Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup knows fans are still with his side as they travel to face West Brom this afternoon.

The Canaries make the trip to The Hawthorns hoping to arrest a six-game winless run, having claimed just three points from their fixtures between the October and November international breaks.

They're buoyed by the return of first-choice goalkeeper Angus Gunn, however, along with a number of the supporting cast. Thorup also believes they've got the visiting fans behind them, and says he's experienced their patience first-hand.


"Sometimes they show emotion and are frustrated, but I have the feeling that a lot of the fans are reflecting really, really well," he said. "When I meet them in different scenarios they ask really good questions and we have some really good football discussions going on.

"What I sense is that they buy into what we are doing here. It's not only about me, it's (sporting director) Ben (Knapper) and it's the coaching staff and the players and everyone at the club at the moment. We are trying to change something, and to change something for the better will take some time.

"But in the meantime we need all the support we can get, and it's just fantastic. I heard that we have 2,500 fans away at West Brom, that's fantastic."

Facing Thorup's side will be a Baggies team undefeated in seven and in the Championship play-off places. He's prepared for a tough test in the Black Country, but has identified areas in which his charges could have joy.

"I expect what we have seen all season," continued the Dane. "They are a solid team, a team that is difficult to break down. They concede few goals and they concede few chances. More or less all of them in the team have a lot of Championship experience, for some of them Premier League experience.

"I would call it a performance team, it's made to perform right now. That's probably also what we'll see, so it's going to be a tough one. But I think we'll try to look at it in a way where there are no easy games in this league, so it can also be for us to go and pick up three points.

"In some situations in the game defensively they can go man-for-man and create a very physical game picture. Sometimes they can drop a little bit lower in their 4-4-2 shape and really be compact. Like I said, they are not conceding many chances. So it's a solid team, and we have to really, really be at our best.

"We have to make sure that we circulate the ball with enough speed, that we move with the right timing, so we really use these moments in the game where they open up a little bit. It's not often that that happens."

The game marks City's EFL Week of Action fixture, with an extra focus on clubs' work in the community. Thorup has been impressed by just how much of that is undertaken at Carrow Road, even if he feels it should be essential for every club.


"First of all as a football club you have to understand that the reason why we have a football club and are privileged to work in a football club is because of the community," he added, speaking from City's community hub The Nest. "It's not something you can just choose to do randomly, you have to do it, it's an obligation.

"We reach out to so many people, so many people are affected by the things that we do, and I would go as far as to say that they are a part of the things that we do. We should always have them in our minds when we take decisions and when we do things with the club.

"It's just fantastic to see, and you can see it everywhere you go, that they reach out to local football clubs and schools and so on. My daughter started playing football in Norwich, so there are so many great things going on. It's a fantastic part of a club, it's not just something that is a little bit hidden."