Norwich City v QPR: Chris Sutton on David Wagner’s future

Canaries fans have already made their mind up on the German, and despite a 3-2 win over Cardiff prior to the international break, things will get ugly as soon as there’s a whiff of another negative run of form.

It’s understandable that new sporting director Ben Knapper decided to take some time with Wagner rather than sacking him at the first opportunity, as many were hoping he would. He’ll have taken advice from those already at the club, the outgoing Stuart Webber and others in the game, but he needs time to make his own mind up and decide if they’re a good fit when in the building at Colney.

I don’t necessarily agree with a lot of the things that have been said about Wagner, and believe he’s been handed some tough circumstances to deal with in a difficult season for the club. Although they’re not where anyone associated would like them to be at this stage of the campaign, the play-off places aren’t out of reach.

This squad is absolutely capable of promotion to the Premier League, and the standard of the second division dictates that they can rise up it quickly. Leicester have by far the best players in the Championship, and Daniel Farke’s got Leeds playing in recent weeks. But you look at the team Kieran McKenna has playing so well at Ipswich Town and it’s hard to see what’s much better than the group Wagner has available to him.

They’ve not been far off it too often, either. Aside from the humbling at Plymouth and the recent home defeat to Blackburn, there haven’t been many humiliating losses or clear signs of a gulf in quality between City and the teams above them.

So it’s arguable that minor tweaks and a change in momentum could turn things around for the Norfolk side; that’s the flip side of the huge game that Saturday’s Carrow Road meeting is. It may well be a must-win, but if he does do it that’s two victories on the spin for the first time since the end of August.

But when fans turn they turn, and it feels like it’s too late for the head coach to shift the feeling towards him at this moment in time. It’d take a stratospheric improvement with few blips and in pretty short order.

One thing that will offer him hope is the return from injury of Ashley Barnes, which before the international break was scheduled to be in time for the Hoops’ trip to NR1. Injuries have been perhaps the most significant of the challenging circumstances Wagner has faced, and that looks to be easing in the case of the former Burnley man.

Ashley Barnes is expected to be available for the Canaries this weekend (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

In the weeks preceding that Cardiff turnaround, during which I made clear my feelings that the players had abdicated their own responsibilities, a character like Barnes was desperately needed to restore order amongst his team-mates.

With that enforcer back in the side there’s a clear improvement coming for Norwich, and a back to basics focus that undoubtedly has been needed. People talk about the talent the likes of Gabriel Sara possess, but without the grit, determination and hard work that’s useless to any manager.

Even in the uber-talented sides currently competing for the top titles, hard work is a minimum. You look at Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, and if you don’t run, you don’t play. Simple as that.

Barnes will help rediscover that work ethic at a vital time for his boss, and he may have the help of Adam Idah after an encouraging moment for him in South Wales.

The scene of Idah scoring a crucial goal and sprinting to celebrate with the travelling support was one supporters will have hoped to see more often since Josh Sargent’s injury sidelined him three months ago, but it will be a confidence booster nonetheless.

Countless columns have been written and words spoken, however, about the Irishman’s big chance in yellow and green. For his sake, the fans’ and especially Wagner, let’s hope now really is the time he takes the chance.

The Cardiff win afforded the German time to impress his new boss, but he must continue to deliver to rescue his slim chance of taking this club forward. Fail to do so against the Championship’s 23rd-placed team, and it’s hard to see a way forward for Wagner.