Those heady days of 2018/19 seem a long time ago.
The days of 'All the Germans', miraculous late winners and possibly the finest football City fans have ever seen.
The days of Emi Buendia's genius, Christoph Zimmerman's resolve and Teemu Pukki transforming Championship pitches into his prolific goalscoring playground.
The days of Daniel Farke.
Us City fans have endured our fair share of suffering over the years, but for one magical, unforgettable season were treated to a Championship campaign like no other.
Pukki, Buendia, Zimmerman and Co were three of the undisputed protagonists, but the mastermind behind it all was Farke, one of the most likeable characters any fan could wish to encounter and a man who immediately endeared himself to the Norfolk population.
Farke's passion, honesty and unwaveringly visible connection with City supporters, coupled with the simply fabulous football he brought to Carrow Road, have indelibly etched his name into local folklore.
But things went pear-shaped in the Premier League not once, but twice, and managerial change was required.
‘Farkeball’ failed to fire in the face of more physical, robust and technically-gifted opposition and after that grim defeat at home to Leeds, Stuart Webber decided to act.
In came Dean Smith, an eminently decent bloke with an impressive track record at Aston Villa, Brentford and Walsall.
No one needs any reminding of the misery of what came next over the last few months.
Despite trying 4-4-2s, 4-3-3s, 4-2-3-1s and just about everything in between, Smith has been unable to extract any sort of tune from a City side alarmingly short of creativity, cohesion and a consistent goal thread - a pattern we witnessed a grim continuation of at Cardiff on Saturday.
Patience on the terraces is already running thin.
I was one of the 1,300 who made the trip to South Wales last weekend and what unfolded in front of us was unequivocally concerning.
At 1-0 down, Smith's side lost their heads when they needed to keep them, failed to muster any form of sustained pressure and, most pertinently given the subsequent social media backlash, demonstrate any sort of plan, style or Smith-instilled identity.
Fans have every right to be angry, frustrated and question why Smith - a coach who has a history of playing free-flowing, aesthetically-pleasing football - has failed to implement similar principles at Carrow Road.
But to me, the current mood seems like an overreaction.
I've seen several fans accuse Smith of apathy, not caring and criticising him for a lack of connection with City supporters, most notably through his reluctance to acknowledge them at full-time both home and away.
This ostensible attitude has only intensified anti-Smith sentiment, but what remains crucial to remember is what came before - City parting ways with one of the most emotionally-connected, passionate and accessible head coaches we've ever seen and replacing him with a more level-headed, reserved and pragmatic boss in Smith.
Smith and Craig Shakespeare care. The hurt and frustration was palpable after every top-flight defeat and there's simply no evidence the duo have not bought into the project, club culture or do not remain hellbent on firing City back to the Premier League.
That polarisation of characters with Farke, coupled with the sustained run of defeats and lack of identity since he came in, is what is amplifying the noise around the current regime, but it's crucial we keep the faith and trust Smith to get it right.
Yes, he has been here nine months and had time to improve players – but the truth equally remains he is working almost entirely with a squad he inherited.
That Welsh horror-show was grim viewing, but catapult the South American flair of Gabriel Sara and Marcelino Núñez into the equation, bolstered by the bulk of Isaac Hayden in place of the flimsy Jacob Sorensen, and this City team's balance, efficacy and attacking prowess could be rapidly revolutionised.
The Wigan game tomorrow already feels significant.
That it does, however, is not so much an accurate reflection of Smith himself, but instead an overly-affectionate comparison with what came before – replacing one of our greatest ever managers who couldn’t cut it in the Premier League with one perhaps not blessed with the same degree of eloquence or lovability but who has proven he knows what he’s doing at the highest level.
Win against Wigan and all of sudden everything feels different.
It’s time to ditch the Farke nostalgia, back Smith to deliver and believe his new-look, South American-infused Canaries can recreate the magic of 2018/19 and fire City back to their best.
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