- Farke was sacked off the back of a 2-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League.
- Dean Smith relegated the Canaries after replacing the German in the dugout.
- Farke now earning plaudits in the Premier League with his success at Leeds United.
The topic of Daniel Farke’s sacking has cropped up again in Norwich City circles this week after Leeds United’s 2-1 win over Manchester United on Monday night.
His team are six points clear of the relegation zone with six games to go and are on course to avoid the drop, which is something that he failed to achieve in Norfolk.
Farke is also set to lead his side out at Wembley against Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup this month, having never reached past the quarter-final stage with Norwich.
The good old days
Every Norwich fan in their 20s, such as myself, will likely tell you that watching Farke’s Norwich team was the peak of their fandom.
I was a bit too young to fully appreciate Paul Lambert’s achievements, as those seasons were my first as a supporter, but the 2018/19 and 2020/21 title wins were in my early 20s.
Eight years on from that first title win, it feels like looking back on the good old days when you think back to those teams.
The likes of Teemu Pukki, Emi Buendia, Christoph Zimmermann, and Tom Trybull – I could go on – will forever be remembered for the roles they played in Farke’s Norwich story.
It was a joyous time to follow Norwich, particularly in those two Championship campaigns, but it ended on a bit of a sour note.
How it ended for Farke at Norwich
Farke was infamously sacked the evening after a 2-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League, but it was a decision that Stuart Webber had made prior to the match.
The German head coach had led Norwich to eight defeats in the ten matches prior to that, including a 7-0 loss to Chelsea two games earlier.
On top of that, Farke lost 27 of his 38 Premier League games when the club were relegated from the division in the 2019/20 campaign.
That meant that the German boss had lost 35 of his 49 top-flight games in charge of Norwich by the time that Webber pulled the trigger.
Despite it coming off the back of a win, which did surprise many, there were few who could make solid arguments that it was the wrong decision at the time, given the evidence at hand.
Farke was a victim of circumstance
The reality is that Farke was on a hiding to nothing in the Premier League with Norwich because of the lack of funds available to bolster the squad.
There was fairly significant outlay, by Norwich’s standards, in the summer of 2020, signing the likes of Milot Rashica, Christos Tzolis, and Josh Sargent, but that was offset by the sale of the manager’s best and most important player, Buendia.
How many teams come up from the Championship and sell their best player? Not many, is the answer.
It felt like Farke being sacked in the 2021/22 campaign was a matter of when, rather than if, because of the circumstances that he faced.
Not many teams would stick by the same manager after successive historically horrendous Premier League seasons, irrespective of the circumstances.
Supporters were already starting to turn on Farke at Carrow Road, despite the rough hand that he had been dealt, and it was getting toxic, particularly in his last home game against Leeds United.
It was telling that Zimmermann, Farke’s right-hand man in the dressing room, later recalled that he thought his manager would go after that loss to Leeds because he went back on the style that had brought the team so much success.
No regrets
Because of the financial situation of the club, Farke’s record at the time of the decision, and the way modern football goes, there should be no regrets about how they decided to sack the German.
Norwich ended that season with 22 points, after picking up 21 in Farke’s first top-flight term. If he had seen out the campaign and ended with that record, what would the mood amongst the fanbase have been?
Would players, supporters, or even Farke had the motivation to go again in the Championship to go back up and have the same problems in the Premier League?
It felt like all parties needed a reset, something new, and it sometimes get ignored that the German tactician had a spell in Russia and one season with Borussia Monchengladbach before his spell with Leeds.
He has had multiple different experiences and time to hone his coaching skills to get to the point that he is at now with Leeds. That may never have happened if he stayed in his comfort zone in Norfolk.
What Norwich should regret
Instead of regretting the decision to sack Farke, Norwich should regret how they handled the aftermath of his departure.
Webber went to Dean Smith, a coach with a completely different playing philosophy and personality, and it simply did not work out.
Norwich went away from their identity, which should not have been limited to just Farke’s coaching, and it set them back years.
Dean Smith, David Wagner, and Liam Manning are not bad managers. They have all achieved success in their careers, some at Norwich and some elsewhere, but none of them ever felt like a good fit for the club.
The same goes for some of the players recruited during that period, as Webber deviated slightly from the Norwich identity to go down the experience route.
Looking to the future
Whilst it is bittersweet to see Farke achieving with Leeds what he could not at Norwich, the Canaries now have a brilliant manager who has the potential to bring joy back to Carrow Road.
Philippe Clement has managed big teams, such as Rangers and Monaco, and won numerous trophies throughout his career.
He knows what is needed to succeed at the top level and will have the resources, thanks to Mark Attanasio, that Farke did not to get what he needs if Norwich get back to the big time.
The Canaries did not have the right environment to allow Farke to thrive in the Premier League during his time at Carrow Road, but that is not the case for Clement.
Hopefully, Norwich win promotion to the Premier League next season and supporters can finally see a club that is geared up to succeed at the top level.
