- Clement transformed a sinking ship into a masterclass of elite management.
- From relegation certainties to top ten, Clement has reclaimed the dressing room.
- Big Phil restored discipline and pride by proving no player is untouchable.
The story of Norwich City’s rise under Philippe Clement is well-told, but the gravity of his achievements in such a short space of time should not be underplayed.
In mid-November, after a disastrous first 15 league games under Liam Manning, the Canaries genuinely looked bound for League 1 with just nine points on the board.
At the time, analysts from Opta gave City a 37% chance of relegation.
With many fans already coming to terms with what appeared to be a return to the third tier, Clement was the man chosen to extinguish multiple fires on and off the pitch.
The rest, as they say, is history, but there have been several key milestones along the way where Big Phil’s exceptional man-management skills have reminded fans of legends who preceded him, namely Paul Lambert.
Too often, in recent years, the tail has been wagging the dog, but Clement’s ability to command a dressing room has been proven on several occasions.
The Jurasek sub
For me, Matej Jurasek’s sub-sub against Oxford United in November was one of the biggest moments in the season.
In his first home game as head coach, Clement hooked the Czech winger just a few minutes after subbing him on.
Instead, though, of throwing Jurasek under the proverbial bus, Clement admitted that using Jurasek was a mistake on his part after the player’s recent injury and illness issues.
But to the wider squad, the Jurasek substitution showed that Clement wasn’t in Norfolk to mess about, and that laziness off the ball would not be tolerated.
The Sargent saga
Clement’s exceptional handling of the Sargent saga again demonstrated that neither he nor the club would be pushed around by players.
Sargent was a brave man to text Clement before the Walsall cup game declaring himself unavailable, but the events that followed marked a departure from the club’s previous notion that players held all the cards.
The American striker did eventually get his wish, but only after nearly two months of training with the under-21s.
With Norwich still in the relegation zone at the turn of the year, Clement could have gone cap-in-hand to Sargent begging him to rejoin the fold.
Instead, yet another message was sent out that there’s a new sheriff in town.
The Kvist situation
It’s fair to assume that Mathias Kvistgaarden isn’t someone whom Clement would have actively gone out and signed for the striker position if he were in the building last summer.
Kvist has struggled this season in the lone striker role, with Clement opting for either Sargent, Mohamed Toure or Jovon Makama when fit.
Despite the Dane’s obvious unsuitability to Clement’s preferred style of play, at no time has he been cast aside.
In fact, even after Toure’s recent impressive second-half against Millwall, Clement made a point of highlighting Kvist’s work rate in the first half.
This ability to big players up, no matter how big or small a part they play, should not be understated.
The same can be said for Tony Springett, who returned to the side on several occasions this season after two years out.
Speaking about Springett’s departure at the end of the season, Clement described him as “the glue” in the changing room, adding that, “He has a Norwich heart”.
