- Mark Attanasio made a surprise Radio Norfolk’s Canary Call appearance.
- City’s majority shareholder declared that the top two is the aim next season.
- Still plenty of areas in the squad that need to be addressed before then.
The season ended with chairman of the board Mark Attanasio giving a surprise cameo on Canary Call. Now is the perfect time to ask – how do we rate the board’s performance this season?
Special one
During his call, Attanasio referred to Philippe Clement as “Not just a very good manager but a special manager.”
This does of course somewhat overshadow the fact that he was not the manager at the start of this season. Liam Manning represented the second underwhelming manager under the new regime, with Johannes Hoff Thorup never quite establishing his style and lacking presence.
Signings
The arrival of Clement also saw new signings. While he tired toward the end of the season Ali Ahmed provided extra width the team badly needed, Paris Maghoma added some midfield trickery and Mohammed Toure brought an impressive goal scoring record.
Knapper
While fans felt that sporting director Ben Knapper underperformed, Attanasio was quick to defend him, stating, “I understood the fans’ passion and disappointment, but the results were uneven, and we hadn’t had enough of a measuring point yet. He worked hard and never let up.”
What was clear is that he personally felt that Knapper had got through the difficult time and had earned the right to keep his job.
The project
When asked about keeping Clement as a manager, Attanasio emphasised Norwich City as a project and how the community had welcomed him and his family.
While this is lovely, the project has also been something of a double-edged sword. Recent proposed stadium changes have been criticised, and while some of these elements have been put on hold, this is something that the board will have to be wary of.
Goal
While he admitted that this was something to be careful of, Attanasio stated that Norwich City were, “Aiming for more than the playoffs”.
He was sensible enough to add that there were big teams potentially coming down and competition, while also adding how he was taking steps to address the fitness issues that affected the team this season.
He also admitted the start of the season has been “bad.”
Overall…
Attanasio has stated before that he is “learning” about European football, and the same can be said of this fledgling board.
Mistakes have been made but it is also fair to say there have been massive improvements too.
Time will tell if this is achieved, but Attanasio and the board appear to be going in the right direction.
