- Clement balances grounded realism with the growing dreams of Norwich fans.
- Smart expectations prevent the “Super Mario” effect of hype/disappointment.
- Clement stays level while steering Norwich toward an unlikely playoff push.
As I write this, City have pulled another massive win against Millwall. Already, Clement has registered more away wins this season than any manager in years.
So why is he playing down Norwich City’s playoff chances?
Playing it cool
Raised expectations can be a difficult thing. For example, I recently watched the Super Mario Galaxy movie, a film with marketing that suggested a massive, universe-expanding mega blockbuster.
In the end it was a fun film, the best example of jangling keys that kids or Nintendo superfans could ask for.
The problem is when you set expectations high enough then the only way is down.
Tightrope
Phillipe Clement as Norwich City manager knows he is walking a difficult tightrope. On the one hand you don’t want to be a Kevin Keegan yelling “I’d love it!” when trying to best Sir Alex Ferguson and falling short.
On the other (and I realise I’ve used him as a bit of a punching bag but it’s a great example laced with recency bias) is Igor Tudor. People say they want “tough” managers but there is a difference between authority and aggression.
Balance
This, for me, is where Clement has got it spot on.
On the one hand he wants to keep things realistic and grounded. His meagre resources have been stretched thinner than a steam-rollered After Eight and he took over at one of Norwich City’s lowest ebbs.
That being said he is also smart enough to know that when you’re a fan you want that expensive ticket you’re buying to mean something and he won’t deny supporters that right.
What he said was along the lines of “So long as it’s possible we’ll keep going for it!”
The play-off dream
At the time of writing, Norwich City in the play-offs is an (unlikely) achievable dream.
In previous seasons, this would have been seen as a relative failure. Heck, when David Wagner squeaked us into the play-offs, there was little rejoicing!
The context of this bizarre season cannot and must not be ignored. Relegation was a very real threat and we must do what we can to ensure that this does not become a topic of conversation again.
Whatever happens, Clement has got us dreaming again. Whatever happens, we have to hold on to that.
We deserve better and I think if we keep Clement happy we might just get it.
