Norwich had secured a return to the top-flight at the first time of asking via the play-offs last year but were considered a favourite for the drop from early on. They did not sign too many players and the squad was pretty much the same that secured promotion. Alex Neil had shown lots of promise in his first six months after taking over but the fears were that the young Scot is going to be found out at this unforgiving level, given his clear lack of experience and nous. But Norwich defied the doubters early on and gained some decent results while playing with freedom and urgency. They pulled off comprehensive wins over direct rivals Sunderland and Bournemouth, held Liverpool to an away draw and then battled well against high-flying West Ham for a point on the road too. Yet a run of four losses in a row in the next few weeks showed Neil that his side need to maintain their level of overachieving to just keep their heads above the water. They went on a run of a single win in nine games but were still able to hold a position above the drop zone. The weakest part of the team was the lack of a quality striker who can make the difference in tight games. Otherwise, the midfield was handy and useful as Alexander Tettey and Robbie Brady were enjoying good season. However, there were few aspects of the team to be highlighted and one felt that the Canaries will struggle to keep their head above the water. Nevertheless, they pulled off a shock win away at Manchester United in late December and followed that up with wins against Aston Villa and Southampton at the start of the new year. It meant that the team had a bit of a cushion ahead of the second half of the season and Neil went on to bring big-money signings Steven Naismith and Timm Klose in order to improve the team’s chances of beating the drop. But the Suffolk side went on a dreadful run of form afterwards as they won of a single point in nine games until early March. There was some really poor football on show and the defence was getting pulled apart on too many occasions. The lack of creativity in midfield and the failure of the strikers to meet the expectations meant the goals and points were at premium during a crucial stage of the season. But, having seen his side defend appallingly for a while, Neil finally sorted that out as Klose became a crucial part at the heart of defence. A well-earned clean sheet against Manchester City in a goalless draw gave the team a bit of confidence and they pulled off a couple of big wins over West Brom and Newcastle in the next couple of games. The game against the Magpies was particularly dramatic as only a last-gasp winner from Martin Olsson earned a 3:2 win. Yet that high point was as good as it will get for Norwich as they suffered a costly loss to Crystal Palace the next week and also lost the important Klose to an injury. They were also heavily beaten by direct rivals Sunderland 3:0 and looked as good as down after that. Their relegation was eventually confirmed before the final round of the season and it means that Norwich will be back in the Championship next season. Neil has done as well as he could but there was just not enough quality from the side over the course of 38 games and they can hardly feel hard done by their relegation. Still, they look in a decent position to rebuild and come back again next season.
