez sale
At about 8.30pm on the evening of August 27, 2025, during the second half of the Grimsby v Manchester United EFL Cup game, I opened X on my phone and refreshed the NCFC hashtag.
Within seconds a post from The Telegraph’s John Percy flashed up, claiming that Norwich had agreed a deal to sell Marcelino Nunez to Ipswich.
We all know what happened next, and I don’t mind admitting that I struggled to sleep that night.
The Nunez sale and all the baggage that came with it compounded a difficult start for Manning, but within weeks, things would go from bad to much, much worse.
The Chilean’s departure did result in the arrival of Pelle Mattsson, who has been excellent under Clement so far.
2. The stadium re-vamp shambles
In hindsight, announcing plans to move 3,000 season ticket holders from their seats just 48 hours prior to an East Anglian Derby probably wasn’t the smartest idea in the world.
The controversial plans – later paused by the club’s ownership after fan backlash – only added to a sense of growing anger after a terrible start to the season.
Let’s not forget the fan ‘consultation’ in the Lion and Castle pub a couple of weeks after that went down like a knackered lift.
As we all know, City went on to lose the East Anglian Derby 3-1 soon after the plans were announced.
3. Manning out, Clement in
For many, Manning’s position had become untenable long before the 2-1 home defeat to Leicester City on November 8.
The loss left only crisis club Sheffield Wednesday between Norwich and the foot of the table.
A certain Mr Clement was subsequently handed the simple brief of reviving City’s season and pulling the club clear of the bottom three.
Since then, Norwich have won more games than any other Championship team and last weekend reached that all-important 50-point mark to quash any fears of relegation.
The appointment of Clement could turn out to be one of the most important landmarks in recent Canary history.
4. Sargent saga
In early January, with Norwich at that point in the thick of a relegation battle, star striker Josh Sargent chucked in the towel and demanded a move to the MLS.
The striker’s self-centered act of refusing to play threatened to derail the momentum gathering behind Clement.
But Clement, sporting director Ben Knapper and majority shareholder Mark Attanasio held firm and maintained that Sargent would only go if his market value was met.
After weeks of negotiations, MLS side Toronto agreed to a deal worth up to £20 million, bringing the American’s four-and-a-half years in Norfolk to an end.
The saga set a vital precedent that City would not pander to player power.
5. That Wrexham win
Just a week after the Sargent bombshell, Norwich headed to north Wales to play a Wrexham side in fine form under Phil Parkinson.
Up stepped Sargent’s replacement, Jovon Makama, who smashed home a second-half winner to claim all three points for the Canaries.
Since that game, City have gone on to take the most points in the division, including impressive wins against Coventry City, Leicester City and Sheffield United.
Something clicked during that Wrexham game, and Clement’s men haven’t looked back since.
